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It happened when Billy knocked Cole off the latter at the play rehearsal.
It wasn’t his intention, really. He just wanted to mess him with him a little, thinking if he hit the latter with a wooden plank then it would just slightly mess up the paint, something that could’ve been fixed easily, but enough to where it would still annoy Cole. But that, that’s not what happened.
No, instead Billy ended up locking the latter over, sending Cole plummeting to the ground along with it.
At first, Billy only heard a bone crack, feeling a pang of guilt along with it. That wasn’t his intention, and that wasn’t supposed to happen. Then, much to his shock and confusion, he felt it.
He felt the bone in his own wrist snap in half, and an overwhelming amount of pain along with it.
That wasn’t the worst part. The worst part was when he realized what that meant.
Everyone always talks about, how when you experience pain, so does your soulmate. It happened with Anne and Gilbert, when she smashed her slate over his head, she felt it too, and that’s when they knew that they were soulmates. It was the same when one of the boys pulled Jane’s hair, and Josie felt it, meaning Jane was her soulmate, and you best believe she got up and smacked that boy across the face.
Billy always thought that his, if he even had one, was somewhere far away. He never in a million years would’ve thought that his soulmate would be Cole Mackenzie, the school weirdo and the one he despises the most, hence his several attempts at making his life miserable.
But, here he is. His soulmate just so happens to be the person he’s been bullying for months. And for what? Cole didn’t do anything to him.
And yet, Billy still terrorized him. His own soulmate. And now, he went too far and broke his wrist. Unintentionally, but he still did so.
Billy watches in horror as Cole clutches his wrist, Gilbert muttering something about how it’s definitely broken.
This, this was not supposed to happen. Billy just wanted to mess with Cole a little bit, not break his wrist. But, he did, he went too far, and now, there’s consequences.
His mind fogs up, confused about how the hell Cole is his soulmate. Billy hates him, doesn’t he? He can’t hate his own soulmate. That’s not how it works.
Maybe this is an exception. Maybe sometimes, soulmates just aren’t meant to be. That has to be the case. Because there’s no way Billy and Cole are made to be together. It’s just not possible.
It hits Billy then, that he’s a terrible, awful person. Who the hell hurts their own soulmate? That’s one of the most horrible things one can do, and he’s treated Cole horrendously since the school year started back up.
A normal person would apologize and try to make things right, but Billy isn’t normal, he’s a damn mess. He’s a mess and after all he’s done, specifically what he just did, it’s too late to fix things.
So, when Prissy looks up and sees Billy’s wrist in an unusual position, she gets a look in her eyes that lets Billy know that she knows. But before she can lecture him or let anyone else know, he runs out, ignoring the pain in his wrist and the built up shame and regret he has.
His own wrist hurts (it’s broken, of course it does), but he doesn’t care about that. What he’s worried about is Cole, as much as he won’t admit it. He can’t worry about Cole, he’s supposed to hate him. People like Billy aren’t soulmates with people like Cole.
But what kind of person is he, really? Up until this moment, Billy thought he was the best there was, the person who he was supposed to be. It’s only now that he figured it out, he’s no better than anyone else, and he isn’t half the person that Cole is. Maybe that’s why he messed with him so much, instead of the reason he always used, that Cole was a weirdo, a disgrace to society. But perhaps Billy is the one that’s a disgrace. He’s the one who hurts people, his own soulmate at that.
Maybe he was just jealous, of how Cole was able to be himself, how he didn’t hide anything, while Billy wasn’t, and he kept all of his emotions to himself. Which, makes things worse.
When someone discovers their soulmate, they usually admit it and confess right away. But in this case? Billy can’t tell anyone, let alone Cole. He just can’t. He’s too ashamed of what he’s done. After what he just did, Cole would never forgive him. If the tables were turned, Billy wouldn’t forgive him either.
So, he has to keep it to himself. He was to pretend like they’re not soulmates, like he doesn’t care about Cole at all. He won’t mess with him anymore, he will stay away, keeping this all to himself.
That’s what he always does.
~
Billy leaves Cole alone after that. Of course, his friends are shocked, wondering what the hell changed his mind, since he usually enjoys messing with Cole. Not anymore. Not after he found out they’re soulmates. But, his friends don’t need to know that.
He’s sure that Cole has no idea either. Cole can’t tell that he felt the pain of his wrist being broken as well. Billy hid the fact that his wrist was also broken, the only person who caught on was Prissy, who urged him to tell Cole the truth. Billy refused, because there’s no way he can face Cole. He’s too much of a coward to apologize. It’s too late, regardless.
