Author's Note: Here we are. Near the end, and with it comes the confrontation you've been waiting fifteen chapters for. Thank you all for stomaching through it for the sake of realism – as much of that as there is in a story about soul mate watches.

Enjoy, my lovelies! I think most of the questions you might still have after this - like the numbers on Arthur's clipboard near the beginning - will be addressed in the epilogue.

When Alfred was seven or so, his grandmother – God rest her soul – told him that if he wanted something in life, he had to work for it.

Cliché message of the day, but those were her exact words. If Alfred wanted to be great, he had to put in the work and expect no favors from anyone. He had to rely on his own skills, focus on his own goals, and if he did that, the world was his for the taking.

He hadn't paid much attention at the time. Alfred remembered that he'd been trying to leave the house to go ride bikes with Kiku when the old woman ambushed him, and he'd shifted from foot to foot, whining out a, "Grandma," every few seconds.

She'd been there for his birth and for every moment after, and she'd lived with them until she died when Alfred was twelve. They'd been exceptionally close, once, and Alfred was eternally grateful that she'd passed away before his drastic change in personality. If a stroke hadn't killed her by then, the shock certainly would have.

But back to the life lesson. Alfred had been itching to go until she said that those rules also applied to his soul mate. That was when he'd slowed down and listened, wanting to know everything when it came to soul mates.

She said that even a match made in Heaven wasn't going to be perfect at first. Upon meeting, the attraction would be there, but it was up to both parties to nurture it into something that truly felt like it was destined to be.

"Happiness like that isn't just handed to you, Alfred." All thoughts of bike riding had been abandoned at that point. Alfred was taking notes. "Even destiny isn't that easy. But I know that if you put in the work, the person you'll meet ten years from now will be your catharsis."

"What's a cath-ar-sis, Grandma?"

"Purification, Alfred. You can cry your eyes out and they'll make you feel reborn after with just their presence. They'll make you laugh harder than you ever have before, Lord help your poor soul mate. But they'll fill spaces in you that you didn't know you were missing, I promise."

"I just have to work for it?"

"Of course! If you don't, then it isn't really yours, now is it?"

She would've loved Arthur, his quick-wit and gentle nature. Grandma Taylor, who expected only the best from her youngest grandson because she believed he could do it. Alfred forgot about that particular exchange in light of everything else that happened years later, but he remembered it with blinding clarity as he drove to Arthur's house, realized he'd have to rely on his grandmother's advice if he wanted to change his and Arthur's relationship.

It took him nearly thirty minutes to get to Arthur's after tidying himself up and finding out exactly where Arthur lived. Alfred was jittery the entire way there, and it only stopped once Alfred was parked in the street in front of what was hopefully Arthur's mailbox.

Arthur's car was in the driveway, so that was reassuring; but another car was behind his, one Alfred didn't recognize. So, Arthur had company. Glorious. Alfred could confess and make a fool out of himself while doing it. He probably deserved the humiliation.

He noticed a basketball goal in the driveway as he walked up. It was most likely for Peter's use, and Alfred took a moment to hope that the car didn't belong to anyone from Arthur's family. He probably wouldn't be able to look at them without thinking about his totally attractive panic attack at the restaurant.

Before he could talk himself into going home, Alfred marched up the steps on the porch, took a deep breath, and knocked on the door.

He shifted his weight back and forth between his legs as he waited, perking up slightly when he heard the sound of approaching footsteps. Alfred's bravado nearly faltered when a woman who most definitely wasn't Arthur's mom answered the door. In fact, it was that woman from the center who almost plowed Alfred down in her haste to leave the building.

Short, though her mere presence was enough to make Alfred feel small next to her. Thick and all the more attractive for it. Chestnut hair that curled at the shoulders, large chartreuse eyes, a tan that reached every inch of visible skin, and a small scar beneath her left eye. Alfred didn't normally pay attention to details, didn't necessarily care, but there was no misunderstanding that she was competition.

The woman seemed to size him up as well, and when she finally met his gaze, a broad smile spread across her face. "You must be the soul mate!" She exclaimed, her voice slightly accented, and from somewhere within the house, Alfred heard the telltale thump of something heavy hitting the floor. "Oh, you are very handsome indeed."

Alfred was dumbstruck as the woman stepped out of the house, toting her purse and car keys. He took a step back to make room for her, but she followed his every move, reaching out to take his face in her hands and pull him down to examine him more thoroughly. She tilted his head this way and that, and Alfred let her.

"You pass." She declared suddenly, releasing him. "At least the person Arthur left me for is as beautiful as he is."

