Main Pairing: USUK

Rated M for later stuff. Cardverse and Omegaverse.

I own nothing. No copyright infringement intended.

Dinner was exhausting, but satisfying. Alfred was a regular chatterbox, asking about everything and everyone. Arthur hadn't gotten into politics yet, but Yao had helped him explain more about how Alfred had gotten here and how to get used to his new alpha senses.

To be honest, Alfred didn't exactly radiate masculinity like some alphas did. He was an alpha, for sure, but in a more quiet way. A different way. He wasn't all out dominant. True, when he had Arthur pinned he was quite intimidating, but that was when he had never had any experience with the scents at all.

Arthur's eyes fluttered closed and his mind slipped back to that moment. The one when he had found himself completely at Alfred's mercy. It wasn't often that Arthur was caught off guard, especially not by any alpha. But Alfred had moved so fast and he was so strong, pushing Arthur up like that, breathing him in -

Arthur sat up abruptly. He would not think like that. Ever since he had been classified as an omega, he had been determined not to mate. Ever. It wasn't worth the risk. He didn't want to find a partner who would get bored with him and leave him to rot away and die. He had only slipped up once. And he didn't intend to do it again.

But Alfred... Alfred was dangerous. Arthur was going to have problems with him.

After dinner, Arthur had tried to work with Yao on a way to get Alfred home - but he had nearly fallen asleep on his books. Yao sent him to bed and went back to continue his research. Now that Arthur lay in his bed, however, he simply couldn't fall asleep. His mind was buzzing. He had too many thoughts running around.

"Bollocks," he muttered, rolling off of the bed. Arthur paced around his room for a few minutes, trying to relax. He caught sight of his useless spade clock on a shelf - only, it wasn't quite useless anymore.

Arthur approached it, unbelieving. For months, almost two years, it and all other spade clocks Arthur had laid eyes on had been moving slowly, randomly - roaming around their surroundings, unable to work without a proper King. Now, the hands of the clocks pointed directly, unmoving. One pointed straight at Arthur's own body. The other...

"Yao!" Arthur yelled, running haphazardly out of the door and down to the library. "Yao -"

Yao looked up immediately, worried. "What is it?" He demanded. Arthur couldn't speak, out of breath. He held up his spade clock, blushing. He realized that he had run out of his room in only a nightshirt. True, it did fall past his knees, but the top two buttons were open, his hair was mussed - he was a mess.

Yao ignored all of that. He stood, reaching out for the chain the clock was hooked on.

"We will follow it," he stated. And follow it Yao did. He walked briskly.

"Yao -"

He held a hand out, stopping Arthur. They had paused outside of the guest wing.

"Yao, we did not induct anyone! It has to be malfunctioning!"

"No," Yao said. "It is not malfunctioning, however undesirable it's choice may be."

"What?" Arthur asked. He looked down at the spade clock again, following the arrow, and realized...

"That is Alfred's room," Arthur said.

"Indeed."

"But - but Alfred cannot be King!"

"Hush," Yao said. "I do not like it. Should we kill him?"

"No!" Arthur said. "That would not solve anything. It took a good three years for the clock to choose him. It wouldn't do any good to be Kingless for another three."

"Having Alfred as King would be no better - no, it would be worse than being Kingless." Yao said. "He knows nothing of our laws, our social expectations, our histories. Teaching him all of that in the time we have would be impossible. You yourself have been learning most of your life."

Arthur didn't answer.

"Besides, Alfred is not from this world," Yao said. "Perhaps the clock would choose someone from this world. Or we could find someone suitable before the clock does."

Arthur stared down at the clock. He didn't move.

Could he really kill Alfred? Alfred, who seemed more like a puppy than a threat? Alfred, whose eyes showed that he might be more intelligent than most would think? Arthur thought he had a chance. And that he might be good for the Kingdom in Spades in ways no one would expect.

"I think we should keep him," Arthur said quietly.

"It would not be wise," Yao warned.

"You do not know him!" Arthur whispered furiously. "I think he could be a good King. We would need to help him, yes. But -"

"And when he goes back to his own land?" Yao interrupted smoothly.

Arthur paled a bit. "Then we will find someone else."

