It was business as usual in the bank, but Arthur was having a hard time focusing on work. His job tended to be boring all on its own, but today was ridiculous. Every passing hour found the Brit a little more anxious, a little less patient.

Gilbert couldn't get enough of it.

"Come on, Arzhur," he prodded lazily, smug grin firmly in place. "Tell me vhat's so distracting."

They were standing by the water cooler, each with a little paper cup to drink from. Less than an hour of the work day remained and Gilbert had been trying to get the information out of Arthur ever since the green-eyed blond had shown up that morning. When Arthur had first walked into the bank and Gilbert caught his eye, he hadn't been able to help the blush that came to his cheeks. He'd fought back a smile and quickly looked away, but it'd been too late. Gilbert had seen and refused to let Arthur brush it off. Now the work day was almost over, and Arthur was proud of the fact that he hadn't told his nosy coworker a thing. But the albino wasn't ready to give up just yet.

"Is it about Alfred? I bet it's about Alfred." Gilbert's eyes widened in false realization. "You shagged him! Tell me you shagged him. Somevone needs to shag zhat man. Please tell me it vas you."

"I haven't shagged anyone," Arthur replied lightly, keeping his voice down to make sure no one would overhear. While Gilbert was busy tying to decide if he believed that or not, the Brit finished his water and tossed the empty cup into a trash bin. He was followed back to his office and sat behind his desk as Gilbert leaned against the door frame.

"At least tell me if it's Alfred."

Papers in his hands, Arthur looked up at the other male without lifting his chin. "It is." His attention was back on his work before Gilbert had a chance to celebrate his minor victory.

"Vell?" Now that he'd gotten that much out of the blond, Gilbert wasn't about to give up the chance to find out more. "Vhat happened? Did you see him over zhe veekend?"

"Yes." A moment after he said it, Arthur suddenly found that he had to lean back in his chair. Gilbert stood on the other side of desk, palms splayed on the wooden surface to support his weight as he leaned so far forward that Arthur was surprised he hadn't tipped over.

"Can I help you?" the green-eyed Englishman asked, his expression completely neutral compared to the rather smug grin on Gilbert's face.

"Vhat happened vizh Alfred zhis veekend, Arzhur?" The albino's voice was lower than normal. "Vhy'd you look at me like zhat zhis morning? Hm? If you didn't shag him, zhen vhat happened?"

Having the larger male hover over him like this was borderline intimidating. Really, he was that curious about how Arthur's weekend had gone? Why?

"We went to lunch yesterday. "It was the simplest, vaguest description he could come up with.

"Und?"

"And what? We ate lunch. It was a double date with a couple of his friends, and yes, they're very nice."

"Zhat doesn't explain zhe look you had zhis morning."

No, it didn't, because Arthur didn't want to explain the look he'd had that morning. He knew perfectly well it was because Alfred had asked to be his boyfriend and he knew that information would make Gilbert positively gleeful. Not that he didn't want the albino to be happy, but…he wasn't sure he could handle the teasing. Especially considering what was going to happen in only thirty minutes.

"Hm." For a moment, Gilbert remained in his somewhat precarious pose as he examined Arthur's face. "You're hiding somezhing."

"Am not," Arthur protested indignantly, forcing himself to maintain eye contact so Gilbert wouldn't automatically disagree. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to finish these before I leave." He raised one thick eyebrow expectantly and waited as Gilbert slowly straightened. "Thank you."

Even while the blond Brit got back to work, his white-haired coworker remained on the other side of the desk, arms crossed and expression suspicious. It was nearly a full minute before Arthur bothered to look up to see it, and his only reaction was to wave his hand dismissively.

"Don't you have work to do." Phrased as a question but without the intonation, it was clearly a hint for Gilbert to busy himself elsewhere. Still, the other man didn't move for another several seconds, and then he paused in the doorway.

"I'm going to figure it out," he said in an almost-warning tone.

Arthur didn't even bother looking up this time. "I'm sure you will."

Without another word, Gilbert left the office. Only when Arthur was sure his coworker was gone did he set the papers down and relax in his chair with a sigh. It surprised him how adamant Gilbert was about discovering the meaning behind that look. It was just a look. Really, it wasn't that big of a deal.

The look was about Alfred. It's a huge deal. Alfred's your boyfriend.

Okay, but he didn't want to make a big fuss about it and come out looking like an idiot. Alfred had been entirely calm about asking, so Arthur wanted to be entirely calm about it, too. Except thinking of the bespectacled model always made him feel a little giddy, which in turn left him embarrassed. He was a grown man. Giddy wasn't a word he wanted applied to him.

But he shouldn't be thinking of this now. These forms had to be completed and filed by the end of the day, which was only—Arthur glanced at his watch then quickly sat up and got back to work—twenty minutes from now.

Despite Gilbert's not-quite-a-threat comment, the albino made no more appearances for the last bit of their work day. Arthur finished the forms just in time, and filed them away for safekeeping right as his watch beeped to let him know that it was four in the afternoon. Then it was a matter of tidying up his desk for tomorrow before he logged out of his PC, grabbed his blazer, and made for the front door.

