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The sight of Arthur's bare wrist haunts Alfred's mind.
When he saw the Englishman last week, his left wrist bearing nothing at all, Alfred had wanted to jump off a cliff.
Arthur Kirkland, his best friend since childhood, had found his Soulmate.
There was no doubt about it.
The very second a baby enters the world, he or she is given a special watch that attaches to their wrists; a gift from mother nature herself. It is a magnificent tool that one carries, a tool that counts down to the time you meet your Soulmate. A helpful tool indeed. It is a symbolic item that states that two people are destined to be together.
And it was finally time for Arthur to find his.
Alfred cursed whatever lucky bastard Arthur was going to be with for the rest of his life.
The American had wanted himself to be the one that makes Arthur happy. The two met at a young age, and they grew up together. At that point, Alfred had wished he and Arthur were Soulmates.
But unfortunately, they aren't.
If only the world wasn't like this. If there was no such thing as Soulmate watches, then one could love and care for an individual they truly love instead of waiting for the day you meet a complete stranger and pretend as if you knew each other since birth.
Yes. Alfred wished for a universe like that.
Because that would mean he can marry Arthur and treasure him. They would love each other unconditionally and they would grow old together.
But they can't. Someone else had taken that role in Arthur's life. Someone else had stepped in that position already.
Alfred had no choice. This was how fate works. And he couldn't do anything about it.
"Hey, Al, I asked you something," Matthew Williams, Alfred's cousin, asked without looking away from the road. The two were inside Alfred's sedan, but with Matthew driving since the other wasn't in the right mind to drive. They had plans to watch Endgame together; a movie sequel they've been anticipating to watch for an entire year.
Alfred continued staring out the window, chin positioned on top of his palm. "What did you say?" He asked.
"I asked you how much time you have left in your watch."
"Don't know," he replied with monotone. "Don't care."
"Oh, don't be so immature, Alfred," Matthew chastised. "At least you still have time."
Don't bring up your own problems, Alfred thought to himself. His set of crystal blue eyes glanced over to Matthew's wrist, the one where his abnormal watch was wrapped around.
Matthew had arrived last week to visit Alfred and his family. He arrived with his own family from Canada. It's been years since the Jones and Williams met with each other. Last time, it was Alfred's family who visited Matthew's back when they were still in elementary.
However, last week was also the time where Matthew's watch had stopped; numbers frozen and they haven't counted down since. It was bizarre. No reports of Soulmate Watches freezing time has been released. This caused a frenzy in their family, and it took a toll on Matthew, who is somehow perfectly hiding his feelings about the entire fiasco.
Who wouldn't be devastated? Matthew had one day, three hours, and twenty seconds left before he could meet his soulmate. Although Matthew is secretive and was not one to show his feelings, Alfred could see the giddiness in his cousin's eyes. He was excited to meet his soulmate, but for some reason, time stopped and Matthew did not see his soulmate on the day of the presumed.
It was a devastating day for all of them. Alfred truly does feel bad for his cousin, and he shared the mourning as well. Nevertheless, it was also that week where Alfred had found about about Arthur's missing watch. It was the week where Arthur had met his Soulmate.
That was the only thing that was in his mind.
"When was the last time you checked your watch?"
"I dunno," Alfred replied. "Can we drop this please? I don't really want to talk about it."
Matthew was silent after that, but he understood.
x
What a coincidence.
Alfred saw Arthur at the mall.
"Let's go buy some snacks. I heard they don't check our bags, so we can smuggle some chips and drinks inside the cinema," Matthew informed, taking a detour towards the supermarket to shop for said chips and drinks.
Alfred was to follow along, but he kept walking forward to Arthur's direction. The shorter man was sitting down outside a small bakery, eating some pastries.
Alfred's eyes scanned Arthur's area, trying to find his friend's Soulmate. The former was surprised to see Arthur sitting alone by himself. What was wrong with Arthur's Soulmate? If it were him, he wouldn't leave Arthur alone after finding out that they were Soumates.
