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Hundreds of years ago, the universe was extremely unstable. Many wars were fought between different planets for money, power, resources… and soulmates. These were individuals whom shared one soul, destined to be together in order to become whole (or else face a void that would leave them unhappy until they died), and when the creator had split these souls, they did not discriminate between race. This meant that a human was equally likely to be soulmates with a shapeshifter as an elf, for example, and it spelled disaster. Every planet had their own customs, societies built upon their personal beliefs and values, and not all were accepting of outsiders.
Souls that were particularly bloodthirsty or came from warrior nations ravaged the universe in pursuit of their other half. If that wasn’t bad enough, it became a real issue when soulmates were between nobility of different planets - if they weren’t already at odds with each other, they soon would be.
Something had to be done or the universe would implode under the tensions. So, a select group of people from the largest, most prosperous, most influential planets decided to form the Soulmate Matchmaking Agency, an organization whose only purpose was to foster soulmate connections and smooth relationships between those souls belonging to different species, thus protecting the universe from killing itself.
Now, years later, virtually every planet had an established SMA in charge of soulmate affairs, both on-planet and off-planet, though they mostly focused on the latter. After all, interplanetary relations were delicate matters.
Souls don’t discriminate.
And some souls were so dangerous they were a threat to the universe just on their own. Debates have risen over allowing those particular souls to ever become whole. If they were that high-risk broken and split in half, what would it look like for both pieces to be reunited?
There’s no question that a truly powerful being would then exist… But who could stop them?
Who wanted to?
.... .. ...- . / -- .. -. -..
The day had been relatively uneventful. It was boring, but it was peaceful - just the way Eddie liked it. He was a man of routine. Every day, he woke up early to open his shop precisely at 8 AM, worked until lunch - at which point he would always go to the nice cafe just down the street - then go back to work until he closed the shop at 5 PM.
Most days, the shop was quiet. The tailor stayed in the back most of the time, sewing his latest project, and that was by design. Eddie chose to keep his shop appointment-only so he always knew what to expect and exactly when to leave the back to attend to a customer.
It looked like today would follow routine like usual, but then something interesting happened - something that would change his life forever.
It was lunch time, so the tall man was sat at his usual spot in his favorite cafe. Seeing as he spent most of his time inside, he greatly preferred the outdoor seating, which just so happened to offer a good view of the street.
Ordinarily, this view consisted of tourist passersby, some birds here and there, a stray cat or two, and the gentle swaying of shrubs as the wind streamed through.
Today, however…
There was a man. He was beautiful, and just by looking at him, Eddie had been struck by a creative muse. His head immediately began filling with ideas for dresses that this man could wear. The gorgeous man, however, was apparently also stupid.
What was that new saying? No thoughts, head empty? Eddie didn’t necessarily understand the new trends, but he felt that it accurately described this man.
He had a carefully blank expression on his face as he stood in the middle of the street. And less than a mile away - Eddie estimated - was a car barreling straight toward him! The noise didn’t seem to bother him, but Eddie couldn’t let such beauty become roadkill. So, in a completely uncharacteristic move (because this would interrupt his routine for sure), he quickly stood and ran for the blonde man, who finally reacted and let out a yelp of surprise as Eddie swept him off his feet in a bridal carry, clearing the crosswalk in record time.
Eddie panted as he held the other man in his arms. Then, remembering himself, he blushed and put him down. The blonde’s eyes peered at him curiously through the silent exchange.
“Are you alright?” He froze just as the words left his mouth, blue eyes meeting green. His heart was doing a funny thing in his chest. Ever since he was born, he lived with this emptiness; he had grown used to feeling like only half a person.
Now, he felt… whole. What a novelty.
Eddie was snapped back to reality when his soulmate (he still couldn’t believe it!) spoke. “I’m okay. Thank you for saving me.” Even his voice was perfect - soft and sweet. Or maybe that was just his bias talking.
“Of course,” the tailor replied, searching the other’s eyes for any hint of the same grand realization that he just had… but there was nothing. Gratefulness, sure, but nothing to indicate that he had met his other half in Eddie. The shorter man just smiled, and then even pulled away after a moment, as if their interaction wasn’t this big, life-changing experience. And maybe that was the truth. Maybe Eddie wasn’t this beauty’s soulmate, even though he was Eddie’s - he’s heard of it happening before, even sent those poor souls his prayers, but he never thought it would ever happen to him.
