Mad Things That Boys Do
Title: Mad Things That Boys Do
Genre: Romance/Drama
Pairing(s): USUK, Spain/Romano, France/Canada, mentions of Finland/Sweden
Word Count: 3,894
Rating/Warnings: 12, some swearing
Summary: Arthur sees Alfred every day when he comes in for his coffee and the only reason for this is good customer service. Nothing else. Done for the 'I Won't Say I'm In Love' prompt.
Arthur glanced at the clock and almost dropped the cloth he was holding. The coffee shop had opened an hour ago and it was almost five past seven. He turned away from where he was drying mugs to poke Lovino in the back. Lovino waved goodbye at the woman he was serving before he turned on Arthur, perfectly shaped eyebrows (that Arthur was not jealous of, at all) drawn together.
"What?" He snapped.
"I'll swap with you. I'll man the till while you do the mugs." Lovino eyed Arthur suspiciously. Neither of them liked manning the till, the only ones who did were Emma and Tino, the freaks, so he was obviously trying to work out Arthur's motive. A smirk creeping across his lips suggested that he stumbled upon the reason.
"Oh, is your boyfriend coming soon?" As insults went, it wasn't the best but Arthur still felt himself flushing red and hating Lovino.
"He is not my boyfriend!" He snarled back. "And you snarl at all the men that come in, I'm just providing good customer service." With that, he shoved Lovino back towards the mugs just as a familiar blonde hair came through the door. Alfred Jones, doing astrophysics at the London University of Science, gave in here every morning for a ridiculously long and complicated coffee at the same time. Arthur was just being consistent by making sure that he was always the one to serve Alfred. Customers liked to build up relationships with them, especially if they came in as often as Alfred did. He was just doing his job to the best of his ability, nothing else.
"Hey, Arthur. I'm guessing you're serving me today?" Alfred said, his ever present smile fixed on his face. Arthur stared for just a second too long and frowned to make up for it.
"No, I just like to stand in this particular spot." If Alfred chose to ask such a stupid question, then he could not expect a serious answer. Arthur ignored Lovino's sarcastic mutter about good customer service and resolved to tell Antonio that Lovino was wearing tomato print boxers just for him.
Luckily, Alfred laughed before ordering his usual coffee. That was the thing with Alfred, he never got offended at anything Arthur said. He would smile or laugh or argue back, but he would never frown and leave the coffee shop.
"So, has anything big happened since the last time I was here?" Alfred asked, leaning over the counter. Arthur shooed him off with a wave of his hand and Alfred stepped back, looking amused.
"We changed our napkins. Height of excitement of course." Now Arthur was the one who leaned over the counter and Alfred moved forward, a curious smile playing on his lips. Lovino was making a lot of noise as he grumbled over Alfred's complicated order but Arthur knew that he could still hear them. "Lovino's got a date with Antonio." Alfred's eyebrows shot up and Lovino reacted predictably.
"Shut up, you bastard, I do not!" It was a shame that Lovino's voice got quite high-pitched when he was angry, he would be quite intimidating otherwise. Arthur smirked at the reaction and Alfred seemed to pick up on what he was trying to do, because he played along.
"Oh, that's old news. Everyone knows that Antonio and Lovino have been in love for ages." Lovino looked at Alfred, gaping at him wordlessly. It seemed that shock and the fact that Alfred was still a customer was preventing Lovino from speaking his mind but it wouldn't last long.
"Go on, Lovino, you need to finish Alfred's coffee after all." Lovino turned to glare at him for his smug remark but did go on and make the coffee. Tino could be scary sometimes when the customer service became a little lax. Teasing the customers he didn't mind, especially when they were regulars like Alfred, who didn't get offended but delaying an order for personal arguments would not be looked on favourably.
"Should I be worried that he'll spit in my coffee?" Alfred asked in a low voice. Arthur shook his head, laughing softly. Lovino gave them a sharp look but went back to the coffee, obviously not wanting to pay them anymore attention.
"His fear of Tino is greater than his hatred of you," Arthur said reassuringly and Alfred gave him a sceptical look.
"Tino? Really? Small, blonde Tino with the big eyes?" Arthur felt a stab of annoyance that Alfred had been noticing Tino's eyes but quickly reassured himself that Alfred barely talked to Tino. There was no competition there.
A moment later, he slapped himself mentally. Why was he talking about competition? It wasn't like Alfred was his boyfriend or something!
"You'll be surprised," Arthur replied, stubbornly ignoring his thoughts, the blush on his face and Lovino's knowing smirk. He was going to let Lovino off since the little prank he and Alfred pulled but now he was definitely telling Antonio all the false information about Lovino's underwear. "Tino has this friend, it might be a boyfriend but Tino denies it. His friend is tall and very scary but Tino is the one who pushes him around. I wouldn't want to be the person that annoys Tino."