Alfred began to sputter, and the woman giggled, extending a hand to him. "I'm Catarina Silva. It's nice to meet you."

"Um." Alfred glanced briefly over Catarina's shoulder. Arthur was standing in the doorway that led into another room further into the house. He looked shell-shocked, and Alfred looked away again. He took Catarina's offered hand. "Alfred Jones."

"I love your handshake." She gushed, using her other hand to pat Alfred's before pulling away completely and beginning to move around him. "Nice and firm. Take care, you two!"

Alfred's heart was racing as she walked away. A hurricane had just blown through. "So, um." He stepped into the house since Arthur apparently wasn't going to move, shutting the front door behind him. The décor inside was simple, everything meticulously kept and clean. Alfred somehow hadn't expected anything less. "That was your girlfriend?"

"Former girlfriend." Arthur replied tersely, though Alfred had known that. Catarina had said as much, after all. Alfred just wanted Arthur to verbally confirm it. The shock was gone from Arthur's expression, and while he didn't look even remotely angry, Alfred could tell that he was. "What are you doing here?"

"Is she… Spanish?"

"Portuguese. Alfred, what are you doing here? Better yet, how did you find out where I live?"

"My dad's the Chief of Police, Arthur. He knows things, not limited to the address of his son's soul mate." Alfred took a deep breath. He hadn't really thought about what he was going to say. "I came to… apologize. The way I acted, the things I said to you, they weren't right. I just – "

"Let me guess. You got scared again."

Alfred huffed, put off by the blank expression on Arthur's face. "No. I just got mad. I thought you and my mom were going behind my back and scheming to get us together or something."

Something in Arthur's eyes changed slightly. "You really thought I would do something like that?"

"Honestly, I feel pretty stupid for even thinking it." Alfred sighed, and Arthur finally moved out of the archway, approaching Alfred cautiously. "I just didn't know why you went over there without telling me. What did you even want?"

"It hardly matters now." Arthur said dismissively, and for the first time, the thought that Arthur might not forgive him crossed Alfred's mind. He refused to panic, because he'd gotten himself into this mess, but it would be unsettling if Arthur wrote him off so easily. "If that's all you came here for, then – "

"It's not!" Alfred blurted out, perhaps a little too loudly, and Arthur quirked an eyebrow. "I mean, um – " He could do this. Arthur already knew the gist of it, anyway. All Alfred had to do was elaborate. "My mom told you that Matt used to treat me like shit, right?"

Arthur scowled, though Alfred knew his irritation wasn't directed at him this time. "Yes."

"Well, that's because he blamed me for the fact that our mom left his dad." Alfred explained, and Arthur's eyes finally flickered to meet his own. "No one had ever told me about it before. I didn't know that we were half brothers. Matt told me right after my eighth grade graduation. I changed after that. For the worse, I guess."

Arthur's features contorted, and he opened his mouth to say something, though Alfred cut him off. "I idolized my parents. I wanted a relationship like theirs with my soul mate, but then I learned that everything was a lie and I couldn't handle it. I thought my mom had cheated on her soul mate with my dad, which she did I guess, and that the whole watch thing was flawed. I didn't believe in it anymore.

"But my dad talked to me today." Alfred continued, smiling slightly to himself. Arthur stared at his mouth. "He said my mom and her first husband weren't happy together. They didn't put in the work to nourish their relationship, and even if they were soul mates, it all fell apart. That had nothing to do with me. But I found that out too late, and I hurt you. And I'm sorry for that, I really am."

Arthur looked at him quietly for a moment, and Alfred took the silence and utilized it, observed his soul mate's features in case things didn't work out in Alfred's favor. Catarina was onto something, though her observation of Alfred's own appearance was horrifically skewed. Arthur really was beautiful, though Alfred would shoot himself in the foot if anyone ever heard him say that.

His blond hair was messy – that was nothing new – but even now it just made Arthur look rugged, not unkempt. The eyebrows that Alfred had come to think of fondly were mostly covered by thick fringes of Arthur's hair, and his eyes – God, his eyes – were large and expressive, a shade of viridian that Alfred would forever associate with Arthur. So many freckles, the occasional acne scar, piercings, and lips that were begging to be kissed, licked, bitten, everything. Alfred ached just looking at them.

This man would haunt Alfred's dreams for the rest of his life, no matter if he was there in the waking world or not.

"I happen to like you as you are now." Arthur said eventually, and Alfred stilled. "You're a pain in the arse, but it's easily overlooked."

"Easily?" Alfred snorted, disbelieving. "I haven't heard that one before."

