Arthur pulled at the collar of his white and blue suit, looking around at the decorated brick courtyard. He was nineteen, which meant he was officially old enough for the Spring Dance.

He'd been dreading this day, but, the dance had been tradition for as long as anyone could remember. There had been some slight changes, but the principle remained the same. Alphas and omegas lined up across from each other, and when the music began they would dance with the person in front of them. They would switch partners, and whoever they were with at the end of the dance would be their mate.

The dance could last for hours, or for a few minutes, it was never the same. And dreadfully boring, if you didn't like any of your dance partners. Even if you did like one or two of them, there was no guarantee you'd end up with them.

Arthur looked down the line of alphas in front of him. They were all dressed in black and gold suits and gowns, in contrast to the light blues and whites of the omegas.

The alpha in front of him had stark white hair, and his eyes were a mixture of red and blue. He was leaning forwards, peering up and down the line as he seemed to look for someone in particular. Well, for his sake, Arthur hoped he found him. Well, at least Arthur could cross him off the list. He'd avoid him as much as possible, anyway.

A violin played, a signal that the dance was going to begin. Arthur straightened his back, and as the music started to play, stepped forwards and took the hand of the alpha.

They moved back and forth, dancing in circles and moving in and out of the dancing pairs. "Do you see whoever you were looking for?" He asked, and the alpha looked at him.

"Oh- uh, yeah, sorry. You noticed. Um, name's Gilbert, by the way." He greeted, and Arthur nodded.

"Arthur. Who are you looking for?" He asked, and Gilbert looked around the crowd, then moved himself and Arthur to the right.

"Um, Matthew, Er- Matthew Williams. I've gotta find him, I promised him." He frowned, and Arthur sighed, letting Gilbert lead them along.

"I, well, I hope you find him, then. Best of luck to you."

A bell chimed after a few minutes, signalling that they were to change dance partners. Bidding a swift goodbye to Gilbert, Arthur let go of him, spinning around to face someone new.

He'd danced with Gilbert's younger brother Ludwig, and then with a man by the name of Antonio. No one seemed to be incredibly remarkable, at least not to him. They were nice enough, but Ludwig was far too stoic, and, like Gilbert, Antonio was already looking for someone. As the bell sounded again, Arthur turned, nearly bumping into the next alpha.

"Woah- hey!" The man greeted, voice bubbly and a little loud. Arthur looked up as he took his hands, moving in step with him as he met bright blue eyes and a childish, sunny grin.

"What's your name?" the same voice asked, leaning a bit closer.

"Arthur..and yours?" Arthur replied, tilting his head to the side.

"Alfred!" He exclaimed, stepping on Arthur's foot and apologizing when Arthur winced. "And uh, I'm not a very good dancer." He chuckled, and the omega rose a brow.

"I don't suppose you're already looking for someone..?" Arthur asked.

Alfred shook his head. "Nope!" He replied, popping the 'P' at the end of the word. "I'm completely available. Though I might be keeping an eye out once the bell rings again." He laughed nervously, waiting for Arthur's reaction.

"Well. How flattering. I can't say I'm opposed to the idea, But I would like to know you a bit more before I make a decision."

"Yeah, I get that. Guess you aren't as reckless as I am.." Alfred smiled. Arthur smiled in return.

"So what do you-" Alfred began, and then the bell chimed. He smiled at Arthur as he let him go, somewhat reluctantly dropping Arthur's hand.

Arthur spun, and danced with someone new, now looking around for Alfred. He went through another alpha, a girl named Elizabeta, before finding Alfred.

"As you were saying?" Arthur chuckled, giving a wry smile as he stepped into Alfred's arms.

"Good to have you back." Alfred smiled, his scent giving off a slight fondness. "Anyway, so yeah, I was just wondering what, y'know, you liked to do. Where you work. Basic stuff like that. We should know more about each other, that is, if you want to try finding me again after this.."

"Ah, right.." Arthur bit his lip, nodding. "Yes, I'll um, I'll keep an eye out. Or try, at least. I like to read, and paint in my spare time. I have a fondness for baking, but I'm an awful cook. ." He chuckled. "I work the front desk in a hotel, it's really not that exciting."

