Hello there :) This is the second installment of my Soulmate trilogy series. You don't have to read the first part to understand this, but reading it might give a deeper isight into the full story.

As always, I am more than happy to hear what you thought! Other than that, please. Enjoy.

The street was bustling around him, car horns honking, people milling past him like ants. None of them stopped just because he had. The world didn't stop just because Raphael's did. Warmth was still spreading from the spot on his hand that some stranger had brushed against in their haste to push past him. His wrist was burning sharply as his mark filled out, but he didn't dare take his eyes from the masses around him. It had happened so fast. He hadn't had time to see, hadn't had time to stop him. His soulmate.

Since he was a teenager, Raphael had known his soulmate would not be the bright eyed smiling young girl that his mother had always told him would one day complete his world. Instead, one of the faceless boys filling up his dreams would take her place. For the longest time Raphael had feared this day. Males were not meant to get involved with other men, no matter what their marks said. Homosexuality was a sin. The fact that it was your soulmate did not change that. At least that was what the church taught. His church. The one he had believed in and admired his whole life.

He had never told anyone about his fears. When he had gone to college he had learned that maybe, just maybe, he didn't need to be scared after all. He had had classes taught by top-researchers in the field of soulmate biology. He'd made friends who had had the same suspicions. He had seen the smiles on their faces when that suspicion was fulfilled. Had seen how their lives changed for the better. Even so, the fear was not easy to let go of. Yet here he was, on a busy New York street, ignoring that he had places to be, ignoring the grumble and shoves aimed at him as he stood rooted to the spot frantically scanning for the Avengers back pack and the curly hair he had just managed to take in before his soulmate had disappeared into the crowds at a near run.

His heart jumped into his throat when he spotted a young man pushing his way through the crowds. A sharp furrow curved a vertical line above his nose as he focusedly and methodically scanned the crowd trying to sweep him along with them. His eyes swept over Raphael twice, taking no notice, as he pushed past. Raphael turned to watch as that same Avengers back pack was swallowed by the current of morning traffic. "Idiota!" he cursed himself as his body finally kicked into action, propelling after the kid that was, quite likely, his soulmate. "Excuse me," catching up with the backpack was easy and he had reached out and grabbed the boy's shoulder before he could second-guess himself. "Looking for someone?" he asked with one eyebrow raised in question when the kid turned around. He really was still a boy, probably not even 20 yet.

"Yeah, actually, I think I just bonded…" his brown eyes searched Raphael's face as his voice drifted off. "Well, shit," he hissed, a look of surprise gliding over his face. He took a moment to check the crowd still pushing and pulling at them. "You?" his eyes found Raphael's then slid down to the wrist Raphael had uncovered and was presenting to him. Raphael didn't take his eyes of the kid's face as he carefully cradled Raphael's wrist in one hand. A look of pure wonder lit up his eyes as soft fingertips slid over where the mark was still burning against Raphael's skin. A blinding smile took up his face. "It really is you!" he whispered reverently, his eyes swooping up to meet Raphael's still intent on his face.

Raphael's heart was going a mile a minute and he kind of felt like he was going to be sick. His skin crawled and burned. All he could do was stare intently at the boy before him, his face frozen in a stiff mask. His soulmate was gorgeous. – Dark tousled hair, playful eyes behind black-framed glasses and pale, smooth skin. When he smiled, slightly pointed canines poked out. That smile already had Raphael's heart in a firm grip. It was sliding of his face though, and the soft hold he had had on Raphael's wrist slackened and fell away.

"Right, so. What happens now?" he was clearly withdrawing, his arms coming up to fold protectively over his torso and his eyes leaving Raphael's face, instead fluttering over the morning rush. Raphael dazedly realized that he should probably do something. He carefully lifted a hand to gently brush a curl out of the boy's eye. It fell right back. Well then. Points for trying and all that. The boy was watching him, a cautiousness hiding in the corner of his eyes. Raphael could be intense, he'd been told, even intimidating. Especially when he felt a lot at the same time, and at the moment he had never felt more. No wonder his soulmate was beginning to adopt the look of a kicked puppy. With conscious effort Raphael softened his face, stepping back to avoid crowding his soulmate.