Arthur finally cracked a smile, his features softening and his eyelids lowering. "I forgive you, I suppose. It's ridiculous that I can't stay mad with you even when I'm fuming. You really should let people finish when they're trying to speak to you, though."

"I was in a state! Kiku had just left and I was in no mood to be fucked with."

"Obviously."

Alfred heaved a large sigh. "So, Catarina Silva, huh?" Arthur looked somewhat sheepish, though Alfred didn't know why. "I'm assuming she was the one behind the phone calls?"

"Either her or my mother. Neither of them appreciated the fact that I ended our relationship so abruptly."

"When did you break up with her exactly?"

"Do you want me to reply honestly?" Alfred threw Arthur an unimpressed look in reply. "Immediately after you and I met."

Alfred's mouth popped open. He hadn't been able to think about it before, too worried about apologizing correctly, but Arthur had a girlfriend. Or an ex girlfriend, rather. Somehow, Alfred hadn't pegged Arthur as the type to engage in other relationships before he met his soul mate, not after the whole "best possible suggestion" thing.

The best part? Alfred wasn't even all that jealous. The fact that Arthur had lived his life as he chose before he met Alfred was refreshing, and it made the teen love him all the more deeply.

"How long did you two date?" He asked curiously.

"Well, I'm twenty-three, so… five years."

"Five fucking years? And you left her for… Arthur! You hadn't even heard me talk! I walked out on you!"

Arthur rolled his eyes. "I wish you'd stop reminding me. I wasn't going to let you slip away from me without a fight, Alfred, and it wouldn't have been fair to Cat if I continued to date her while pursuing you, so I ended it. We're still friends, of course. After a while those phone calls at work were just her trying to annoy me. In case you didn't notice, she doesn't have many inhibitions."

"Obviously." Alfred muttered, somewhat lost in thought. As if he hadn't felt bad enough for treating Arthur as he had in the beginning. To hear that Arthur had broken up with a person he'd dated for five years just for him was just icing on the guilt cake. "Wow. I can't even… this is crazy. No one chooses me. So, you were straight before you met me? Are you bi now?"

"Does that really matter?"

"Guess not. I'm just curious." Not to mention that it was a huge ego stroke if he had made Arthur rethink his sexuality, soul mates or not.

Alfred glanced up at Arthur only to find the man staring at the ground, hands on his hips. The more Alfred watched him, the more he could see the fine tremors working their way throughout Arthur's body. "Arthur?"

"I'm sorry." Arthur said, keeping his head down. "I just – I'm trying to work up the nerve to tell you what I wanted to say when I went to your house, so could you be quiet for a few minutes?"

Alfred nodded but didn't say anything, as he was instructed. Frankly, he had absolutely no idea what Arthur was going to say to him.

"Do you remember when I told you that my parents are tired people?" Arthur finally asked, lifting his head to look at Alfred once more. The blue-eyed teen nodded again. "They've always been like that. They weren't all that loving toward us growing up. I don't think they should've had children at all.

"Anyway, whenever I would get in fights with my older brothers, they would tell me that I'd come so close to being aborted and that they wished our parents had gone through with it." Alfred's mouth ran dry. "They didn't mean it, of course. I certainly said very hurtful things in the heat of the moment, but they used that specific one so often. Naturally, I grew curious and asked my mum about it."

For the first time, Alfred noticed a cat sitting on the steps – Tori. She was white-furred with patches of light brown here and there, and her green eyes were keen as she watched Arthur. Even she could tell that her master was agitated.

"She didn't deny it." Stop. "She said she'd come very close to terminating the pregnancy and decided against it because her conscience got in the way." Just stop. "This happened right before we left for America."

Alfred was going to throw up. His stomach was burning, his tongue growing heavy, and he wanted so badly to screech at Arthur to stop talking. What was it with brothers wanting to ruin one another's lives? Was that what made Alfred and Arthur soul mates, their striking similarities as well as their obvious differences?

If Arthur's mom had… gotten rid of him – Alfred would never use the "A" word again for as long as he lived, not after this – what would have happened in Alfred's life? Even if Alfred hadn't been conceived at that point, would he have been born with a broken watch? Or would he have been reassigned, as clinical as that sounded when referring to soul mates.

He didn't want to think about it. A world without Arthur was inconceivable. If Alfred had been forced to live in that universe, without even knowing about Arthur, he was convinced he would've known that something important was missing.

But Alfred didn't say anything, and Arthur kept talking. "I came so close to not being born at all. I don't think it would've mattered to either of my parents if I hadn't been. My mum was so unapologetic about the whole thing."