Alfred nodded, still looking slightly sceptical, but he'll learn. Maybe the next time Emma's brother comes around and scares the customers. Lovino interrupted their conversation by stomping up to them and shoving Alfred's coffee into his hand.
"There's your coffee. I hope you choke on it," he hissed. Alfred looked surprised for a moment before falling back into his usual smile.
"Thanks, Lovino. I'll see you tomorrow, Arthur." He lifted up his coffee in a sort of toast before leaving the coffee shop, giving a welcoming smile to the person just entering.
"Well, well, speak of the devil and he shall appear," Arthur said, making no effort to lower his voice. Lovino had gone white and then red as Antonio approached the counter. He was another customer who was completely unfazed by any insult and had an ever present smile on his smile. However, Arthur just found this smile annoying.
"Good morning, Lovi," Antonio said in a cheery voice. Lovino made an unintelligible gargled noise and shot off to the back room. Antonio turned to Arthur, dropping his happy smile and putting on quite an intimidating glare. However, Arthur had grown up with three older brothers that used him as their scapegoat and a mother who encouraged this to toughen her youngest son up. His mother could glare much better than Antonio and that was why he could meet the other man's eyes without a hint of fear. "What did you say to him?"
Of course Antonio would assume that he had said something. It was true but the assumption had more to do with Antonio's dislike of him (which Arthur suspected was well-founded if Antonio knew what he thought he knew) than any concrete evidence.
"What makes you think I've said something to him? You could have offended him in some way." Antonio's eyes narrowed and Arthur thought that he had never seen him that angry before.
"Because if I have offended him, he would tell me. Lovi always lets me know." Antonio rolled his eyes at what he thought was Arthur's stupidity.
"Maybe you did something that embarrassed him, and that's why he ran off. You know Lovi," Arthur watched as Antonio grit his teeth, "doesn't handle embarrassment well." Antonio looked unsure for a moment and Arthur was satisfied that Antonio would go off and look for Lovino and stop bothering him. That feeling ended when Antonio took hold of his shirt front and pulled him across the counter.
"That would actually be believable if you didn't look so smug." Antonio's voice was threatening and Arthur knew he was staring, his eyes wide with surprise. He had known Antonio for several years now, nearly as long as Lovino had, and it was annoying when his expressions could be read so easily.
"Well, it's true. He got embarrassed and he ran off because of that," Arthur replied, continuing to stare at Antonio stonily. He would not let himself be afraid. Antonio grinned fiercely and Arthur realised his mistake too late.
"So, I didn't do anything to embarrass him, you did." Arthur, his words failing him for once, fell silent but Antonio was too happy to press his advantage. He didn't let go of Arthur's front though and that was the image that Lovino saw when he walked back in.
"Wha- What the hell are you doing? Antonio!" Arthur and Antonio turned their heads and, against his will, Arthur felt relieved. He could not believe that Lovino was his saviour. Antonio, on the other hand, was grinning.
"Lovi! You're okay!" Lovino and Arthur both stared at him, Arthur feeling a bit offended. He wouldn't hurt Lovino, only tease him a little bit. No need for Antonio to get so protective.
"Of course I'm okay, you idiot, now put him down!" Lovino pointed a finger on the floor and Antonio obeyed instantly. He was all smiles again. "Why were you threatening my friend?"
"I thought he had hurt you, Lovi," Antonio said, blinking innocently. Arthur rubbed the back of his neck where his shirt had dug in. Both Antonio and Lovino saw this, Lovino looking even more irritated and Antonio starting to look apologetic.
"He teased me about something, like he always does. Why the fuck are you freaking out about it?" Lovino seemed to be just as confused as Arthur was. It was true, Arthur and Lovino made fun of each other all the time, Antonio had seen this many times, so why did he react so badly this time?
For the first time in front of Lovino, Antonio's smile faded and he looked vaguely upset. For Antonio, this was like bursting into tears in public. Lovino and Arthur exchanged a shocked look and for the first time, Arthur noticed a couple of customers behind Antonio, looking at the sandwiches.
"Lovino, take Antonio into the storeroom," Arthur said in a low voice and Lovino nodded, for once, not arguing. The two of them left and Arthur served the two of them, wondering about the conversation going on in the store room. At least mornings were never boring in the shop.
The next morning, there was no Lovino and instead Vash took his place. He was just as grumpy as Lovino and Arthur took his turn at the till first, knowing that he could not get Vash to move as easily as Lovino had.
When Alfred came in, Arthur was feeling bored and was feeling strangely impatient for Alfred to get there. He refused to admit to himself why, Emma had been annoying him about it earlier and it left him in a bad mood.
"Hey, Arthur, the usual please." Vash set to making the coffee, leaving Arthur free to talk to Alfred. "So, how are the new napkins going? And Lovino and Antonio?"
"Both are fine. How are you, Alfred?"