God, Alfred hoped that Arthur's Soulmate wasn't a douchebag… if he was, then he'll gladly step in and break it off, Soulmate or not, Arthur deserved better.
"Hey!" Alfred's face lit up as he met Arthur's eyes. "Surprised to see you here, Artie. Who you with?" He took a seat in front of the Englishman.
"Hello, Alfred. I'm actually here by myself," he replied. He gestured to the plate of scones in front of him, offering Alfred if he wanted some, but the taller male shook his head, refusing politely. "I was checking for a place to apply for a part-time job. I've decided to find a job to earn extra cash. The allowance I receive from my scholarships is only enough for my meals and other college essentials. Thought I'd start earning and saving up before the school year ends."
"Yeah, that's right. You're on your last year of university, huh," Alfred sighed. "That means you're graduating this year."
"I believe that's how college works."
"That means you're leaving me," Alfred pouted. There was an age gap between the pair, with Alfred being four years younger than Arthur. When Alfred started university, Arthur has already started his last year.
"Well, not really," Arthur chuckled. His laugh was always a soothing thing to listen to. With a snarky attitude and grumpy demeanor, it's rare to see Arthur stretch a smile on his face. "I'm planning on taking my Master's."
"R-really?!" Alfred's heart soared. "Is that why you're saving up?"
"Indeed. And I'll be applying at the same college. It'll be easier to apply that way. I won't be leaving you just yet," Arthur said with a smile.
"Dude, that's awesome!"
Alfred was happy, but there was this heavy weight in his heart. Yes, he'll still see Arthur at the university, but he'll be seeing Arthur with his Soulmate. Thinking about them being together, holding hands, exchanging kisses, and hugging before saying goodbye was shattering Alfred's heart.
He hasn't even seen Arthur's Soulmate yet. The latter never mentioned his Soulmate at all.
Maybe it was better if he didn't think about his unrequited's Soulmate. In fact, he should be happy that he's spending time with Arthur alone like this. Once Arthur and his Soulmate start deepening their relationship, Alfred doubt he'll be seeing Arthur as often as before.
Meanwhile, as Alfred pondered, emerald green eyes settled their attention at the man's neglected watch. Alfred caught the motion, and he quickly withdrew his hand back subtlety, hiding it away from the latter's gaze.
When Alfred's eyes returned to look at Arthur, he stiffened at the other man's expression.
Arthur's face was contorted to shock, horror, and a hint of… sorrow?
"What's wrong?"
"Alfred," he whispered. "You… when was the last time you checked your watch?"
"... never."
He refused to look at it. He didn't want to know the amount of time left until he meets the Soulmate he's 'destined to be with for the rest of his life'. He'll be meeting a complete stranger that he'll have to learn to love.
But can he?
How can he love someone else when the person he truly loves was sitting right in front of him?
"Alfred!" Arthur tried to call out to him. "I saw your watch. You have nineteen minutes left! You're meeting your Soulmate today."
Seeing that Alfred made no move to check it, Arthur took his arm to thrust it to his eyes.
Nineteen minutes and forty five seconds.
Wow. It had been long since he last checked his watch.
But he wasn't ecstatic at all. A normal individual should be jumping in joy knowing that they'll be meeting their Soulmate in under twenty minutes. Alfred was different; he didn't feel the same.
All he wanted in the world was Arthur Kirkland.
"Alfred," Arthur called, his voice seemingly small. "What are you doing? Shouldn't you be looking for your Soulmate by now?"
Alfred failed to hear the hesitant tone that laced with Arthur's voice.
Instead of replying, Alfred watched as Arthur scanned their surroundings, probably staring at the people with watches still attached to their wrist. Anyone could be Alfred's Soulmate; he or she could be standing at a close proximity right now!
But did Alfred care?
No.
"Quit doing that," Alfred laughed. "If my Soulmate comes to me, then let 'em come to me. I really don't care."
Arthur's eyes widened. "What are you saying?"
"Exactly what I'm trying to say."
"You don't care about meeting your Soulmate?"
