Alfred hadn't been to a Starbucks in forever. He thought that the coffee was pretty decent, but it was way too expensive and so he tended not to splurge on a drink he could get somewhere else for half the cost. They did offer some pretty interesting flavors though, all equally sweet and delicious, and Alfred felt his mouth watering just roaming his eyes over the menu posted on the wall.

He finally decided on a decadent chocolate Frappuccino, piled high with whipped cream and syrup drizzled over the top. Oh man, he was going to enjoy this to the very last drop. When was the last time he had a treat like this? He almost couldn't believe that Arthur actually proposed to come here, it seemed like the man had never set foot in a Starbucks before.

Alfred watched Arthur with humored interest; the shorter man had spent a great deal of time racking his eyes over the menu only to grow more and more irritated (no doubt because he couldn't find his desired tea as an option).

"Excuse me," Arthur called out to the barista who had been waiting for him to pick something and pay. "Where is your tea selection? I don't want a chai latte tazo whatever-the-hell! I just want a normal tea, hot – as it should be. None of that iced crap!"

The barista stared at him, unimpressed, and blinked slowly. "We have plenty of choices," she stated while bringing up a box full of different brands. "Green, black, white, herbal – take your pick."

Arthur murmured a "that's more like it" under his breath before taking the box from her and rummaging through it.

Alfred stood off to the side with his drink already made, watching the line gradually get longer and longer behind Arthur. He knew by now that Arthur was a no-shame kind of guy, he probably didn't care that people were waiting. Unfortunately, the barista did.

"Sir, have you decided yet?" she asked with a rushed inclination, gesturing vaguely to the box in Arthur's hands.

He narrowed his eyes at her. "This is a very delicate procedure. If I pick the wrong tea, it could completely ruin the rest of my day. We wouldn't want that, now would we?" He picked up two different tea bags and studied them closely.

Alfred had to bite his lip from chuckling at the barista's reaction, she looked like she was ready to explode.

"Sir," she tried, "please pick one!"

"Fine, you inconsiderate slag. I'll take this herbal one then," he said while thrusting the tea bag in front of her. Alfred's eyebrows shot up, damn Arthur was nasty sometimes!

She took it in a huff and then got a cup from the side. "Name?"

"Beg your pardon?"

Alfred leaned in close to Arthur, "She needs your name to write on the cup."

The Englishman hummed in reply, "It's Arthur."

The barista looked at him, "Author?"

He frowned. "No. Arthur."

"Oh I'm sorry, I can't understand your accent. Can you repeat that again?"

Alfred covered his mouth to hide his giggles. The barista was totally fucking with him and he couldn't say that Arthur didn't deserve it. That's what happens when you treat workers in New York City rudely.

And Arthur looked more pissed then ever. "My accent is perfectly understandable thank you! You need to get your hearing checked. And you know what, make that Mr. Kirkland to you."

The barista looked at him with an unreadable expression. "Of course, Mr. Kirkland," she said with false innocence while scribbling the name on the cup.

After paying for the two drinks and finally allowing the next couple in line to order, Alfred and Arthur moved to the side.

"So it's your first time in a Starbucks?" Alfred asked, already knowing the answer.

"Yes, and my last! I suggested going here because I always hear how obsessed Americans are with the place. God only knows why...I just thought you'd prefer this to other cafes." He pointed down to the giant Frappuccino in Alfred's hands, "and I doubt you'd be able to find that monstrosity elsewhere. It looks disgusting by the way."

Alfred pouted, "Hey! Don't judge! This shit is delicious, you gotta try it." He held it out to Arthur who put his hand up in disgust.

"No thanks, I'll wait for my tea while you subject your body to diabetes."

"Rude," Alfred stuck his tongue out at him.

Finally a different barista placed a ready-made hot tea on the counter and called out, "Mr. Cockland? Tea for Mr. Cockland?"

Alfred's face scrunched up before he burst out laughing. Arthur on the other hand turned bright red. Then he whirled his head around to the register where the first barista was. She looked at him and gave the sweetest smile before turning back to the client she was helping.

Arthur's eye twitched. He grabbed his drink off the counter and then grabbed Alfred's shirt to drag him out of the coffee shop.

When they were safely outside and Alfred's laughter died down, he took a moment to appreciate just how angry the other man looked. "C'mon, you have to admit that was funny."