Besides, he can’t possibly accept that Cole’s his soulmate, he could never fall in love with him, could he? Billy has never even so much as thought of him in that way, or so he thinks. It doesn’t matter either way. There’s nothing he could do about it, he’s done enough damage already.
Billy’s friends still try to mess with Cole, although Billy stays away. One of them pushed Cole over for no reason (honestly, it would’ve been Billy if he wasn’t terrified to approach Cole, or rather, if he didn’t discover that they’re soulmates), while he was putting wood into the furnace. And for a reason that Billy couldn’t understand, he got mad about it, snapping at his friend, telling him to back off (much to Cole’s confusion).
He tries not to think about why he got so annoyed with his friend for bothering Cole. He tries to tell himself that he doesn’t care about Cole, because why should he? Just because they’re soulmates doesn’t mean they have to be together, right?
Oh, who is he kidding? Billy’s supposed to have such feelings for Cole, apparently. And maybe he does. Maybe he does feel attracted to Cole, although he’d prefer not to be. He can’t have him, not after all he’s done. So why love someone if it’s going to be unrequited, even if said person is meant to be the one, your soulmate.
Anything Billy feels for Cole now will not be returned, that’s for sure and certain. Why would Cole want to be with someone who’s been nothing but horrible to him? He wouldn’t want to, he would never want to.
Billy does feel a large amount of guilt for what he did. Even if Cole wasn’t his soulmate, acting the way he did still wasn’t, isn’t, right. Cole being his soulmate only makes it worse. Billy feels terrible and is sorry for every single thing that he’s done to Cole. But, he can’t apologize, he can’t. He can’t face Cole after this. He can’t tell him that they’re soulmates.
He just has to ignore this, pretend like it never happened. Cole never has to know. Billy can just leave him alone from now on, for good. It’s for the best.
~
As much as Billy doesn’t want to admit it, he finds it hard not to look at Cole. He never noticed this before, but Cole is simply beautiful. And he hates that he thinks that.
If only Billy had been nice to him from the beginning, then they wouldn’t be like this. They could’ve found out that they’re soulmates another way. Maybe it as soon, but it could’ve happen, they could be different.
But no, things can never be like that. Every day, Billy regrets being the way he is more and more. He’s angry, with himself exclusively. He got himself into this mess, and there’s no way to get them out. And there’s no one to blame but himself.
So, he just stares at Cole from behind everyday, even though he doesn’t want to. He can’t help it. This attraction he has to him feels natural, and it’s undeniable, since the universe made them to be together. Well, the universe is wrong.
Cole turns around one time, catches Billy staring at him and raises his eyebrows, curious as to why. Billy quickly looks away, out of embarrassment more than anything. He’s sure Cole has a million questions about why he stopped bullying him, and luckily, he’s not asking, because Billy can’t give him an answer. Billy can’t give him anything. And that’s the problem.
The problem is, he’s been treating his soulmate like trash for the entire time they’ve known each other. And only terrible people do that, only terrible people hurt their soulmates. And while Billy didn’t know until he went too far, it’s still an awful thing to do. He’s a bad person, he’s a mess, while he won’t say it out loud, it’s true.
There’s no way he can fix things, he’s not capable of it. And as hard as it is, he has to stay away from Cole. He’ll do the right thing, for once in his life.
~
Through the weeks that have passed, Billy’s kept his emotions bottled up. He always has, but now, it’s worse.
He used to take his anger out on other people, making them feel as low as he is. Particularly, Cole. The person he’s supposed to be with. But, he can’t. He can’t be with Cole after all he’s done. If he wants to fix things, he has to do what’s right and stay away, no matter how worse it makes him feel. He tells himself that this is what’s best.
Cole does seem happier now that Billy has decided to leave him alone. Mr Phillips quitting (after Prissy left him at the alter, understandably) might’ve had something to do with it as well. Without him around and without Billy tormenting him every chance he gets, Cole seems to enjoy life more. So, Billy figures he’s doing the right thing by staying away.
That doesn’t stop Billy from being angry, solely at himself. And he can’t express it in any other way than what he does best, destroying things. So, when he and his friends are hunting in the woods and they come across an old shed, he’s found his new target.
~
Billy didn’t feel any better after destroying the shed. He was still just as mad as he was before. He was still just as guilty as he was before. He still has just as many regrets. His life is full of them, and somehow he knows that there’s no going back. There’s no chance at him getting forgiveness for all the things he’s done, and he has no idea how to apologize, and he’s too much of a wuss to ask for help.
It’s the right thing to do, leaving Cole alone, he tells himself. And that’s the only thing getting him to keep this up.
