Since the beginning of time, humanity had always caved into the concept of soulmates. The prospect of having one person entirely different from yourself bound to you on such a deep, personal level was a thought of dreams. Stories were made, pieces of artwork fabricated on these seemingly incognito ideas. That was just what it was though, dreams and ideas.
Until Mother Nature decided enough was enough and decided to grant the human race with a gift of her own. The appearance of words showing up on people all around the world made head line news, everyone confused with the meaning behind all of this. Where did it come from? What did it mean? Everyone had so many questions, but no one really had any answers.
I mean, how could they? It was entirely magical, a concept no humans had any recognition or perception of. As time passed, news of the marks being a representation, a knot that tied you and your soulmate together started circling. People had found their better half with the help of the words that had showed up on their body. People called it a blessing, a gift of being given the chance to find that one person that was made specifically for them. Others called it a prison, being stripped away the chance to make connections with someone based entirely on personality and attraction.
There was no more chasing, with these marks, humans were bending left and right in order to find "the one". With these words, people didn't have to worry anymore about rejection, because finding your soulmate meant being bound for life. There was no other person out there that could understand you better than your better half, the one who carried the other half of your soul. With such, people never wanted to leave their destined ones. It was a special gift presented out of nowhere and they were sure as hell never going to let it slip from their grasp or think any less of it.
He felt like his mark was a curse, a slew of words that kept plaguing him littered the top of his left peck. Some people were fortunate enough of having marks spell out a question or an answer. Others had normal, everyday phrases that all the while still abstract, was still considered more desirable than the unfathomable obscure marks. Like how his was, for example. He was one of the unlucky few who had an obscure, something that resembled more an insult than anything else to him.
The problem with the marks was that it wasn't a first time meeting kind of deal. Yes, sometimes those happened, and were as magical as they were meant to sound like. Most of the time though, it took time before the marks would make light of the situation the two people were presented by. It was all about fate, best not to question how things worked and to just kind of roll with it. The marks were ethereal after all, and no couple who have completed a bond have ever wanted to leave. Match made in heaven so to speak, at least that's what he kept hearing.
"Don't worry Jack, you'll find your bonded and when that time comes you'll be the happiest man ever. Its fate, and fate doesn't make any mistakes." His mother used to always tell him when he was younger. Easier said than done, when her bonded was presented to her since childhood. Twenty five years have passed as well as the Omnic war which he came out victorious from, and still no sign of his mentioned bond mate.
He went through all of that and all he had to show for was an empty bed and a mind filled with the horrors of war. Hell of a consolation prize if you asked him.
Despite all of that, Jack still tried to make the best out of everything he's been given. His move to L.A from Indiana wasn't something his parents had wanted him to do. They were all just happy to have their son back and had wanted him to stay and help out around the farm. It was something he had thought long and hard about, but his path wasn't that of a farm boy anymore. That life was long past him, the essence of war having changed him completely into the man he is today.
His parents were even more confused as to why Jack was using his savings on opening up a cat café. They were against the idea but were still trying to be supportive towards their eldest son. His siblings were all for the idea and begged him to show them his café once everything was well and over with.
Jack was currently preparing his shop for the grand opening that was only a few days away. He had visited the nearest animal shelter that were willing to let him foster some cats. All of whom were ready to be adopted at any given time, the café being another sort of adoption shelter, hoping to garner interest from the public who might be interested in adopting. The shelter was very grateful in return, the café giving them the chance to free up the overcrowdings of their establishment.
He glanced around his coffee shop with pride, the name of the café, 'The White Cat' spelled out in large, white bold letters on the outside of the shop. The inside decor was simple, yet cutesy, a very soft atmospheric feel to it all. The walls were an off-white, close to cream colour. Small picture frames littered the walls, the frames depicting different artwork of cats as well as group pictures of those who were apart of the staff. The wood flooring was of a mahogany colour, a lush outer look that made it shine.
There were a few low rising couches, all of soft blue colouring as well as the light wooded chairs with their light pink cushions. Bookcases littered parts of the walls, with books ranging from fantasy to romance novels. Various shelves littered the walls, a type of maze that went through the shop closest to the ceiling. Perfect spots for cats to roam free and peer down at the guests from a high place. The shelves and pillars were all painted fun, colourful colours. There were also a lot of cat trees and scratching posts, a few boxes of toys lined up next to many of the tables for customers to play with the cats.
With everything all set up and cleaned, he thought tomorrow would be the perfect day to go and fetch the cats he would be fostering. This would give the cats at least a few days to get accustomed to the shop as well as feel more comfortable overall. Just as he was setting his apron behind the counter, he heard a few cheerful taps against the large window to the outside.