"I'm great. How's the book going?" Alfred smirked and Arthur rolled his eyes. Alfred knew as well as he did that Arthur's book was no closer to being published than it was yesterday.
"Crap as always."
Alfred shuffled slightly but Arthur was too wrapped up in contemplating his life working at the coffee shop forever to think about the reason why. "I've got an article in one of the astronomy magazines."
"No need to rub it in, Alfred," Arthur replied moodily, not really paying much attention to Alfred. This conversation was not helping his mood at all. Alfred blinked and accepted the coffee from Vash. He looked... displeased.
"Well, I'm sorry to think that you could be happy for me." He left the coffee shop abruptly, snapping Arthur out of his mood and leaving him staring at the door as the little bell signalled someone leaving. Vash's snort drew Arthur out of his shock.
"What just happened?" He asked, a rhetorical question but Vash still answered.
"You just offended your boyfriend. Nice going."
"I'll have to agree with Vash on this one. Antagonising the person you love is never a good way of getting them to love you back." Emma's voice was knowing and it was exactly what Arthur didn't need at the moment. He refused to admit, even to himself, that what he did need had just walked out of the shop thirty seconds ago. He forced his gaze away from the door to turn towards Emma and Vash.
"I am not in love with Alfred." Arthur was insistent even as Vash made a disbelieving noise and Emma shook her head affectionately.
"Oh, Arthur, you're as bad as Lovino." Emma laughed and Lovino stomped into the shop, mud halfway up his trousers and a fearsome scowl on his face. "Well, not quite, but you still shouldn't say that to Alfred."
"You should write a book," Lovino said moodily, moving behind the counter. "'When You've Gone Too Far: The Warning Signs', you would sell millions."
"Why are you here? You're not working this morning, I thought you had something with Antonio," Arthur thought out loud. Lovino had been dropping hints all yesterday (Lovino-hints, which involved smiling at mugs and then swearing loudly whenever someone noticed him smiling) and Arthur thought he would be gone for the entire day.
Lovino gave a jerk of head in reply before putting on his apron and starting to wash the mugs. Arthur heard mutterings about his brother and Antonio being stupid and him being stupid, but nothing that would help him to figure out what was going on.
"Fine, forget I asked," Arthur said, completely fed up now. His day could not possibly get worse.
"Bonjour!" The cheerful greeting caused everyone to look apart from Arthur. He knew that voice and he knew that he should not have tempted Fate, today of all days. Things could always get worse.
Thankfully, everyone else seemed as delighted to see Francis as he was. Lovino swore and went back to the mugs, Vash glared and Emma looked rather put off. Whether this last emotion was the conversation getting interrupted or the reaction of her colleagues to the customer, Arthur was not sure.
"Do you know everyone?" Emma asked, slightly uncertainly.
"He hit on my sister." If looks could kill, Francis would be buried six feet under by Vash.
"He tried to sleep with me when I was at a party," Lovino said moodily.
"He's been the bane of my existence since I was five," Arthur added flatly. He felt a sort of joy that his story was obviously worse than Vash's or Lovino's (Vash might disagree but Lovino was giving him a sympathetic look) but it was smothered by the fact that Francis was here. Where he worked. After a glorious year of not seeing him.
"You must be the Arthur that Francis is friends with. I think you know my brother, Alfred?" Completely taken by surprise, Arthur turned to look and saw a young man, who looked strikingly similar to Alfred, apart from different style of hair and darker eye colour. He was standing next to a expensively dressed and made up Francis. Arthur wanted to throw something at Francis but really did not want to make a bad impression on Alfred's brother, especially since he had made such a bad impression on the man himself.
"Yes, I am. You're Alfred's brother?" Why are you here with Francis? Arthur wondered but did not say. The last thing he needed was to get into a fight with Francis and for all his faults to come out.
"Yes, I'm Matthew. I'm guessing that you haven't heard of me." Matthew put his hand up and Arthur shook it, feeling more and more curious now.
"I'm sorry. Alfred probably has mentioned you but it must have slipped my mind," Arthur said, trying to be polite. There was a good chance that this was true, so at least it wasn't a complete lie. Matthew nodded as if he knew Arthur was lying but would be completely unsurprised either way.
"He talks about you a lot." Matthew's tone was casual but Arthur could not help but perk up.
"Really?" He asks and then realises his tone of voice is much too excited when he sees Francis' smirk. "I mean, really?" This time his voice is much more normal. Fortunately, or unfortunately in this situation, his friends and co-workers had his back.
"Why are you here, Francis? Come to hit on more underage girls?" Vash asked scathingly and Matthew blinked, looking more than a little stunned.
"And there's no drunk people here for you to sleep with," Lovino joined in with. Emma and Matthew both had the same look on their face, stunned confusion, although Matthew was starting to look hurt as well. Francis was looking panicked and as much as Arthur would enjoy that expression normally, today he couldn't see the fun when it was hurting Matthew as well.
