Wow, the year goes fast. The last update was in August. Would you look at that.

Tenkuno is now (re)married, I'm still in uni doing nothing in particular, life is going well. Back on track! "So so so sorry this is so late! Please forgive us!"

Chasing Shadows: Chapter Five

Afternoon, July 29th. The British Embassy. Moscow, Russia.

They were put into a tiny room, cramped because of the large table and the five chairs that were positioned around it. Alfred let out a soft sigh and tugged at his tie but immediately stopped when his supervisor shot him a weak glare for the act.

Because of this meeting with the MI6, Alfred and Angie had been told to dress professionally. Something about not letting their country look bad or sloppy in front of others, but god Alfred really hated this suit. It was itchy, hot and the tie made him feel like someone was straggling him with silk.

He pushed his glasses further up the bridge of his nose and listened as Arthur and his superiors greeted each other and exchanged pleasantries before getting down to the matter at hand. He stole a look at Arthur from across the table and tried to suppress a small smile after seeing the man look so no nonsense and business like, when just this morning he had shown Alfred his impressions of all Eleven Doctors.

He wouldn't lie that his eyes traveled down a bit. Arthur looked good in a suit.

"If I might, sirs," Arthur was the first of the group to speak out. He uncrossed his legs and coughed into his hand to clear his throat, like a man just about to make an elaborate point. "Whilst I recognise that cooperation may be a far-fetched idea, considering that our defence agencies are not always associates, we certainly do have reason for our cooperation at this time. For instance..."

He straightened up. "The girl I was tasked to find appears, due to the evidence I have gathered, to have been abducted by the same traffickers that Mr. Jones and his associate are investigating. I assume this, because traffickers are my prime suspects and I was pointed in the exact same direction that Mr. Jones has been. From here, we might be able to cooperate to not only find out the fate of said daughter - of whom, sadly, I do believe to have been sold or killed by now - and at least, potentially, we could take down a league of traffickers. This would naturally be beneficial to both of our countries."

With that, Arthur laid back into his chair. He eyed Alfred quickly, letting his green eyes lower down and observe Alfred's trousers, before he looked at their supervisors. "Of course. You already know that. Which is why you are here."

Alfred glanced at Arthur quickly, amusement showing in his eyes before he rolled them and let out a loud sigh. "Well, thank you for stating the obvious." He flinched when he felt Angie pinch his thigh hard and grinned when the CIA supervisor shot him a red hot glare. "Mr. Jones..." Oh! That tone! It was the tone that told him to shut up and play nice.

Pffft. With Arthur? Not a chance.

"I'm just saying. We all know why we're here, so why make some long winded speech about it?" He leaned back in the old metal chair and crossed his arms over his chest. "What we need to talk about is what are we going to do now?" Alfred didn't even glance at Angie when he heard her groan softly, he kept his eyes right on Arthur even as his supervisor began to speak.

"As Mr. Kirkland has stated, it does seem that we are following what looks like to be the same person or persons." He opened the manila file in front of him and spread the papers on the table for everyone to see. "According to Agent Jones, him and Mr. Kirkland have been running around each other. Both of our agencies have been sending people to more or so the same locations these past months, and I can safely say that the CIA does not believe that's a coincidence. We would very much like the cooperation and assistance of the United Kingdom's MI6 in this endeavour to take down this group."

Arthur looked at his supervisor nonchalantly. Of course, he was personally biased to want to stay with Alfred and his somewhat troublesome assistant, but it was all down to his supervisor's decision at this point. He observed the middle-late aged male scowl before he eventually gave a grave nod.

"I must agree. For the benefit of this task, we shall combine our forces for now. I expect my agent to share information with you, as much as I would expect yours to share information with us. It is imperative to both of our nations to keep up communications. However," Arthur's supervisor spoke, though addressing his sentiments purely to Alfred's supervisor. The agents were beneath them on the hierarchy, after all. "There is a condition. Or rather, a request. I'd like to ask Mr. Kirkland to leave for a moment. If you would like to send your agent out as well. Or not, perhaps he should hear it too."

Alfred glanced at his supervisor out of the corner of his eye and watched as he nodded and signaled for Alfred and Angie to stay put while they dismissed Arthur with a simple wave of the hand. Alfred watched as Arthur left and quickly sat up straighter in his chair.

Arthur appeared somewhat perplexed, before he left the room. He knew better than to question his supervisor. Perhaps he could pester his partner about it later, regardless. He waited outside, taking a seat on one of the chairs in the lobby of the UK embassy, Moscow. He gave a polite look at one of the workers, while he idly tapped his thighs.

Back in the room, Alfred was uncertain.

"Umm... So is there something wrong with Mr. Eyebrows or something? Why'd he have to leave? He been known to do a little double agent-ing?" He was joking but the small sting of cold in his gut made him nervous. God, that was just what he needed. A love interest with shady intentions.

The British supervisor sighed and looked at the other two seriously. "As I mentioned, this is a request. Arthur Kirkland is under review. We are monitoring his performance, because we believe that he may be unsuited to the field any longer. He is capable enough to handle this mission, but we believe we may remove him and give him a lesser position if the results of this review are not lucrative." He casually explained.

"I hope that Mr. Kirkland's abilities are a help to you more than a hindrance, and similarly, I hope this does not affect our arrangement." A forced smile came from his slightly cracked lips.

Alfred raised an eyebrow and watched Arthur's supervisor smile while his own cleared his throat and seemed uneasy about this. "Are you seriously trying to set us up with an agent who isn't exactly doing his best right now?" Even though he had what was far more than a crush on Arthur, Alfred couldn't help the annoyance he felt at the MI6 right then. "On a case where girls and a few young boys have been kidnapped, drugged and sold and in worst cases killed. You...You have put an agent who isn't qualified to go out on the field?"

"Mr. Jones..."

Alfred scowled at the British man as he felt Angie's hand on his arm and his superior warn him.

"He is qualified to be on the field. We also have another set of agents working on similar cases, but it would complicate things to assign them to you. We will, however, give you their information as well - if you are vague to our Mr. Kirkland about the information's source," the supervisor tried to explain.

"Kirkland is perfectly qualified. He is one of our best agents. Never failed a mission before the one before this, where his mark was assassinated in Venice. We're pegging this disruption in his abilities down to stress, or other personal problems he is not telling us. We're only entertaining the possibility of letting him go, or enforcing a long-term holiday for him. Does this settle you, Mr. Jones?"

Alfred watched the man in silence before he rolled his eyes, glancing off to the side as he crossed his arms. 'Whatever. He just better not mess this up." He would never say it in front of Arthur, but it worried him. What if because of his 'feelings' for the Briton, it made him blind to some sort of flaw that Arthur had that led to them to not being able to catch the people behind this.

His supervisor gave him a look that told him he was going to be lectured after this, which he really didn't want but he had to voice his frustration somehow. "I believe Mr. Jones is just stressed from the case, and the idea of adding another thing on that list might be a bit much..."

Alfred snorted. "Babysitting eyebrows is fine. I can handle it."

His supervisor waited for a minute and then nodded towards the MI6. "Then we are in agreement."

They shook hands. An agreement was successfully arranged.

After a few words with his own supervisor prior to the initial meeting, Arthur was released and allowed to rejoin Alfred and Angie. Arthur coughed into his hand. He had to be serious. "I won't pry into what he was asking or telling you about. I'm too wise to bother with that. I know you won't tell me. So, here is a critical question. Where do we go next?"

Angie shrugged as she took a sip from the can of soda she had gotten from the vending machine and glanced over at Alfred. "Honestly, after that party we really didn't have much... it was all kinda riding on that." She frowned when she saw her friend clench his fists. She knew Alfred was angry at himself for losing that lead. She just hoped he wouldn't do anything stupid to get ahead again.

"Maybe we should go back to our hotel, have a nice rest and then all have dinner? All work and no play after all is bad for the mental health." She raised her can in the air as if stating her word was law as a psychiatrist.

Personally, Arthur was a man that liked to get stuck-in, not the social type. When offered the opportunity to socialise with new co-workers or to get straight to work, he usually opted for the latter. But considering the hidden situation beneath the surface of this dynamic, Arthur couldn't really tell them no. He gave a sullen nod.

"Why not? It would give us a chance to get to know one another. A critical point if we're going to have to trust each other..." his eyes trailed from Angie onto Alfred. They lingered accidentally. He had certainly gotten to know Alfred recently. Their activities only the night before were reflective of that enough.

Alfred frowned slightly and nodded. "Yeah...Dinner sounds good. I saw a place down the road that looked kinda like a Mc—" He winced as Angie slapped his arm with her iPad, glaring up at him hotly. "No! We are not eating at McDonalds again! We are in a different country! New culture and everything! We should have something Russian."

Her eyebrow twitched slightly when Alfred groaned.

