After 2 weeks, this is finally finished! I know I had an epilogue planned, but I believed the story was better left off where it is, so please forgive me for that. Otherwise, everything else appears to be in order! All I'm saying for this chapter is Alfred F. Jones, world's best wing-man.

Enjoy!

"I'll be in LA for the weekend."

The words appeared suddenly on Gilbert's arm one night as the two were watching TV, black ink scribbled neatly over his skin. Alfred glanced down from the television in surprise. Soon he realized that Gilbert may question his change of focus. Quickly, he returned his gaze towards the screen. Thankfully, the German remained oblivious, completely enraptured by the program on the TV.

After an hour or so, Alfred spared another glance towards his friends arm. Surprisingly, the ink had disappeared. For a moment Alfred was confused, but he soon determined that Matthew must have washed if off from his end. With a smile he returned his gaze to the television.

As he prepared himself for bed that night, Alfred began to think of all the possibilities they had to meet up with Matthew. He realized that there weren't many, seeing as he and Gilbert would usually waste their weekends away without a care in the world. That was going to change tomorrow. Tomorrow, they'd finally meet Matthew, Alfred was sure of it.

Saturday morning couldn't come fast enough. He was up early, something that he rarely ever was. Breakfast was a quick bowl of cereal and his normal routine was rushed. Soon he was in the car, relentlessly honking at Gilbert to give the German some motivation to get out of the house.

After what seemed like an eternity, Gilbert finally made his way into the car, grumbling something incoherent, his annoyance obviously plastered onto his face. Alfred remained oblivious, giddy with excitement. Before the German had a chance to close the door, Alfred was already pulling out of the driveway, a flurry of screeching tires and burning rubber as he sped away from the apartment.

For a few blocks they drove in silence, Alfred with a wide smile on his face, and Gilbert's features molded into a frown.

"Could you please explain to me exactly why I had to wake up at the unnatural time of seven o'clock in the goddamn morning?" Gilbert asked, glancing warily at the American beside him.

"I could explain it to you, but I'm not going to." Alfred replied, a playful twinkle in his eyes. Gilbert didn't respond, instead turned his head to the other side, muttering something about current living arrangements and the ease of murder in said arrangements.

The rest of the day consisted of Alfred dragging the unenthusiastic German around town, hoping that one of the many people they would meet could be the one he was looking for. Alfred was mostly met with uncertainty and crushed hopes, but none of that began influencing him. He would drag Gilbert to every single corner of the city if he needed to, anything to find Matthew.

However, as the day grew longer, Alfred grew sure that this had been a terrible idea. Strangely enough, Gilbert finally seemed enthusiastic about the whole thing, returning back to his usual cheery self. Just as Alfred was prepared to throw in the towel, Gilbert suggested they go somewhere to eat. Alfred willingly agreed, allowing Gilbert to drag him to the nearest café just as Alfred had been dragging him around town all morning.

The café was warm, many people milling about inside, the sound of chatter and laughter filling the air. The aroma of bitter coffee was almost completely overtaken by that of sweet chocolate and caramel, creating a medley of scents that made Alfred's mouth water. With instructions from Gilbert, Alfred headed further into the building in search of a table.

After a few minutes, Alfred was finally able to spot one near the back of the restaurant. He made his way towards it, suddenly halting as he drew near. Upon closer inspection, the table was in fact occupied, a kind looking man about Alfred's age curled up in one of the chairs with a book in hand. Seeing as there were no other options and the man looked pleasant enough, Alfred gently tapped him on the shoulder.

"Hey! Is it okay if my friend and I sit here with you?" He asked.

The young man's head shot out of the book, his eyes wide with surprise. They were an odd shade of blue, almost appearing violet, though perhaps that was because of the glasses perched upon his nose. Alfred gazed at him for a moment, taking in every feature, from the nervous smile on his lips to the stubborn curl that seemed to fly away from the rest of his hair. After a moment of hesitation, the stranger replied.