Eddie despaired. “You don’t feel weird? Nothing at all?” He pried.
The man’s face scrunched up in confusion as he tilted his head. Cute! “No? I feel totally fine.”
“I see.” His shoulders slumped. The blonde frowned at the action.
“…I’m sorry?”
Eddie recollected himself. While he was disappointed, there was no need to transfer his dejected mood to this beautiful creature. He could wallow when he got home (because he needed to recover and definitely didn’t have the energy anymore to keep the shop open). “Oh, don’t worry about it, darling… I- I mean-“
The blonde giggled, cutting off Eddie’s stuttering. He seemed to enjoy the tailor’s flustered expression, which just embarrassed him more. Of all the days to fumble (he was normally so suave), it had to be today. Maybe it was a good thing they weren’t soulmates. “It’s ok. My name is Waylon; I realized I forgot to introduce myself.”
“Waylon.” Not that he would need it after today. He wanted to forget this interaction ever happened. The sooner he forgot, the sooner he could go back to his daydreams of having a soulmate that returned the bond. “It’s nice to meet you. I’m Eddie,” he added just to be polite.
“It was a pleasure, Mr. Eddie.”
There was an awkward pause where both maintained eye contact.
“Well, I should get back to my shop…” Eddie excused.
“Oh! I’m sorry! Don’t let me stop you.” Not even a little bit of disappointment or hesitance. It was truly over!
They parted ways, Eddie heartbroken and Waylon completely oblivious to the emotional damage he had just caused to his hero.
.... .. ...- . / -- .. -. -..
Elsewhere, in a different corner of the galaxy, was a being surrounded by cables and machinery. Green eyes, blond hair - they would look almost like a normal human man if it weren’t for the wires connecting them to the various electrical devices around. The whirring and beeping of them hard at work were the only sounds in the hallowed-out room.
Suddenly, the cyborg raised their bowed head. Simultaneously, the androids in the room with him did as well, their hunched forms straightening stiffly.
There was always a lot of static in their head. It came with being the queen of the hive - they had access to every single one of their androids’ memories and feelings and could tap into them at will. Even if it wasn’t accessed, all of the information was then stored and kept, used for later.
There was an odd buzzing, though, different from every other android under their command. It was the same feeling as when you get an instrument in tune. It felt… right. The cyborg searched through the numerous minds in their network, trying to find the source of it… and, finally, they did. In one of their androids, Waylon, that was currently stationed at Earth, and one of the few that had its queen’s likeness.
The blonde cyborg replayed all of Waylon’s memories from their inception at break-neck speed, finding nothing of note, until he got to one particular day a few weeks ago. The android had had an interaction with a man, tall and well-built, who had saved it from being hit by a car. Of course, Waylon would’ve survived that crash (may have even flattened the car and killed the driver instead) due to their constitution, but the thought was sweet. The moment their eyes connected, the cyborg just knew. This was the one responsible.
It recorded the time of their eyes meeting and matched it to the time the frequency in their head had started. It was an exact match - down to the second.
Being made of mostly machinery, their kind did not find their soulmates in traditional ways. And even among its own species, the cyborg was unique. It was the oldest and the only one to possess any kind of organic matter in its body (courtesy of having grown with the planet).
Because their species was a hive mind, it was abundantly noticeable when another was added to the network. It was through these synchronizations that they found their soulmates. Having access to another mind that wasn’t an android - the queen cyborg was always aware of new androids being made, after all - was, thus, only explained by the soulmate phenomenon. And after so many long years, it seemed the cyborg had finally found its other piece.
“Find him,” the queen cybernetically announced, transmitting the image of the man to the thousands of androids it shared a mind with. “And bring him to me.”
All at once, the entirety of their race began moving. Those on the planet marched toward the loading dock, boarding ships on a straight course to Earth. Meanwhile, the androids in other planets abandoned whatever they were doing (killing, inciting a war, blending into their host planet’s species, hacking into devices, absorbing information) in favor of finding the nearest ship - or threatening the host species to hand one over - and obey the queen’s command.
In a matter of days, they would have the planet surrounded.