"Shouldn't we pretend to assume our previous characters a little bit longer? If Ivan and any of his men saw us acting as totally different individuals, they would become suspicious. If they are involved in something out of the ordinary, then they would probably have access to someone else who would be concerned about us. It could compromise our covers," Arthur tried to explain, hoping the two of them understood his ideas.

Besides, he quite liked the idea of being Harry Taylor again. Flirtatious and to-the-point. "Would give us an excuse to have a fancy meal and dig into the expenses. Not that I would condone doing that often."

Both the other agents didn't look very enthused by that idea, they glanced at each other and made faces. Angie sighed and fiddled with her left ring finger as she nudged Alfred in the side softly. "That means we would be married again..."

The blonde let out a sharp laugh. "Please. Like you don't want a piece of this, Mrs. Pierce." He laughed louder when she tried to punch him in the face.

"Oh, I see," Arthur said, observing them and their behaviour. Always on the job. He realised that they seemed like a reluctant friendship on the rocks. Or maybe they knew each other too well to find each other attractive in a relationship sense. Ah, either way. "Does it make you too uncomfortable?"

They both blinked and stopped their antics to look over at Arthur with identical owlish stares. "Uncomfortable?" Angie questioned as Alfred tilted his head. "No, I'm quite fine with Alfred. Friend or pretend rich husband, he's just sometimes an idiot."

"You're just mad cause I like the maid and gave her your diamond tiara."

Brown eyes rolled at the American and she huffed. "That's the last time I watch Gentlemen prefer blondes with you." She made another face but didn't argue when he put and arm around her waist and gave a small squeeze.

A reluctant, if dorky friendship. Arthur found himself becoming an observant admirer as he watched them interact with one another, although he felt a spike of jealousy pierce through him at the squeeze. How long would it be before Alfred let the public know he was that friendly with him? Platonically of course. Perhaps never, given their separate institutions. However will they be able to make this work?

His hands itched with want to tug that hand around his own waist. Arthur's eyes became somewhat hooded as he thought, before he gave Alfred a look. "You're the man in charge here. I would like to know your input, sir."

Alfred watched the straw haired man for a minute before shrugging. "Yeah, I guess. but I would rather go to dinner as Alfred Jones than that rich stuck up prick. That way I can wear jeans or something." He gave Arthur a eyebrow waggle before he stretched his arms up high and his back made a loud pop.

Angie glanced over at Arthur. "Do you mind going to dinner as Arthur Kirkland, Mr. Kirkland?"

Jeans? For dinner? Arthur gave Alfred a querying gaze. He had thought that perhaps the cultured male he had met in Italy was rather more civilised than that, but apparently not. Well, there's was a new relationship - there would always be unexpected details beneath the surface.

He sighed and gave a nod. He supposed he might have been thinking too much into it. He couldn't help but be cautious. "Arthur Kirkland it is. Shall we?" He smiled, gesturing towards the way out.

They had finally managed to agree on a place that had good Okroshka and Pelmeni so Alfred was happy, especially now that he didn't have his annoying three-piece suit on. He felt much better in his Marines sweatshirt, which Angie told him never to wear out on a mission but he was tired and couldn't give two shits, and baggy pair of holey jeans.

As they were seated Alfred ordered a coke in broken Russian and grinned at the two others while Angie politely ordered some seltzer water.

A vodka for the only Briton of the party. Why not? It was not like they had any serious work to do for the rest of the evening. He lifted his menu and peered critically at Alfred over the thick page. Eventually his thoughts could not be held in. He had always been the sort of speak his mind.

"You're far too under-dressed for this restaurant, you do know that, don't you?" Arthur pointed out, insisting on his sharp attitude in public with Alfred. Whatever happened behind closed doors would stay there. While Alfred wore that, meanwhile, Arthur was still in a suit - a dark brown one with a vest and a red tie. Wearing things like this certainly made him appear a lot older than he actually was.

Alfred huffed softly and glared at Arthur as his can of coke with a glass of ice was brought to him. "I'm sorry if I'm not dressed to go to the Ritz, Brows. Some of us like to be comfortable when we eat." He poured himself some of his coke and took a loud sip, groaning dramatically at the taste. "Hot damn. Sweet nectar of the gods. I missed you."

Angie shook her head and smiled turning to Arthur. "Alfred here was on a strict diet these past couple of months. His six pack had turned into a four pack, and god knows we can't have that," she laughed loudly when Alfred tried to swat at her and tell her to shut up, the American's cheeks turning a bright red.

"A diet? When did he stop? I would have taken that diet plan back, lard-arse that he is," Arthur said firmly, thanking the waiter when he came back with his vodka. He had to get Alfred back for the jive against his eyebrows. How many times was that by now? There was keeping their cover and then there was just being plain rude. What a bloody farce. He leant back in his chair, smirking proudly. "Hard to imagine you with a six-pack."

It was just japery, of course. He gulped down his vodka, picturing what he knew to be beneath that shirt. His lips had been pushing against it happily only last night.

Alfred's flush seemed to spread all over his face and down his neck, even his ears were turning an interesting shade of pink. When Angie was brought her water he growled and pushed his glass away, asking the waiter for a glass of water on the side. "For your information, to be in the service you have to be pretty good shape, and I've served my country for over five years now. Thank. You. Very. Much."

"I'm sure you've served your country very well. A few cakes and plenty of chips," Arthur muttered, before he shot Alfred an accusing, prying glance. He lifted his menu, only to disguise his mouth from Angie, as he gave Alfred a reassuring smile beneath it. Underneath the table, he patted Alfred's knee. "Don't take it to heart, Mr Jones. You should know I'm just teasing you."

The American hunched his shoulders and sighed as they ordered, he picked something with mostly vegetables in it and kept to drinking his water for the rest of the time, his coke sitting off to the side not one sip taken after the first.

Evening, July 29th. The Hotel.

Alfred was quiet on the ride back to their hotel, with Angie and Arthur making all the conversation as he stared out the window. When they arrived at the hotel Angie insisted that since she was the only girl that she should get the single room, to which Alfred just shrugged. "I don't mind," He muttered and he really didn't. Being with Arthur wasn't actually taxing, but at this moment he just wanted to go for a run.

When Arthur and Angie had finished swapping luggage and key cards he gave a small wave as she headed off towards the elevator. He waited until she was out of view and up a few floors before he turned to Arthur, entering into their now combined room. "Hey umm... I think I'm going to go to the gym or something. Okay?"

Now, once they got to the hotel, Arthur had expected something different than this. He had expected the clothes to start flying off, their mouths to be pressed against one another's, their eyes gleaming with something fierce as they passionately ground their bodies together. But that did not happen.

Alfred had been acting funny all day, and Arthur's rational mind could not work out why. When they came inside, Arthur narrowed his eyes and looked at Alfred, scrutinising his behaviour. What was this all of a sudden?

Did Alfred think he did not notice that he had not finished his dinner, and that his coke had gone abandoned? Really...

"You are a bother. Come sit down, right now." Arthur said, going over to the bed and patting its surface. "You do know that I was saying those things to help Angie not be suspicious of us, don't you? Your stuff about my eyebrows hurt just as much."

The American frowned as he ignored Arthur's insistence for him to sit and moved over to his small duffle bag, digging around until he pulled out a pair of baggy basketball shorts and started to undo his belt. "Yeah, I know." He threw Arthur a smile but it was fake and tight as he started to pull his jeans off and slip into the shorts.

"I'm just going to go to the gym for a bit. I'll be back before bed."

"No. No, you will not," Arthur said, standing up and striding over to Alfred. He grabbed his wrist, stopping him from moving anywhere else once the American had stuffed himself into his shorts. "I said something I shouldn't have. You're not fat in the slightest, Alfred. You must know by now how much I love your body. What about last night?"

After he had sucked him off, Arthur's lips had kept adventuring - from the pits of Alfred's stomach to the dunes of his chest and the folds of his lips. He appreciated him, and everything about him.

"Do you think that was a lie?"

Alfred glanced away from Arthur's stare.

He had always been way too sensitive about his weight ever since he was middle school and his stomach was rounder than the other kids and his arms and legs stockier. It also didn't help that every time he was hurt his mother would make him food so he would learn to eat when upset. Ugh.

"Look... I'm just..." God, he sounded like some teenage girl after her boyfriend had innocently said something about her weight. He really didn't want to be like this in front of Arthur. The man who was amazing, sexy, slim and really funny when he thinks no one is listening. "Sorry. I know you didn't mean it, I'm just being an idiot."

"You are," Arthur said clearly. There was no point bullshitting him - Alfred had a fine body, and he was lucky to have gotten himself into such good shape. He was not stupid - with his deductive nouce, Arthur easily could tell that there was something in Alfred's past that triggered this insecurity. But now that he was perfect, especially for his own personal tastes - why would he lie to him when he was being, frankly, ridiculous?

"But it's alright. Look, I did not mean anything by it - and I don't think that you are fat at all. Or anything less than lean and handsome," he emphasised, grabbing hold of Alfred's shoulders. "I am going to kiss you now."