"I believe you were in a rush to get somewhere." He said slowly, "But perhaps we could meet up later, say this afternoon? We could have dinner. Get to know each other?" The kid's stance softened slightly, though his eyes were still guarded.

"Okay," he mumbled, unfolding his arms and adjusting the straps of his backpack.

"There's a place on 44th street, called L'Altra. Meet me there at, say 5?" Raphael's heart had started to slow, and instead the notorious Craving everyone went on about was starting to set in. He was already regretting postponing their conversation. The kid nodded slightly.

"I'm Simon. By the way." He said, his hand reaching out.

"Raphael Santiago." Raphael accepted the hand, skin bussing appreciatively at the contact. With a sudden movement he felt himself wrapped up in a tight hug that send a wave of unprecedented calm through him. It lasted all of five seconds though, and then the kid pulled back with a sheepish grin.

"See you at 5." He waved awkwardly, and then he was gone, swept up in the morning traffic.

(***)

"I have class in ten minutes, you've been warned," a cheerful voice sounded down the line as it finally connected.

"Magnus!" Raphael breathed in relief, checking that his office door was still shut firmly. He had made his way to work some time after Simon had disappeared from sight, his heart working overtime the entire way there. Since then work had been an impossibility, and he had spent his time trying to get one of his trusted friends to pick up their phones and staring out the window as he tried to make sense of what had happened. The craving still had its firm grip on him, and more than once had he regretted not at least getting Simon's number before letting him go. He had finally checked the mark that he now shared with his soulmate while he was still stood on the street. The sight of it had finally brought an honest smile to his face. His own symmetrical sun made of flames surrounded by a ring was now embraced by two spotted crescents, one within and one outside the circle. "I found him," Raphael breathed into the phone, flipping his wrist over to stare at his soul mark again.

"What did you do?" Magnus' voice dropped into something somehow both soothing and exasperated.

"You know how you always tell me I go all vampire-stary-eyed when I have a lot of feelings?" Raphael knew by the soft 'ohh' drifting down the line that Magnus had a good idea of what had happened. He twisted in his swirly chair to stare out the large window opening out into the grey neighborhood of an up-and-coming business district. "I think my soulmate might actually be kind of scared of me."

"Probably," Magnus unhelpfully agreed, "but when he gets a chance to see your endearing geeky side it'll all be fine, I'm sure."

"Ha. Ha. Ha." Raphael said in a monotone, though a smile lurked at the corner of his lips.

"Beside the Vampire glare how was bonding?" Magnus was one of three people to whom Raphael had confessed his true feelings. The two of them had struck up a frenemy-based relationship when Magnus had graciously allowed Raphael to stay in a guestroom a few years back. Raphael had been in college and his place – a small flat barely fit for one yet shared between three – had had to be vacated for a week for pest control. That one week had turned into three months when pest control had revealed irreparable termite damage, and Raphael had found himself homeless.

"It went strange." Raphael said slowly, picking at something on his pants. "He didn't even notice at first, and just continued walking. Then when he did come back he looked straight through me as if I didn't even count as a possibility. I practically had to throw my wrist in his face. At least it threw me of enough to forget to be scared."

"But it was mutual?" a touch of concern found its way into Magnus' voice.

"Yeah. I mean, I didn't actually see his mark, but he came back and he said he'd bonded, so."