Yao was clearly frustrated. "Arthur. You are not thinking clearly. You are biased for him because you have bonded to him! You need -"

"What did you just say?" Arthur said quietly. And though he was an omega, he was frightening. The quietest rage is the most terrifying.

"I have not bonded with Alfred," Arthur continued in that terrible, hard voice. "I will never bond with any alpha. I simply want what is best for my kingdom and myself. And even if this road is hard, it may provide amazing things in the long run. I believe it is worth the risk."

Yao sighed, rubbing his eyes. "You are an idiot," he stated before walking away, leaving the spade clock in Arthur's hand.

"When I became Queen, I inherited the position," Arthur said. "But that is not the only way to become one of the Royal Court."

Alfred listened intently, for once content to listen to all that Arthur had to explain. His eyes sparkled in the morning sun and Arthur faltered for a moment.

"You can be inducted without any family history in the Court," Arthur continued, swallowing. "You have to prove that you are capable of the job, however. And if you are a Jack, you could come from nearly anywhere. The Jack often depends on the King and Queen's personal decisions, unless the title is inherited."

Alfred nodded.

"There is another way..." Arthur said. "To become a King or Queen, I mean. If the spade clocks choose one."

"What is a spade clock anyways?" Alfred asked. Arthur pulled his own out, but didn't let Alfred get a very good look. "They point to the King and Queen, but they don't work if one is missing."

"Huh," Alfred said. "There's a King and a Queen and a Jack for all of the countries, yeah?"

"Yes."

"Do the other countries have spade clocks?"

Arthur shook his head. "I think they have another sort of clock - I've seen Diamonds' Jack with one around his neck. Bloody frog," he added under his breath.

Alfred thankfully didn't ask. "Okay. Are you guys all friends?" he asked innocently. Arthur almost laughed. "Oh, Alfred." he said.

"We are friendliest with Hearts," Alfred said. "But that's only because we have a temporary alliance with them and Ludwig is fair to everyone."

"Ludwig?" Alfred asked.

"He is the King," Alfred answered. "The Queen is called Kiku. He and Yao are good friends. Yao used to live in Hearts, in fact. When he was a child." Alfred nodded.

"They do not have a Jack," Arthur sighed. "They are looking for one now. I heard they have been sending out ambassadors to the country. Apparently Ludwig doesn't want royalty. He wants potential. Ludwig is smart," Arthur said, rubbing his eyes.

"Hey, you're smart too," Alfred said reassuringly. "I mean, you've been running this place almost alone, right? You gotta be at least a little smart to do that."

Arthur met his eyes after a moment. "I suppose," he said.

Suddenly, he drew in a deep breath. His hands were trembling slightly. Thoughts raced in his mind.

"Alfred?" he said softly. "Do I - do I smell any different than I did when you first saw me?"

Alfred's eyebrows drew together. He was confused. "No. You still smell the same as ever," he said after a moment.

Arthur breathed out, relieved. "Good. Now, Clubs -"

"Arthur? Why'd you ask me that?"

Arthur shook his head. "It does not matter." Alfred didn't need to know how paranoid Arthur was. Yao's words had been bugging him for a while - but if his scent was the same, it meant that he hadn't bonded with Alfred after all. Arthur felt slightly reassured.

Alfred was quiet for a while. Then he spoke words Arthur needed to hear. "Alright. Tell me about Clubs."

"They have a complete Royal Court," Arthur said. "Their King, Ivan, is one of the most intimidating men I have ever met. He is not what he seems. I believe he could be incredibly dangerous. But the Queen, and the Jack for that matter, they are alright. Elizabeta is the Queen. Roderich is the Jack."

"I was beginning to think only males were allowed on the Royal Court," Alfred joked.

"It is not as common to have women," Arthur explained. "In fact, Cards has a somewhat unequal gender balance. We have more males than females. It is about sixty to forty percent."

"Wow," Alfred said. "On Earth, it's the other way around. There's more girls than guys - except it's way more equal."

Arthur nodded. "The Queen of Diamonds is also female," he said. "Her brother is also the Jack. Lili and Basch. The King of Diamonds is Francis. Bloody frog," he couldn't resist muttering.