"Oi, Arzhur!" Gilbert's voice sounded behind him, but the Brit didn't turn. He'd already made it outside and had to pause to appreciate the sight that awaited him.

Grinning, his hair perfectly mussed, helmet under his arm, and dressed appealing in jeans and a black leather jacket that was snug on his torso, Alfred leaned against his bike near the curb in front of the bank.

"Hey," he greeted, stepping away from the machine and towards where Arthur stood.

"Hi." The green-eyed blond couldn't have stopped smiling even if he'd wanted to. The two smiled at each other, and before they had a chance to do or say anything more, Gilbert finally came outside. He was obviously annoyed at having been ignored, but as soon as he realized what was going on, his irritation disappeared and was replaced with amusement.

"Hallo, Al," he called to the American from his place beside Arthur.

"How's it going, Gil?" Alfred left his bike and climbed the steps to the front of the bank, stopping with one foot on a lower stair than the other.

"Gut, except for Arzhur."

Both Alfred and Arthur looked at the albino.

"What?" Arthur failed to see what he'd done to be the exception to Gilbert's good day.

Somewhat possessively, Alfred wound an arm around the Brit's waist. "What'd Artie do?"

Unable to stop himself, Gilbert grinned. "He von't tell me about his veekend."

As soon as the words were out of the Prussian's mouth, Arthur glared. Alfred, on the other hand, was smiling.

"Well, I stole his Sunday." He was kind of proud of that, actually. The photoshoot had gone way better than he'd expected, and now he got to pick Arthur up from work and take him on their fourth date. Four dates, in less than two weeks! "Maybe I woke him up a little early, but he came with me and my boss to a photoshoot, then we went to lunch on a double-date."

"He didn't tell me about zhe photoshoot, even zhough I vas zhe vone giving him advice on Friday," the albino's tone was mournful and he turned wide, sad eyes on Arthur as the Brit flushed. "Suddenly, he doesn't trust me."

"That's not true!" The amount of guilt Arthur felt at that accusation was surprisingly large. "I just didn't want to sound like a git by going on and on about it."

"You vouldn't go on about it at all." The white-haired male turned his attention to Alfred. "Just finding out he vas vizh you vas a battle."

Catching onto the game immediately, Alfred fixed a puzzled frown into place and looked at the blond he currently had an arm around. "You don't want people to know we were together yesterday?"

"No! That's—I didn't—!" Arthur was almost frantic to fix the trouble he'd apparently caused, but he had no idea how. It wasn't that he didn't want people to know he'd been with Alfred. He actually liked the fact that his coworkers knew he was dating someone as handsome as the American. But his conversation with Gilbert had ended with him deciding to live a little bit, and he had, but he was still a gentlemen, and gentlemen don't kiss and tell. Spilling the details of the date seemed rude and arrogant to him, almost like he'd be bragging.

Still with that confused look, Alfred leaned closer to the green-eyed blond and rubbed his nose against Arthur's cheek. "I thought you'd be excited to tell Gilbert that we're boyfriends now," he whispered quietly enough that no one else would overhear.

Just the word made Arthur's face turn pink, and he looked down at his shoes in a bout of shyness. "I was going to," he mumbled, though that wasn't entirely true. He had meant to tell his coworker, he just didn't know when or how he meant to do it. But he'd have gotten around to it eventually.

"Yeah?" Alfred had both arms around the smaller blond now and was busy trying to get Arthur to meet his gaze.

"Yeah."

"All right." With a smile, the bespectacled tourist pulled the other into a hug and kissed his cheek, meeting Gilbert's gaze over Arthur's shoulder. "I asked Arthur to be my boyfriend yesterday."

Excitement brightened red eyes and Gilbert shifted in his shoes. "Really? Gut! It's about time he found himself a lover!"

Alfred laughed while Arthur blushed and hid his face in the taller blond's shoulder.

"Shut up, Gilbert," the Briton half-muttered-half-growled into the leather of Alfred's jacket, only succeeding in making both of the other men grin at each other.

"Ja, ja, I'll tease you about it tomorrow. Now get out of here—I know Alfred didn't come to pick you up for nozhing."

"Nope!" Alfred began guiding Arthur down the stairs towards his bike. "See ya around, Gil!"

"Auf Wiedersehen, Alfred! Have fun, Arzhur!"

There was a suggestive lilt to the last part that made Arthur want to turn around so he could glare at his friend and maybe add an obscene gesture just for good measure. But Alfred had his waist and was moving steadily towards the bike, so he swallowed his temper and pushed the anger from his mind. Now was not the time to be annoyed with Gilbert. Now was the time to look forward to a nice evening with Alfred.

"Here you go." Always with that smile, Alfred offered the helmet to Arthur and settled onto the bike while the Brit put it on. Other bank employees watched in amused surprise as Arthur swung a leg over the bike and wrapped his arms around the taller blond's waist, helmeted head resting against Al's back as the bike was brought to life and fully uprighted.