.... .. ...- . / -- .. -. -..
The incessant beeping and warning signals being displayed on their screens was sending the office into a panic. They were trained professionals; combined, they had many years worth of interacting with foreign entities and navigating delicate social structures to keep relationships between the different planets stable. But they had never seen anything like this before.
Earth wasn’t usually a target. Compared to other species, they were neither the highest threat nor the lowest one. And, as such things found securely in the middle, they went relatively unnoticed.
Not this time, it seemed.
“The readings… they’re going haywire!”
“What’s happening, sir?!”
Multiple red dots lit up the big screen, indicating the presence of unknown beings around Earth’s atmosphere. They were approaching… and fast. Some had already breached that first layer of protection. Upon closer analysis, the invaders could be identified as androids.
The superior officer grimaced. “It’s Planet 1315. Otherwise known as ‘The Motherboard’ because of its leader, an extremely dangerous cyborg with control over hundreds - no, thousands - of androids. They’re a hierarchical hive mind, with the cyborg W4YL0N serving as their matriarch.” He explained to the confused employees. “They’re in every corner of the universe - no planet is untouched by them, and if they’ve somehow evaded it until now, the hive mind will get to them eventually.”
“That’s crazy,” someone spoke. “Why hasn’t anyone stopped them?”
“It’s not that simple, son. Their planet is a living machine. As long as the matriarch lives, it will keep producing androids. And these androids aren’t anything like the ones you’ve seen in the movies. They’re strong - with each planet they inhabit, they absorb the technology in order to evolve their own. As you can probably guess, that technology allows them to perfectly imitate their host planet’s species in order to remain undetected and continue siphoning resources. They’re not so easy to spot.”
“Then how do we beat them?”
The man sighed heavily, looking so, so tired. “We don’t. The fact that they’re here already - and with such an army - spells doom for us all. They’ve taken over hundreds of planets already, so unless they’re willing to bargain, we might be out of luck.”
“What?! But, captain, we can’t just hand over Earth!”
“No, but I don’t see any way out of this-“
There was a bang as the door to the room caved in and toppled over like a wet piece of paper instead of a steel-enforced door. Two androids strode in, looking like perfect copies of humans if it weren’t for their utterly blank faces.
“We want to speak to your leader,” they announced. No one dared speak a word, stunned by how easily they were found and that they had been sought out in the first place. Their work brought balance to the universe, but they weren’t actually in charge of securing Earth. That was left to the organizations with more defensive capabilities - their talents were in negotiation.
“We are searching for a man… a man called Eddie,” the two androids deadpanned, unaffected by the silence. “We have reason to believe that he is our soulmate. This is the Soulmate Matchmaking Agency of Planet Earth, is it not?”
Hesitantly, one brave staff member nodded their head. “Y-yes. You’re in the right place.”
“We can help you, yes,” the leader of the agency replied confidently. Soulmate bonds were their forte; now that they knew the androids’ purpose, they weren’t as scared. Still wary, of course, but maybe this needn’t end in bloodshed and total conquest (with Earth being the losing party) after all. “Eddie, was it? We can work with that, but it would be easier - not to mention faster - if you had more information.”
One of the androids, a short female, tilted her head. Then, as if receiving an answer from an invisible presence, she nodded and walked over to the large control panel. Her delicate hand rested above the keys, and a second later, wires came out of the fake flesh to attach themselves to the supercomputer.
The humans gasped as the main screen glitched before finally settling on an image of a tall, built man in a tailored suit.
“Will this be enough?”
The leader jolted himself out of his awe. “Yes! That’s perfect! We can run facial recognition and find him easily,” he said and everyone took that as their cue to start on the task. “Please, if you don’t mind waiting, we can retrieve him for you.”
The other android, an intimidatingly tall, broad-shouldered male, sat on an unoccupied chair and crossed its arms. “Our queen is willing to wait provided you are quick about it,” it said, “We have wasted enough time as is.”
The agency leader simply inclined his head. Though he was outwardly calm (you had to learn to hide nervousness well in their line of work), his mind was going a mile a minute. Everyone could feel the pressure as the weight of the androids’ stares bore down on them as they searched and scoured through their records.
Finally, a blessed ping cut the tension.