Just as Billy’s about to go to his seat, the door to the school slams open and he turns around, seeing Cole run in. Normally, Billy would instantly turn away as to avoid him, but this time, Cole’s running straight towards him.
And the next thing he knows, Cole’s tackling him to the floor.
Billy has no idea why Cole is just now trying to fight him, but he instinctively fights back. Although, honestly, he deserves this, and he’s had this coming for a long time.
At first it seems to be a slight tussle, for unknown reasons, but a tussle nevertheless.
Then, it escalates. Billy notices they’re getting a bit too close to the furnace, but, before he can say anything, Cole pushes him in that direction and then, his ear is pressing against the extreme heat.
Billy immediately screams, hand going to his ear, although that won’t help much. Pressure doesn’t do much for burns. And wow, does that burn, and does that hurt like hell.
He’s only halfway sure that Cole didn’t mean to do THAT. Billy only catches a glimpse of him for a second as Prissy lifts his head onto her lap, but it’s enough to see that Cole looks distraught, if anything.
And then it hits him, Cole’s going to feel that too.
(If Billy could hear anything over his own screaming, he’d be able to hear the gasps of shock from everyone else in the room, and a scream that’s a mix between confusion, anger, and pain coming from Cole.)
Billy blacks out after that.
~
Cole quickly stands up once Billy’s ear hits the furnace and his screams fill the room, panicking. He didn’t mean to do that. Honestly, he didn’t know what his intention was. He showed up at the clubhouse and found it destroyed, with Billy’s scarf laying on one of the wood planks, making it obvious that he was responsible for its destruction.
And that, that was the last straw. Billy Andrews had been nothing but a pain in the neck ever since the day Cole met him. He bullied him time and time again and even went as far as to break his wrist. Then, he leaves him alone for a few months, only to come back and do this.
Cole was angry with him, for everything. At that moment, he hated Billy Andrews, and wanted to make him pay. Cole never fought back to him before but now, oh, this was the last straw. He was done with Billy, he swore it.
Which, was why he was so shocked when he felt his own ear burning.
And that, that could only mean one thing. Billy is his soulmate.
It doesn’t make since, though, does it? Billy hates him, and Cole thinks Billy is insufferable. So, how can a pair such as them be soulmates? It is just not possible.
Except, maybe it is. Cole always believed that the soulmate bond was sacred, and that no matter what, soulmates would always find their way back to each other, despite what happens.
But, he doesn’t understand. If Billy is his soulmate, why did they fight so much? Hell, Cole just caused him to get his ear burnt, hence how he found out that Billy, his worst enemy, was his soulmate. And to think, Billy had just broken his wrist around Christmas time.
Hold on.
He knew. Billy’s known that they were soulmates, for months, and he didn’t say a word.
It’s all too much, finding out that Billy Andrews of all people is his soulmate, and finding out he knew and didn’t say a word. Cole had no idea until now, when he found out the hard way.
He doesn’t understand. Why didn’t Billy tell him about this? Is he that ashamed that his soulmate just so happens to be a weirdo like him, or what? Does it really matter, when it comes to love?
Cole runs out of the school then, remorseful for his actions, but also conflicted since this, this makes him mad, and he rarely gets mad. Well, anyone would be mad over something like this.
He wants, no, he needs answers.
~
Billy wakes up on the couch in his living room, the maid hovering over him. His hand goes to his ear, feeling the bandage there, winching because it still hurts. That’s not the worst part, though.
No, Cole knows now, he knows they’re soulmates, which is what Billy’s been working so hard to hide during the past several months. This makes it all for nothing. He tried to do what’s right for once, but he failed, like he always does.
“Cole.” Jane’s voice breaks Billy out of his thoughts. “What?” He asks, sitting up, confused. “Cole’s here.” She confirms, opening the curtains. Billy stands up and walks over the window, peering out to see Cole heading to their front door.
Billy’s automatic response is to run, to hide and to pretend like he’s not here. He knows what happens now. Cole is sure to have too many questions, some of which Billy may not have the answer to. Even after this, Billy’s scared to face him, maybe even more than he was before.
“You need to talk to him, Billy.” Prissy pushes him towards the door, letting him know it’s not a suggestion.
Deep down, Billy knows she’s right, he should’ve talked to Cole about this a long time ago. He should’ve apologized right after he broke his wrist. Billy isn’t used to saying how he feels but, he has to try. Cole deserves an explanation.
“Alright...” He reluctantly agrees, moving towards the door. He opens it right before Cole reaches the front step, causing the other boy to halt, surprised that Billy even bothered to come to the door, probably.