"No it was not! It was inappropriate, and uncalled for I might add. She's lucky I don't report her," he tapped his foot irately.

Alfred rolled his eyes, "Yeah but you were kind of a douchebag."

"What are you saying? That I deserved it?" Arthur narrowed his piercing green eyes at him, and it reminded Alfred so much of a few days earlier when Arthur had yelled at him for trying to return his money.

He tried to hide the sudden stab of dejection. "I'm just saying you should be nicer to people, especially when their job is to serve you. You shouldn't act like you're better than them, that's all. Everyone deserves respect…servers, waiters…even the homeless," he tacked on.

The other man started to fidget uncomfortably, mulling over Alfred's words. He turned the cup over in his hands to look at the name 'Mr. Cockland' written across it in big black letters. Finally he let out a heavy sigh and raked a hand through his hair. "You're right. I…need to work on that don't I?"

Alfred gave him a small smile and stated encouragingly, "Don't worry, I can help you."

"You think you can reverse three decades of mistrust and egotism thrust on me by my family and friends?"

Alfred beamed at him, undaunted. "Of course!"

His positivity must have been infectious because Arthur smiled back at him. "Okay then. Before we start training," he started jokingly, "why don't we sit and enjoy our drinks?" He motioned to the outdoor seating area, where there was an empty table with two chairs.

"Sure," Alfred affirmed as they made their way over and sat down.

Arthur snorted, "So is this what Americans do to pass time? Buy overpriced coffee and talk aimlessly for hours?"

The younger man tapped his chin in fake thought, "Hmmmm well yeah, mostly the chicks though. Or people on dates." Shit, he did not mean to say that last part. He didn't let Arthur ponder his words before asking quickly, "Why, what do British people do?"

"Go to a pub of course, I must say I'd fancy a pint after that interaction with the barista…" He put his elbow on the table and held his chin in his hand.

"Hahaha! It's too early to drink!"

Arthur looked at him incredulously before asserting, "It's never too early to drink."

Alfred couldn't tell if he was kidding but it seemed like he wasn't. He mentally added 'heavy drinker' to his steadily-growing list of things he knew about the Englishman.

"You Brits must really like your liquor," he said amusingly.

"Oh you don't know the half of it. I could drink anyone under the table in my hometown," Arthur stated confidently with a smirk on his face.

Alfred smirked back at him. "Impressive. I'm not a huge drinker though, I'll leave that to you." He threw in a wink for good measure.

"Well that's a shame… so you don't know of any good pubs around here then?"

"Um no not really, I've never really been to a pub actually, I prefer clubs so I can dance. Pubs just make me think of tiny, dimly lit bars that serve fish and chips with beer. Not really my thing."

Arthur did not look happy. And he was definitely pouting. "That's not all that pubs have to offer! Especially in England! I don't know what kind of crap goes on here but there has to be an authentic English pub somewhere in this godforsaken city."

Alfred laughed. "You're probably right. We'll just have to do a bar crawl one night to find the best English pub!"

The Englishman contemplated this before nodding in agreement.

They went on to discuss other topics, from their alcoholic drinks of choice to their college experiences, to favorite subjects in school, and Alfred even got Arthur to open up about his childhood a bit!

An hour and a half had gone by before Alfred started thinking more and more about how much it felt like a date. The two of them, sitting outside enjoying the sunny weather talking and laughing and generally enjoying each others' company. It was exciting of course, but he also didn't know if his companion felt the same attraction. He still didn't even know if the man swung that way! Alfred had let his sexuality slip the night before, but Arthur hadn't alluded to his own preferences, and Alfred wasn't sure how to feel about that.

It was also weird that Arthur was paying for everything. Alfred felt bad about it, of course, but it wasn't like he had any money anyway and Arthur clearly had the funds and had no qualms with spending it. The guy was seriously loaded. And Alfred was only a little bit jealous.

If he had that kind of money he was be donating it to charities to give back to the community. Of course he had nothing against the Englishman about spending his own money however he wanted… it was just interesting seeing the contrast between their two upbringings and lifestyles. Alfred had never been on a date with someone posh, or 'bougie', or whatever. He tended to go for the tamer, quieter, and laid back men – the ones who had a few part time jobs and preferred to play video games rather than go to work.