"It's okay, everyone can relax," Arthur said, hoping to stop the comments. It worked but the glares continued.
"What are they talking about, Francis?" Matthew asked, looking more than a little heartbroken and Arthur felt his heart clench in sympathy. Matthew looked very like Alfred, apart from being cute like a bunny while he found himself completely in love to Alfred. No, not in love, attracted to. That was all.
Also, it seemed to be like the day for relationships breaking down in front of Arthur's eyes. First him and Alfred, then Lovino and Antonio and now Francis and Matthew! Arthur had to do something to help Matthew, as it looked like Francis wasn't going to say anything. It looked like Francis was actually serious about Matthew, which was the only reason Arthur spoke up.
"He... didn't know Lili was underage or that Lovino was drunk," Arthur admitted, very reluctantly. The comment was almost worth it to see the look of complete and utter shock on Francis' face and the fact that he would owe him for this.
"Liar! It was perfectly obvious that I was drunk!" Lovino spoke up and Arthur glanced back at him with one eyebrow raised.
"You get angry and violent when you're drunk. How is that any different from normal?" Lovino opened his mouth to protest but shut it again with a snap, realising he didn't have a leg to stand on. "And he already got a beating from Antonio for that, do you really see the need to punish him anymore?"
"Need? No. Want? Yes." Lovino was firm before moving onto more pleasant conversation topics. "Antonio beat up his friend for me? Even way back then?"
"How is that not obvious?" Vash asked Arthur, who shrugged. Sometimes he understood where Lovino was coming from and sometimes he didn't understand him at all. Antonio doted on Lovino, but he supposed that fifteen years of being second best to his brother were hard to undo. Lovino looked stunned before starting to move off.
"I think I need to go and make a call." Vash and Emma were making signs of moving away as well so Arthur turned back to Francis and Matthew, feeling slightly accomplished after getting rid of their audience. They were talking in French though, so it was obvious that they wouldn't have cared too much about the audience. Except, perhaps, for Lovino, who spoke French as one of the many languages he was fluent in.
Francis was talking quickly while Matthew was looking stubborn and hurt. Arthur could almost guess the words that were being said. It was interesting to watch Francis try to save the one relationship he actually cared about.
The bell of the door drew everyone's attention. "Okay, I know you were in a crappy mood, but that is no excuse..." Alfred looked up to see his brother, Francis, Arthur and the rest of the coffee shop behind the counter. Lovino had obviously decided the phone conversation could wait and someone had dragged Tino out from the manager's office.
"Alfred!" He was the last person Arthur had expected to see, especially today. He thought that Alfred needed a bit of time to cool off and then he would come back and they could go back to normal. "You're... I mean.... You... What?" Arthur felt himself turning red again and he cursed his fair skin. He was also really starting to dislike his audience. "Emma, I'm taking my break now," he said firmly, untying the apron and stepping out from behind the counter. Alfred was looked very confused so Arthur did not bother speaking, just pulled him gently by the arm into one of the booths.
"Say it!" A hiss came from the counter and Arthur resolutely ignored it. He knew what they wanted him to say and he would do it... in time.
"Arthur, why is everyone in one big group by the counter? And why is Matt here?" Alfred was adorable when confused and Arthur did not just think that.
"Matthew's on a date with Francis and everyone else is just busybodies." Arthur dismissed the issues, wanting to get onto the more important topics. "I wanted to say that I'm very sorry for what I said earlier. I wasn't thinking and was taking everything the wrong way and - " Alfred cut him off.
"Okay, Arthur. I accept your apology. Just, don't do it again, okay?" Alfred smiled and Arthur breathed a sigh of relief at seeing the smile back again.
"I won't," Arthur vowed and there was silence between the two of them. Arthur glanced at Matthew and Francis, who were standing much closer than they were before, before steeling himself to do it. He had to get something positive out of this day and he didn't want the only one to not fix his relationship. "Alfred," Arthur paused, "will you go out with me?"
Now Alfred was staring. It was more than a little unnerving. "It's just that Matthew said that you talk about me quite a lot and I thought that you - never mind." Arthur looked away, not enjoying the burn at the back of his throat and the warmth of humiliation on his face.
"Wait, wait, Matthew said what?" Alfred appeared confused again and Arthur had to remind himself that Alfred had not been there for the entire conversation. It felt like he had missed a lot. "I'm going to kill him."
"Yes, yes," Arthur would be a lot more concerned if he knew what Alfred was thinking, "but can I please get the answer to my question first?" Alfred truly focused on Arthur and it was an intense experience.
"Of course. The answer is yes." Alfred smiled and Arthur felt himself grinning back. He can never mention this feeling, the uplifting, happy feeling, out loud unless he wants to be teased until the end of his days but he rather enjoyed it all the same.
