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From the time he was young, Themis knew that his soulmate was, at the very least, exceptionally clumsy. His skin was often coated in scratches and bruises not his own, from the top of his head to the bottoms of his feet. Not many of them stayed to scar, but that was of little comfort when Themis knew every mark meant his soulmate was hurt.
Themis did his best to not mar his soulmate's skin in return. He knew they probably wouldn't mind, but he thought they had enough marks of their own to deal with.
He and his parents began to grow concerned the day the marks of two chains appeared around his wrists, red and angry. This was not the mark of an uncoordinated child, no. This was something far, far worse.
Thankfully, they only appeared once, and faded within the day. Themis hoped that he would never see them again.
However, Themis would definitely like to learn what his soulmate did for a living, and why he ran into so many apparently dangerous beasts along the way.
His arms, chest, and the rest of his body became the site of even more marks as he and his soulmate grew older. Some of them looked like the claws of beasts had torn through his chest. Others looked like teeth clamped around his arms. All of them brought a pang of fear when he thought about what his soulmate must be going through.
Sometimes, Themis would find himself tracing the scars his soulmate had left, wondering what sort of life they lived that left them with so many wounds. He wished he could be there to help them. If he spent extra time studying his healing magicks in anticipation of the day he and his soulmate finally met, well... that was his business.
And oh, his business it would become.
When Azem decided that the apparent incident at Pandæmonium should be investigated, and the mask of Elidibus cast aside in the hopes of keeping the Convocation away, the last thing Themis expected was to find a new injury spanning the length of his left forearm as he sat in his borrowed room in the warder's quarters.
The same injury he had tended to on Erichthonios’s arm just a bell before.
He traced the outline gently, remembering the claws of the beast that tore Erichthonios's flesh apart. The warder had responded quickly, using his and Themis's combined power to return the creature to its gaol, but that did nothing to seal the wound it had inflicted.
No, that was Themis, sitting him down on the floor and pulling up the man’s sleeve before he could think to resist. Raising his hand and channeling his aether to stitch the skin back together, the same way he had learned all that time ago in an effort to help his soulmate. But Erichtonios had stopped him before he could finish the job, pointing out his pale, sweat-soaked skin and the way he was shaking ever so slightly. Themis had agreed to finish healing him later in the evening, when they had both gotten a chance to rest from the encounter.
But instead of changing out of his lightly singed robe, he was sitting on his bed, staring dumbfoundedly at his arm.
How many other wounds of Erichthonios's had he closed before this point? How many times had the magick he spent so long learning for his soulmate's sake prevented him from realizing that he was in front of him the entire time?
A knock on the door startled him out of his thoughts.
Before he could call out to wait a moment, the handle turned, and Erichthonios was stepping inside.
"Erichthonios," Themis greeted quickly, gathering his robes in his arms, holding the bundled fabric against his chest and arm. It wasn't that he wanted to hide the mark from Erichthonios, not truly, he just... thought there were better ways to break the news than being walked in on robeless, staring down at it like a starry-eyed fool.
"Ah, Themis, sorry, I didn't realize," Erichthonios stammered, casting his eyes to the floor when he saw Themis's bare chest.
"It's alright," he said, hoping he didn't sound as breathless as he felt.
"I thought you'd gotten distracted by something," he rushed out, "or that you were worse off than I thought."
Erichthonios was worried about him. A warmth blossomed in Themis's chest, and he managed a reassuring smile.
"I was simply... lost in thought," he explained, hoping Erichthonios wouldn't pry. Not yet. Erichthonios let out an almost relieved sigh, though his gaze stayed at the floor.
"I can get us some food, if you'd like?" Erichthonios offered.
"Please," Themis replied, thankful that he would have some time to get his thoughts together. "I'll meet you in the dining hall as soon as I get changed."
"Don't be late again, or I'll just have to drag you there myself," he teased. Themis laughed, sending him off with a wave. He wouldn't dally this time.
Too much, at least.
He was thankful he had created a few spare robes just in case, as he was certain anything he tried to make at the moment would be tainted by his thoughts of Erichthonios. What would he even say to him? Would simply showing him the mark be better, or should he prepare some sort of speech?
He had daydreamed about this moment for years, but now that it was upon him, it suddenly seemed like the most daunting task he had ever had set before him.
Finally, as he walked down the hall towards where he knew Erichthonios was waiting, a plan sprung to mind. He took a deep breath as he crossed the threshold, an easy smile coming to his face as he saw Erichthonios already seated, their dinner spread across the table in front of him.
"I hope I didn't keep you waiting too long," Themis greeted, sliding into the seat across from him. Erichthonios shook his head, piling food onto his plate.
"Not at all," he reassured, though he still wasn't looking Themis in the eyes. "Earlier... I was just worried. Thought you might have collapsed or something," he shrugged. "I've done it before, after pushing myself too far. The other warders have too."
"You look out for each other here, don't you?" he asked, picking at his own food. He knew he should eat, that he was still shakier than he should be, but his full attention was on Erichthonios.
"We do," Erichthonios confirmed. "Hesperos looked after us all, of course, but we are always there for each other when he couldn't be." Erichthonios smiled as he shuffled some food around on his plate, finally looking at Themis fully. "You remind me of them, sometimes. The way you look out for me. Without them, I'd have even more scars than I do now."
"Speaking of scars," he said, keeping his tone light. "What do you think of soulmates?"
Perhaps not the smoothest transition. It would have to do.
"Soulmates?" Erichthonios asked, looking at Themis quizzically. "It would be nice to meet mine, I suppose, but I doubt I ever will."
Of course. It wasn't that uncommon for people to go their whole lives without meeting their soulmate, no matter how hard and how far they searched. It must be even harder for a warder of Pandæmonium to imagine meeting their soulmate outside of its walls.
"What about you?" Erichthonios asked, tilting his head just slightly. "Have you met your soulmate?"
"I..." Themis took a breath, willing his heart to slow down. "I know who my soulmate is, but as far as I know they are not aware."
"What?" Erichthonios exclaimed, his fork clattering to the plate. "Why haven't you told them? If I knew who my soulmate was, I-"
Themis yanked the sleeve of his robe up and laid his arm against the table.
Erichthonios stared down at the mark standing stark against his skin, his hand drifting to the matching one under his own robe.
"I found out half a bell ago," Themis said quietly.
"You..." Erichthonios drew his own sleeve up, eyes flicking back and forth between their arms as if confirming what he already knew.
"You are my soulmate, Erichthonios."
Erichthonios stood from his seat, nearly tripping over the hem of his robe as he made his way to Themis. Before he could question what Erichthonios was doing, the man was grabbing the white collar of his robe and pressing their lips together. Themis reciprocated without hesitation, looping his arms around Erichthonios's neck and pulling him even closer. The angle was all wrong, and Themis was sure he just heard his fork fall to the floor, but Themis wouldn't have traded it for the world.
"I've wanted to do that for weeks," Erichthonios admitted as they parted, a heat rising to his cheeks.
"So have I," Themis replied breathlessly, looking up at Erichthonios with nothing but adoration.
"I suppose you won't mind if I do that again, then?"
This time, Themis was the one to drag Erichthonios down into a kiss.