Author's Note: Updates probably won't be as consistent as they were before. I've got finals coming up that I have to study for, so I'll be focused on those for a while. Plus, I know where I want this story to go and how it ends, but I'm still working out how to get to that point. Thank you for your continued support!

Come Monday, Alfred was a little… antsy.

He refused to call the squirming in his gut apprehension or even excitement. Maybe it had something to do with the fact that he'd been grounded, just as he predicted, and hadn't been able to leave the house for the rest of the weekend; but whatever the reason, the fact still remained that Alfred couldn't stop thinking about his encounter with Arthur Kirkland at the library.

The man had officially done it. He'd made Alfred unbearably curious without even trying – or maybe he had been, since Alfred was completely convinced that Arthur was a master of manipulation.

Arthur must have been doing something underhanded and dirty – God, he sounded like a twitchy conspiracy theorist – but there was no other explanation. Alfred was not a people person. He didn't socialize if he didn't have to, and aside from Kiku and Elizabeta – maybe even Matthew, but wasn't family supposed to inherently love one another? – Alfred had no friends.

At school, his classmates gave him a wide berth. They knew of his reputation for having a short fuse, and he was the last person anyone wanted to fuck with. Alfred kind of liked it that way, actually. Stupidity was a universal trait among teenagers. The less of them he had to interact with on a daily basis, the happier Alfred was.

As happy as he could be, anyway.

Loathe as he was to admit it, his time spent confined to his house had given Alfred some time to think things through a little. Seeing Arthur outside of rehab had… opened his eyes, so to speak. It was actually kind of stupid, but for the first time since meeting him initially, Alfred had seen Arthur as a normal human being.

Before, Arthur was everything Alfred despised about the world come to life, conformity and unrealistic desires, lies and heartbreak. Arthur had been Matthew's anger, the truth about his parents' marriage, and Alfred's earlier depression. It all came surging back the moment their watches went off, and Alfred reacted in the only way he'd known how, lashing out and wreaking havoc wherever he went.

But Arthur was normal. He had a life outside of his job. He had piercings and a little brother, was kind enough to take said brother to the library when his parents had other things to do. Arthur had a personal life, one that seemed to be on the verge of collapse, if those stupid phone calls were anything to go by.

Arthur was human. They all had problems, and Arthur was no exception. He was just so good at hiding his true feelings that Alfred hadn't felt all that bad when he was being difficult initially. He wouldn't be surprised if Arthur secretly despised him for all the shit he'd pulled, regardless of what he'd said about suggestions at the library. Arthur didn't deserve it. It was bad enough that he'd ended up with Alfred F. Jones, perhaps the only person who vehemently despised the watches, as a soul mate.

Not to mention that Arthur didn't know a thing about Alfred's past, so it wasn't fair for the teenager to blame him and treat him horribly just because his childhood had been forever marred.

Alfred had realized all of that in a little over two days. It was frankly the hardest he'd thought about anything his entire life.

Yep. Arthur Kirkland had definitely done something. It wasn't often that Alfred actually put effort into things, let alone admitted to being in the wrong.

Alfred thought about all of that as he walked up to the building, waving distractedly at his mother over his shoulder as she called a goodbye to him. He'd managed to convince her not to come in with him. She actually hadn't put up much of a fuss, but her pale blue eyes had lit up for whatever reason.

He wasn't sure why she got so excited. As far as his mom knew, he was still adamant about treating Arthur as horribly as possible. Even so, Alfred was certain nothing life-changing was going to happen.

Just as Alfred was about to walk through the automatic doors, they abruptly slid open and a woman stalked out, barely avoiding running into Alfred as he scrambled to get out of her way. "Jesus fucking – " The teenager said through gritted teeth, but he kept it quiet; as quiet as he could manage anyway.

Extending his kindness to people other than Arthur obviously wasn't going to work out. The urge to call after her was almost maddening.

After taking a brief moment to compose himself, Alfred walked into the building. Ivan was actually the first person Alfred saw, but Arthur was standing close to him, hands on his hips and a scowl on his face as Ivan spoke to him in hushed tones. They quieted down as Alfred walked up, and his curiosity was peaked.

"What's up? You guys look pissed."

"It's nothing. Just a less than satisfied customer." Ivan replied, and Arthur grunted.

"Was it that lady who looked like some doucher ran over her dog?" Alfred asked, crossing his arms over his chest. "She almost bull-dozed me over in her desperation to get out of here. Not that I don't understand the urge but – " He forced himself to stop talking. Kindness. Kindness. "Um, what even happened?"

"Nothing." Ivan said, and while his expression was pleasant, there was a dangerous look in his eyes that left Alfred feeling unsettled. Arthur didn't look nearly as upset, just exhausted. "Adult stuff."

"I resent that." Alfred quipped, and Arthur sighed.

"That will do, Ivan. It's over and done with now."

Ivan nodded slowly, and while Alfred didn't feel as if he were involved in what had just happened anyway, the violet-eyed man cast him a fleeting glance before moving away.

Alfred watched him go before sliding his gaze back to Arthur. "Why do I feel like I'm missing something here?"

Arthur's shoulders jumped slightly, laughing without making a single noise. "You're looking into it too much."

Arthur turned to face him, and, feeling somewhat nostalgic, Alfred glanced down at the man's nose. Boy was he in for a nice surprise. "How come you're wearing the nose ring?"

Maybe it was just Alfred's imagination, but after he called attention to the small stud, Arthur had seemed less tired, if only slightly. The Englishman's mouth quirked, and while he wasn't really smiling, the incentive was there. "I've recently been told my piercings look cool, so I figured I would wear them more often. I've yet to receive a complaint."

Okay, so, Alfred had been right when he imagined that things would be different between the two of them after the library incident. Neither of them was going to call attention to it, but they wouldn't act like it didn't happen; and it was because of their conversation that Alfred allowed himself to regard Arthur with something that almost felt like… worry.

"Are you okay?"

Arthur blinked. "Pardon?"

Alfred rolled his eyes. "You know. Are you well? Is your soul in good shape? Do you need me to spell it out for you?"

"That won't be necessary." Arthur replied, shaking his head slightly. "It was a… long weekend, but I'm fine."

Alfred could definitely attest to that, though he doubted they were both exhausted for the exact same reason. "Well, good. Awesome. Let's get to the workout stuff."

Arthur gave him a strange look before heading off toward their usual area, leaving Alfred to follow after him slowly, more tired than he'd been when he arrived.

Any friendship or acquaintanceship that developed between them after all was said and done now had some of Alfred's support, but that obviously wasn't going to be enough to make this whole thing any easier. Maybe things were just better left as they were.