"Okay, not to be rude or anything, but that's the third time I've heard you say that," Alfred said. "You really don't like Diamonds, do you?"

Arthur shook his head, doing his best to make sure Alfred got the hint. He didn't get the hint.

"So... why not? It's because of their King, right? Did he attack you guys or something? Threaten you?"

"Does it matter?" Arthur asked scathingly.

Alfred's eyes widened. "Oh," he said softly.

"Your Highness -" Yao burst through the door. "I apologize for the interruption. But something has happened - the kitchen has been destroyed." he finished.

Arthur flushed a deep red. Yao didn't know that Arthur had started that fire, did he?

"It is terrible because now the preparations cannot go on," Yao added. "In case you were not aware," he said, glaring pointedly at Arthur. Apparently he did know Arthur had caused the fire.

"Preparations? For what?" Alfred asked.

Arthur glanced uneasily at Yao. "Have the invitations been sent?" he asked hastily.

"You have not told him," Yao responded blankly. "And yes, they have."

"Erm... Alfred," Arthur said. "Interesting thing happened last night -"

"You mean the spade clock chose me to be King?" Alfred asked, seemingly innocent, but his eyes were sharp. "Yeah, I know about that. Next time you guys decide to discuss whether or not to kill me I suggest you do it when I'm actually asleep."

"Fine," Arthur said, bristling. "I suppose you conveniently missed the part where I defended you. The preparations are for your coronation. It will happen in three days, so you have got to get busy learning all of the customs you'll need for the ceremony."

Alfred's eyes widened. "Are there a lot?" he asked.

Arthur felt a twinge of pity, but didn't let it show. "Quite a bit. I cannot afford to help you all of the time. There is much to prepare on such short notice."

"And we must fix the kitchen," Yao said dryly.

"Yes," replied Arthur dryly. "In the meantime, have you thought of using the extra kitchens?"

"They are small and inefficient," Yao dismissed.

"Well they will be efficient enough for now. Tell the staff."

The next couple of days were beyond busy. Arthur would just have sat down to help Alfred learn when a servant appeared to ask him for help. He stayed up late, getting only a few hours of sleep to run off of. Yao made him an elixir to boost his energy, but it only lasted so long. On the day of the coronation, the guests began arriving. Arthur was required to greet them, and technically so was Yao, but he was often not present. He was focusing most of his time on walking Alfred through the coronation process and making certain that he knew everything that was going to happen. Arthur felt bad for not helping Alfred. They hadn't seen much of each other in the past few days.

Arthur finally got a bit of free time. He found Alfred on a high up balcony, observing all of the fuss being made in the main courtyard for the coronation.

Without turning, Alfred spoke. "I don't think you're making the right choice," he said. "I won't be a good king. And then when I find a way home I'll have to abandon you all."

Arthur was surprised. He hadn't realized that Alfred had the same thoughts as Yao.

"You will be alright," he said, his tone coming out more gentle than he had meant it to. Clearing his throat, he continued. "And don't worry about leaving us. We will - we'll be alright."

Alfred turned, finally. His hair and his coat both were blown asky by the wind - his blue eyes pierced Arthur's more keenly than ever. In a low, husky voice, he asked, "Will you?"

Arthur barely refrained himself from shuddering. Was Alfred even aware what that did to his body? That tone, his scent - his goddamn eyes -

Once again, Arthur had to snap himself out of his thoughts. He looked away, turning back to face the open doorway. He spoke one last sentence before leaving Alfred to himself.

"I have to be."

Arthur paced in the entrance hall nervously. The ceremony was supposed to begin any moment and Alfred was nowhere to be seen. Arthur had sent a servant up to check the balcony, his rooms. He was gone. Arthur hoped he hadn't chickened out.

An orchestra played music out in the courtyard. The lovely melody floated through the doors, trying unsuccessfully to calm Arthur's nerves.

"If he doesn't show up... if he makes a bloody fool out of us..." Arthur growled. Suddenly, the music stopped.

"No, no no nononono," Arthur moaned. "Oh, Aces..."

Yao turned to Arthur. "We will go out there, and if Alfred does not come, the embarrassment lies on him." As the particular drumbeat started up, Yao strode out of the doors in his elegant blue robes. His hair, as usual, was tied with a blue ribbon.