Alfred sighed as Arthur reached up and pressed his lips against Alfred's, when the American didn't respond with anything other than just letting Arthur kiss him, the Briton only kissed a little bit harder – wrapping his arms around Alfred's neck and pulling him in. He'd be damned if he let Alfred stay this negative about himself.

"Ummff!" Alfred tried to protest for about five milliseconds before the thought of Arthur pressed tightly up against him overload any insecurities he might have at the moment. He gripped Arthur's hips tightly and kissed back, loving how he could taste the slight hint of vodka still on Arthur's tongue.

"You're an idiot..." Arthur breathed once he dragged himself out of their firm kissing. He grabbed hold of Alfred's cheeks, narrowing his eyes and practically glaring at the other male as he stared at the lips before him, wanting them to be well and truly sore after all the kissing. "But you're my idiot. Have you any idea how much of a fucking stud you have been all day?! Don't make me repeat that word—Nasty American term."

Alfred smiled slightly and wound his arms around Arthur's waist. "Aww, come on. We ain't that bad. Now look, I'm not over being upset just cause you told me not to be but, I guess you're right—no point moping about it when I've got you right where I want you to be, huh?" He kissed the shell of Arthur's ear then blew on it. He thought back to Italy. Suppose Russia could be a place to remember too. "Hey. How fast do you think we can get you naked and on that bed?" Alfred's hands were already down the back of Arthur's slacks, giving his ass a squeeze.

"Seconds," Arthur answered, growling and shifting one of his hands to grip at the back of Alfred's neck tightly. His teeth gritted together and he took a step backwards towards the bed, arching his bottom against the American's palms just enough to be encouraging. His spare hand had already unzipped his trousers, and soon they had tumbled onto the floor. "Do you know how much I have missed you, Jones? You were so good last time. If you don't deliver the same again, I might berate you for it."

Alfred snorted. "Gee, nothing like a threat to get me ready to go." He removed his hands and pushed Arthur down onto the bed. He smirked as he moved to straddle Arthur's hips and pushed him the rest of the way down. "Now, please tell me we are prepared. Protection?" Even though he asked, he was almost to the point where he said screw protection. If Arthur had an STD, well, he would live with it!

"It's more the lack of proper lube that I'm worried about. Better get your fingers good and moist, shouldn't I, Alfred?" Arthur said, hurrying their movements because he was ready for a little bit of alone time. All day he had to stare at Alfred and pretend he did not care for him any more than as a colleague who he had just met. All day he had to fake being cold towards him, when all he pictured was the man he already knew he was. How much he teased him like that.

He hooked his leg over Alfred's, and he ground his hips upwards to seek Alfred's body, crotches touching and making him groan loudly. He smirked, and he threw away his jacket, carelessly tossing it to the floor. The shirt went in next to no time too.

"I don't know whether to ride you good and proper to teach you how to behave or to let you have your bitter way with me however you would like," he purred.

Alfred moved back from kissing Arthur's neck to stare down at the man with a barely contained grin and a raised eyebrow. "My bitter way with you? That sounds awful. I would rather have my nasty way with you if that's okay, though I really don't mind the idea of you riding me." The idea of Arthur sinking down on him, taking his cock into that tight heat inch by inch.

"A-Ah," Arthur groaned, grabbing Alfred's thigh and squeezing, pushing his confined cock against the other layer of fabric. Eventually he simply had to push away and drag down his underwear, tossing it away along with the rest of the clothes and letting it fall unceremoniously to the floor. Normally he would sort those out in a more convenient manner, but bugger it. Who gave a damn right now?! "How much have you thought about this, Alfred? Did you ever think about Italy?"

Alfred watched happily as Arthur got rid of his underwear and whistled at the look of Arthur in absolutely nothing. "No," he answered with a cheeky smile, grabbing Arthur's wrist and pulling him on top of Alfred. "Why would I when I have a very good imagination and now have the real thing here?"

Alfred stuck his tongue out slightly and pinched one of Arthur's bare ass cheeks.

"I meant before, you moron. When you didn't know if you would see me again," Arthur said, voice going hushed. They had slowed down, getting to the more loving, caring side of the whole engagement. He stroked his naked thighs against Alfred's clothed ones, drawing him in. "I had sex not terribly long after you. It just was not the same. All through him, I thought about how you make me feel. How much nicer you felt on top of me. How much nicer you smelt and firmer your thrusts were. Everything."

Sadly, the only part of that sentence that Alfred caught onto was the fact that Arthur had slept with someone else during their time apart. Not like they had been a couple then or anything, but it still made him a bit angry and the sharp stab of envy and possession made him growl. "You slept with someone else?"

"…I'm a sexually active male, Alfred. I told you that I don't sleep with people often, but that I do. Besides, I'm telling you. It wasn't right with them like it was with you," Arthur sighed. Of course he would focus on that bit. Arthur reminded himself that Alfred was quite a focused lover. Alfred loved only his wife till he lost her, and since that there had only been one occasion where his heart - and dick, he supposed - strayed elsewhere.

Meanwhile since leaving his wife, Arthur's sexuality had been thrown about somewhat. No, he was not a stranger to having sex with no strings attached.

"Look. I've already told you that what I had with Francis is nothing to me, especially in comparison to this. I was lonely Alfred, and I was missing you. Never thought I would see you again, let alone feel you."

"Francis?" Alfred snorted and then without any warning flipped them over, his clothed hips grinding down on Arthur's. "Guess I don't really have to worry when you went with a guy named Francis." He pushed Arthur's hands up above his head and easily pinned them with one hand, he was much bigger than Arthur and he used it to his advantage.

"So, tell me Arthur..." He had a smirk on his face though he meant nothing mean by his words. "Did you ever call out my name when he fucked you?" Alfred let his free hand lower and cup Arthur's balls, rolling them in his palm softly before pressing a thumb between them. "Did he make you want it as bad as I did?"

The sudden switch shocked Arthur, though it was not unwelcome. His gaze hardened and Arthur soon glared up at the ceiling while he felt Alfred touch him, rubbing his thumb against his ball sack and making his thighs shudder from sensitivity. He tested Alfred's grip and found himself reaffirming how strong it was - Alfred had the brute strength that he lacked, but normally he made up for it with his evasiveness.

"Francis Bonnefoy. He was French. He fucks well. You're not jealous, are you?" Arthur said, casting Alfred a challenging glance now that he realised Alfred was not as hurt as he first suspected. "He didn't make me—mm—Want it as much as you do. No. But he knows how to pleasure me. I wonder if you're anywhere near as consistent?"

Blue eyes narrowed and he let out another irritated growl before tightening his hold on Arthur's wrists and moving down, laying rough licks and nips along Arthur's white chest and stomach. By the time Alfred reached Arthur's hips, the man was covered in red hickeys which by morning would be a starling shade of purple.

"Fucking French. Think they know everything about love and sex." Alfred bit softly at Arthur's hip bone before glancing up, his glasses shining slightly in the light. "Tell me. Did he make you scream with his mouth?" Then, quickly, Alfred's mouth was over him. He swallowed Arthur's cock and didn't stop until he felt the head bump against the back of his throat.

Arthur's eyes bulged in shock, not expecting Alfred's actions. As the American agent took him in, he became enticed by the sensation and staggered by how quickly Alfred could get used to doing this - there was no gagging, no coughing or wincing at the taste (though Arthur was careful with himself. Perhaps his level of attention to personal hygiene could have been seen as obsessive).

Wasn't this the first time Alfred had done this with a male? Or was there more than meets the eye? For someone so inexperienced, Alfred made up for it with enthusiasm and drive. Arthur gaped, mouth wide as he looked down only to see Alfred's mass of hair and eyes closed in concentration.

"O-Oh m—! No—No—Not t-this time...!" he had to confess. There had been a time where Arthur was so astounded and pleasured by Francis. But that occasion was not one he was proud of. Nor too willing to share.

Alfred felt the slight pull of his gag reflex and pulled back, making a soft popping noise when he let the head slip out. But he didn't let Arthur have any time to think as he used his free hand to wrap around the shaft and start to pump, pulling back to foreskin as he moved in to lap at the exposed head of Arthur's cock. "Not this time, Mmm?" He gave a soft suck before wrapping his lips around it again.

"H-He..." Arthur gasped breathlessly, eyes narrowing and his vision blurring because he simply had no need on concentrating on that - not when Alfred was touching him, making his skin crawl from within. Heat stored in his gut, arousal making his penis so firm while Alfred's lips and tongue rolled over it. "He was... my first man."

Blue eyes narrowed and he pulled away from Arthur's leaking cock, pushing himself up so that he was eye level with the Briton. "Let's not talk about this guy while I'm trying to make love to you, okay?" The slight twitch of his left eye gave away that the last comment annoyed him a bit.

Arthur observed Alfred with his eyes wide and glistening, though they lost their sparkle a little as he processed that Alfred was annoyed. Very so, even if he hid it. He supposed they would end up having to talk about this later.