“I’ve got a hit!”
Instantly, the screen was filled with information on their mystery man - well, not so mystery anymore.
Edward Gluskin. The name was displayed on the screen in big, bold letters.
The two androids’ heads turned to the screen in sync, one of them scaring the agency employees as their head turned at an unnatural angle. If anyone forgot just who - or what - they were dealing with, they were abruptly reminded. Time was of the essence.
“Luis, Martin, get your stuff ready. It looks like we’re taking a trip to Leadville.”
.... .. ...- . / -- .. -. -..
There’s a knock on the door, which is odd. Not because of the hour - mid-afternoon was a perfectly reasonable, if boring, part of the day - but because Eddie never had visitors. His home was secluded and quiet, just the way he liked it (every little thing could distract him from sewing).
Curiously, Eddie opened the door. To his surprise, there were three suited men in front of him, one of them particularly severe-looking. The tailor didn’t know what warranted such a visit since he could already tell that the group definitely wasn’t here for his sewing services. He already had a bad feeling about this.
“Can I help you, gentlemen?”
“You can, actually. Edward Gluskin, correct? Date of birth: May 16, 1990?”
The tall man raised an eyebrow. “Yes, that would be me.”
“Perfect. Mr. Gluskin, we have some news for you… and a request. Or a demand, more like.”
If that was supposed to be a threat, they certainly didn’t send their most intimidating. Still, Eddie inclined his head in acquiescence. He didn’t really want to get himself into trouble if he could help it. That would ruin the quiet, peaceful, orderly life he had worked so hard to build.
“We have located your soulmate, Mr. Gluskin. In fact, it would be more accurate to say that they have located us,” the team leader started. “They are looking for you, and for the sake of our planet, we would appreciate it if you would come with us to meet them.”
“I would be alright with that plan, but how do you know they want to meet me?” Eddie looked at them, intrigued and a little mistrustful. “I know who my soulmate is. They didn’t react at all when our eyes met and it’s been weeks since then, and I haven’t had any contact with them.”
The leader cleared his throat, sensing the tailor's growing agitation toward the end of his rant. “Ah. I understand why you’re upset. We have some information that’ll hopefully clear up the misunderstanding.” He gestured for Eddie to follow them to the car, which the male did, albeit reluctantly. “Let’s start from the beginning. How much do you know about the Soulmate Matchmaking Agency?”
Eddie followed the man into the back of the car while his two subordinates took the driver and shotgun seats.
“Not much, I’m embarrassed to say. I’ve been told I’m ‘living under a rock’ by my friends, but I prefer the term ‘traditional.’ Not everyone wishes to spend their days consuming media and rotting online.” The tailor rolled his eyes. “Anyway. I don’t really keep up with things beyond what I need to keep my shop successful. It’s my livelihood.”
“I see…” That didn’t really tell them much at all. “Do you at least know the purpose of the agency?”
Eddie made to shake his head ‘no’ but then stopped, frowning. “Isn’t the name self-explanatory? It’s to find and match people with their soulmates, correct?”
A sigh. This would be harder than they thought. “Well, yes. At its most basic, that is what the agency does. There’s a little more that goes into fulfilling that mission, though.”
“Such as?”
“For one, there’s multiple planets in our universe housing multiple species. Humans aren’t the only thing out there. For two, soulmates don’t just exist between two of the same species. Two individuals from different planets can be soulmates. It’s not uncommon, actually, but the reason it’s not talked about more is because the chances of these individuals meeting each other and then recognizing they’re soulmates is slim to none. That’s where we come in.”
Eddie felt like he knew where this was going. A renewed hope started to bubble in his chest.
“The agency is there to smooth over soulmate relationships between different species. As you can probably guess, customs can vary wildly, and that includes how soulmates recognize each other.”
It finally dawned on him. “So you’re saying…”
“Your soulmate is W4YL0N, the cyborg that reigns over Planet 1315. No one is quite sure how their soulmate process works, but it probably has something to do with their hive mind.”
“That’s why Waylon didn’t react to me that day,” Eddie mumbled more to himself, but the captain nodded anyway.
“The Waylon you met must be one of the many androids under the queen cyborg’s control. Your soulmate could be one of them, but…“
“But?”