The two boys stare at each other for a moment, locking eyes. Billy likes to think he’s unreadable, that no one can tell what he’s really thinking. But, Cole is different. Cole is the one in which is soul is intertwined with, whether he likes it or not.
He doesn’t like it, though. He doesn’t like that Cole can see right through him. He didn’t ask for this. (But Cole didn’t ask for this either.)
“What do you want?” Billy questions, trying to sound annoyed, but failing. Instead, he sounds weak, like he’s intimidated by Cole’s very presence. Which is most definitely not true. (It is.)
“I came to apologize. I-...” Cole pauses, cutting himself off. While he is sorry for what happened just earlier that day, Billy has a lot to be sorry for as well. “Why didn’t you tell me?” He asks, frustrated. Billy looks taken aback at the question, not expecting Cole to jump to the point so quickly.
Billy knows why he didn’t tell Cole. He realized just how horrible of a person he was, and thought he’d be making things right by leaving Cole alone, instead of apologizing and telling him that they’re soulmates. He just couldn’t do it.
“I-...I couldn’t...” Billy trails off, lowering his gaze. Facing Cole was just as hard as he thought it would be, maybe even worse.
Cole fights the urge to role his eyes. That’s not a good explanation. He needs to know why, and he’s tired of Billy being an idiot.
“You’re so stupid.” Cole says without thinking, and Billy looks up, raising his eyebrows. Well, he’s not wrong. “Sorry. I didn’t mean that.” Cole is quick to add, but then he realizes, he did mean that, very much, in fact. “No, I did mean that. You’re stupid for not telling me that we’re soulmates.” Billy looks back down, knowing that Cole is completely right. He should’ve told him. Maybe it wasn’t too late then, but it is now.
Cole considers walking away moments later, with Billy giving him no response. He wonders why the universe wanted to pair him up with this boy, out of all people. Billy is ignorant, selfish, everything that Cole hates in a person. Billy nearly made his life miserable, in fact.
And yet, he doesn’t walk away, he stays. Because what if there’s something more to Billy than what he shows to everyone else? Perhaps it’s worth a try to find out. Of course, Cole isn’t going to do all the work, Billy has to work for this as well. If he truly wants to be with his own soulmate, which most people do, he would.
“If you had just talked to me, Billy, we could’ve-...I don’t know, we could’ve worked it out.” Cole sighs in frustration, picturing how different things could be right now if only he did.
“How?” Billy questions, dryly laughing. Cole blinks at him, curious as to why he finds this so amusing. “No, seriously. Would you have forgiven me if I apologized?” Cole thinks back to how mad he was after Billy broke his wrist. Truthfully, he wouldn’t have forgiven him right away, understandably. But maybe later, he would’ve. (Maybe he still could.)
“Maybe.” Cole answers, and Billy scoffs. “I guess you’ll never know, since you never did.” He says, bitterly. Billy shuts his mouth then, because that’s also true, he never apologized. He’s wanted to for months, but he never did, because he’s a coward. And what does Cole think of him now? Most likely, just that.
And he should. Billy isn’t entitled to any sympathy or forgiveness from Cole, not after everything he’s done. Cole could leave right now, and Billy would understand why. In Billy’s opinion, Cole should leave. But Billy also has a feeling that if he lets him, he’s going to regret it. One can’t break a soulmate bond, no matter how much they try.
“I’m sorry, Cole.” Billy forces himself to say. And he is, he is sorry. He can’t even put that into words. It’s hard enough to say simply just that. “I’m so sorry.” He repeats, taking a step forward. He expects Cole to take a step back, but he doesn’t, if anything, he just tenses, but allows Billy to come closer. “And I know that’s not good enough, but I am.” Billy hesitantly grabs Cole’s hands, nearly letting go again when he feels an almost electric shock, sending shivers done his spine and making his skin tingle.
Cole feels it too, that feeling you get when you touch your soulmate for the first time. Fighting doesn’t count, apparently. He never thought he’d be touching Billy in a romantic way, but here he is, the person he hates the most is his soulmate. Except maybe, he doesn’t hate him anymore.
“I have so many questions.” Cole mutters, interlocking his fingers with Billy’s. The action makes the spark intensify, and for a moment, Billy’s tempted to lean forward and press his lips to Cole’s, but he doesn’t, because that would be a bad idea. They just began talking in a civil manner, and they’ve got quite a ways to go before being able to act like a normal pair of soulmates. And answering anything Cole wants to ask him would be a good start.
“I’ll-...I’ll answer them. Would you like to come in?” Billy offers, turning around to the door. He could’ve sworn he saw Prissy and Jane duck down, most likely listening in on his private conversation, but he chooses to deal with that later. For now, he has to talk thing out, as hard as that is.