He sighed and forced a smirk onto his lips, giving Alfred a nod before slipping his hands out of Alfreds grip and kissing Alfred chastely by taking his cheeks into his hands. Better not let the magic slip away. He urged Alfred in by expanding his legs to slot him in, and pushed their noses together. "You taste like—" Arthur laughed. "Never mind. Come on. Do me."

Alfred smiled at Arthur's laugh and pressed his face into Arthur's neck, humming happily at the feel of warm skin against his face. He was this close to whispering those three very heavy words against Arthur's white skin, but he didn't dare. Not when things were so fresh and new, not when those words could easily destroy everything they had.

Instead he opted to take in a large breath and nuzzle Arthur's ear. "You smell good." Good smelling partners were important for Alfred. Jas had always smelled great, a wonderful mix of Tide mixed with her shampoo and body lotion. Arthur smelled like fruit and lavender. His skin smelled fresh and clean, even when there was a thin sheen of sweat on him, and his hair had the vague scent of something sweet. Strawberries?

Alfred made another pleased sound when he took another sniff of Arthur's hair. "Leave it to me to find a man who doesn't just use the first cheapest shampoo they can find." No cheap-ass shampoo smelled that good and would leave Arthur's hair so shiny and split-end free.

That hair, healthy as it was, looked messy beneath Arthur's head - fanned out as the Briton stared up at the man he had been chasing for months. Theirs truly was the sort of romance you would hear about in novels - although they would have to work hard to keep the flame alive. It was alright. He liked a bit of a challenge.

"You like my… smell?" Arthur said, querying Alfred and his taste. He hooked his legs around Alfred's hips and shoved himself upwards, grinding his naked self against Alfred's clothed body. How was it that he was completely bare and Alfred had yet to take an article off?

"The time to be cute is later. Right now I just want this," he emphasised.

"B.O.S.S.Y," Alfred clucked but ground down against Arthur's length. "That is what you are." He sat up on his knees and quickly pushed his gym shorts and boxers down his thighs, his cock springing out. Alfred quickly kicked the shorts and boxers off the bed, leaving him in only his sweatshirt and glasses. "Do we have lube? Or even a condom?"

Right now he could honestly care less about the later one.

Arthur watched Alfred enthusiastically, happily drinking in the sight of the American's cock bounce as it came out of his underwear. There was an overwhelming sense of pride that appeared in Arthur's chest when he considered that it was him that had got Alfred hard like that. It was him that made him that painfully aroused. His tip was swollen red already. "Lube? No. Condom? No –honestly Alfred, we're in the same situation as we were in last time. I am not letting you go this time."

Alfred bit his lip for a minute trying to think of something that wouldn't be painful for Arthur and then he clapped his hands loudly and scrambled off the bed. "Ah! I got it!" He went right for the small bathroom connected to their room and rummaged around for a bit before coming back out with a small bottle.

"Hand oil." He did his best Vanna White impression while show casing it to Arthur. "Made from only the best hemp around." He grinned as he climbed back onto the bed and uncapped the bottle, pouring the thick oil onto his fingers. "And... I was thinking we try the pull out method?"

Arthur stared at him blankly for a moment upon his return, while he waited for Alfred to climb back into position with him. His legs right now were spanned wide and welcoming, all of his privates on show for Alfred to see. He was holding the back of his knees up, making sure that his legs did not get in Alfred's way. He scrutinised Alfred's response, though. "The hand oil may work. Just check it doesn't have any alcohol in it. I'll have to shower after too. The pull out method though—Alfred, last I looked, I couldn't be impregnated. I know you are worried about me being a new partner and everything, but I am clean. I honestly do insist."

Alfred colored slightly and quickly busied himself with spreading Arthur's legs wider. "Sh-Shut up. I knew that!" He fumbled a bit before his finger circled Arthur entrance a bit roughly. Blue eyes met green for a moment of uncertainty, "You ready?" He asked quietly.

"Oh, don't treat me like I'm a blushing new bride—" Arthur said fiercely, lifting his hips up because he knew from Alfred's inexperience that he had to have some help. Considering their last time had been the first he ever had with a male, Alfred was good, but Arthur did not want to leave any chances. If he got even so much as a slight limp in the morning, Angelique would be suspicious. "—Come on and touch me, if you think you are hard enough, lad." Although, his words contradicted his thoughts.

Alfred scowled and slipped a finger inside the Briton to shut him up. "Lad? Please. You are only four years older, unless you want me to call you 'Old Man' and start making jokes about how you're a cradle robber then I suggest you shut up." He crooked his finger slightly and smirked slightly at Arthur.

"Oh you selfish—" Arthur might have insulted Alfred, had the American pushing his finger up into him had not silenced him. When was the last time he had someone other than himself doing this? April, in France. Careful as Francis was, he had not been a match for those fingers in his mind. Now he had a reminder, he could see whether he was right for holding onto Alfred's memory for so long. His eyelashes flickered as he shut his lids softly and just breathed as he let Alfred work.

The American hummed softly, pulling the finger out slowly and easing it back in. He watched Arthur's face and smiled when the man seemed to ease slightly, enough to let him start working two fingers inside. "How's that feel, baby?" He froze slightly at the nickname. Shit, what if Arthur thought that was weird or too sappy? Before the Briton could comment he spread his fingers and started to stretch him.

Arthur reacted to the spreading of Alfred's fingers, giving a few pleasured grunts and opening his legs up a little bit more. His body was building with need again. He could feel it brimming inside of his body, misbalancing his senses. He opened one eye to stare at Alfred's attractive, concentrated face. "Baby?" He breathlessly chuckled. "It's a bit early for the pet names, isn't it? It's good. It's a good pace, big boy."

Alfred blushed all the way to his ears at Arthur's remark and moved to hide his face in Arthur's knee, giving the soft skin there a small kiss as he started to move his fingers a bit faster. His other hand moving to Arthur's cock, softly running his fingers along it. Damn it, he was going to give Arthur one he would never forget, blow that stupid French guy out of his memory.

The caught breath emitted from Arthur would have made Alfred's knees knock if they were close together. Every so often Arthur would let out the smallest moans of appreciation, particularly when the fingers stretched or plunged in deep. Alfred was greeted with a withered glance up through peridot lenses every so often, and a tiny peak of a smile.

His hips jerked upwards to meet the fingers touching his cock gently, while his arse muscles worked not to tense around Alfred. Arthur slyly moved his leg around, and ground his shin against Alfred's crotch to get somewhat of a vengeance. "Miss me, Jones?" Arthur hastily muttered.

Alfred purred when he felt Arthur's leg rub against his crotch and let his hips rub against it for a minute before inching away. "You have no idea..." He whispered wrapping his hand fully around Arthur's member and gave a dry pump as he added a third finger gently. Blue eyes burned with lust as he felt Arthur's tightness clamp down around his fingers.

"Shit, Art." He gasped, all the blood from his brain moving south.

"Believe me, Alfred, I do have an idea..." Arthur groaned, lightly shifting to match the pace of Alfred's fingering - which also made his penis rub against the rough surface of Alfred's hand as well. The Briton gave a mild, pleasured noise and he reached up, cupping Alfred's cheek. "You. You with the handsome jaw bone. Come down here and kiss me."

Alfred smirked as he leaned down and brushed his lips against Arthur's teasingly, only giving the man feather light kisses. "Handsome, huh?" He moved to the side and nipped at Arthur's ear before letting out a breathy laugh. "Only Handsome?"

"What else would you like me to say, mm?" Arthur purred huskily, stroking his hand against Alfred's cheek. He massaged the bone beneath his flesh and moved up so his fingers were carding through his hair. "I could write a sonnet to your jaw-bone. Let alone the rest of you."

Alfred laughed and kissed Arthur's ear again before he moved up and gave Arthur a deep and dirty kiss, his fingers picking up their pace quite a bit as he plundered Arthur's mouth with his tongue. He pulled away with a smirk and licked at Arthur's jaw. "How about you just let me fuck you senseless instead?"

His saliva tasted of Alfred now, and Arthur could not think of a single thing that was better. He gave Alfred another sharp kiss, before his lips erupted into a smirk. He kept working himself against Alfred's fingers, but he saved his energy for the real hard-work. "Yes, Sir. Or should I say, business partner."

"Bleh. No work talk." He kissed Arthur again before pulling his fingers from the Briton, he leaned back hastily pouring the oil into his hands and slicking himself up.

His breath quickened slightly when he gave himself a few hard pumps. "Mmm..."

"Don't jerk yourself off. Penetrate me, you prat," Arthur urged, laying back. He pulled his legs back, keeping them held against his chest so Alfred had plenty of room to work with for the moment the two of them became one. Arthur closed his eyes and recalled the last time they had sex. He supposed this time, since Alfred was his partner, this was now making love.

Alfred licked his lips, gave his member one last tug and then lined himself up with Arthur's entrance. "Okay." He whispered, more to himself than Arthur, and slowly started to inch in. In no way was he going to cause Arthur pain. He wanted this to be nothing but pleasure for the both of them, but Jesus Christ Arthur was tight and it felt good.