“We have a feeling that your soulmate is the queen cyborg themselves. I mean, we don’t really know a lot about how their kind works, but I highly doubt that they would mobilize their entire species unless it was for someone important.”
Eddie’s eyes glazed over, and the captain sent him a worried look.
“Edward?”
The tailor snapped out of it. “Just call me Eddie. No one calls me Edward.”
“Ok, then, Eddie.” The other man’s expression suddenly turned serious. “I know this is a lot to dump on you right now, but you need to know. Your soulmate is incredibly dangerous. Possibly one of the top ten biggest threats in our universe. And practically their entire planet is here, right now, invading Earth, looking for you. We don’t really want to have to force you, but we don’t really have a choice…”
Steely eyes stared Eddie down. “Please meet with them and complete the bond. It is imperative for humanity’s survival, and for the sake of the universe, too.”
The taller man blinked at him, a little dumbfounded at his desperation. “Of course. I always planned to.”
“We’ll do any - wait. You… will?” It was the leader’s turn to blink at him. “Just like that?”
Eddie nodded.
“No blackmail? No ultimatums?”
“No?”
“Hm. You’re an interesting fellow, Mr. Gluskin.”
Eddie was confused. He didn’t let that deter him, though. “I’ve dreamed about meeting my soulmate. All my life, I’ve been waiting for that moment - the moment where our eyes meet and everything would feel right,” his eyes brightened during his monologue then dimmed as he continued. “And it did… but then it all went terribly wrong! You have no idea how devastating it was to not have the feelings returned - I wouldn’t wish it on my worst enemy! Oh, it was truly awful. It felt like a part of myself was taken from me. Permanently and against my will.”
Afraid of the potential consequences, the leader wisely chose not to interrupt Eddie. “When you told me about my soulmate coming from another planet, I was so relieved. There was hope that it wasn’t just me! And now, you tell me they want to meet me? Of course I will! I’ve been waiting for this. It doesn’t matter to me who they are or what they look like. I will take my soulmate in any way, shape, or form. As long as they reciprocate, that’s all that matters to me.”
“Oh.” So he’s a hopeless romantic. How fortuitous! “So you’ll meet them, right?”
Eddie nodded enthusiastically. “Yes! I’d love to meet them as soon as possible!”
“Perfect,” the leader smiled. “We can make that happen.”
.... .. ...- . / -- .. -. -..
The car screeched to a stop at the grounds just behind agency headquarters. When Eddie stepped out, he was surprised to find a huge airship just sitting there. It looked like it came straight out of a movie!
Immediately, the two androids that had been patiently waiting for the agency members to fulfill their end of the bargain descended on him. As did the 10 other androids waiting standby in the aircraft, apparently so eager to meet Eddie that they left their stations.
“Eddie?”
“You must be our human!”
“Will you come to our home with us?”
“Please meet with our queen, at least.”
Needless to say, the tailor was not prepared to be hounded by a small mob of androids. He was not entirely aware of what his decision entailed.
“Hey, I know you’re all excited, but give the man some room, yeah?”
Immediately, the androids moved as one and backed up a few feet away from Eddie, allowing him a small ring of space. He shot the agency leader a grateful look.
“Eddie here has agreed to meeting your queen. We can’t make any promises beyond that.” At this, all the androids nodded, pleased. “If he does not wish to stay, please return him to Earth safe and in one piece unless you want a war on your hands,” the leader warned with false bravado. They wouldn’t actually be able to follow through with that threat, but Eddie didn’t need to know that.
“We would not hurt our soulmate,” the petite female android said, her practiced inflection making her sound almost offended.
“Of course, of course. Well, then…”
“Thank you for your assistance. We will take our leave, now,” the android told the agency staff then turned to Eddie once more. “Eddie, please follow us.”
Without hesitation, the tailor allowed the group of androids to lead him forward into their aircraft, and the humans could do nothing but stare at his retreating back. Then, the ship doors closed and he disappeared from sight.
Everyone breathed a collective sigh of relief at averting the planet-ending disaster.
“That guy’s crazy,” someone commented and no could argue with that.
.... .. ...- . / -- .. -. -..
Eddie marveled at the technology that surrounded him. Maybe his friends were right and he should get out more; seeing things like this would definitely do wonders for his uninspired mind as of late.