"That's horrible!"

Arthur shrugged, shifting his weight onto his left leg. "When Peter was born, I was a little angry that they'd dare have another child, but I don't begrudge them anything. To be honest, I don't really care anymore. We aren't close and I hardly see them, so I don't think about it. But I have issues trusting people. Growing up, I didn't think I was good enough, not for my family, not for anybody. Not even my soul mate."

Bull. If anyone was giving but not receiving in their dysfunctional relationship, it was definitely Arthur. Alfred wanted desperately to change that, now more than ever.

"If my own parents couldn't truly care for me, how could someone else?" Arthur mused, his expression carefully controlled, but Alfred saw the sorrow in his eyes. "With parents as cold and frank as mine, I had to learn to keep my insecurities to myself. I didn't talk about it with anybody for a long time. Then I met Cat. She chose me of her own volition, and I chose her in return. I didn't have the power to choose with a soul mate, much like with my parents. I didn't want to be tossed aside again."

"And I made your fears reality." Alfred croaked, taking a step back. "I'm sorry. After what happened, I'd understand if you got back together with Catarina." He started to laugh, slightly hysterical. "It was stupid. If you've only been with women your whole life, then why – "

"What is it that you don't understand?" Arthur snapped, and Alfred flinched, suddenly confronted by an Arthur he'd yet to see, one furious and volatile and exasperated beyond all reason. "Why do you think I'm telling you all of this? Dammit, Alfred, I don't fucking care about your anatomy or biological make up!"

Alfred didn't move a single inch as Arthur stepped forward and made a grab for him, cradling Alfred's face in hands that jolted with the faintest of tremors. He suddenly couldn't breathe, though it had nothing to do with panic.

"Don't you see?" Arthur went on, voice considerably softer but still roaring in Alfred's ears. "We're bloody soul mates. I don't understand it myself, and if anyone did we probably wouldn't be having this problem, but when we made eye contact, I saw that you were home, that someone was looking back at me. And even if you walked away, you saw me, too. I'm certain of it. That's what being soul mates is. I was always too skittish to admit, even before we met, that you would be everything I wanted in life. I realized how right I was the moment I saw you."

Maybe to anybody else, Arthur was acting a little insane. He seemed so desperate for Alfred to understand – to look at him and understand – that his entire world would collapse if Alfred didn't; or couldn't.

But Alfred understood. Of course he did. He may have walked away that day, but in that split second before their watches went off, Alfred's respiratory system had shuddered to a halt. He'd barely recognized it, refused to believe it, but Arthur had finally put words to that feeling.

The first thing Alfred felt when he looked at Arthur that day was recognition. He'd known the man without even knowing his name. Like Arthur said: they made eye contact and Alfred knew that somebody was home behind those piercing green irises. He'd known, and Alfred's being had recognized Arthur's right away. He'd seen straight through to his soul without truly seeing it, as crazy as that sounded.

None of this made a damn lick of sense and yet it felt as easy as breathing.

"You scare me." Alfred said, and Arthur's expression switched from furious determination to raw panic in a matter of seconds. "You open your mouth and I fall more in love with you with every word. Usually it's the exact opposite. The power you have over me… I can't stand it."

Arthur just looked stunned now, still grasping Alfred's face and staring down at him like he'd admitted to actually being a woman or some shit. Alfred felt just as astounded, if not more so, and his face and neck were slowly beginning to burn with his mortification.

"Did – Did you just say you love me?"

Alfred snorted slightly, hesitant as he lifted his right hand to grasp at Arthur's left wrist. "If you expected some romantic ass confession, sorry, but that's not happening. I realized I loved you literally an hour ago, and I had zero time to come up with something on the fly. Not to mention that it's worse now that I know you aren't a conformist and had a girlfriend before you met me. What even is that? I should be jealous, not fucking charmed. Take it or leave it, Arthur."

"Only an idiot would rebuff that confession." Arthur murmured, the look in his eyes far away and glassy. He wouldn't meet Alfred's stare, but his hands slid down from the teenager's cheeks to rest about his neck, fitted over the skin there like a collar. Alfred closed his eyes, focused on every swipe of Arthur's thumb over his jaw. "I never thought I'd get one out of you."

"You obviously don't expect much from me." As hazy as his thinking was, Alfred couldn't begin to imagine why Arthur doubted what they had for even a moment. The many weeks Alfred spent ignoring Arthur, hating him, doubting him; they just didn't exist. The teenager honestly couldn't believe he didn't fall hard and fast at the very beginning. "Why?"

