GerUk/GerEng Collection

Afternoon Tea

Author's Note: I completely forgot to post this here. This is based on an ask I got over on tumblr which can be found here: https://koolkat9.tumblr.com/post/674045531456208896/scotfra-and-gereng-double-date

Basically GerEng and ScotFra double date!

"I can't believe I agreed to this," Arthur groaned as he straightened his tie in the mirror.

"You're not the only one," Alastair grumbled, pushing Arthur out of the way to fiddle with his own tie. "I can't believe you agreed either. To be honest, I'm disappointed, but Francis insisted."

"The stupid frog and his stupid ideas."

Alastair sharply jabbed him in the ribs. "That's my boyfriend you're talking about, you nyaff. But I do question the logic and reasoning behind this request."

The two brothers bickered and fought over the mirror some more before being interrupted by the ringing of the doorbell. "I'll get it," Arthur said, dashing off towards the door, "Go check out back to make sure everything is ready."

"But...Arthur..." But the Brit had already left the room, leaving Alastair to take care of the final preparations.

As Arthur approached the door, someone began ringing the doorbell in rapid succession. No doubt it was Francis. "I'm coming, I'm coming," Arthur growled. Sure enough, when he opened the door, Francis was there, finger hovering over the doorbell. Behind him stood Ludwig who was just shaking his head.

"If you break my doorbell, you'll owe me a new one," Arthur sniffed.

"Wow, not even a hello," Francis said with an eye roll, "Where's Allie?"

"Where do you think? Out back."

Before anything else could be said, Francis was already in the house and heading to the back door.

"Remind me why I agreed to this?" Arthur asked when it was just himself and Ludwig.

"As much as you deny it, he is your closest friend," Ludwig noted with a small smile, "But double dates don't seem like your thing."

"Not normally, no. But...Might as well make the best of it."

"I suppose," Ludwig agreed. He stepped closer and placed a soft kiss on Arthur's lips. "We better head out back then."

"Y-Yes. Let's go"

—

By the time Arthur and Ludwig had made it to the garden, Alastair had already poured the tea, and Francis was chatting away. Something about his bosses and drowning in paperwork. All normal things for their kind, yet Francis still made it seem like it was the end of the world. And Alastair listened as if it was the most important thing in the world. For someone so rough around the edges, Alastair was down hard, and it showed big time. Despite his better judgment, Arthur took his seat as did Ludwig.

As they sipped away at their tea, Francis went on. Arthur had tuned out five minutes in. But every so often, Arthur would catch a dig directed at him, bringing his attention back to his former enemy. He knew what Francis was trying, but he wasn't going to fall for it. Not in front of Ludwig.

Thankfully, Ludwig was always observant and noticed the tension growing in Arthur. He placed a comforting hand on the Brit's knee to keep the growing anger at bay. Arthur immediately felt ten times better. It was one afternoon. He could get through it without any confrontations. That was until Ludwig reached for one of the scones Arthur had baked.

"How can you eat that?" Francis shrieked.

"Says the snail eater," Arthur snapped back, tired of Francis's insults.

Francis sniffed, "Well at least they aren't charcoal." Alastair, who had surprisingly been quiet up until this point, snickered.

"Oh please, like yours are any better," Arthur shot back at his brother, voice raising

"Oi! At least I can cook without burning the kitchen down," Alastair spat.

"Okay, that's enough," Ludwig interjected as if they were in a meeting. Everyone froze though scowls still dawned on all their faces.

Slowly, Arthur's anger subsided only to be replaced by embarrassment. It was one thing to lose it during a meeting; that was expected and normal since tensions were always high. But losing it in front of Ludwig while on a date made Arthur want to disappear. "Excuse me," Arthur whispered sharply before heading towards the back of the garden.

An awkward silence fell over the table after the Brit's departure. Eventually, Ludwig rose from the table. "Continue without us," he instructed, heading towards the direction Arthur had gone.

"Ludwig," Francis began, "I'm sor-" But Ludwig was already gone.

—

In the far corner of Arthur's garden sat a pond and bench. Not many ventured far enough to find it, but Arthur had brought him there once, explaining it was a place he often went to for some quiet. To Ludwig, that was most likely where Arthur had gone. Sure enough, when he approached the pond, the Englishman sat, slumped over on the bench. Without a word, Ludwig took a seat beside him.

"This was a bad idea," Arthur said with a sigh, noticing his lover's presence.

Ludwig hummed, arm shaking his arm around Arthur's shoulder.

"I-I was really...I wanted to...I didn't want it to turn out like this."

"I could tell you were trying to keep your cool. I'm thankful for that. But we're never doing this again. For all of our sanities."

Arthur huffed in amusement. "Agreed."

Ludwig gave him a reassuring smile and a kiss on the forehead. "Let's stay here for a little bit. It's been a while since we came here."

"Okay."

—

Back at the table, Francis and Alastair sipped their tea in silence, a thick tension hanging in the air.

"Maybe we took it too far," Francis murmured. He hadn't wanted things to turn hostile and chaotic–at least not as much as it did. The Frenchman couldn't help but feel like it was his fault, having pushed Arthur too far after being the one to propose this double date. Not to mention, he knew how particular and careful Arthur was with his behaviour, wanting to look good in front of Ludwig. To say Francis had blown it would have been an understatement. There was a time and a place for their bickering, and this wasn't either of those.

"I don't know what you're talking about," Alastair scoffed, "You and he can't be in the same room for more than five minutes before you're at each other's throats. It was bound to happen. Plus, for all the times he's been a dick to me, he deserves a little back."

"Though I can't argue with that, I'm more concerned we did it in front of his lover. You know how Ludwig can be. I just hope we didn't cause any damage to that relationship."

Alastair's gaze softened as did his frustration. He supposed his French lover had a point. Plus, it didn't make himself or Francis look better to Ludwig (who they both respected very much). "When you put it like that...I guess...So should we go look for them?"

"Non. I think it's best if we wait until we all calm down. But in the meantime..." Francis poured himself and Alastair another cup of tea, "We shouldn't let the tea go to waste."

Alastair gave him a smile. "God I love you."

"I love you too."

In the end, Arthur and Ludwig rejoined Alastair and Francis. Everyone made up, and their afternoon tea continued with little casualties.