Though, he would be meeting his muse soon, so maybe it wasn’t necessary…
The androids were unnervingly silent throughout the ride. After that first impression they had made on him, he expected to be fielding questions left and right, but they were (surprisingly) leaving him alone. Was it something he said? Or did?
“It’s not you, Eddie.” Once again, it’s the petite girl that spoke. “There are many things we want to ask you. We want to know all about you. But our queen would like to ask you those things face-to-face rather than use us as conduits. A soulmate bond deserves that much.”
Aw, how sweet! It seemed that his soulmate was a romantic as well. “I’m the only soulmate your queen has had?”
“Correct. And our queen has been alive for millennia, so they have been waiting a very long time for this - for you.”
If people could make hearts with their eyes, Eddie would be doing it. He and his soulmate were truly a perfect match! And he hadn’t even met them yet. But wait-
“Did you read my mind earlier? Can you do that? How did you know what I was thinking?”
“We are a hive mind. We share everything - thoughts, sensations, memories. As our queen’s soulmate, you become part of the hive mind, but still remain a separate being, unlike the rest of us androids.”
“Could you explain how that works exactly?”
“Certainly. From the information we’ve gathered, humans know who their soulmates are the moment their eyes meet, yes? It’s different for us, which is why we took so long to respond,” she explained. “In our case, we know who our soulmate is through a process called synchronization. When new androids are made, their minds get connected to the network - thus, they become part of the hive mind. You are not an android, so the process wasn’t instantaneous, but our queen recognized the presence of a foreign mind eventually.”
“Oh. I see.” Did he, though? Not really. Most of it was flying over his head. “Does it work the other way around too? If I am part of this ‘hive mind’ as you say, will I also get all of your thoughts?”
“Possibly. More likely, the answer is no. It could take years for you to be able to utilize the connection the other way around, if you can at all.” The android shot him a worried look. “Even if you could, I don’t think you’d want to. That much information could overload your human brain.” Your tiny human brain wouldn’t be able to handle it was implied.
“I think all this information right now is already enough for me,” Eddie assured.
“We apologize. Did you need us to slow down? We could explain again if you would like.”
“No, no, that’s alright.” There was only so much he could take. If it wasn’t absolutely essential to the bond, he didn’t need to know it. "How much longer until we’re at your home?”
“In human time, not much longer.” The android ran some quick calculations. “It would be 4 hours at most. Still, we would advise you get some rest.”
“That’s probably a good idea. Wake me up an hour before, will you?”
“Of course, Eddie. We will watch over you in the meantime.”
It was a little creepy, but now that he understood them a little better, Eddie found it comforting.
.... .. ...- . / -- .. -. -..
When the aircraft landed, Eddie almost couldn’t contain himself in his excitement. Fortunately, he didn’t have to wait long to meet his soulmate. The androids were scarily efficient, marching him down the loading dock and through a long bridge that materialized in front of them as they walked. In fact, it seemed like the entire planet was rebuilding itself around him, parts of buildings slotting into place like puzzle pieces.
What kind of infrastructure was this?
Finally, they arrived at a large dome at the center of the metropolis. The first thing Eddie noticed was how hollow it was. There was an obscene amount of machinery lining the walls, even following the curves of the dome shape all the way up to the ceiling. Each had wires that led to the second thing Eddie noticed: the cyborg in the middle of the room. He - it? - was standing in a small pit with wires coiling around him. Eddie followed them up to see that they attached to his back and the headset he was wearing that covered his eyes.
With wonder and fascination in his eyes, Eddie approached the blonde male. He walked down the platform alone, the androids having been ordered to stay behind. It didn’t matter anyway - Eddie only had eyes for his soulmate.
In a show of trust (from a being that had complete control of the planet and could probably have him crushed in an instant), the cyborg allowed Eddie to come close and then lift the headset off his head. Green eyes met blue ones.
“Hello,” Eddie smiled. “You must be the queen cyborg they were speaking about. What should I call you?”
“Waylon is fine… It’s nice to finally meet you, Eddie.”
“I feel the same. I’m so glad it was just a misunderstanding.”
Rather than intimidated, Eddie was immediately smitten. It must be the bond.
