Upon the arrival of a new day, the two were well rested now, having slept in their own beds and not causing a scene. They were also well fed and had enough energy to do more than lounge around the whole day reading a book. However, Arthur was left without money or pay, so whatever he wanted Alfred would have to buy. Not that Alfred would object to such a thing, but he did have a budget.
"Now," the Brit was already lecturing, "I made a list of items we need. You better not forget anything." The sheet of paper in his hand was small, scribbled on with his ideal cursive. He certainly did have wonderful penmanship.
"I won't, I won't," Alfred reassured. "I never forget things!"
"Also," the other added quickly, disappointing the American, "You're going to act like a gentleman today and not some hooligan. That means no drawing attention to yourself, no speaking of vulgar or absurd things, no acting arrogant or self-absorbed, and no fighting. However, you must help a lady in need, be brave and respectful, and carry yourself with grace and confidence."
"Uh, I already do that stuff," Alfred grinned.
"Oh, yes, of course. How could I forget?" Arthur agreed sarcastically as he rolled his eyes in annoyance. "Anyway, if you're ready, we can—"
"Yep, I'm ready!" An overly excited Alfred chirped as he grabbed Arthur's hand and drug him outside, down the street, and the whole way to the market. The market wasn't too large, but it wasn't too small either. It carried necessities such a food and clothes and other things such as furniture and imported items. "What kinds of clothes do you like to wear?"
"I told you not to cause a scene!" Arthur barked as he ripped his hand out of the American's grasp.
"I don't think I'm the one causing a scene," Alfred responded smartly, pointing a finger at the other. "Let's hurry up and find you an outfit before you draw even more attention! Geez!" he added playfully and grabbed the other's hand once again, the accusing look erased from his face.
"There's no way in hell I'm letting you create my wardrobe!" the Brit complained. "I'm picking out what I want and that's that! I don't care about what you have to-"
"Just go look at those pants over there and lemme know how you like them," Alfred interrupted and shoved Arthur in the direction of said pants. "Look, there's even matching vests!" Begrudgingly, Arthur walked over to the rack and started looking through the small selection, obviously taking his time. When he was finished and had picked out what he liked, he walked over to the friendly lady operating the stand and started a conversation with her.
"Oh, Artie, wait! You need my...wallet?" Alfred searched his pockets, but his wallet wasn't there! Had he forgotten it? Right as he turned his attention back to his friend, he saw him with his wallet spending his money on an expensive new frockcoat, trousers, vest, and shoes!
Arthur had absolutely perfect composure and completely blocked the American out, not bothering to notice his absurd stare. Hadn't Alfred said something about using his money, anyway? The Brit wasn't a child and could easily buy his own garments. Still not taking notice to Alfred, Arthur proceeded onto the next shop and bought something there. When he finished paying, he casually strolled back over to his dumbfounded friend.
"How did you…?" Alfred questioned, staring down at Arthur.
"I took your wallet while you weren't looking, of course," he replied nonchalantly as he slid said wallet into his pocket. "I have everything I need, so let's take you to get your hair cut." Alfred nodded in agreement, and the two walked over to the barbers. There, the American only received a trim, and Arthur did as well. Once they paid for that, the smaller finally handed over the other's precious wallet.
Alfred opened it up and peered inside. "Hey…All my money is gone…What the heck did you spend it on? We don't even have any for food now!"
"Calm down," the Brit soothed, "I don't even eat that much." Leaving his friend still in disbelief, he turned around and started home. Alfred soon started after him.
"B…But you said we needed to buy everything on the list!" Alfred huffed, a bit winded from running after his friend.
"I lied." Arthur stated bluntly.
Once the duo returned home, it was already quite late. Alfred grabbed a quick snack before going to bed, and Arthur put away his new clothes. The two didn't speak to each other very much, but that was ok. They did need a bit of space every now and then. Besides, the distance would allow each of them to relax and unwind instead of worrying about what the other was doing.
That night, neither awoke or had trouble sleeping, but when Alfred woke up the next morning, he made a devastating discovery.