"Good." The concern had all but evaporated, replaced instead with a teasing lilt, "So how's Craving treating you?" Raphael groaned loudly, throwing his head back to stare up at the ceiling. At the time everything had happened so fast, there had been no time to dissect emotions. In the hours after though, Raphael was sure he had been through the entire spectrum. Panic, fear, exhilaration, trepidation, pure joy, a brief moment of grounded calm and then straight into restless excitement. Underneath it all, though lay the yearning. Any and all unguarded moments had been devoted to longing for Simon – any part of him. His skin bussed in remembrance of the feeling of Simon's body against his as they hugged. His heart replayed the rush that had run through him at the sight of that lopsided smile. His breath caught whenever his brain stopped on the recollection of his deep eyes. He didn't even know this kid yet, and he was already so gone for him.

"I don't know why everyone make it out to be such a big deal," his faked nonchalance made Magnus laugh loudly on the other end, "I have no problem waiting until tonight to see him again."

"To be sure!" Magnus agreed, "Anyway, much as I'd love to hear all about mystery guy, I actually have to go teach preschoolers how to spell out 'Happy Mother's Day'. Want me to stop by after work and help you pick out what to wear tonight?" Raphael groaned again, then hummed his accept. Magnus' laughter was the last thing he heard before the line went dead. With a sigh he swiveled his chair back around to face the large screen of his computer. Another 7 hours before he got to see Simon again. Piece of cake, really. With another frustrated groan he let his forehead fall against the desk, and if he accidentally hit the keyboard, it was only by a tiny bit, and definitely did not leave a mark in the middle of his forehead to agonize over for what was left of the workday.

(***)

Raphael had had the decency to be at the restaurant a good 15 minutes before the time he'd agreed on with Simon. Part of it, of course, had to do with the impatience setting his body on edge. The Craving was crawling up and down his spine, much more manageable now, though still insistent in its presence. Another part had to do with his insufferable friends. Magnus had, as agreed, shown up at Raphael's place, dragging Will with him. They had taken the task of distracting Raphael until his departure quite seriously, and while the company, and the assuring smiles were welcome, the unhelpful fashion (and make-up) advice and the relentless teasing were not. Drumming his fingers against the polished wood of the table, Raphael kept half an eye on the door. - He had the curtesy to be early. His soulmate, clearly, did not. It was now ten minutes past five, and there were no signs of Simon. More than ever did Raphael curse himself for betting on upholding an air of mystery over insisting on a phone number. If he was being stood up by his own soulmate then he would have liked to have the option of at least leaving an angry voicemail. Folding his hand in to a fist to stop his nervous tick, Raphael forced himself to at least appear calm. No reason to reveal his agitated state to the entire place.

The ornate doors opened, and Raphael's heart jumped into his throat even before the new patron appeared in view, just like it had been doing for the past half hour. There he was. His soulmate. The boy looked ruffled and sheepish as he approached the hostess. His hair was still unruly, though now it seemed to be so in spite of the products forced into it. The backpack appeared to have stayed at home, though the Avengers had tagged along on the well-fitted t-shirt half-hidden under the nice, if slightly too large, blazer with the sleeves rolled up to reveal Simon's forearms. A leather cuff was wrapped around his left wrist, and, though nice, Raphael couldn't help but feel a stab of sadness at the thought of Simon covering up their mark.

The hostess was gesturing to where Raphael was sitting, and Simon caught Raphael's eyes across the room. His smile faltered at the sight of Raphael, morphing into something filled with nerves, a touch of excitement and a handful of curiosity. Raphael hardly noticed the return of his nervous tapping against the table top. Simon's eyes swept over him, and Raphael wondered what it was his soulmate saw. Raphael'd made an effort, slicking his hair back and grudgingly letting Magnus apply just a hint of eye liner to make his eyes 'pop'. The white shirt was a nice fit, and paired with the black west with its silver chain, it passed as relaxed without being casual. It also allowed for rolled up sleeves to leave his wrists bare for all to see. He cleaned up nice, he knew, but he wasn't sure if Simon agreed, and that made him inexplicably nervous. Instructing himself to smile, he got up to greet Simon as he joined him at the table.