"Of course."

Alfred smiled, taking a seat across from the stranger. His eyes flickered towards the man for a moment before he turned his gaze away. Soon however, he began to grow impatient, his toe was tapping against the floor in agitation. What could be taking Gilbert so long?

In an attempt to relieve himself of boredom, Alfred turned to the man sitting across from him. Like it had been before Alfred interrupted, the man's nose was buried in the book once more, his golden blonde hair falling limply beside his face. Alfred considered conversing, but quickly opted out of the idea. The man looked so peaceful, and Alfred was content to watch.

Suddenly, a crash resonated from elsewhere in the shop. Alfred's head shot upwards. Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed that the man's eyes were trained up as well, a look of shock and confusion on his face. Alfred couldn't help but let a smile slip onto his lips.

Another crash soon followed, and Alfred was forced to draw his gaze away. A loud shout rang out from somewhere in the shop, and a familiar voice reached the American's ears. A flash of white hair only confirms his suspicion.

"For what's it's worth, I didn't expect the glass to shatter! Blame the glass for being weak, not me!"

All at once, Gilbert tumbled into his view, a clearly angry shop keeper following shortly behind. Alfred looked at his friend in concern, but soon froze. The shop keeper was almost a foot shorter than Gilbert, and yet the German was looking at his with an expression of pure terror. It took all of Alfred's will power not to burst out laughing.

After a few angry words, Gilbert all but nodding obediently at each statement, the shopkeeper left, still grumbling to himself. Alfred watched, amusement shinning in his eyes as the shorter man storms off. As soon as he rounds the corner, Gilbert collapsed into his seat, sending a glare in Alfred's direction.

"Don't even dare." He hissed.

His voice was rough, filled with authority, so much so that Alfred was slightly shocked. He threw his hands up in mock surrender, a cocky smile on his face, something glinting in his eyes.

"I wouldn't think of it, Mr. I'm terrified of people half my size."

Alfred exclaimed, forcing as much fear as he could into the statement. Gilbert resorted to glaring at the American, a small scowl on his face. After a moment, a smile began to overtake the angry expression, a quiet laugh escaping soon afterwards.

A small rustling sound brings Alfred out of his thoughts, his head twirling to face the source. The man from earlier was staring back at them, a shy smile on his face, his cheeks dusted with red. Though he was obviously uncomfortable, the man managed a small wave, a kind gesture towards the pair.

"You two seemed to be having fun, so I thought I'd just move to another table." The man spoke, though perhaps whispered is a more fitting term. Though quiet, his voice was soft and kind, like a steaming cup of hot cocoa on a cold winter's night, full of innocence and purity. At the sound, Alfred couldn't help but smile.

"Have you been here the whole time?"

Gilbert's confused voice shattered the serene atmosphere. After a moment of thought, Alfred let out an inaudible sound of surprise. Of course! Gilbert hadn't been here before, so obviously this came as quite a confusion

"Yeah, but don't worry. Most people don't notice me, so I'm used to it." The man spoke again a small smile on his face. However, the way his posture dropped and his eyes fell told a different story. Alfred was felt with the strange urge, to comfort the man in front of him, and he quickly spoke up.

"Hey, don't go! You seem like a pretty interesting dude!" He exclaimed.

Downcast violet eyes soon grew bright, expressing a whole new array of emotions that Alfred had never known existed. The small smile that appeared on his face lit up the room, radiating downwards with happiness at such a small gesture. Alfred felt a smile form on his lips as he outstretched his hand towards the man.

"I'm Alfred."

When the man suddenly froze, Alfred payed no mind. He didn't notice those violet eyes become just a little bit wider, and just how shaky that hand was as he shook it. Nor did he pay attention to that hopeful smile that formed on the man's face. However, when the man spoke, Alfred's reaction was almost identical.

"I'm Matthew."