I shrugged. "Beats me. I don't really know what to feel about meeting my Soulmate, who is a complete stranger that I've never seen in my entire life, who I'll have to love just because Mother Nature told me so." Alfred's mood shifted to something dark. "Speaking of Soulmates, how is yours?"
Arthur gulped and looked down. "He's… well," is what he says. "He's working right now."
Alfred smiled, but it held no meaning, no emotion. Everything was bottled up inside him; concealed and forced to be hidden.
"I'm glad you've met your Soulmate," Alfred lied while presenting his pseudo smile. "He's lucky, you know, to have someone like you as your Soulmate. You're intelligent, strong-willed, courageous; you never let anyone drag you down and let their harsh words get to you. You always set your goals and you achieve so many things through all your hard work and effort."
Alfred couldn't feel that his voice was beginning to shake.
"You have a strong voice when it comes to defending others. You're sincere towards other people, and you never run out of time to help those that are around you." The shakiness was becoming more and more obvious. "You care a lot for others, but you never give yourself enough attention. You never see what you're truly worth. You always belittle yourself and you consider other people's feelings before your own.
"You're a wonderful person, Arthur. You're beautiful, inside and out. And I…" Hot tears had begun flowing down Alfred's cheeks. "And I wished I could have been the one to make you realize that."
Arthur was speechless, unable to do anything but watch the other cry and confess in front of me.
"I wanted to be the one to make you happy," Alfred cried, his voice cracking with every word. "I… god darn it, Arthur, I love you. I love you so damn much it hurts to see you with someone else. It hurts to know that I have no chance with you at all. I love you, and that fact that I do hurts me a lot."
Alfred was sobbing now. He looked down at his pants, which were becoming soaked by the tears escaping from his eyes. His hands, which were placed on the table, curled into a tight fist that whitened his knuckles.
"It's not fair…" Alfred cried. "It's not fair."
"Oh, Alfred," Arthur sighed. "I'm so sorry."
A gentle, soft hand held Alfred's white-knuckled fist. Alfred accepted the touch, but it only urged more tears to escape.
Taking his free hand, he took off his glasses to wipe his tears. No matter how many times he dried his eyes, another wave of tears continued to fight on. He didn't want to look at Arthur and show him how pathetic he was.
"You don't need to apologize. Don't pity me. Don't waste your breath on me," Alfred said along with a laugh that carried no humor.
"No, you git, it's not that."
A sniff caught Alfred's attention. Slowly glancing his eyes upwards, he watches Arthur tighten his hold on the former's hand. A soft gasp escapes Alfred's lips when he caught sight of Arthur's eyes; they were becoming red with tears that threatened to be released.
"I'm sorry," Arthur apologized. "I'm sorry… I haven't been honest this entire time."
What?
"I… I lied. I never found my Soulmate. I never wanted to find my Soulmate. I had a day left in my watch, and it made me anxious. I didn't want to see who my watch leads me to, because I knew it wasn't going to be you."
What?
"So... I broke it," Arthur confessed, pulling up his long sleeve to show his left wrist. Upon closer inspection, Alfred saw the faint scratches that scarred Arthur's soft skin. "It was painful… but it was worth it."
"You broke your watch?!" Alfred wanted to express the blooming joy in his stomach. The fact that Arthur had no Soulmate exhilarated him. However, his confession had caused him to feel more shocked than happy. "How… how is that possible?"
"It is possible. It was a lot of pain at first, but I don't regret it," Arthur says, holding his scarred wrist. "I didn't want to see my Soulmate. And the only thing that can break the connection and to stop us from meeting is by destroying the watch. It was just a theory of mine at first since I knew no one has ever tried it before… but it worked. Fortunately."
"What…" It was Alfred's turn to be speechless. "So… wait… you..?" The blooming has started to progress, but he didn't want to get his hopes up. He needed to hear it before jumping in. "Arthur?"
"Alfred, I love you… too," he chuckled, placing his hand back on Alfred's. "There was no need to meet my 'destined' Soulmate, because I've already met my True Soulmate, and that's you."
