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It didn’t take too long to find James. Thomas simply knew his best friend too well. He brought Alexander with him, too.
Alexander kept randomly crying, and Thomas would have to set an arm on his shoulder for a little bit. Eventually, he turned on the radio to CNN and started an argument. Alexander immediately started yelling at him.
It was a distraction, at least.
They were back at James’ house in Virginia. James was one of those people that hid in plain sight. There was someone guarding the gate. Thomas ran up to them and started a conversation, before asking to be let in.
“James gave me directions-”
“Yeah, but you know I’m his friend,” Thomas hummed. “He needs someone right now. His boyfriend’s in the car.”
The guard pushed a button and opened the gate. “Take care of him.”
Thomas nodded, tipping the guard well and heading in with Alexander.
“He has a mansion with a guarded front gate, and he decided to stay with me in my shitty apartment?” Alexander asked.
Thomas laughed. “Yep.”
Thomas was the one to knock on the door, and James opened, glaring at the both of them. “Couldn’t even give me whole day?”
“Nope!” Thomas said, swooping James up into his arms and closing the door. “Why’d you run?”
“So you two would be happy. I assumed you’d take the chance I’d given you,” James muttered.
Thomas scoffed at James. “Alexander is miserable, loser. You broke up with him so he could be with someone he just met.”
James looked over at Alexander. Alexander looked away.
“Anyway, we’re taking two of your guest rooms, and you and Alexander are going to work this out. I’ll start on lunch for you guys!”
Thomas dropped James onto a sofa and took off, leaving Alexander with him instead. James sighed, opening his arms for Alexander. Alexander walked over, sitting down on the sofa and cuddling in.
They just sat there in silence a little bit.
“So, do you like Thomas?” James asked, eventually.
“He’s interesting, yes,” Alexander replied. “He cares about you a lot, you know.”
“I know.”
“I care about you a lot,” Alexander muttered. “Even if I was going to be with Thomas, I wouldn’t want you to just leave.”
James nodded softly. “I was mad. I wasn’t thinking.”
“Mad?”
“At the world,” James murmured.
Alexander nodded, cuddling into him some more. They eventually slipped back into silence, just listening to the sound of the other’s breathing.
Thomas walked back in and picked them both up in his arms, setting them down at the table. There were three bowls of macaroni and cheese out. Thomas began wolfing down his.
Alexander ate a little slower, but he began to pick up speed. He was starving after the road trip. James started at the bowl for a few minutes before finally picking up his spoon.
Thomas was already done with his second bowl.
They ate in relative silence, Thomas waiting for James and Alexander to talk it out, and not wanting to accidentally say something insensitive like he seemed to do a lot.
Nobody said anything.
James ended up slipping away and hiding in his room.
Thomas brought Alexander upstairs. “Here, I think you’ll like this one. It’s the worst decorated, and judging by your apartment-”
Alexander rolled his eyes. “You’re the worst. Where’s your room?”
Thomas pointed to the room that he always stayed in when he was sleeping over at James’. Alexander took his stuff to the room right next to it. Thomas smiled.
“If you knock on the closet, I can hear it on the other side,” Thomas murmured. “So, knock if you need anything. Also, knock if you’re spouting some bullshit and need someone to remind you how the world works.”
Alexander scoffed, smiling. “Thank you, Thomas. You can knock too.” He gave Thomas a quick hug, nodding. They both retired to their rooms for some needed sleep after the car ride.
Alexander hadn’t slept alone in a while. All he could think about was how James was the perfect size for cuddling, and that there wasn’t enough warmth next to him. He eventually got up, walking to the other side of the room. He kicked the back of the closet. There was a pause before Thomas knocked back.
“You’re awake?” Alexander asked.
“I have trouble sleeping. You?” Thomas’ voice was muffled through the wall.
“I miss James,” Alexander said.
“Want me to head to your room?”
“I’ll come to yours,” Alexander replied.
He ended up in Thomas’ room. Thomas handed him one of the many books strewn around the room. “I think you’ll like that one,” he hummed. “I have a bunch of candy, if you want any. We can play chess later.”
Alexander smiled. “Thanks.”
“Of course,” Thomas murmured. “Need my soul enemy with me.”
Alexander chuckled, beginning to read. He felt himself drifting off, the fine print of the book starting to swim around him.
When he woke up, he was on the bed, and Thomas was right next to him, turned away from Alexander.
Alexander smiled, getting up and stretching a bit, letting out a yawn.
“Don’t go, Jemmy,” Thomas murmured, turning towards Alexander and reaching out his arms sleepily.
Alexander looked at him for a second. “Thomas?”
Thomas cracked an eye open. “Alexander.”
Alexander got back into bed, lying down and facing him this time. “You called me Jemmy.”
“Thought you were James for a second,” he murmured. “Wasn’t fully awake.”
Alexander nodded. “Did you and James…”
“A few times,” Thomas murmured. “But he realized neither one of us was aging and left me.”
Alexander sighed softly, nodding. “You love him.”
“I do,” Thomas murmured.
Alexander nodded again.
Thomas took his hand. “He’s happy with you,” he murmured. “I could never take that happiness away from him.”
“You didn’t. He did it to himself,” Alexander murmured. “He wants a soulmate.”
Thomas sighed. “He’s aging though, right? That means there has to be a soulmate somewhere in the mix.”