"Ready when you are!" Arthur called over the noise of the engine, and Alfred nodded to show that he'd heard. Just a quick glance both ways to make sure the road was clear, and then the two were off.

Having Arthur so close to him, while definitely something that Alfred enjoyed, was currently something akin to torture. The Englishman's body heat, his thighs pressing against Al's hips, hands clasped over the American's stomach and torso resting on his back as they zoomed along the roads…he was so painfully aware of all the places they were touching.

Keep it together, Al.

Easier said than done, by a lot. He hadn't fed since Friday morning. It was Monday afternoon. The hunger he'd been dealing with for over two hundred years was an annoying ruckus in the back of his skull. If he didn't feed soon, it would become unbearable. Problem was, he didn't want to cheat on Arthur to feed, but he didn't want to use Arthur for food, either. As much as he'd been looking forward to this date, he wasn't entirely sure he was going to be able to enjoy himself.

His internal battle made the ride feel like it took longer than it really did. They reached Arthur's apartment in practically no time at all, and Alfred waited outside with the bike while the other blond went inside to change. While Arthur was gone, Al did his best to pep talk himself, get himself prepared to deal with whatever came his way. It was going to be a nice, simple, innocent date. There shouldn't be anything to trigger his appetite, though sometimes he thought Arthur was all the trigger he needed. If the Englishman happened to get turned on by something, Alfred didn't know how well he'd handle it.

I can do this. I can. Arthur's my boyfriend. We're going on a date. I'm going to be completely fine. No wrong moves. Not today.

Unfortunately, he wasn't very good at convincing himself.

Just then, the sound of Arthur's front door opening and closing caught his attention, and Alfred looked up to find the Brit in a pair of snug-fitting jeans and a pale orange, untucked button up shirt. It was a nice color against Arthur's skin, and a very relaxed outfit to match the wicker basket in the green-eyed blond's hands.

Alfred smiled and straightened, holding his hands out. "Here, I'll tie it on."

With a nod, Arthur handed over the basket and re-settled in his now usual place on the back portion of the seat. As soon as Alfred was done securing the basket and sat again, Arthur's legs tightened almost automatically, and he let his hands rest flat against Alfred's stomach rather than grip each other like before. It gave the bespectacled blond a great sense of pride to know Arthur trusted him enough to be so relaxed, and he couldn't help but grin to himself as he pulled away from the curb in front of the Brit's apartment and turned them off down the street.

Minutes later, after Arthur had given instructions over Alfred's shoulder so the American would know where to go, they arrived at a park. It was surrounded by a wrought iron fence, and the gate bore signs restricting vehicles and stating the rules about taking pets on the paths.

"This looks pretty nice," Al commented, holding the bike still as Arthur climbed off of it. Only when the Brit was steady on his own two feet did Alfred stand as well then take the basket off the back of his bike. Basket in one hand, he offered his arm to Arthur and grinned cheekily. "Lead the way."

Though he rolled his eyes at the old-fashioned gesture, Arthur accepted and let his hand lightly rest on the crook of Alfred's elbow as they entered the park and started along one of the paths. It wasn't a very big park, but it was nice, and Arthur knew his way around. He led Alfred straight to an open grassy area where they could enjoy their picnic.

"This look good to you?" he asked, gesturing at the flowering bushes nearby and the tree branches overhead that provided shade.

"Looks perfect."

Pleased by that response, Arthur took the basket from the other blond and set it in the grass, opening it to reveal a typical red-and-white-checkered picnic blanket at the very top. Alfred almost couldn't believe the Englishman had one of those, but he was too amused and happy about it to comment. So he just helped Arthur spread the blanket over the grass and sat by him after moving the basket to within their reach.

The only problem now was that Arthur was much too far away for Alfred's liking.

Before the Brit could move to get into the basket again for the food that'd been packed for dinner, Alfred snaked his arms around the golden blond and pulled until Arthur was all but sitting in his lap. Face red and shoulders hunching, Arthur shot a questioning look upwards at his companion only to have Alfred kiss the tip of his nose, which didn't do anything other than make the green-eyed blond blush even darker.

"Um….yes…?" he asked quietly, looking up again despite the danger that he might receive more kisses. Not that that was a dangerous possibility, though it'd be a huge distraction.

"Just didn't want you so far away." Alfred was smiling as he shifted his arms around Arthur's middle and made the smaller blond move to settle more comfortably against him. "It's our first date as a real couple, so I thought cuddling was required."

Oh. Right.

"Well, when you put it that way," Arthur spoke musingly, then pushed himself upright and moved until he was sitting square in the larger male's lap, leaning back to rest against Alfred's chest as the American continued to hug him around the middle. "You're going to have to help me reach the basket, though."

"I don't mind that." Wow, okay, he'd wanted to cuddle, but he hadn't expected this! It was almost like Arthur knew he was hungry and was testing his limits. Alfred knew that wasn't the case, of course, but he couldn't help but worry a little. This was a delicate situation he was in. If this date was going to go well, then he was going to need to keep it together.