Alfred wasted no time. He entwined both his and Arthur's hands before pulling the man closer and kissing him full in the lips. Arthur willingly kissed back with equal force.
The young man could have deepened their kiss to a more passionate one, but he's reminded of something.
He needed to do one last thing before he and Arthur can finally break away from the metal shackles of destiny's creation.
Alfred pulled away with a soft smack. "Come on, follow me." He helped Arthur gather his things before pulling the shorter male with him.
"Where are we going?"
"To the hardware store."
"Why?"
"I need to buy a hammer."
x
Alfred and Arthur, while inside a one stall restroom, watched the pieces of Alfred's cracked watch plummet to the tiled floor. The face of the watch along with it's shattered body slipped away from Alfred's arm, revealing a bruised wrist that would cause him pain for the next few days.
Three minutes and six seconds, were the last digits Alfred saw before he slammed the face of the hammer onto the glass casing of his watch.
With the watch broken and lifeless, Arthur and Alfred looked at each other before sharing a kiss.
"You… know," Arthur attempted to say in between kisses, but Alfred didn't let him. Chuckling, he pulled away and poked his tongue out. "We probably broke other people's hearts with what we've done." Arthur smiled as strong arms wrapped around his lithe waist.
Alfred pressed a sweet peck on his nose. "Not our problem now, babe."
"You are evil."
"We have each other now, and that's all that matters."
They stared at each other, smiled, and laughed.
Nothing can stop them.
They were free.
x
Where the hell did you go, Alfred, Matthew thought to himself.
He searched around the area outside the supermarket to find his cousin. For some reason, the second Matthew finished shopping for snacks was the time he realized Alfred was not with him.
Where did he run off to?
Matthew continued his search until he collided with another man. Before he could apologize to the latter, the Canadian became concerned for the other's well-being.
The man's long silver hair seemed to have fought with a typhoon while his amethyst eyes carried distress and exhaustion. Beads of sweat were forming on the stranger's forehead, eventually rolling down his temples.
"Are… are you okay?" Matthew asked. The man must have been frantically searching for something or someone. Just like him. "I think you might want to take a seat."
Helping the stranger sit down on a nearby bench, he gave him a bottle of water, which the man accepted with gratitude.
"Merci," the latter said after taking a sip.
No problem.
Matthew Williams was fluent in French.
"De rien," the Canadian replied.
The Frenchman raised a brow. "Are you actually fluent or is that the only French word you know, mon amie?" He asked, in English this time.
"Je parle très couramment, Monsieur," Matthew responded with a grin.
"Oui, I am very impressed," he replied, his English carrying a thick french accent.
Matthew nodded. "Is something wrong?" Well, judging by the man's disheveled appearance, something was wrong.
The stranger looked away and smiled. "Would you believe me if I told you my Soulmate watch had stopped counting down?"
Matthew held his breath.
The Frenchman presented his watch, keeping it at a close level for Matthew to see the timer.
Three minutes and six seconds.
And the numbers were unmoving.
For a second, Matthew didn't feel lonely anymore.
"Huh… you've got it worse than me," Matthew chuckled nervously before presenting his own watch. "You were almost there. But I had a day left to meet mine before it stopped ticking."
His companion's violet eyes widened in surprise. "You too?"
Matthew nodded.
"Me too."
After a pregnant pause, the latter spoke, "I am Francis Bonnefoy."
"Matthew Williams. I'm from Canada."
"Why does it seem as if we are rejects? And destiny decided to bring us together?" Francis suggested with a true, sincere smile. "Do you reckon destiny had made a mistake when giving us our watches? And now our Soulmates-to-be had managed to fix it themselves?"
Matthew shrugged. "Fate, destiny, whatever you call it, I don't really know what to feel about them. But I know for a fact that things happen for a reason."
"Oui."
Silence takes over until Matthew says,
"Hey, I have an extra ticket for a movie that's going to show in twenty minutes. Do you-"
"J'aimerais."
Matthew smiled.
Things looked up for all of them in the end.