Alexander nodded, gently lacing his fingers through Thomas’. Thomas smiled, and they stayed there like that for a while, until Thomas got hungry and dragged Alexander down for pancakes. (They are so much better than waffles, Alexander.)
They brought pancakes up to James’ room to surprise him with breakfast in bed, bickering the entire time.
James smiled a bit. Thomas and Alexander were cute together, at least.
It took a few days for Alexander to fall in love with Thomas. Thomas had fallen in love a long time ago. He piggy backed Alexander around the house and threatened to drop him a lot.
They kept trying to get James out of his shell, not that it worked. Thomas gave up and asked Alexander out on a date.
“No,” Alexander said, almost immediately.
“What?”
“James,” Alexander said. “I love James.”
“I- he doesn’t want to be with someone who isn’t his soulmate,” Thomas said softly.
“He felt the spark with me. I have to-”
“You felt it with me. I felt it with you, Alexander. You and me, we’re supposed to be together, James wants us to-”
“I’m not giving up on James,” Alexander said, stepping away.
“But me and you, Alexander, I love you.”
Alexander stared at him, sighing. “I love you too. But I can’t just abandon James.”
“James already abandoned you. Why don’t you understand that?” Thomas asked, turning on his heel and storming off.
Did James really not love Alexander anymore?
They both slept alone that night. Alexander sighed, walking to the closet, thinking about knocking. He didn’t. He just sat down against the wall of the closet, trying to hear Thomas and failing.
Thomas was doing the same on the other side. They ended up falling asleep, leaning on each other with a wall in the way.
It was an uneasy.
Thomas woke first in the morning. He walked over to Alexander’s door, knocking on the door softly. “It’s Thomas,” he said, opening the door. He panicked a little when Alexander wasn’t in the bed, but his eyes fell on Alexander curled up against the wall. He walked over, gently setting a pillow under Alexander’s head. He lied down next to Alexander. Alexander ended up cuddling into the extra warmth.
When Alexander woke up, he didn’t make any noise. He just wrapped an arm around Thomas, tucking himself into Thomas’ chest.
“I’m sorry,” Thomas murmured.
Alexander nodded.
“James loves you. You’ll get him back,” Thomas murmured, taking Alexander’s hand and squeezing.
“I know I won’t,” Alexander murmured. “You were right.”
“No,” Thomas murmured. “Screw the soulmate system. You two love each other.”
Alexander sighed, playing with Thomas’ fingers a little bit as he thought. “He felt it when he met me. I’m his soulmate. You felt it when you met me. Maybe I’m both of your soulmates?”
Thomas hummed for a second, thinking, before he grinned. “That makes perfect sense. James used to think I was his soulmate, until he met you. I thought the same.”
“And?”
“What if all three of us are soulmates with each other?” Thomas asked. “We felt it after we met the second person.”
Alexander’s eyes widened, and he grinned. “I could kiss you right now.”
“According to fate, you’re destined to kiss me,” Thomas hummed.
“Shut up,” Alexander muttered.
“Alright,” Thomas said, laughing. He picked Alexander up. “We need to tell James.”
Alexander nodded, smiling and leaning back into him.
Thomas ran to James’ room and kicked down James’ door. “HOLY SHIT, JAMES, GUESS WHAT!”
“Not again,” James muttered, still buried under the covers. Nobody heard.
Thomas plopped down on the bed, Alexander still in his arms. “Jemmy!”
James made a series of grumbling noises.
Alexander gently wiggled out of Thomas’ arms, hugging James softly. “You’re doing it wrong, Thomas.”
James made a soft noise of agreement, cuddling back into Alexander’s arms. “Are you announcing your engagement.”
Alexander laughed, kissing James’ cheek. “Not unless you were planning to pop the question, no.”
James grumbled again.
“We figured it out!” Thomas said excitedly. “We’re all soulmates. All three of us. You just met both of us before Alexander and I met each other. Problem solved. No reason to be a melodramatic ass about it.”
James looked up at Thomas. “What?”
“You met me, thought I was your soulmate, met Alexander and your chest did the fluttery thing. Alex met you, thought you were his soulmate, but his chest did the tingly thing with me. I thought you were my soulmate, but I felt it with Alexander,” Thomas explained.
“We all felt it after we met the second person in this group,” Alexander murmured.
“Is that even possible?” James asked.
“Does that matter?” Alexander asked. “I love you. I love Thomas. Screw the soulmate thing, I want to be with both of you.”
James thought about it, before rolling over to face Alexander. “Can I kiss you?”
“Please do,” Alexander said, grinning.
Thomas got the next kiss from James.
“I suppose you want a kiss from me?” Alexander asked Thomas, smirking.
“Yes. I have a very specific way I imagined it,” Thomas said.
Alexander rolled his eyes, kissing Thomas. “Fantasies later.”
Thomas stuck his tongue out.
“Are we even allowed to do this?” James asked.
“Don’t see any problem with it. We all love each other,” Alexander said, smiling.
“Did I just hear a good idea coming out of this assholes’ mouth?” Thomas asked, grinning. “Maybe some brain cells transferred over while we kissed.”
“Shut up,” Alexander said.
“Yeah, that wasn’t one of your best insults, Tommy,” James added.
“Shut up. You guys love me.”
“We do.”