Arthur wasn't like that at all. He was hot-headed, quick-witted, and devoted to the painstaking time and effort to do good work. Alfred could tell the man was a force to be reckoned with. And, for some reason, he really liked it. He liked that Arthur was sarcastic and honest and spoke his mind even when he probably shouldn't. He liked that the man acted all tough and fierce one second but the next turned all wide-eyed and adorable the next second.

Speaking of his eyes, they were just gorgeous. Green eyes were rare in general but Arthur's were absolutely mesmerizing. The way the light was reflected in the little gold flecks of his irises captivated Alfred and he couldn't stop staring, watching Arthur talk animatedly until he paused and gave Alfred a weird look.

"Well?"

Alfred shook his head to redirect his attention; he had completely zoned out. "Huh? Sorry, what'd you say?"

"I asked if you wanted to move on to the suit shopping?"

"Aw but I was having so much fun here!"

"You weren't even listening to me while I was speaking!" Arthur shouted, scowling at him.

"I sorta was," he giggled, shrugging his shoulders and radiating innocence.

"My arse you were," was the response. He abruptly stood up, grabbing the long-finished cups off the table and tossing them in the garbage. "Are you coming or not?"

"Yeah yeah hold your horses," Alfred replied whilst standing and stretching his arms up to the sky.

They weaved their way through the people sitting and chatting and started down the street. Arthur was using the GPS on his phone in order to find the 'perfect' place to buy nicely tailored suits and Alfred followed his lead.

After only walking a few blocks, Arthur came to a halt in front of a store with a name that Alfred couldn't pronounce. There were luxurious tuxedos on perfectly posed mannequins in the window and even the tiny light bulbs in the display case looked expensive. Alfred's stomach dropped. This was the kind of store he wouldn't spare a passing glance; he didn't belong here!

Arthur held the door open and when he noticed that Alfred was not inching any closer, he dragged him inside whispering "it'll be fine".

The place was a lot bigger than it looked. Tons of suits lined the walls, sorted by color and style. There was a section for wedding suits, professional suits, everyday suits – what the heck was an everyday suit? It was very overwhelming, and Alfred couldn't help but feel extremely out of place surrounded by such affluent clothing.

A clerk spotted the two men and approached them. "How can I help you two today?"

Arthur took the lead. "Well, we were hoping to find a classic suit for him," he gestured to Alfred with a nod.

The clerk responded, "Very well, follow me please." He brought them to a long line of suits toward the back of the shop, a varying array of blues and blacks poking out from the rack.

Alfred gulped. They all looked exactly the same! How was he supposed to pick one?

Thank god Arthur seemed to know the "ins and outs" of suit shopping. After pulling a bunch of suits from the rack and discussing with the clerk which would be the most appropriate for a typical work setting, he ushered Alfred along to the changing room to try them on.

He stared at himself in the big mirrors lining all sides of his dressing room, feeling caged and uncomfortable. In the brightness of the contained space he could see his body so clearly. Like the bags under his eyes and the gauntness of his face. He removed his shirt and examined the way his ribs bulged out. He had never looked so ugly, he decided. The lackluster eyes and pale skin was nothing reminiscent of how he used to look. Something had to change; he couldn't go on looking like hallowed version of himself.

"Everything okay in there?" he heard Arthur ask from the other side of the closed door.

"Uh huh, hold on," Alfred took the first suit off the hanger and quickly began to change, praying it wouldn't look overly baggy on his emaciated figure.

He carefully stepped out of the changing room in a dark blue jacket and matching dress pants, awaiting a reaction from the Englishman.

Arthur looked pensive, with a hand on his chin in thought as he assessed Alfred's outfit.

It was making him kinda nervous.

"Sooo, what do you think?"

Arthur came forward to button the first button on the jacket, and to hike up the pants so they weren't hanging so low off Alfred's hips. Alfred managed to not overtly blush at the manhandling, just letting Arthur tweak and correct any imperfections he saw.

At last he sighed and shook his head. "No, I'm afraid that look just doesn't quite work for you. Let's try the next."

Alfred let out a sigh of his own, he had been secretly hoping for the 'one and done' kind of shopping trip but alas, the universe was not on his side today. He begrudgingly returned to the dressing room to try on the next suit, which turned into the next suit, which turned into the next…like seriously, Arthur was so picky! It wasn't Alfred's fault that he couldn't rock the professional look like his British companion could.

When he finally emerged with one of the only remaining suits left to try on, he was expecting Arthur to turn it away like all the others, but instead Arthur's eyes widened and he leaned forward.