Genre: Romance/Drama
Pairing(s): USUK, Spain/Romano, France/Canada, mentions of Finland/Sweden
Word Count: 3,894
Rating/Warnings: 12, some swearing
Summary: Arthur sees Alfred every day when he comes in for his coffee and the only reason for this is good customer service. Nothing else. Done for the 'I Won't Say I'm In Love' prompt.
Arthur glanced at the clock and almost dropped the cloth he was holding. The coffee shop had opened an hour ago and it was almost five past seven. He turned away from where he was drying mugs to poke Lovino in the back. Lovino waved goodbye at the woman he was serving before he turned on Arthur, perfectly shaped eyebrows (that Arthur was not jealous of, at all) drawn together.
"What?" He snapped.
"I'll swap with you. I'll man the till while you do the mugs." Lovino eyed Arthur suspiciously. Neither of them liked manning the till, the only ones who did were Emma and Tino, the freaks, so he was obviously trying to work out Arthur's motive. A smirk creeping across his lips suggested that he stumbled upon the reason.
"Oh, is your boyfriend coming soon?" As insults went, it wasn't the best but Arthur still felt himself flushing red and hating Lovino.
"He is not my boyfriend!" He snarled back. "And you snarl at all the men that come in, I'm just providing good customer service." With that, he shoved Lovino back towards the mugs just as a familiar blonde hair came through the door. Alfred Jones, doing astrophysics at the London University of Science, gave in here every morning for a ridiculously long and complicated coffee at the same time. Arthur was just being consistent by making sure that he was always the one to serve Alfred. Customers liked to build up relationships with them, especially if they came in as often as Alfred did. He was just doing his job to the best of his ability, nothing else.
"Hey, Arthur. I'm guessing you're serving me today?" Alfred said, his ever present smile fixed on his face. Arthur stared for just a second too long and frowned to make up for it.
"No, I just like to stand in this particular spot." If Alfred chose to ask such a stupid question, then he could not expect a serious answer. Arthur ignored Lovino's sarcastic mutter about good customer service and resolved to tell Antonio that Lovino was wearing tomato print boxers just for him.
Luckily, Alfred laughed before ordering his usual coffee. That was the thing with Alfred, he never got offended at anything Arthur said. He would smile or laugh or argue back, but he would never frown and leave the coffee shop.
"So, has anything big happened since the last time I was here?" Alfred asked, leaning over the counter. Arthur shooed him off with a wave of his hand and Alfred stepped back, looking amused.
"We changed our napkins. Height of excitement of course." Now Arthur was the one who leaned over the counter and Alfred moved forward, a curious smile playing on his lips. Lovino was making a lot of noise as he grumbled over Alfred's complicated order but Arthur knew that he could still hear them. "Lovino's got a date with Antonio." Alfred's eyebrows shot up and Lovino reacted predictably.
"Shut up, you bastard, I do not!" It was a shame that Lovino's voice got quite high-pitched when he was angry, he would be quite intimidating otherwise. Arthur smirked at the reaction and Alfred seemed to pick up on what he was trying to do, because he played along.
"Oh, that's old news. Everyone knows that Antonio and Lovino have been in love for ages." Lovino looked at Alfred, gaping at him wordlessly. It seemed that shock and the fact that Alfred was still a customer was preventing Lovino from speaking his mind but it wouldn't last long.
"Go on, Lovino, you need to finish Alfred's coffee after all." Lovino turned to glare at him for his smug remark but did go on and make the coffee. Tino could be scary sometimes when the customer service became a little lax. Teasing the customers he didn't mind, especially when they were regulars like Alfred, who didn't get offended but delaying an order for personal arguments would not be looked on favourably.
"Should I be worried that he'll spit in my coffee?" Alfred asked in a low voice. Arthur shook his head, laughing softly. Lovino gave them a sharp look but went back to the coffee, obviously not wanting to pay them anymore attention.
"His fear of Tino is greater than his hatred of you," Arthur said reassuringly and Alfred gave him a sceptical look.
"Tino? Really? Small, blonde Tino with the big eyes?" Arthur felt a stab of annoyance that Alfred had been noticing Tino's eyes but quickly reassured himself that Alfred barely talked to Tino. There was no competition there.
A moment later, he slapped himself mentally. Why was he talking about competition? It wasn't like Alfred was his boyfriend or something!
"You'll be surprised," Arthur replied, stubbornly ignoring his thoughts, the blush on his face and Lovino's knowing smirk. He was going to let Lovino off since the little prank he and Alfred pulled but now he was definitely telling Antonio all the false information about Lovino's underwear. "Tino has this friend, it might be a boyfriend but Tino denies it. His friend is tall and very scary but Tino is the one who pushes him around. I wouldn't want to be the person that annoys Tino."