Alfred dipped Arthur with a laugh, shrugging his shoulders. "Seems nice to me. As for me, I-" The bell sounded, and Alfred rolled his eyes. "Damn. See you soon."

Arthur managed to find the other after going through one more partner, and Alfred beamed as Arthur took the now familiar hand.

"Thank god, I'm like, dying of boredom whenever you aren't around. I mean, are we gonna be here all day?" Alfred laughed. "I'm not even good at this, I didn't practice this dance at...at all, really. Sorta winging it, y'know?"

The omega rolled his eyes which an amused smile. "I can tell. As can the rest of your dance partners, I'm sure." He added, and he swore he saw the alpha blush faintly with embarrassment.

"Yeah, well, my brother Matthew is more graceful than me, anyway- I'm clumsy, at least, everyone says I am."

"Well, you haven't fallen on your face yet, so, you don't quite have two left feet. Now, um, you were telling me about yourself..?" Arthur questioned.

Alfred blinked, and spun Arthur around. "Oh, yeah! Well, in my free time, I play a lot of video games, and I like to collect things. Figurines, comics, stuff like that. I'm a chef, so, you know, since you said you can't cook..and, I love desserts and stuff, so you could make those." He rose a brow with a confident grin.

"I must say I like the idea of actual decent meals.." Arthur allowed, and the bell chimed before he continue.

"Goddamn, I didn't think the bell would be that annoying." Alfred grunted, eyes narrowing as he glared in the direction of the musicians. Arthur's hand was released once again, and Alfred looked over his shoulder at him as he moved away.

"I'll stay close, okay? Promise." The alpha smiled, taking a new partner as someone else pulled Arthur away.

Arthur's feet were beginning to hurt, and, to be frank, dancing got boring after a while. He still hadn't seen Alfred again since he promised to stay close, and the five partners he'd had since were each worse than the last. They weren't bad people, Arthur was somewhat sure, but they weren't his type.

His first two partners, Heracles and Sadik, apparently knew each other. Sadik had made a crude remark to Heracles as they switched. After that, he'd met Toris and Ivan.

Toris seemed shy, and oddly passive for an alpha. Arthur didn't have a problem with it, exactly, but it was sort of uncommon. At first glance, Ivan was the same way, but the tight way he gripped Arthur's palm suggested otherwise.

Now, he was facing a man named Roderich. They'd had a brief introduction. He was from Austria, and apparently a celebrated piano player. That was nice, Arthur liked music.

Unfortunately, the rest of his personality wasn't nearly as interesting. The certain pitch of his voice grated on Arthur's nerves, and he seemed rather above it all, like he didn't care who he got nor did he care about who he got. Perhaps that was his way of covering up his nerves, but it irritated Arthur nevertheless.

Giving a numb nod at whatever Roderich was saying, Arthur looked at the couples around him. He couldn't see Alfred anywhere, and with a startling realization, Arthur noticed the song was coming to a close.

The music was beginning to slow down and fade. The dancers, including Roderich, began to slow down. With a gulp, he turned to look Roderich in the eyes. He seemed indifferent to the whole thing, and to Arthur. Somehow, that was even worse than him showing blatant disapproval. At least then he'd have a reaction.

Arthur frowned, and as the song slowed, the Alpha went to spin their omega around once more. Mid spin, Arthur felt a hand wrap tightly around his wrist, and then yank him away.

By the end of his spin, he was face-to-face with Alfred, who was smiling wide and proud.

"Hey, Arthur."

"Ow." Arthur retorted, deadpan with the exception of a small smile.

Alfred loosened his grip. "Sorry...you didn't seem too happy, so, y'know, I didn't wanna like, leave you there."

"And who said I'd be happier with you?" Arthur rose a brow, turning to notice Roderich walking away. He seemed a bit more content, and his sudden partner seemed happy as well.

"O-oh, shit, well, I mean- I thought-"

"I'm joking, you buffoon. You know you broke the rules, though. You can't switch unless a bell rings." Arthur quipped as he began to walk away, holding on to Alfred's hand as the alpha followed him.

"You're not gonna tell on me though, right?" The other man laughed, giving Arthur's hand a gentle squeeze.

Arthur looked Alfred over, thinking for a moment before he replied.

"No, I don't believe I will."