"Ah! That one! It exudes classiness and sensibility. It's bloody perfect. Finally, my god I thought we were never going to find one." He smiled so beautifully at Alfred then that the taller man's heart skipped a beat.

"Y-you really think so?" Alfred asked. Curse his stammering.

"Yes! It fits you exceptionally well," he turned to a clerk in a nearby aisle. "Excuse me sir, we would like some advice on this suit that he has on. Do you think it needs to be hemmed at all?"

The dark-haired clerk came over to them before stopping abruptly.

"Alfred…is that really you?"

Oh shit. It was his old coworker and good friend, Kiku! What the hell was he doing working in this store?

He couldn't keep that question to himself apparently. "Kiku oh my god! Long time no see! What are you doing here?" He put his hand out which Kiku took as the two shared a friendly handshake.

"Ah, I work here now. I stopped working at the videogame company only a little bit after you left. You were right about that place – so hostile and unpleasant."

"I know right! I guess it's a good thing you weren't there for much longer after I got the boot, I bet you were hella bored," he laughed merrily.

Kiku smiled tight and warm in response and then changed the subject. "I am surprised you are here in a suit, Alfred. This must be a very special occasion. Are you going to an event with your boyfriend?"

Alfred blushed from ear to ear as he looked to Arthur frantically. "Ohh no no hahaha he's not- this is just my friend, Arthur! Sorry I totally forgot to introduce you guys."

The Japanese man looked embarrassed as well. "Oh I'm very sorry, I should not have assumed anything," he turned to Arthur and bowed slightly. "It is nice to meet you."

Arthur lowered his head a bit as a show of courtesy. "Pleasure to meet you, Kiku."

The blue-eyed man looked between the two, thrilled that one of his best friends and his newest friend were getting along nicely, albeit a tad awkward at the 'boyfriend' mention.

"The suit isn't for an event of any kind, by the way. We were looking for something he could wear in a professional setting," Arthur began, steering the conversation back to the reason they were in the store in the first place. "How do you think it fits him?"

Kiku approached Alfred to measure the lengths of the sleeves and pant legs against his body, and Alfred didn't miss the frown at his Japanese friend's lips. Suddenly nervous, he pulled absentmindedly at the lapels of the jacket. "Well? Do I look good or what?" He laughed anxiously.

"I believe it is a good fit for you. If the pants feel too long, I will recommend getting a little trimmed at the bottom, but I do not think it is necessary. With the proper shoes, I think this suit is a good match."

Alfred looked to Arthur for his approval as well so he could finally get this damn thing off and into the regular comfortable clothes that were beckoning him from inside the changing room.

At last he was permitted to change and when he emerged, he carried the pristine suit over his arm, trying his best not to wrinkle or tamper it, lest he incur the Englishman's wrath (and perhaps his Japanese friend's wrath as well, though that was much rarer).

The two men had been engaging in small talk but stopped once Alfred was in front of them.

"Shall I get this paid for then?" Arthur questioned as he took the suit from Alfred's arm.

"How expensive is it?" Whoops, didn't mean to let that one slide out.

Arthur fished the price tag out of the fold and glanced down. "Not too bad, especially for this label, definitely worth it." With that, he turned on his heel and headed to the register.

Alfred narrowed his eyes before he turned to Kiku. "How much is that suit?" He knew his friend wouldn't lie to him, and now he had to know.

The shorter man looked uncomfortable. "It is around five hundred and fifty dollars."

Blue eyes widened to abnormal proportions. "F-fi…five HUNDRED? Oh my god… That is literally insane. I can't believe he's doing this," he murmured the last part mostly to himself but Kiku heard it anyway.

"Your friend is buying that for you? He is very generous," there was a question of 'why' hanging in the air between his words but Alfred wasn't going to indulge his curiosity, not now at least.

"Yeah he is. He's a great guy," Alfred said truthfully.

"Alfred, can I ask you a question? It is unrelated."

"Yeah of course."

"You look very different from the last time I saw you. Much more thin, and tired. Are you okay?"

Alfred gulped and rubbed the back of his neck, feigning ignorance. "Yeah dude I'm okay, I just lost some weight is all."

His friend studied him for a moment before replying, "I know you better than that, I think. You seem to be lying."

Okay but did Kiku really have to call him out like that? Couldn't they all pretend everything was fine and dandy? He had never known his friend to be so direct with him before, apparently Alfred wasn't the only person that had changed since they last saw each other.