Cole nods, letting go of Billy’s hands (and marveling at how empty his own hands feel after), and following him inside. He doesn’t know where this is going, but they’ve got to start somewhere.
~
Billy leads Cole to the living room, dismissing the maid and making sure his sisters aren’t lurking anywhere before sitting down. Cole sits across from him, folding his arms, waiting for an explanation.
“Why didn’t you tell me, Billy? Are you that disappointed that I’m your soulmate? I’m aware that you think of me as a freak, but-“ Cole’s cut off by Billy, who seems to be shocked that he’d even say that. But really, can he blame him? If Billy recalls correctly, he’s the one that called Cole a freak a countless amount of times. And really, that’s not what he thinks. That’s just him taking his own anger and repressed feelings out on Cole, which isn’t fair. Hopefully, he can still fix things, staring by telling Cole he didn’t mean that and that he promises to never hurt him again.
“That’s not why at all. You’re not a freak. I’m the one that’s-...” Billy shakes his head, unsure of where he was going with that. “I didn’t tell you because I thought it was too late to fix things. I had just broken your wrist- which was an accident, by the way- and I thought you’d never forgive me.” Billy explains, attempting to hide the pure regret and sadness in his voice, but failing.
Cole doesn’t say anything for a moment, paying attention to Billy and seeing that he is, indeed, very sorry. And oddly enough, Cole believes that he truly is. And maybe, just maybe, he can forgive him.
“I would’ve. If you had just told me.” Cole says, honestly. If not then, then he would’ve later. He still can. “Why did you destroy the clubhouse?” Is Cole’s next question, because there was no good reason for that.
Between Cole finding out that they’re soulmates and him being here now, Billy had completely forgotten about just how Cole found out, and the reasons why. He gets it now. That’s why Cole fought him, because the clubhouse belonged to him. And Billy can honestly say that if he knew that, he wouldn’t have done it.
“Shit!” Billy exclaims, glancing around to make sure his sisters didn’t hear him use such language. “I’m sorry. I didn’t know it was yours.” It had only made things worse, him doing that. Unintentionally, of course, which seems to cause most the worst situations. Billy really needs to start thinking before he does something, that would solve about ninety-nine percent of his problems. “If I had, I wouldn’t of-...I was just, so angry with myself and-...I’m sorry. Again.” Billy says, feeling stupid. Cole slowly nods, although really, that doesn’t change too much. “I can help you rebuild it.” Billy suggests. Anything to make things right with Cole, he’ll gladly do without a second thought.
Cole being here now makes Billy realize how much he wants this, them, to be together, like soulmates are supposed to be. He did a lot of damage but if he can fix it, maybe things will work out.
“That would be nice.” That would be one step to making up for all he’s done. “Why didn’t you just try to talk to me? You’re my soulmate. I would’ve forgiven you.” That’s what soulmates are supposed to do, aren’t they? Forgive each other. And while they may be far from a usual pair, they can still get there, with time.
“In case you haven’t noticed, I’m pretty dumb.” Billy replies, and Cole doesn’t know whether to laugh or to agree. “I thought I was doing the right thing by staying away. I thought you’d be better if I left you alone.” Billy tells him, hoping that makes enough sense. “I couldn’t face you after what I did. I’m a coward. I was caught up in my own regret and I didn’t think of how you’d feel.” Billy doesn’t think he’s ever been that honest, that vulnerable in front of anyone before. Let alone someone he thought he hated. It’s almost funny how these things work.
“I’m sorry.” Billy continues, meeting Cole’s eyes, showing him every emotion he’s kept to himself for the past few months. Maybe even longer than that. “I’m sure it’s much too late for that now.” Billy adds, and Cole wants to protest, because he doesn’t believe that it is. But, Billy doesn’t stop talking. “But I’m still sorry. I promise I won’t hurt you ever again.” And that, that’s what he’s been wanting to say ever since this conversation started. Since he found out him and Cole were soulmates, really.
And he may be doing it slightly late, but Cole is a good person and well, it doesn’t take him very long to make a decision about this.
“I forgive you.” Cole says almost instantly, softly smiling at Billy.
“You do?” Billy questions, shocked that Cole forgives him so easily. He’s always known that there was something about Cole that made him so likable to everyone else and it’s only recently that he realized himself, that Cole is just a really sweet boy. But this? Billy can’t even forgive himself for what he’s done, so how can Cole?
“Of course I do. You are my soulmate, after all.” Cole makes it sound so simple. Of course, he knows that it isn’t, but it doesn’t have to be so terribly complicated either. He can forgive Billy and they can accept that they’re soulmates, or they can not, and end up regretting it.
