Chapter Text
Well, okay, what else was he supposed to do?
His soulmate just fell from his fingers, literally. Any sane person would watch them fall through teary eyes, screaming their name and yelling bloody murder even after they’ve hit the ground. Evbo is not any sane person.
Please, he’s already lost one person close to him, he’s not about to lose another. Plus, he’s been threatening to do this for weeks now - it’s about time to follow through with it.
He moves to his feet, wipes the tears from his eyes, breathes, and jumps.
(Was there a different way? Probably, possibly, who knows! Maybe Seawatt would've had a different idea- safer, more likely to succeed. He'd only know him for a few hours, but Evbo can almost see how good the other is at making plans. But in that moment, watching his soulmate let go of their own violation, there was no other way. No other choice. None at all.)
So there he was, falling to his death, his soulmate way, way too far away from him. Well, at least if they both die, they go out together? Seawatt could just… always jump into the Void after. Or maybe he’s one of those rare few that can live without their soulmate, but Evbo highly doubts that.
From their few conversations, he seems the type to need people. Don’t get him wrong, Evbo is too, but Seawatt is just-
As strong as Seawatt may act, he couldn’t handle being alone any longer.
Evbo knows that as well as he knows that he just keeps barely missing his soulmate. He’s so close to them, just missing by a hair, wishing that they would just open their eyes and realize he’s right there, they just have to reach out and-
He grabs them.
By some absolute miracle, he grabs them.
Pulls them as close to himself as possible as they hurl to the ground. He can just barely hear a purr in his ears despite the air whipping around them and the static in his head. Can’t stop the smile on his face as he hugs them tighter, closing his eyes.
He doesn’t want to see them hit the ground.
Evbo rather not have to see just how many seconds he has left in his life.
He holds his breath. Their tail curls around his legs, their claws digging into his back to keep them close despite gravity trying to tear them apart.
He thinks he says something, but it’s lost to the wind, lost to their purrs, lost to the knowledge that he’s about to die-
Fuck.
At least he’ll be with his soulmate.
(It feels like a longer fall than it is. How long have they been here in their free-fall? Seconds? Minutes? Hours? Is the ground even near them, or is it still hundreds of blocks away? Are they even still falling? How do either of them know that these won’t be their final thought, that they will never open their eyes again after this one moment?
Are they already dead?)
“Both of you are the dumbest people ever.”
His clothes feel wet, muscles stiff and refusing to move. He blinks open his eyes, expecting the harsh sun to beat down on his face, but all he sees is the scowling face of his soulmate. He sits up slowly, pushing his soulmate - both of them - off him, hearing Seawatt’s groan and their chuckle.
“We're not that bad,” he mumbles when the words finally process in his mind, a stupid smile forming on his face. “Could’ve been worse.”
“You jumped off a building.”
Evbo stands with the help of Seawatt, pointing at their other soulmate still laying on the floor. “They started it!”
“Did not.” They say, a smile flickering across their face, “You let go.”
Evbo sputters, waving his arms around in the air before dropping them in defeat. “You're impossible.”
“That's more your speed, Evbo.”
“Yeahh you're right, I am pretty great!”
“Not great enough to decide against jumping off a building.”
“Seawatt I will jump into the Void right now-”
“Okay okay I'll drop it! …For now.”
Evbo groans, his frown turning to a smile at the sound of his soulmates’ laughs. He helps their other soulmate up, completely unprepared for when two sets of arms wrap around him.
Unprepared, but that doesn’t stop him from hugging them back, burying his face in their chests - and he hates that they’re both taller than him - but he finds he doesn’t care at this moment. Because he finally has them in his arms, something he’s been craving for so damn long. But he has them now.
He has them, and he never wants to let go of them again.
(Stars, how did he go so long without this? 5 years and… how many weeks has it been since he's started this journey? He doesn't know, and frankly, he doesn't care.)
“Where have you guys been all my life?”
“Waiting for you, duh.”
“Careful there Seawatt, he might throw us all into the Void.”
Evbo laughs and nods, but makes no move to actually do so. “I will. Mark my words I will.”
“I’m marking them.”
“And throwing the mark into the Void instead.”
“I hate you guys.”
“Nah, you love us,” Seawatt chuckles, patting Evbo on the back before breaking away from the hug.
“I wish I didn’t.”
“If you didn’t, then you wouldn’t have jumped after me.”
“...I hate that you’re right.”
The three laugh, something warm bubbling in Evbo’s chest at it. They just… they fit. They all fit so well together. Everyone has always been “they’re the puzzle pieces missing in your heart” and yeah, he believed them. He knew it to be true when he found Seawatt, and he knew it to be true when he saw his other one, but he…
It was hard to realize that he actually had it until right now. Standing together, smiling, existing in each other’s space. He glances at the strings, golden instead of red, the sign he’s met them. He has them. They’re not pointing up, or down, or pulled taut to the point it hurts.
They’re slack. Droopy. Knotted three times to ensure it won’t fall off, to show him that he has them.
He has them.
Stars, he has them.
“Evbo?”
“Huh?”
“You zoned out there for a moment,” a hand joins with his. “You alright?”
“Oh! Yeah! Perfectly fine! Just… thinking on us.”
“Aww, he’s only had us for a day and he’s getting sappy on us.”
“Shut it Seawatt! I can still push you!”
“If you getting like this, I highly doubt it!”
Evbo goes quiet, pouting. A smile breaks that, though, when they pull him back into another hug. One he only breaks when he remembers how wet his clothes still are, when the adrenaline in his body finally, finally fizzles out, leaving him slumping into their arms exhausted.
“Hey, how do you feel about going home?” Seawatt asks softly. Evbo blinks at him, finally seeing the eyebags under his eyes, the weary look in them, a few new wrinkles that surely weren’t there before.
“I think,” his soulmate pauses, curling his hand into Seawatt’s. “It’d be a great idea.”
“I agree.”
Evbo’s never had a home before.
(But he’s finally found it.)