There was a brief moment of awkwardness as the two of them tried to telepathically agree on how to greet each other. It ended up with a sort of flaccid handshake that lasted all of point five seconds before they unanimously agreed to ignore the whole thing and sit down.

"So," Simon grimaced, opening up the menu in front of him. "This is… a bit nicer than I thought." Another grimace slid over his face as he scanned the list of not in-expensive dishes.

"I know the chef. I get discount." Raphael supplied, trying to reign in on the vampire glare he instinctively aimed at his soulmate. Simon looked up to send him a half smile.

"Right, so you know the food? What's good then?"

"I am partial to the Penne Arrabiata." Raphael rested his elbows on the table, interlocking his fingertips in front of him. Simon watched him for a beat, then nodded, returning his eyes to the menu. In an attempt to prevent himself from starring creepily, and thereby further scare the guy he was here to impress, Raphael let his eyes scan over the other patrons in the restaurant.

"Oh," he said, spotting their waiter smiling at them and making her way over, "I'm assuming ordering a bottle of wine would not be, strictly speaking, legal?" Simon looked up again, this time with the distinct look of deer caught in headlights.

"Oh. Well, not if you share with me. Technically. I'm still only twenty for another couple of months or so." Raphael nodded then looked up to smile at Lily, who was coming to a halt next to their table. There was a large smile on her face as she subtly eyed Simon.

"Good evening, boys. Can I get you started on some drinks?" Raphael gestured for Simon to start, and the boy looked startled between the two others.

"Oh, um, ice tea?" he made his request into a question, eyes still fluttering between Raphael and Lily.

"And water for me." Raphael tried for a reassuring smile, while Lily tried to tone down her grin.

"Okay, great. I'll just go grab that, and be right back." She turned to walk away only to twirl on her heels and send Raphael an exaggerated thumbs up from behind Simon's back.

"You can order alcohol if you want," Simon said sheepishly, ignorant of Raphael choking on his own saliva. "I mean, if it's legal for you, that is," he added, "Are you over 21?"

"Yeah, I'm 25." Raphael tried for a smile, though Simon still looked kind of out of sorts. "But I'm happy with water."

"Right." Simon grimaced. He did that quite a lot, Raphael noticed. For a while they sat in silence, waiting for Lily to return. Simon had a hard time keeping still, though. His fingers restlessly played with the menu or raked through his hair, while the slight tremor of his left shoulder indicated the nervous taping of his foot.

"So." Simon flicked his menu closed. Drawing in a breath and setting his shoulders. "How was your day?" he looked up, a mostly honest smile on his face. Raphael felt the corners of his mouth twitch up as he cocked his head to one side.

"Long," he said, "yours?" Simon licked his lips, nodding.

"Yeah, same. Long. And I've no clue what my morning class was even about. That's what I was running for, by the way. I was late though, but it was fine."

"So you're in college?" Simon nodded, the smile still on his face. "What are you studying?" Raphael allowed his eyes to stay on the face of his soulmate, even as his darted all over the place. This whole thing was strange. They were supposed to be compatible, but still they had to work their way up to that intimate bond from the bottom. Sharing a mark was only the beginning. There was still hard work ahead to be done.

"Accounting. My mom insisted I do something with job security, you know? Seemed like a sensible idea, so. And I quite like math, so it seemed like a good enough choice. At least I don't hate it as much as some of the others in my classes. – I'm doing a double major with business design, so it's not boring numbers all the time." Raphael raised an eyebrow at the sudden word stream. His soulmate was kind of adorable when he rambled, his eyes lighting up, and a hint of a smile lurking in the corners of his mouth. Raphael could see himself getting used to that.

"Your mother seems like a clever woman," he commented.

"Yeah, she is. Even if she doesn't always think so." Simon drummed his fingers against the table top, jumping slightly in his seat when Lily suddenly swung into place next to their table. There was a blinding smile on her face as she placed their glasses in front of them.