Arthur smoothed his own clothes down. Yao was right. He wouldn't let Alfred make even more of a fool out of him. He followed the four soldiers out of the doors and down the long navy carpet.

The guests were all standing, watching Yao and Arthur go by. Arthur kept his gaze straight and steady, kneeling at the altar before joining Yao under the ceremonial archway.

Next, the drums introduced three small children. The first two were carrying bunches of blue spade leaves, scattering them along the aisles. The third carried the King's Royal scepter, looking exceptionally proud of himself.

For a moment, Arthur thought he saw a fourth child, a boy, running to catch up to the others. He wore a white sailor shirt with a blue collar, and he grinned up at his brother before fading away.

The children also knelt before the altar. The two who no longer held spade leaves split off to opposite sides and joined the soldiers. The one who held the scepter in gloved hands offered it up to Arthur, who took it gracefully. The boy joined his friend on the side.

Then the drumbeat played again for the final time, much grander, slower. All heads turned to where Alfred was standing, at the other end of the long carpet.

He had changed since Arthur had seen him, and now he was wearing a white waistcoat with several gold buttons, along with a grey-blue pair of dress pants loose over his boots. It was completely unorthodox, but it was completely Alfred.

And Arthur loved it.

He smiled softly as Alfred walked towards him. He held his head high. He didn't look at the guests as they whispered about him. He didn't look at Yao, who was staring at him disbelievingly.

"What happened to the formalities I laid out for him!" Yao whispered viciously. "He is making a fool of us!"

"No," Arthur said, smiling, almost laughing, brushing hair out of his eyes. "He is just being himself."

Yao scoffed. Alfred knelt in front of the altar. Arthur saw his shoulders shake.

"Alfred F Jones," Yao said, succesfully masking his disapproval. "This is the man we have gathered here to appoint as our King, the King of Spades. Alfred has been judged to be a true character of heart, of courage, of goodness..."

Arthur zoned out. Alfred was kneeling down a few feet away, grinning at him. Arthur let out a tiny smile before it was his turn to read.

"Please, Alfred, rise to accept your new responsibilities." Arthur recited. Alfred stood. "I, Arthur Kirkland, the Queen of Spades -" Arthur fumbled. Alfred had jumped slightly when he had heard Arthur's name.

He gestured at Arthur in a sort of 'go on' motion, so Arthur did. "-present to you this powerful symbol of your rule."

After Alfred made his vows, Arthur tapped him gently on both shoulders with the scepter before presenting it to Alfred.

And then, Yao retrieved the King's crown from its place at the altar behind him. Yao came to the side of Alfred, and Arthur stood a little ways behind him on the other side, placing a tentative hand on Alfred's shoulder. As Arthur spoke his concluding sentence, Yao lowered the crown onto Alfred's head. "Now, we present to you, Alfred, the King of Spades."

Alfred bowed shallowly, followed by Arthur and Yao. Then Alfred, Arthur, and Yao walked back down the lane and out of the courtyard, side by side, with Alfred in the middle.

When they reached the entrance hall, Alfred breathed out an obvious sigh of relief. "Jeez," he said. "That was nerve wrecking!"

"Alfred," Arthur said. "Why did you start up when you had heard my name?"

"Oh," Alfred said with a small smile. "I'd just never heard your full name before!"

Yao began scolding him furiously on his clothes. Alfred rubbed his neck, sheepish, as Arthur turned to look back outside, where all of the guests were milling about. Some were leaving down the paths to the gardens by the pond, where the party was taking place.

"Do we have to wait until everyone is down there to go?" Arthur asked. "No one ever seemed to say anything about that."

"You can go anytime," Yao said curtly. "Alfred is not going until he has changed."

Arthur smirked. "That would be just a tad awkward, don't you think? Almost as though our King was behaving childishly, and you had to keep him in check."

"It would just be awkward," Alfred said. The two shared a teasing smile.

"Fine," Yao said. "You go to the party. I have work to finish."

"Yao, you're not a servant -" Arthur called.

"No, but I am a Jack. And it is my duty to watch over all of the going ons in this house," he said.