He was trying to formulate his response when he saw Arthur making his way over to them with the newly purchased suit in tow.

This wasn't the kind of conversation he wanted to have in general, least of all in front of Arthur. He definitely missed Kiku and wouldn't mind hanging out again in the future, and maybe by then he would be able to open up about the struggles he had faced over the last half-year, but now just wasn't the right time.

"Kiku, it was really great seeing you, but I think we're going to head out now." He tried to smile without giving away his discomfort as he turned away toward the door.

Arthur stopped him, "Oh we're in no rush. If you'd like to stay and chat with him, it's no issue."

The dark-eyed man kept glancing between the two of them, no doubt evaluating the situation and trying to come to a reasonable conclusion for why Alfred was acting so weird. Alfred didn't blame him for wanting more information, but this was just so freakin' awkward!

At last Kiku opened his mouth again. "I should help other clients again anyway, so I do not mind if you need to leave. But first I want to invite you to my apartment next week, I am having friends over for a videogame party. We will try out all these new games I got recently. Do you want to come?"

It wasn't often that Alfred was left speechless, but this was one of those times. He had no idea what to say.

"Uhhh, I– uhhhh," he sputtered gracefully.

"You do not need to give me an answer now!" Kiku supplied urgently, "You can always text me when you decide."

Alfred nodded dumbly in response.

"Do you still have my phone number? I have tried texting you multiple times the last few months but you didn't answer. I was unsure if you lost your phone, or if you got a new number."

Sweat was starting to drip down Alfred's temple, and his hands were clenching and unclenching at their own accord. He thought back to the crappy phone with a cracked screen he hadn't been able to use in months, that was currently stuffed in his tote bag at Arthur's place. He hadn't used it since the battery died after he had been forced out of his apartment, and he obviously couldn't pay his phone bill so it wasn't like he could use it for anything other than the stupid game apps he had installed to stave off boredom. Suddenly he thought about how many calls he had missed, how many texts had gone unanswered. Looking down, he hadn't realized his eyes started to water.

So, so much shame.

Arthur's worried hand was on him in an instant and he heard Kiku start to frantically reconcile for damage that he didn't cause.

"Alfred, forgive me, I did not mean to make you upset. You do not need to answer about the party or the phone. I only asked because I miss your company."

And if that just about made Alfred burst into tears right there…

"N-no it's okay. Sorry, I just-" he wiped at his face desperately, hoping that the other patrons weren't looking in their direction witnessing him cascade into a state of panic. He took a couple of deep breaths as Arthur continued to squeeze his shoulder soothingly.

"Kiku, I-" he tried and failed to even his voice out.

"It's okay, you're okay. You don't need to speak right now," said Arthur gently. Alfred took another deep breath, feeling himself calm immensely from the Englishman's pacifying voice and comforting touch.

This time when he wiped at his face, the tears didn't reappear. And when he felt prepared, he lifted his head to look at the two worried men in front of him.

"Thank you. I just…Kiku I want to tell you everything that happened since I got fired from that shithole of a company, but I'm not ready yet. Just know that I haven't been able to use my phone in months, so honestly I don't know how I can contact you." He shook his head sadly.

"Do you have a phone?" Arthur asked him, seemingly perplexed at the notion.

"Yeah, I do. It's long-dead though. Not sure if it'll turn on when I charge it but I can try. And I'm not gonna have service or anything since I don't have a phone plan anymore."

At this, Arthur perked up. "Oh don't worry yourself with that! We'll get you set up with a new plan and everything, not a trouble at all."

Alfred stared at him, debating whether or not to fight the offer, but already knowing how it would play out. How quickly they had developed a pattern of behavior.

He smiled at him, "Thanks dude, you're the best. Seriously."

Arthur blushed slightly, "Nonsense." Then he faced Kiku before taking out his own phone. "I can take down your information just in case the data was lost and we need to get him a new one."

Kiku smiled and exchanged information with Arthur whilst the tallest of the group watched on.

At last they all said their goodbyes (and Kiku was blessed with a tight hug from Alfred) before the two blondes exited the store. They had only made it a couple of paces on the sidewalk before Arthur turned to him and stated, "You have good taste in friends."

Alfred couldn't help but agree.

A/N: Sorry this chapter took so long to write, but I guess anything is better than my 4 year hiatus so really it's not so bad XD