"Can I take your orders, gentlemen?" she asked with a wink at Raphael. Taking your soulmate to dinner at the workplace of one of your close friends had it's downsides. – Like the fact that the entire waiting staff knew him by name, and had obviously been ordered to spy on him on behalf of the kitchen-bound head chef. With a shake of his head, Raphael waved for Simon to go first.

"Um, I'll take the halibut," he said hesitantly, and Raphael made sure to smile his reassurance as he ordered his usual pasta dish.

"So. What is it that you do?" Simon asked when Lily had pranced her way to the kitchen to file her rapport.

"I work for a marketing consultancy as an analyst." Raphael took a sip of his water, relishing in its simple coldness.

"Fancy," Simon nodded to himself.

"Not really," Raphael raised an eyebrow at him, "But it pays the bills, so."

"Right." Once again silence fell between them. Raphael didn't really have a long history of dating, but he was quite sure this awkward silence wasn't exactly a good sign. Shouldn't it be easier to find something to say to the man who was supposed to be your soulmate? "So… what sort of music do you listen to?" Simon looked up from where he was twirling his tall glass between restless hands. There was something in his brown eyes, a spark of passion, which told Raphael that this question was a test. One that, for the sake of their future relationship, Raphael had to pass. He shrugged, hopping the action didn't come across as indifference.

"I listen to a lot of things," he said, leaning back in his seat, feigning nonchalance he didn't feel. "But at the moment I'm quite taken by this up and coming Latin inspired rock band, The green Roses." Simon's eyebrows shut up at that, and suddenly the smile from that morning, the one that lit up Raphael's world, was back. "Yeah? Ever been to see them live?" Simon was leaning over the table, eyes intent on Raphael's face now. The conversation somehow went from zero to fifty in less than a second. By the time Jem came out from his hideout in the kitchen with their plates, Raphael had learned quite a few things about his soulmate. All of them music related, but since that seemed to take up a large part of Simon's life, it only seemed appropriate.

"Good evening, gentlemen," Jem cut over Simon's tale of his band's latest concert. Simon gabbed, head turning from the steaming plate placed haphazardly in front of him to the man in the sharp white coat and silver hair pulled into a ponytail. "You must be Simon." Jem held out a hand for Simon to shake. "James Carstairs. Go by Jem. If you ever want all the dirt on Mr. Grumpy here," he waved over his shoulder at Raphael, "Let me know. I'll organize a party." Raphael rolled his eyes even though Jem stealthily kept his back turned to him. "Enjoy your meal."

"We will," Raphael cut in, pointedly, while Simon smiled goofily. Jem turned to salute Raphael, smiling exaggeratedly, then pointing from it to Raphael with a wink. Then he took off for the refuge of the kitchen. Raphael rolled his eyes again for good measure, shook his head and raised an eyebrow at a still goofily smiling Simon.

"So you really are friends with the chef," he said grabbing his fork and stabbing a piece of carrot.

"Unfortunately," Raphael copied his soulmate, popping a penne into his mouth. "But he's a good cook, so." Simo was nodding, shewing fast and swallowing before verbally agreeing.

"So how long have you been friends?"

"Since college," with that the conversation was back, and, as the meal wore on, the awkwardness seemed to have evaporated. It made a brief return as they stood on the street, trying to figure out how to say goodbye, Simon refused to let it take hold, though, confidently pulling Raphael into a strong hug. Raphael felt himself somewhat melting against his soulmate, his cheek coming to rest on Simon's shoulder as his arms folded around his midsection. "See you soon?" The warm smile was back when Simon pulled back. His eyes were sparkling mischievously behind his glasses. Raphael could only nod, swallowing thickly. "Good," Simon nodded resolutely, waved an adorable dorky wave, and turned to head for the nearest subway station. Raphael felt a smile creep upon his face as he watched Simon's back disappear. Maybe this soulmate thing would turn out just fine.