Alfred nodded, still looking slightly sceptical, but he'll learn. Maybe the next time Emma's brother comes around and scares the customers. Lovino interrupted their conversation by stomping up to them and shoving Alfred's coffee into his hand.
"There's your coffee. I hope you choke on it," he hissed. Alfred looked surprised for a moment before falling back into his usual smile.
"Thanks, Lovino. I'll see you tomorrow, Arthur." He lifted up his coffee in a sort of toast before leaving the coffee shop, giving a welcoming smile to the person just entering.
"Well, well, speak of the devil and he shall appear," Arthur said, making no effort to lower his voice. Lovino had gone white and then red as Antonio approached the counter. He was another customer who was completely unfazed by any insult and had an ever present smile on his smile. However, Arthur just found this smile annoying.
"Good morning, Lovi," Antonio said in a cheery voice. Lovino made an unintelligible gargled noise and shot off to the back room. Antonio turned to Arthur, dropping his happy smile and putting on quite an intimidating glare. However, Arthur had grown up with three older brothers that used him as their scapegoat and a mother who encouraged this to toughen her youngest son up. His mother could glare much better than Antonio and that was why he could meet the other man's eyes without a hint of fear. "What did you say to him?"
Of course Antonio would assume that he had said something. It was true but the assumption had more to do with Antonio's dislike of him (which Arthur suspected was well-founded if Antonio knew what he thought he knew) than any concrete evidence.
"What makes you think I've said something to him? You could have offended him in some way." Antonio's eyes narrowed and Arthur thought that he had never seen him that angry before.
"Because if I have offended him, he would tell me. Lovi always lets me know." Antonio rolled his eyes at what he thought was Arthur's stupidity.
"Maybe you did something that embarrassed him, and that's why he ran off. You know Lovi," Arthur watched as Antonio grit his teeth, "doesn't handle embarrassment well." Antonio looked unsure for a moment and Arthur was satisfied that Antonio would go off and look for Lovino and stop bothering him. That feeling ended when Antonio took hold of his shirt front and pulled him across the counter.
"That would actually be believable if you didn't look so smug." Antonio's voice was threatening and Arthur knew he was staring, his eyes wide with surprise. He had known Antonio for several years now, nearly as long as Lovino had, and it was annoying when his expressions could be read so easily.
"Well, it's true. He got embarrassed and he ran off because of that," Arthur replied, continuing to stare at Antonio stonily. He would not let himself be afraid. Antonio grinned fiercely and Arthur realised his mistake too late.
"So, I didn't do anything to embarrass him, you did." Arthur, his words failing him for once, fell silent but Antonio was too happy to press his advantage. He didn't let go of Arthur's front though and that was the image that Lovino saw when he walked back in.
"Wha- What the hell are you doing? Antonio!" Arthur and Antonio turned their heads and, against his will, Arthur felt relieved. He could not believe that Lovino was his saviour. Antonio, on the other hand, was grinning.
"Lovi! You're okay!" Lovino and Arthur both stared at him, Arthur feeling a bit offended. He wouldn't hurt Lovino, only tease him a little bit. No need for Antonio to get so protective.
"Of course I'm okay, you idiot, now put him down!" Lovino pointed a finger on the floor and Antonio obeyed instantly. He was all smiles again. "Why were you threatening my friend?"
"I thought he had hurt you, Lovi," Antonio said, blinking innocently. Arthur rubbed the back of his neck where his shirt had dug in. Both Antonio and Lovino saw this, Lovino looking even more irritated and Antonio starting to look apologetic.
"He teased me about something, like he always does. Why the fuck are you freaking out about it?" Lovino seemed to be just as confused as Arthur was. It was true, Arthur and Lovino made fun of each other all the time, Antonio had seen this many times, so why did he react so badly this time?
For the first time in front of Lovino, Antonio's smile faded and he looked vaguely upset. For Antonio, this was like bursting into tears in public. Lovino and Arthur exchanged a shocked look and for the first time, Arthur noticed a couple of customers behind Antonio, looking at the sandwiches.
"Lovino, take Antonio into the storeroom," Arthur said in a low voice and Lovino nodded, for once, not arguing. The two of them left and Arthur served the two of them, wondering about the conversation going on in the store room. At least mornings were never boring in the shop.
The next morning, there was no Lovino and instead Vash took his place. He was just as grumpy as Lovino and Arthur took his turn at the till first, knowing that he could not get Vash to move as easily as Lovino had.
When Alfred came in, Arthur was feeling bored and was feeling strangely impatient for Alfred to get there. He refused to admit to himself why, Emma had been annoying him about it earlier and it left him in a bad mood.
"Hey, Arthur, the usual please." Vash set to making the coffee, leaving Arthur free to talk to Alfred. "So, how are the new napkins going? And Lovino and Antonio?"
"Both are fine. How are you, Alfred?"