"I don't think you understand the power you have over me, either." Arthur admitted, his voice pinched. Alfred couldn't open his eyes, didn't want to see Arthur cry. "You're a kid. You're brash and pig-headed and incredibly difficult to get along with. I never know what you're thinking, sometimes you act like you hate me, and I'm bloody terrified of what a future with you entails."

None of that sounded too promising, but Alfred wasn't worried, not anymore. He had no reason to be. He'd never felt so warm or so certain in his life.

"I broke up with a wonderful woman who I'd dated for nearly five years with little to no hesitation. That's not me, Alfred! I'd never even heard you speak before and yet you were the end behind all means."

"Why'd you do it, then?" Alfred inquired, finally opening his eyes to look up at Arthur. "If you knew I'd be everything you wanted, why did you start dating her? Aside from the fact that you could choose her, that is."

"The mere idea of your existence was too good to be true." Arthur replied. He wasn't crying as Alfred had expected, but he looked achingly desperate, stripped clean of any and all defenses he'd perfected over the years. "I didn't trust it. I lived my life expecting to be let down by you. So, I made… other arrangements."

"I know I walked away, but… no matter what, I would've come back eventually." Alfred said. "Why wouldn't I? You're perfect."

Arthur cracked a small smile. "You'd be the first to think so."

"Good. I want to have all of your firsts, though I know that isn't possible at this point in your life." Arthur choked out a laugh, and Alfred smiled, pressing himself against Arthur's front. "Yeah, I'm seventeen. I'm immature and abrasive and I've been told I'm the King of sass. But I care about you so much, and I'll be with you as long as you'll let me. Probably even longer. Sorry, but you can't get rid of me."

They were a motley pair. Alfred never thought his soul mate would be good enough for him and Arthur never thought he would be good enough for his soul mate. How he hadn't noticed it before would plague Alfred for the rest of his life, but at least now he had Arthur.

Arthur Kirkland, his ridiculous life partner who ended a steady relationship all because he'd seen something worth pursuing in a teenage boy's acidic, azure stare.

"I think I'll keep you around for a while yet." Arthur said with a deep chuckle. Alfred recognized something in his eyes, an intense look he'd seen on many of his bed partners over the years. For the first time, Alfred was actually comforted by that look, not just set ablaze. "It's a marvel to have the person I care about so deeply say they love me in return. It might take a while to get used to."

"You said you loved Catarina, and she's known you way longer than I have. She obviously loves you back. What makes me so different?"

Arthur hesitated, probably wondering if he was being baited into a trap. "Cat and I have been friends since we were children. I can't tell you that I don't love her still, but… you're you, Alfred. I love you more than anything. Most of all."

Alfred burst out laughing.

Arthur released him and took a step back, startled by the teenager's sudden outburst. Alfred, to his credit, felt badly for laughing in the face of Arthur's confession, but he just couldn't stop. It bounced off the walls, reverberated in their ears, and Tori stood and trotted up the stairs, though escape was impossible.

"I'm sorry, but this is just fan-fucking-tastic." Alfred wheezed, tears building at the corners of his eyes as he clutched at his stomach, trying to ignore the stitch he could feel in it. "You're my catharsis, you big, British idiot."

"Jesus Christ." Arthur said, watching Alfred with eyes blown wide. "Don't scare me like that! I thought I was being Catfished or something."

"Wrong show, but nice try." Alfred said, still trying to recover. "Oh, God, do you think we would've been this perfect for each other if Matt hadn't fucked me up as a kid? Would I have understood what you needed from me?"

"Are you… okay?"

"I'm bloody brilliant!" Alfred exclaimed, though the deep scowl on Arthur's face only threw him into another fit of giggles. "Ah, man. This is nice. I'm not certain about a lot of stuff, but you, sir, I know exactly what to do with you."

Arthur shook his head, exasperated. "And what would that be?"

"Easy. All I have to do is keep you close. You need me just as much as I need you, I can see that now. So… be my boyfriend. Or lover, whatever term makes you happy. Wait, hold on, you never answered my question. Does this mean you're bi? Or are you straight with an affinity for my soul?"

Arthur stared at Alfred, seemed to take everything in. Alfred knew what was coming and kept up his easy smile, silently encouraging the man standing before him, letting him know that it was okay, that he didn't have to hide anymore. It would have to happen if the two of them wanted to move on from their terrible pasts together.

And even though he still had a lot of growing up to do, Alfred wanted that. More than anything. Most of all.

Eventually, Arthur uttered a desperate, "Goddammit," and began to cry.