“I don’t deserve another chance, Cole. You shouldn’t forgive me so easily.” Billy’s not complaining or anything, but still, he feels as if Cole shouldn’t forgive him this quickly. He doesn’t deserve someone like Cole as it is.
Cole, on the other hand, only partially agrees with that. He doesn’t have to forgive Billy, he knows that, but he wants to. It’s not like he trusts him fully at the moment or wants to marry him right now or anything, he just wants a new start. Which, begins with Billy fixing things.
“You can earn it. You can fix things, you know.” Billy doesn’t know if that’s possible, since time travel hasn’t been invented yet. Cole practically reads his mind, rolling his eyes, wishing Billy wasn’t so hard-headed. “Look, if we’re going to be, well, soulmates, you have to work for this.” Cole says, trying to convince Billy that it can work. “That is, if you truly want to.” He finishes, leaning back, raising an eyebrow.
And yes, Billy is aware that this will be a lot of work. But he can do it. Something tells him that this is worth it. Cole is worth it.
“I do. I do want to.” Billy almost hates how emotional that sounds, but when he sees the smile that forms on Cole’s face, that confirms that yes, this is definitely worth it.
~
While Billy insisted on beginning to rebuild the clubhouse right away, Cole told him no, since he still had a bandage wrapped around his head. Cole didn’t have one, and didn’t complain about the pain in his ear nearly as much as Billy did (Cole says he whines too much, which is not true, he can still feel the furnace against his ear, okay).
Billy didn’t want to wait too long to repair the clubhouse (and all of the other damage he’s done along with it), so it wasn’t long before he was dragging himself through the snow, ready to fix it. Cole came with him, of course. Billy thought it would be just the two of them (perfect) until they found Anne, Ruby, and Diana in the woods as well.
See, Billy had apologized a countless number of times over the span of a twenty-four hours. He knows it doesn’t take anything away or automatically fix things, but he stills means it. And Cole told him about a hundred times that he forgives him, only finally shutting him up by shoving a pillow into his face.
And Cole may already forgive him, but everyone else? Not yet, not at all.
Anne looked seconds away from punching Billy (as she should), but Cole wouldn’t let her, saying he didn’t want to feel that as well, reminding her that any pain either of them experiences, the other feels as well. Which was unfortunate, because Anne really wanted to punch Billy.
It didn’t take them long to rebuild the clubhouse with Billy there, it was extremely easy for him. Ruby and Diana had gotten used to him being there by then, accepting that him and Cole had fixed things and Billy was trying (and for once, succeeding) to become a better person. Anne, on the other hand, threatened him the entire time, but by the end she’d decided that she could tolerate Billy, for Cole’s sake.
The next thing they knew, the weekend was over, and it was time to go back to school. Cole didn’t expect Billy to be waiting for him in the clearing on the way to school, but Billy told him that if they’re going to be sort of together now, he was going to walk him to school and home. Cole didn’t have a problem with that, and allowed it, the two of them walking to school, making conversation.
It was weird, how easily they managed to get along, their conversations becoming a playful banter instead of what it was before. It made Billy wish (even more) that he’d gotten his act together in the beginning and befriend Cole then. If he did that, he probably would’ve tested to see if they’re soulmates by like, purposely getting in the face with a hockey puck, or something. (Cole wasn’t too fond of that idea, although, admittingly it would be better than their actual way of finding out).
Billy ended up making them slightly late for school, starting a small snowball fight halfway on their way to school. In his defense, Cole didn’t stop him. Eventually, though, he made Billy get his act together, and they resumed walking to school.
More like, they had to run, which wasn’t such a good idea since there was still snow on the ground and well, it can be slippery. Now, Billy may be dumb, but he’s seen Jane pretend to trip so Josie would hold her hand on the way to school, or the other way around with Josie being the one to trip, and he knew it was only an excuse for touching. But, Cole genuinely almost tripped while running, and well, Billy doesn’t see a reason why they can’t hold hands as well.
“Allow me.” Billy says, trying to be romantic, holding out his hand for Cole to take. Cole does take it, smiling to himself once he feels that electricity again.
They walk to the school like that, comfortable silence, hands locked together. And it’s nice, really nice. So nice that even when they arrive at the school, Billy doesn’t let go, and neither does Cole.
Every head in the room turns their way, as expected. The boys are giving them weird looks and the girls are whispering about them, like, look, there’s the pair of soulmates that got into a fight last week, now they’re walking to school together and holding hands, like nothing ever happened.