"I'm great. How's the book going?" Alfred smirked and Arthur rolled his eyes. Alfred knew as well as he did that Arthur's book was no closer to being published than it was yesterday.
"Crap as always."
Alfred shuffled slightly but Arthur was too wrapped up in contemplating his life working at the coffee shop forever to think about the reason why. "I've got an article in one of the astronomy magazines."
"No need to rub it in, Alfred," Arthur replied moodily, not really paying much attention to Alfred. This conversation was not helping his mood at all. Alfred blinked and accepted the coffee from Vash. He looked... displeased.
"Well, I'm sorry to think that you could be happy for me." He left the coffee shop abruptly, snapping Arthur out of his mood and leaving him staring at the door as the little bell signalled someone leaving. Vash's snort drew Arthur out of his shock.
"What just happened?" He asked, a rhetorical question but Vash still answered.
"You just offended your boyfriend. Nice going."
"I'll have to agree with Vash on this one. Antagonising the person you love is never a good way of getting them to love you back." Emma's voice was knowing and it was exactly what Arthur didn't need at the moment. He refused to admit, even to himself, that what he did need had just walked out of the shop thirty seconds ago. He forced his gaze away from the door to turn towards Emma and Vash.
"I am not in love with Alfred." Arthur was insistent even as Vash made a disbelieving noise and Emma shook her head affectionately.
"Oh, Arthur, you're as bad as Lovino." Emma laughed and Lovino stomped into the shop, mud halfway up his trousers and a fearsome scowl on his face. "Well, not quite, but you still shouldn't say that to Alfred."
"You should write a book," Lovino said moodily, moving behind the counter. "'When You've Gone Too Far: The Warning Signs', you would sell millions."
"Why are you here? You're not working this morning, I thought you had something with Antonio," Arthur thought out loud. Lovino had been dropping hints all yesterday (Lovino-hints, which involved smiling at mugs and then swearing loudly whenever someone noticed him smiling) and Arthur thought he would be gone for the entire day.
Lovino gave a jerk of head in reply before putting on his apron and starting to wash the mugs. Arthur heard mutterings about his brother and Antonio being stupid and him being stupid, but nothing that would help him to figure out what was going on.
"Fine, forget I asked," Arthur said, completely fed up now. His day could not possibly get worse.
"Bonjour!" The cheerful greeting caused everyone to look apart from Arthur. He knew that voice and he knew that he should not have tempted Fate, today of all days. Things could always get worse.
Thankfully, everyone else seemed as delighted to see Francis as he was. Lovino swore and went back to the mugs, Vash glared and Emma looked rather put off. Whether this last emotion was the conversation getting interrupted or the reaction of her colleagues to the customer, Arthur was not sure.
"Do you know everyone?" Emma asked, slightly uncertainly.
"He hit on my sister." If looks could kill, Francis would be buried six feet under by Vash.
"He tried to sleep with me when I was at a party," Lovino said moodily.
"He's been the bane of my existence since I was five," Arthur added flatly. He felt a sort of joy that his story was obviously worse than Vash's or Lovino's (Vash might disagree but Lovino was giving him a sympathetic look) but it was smothered by the fact that Francis was here. Where he worked. After a glorious year of not seeing him.
"You must be the Arthur that Francis is friends with. I think you know my brother, Alfred?" Completely taken by surprise, Arthur turned to look and saw a young man, who looked strikingly similar to Alfred, apart from different style of hair and darker eye colour. He was standing next to a expensively dressed and made up Francis. Arthur wanted to throw something at Francis but really did not want to make a bad impression on Alfred's brother, especially since he had made such a bad impression on the man himself.
"Yes, I am. You're Alfred's brother?" Why are you here with Francis? Arthur wondered but did not say. The last thing he needed was to get into a fight with Francis and for all his faults to come out.
"Yes, I'm Matthew. I'm guessing that you haven't heard of me." Matthew put his hand up and Arthur shook it, feeling more and more curious now.
"I'm sorry. Alfred probably has mentioned you but it must have slipped my mind," Arthur said, trying to be polite. There was a good chance that this was true, so at least it wasn't a complete lie. Matthew nodded as if he knew Arthur was lying but would be completely unsurprised either way.
"He talks about you a lot." Matthew's tone was casual but Arthur could not help but perk up.
"Really?" He asks and then realises his tone of voice is much too excited when he sees Francis' smirk. "I mean, really?" This time his voice is much more normal. Fortunately, or unfortunately in this situation, his friends and co-workers had his back.
"Why are you here, Francis? Come to hit on more underage girls?" Vash asked scathingly and Matthew blinked, looking more than a little stunned.
"And there's no drunk people here for you to sleep with," Lovino joined in with. Emma and Matthew both had the same look on their face, stunned confusion, although Matthew was starting to look hurt as well. Francis was looking panicked and as much as Arthur would enjoy that expression normally, today he couldn't see the fun when it was hurting Matthew as well.