He braced one hand on Arthur's bent leg and kept the slow pace, no matter how much it killed him.

"A-Ah..." The build-up of pleasure Arthur had gathered while Alfred had been lazily fingering his arse to loosen his muscles started to increase into something deeper when Alfred started to push inside. The pace was excruciatingly slow - slower than he was used to - but it was very good in ensuring that there would be no problems with it the next day. Arthur's eyes closed, and he found himself concentrating on the feeling.

He could feel the fatter underside, the vein on the left side - his left - and the large head pushing past his rings of muscles. Arthur's mouth started to part, and he found himself enticed by the sweet, sensuous stretching feeling of being pushed apart to the brim - far more wholly than mere fingers. His mouth felt dry after a few lowly pants, aroused as Alfred moved in. His own cock bounced a little as he was penetrated slowly, till he was opened right up till Alfred's base was pressing against his bottom cheeks.

Arthur took a few moments of silence. "Oh..."

Alfred remained perfectly still after he was fully inside and watched Arthur carefully. "Good Oh?" He asked and moved down so he could lean his weight on his arms, one placed on either side of Arthur's head. "Mmm... Wrap your legs around my waist."

In a way, it felt like the same setting. Except this time, he had not just fainted due to a far-too-tight corset, the temperature was mild to cold rather than blisteringly hot, and the layout of the hotel room was somewhat different. But it would do. It was all they needed. Obediently for once, Arthur let his legs wrap around Alfred's waist and he waited. "It's just like back then," Arthur reminded Alfred too. Same position and everything. It helped remind him that he was with the man who graced his dreams for so long.

"Yeah... Sorry. We'll bring out the crazy, kinky stuff later. Right now, I just want to do you." Alfred then moved his hips back, his cock sliding out only to be pushed back in at a leisurely pace. God, this felt so much better without a condom. Not that he'd condone such a thing usually. He kept his pace slow, loving how the heat in his belly grew at a steady pace and made his skin burst with goose bumps.

"God, I missed you."

"No, Alfred..." Arthur said, reaching up and taking Alfred's cheeks into his hands once more, like he was framing his face. His eyes focused and preserved the picture - those slightly pleasure-distant eyes of blue and the wordless fascination, and all of it for him. Nice as being a little kinkier might be in the future, there was not necessarily a need for it. "...There is nothing wrong with being us."

Sappy, yes. But Arthur felt it to be true. He kissed him again while they rocked, Alfred pushing in and out slowly and steadily as Arthur took it without a worry.

As they kissed Alfred could feel his glasses slip further down his nose, but he didn't care. All he cared about right now was the man below him and the way he subtly arched his back when Alfred pushed in a certain way or how those large green eyes would go half mast when he started to speed up.

Damn. Arthur was beautiful.

Alfred let out a soft groan and his hips bucked forward at a faster speed.

Arthur could see sweat building on Alfred's brow as he started to work himself in and out of his partner. A bead ran down the length of Alfred's glasses frame, and Arthur wiped it away with his forefinger, before he plucked the glasses away, breaking their kiss. "You don't—mm—need these up close, do you?" Arthur asked, before he set them on the table-top, and waited a few seconds before regaining the rhythm of Alfred's pace. They stretched their legs and worked together, trying to drive one another to the edge.

Alfred shook his head when Arthur took his glasses and let out a loud groan when one thrust made the heat shoot through his body. "N-No. I don't need them for... close," he picked up his pace and tried to angle his thrusts just right in order to find that one special spot.

He lowered his head and started to suck at the Briton's neck, not caring that he was leaving marks where a collar wouldn't hide.

"That's good. I like seeing you like this... so refreshing," Arthur said softly, eyes raking over Alfred and his glasses-liberated face. The blue looked much clearer now that it was not through glass. Strangely bigger too. He groaned while his neck was sucked, and did not think at all as Alfred's tongue swirled across his skin and his teeth left tiny indents. He could feel Alfred continuously pumping in and out of him, and his body responded with heat - his flesh must have tasted so warm in Alfred's mouth. "Though do not get rid of your glasses. I like having you with both as my man."

Alfred huffed a laugh but it came out raspy and rough. "C-Cant. They're prescription..." He let his fingers run through Arthur's wheat-colored hair with one hand while his hips pushed fast and deep into him. He let out a deep groan as his arms started to tremble, from holding up his weight and from the intense pleasure spreading through him.

"I meant lenses, Alfred," Arthur murmured, stroking his smooth hand against Alfred's cheek in a gentle manner. His other hand rubbed Alfred's back, feeling his shoulder blades and gripping onto his shirt, while Arthur watched Alfred beginning to shake. "Dear? Dear, hold on." He encouraged. "I'm close too—Let's just. Together, shall we? Lad?"

Pleasure hazed blue eyes narrowed as one hand moved to grip Arthur's hip a bit roughly and his pace picked up, plowing into the Briton with brutal force. "Don't c-call me Lad." He breathed harshly as he lowered his head to take one of Arthur's nipples in his mouth, sucking it and rolling over it with his tongue.

"What? A-Ahn… ah," Arthur asked, blinking at him. It had been a while since he had one of his affectionate nicknames be rejected - in fact, had they ever? He had only used pet names like that on people he really cared about. Like his ex-wife, and now Alfred. He couldn't keep the scowl on his face though - Alfred simply would not let him. Arthur moaned senselessly as his nipple was engulfed, and he gripped Alfred's shoulders tightly. "Alfred… y… yes—w-why is that?"

He gave the abused nub one more lick before he moved up and devoured Arthur's mouth, pulling the Briton's tongue into his own mouth and sucking loudly. He pulled back with a gasp, a particular thrust causing his entire body to shiver. "I'm... Mmm! ...I'm not a child." He kissed Arthur's cheeks and temple, then moved to his ear. "Hngh—Oh! Screw the age gap."

He then hoisted Arthur's hips higher and thrust in, pushing against that one spot that made Arthur see stars.

Arthur proceeded to let out a very loud, very effeminate cry which he most certainly was not proud of. What a torturous man. He could feel Alfred's pace slow a little, but only so his thrusts could be stronger and more focused - in a particular place. Alfred learnt so quickly how to please him, though he might have just been a natural. Tipping his head back so he was gazing at the ceiling, Arthur panted while Alfred kept filling him in and rubbing his length against the deep spot within him. He could feel the pre-cum drizzle down his own cock and the heat in his gut burn stronger. "Oh gosh, oh gosh—gosh—gosh..."

Alfred couldn't help but let a small smile out when Arthur started to chant and he gladly kept that angle and pace, just waiting for the Briton to become completely unravelled. "Come on, baby." He groaned into Arthur's ear, a sweat bead rolling down his temple. "Tell me how much you like it. Tell me—Tell me how much you need it."

"You're a bit kinky for a secret agent, aren't you?" Arthur gasped while he rhythmically joined him. His eyes were gazed over with arousal and Arthur could feel the heat disperse from within him and into that pool of hot energy, ready for his orgasm to come. Led by his gut, Arthur's movements hurried a little in utter urgency. "Y-You want to—ngh—hear it? I need it, Alfred. I really love it and I would like it very much if you'd cum inside me, already. You blissful—delightful—ah—utter—prat..."

"F-Fuck!" With a few more thrusts Alfred stilled and gasped as he came inside the Briton, hand moving down quickly to pump Arthur into completion. "C-Come for me, too, Sweetheart."

Arthur was barely milliseconds after. His orgasm hit him just before the sensation of hot cum filling him up, and he gagged at the air after he had finished. Their movements slowed rather than stopping suddenly, and Arthur's shoulders sagged before he looked between them. Ribbons of cum were on both of their abdomens and Alfred's hand, and he could feel a soft, warm sensation inside of him. Bliss. He put his head back on the pillow. "A-ahh..."

Alfred sighed happily as he pulled out limply, cum oozing out and down Arthur's legs as he moved further away. He tugged off his sweat shirt, wiped at their stomachs, his hand and Arthur's legs with it before chucking it to the side. Alfred rolled his shoulders before laying down next to Arthur and pulling him close.

"Fuck you and your hot ass slang and accent."

"Finally, finally you get naked," Arthur breathed, letting his eyes scan the other male's body. Satisfied, the Briton pulled him in for a short kiss before letting Alfred be. "...So... Al... hah," he panted, out of breath from their activities. "You don't like my pet names? Also, I am barely older than you. It's only four years."

Alfred snickered and nuzzled his nose into Arthur's thick messy hair, letting out a happy sigh as his body slowly calmed down. "No, don't get me wrong. I love pet names," he let his fingers trail up and down Arthur's naked sides softly. "Trust me, if we are able to keep doing this without our bosses kicking our asses, I'll give you so many names you'll shoot me."