However, it did happen, and they acknowledge that. Billy’s actions are what initiated the fight, his bottled up anger and repressed feelings and stupidity causing this entire situation. But, he’s willing to try and fix this. And he will, he swears he will.
“I can’t believe they’re soulmates.” One of the girls says not-so-quietly, shooting them a weird look. And while it is a shameful thing for soulmates to fight as they did, it’s not her business. It’s nobodies business, but theirs.
“Ignore them.” Cole tells Billy, squeezing his hand and moving towards their desk. Billy’s ‘friend’ quickly sits up and goes to sit elsewhere, giving Billy a dirty look, presumably because he happens to be soulmates with a ‘freak’.
He can think what he wants. Billy wants to make this work with Cole, and he will. He ignores his former friend, gesturing for Cole to sit next to him instead.
Cole complies, and Billy slides in next to him. A couple of the boys turn around, watching them like they’ve grown two heads. Billy, sick of the looks they’re getting, scoots even closer to Cole, to where there’s no space between them, smirking at Cole. Cole grins back, brushing Billy’s arm with his own.
They don’t look away, so Billy takes it a step farther, leaning over to kiss Cole’s cheek. Cole slightly blushes, smiling in Billy’s direction at the action. Billy winks at him, turning back to face the boys, a smug smirk on his face. They turn around at that, leaving Cole and Billy to do whatever.
Before Billy can face Cole again and say anything, Cole does the same thing he did before, quickly placing a kiss on Billy’s cheek before facing the board. He didn’t have to do that, since no one is looking anymore, he did that just because he can. And that, that makes Billy feel, oddly enough, happy.
~
Cole sits on the floor at the edge of his bed, switching between doing homework and drawing. Which, would be a lot easier if Billy would stop moving around so much. The boy has no common sense, none at all.
Weeks had passed at this point, and it didn’t take Cole long to figure Billy out. Billy may have acted like a tough guy, but he’s really just as weird as he bothered Cole for being. He’s also a pain in the neck, Cole considers that one of Billy’s personality traits.
Billy annoys him, makes him want to facepalm every fox seconds, but at the same time, Cole also wants to kiss him, but hasn’t tried. Billy can surprisingly be nice when he wants to be. Not too nice, of course, since this is still Billy Andrews he’s talking about. But, he’s alright enough, and Cole likes that side of him. Very much, in fact. Cole likes Billy a lot.
As for Billy, well, he’s very smitten with Cole, as much as he won’t admit it out loud. He’s grown to love everything about him. His eyes, his smile, his face, his laugh, his entire personality, his everything. Billy would say that he’s lucky he has a soulmate such as Cole, and really enjoys being around him.
And now, he’s spending his time bugging Cole (in a good way), switching between leaning against him or playing with his hair, or anything similar to that. Cole has no personal space anymore. And to tell the truth, he doesn’t mind it so much. He likes it, really, he’s more than okay with it.
Billy slides himself under Cole’s slate, laying his head on Cole’s lap. He grins up at him, smugly, causing the other boy to playfully roll his eyes.
“Why are you like this?” Cole asks, hand automatically going to Billy’s hair, running his fingers through it. His other hand continues attempting to do his homework, ultimately failing, since Billy is a distraction. An attractive distraction, at that.
“I don’t know.” Billy chuckles, reaching his hand up to stroke Cole’s cheek. Cole leans into the touch, halfway smiling down at the other boy. “You have to deal with it. You’re stuck with me, Cole.” Billy informs him, smirking. He’s not going anywhere, not unless Cole wants him to. (He doesn’t.)
“I guess I am.” Cole leans down to kiss Billy’s forehead, letting him know that he’s stuck with him too. And Billy is one-hundred percent fine with that.
~
To celebrate the start of summer, the Andrews hosted a dinner. Usually the Barry’s hosted a party or there was just a picnic at the lake, but Billy’s father wanted to be extra this year. It was small and simple, just a few other families from town and of course, the soulmates of his children.
While Josie had always been around the house, spending time with Jane and acting like she lived there, Billy’s parents had yet to meet Cole. Billy was nervous of what they’d think, since Cole came from a lower status family and his father preferred his children’s life partners to be rich. Not like it matters. No one chooses who there soulmate is.
And even if Billy could, he’d still choose Cole.
Luckily, Billy’s parents took a liking to him. His mother more than his father, as expected, but in the end, they were both alright with him, as was Cole’s parents when it came to Billy. Despite the rough (an understatement) start that the pair had, they were together now, and they were happy.
Cole and Billy decided to sneak off towards the end of the dinner, heading towards the backyard. There wasn’t much back there, just a gazebo that hadn’t been used in ages. Still, it was something, it was somewhere they could be alone.