Realization cascaded upon Alfred in a wave, leaving him completely and utterly speechless. After countless weeks of talking with him back and forth, Matthew was finally here. Unintentionally, his gaze drifted towards where Gilbert was sitting, the German completely oblivious to anything out of the ordinary happening between the two of them.

Quickly however, Alfred's hand was replaced with Gilberts, the German shaking with much enthusiasm. Matthew's eyes were wide, as if not wanting to believe that any of this was real. The way his hand shook as Gilbert held it, the way that smile had fallen off his face in an expression of shock.

Matthew knew that the man shaking his hand was his soulmate. Gilbert didn't, and the moment Matthew finally sat down, his gaze was trained on Alfred.

"Do you perhaps have a pen on you?" Matthew asked, any trace of his earlier shy attitude long forgotten. Alfred could only smile, producing the writing implement from the pocket of his bomber jacket.

Quickly, Matthew removed the cap of the pen, bringing its slender body towards his wrist. Gilbert had caught sight of the gesture, his eyebrows raising and a questionable look on his face. Jitters of excitement flew like sparks through Alfred's body. He could not breathe, a look on anticipation engraved onto his features.

A whole world of emotion shone in the depths on Matthew's eyes. His hands were shaking, the tip of the pen frozen like dagger ready to strike. He inhaled, his eyes closing for the briefest of moments. All at once, they flashed open, violet pools shinning with determination.

He drew the pen onto his skin, sliding it across the flesh in a pattern that would soon be mirrored onto that of the man sitting across from him. Nervous energy was pulsing through Alfred's veins as he gazed impatiently at the wrist of his friend. The, he heard the German gasp in surprise.

Scribbled neatly on his wrist, was a small black heart.

Time seemed to slow, and Alfred could only watch as the German's eyes lit up, gazing at Matthew with an emotion Alfred had never seen before. Before either of them could react, Gilbert was out of his seat, wrapping his arms around Matthew and squeezing tight.

Gilbert had never been an emotional one, but now he stood, tears falling from his eyes and a smile made of pure joy upon his lips. Matthew's arms hung limply around the German, a surprised smile on his face and eyes glistening with happiness behind fogged glasses.

"I've finally found you." Matthew whispered, a single tear falling from his eyes.

Alfred had been sitting quietly the whole time, watching with an unreadable expression as the two people he cared about more than anything in the world embraced, emotions flowing between the two like a river. For them, it was the single most important and happiest moment of their lives.

At that moment, Alfred's heart shattered.

Gilbert would be gone soon. He'd move in with Matthew, leaving Alfred alone in the apparent that they had shared. And how could Alfred blame him? Who would want to live with anyone but their soulmate once they had been found?

But for Alfred, that wasn't the worst part.

No, the worst part was Matthew. He'd known him for only few months, finally meeting him just a few moments ago. With his constantly cheerful attitude, Matthew had filled that gaping hole in his heart, if only just a little. Now, he was ripped away, tearing a little bit of Alfred along with him.

That was when Alfred knew. Matthew was never just a friend. No, he was much, much more. He loved Matthew, and that was perhaps the stupidest mistake he had ever made because that love would never be returned.

Matthew was always Gilbert's soulmate, never his.

As the two embraced, smiles upon their faces as their new chapter began, Alfred saw the end of his. Gilbert would soon be gone, taking Matthew away with him, and Alfred would be left alone. He tried to be happy for them, truly he did, but soon they would both leave him behind.

If only things were different.

If only that little heart had appeared on his arm instead of Gilbert's.

If only Matthew was his soulmate.

If only…

And that concludes our little story here! Thank you to everyone who has been following along, and thank you to those who've just clicked the story today! You all make me so happy to see that someone out there enjoys my work. So thanks!

As always, please do review. Constructive criticism, compliments, whatever you want. Reviews really do help and motivate me.

Right now it's pretty pointless to follow the story seeing as it's completed, but there's nothing stopping you from dropping down a like if you want!

With all that said, thank you so much for reading, and have a great rest of your day.

Bye!