He paused for a moment to see how he could explain this. "I've always been the youngest. My brother is only older by a year but he likes to point it out a lot when I'm 'acting up' as he calls it. And all my cousins are way older so... Just any kind of name like kid, squirt or buddy is kinda… bleh."

Arthur simply gave a snicker and he rolled over so that his entire body was facing the ceiling - his arms reached towards the sky, resting his head on his hands. "That so?" He said interestedly. "I suppose I could emphasise. My brothers are absolutely hellish with nicknames and all that malarkey. But to be honest... pet names. Strange English tradition. 'Pet', 'Love', 'Dear', 'Mate', heck, 'Duckie'. I've heard a young girl or two being called that in my time."

Saying that, Arthur felt so much older than he actually was. Maybe 27 was quite ripe an age after all. He gave a soft snort and passed a look to his side. "Alfred. What made you become an agent?"

Alfred smiled at the term Duckie and did a small shimmy before answering Arthur's question. "Umm, mostly cause I wanted more work. After serving for so long they actually do have to send you home, surprise surprise." He let out a soft noise and glanced up at the ceiling. "I didn't want to go home, so I applied for a job that would keep me busy."

Then he grinned and turned, waggling his eyebrows at the Briton. "Plus, free travel and lodge in foreign and exotic lands? Yes, please."

Alfred was very much the adventurous type. He reminded Arthur of a young man, keen to travel the world and see all of its glory. Himself? He was more of an at-home man, honestly. He liked the travelling but it never satisfied him more, in the past, than being at home. Now though, he supposed he had lost his way. Something wasn't quite right recently. He wondered if his ambitions were straying.

"Personally, I was scouted. They were impressed with me - their talent scout - and they sent me in for an interview. Signed me up on the spot, and there I was working for my Queen and my country. Bizarre thing. I enjoyed it though - I don't think I could work another job in my life. There's something about the investigation that tickles me," Arthur explained, before he was rolling onto his stomach and trailing his fingers up Alfred's chest. His eyes followed them. "I'd like to investigate you. See what would make you tick."

He smiled and pulled Arthur up so that he was laying on top of him, face to face with the Briton. "Wow. Impressive." He places a soft kiss on the tip of Arthur's nose. "So, my English lover was so awesome that they just said take the job, while I had to train and pass stupid amounts of tests and exams. How unfair."

He stuck his tongue out slightly. But if Arthur was so good... why was he slipping now? Why did they need him and Angie to keep an eye on him?

"To be frank, Alfred—Your country is a lot bigger than mine. We have to grab people with talent alone and hope they have what it takes - we don't have time either for all that intensive training mumbo jumbo. Though I was in training for a long while," he said, trying to recall what his first assignment was. Something like a bomb threat in Bristol. Or was that Weston-Super-Mare?

"We could play a little 'have you ever' if you'd like. To get to know each other a bit."

"Have you ever?" Alfred tilted his head slightly and glanced off to the side. "Like 20 questions?"

"I suppose so. It's like—Have you ever been in a car accident. Or have you ever beat up a Russian man in Morocco. Silly, tiny things like that. Normally it's a drinking game. But I don't know if we need that right now. But the mini bar is always an option," Arthur explained.

"Oh!" Alfred grinned and wiggled a bit to get more comfortable. "Okay, sure. I wanna go first! Let's see..." He chewed on his bottom lip as he thought, it was hard cause he wanted to ask Arthur open ended questions like 'Where did you go to school' or 'Do you like animals?' but that's not how you played the game.

"Have you ever had an allergic reaction?"

"Yes. I'm allergic to wasp stings. Ended up in hospital for an afternoon. Avoided the buggers ever since," Arthur stated simply, rolling his eyes, remembering that day when he was eight and playing at school. The girls he was with were screaming at the sight of it and he extended his hand out to take the insect, but it stung him instead. "...Have you ever played football? Er—English football."

"English football?" It took him a moment to figure that one out and he laughed, tugging at a piece of Arthur's hair. "Soccer! You mean soccer." He shifted slightly before answering. "Yeah, I played for a bit when I was in elementary school and some of middle school. Mom thought it was much safer than football."

His turn. "Have you ever been arrested?" He gave Arthur a flirty look. "Cause you know, bad boys are my thing."

Ah. Arthur sighed and gave a slight shrug. "Yes. I was hanging around some boys at the time who were weed smokers. They got caught when I was with them, stayed in the nick for the night because my bloody brothers would not pick me up and I was under 18, the twats. Now—Have you ever kissed another man, other than me?"

"Oh. Getting serious quick. Ummm... Besides my dad, ya know back before it was uncool to kiss your parents, I did kiss this one kid in high school." Alfred glanced up as if trying to remember and he made a face. "But he had this weird beard growing in and my braces cut his lip a bit so it tasted like cheetos and blood. Yuck. Have you ever owned an animal?"

"You had braces?" Arthur said, suddenly picturing Alfred as a very dorkish child - glasses too big for him and teeth ruined by the metallic accompaniments in his mouth. "No, I have not. Never had the chance with my brothers - we'd all either forget to feed it or feed it several times - and I'm on the job. Would like a cat or a rabbit though. Have you ever done something for your job that you are ashamed of?"

Alfred frowned a bit. "Ermm. Which job? Army or CIA?"

"Either," Arthur answered.

"Ahhh..." He fiddled with the sheets for a minute before glancing at Arthur's face, looking almost scared of admitting this to the Briton. "I've... I've killed people that really shouldn't have been killed. Maybe locked up in prison forever... but not killed."

He was quiet for a moment, seemingly lost in his own thoughts until he popped out another question. "Have you ever liked any of your siblings?"

Upon receiving that news, Arthur winced. Was that so? He looked up at Alfred and tried to imagine him killing others. In the army, he supposed he could understand it. But there was a niggling feeling in his chest that Arthur could not forget - he ignored Alfred's question, sitting up and hardening his gaze as he looked at his new partner, in more ways than one. "For the army only?"

Alfred blinked as Arthur sat up, the cold air hitting his chest where Arthur's warm body had been only a second ago. "Ahh...?" Well, shit. This game wasn't turning out to be so fun anymore. He bit the inside of his cheek and focused his attention on Arthur's bare shoulder instead of looking him in the eye. "No. Not just for the army..."

"What? They've made you kill people?!" Arthur exclaimed. He knew the death punishment was still legal in many places of the USA, but he did not ever think that Alfred of all people would be one to exact that punishment in countries external to his own. It actually disgusted Arthur. He knew he had a bad feeling. "Have you tortured people too?! That's not being an agent—That's being an assassin, Alfred!"

Alfred's eyes widened slightly at Arthur's outburst, not quite expecting this whole turn of events before he frowned and shook his head. "No! It's not even remotely being an assassin!" It wasn't! There were rules, steps and things he had to go through before killing someone. "It's not torture either! Torture is putting bamboo shoots under finger nails and crap. I don't do that! Yes, I have questioned with force but nothing scaring or anything!"

He felt his defences rising, he wasn't a bad person! Why was Arthur him accusing him of that?

"Alfred—You are tasked with killing enemies of your nation-state, but that power could be used irresponsibly. Just as you say. Those people could be apprehended, brought into custody, locked up. Given trial before they are given an execution sentence. The idea that you are doing it... it's not you that I'm apprehensive of. It's those of you who take advantage of it," Arthur explained.

The very thought that Alfred had slain men with his own hands in a manner much more personally than a soldier wielding a gun was practically unimaginable for Arthur, but it was true by Alfred's own admittance. The very hands that draw him in for a kiss had throttled and stolen lives.

In his head, something suddenly flagged up. Mistrust.

"...Alfred. You tell me something. I need an answer. Am I part of a bigger plot that I am unaware of? You're not using me, are you?"

"What?!" Alfred then sat up as well, knocking Arthur off his lap easily. Right now hurt and anger were bubbling up inside of him and he was doing his best not to lash out at the Briton. "I'm sorry, how did it come down to suddenly I might be using you for my own gain and that I'm an awful person cause I serve my country?!"

"I'm not saying that you are using me for your own gain-I'm asking whether or not your country is! Or—Or both of our countries!" Arthur snapped back, turning his head to glare at the American straight in the eyes. He could feel Alfred's anger being channelled towards him, but he did not care at that point in time. "I was asked out of that room. They spoke to you. Likely about me. What did they tell you, Alfred?!"

"Are you serious?! You are pitching a fit about what I've done in the past and if you can trust me or not because you are worried about what was said in that room?" Don't tell, don't tell. "If you have issues with what your bosses say then why don't you ask them, instead of playing nice and then suddenly throwing this at me out of nowhere."

He snorted loudly and got up and out of the bed.

"It slipped out of my mind, because frankly, I spent much more of my day hoping to have some relaxing time with you—!" The Briton groaned. Yes. It was probably his fault for suddenly ruining the situation by asking all of these questions, but he could not help but be insecure. Something was wrong, and he was not unaware of it. "Look Alfred. We're both agents. We know countless ways to get the truth out of one another without even letting the other have a whiff of our suspicion. The only reason I'm telling you is because, believe it or not, I want to make this work and I'm not about to go behind your back to get my answer!"