Arthur sighed. "One day Yao is going to wake up and find that he's been cleaning dishes in his sleep. Come on, Alfred, let's go."

"Of course, my queen," Alfred teased. Arthur scowled at him.

When they got to the gardens, Arthur lost Alfred to a group of representatives from Diamonds. Arthur himself was dragged off by a couple of girls from Hearts. As he approached their little section of the courtyard, he greeted Ludwig and Kiku.

"It is an honor," Arthur said. "May the aces find favor in you."

Ludwig gave a short bow. "And in you as well," he said, completing the formal greeting. "How is fortune finding you, Queen Arthur?"

"Well, thank you," Arthur said, inclining his head. "The past few days have been busy indeed."

"I am sure," Ludwig said. Arthur caught the tone in his voice. Ludwig was uncomfortable. He never was one for small talk. Arthur bowed his head once more, at Ludwig and then at Kiku, before moving on.

"Arthur - " Alfred's voice came from the center of a large circle of delegates. "Come join us! It's such fun!" he was grinning widely. The people gathered around him, mostly younger ones, Arthur noted, were all smiling nearly as widely as Alfred. Arthur was glad that they found him so likeable.

"Sorry, Alfred, at least one of us has to be polite," Arthur said coyly. Alfred rose his eyebrows in delighted surprise.

"Why, Artie, if I didn't know any better, I'd say you were teasing! Come on, loosen up! It's a party."

"Yes," Arthur said. "Formalities must be observed, I am afraid, or someone might ended up getting mated out of wedlock."

"Huh?" Alfred said. "That doesn't make sense - why would that happen?"

Arthur curled a finger in, gesturing for Alfred to come to him. Alfred got to his feet springily and obeyed.

"Listen, Alfred, I want you to be careful. Don't act too familiar with anyone, especially not the omegas. I've seen a few eyeing you already."

Alfred eyed Arthur. "Are you jealous?" he asked, smirking.

"Wha - no!" Arthur said indignantly. "There are social expectations, Alfred, and one of them has to do with indecency. Mating happens outside of marriage, but if it happens too much, your image becomes tarnished. And if you mate with an omega and then leave them, they will never be able to find another mate. They will fade from neglect and eventually die."

"What?" Alfred said, horrified. "They die?"

"Yes. So for the love of aces, be careful," Arthur warned.

"Don't worry, Arthur," Alfred said as Arthur began to turn away. "I'm not interested in them. In fact... I think there's an omega that I like."

"Is that so..." Arthur said. "One from Spades?"

"Yeah," Alfred said. "'Cept I don't know if they like me yet. But I'll find out," he assured Arthur with a wolfish grin. "They couldn't possibly resist a hero like me."

"Of course," Arthur said cooly. "If you would excuse me, Alfred."

Arthur milled around the party for a couple of hours, exchanging formalities with the people from some other countries. At one point, one of the little girls that had carried spade leaves during the ceremony presented him with a small little bouquet of little flowers, tied together with the ribbon that had been in her hair. Arthur had smiled, accepting the flowers. Then he had taken a pretty one, one that looked like a Lily-of-the-Nile, and tucked it behind her ear.

She had run off with a blush on her cheeks and a happy smile.

Arthur had run into Yao once, who was red faced and nervous. As Arthur had asked what was wrong, he hadn't replied, looking around for a bit, and then rushing off to 'check on the servants.' Arthur was worried, but let it go.

Towards the end of the night, the guests had all gathered together to witness Arthur presenting Alfred with his own spade clock. When Alfred had accepted it, the guests all cheered and clapped. In the enjoyable evening, Alfred had grown on all of the others, especially the group from Diamonds, it seemed. Their Queen, Lili, kissed him on the cheek in congratulations before her brother dragged her away in a huff. Francis, the bloody frog himself, had slung an arm around Alfred's shoulders and talked in his ear. The two had gotten along marvelously. Of course. At one point, Alfred had called Arthur over to say hello, but Arthur gave Alfred the coldest glare he could muster and kept walking. Normally he wouldn't display such rude behavior in front of another from the Royal Court, but this time he was justified. Francis understood perfectly.

That night, Arthur fell into a fitful sleep.