“You’re not scared? Even knowing all that you do about me? I’m sure those agency people had many stories to tell.”
“You’re the most beautiful thing I’ve ever laid eyes on, darling,” Eddie complimented. It was the honest truth and he was delighted to see a tint of red paint across the other’s face. “You couldn’t scare me away even if you tried. And especially now that I know you return my feelings.”
Waylon smiled. “I’m sorry that I ever made you feel like they weren’t. You’re all that I’ve been waiting for.” He spied the way the taller man’s fingers would twitch as if wanting to reach out, so he did them both a favor and initiated a hug. It was a bit awkward with all the wires attached to him - and the fact that he had never actually hugged anyone before - but Eddie’s warmth and firm hold made up for his inexperience.
If only they could stay like this forever…
Eddie laid his head on Waylon’s hair (somehow he was still taller than this otherworldly being - small miracles), enjoying the moment. It was broken when he opened his eyes and saw the group of androids they had ignored that whole time, all of whom were just staring stoically at them.
The tailor stared back, fondly exasperated. “Uh, darling… what should we do about this, then?”
“Hmm?” The shorter male followed his gaze. “Oh, right. Shoo, all of you!”
The androids were quick to obey, disappearing from the room faster than a human eye could blink. Eddie sighed in relief before turning to the other with a mischievous glint in his eye.
“Now, darling… where were we?”
.... .. ...- . / -- .. -. -..
If he was being honest, the director never thought he’d see Edward Gluskin again. He thought the tailor would be held hostage by his soulmate or absorbed in an effort to ‘keep him with them forever’ or some other fucked up shit like that (maybe he’d been watching too many alien movies). Eddie making it back, and having free reign no less, was not in any of the scenarios in his head.
Neither was the giant portal-looking machine situated in the living room like it was just another piece of furniture.
“I don’t think you have the sanctions to be keeping this kind of… equipment,” the agency leader said, dumbfounded and uncomprehending.
Eddie looked contemplative for a second, then crossed his arms, raising an eyebrow in challenge. “Would you like to tell Waylon that?”
Waylon? That must be his soulmate’s chosen (human) name. “No, not really,” he replied meekly, sufficiently cowed. He’s sure he would be forgiven for overlooking this one thing. Earth wouldn’t want to start a war they have no chance of winning, after all.
“Good.” Eddie nodded, satisfied. “My darling can’t really leave his planet, but he didn’t want me to be stuck there. And, truthfully, I didn’t either. As nice as it is, I still want to run my shop here on Earth, and I have more designs than ever now that I have my muse.”
“And he’s okay with you splitting your time between the two?”
“Yes. That’s our compromise,” he gestured toward the portal machine. “Waylon had it built for me. It allows him to travel freely from his planet to here - my living room. It’s mostly for his piece of mind, though, or emergencies. He already knows anytime I’m in pain or need help. I just have to think it and he’ll get the message.”
Well, that was scary. May no one ever get on this man’s nerves. Then again, with the way Eddie looked (strong and imposing), the director doubted that anyone would pick a fight with him regardless.
“So you’re part of the hive mind now?”
Suddenly, the portal makes a disturbing noise, the space in the hollow of the circle distorting and producing a purple hue. From it, the cyborg himself strides out, a single wire protruding from his back that disappears into the portal.
The director startles but tries not to show it.
“He is and he isn’t. Our soulmate synchronization is difficult to explain. Just know this: I am always aware of Eddie. If anyone threatens him, I will not hesitate.” The foreboding words left no room for misunderstanding. “For your cooperation - and at Eddie’s insistence - consider my planet and yours allies. I will not bring my army here to conquer Earth, and we will help if you are ever invaded. I would not want Eddie to lose his home or his business, after all. He makes such pretty gowns.”
“Oh… that’s nice. Thank you.”
A hard stare replaces Waylon’s dreamy expression. “The portal stays.”
The director held his hands up in surrender. “I didn’t see anything.”
Eddie smirked at the easy surrender. “Did you need anything else?” he asked as he slid an arm around the cyborg’s waist.
“No, I was just checking in on you. I can see that everything is going great, so I’ll take my leave now.”
With that, the agency leader exits, smiling. Because his back was turned away from the couple, he missed the completely besotted looks they sent each other.
Their job here was done.