Alfred was quiet for a moment before he moved over to his suit case and started digging through it.

Whatever he was doing, it eluded Arthur. He watched from the bedside, curious to see what Alfred would do next. "Jones?"

He pulled out a pair of bright blue swim trunks and a pair of red goggles. He slipped the trunks on easily and shoved his bare feet into his tennis shoes as he grabbed one of the two key cards they had been given. Alfred moved towards the door and turned to glance at Arthur over his shoulder. "Don't worry, Mr. Kirkland," he turned back and opened the door. "I'll be back, just have to clear my head."

Then he left.

Arthur watched him leave, realising he was quite powerless to do anything. Even if he could do something, he wouldn't. They both needed a bit of time.

"Really Arthur. Must you ruin every relationship you enter into..." He sighed, and he laid down, pulling the blankets up and over him so he could sleep his fatigue away.

Stroke, Stroke, Breath.

Stroke, Stroke, Breath.

Stroke, Stroke, Breath.

Reach wall, push off.

Repeat.

Alfred continued to move through the water until his arms, legs and lungs burned, muscles yelling at him to stop and take a break. He continued to push on until finally a sharp twinge in his leg made him pause and gasp, the small cramp in his leg making him frown and slowly tread water until he reached the wall and pulled off his goggles.

His arms felt like noodles as he rested them on the edge and laid his head over them, gasping softly as he finally let himself breath normally. But now that he was taking a break his thoughts went right back to Arthur and their fight. "Shit..." He muttered under his breath and rolled his head to the side, dark gold wet hair falling into his face.

Why did this have to happen? Why couldn't they have just had a fun night, order room service, watch a movie and then maybe have some more stellar sex? Because of their fucking jobs. Guess that was what Alfred got for becoming involved with another agent from a different country. Damn, he should have just gone to school for astronomy like his dad had said to, then he wouldn't be in this mess.

He was so caught up in his own thoughts that he hadn't noticed the pool door opening and the soft slap of bare feet on wet concrete floor. That's why he jumped slightly when that familiar deep and heavily accented voice spoke from above him. "Mr. Pierce?"

Blue eyes shot up to meet light violet and Alfred froze for a moment. Oh, shit. It was him. "Mr. Braginski!" He said, a bit too loudly since his voice echoed off all the tile in the room. His surprise was met with a kind smile that hid something dark under it.

"I am just as surprised to see you as well. I did not know that you were staying in the country longer than the Gala."

Alfred let a weak smile onto his face as he shrugged lightly. "Oh, you know. Thought as long as I'm here, might as well see the sites and everything. What are you doing here?" Alfred glanced down and quickly wished he hadn't. The Russian wore an open robe with a dark red Speedo underneath, Alfred mentally gagged. What was with European men and Speedos?

Ivan seemed to glance behind Alfred before answering him. "Ah, I am here on business. But, I came down to have a relaxing time in the hot tub, this hotel is well known for keeping a clean and well kept pool area." Alfred nodded like that was interesting. Good for you, Russian hotel.

"Care to join me?"

Alfred blinked up at the tall man for a second before his request actually sank in. "Oh." Came his intelligent reply before nodding slowly. "Sure, why not." That wasn't what he wanted to say! He didn't want to share a tub of hot water with an almost naked Russian man! Ugh!

While Alfred continued to berate himself mentally he heaved himself out of the pool as gracefully as his noodle arms would let him and shakily stood up, trying not to flinch when Ivan reached out to steady him. "You swim often? You are very good."

Alfred gave him his best friendly grin, hiding the fact that this man touching him made him want to bathe in gasoline. "Yeah, but it's only a hobby. Ya know, keep those pounds off." He watched Ivan smile and nod before heading over to the hot tub. Alfred thought for a minute before telling Ivan that he needed to tell his 'wife' that he would be a little longer.

"Goodness. At one in the morning? Does she not sleep?"

Alfred just grinned. "Oh you know. She just worries." He quickly moved over to the hotel's telephone on the other side of the room and picked up the phone, twirling the cord with his fingers to hide his nervousness and punched in the number nine along with Angie's room number. After four rings he finally heard her pick up and slur into the phone. "H-Hello?"

"Hey, Baby. It's me."

"Al... Alfred? What on earth? It's like past midnight."

"Yeah, I know. Sorry. Just wanted to call so you didn't worry."

"Worry?" He could hear her start to sit up, her voice coming out clearer as she started to wake up. "Al, why would I worry?"

He grinned and waved at Ivan who just nodded at him from the bubbling tub. "I'm just going to be hanging out with Mr. Braginski, for a bit. Remember, the guy from the party a few days ago?" He kept his smile wide even as he heard her curse and fumble around. "Do you need me there? Do you need back up?"

"No, no, Honey. It's okay. You can go back to sleep, just tell the board that I might not be able to make the teleconference, cause I think I might be getting a sore throat," he cleared his throat for effect. He heard Angie growl softly and shift the phone. "By the board do you mean Arthur?"

Alfred laughed and nodded. "You're so smart, Sweetie. I love you!" Without waiting for a response he hung up the phone and turned back to Ivan. "Well, let's get our soak on!"

He could feel Ivan watching him as he waded into the hot water, hissing as his aching muscles and skin burned slightly from the heat and chemicals. Gingerly he sat down on the opposite side and let out a loud groan as he flopped his head back and pretended to relax. There was a long moment of silence as the two of them just enjoyed the hot water before Ivan spoke up.

"So, What happened with you and Mr. Taylor?"

Alfred froze and lifted his head to look at the man. "Excuse me?"

Ivan just shrugged and moved a few bubbles to the side. "You two seemed very tense around each other and then after you two went to the gardens I didn't see him, you or your wife. I hope nothing bad happened."

This man's smile scared the crap out of Alfred.

"Oh! You mean the British guy?" Crap... what had been Arthur's characters name? Harold? No. It started with an H though... Henry? Shit. Oh! "Nah, that was just Harry. Me and him have this funny kind of rivalry going on, he was just mad cause he thinks I hit below the belt recently."

"Ahh, and did you?"

Uhh, whatever. "Yeah, I guess it was a little dirty."

God damn, that stupid smile. "Do you like to play dirty, Mr. Pierce?"

At that Alfred was feeling all kinds of wrong vibes from this guy. He really just wanted to get out of the water and run back to the room, but he just smiled and splashed the water slightly with his hands. "Only if I have to." Change the subject! "I forgot, what line of work are you in?"

Ivan watched him for a minute before answering. "Construction Management." He answered coolly and stared at Alfred as if daring him to question it. "Believe it or not, someone has to build these hotels and buildings." Alfred let out a weak laugh at what he thought was a joke and repressed a shiver when Ivan laughed as well.

"That's cool. You travel a lot for the job?" As Ivan answered Alfred just hoped Angie was able to get a hold of Arthur and they would figure out what to do.

There were three very loud and harsh knocks on Arthur's door before he heard his name yelled. "Hey! Get your British ass up! let me in!"

Arthur groaned, hating the fact that he had been woken up. Damn – fell asleep. He rubbed his eyes and tossed a look around the dark room. Alfred was still not back yet. After looking at the clock provided, Arthur let out an 'oh'. It had only been two hours or so. Alfred was likely still at the gym or whether he had gone to.

He rubbed his eyes of sleep, before there was another few loud knocks on the door. Arthur slipped out of bed, recognising Angie's voice, before he remembered that Alfred had left him naked. Bugger. "Hold on—Just a minute!" Arthur shouted insistently, just loud enough for her to hear, before he quickly was searching through his things and got himself dressed into something decent. The door opened a minute later.

"What is it, Angelique? It's late. I was asleep," Arthur pointed out. "Alfred isn't here if you are after him. He went out."

"Yeah, I know," she said pushing her way inside and moving to sit down at the desk as she started hooking up a laptop to the wall and logging on. "He called me from the pool. It seems that Mr. Tall, Blonde and creepy is staying with us in the hotel and has spotted Alfred down in the pool."

"Hotel? Braginski is in the fucking hotel?! He's Russian—Surely he has his own bloody home here?!" Arthur said, shutting the door and making his voice a little more hushed. It was night, after all. They had no idea if they had neighbours in the rooms nearby them. "If he is a suspicious character, he may have a track on us. Maybe he followed us here. We should have been more observant."

Angie frowned as she opened her browser and opened up a tab, typing Ivan's name in quickly. "I don't know. He's using Alfred's fake name so either he's playing a really confusing game or this is just a freak accident." She started reading through the information that the C.I.A data base had on him and frowned. "Weird. This guy's has only been flagged once, and that time was only cause he was working for the soviets back when he was younger."

She continued to read on and glanced over at Arthur a few times. "Does the English government have anything on this guy that we don't know of?"