"It's okay, everyone can relax," Arthur said, hoping to stop the comments. It worked but the glares continued.
"What are they talking about, Francis?" Matthew asked, looking more than a little heartbroken and Arthur felt his heart clench in sympathy. Matthew looked very like Alfred, apart from being cute like a bunny while he found himself completely in love to Alfred. No, not in love, attracted to. That was all.
Also, it seemed to be like the day for relationships breaking down in front of Arthur's eyes. First him and Alfred, then Lovino and Antonio and now Francis and Matthew! Arthur had to do something to help Matthew, as it looked like Francis wasn't going to say anything. It looked like Francis was actually serious about Matthew, which was the only reason Arthur spoke up.
"He... didn't know Lili was underage or that Lovino was drunk," Arthur admitted, very reluctantly. The comment was almost worth it to see the look of complete and utter shock on Francis' face and the fact that he would owe him for this.
"Liar! It was perfectly obvious that I was drunk!" Lovino spoke up and Arthur glanced back at him with one eyebrow raised.
"You get angry and violent when you're drunk. How is that any different from normal?" Lovino opened his mouth to protest but shut it again with a snap, realising he didn't have a leg to stand on. "And he already got a beating from Antonio for that, do you really see the need to punish him anymore?"
"Need? No. Want? Yes." Lovino was firm before moving onto more pleasant conversation topics. "Antonio beat up his friend for me? Even way back then?"
"How is that not obvious?" Vash asked Arthur, who shrugged. Sometimes he understood where Lovino was coming from and sometimes he didn't understand him at all. Antonio doted on Lovino, but he supposed that fifteen years of being second best to his brother were hard to undo. Lovino looked stunned before starting to move off.
"I think I need to go and make a call." Vash and Emma were making signs of moving away as well so Arthur turned back to Francis and Matthew, feeling slightly accomplished after getting rid of their audience. They were talking in French though, so it was obvious that they wouldn't have cared too much about the audience. Except, perhaps, for Lovino, who spoke French as one of the many languages he was fluent in.
Francis was talking quickly while Matthew was looking stubborn and hurt. Arthur could almost guess the words that were being said. It was interesting to watch Francis try to save the one relationship he actually cared about.
The bell of the door drew everyone's attention. "Okay, I know you were in a crappy mood, but that is no excuse..." Alfred looked up to see his brother, Francis, Arthur and the rest of the coffee shop behind the counter. Lovino had obviously decided the phone conversation could wait and someone had dragged Tino out from the manager's office.
"Alfred!" He was the last person Arthur had expected to see, especially today. He thought that Alfred needed a bit of time to cool off and then he would come back and they could go back to normal. "You're... I mean.... You... What?" Arthur felt himself turning red again and he cursed his fair skin. He was also really starting to dislike his audience. "Emma, I'm taking my break now," he said firmly, untying the apron and stepping out from behind the counter. Alfred was looked very confused so Arthur did not bother speaking, just pulled him gently by the arm into one of the booths.
"Say it!" A hiss came from the counter and Arthur resolutely ignored it. He knew what they wanted him to say and he would do it... in time.
"Arthur, why is everyone in one big group by the counter? And why is Matt here?" Alfred was adorable when confused and Arthur did not just think that.
"Matthew's on a date with Francis and everyone else is just busybodies." Arthur dismissed the issues, wanting to get onto the more important topics. "I wanted to say that I'm very sorry for what I said earlier. I wasn't thinking and was taking everything the wrong way and - " Alfred cut him off.
"Okay, Arthur. I accept your apology. Just, don't do it again, okay?" Alfred smiled and Arthur breathed a sigh of relief at seeing the smile back again.
"I won't," Arthur vowed and there was silence between the two of them. Arthur glanced at Matthew and Francis, who were standing much closer than they were before, before steeling himself to do it. He had to get something positive out of this day and he didn't want the only one to not fix his relationship. "Alfred," Arthur paused, "will you go out with me?"
Now Alfred was staring. It was more than a little unnerving. "It's just that Matthew said that you talk about me quite a lot and I thought that you - never mind." Arthur looked away, not enjoying the burn at the back of his throat and the warmth of humiliation on his face.
"Wait, wait, Matthew said what?" Alfred appeared confused again and Arthur had to remind himself that Alfred had not been there for the entire conversation. It felt like he had missed a lot. "I'm going to kill him."
"Yes, yes," Arthur would be a lot more concerned if he knew what Alfred was thinking, "but can I please get the answer to my question first?" Alfred truly focused on Arthur and it was an intense experience.
"Of course. The answer is yes." Alfred smiled and Arthur felt himself grinning back. He can never mention this feeling, the uplifting, happy feeling, out loud unless he wants to be teased until the end of his days but he rather enjoyed it all the same.