The two stood in silence, staring off into the night, Billy leaning his head against Cole’s shoulder, Cole putting his arms around Billy since he was the taller of the two of them (much to Billy’s annoyance). It stayed like that for a while, enjoying each other’s company.
Cole had one arm resting against the edge of the gazebo, and Billy couldn’t help but trial his eyes down to Cole’s wrist, the same one he broke months back. It’s completely healed by now (Billy somehow managed to hide his own for the weeks after without anyone noticing, besides Prissy), but Billy still wishes they’d found out another way, he feels guilty about it. Cole didn’t deserve that. Cole didn’t deserve any of what Billy put him through.
“I am really sorry, you know.” Billy says out of nowhere, reaching down to caress his hand over Cole’s wrist. By now, Cole thought they were done with the whole apologizing thing. He forgives Billy and had moved past everything. All he wanted was a happy life, with his soulmate by his side.
“Stop apologizing.” Cole responds, not even glancing at Billy, fed up with the word ‘sorry’. Billy sighs, wondering what he did to deserve to be with someone as wonderful as Cole. He can only hope that he somehow manages to give Cole the world, everything he deserves and more.
“But seriously, I am-“ Billy’s cut off by Cole spinning around to face him, a look on his face that makes Billy shut his mouth. Cole had lectured Billy a countless number of times since they’d gotten together (seriously, how does he put up with him?), and Billy thinks it’s kind of funny, even instigating the situation a couple of times.
“Billy, if you don’t stop talking right now-“ Cole warns, only partially serious. But, stops talking when Billy takes a step closer to him, only inches away from his face.
“Make me.” Billy smirks, looking up at Cole. Cole opens his mouth to make a smart comeback, but freezes, flickering his eyes down to Billy’s lips. Billy stands there, like he’s waiting for Cole to make the first move.
Cole considers it, glancing back to Billy’s eyes, then to his lips again. He leans down, filling the space between them, so close to knowing what it feels like to kiss Billy. Billy shuts his eyes, waiting for Cole’s lips to press against his own.
Suddenly, the back door swings open and Jane and the other girls come running out, making Billy and Cole instantly jump apart.
Billy curses out of frustration from the moment being ruined, planning out his next move, because now, he really wants to kiss Cole. And he has a feeling that Cole wants to kiss him just as much.
~
Billy doesn’t waste another day after that. He shows up at Cole’s house the next day, asking him to go on a walk with him. Cole accepts his offer, linking their arms the second he’s out of the door, happy to see his love, even though it’s been but a day.
They walk through the woods, eventually getting to the schoolhouse. School is out for the summer, but Billy felt the need to take Cole here, since this is where they first met. They had a bad start then, but they’re somewhere completely different now. They’re together, they’re happy.
Billy stops them in front of the pond, unlinking his arm from Cole’s and standing across from him, grabbing his hands instead. Cole smiles down at him nervously, knowing what’s coming, both excited and anxious of how this will go.
“Can I kiss you?” Billy works up the courage to ask. He never thought he’d be this nervous about kissing but, when it’s with someone he cares about this much, it’s different. And while you’re only meant to kiss your soulmate, it’s still just so meaningful.
Cole nods, getting closer to Billy. Billy lets go of one of Cole’s hands, softly caressing his cheek instead, flicking his eyes down to Cole’s lips, smiling to himself. He leans forward then, pressing their lips together.
And it’s not everything they expected, it’s so much more.
It’s like every single thing they’ve done has led up to this moment, and it’s magic, and it’s beyond an amazing. Neither can begin to describe it.
Billy keeps the kiss going for as long as possible, wanting to memorize this, so he can keep this with him for as long as he lives. If he has anything to say about it, though, he’ll be kissing Cole plenty more times, until the day he dies.
Because this, this is the best thing he’s ever felt.
Cole feels the same way. The events of the past several months were all unexpected, and this is his favorite part of it all. He’d do this forever if he could.
They eventually have to pull away for air, but they’re both smiling when they do, breathless. Billy keeps his hands on Cole’s waist and Cole
keeps his on his back, since it’s the only thing keeping them grounded.
When they get their breathing back to normal, though, Billy can’t help but ask of something else, something very similar.
“Can I kiss you again?” Billy questions, lightly laughing. Cole answers the question without speaking, pressing his lips down on Billy’s again, arms going around his neck.
And to think, this all started badly. With a little (more than that) trust and a lot of fixing things, it turned into something beautiful. And as for how it ends? Well, they don’t know yet, but they have a feeling this could only have a happy ending.