"Not that I know of. However, I do have some evidence on him. He's my only lead so far. I had some chat messages interpreted by a colleague who said that Braginski and the ball event came up. It's why I'm here—I came to Russia to check on Braginski," Arthur explained, taking a seat on the bed. "There is a distinct possibility that he might be the brains behind the whole trafficking operation here."

"Maybe..." Angie agreed, chewing on her lip thoughtfully as she continued to read on. "He's certainly creepy enough. But then again, looks aren't everything." She glanced at the phone for a moment before looking at Arthur. "I want to know what they are talking about, but I can't call down to the pool and if I go down there what if I didn't give Alfred enough time to get anything good?"

Simple. Arthur shrugged. "I could go. Braginski does not know that Alfred and I are involved, after all. Also, I do have a little bit of an alibi to why I am still here—"

He proceeded to explain to Angie his approach with Braginski - how he was trying to elicit himself into Braginski's market by becoming interested outwardly in the purchase of those certain goods - subtly, so to speak. It was not far-fetched that he would still be here, even if he had not engaged Braginski about it quite yet. "—If I can fool him into thinking I am a buyer, we're in."

Angie quickly shook her head. "No no. Not yet," she put a stop to Arthur's plan with a her hand making a slicing motion in the air. "If this guys isn't on our trail right now he will definitely be if he sees the two guys who got into it at the party at the same hotel the same night. We'll book you an appointment with him in the morning though."

"Well then what will we do now? Just wait here while Alfred potentially gets himself in trouble?" The Englishman sighed.

She rubbed at her face slightly, her long dark brown hair hung in waves over her shoulder. "Okay. So, we have you and me. Both which this guy has seen. He knows me as Alfred's wife and you as Harry who has bad blood with Alfred." She glanced over at Arthur.

"Okay. How about at 2:30, I go down there and ask him to come up to bed?"

"That would be advisable—I'm not terribly sure what we could do otherwise. We just have to be very careful in case Alfred is caught up in something," Arthur exclaimed, bowing his head as he tried to think about what to do to help the situation. Alfred was out there and potentially in danger if they did not get this right. That said, Alfred was a professional. Of all people, he should be competent enough to deal with this.

This was his fault for being insecure – but if Alfred was clever, it could launch their investigation all over again.

"So, how long are you going to be staying here?"

Ivan glanced at him, a small smile pulling at the corner of his mouth. "Why, Mr. Pierce? You plan on following me?"

Alfred tried his best not to blanch at the thought of willingly following Ivan anywhere and forced a laugh out, subtly moving further away from the man in the tub. "Oh, you caught me. I'm actually a big stalker."

He was surprised that Ivan actually laughed at that, the deep loud laughter filling the entire pool area and echoing perfectly off all the tile floors and walls. "You are funny, Mr. Pierce. I enjoy that."

Alfred gave him a weak thumbs up.

"But, to answer your question I will not be staying long. I have business that needs me somewhere else."

Alfred nodded, noticing that his hands were starting to prune. Yuck. "Ahhh, more buildings need built?"

"Something like that. Yes. I'll be traveling to Asia to oversee some work with another company."

Alfred's ears perked up at that and he turned his entire body to face Ivan. "Asia? Wow, that's super cool! I've always wanted to go there, mainly Japan, because it just looks so awesome!" Yes, be interested. Alfred gave Ivan his best, most enthusiastic smile and watched as Ivan raised an amused eyebrow.

"Then why do you not go. You have the money don't you?"

A small shrug. "Yeah, but work gets in the way."

"Ahhh."

"Yeah... So, what part of Asia you going to?"

They sat in silence for a few moments, Alfred thought that Ivan had decided he wasn't worth telling anything before Ivan spoke up again. "India."

Alfred blinked before glancing over at the large man. "What?"

Ivan sighed and swiped at the damp bangs hanging in his eyes before repeating himself. "India. I am going to India for work."

Alfred watched him for a moment before giving him a happy smile. "Wow, that's really cool. Make sure not to get Delhi belly." He watched Ivan chuckle slightly and nod, before they both looked up when they heard the entrance to the pool open and Angie walked in. Flannel pajamas and hair in a messy braid. Classy.

"Hey, Babe!" Alfred called and waved over at her, when her eyes landed on him Alfred could see worry ease off on her expression.

"Hello, Sweetie. I came down here cause it's getting pretty late, I was worried."

There was no lie there. Alfred smiled and quickly stood up, wading over to the stairs and started climbing out. "I'm sorry, Baby. I didn't mean to worry you. Just got to talk with my new friend." As he walked over to her he gave her a small kiss on the cheek and reached out to take her hand, letting his thumb smooth over her knuckles. When she looked up at him with a small pout he laughed and gave her a kiss on the lips. "Alright. I'm coming up, no worries." He reached over to where the hotel kept spare towels and wrapped one around his waist.

"See ya, Ivan!" He gave a wave, not watching to see if it was returned before putting an arm over Angie's shoulders and heading out with her.

Only when they got back to the room and locked the door behind them did Alfred let his carefree smile drop and he leaned heavily back against the door with a sigh. "Jesus Christ. If I knew I was going to be working tonight I would have eaten more for dinner. Now I'm starving."

He winced as he received a jab in the gut from Angie. "Your stomach can wait. You need to tell us what the hell went on down there." Alfred frowned and glanced at Arthur. "Hey."

Upon meeting Alfred's gaze, Arthur bowed his head a little. With the American's eyes on him, Arthur straightened up from his seating position on their bed - he was still glad Angie did not mock them for having to share - and gave him an emotionless look. "Alfred. I'm glad you're back safely. I hope you've done some good," came his controlled, neutral response.

"Yeah." Alfred muttered softly and then moved over to the phone. "I'm ordering room service." He held up a hand when Angie opened her mouth to object. "Woman, don't even. I have had to sit in a hot chlorine filled ditch with a large hairy Russian man. I deserve a Cheeseburger."

Angie rolled her eyes but allowed him to dial up room service and order far too much. After, she handed Alfred a pair of work out pants from his duffle bag, which he quickly moved to the bathroom to change out of his wet swim trunks. When he came out he sighed and laid down on the bed dramatically. "Alright. Where do you want me to start?"

Arthur, when Alfred had left to get changed, had been uncharacteristically silent. When Alfred laid down on the bed beside him, where they were making love just a few hours earlier, he pulled a slightly disconcerted face. Not enough to be suspicious. Angie barely knew him, after all. Neither did, really. "From the beginning. Right after you left." Arthur prompted.

So Alfred told them about Ivan's plans to go to India, about his weird 'building management' job and about his really gross speedo that left nothing to the imagination what so ever. "Ugh! I'm going to be seeing that thing in my dreams! Not dreams! Nightmares!"

Angie rolled her eyes and went back to her lap top to research. "You act like you've never seen a dick before."

At Alfred's inhuman screech Angie burst out laughing and ducked the pillow he threw at her. "That wasn't a dick! It was a freaking whale wrapped up in red spandex!" Alfred made a dying noise before flopping back on the bed.

Of course, Arthur held in his thoughts. He sniggered privately into his hand, although deep down he did emphasise. Gay as he was, he was not terribly sure he would like to become that acquainted with Ivan in a speedo either. He patted Alfred's shoulder, before considering what they had to do next.

The likelihood that Ivan was involved in all of this was slim, but it was the only lead they had – a lead that they were all clinging to. A week more investigation would not harm them.

"So… India." Arthur said slowly, considering. He hoped Alfred and Angie had had their shots.

Angie nodded at Arthur's statement. "It seems like that's our next stop. I'll book us three seats on a flight for tomorrow, I call aisle seat!" Alfred made an attempt to throw another pillow at her but gave up half way through so he could just turn over and bury his face in the pillow.

"Right. Hope you guys don't mind coach, cause that's all we are going to get." She started to pack up her stuff which had Alfred sitting up.

"Where you going?" He asked quickly, making her raise an eyebrow. "Back to my room. Ya, know. To sleep?"

"Oh... Right." He glanced at Arthur before laying back down. "See you in the morning, Ang." Alfred muttered while the pillow covered his face.

When she left, the room was plunged into somewhat of an uncomfortable silence.

Arthur sighed, knowing he had to work some real magic in the morning if he was going to be able to be much help when they went to India. It was good that he and Angie had managed to arrange an appointment while they waited for Alfred to be done. If Ivan knew that he was there in India otherwise, it would become highly problematic.

He exhaled and looked at Alfred, who was pretending to be asleep for now. Arthur frowned, before he leant down to kiss Alfred's shoulder. "We've got our lead," he reminded Alfred. It was not a waste. He then swivelled around and closed his eyes, laying on the sheets.

Better be ready, there was still a lot of work to do.

"Night, Alfred," Arthur told him as he switched the lights off.

More action next chapter - also a location change.

Their jobs are making them go through a rough spot. Let's see how this lasts. Cheers for reading.

- Destinyshiva and Tenkuno. (Destiny-shiva and Xandertheundead on tumblr)