Craning his head to the side, a smile lit up his scarred face as he regarded Angela. She was shaking a small cup of coffee, wiggling her eyebrows at him with laughter in her eyes and a small smile on her lips. Shaking his head and rolling his eyes, he grabbed the keys that were resting on the counter and headed towards the door. Switching the lights off and locking up behind him, he turned towards his best friend, happily taking the hot cup of coffee out of her hands.
"What brings you here, not that I'm not happy to see you. I thought you had the night shift?" He inquired, sneaking a few sips here and there, letting the hot liquid burn down his throat and start to energize him.
"I'm actually heading there soon, just thought I'd drop by and ask when you were planning on fetching the little minounnies?" Even though Jack lived over his café, he decided to walk Angela to work. It would do him good to get some fresh air as opposed to being holed up in his home like he had been since he moved a month ago. As far as things went, he was really enjoying L.A a lot. He already had a few friends here, like Angela and Lena. He only got to see Ana once and it was quite brief, but still appreciated. Everyone he knew was planning to come check out his coffee shop once it opened and he was really looking forward to seeing everyone together.
"I'm actually going tomorrow afternoon, did you want to come?" The cats he was going to get where already put to the side for him, but more hands would be a lot of help.
"If it's after 1pm I can definitely come. Have you asked Lena yet?" Jack shook his head at this, only recently deciding to get the cats tomorrow not even ten minutes ago. "Alright, I'll give her a call before my shift, she's the one with the car so it'd be a lot easier if she would come with us." Angela pipped up happily, having thrown her coffee cup in the trash can they passed.
Cars were zooming by in the late evening night, peoples still bustling around the sidewalks. That was something Jack liked, how no matter the time of day, there would always be people around. It wasn't dead like his rural town in Indiana. There was life here, and it was something he was growing really attached too.
After a few more blocks, they made it to the front doors of the hospital. It was a fairly big building despite being in the smack center of downtown L.A. It was still a few ways to the side, plenty of room for the parking lots littered around. Giving Angela a hug, he waved her goodbye and wished her good luck on her shift.
Once back home, he set about to tidying up the loose pieces of clothing's lithering his floor as well as fixing himself up something quick and easy to eat. The next couple of hours were easily spent just sitting around on his couch, watching reruns of sitcoms he couldn't remember the name of. He had gotten a text from Angela signaling that Lena was all up for helping them, which he thanked both of them afterwards for.
Jack ruffled his short blond hair, extracting a yawn from his mouth as he rubbed tiredly at his blue eyes. He gingerly got up, scratching the back of his head as he made his way to the washroom to prepare himself for sleep. A few minutes later he could be seen cuddled into his large dark blue comforter, a contented sigh leaving him as he rested his head on the pillow, willing sleep to take him away as soon as possible.
He woke up a little bit past two in the morning from what he could vaguely see from his alarm clock, sweat pooling down his face and the back of his neck. His breathing was erratic, heart feeling like it was palpitating straight out of his chest. He rubbed at his eyes feebly, trying to calm his racing heart by taking large gulps of air.
Jack didn't know how long he was laying there in bed, willing his racing mind and heart to slow down. Images flashing across his eyes like a film, re-enacting everything he saw, all that he had experienced during the war.
Time seemed to have passed by in a blur without him noticing. Once everything stopped tingling and he no longer felt like screaming, or how his breath was catching on every exhale, he got himself out of bed. He headed towards the bathroom too cool himself off, wiping the sweat off of his clammy body. He took the cup on the sink and filled it up with cold water, drinking it down like a parched man. Jack splashed a few handfuls of water onto his face, wiping away the sleep and images from his mind.
Sighing to himself dejectedly, he glanced at his reflection in the mirror. He could see how tired he was, all the weariness wearing him down, both scared a large contrast against his now seemingly pale skin. Angela had wanted him to go see a therapist for the longest time, but it just wasn't something he had wanted to do.
Jack was more the type of facing things head own and on his own. He didn't like feeling weak, and telling someone about his feelings only to have them throw pills at him made him feel weak.
Which is why he was here, still having nightmares and severe anxiety and paranoia episodes, not as much or bad as before, but they were still there. Sluggishly tugging himself towards his bedroom, Jack fell to his bed, not even bothering with the blankets or positioning himself correctly. He was so tired of it all, but there was really nothing he could do about it except try and move forward, hope for time to wash it all away.
He was just a cursed man hoping for life to give him a break. Seriously. Any kind of break. Anytime would be nice. He then remembered the cats he was fetching later today and thought to himself, that cats were possibly that small break he needed.
One could only hope, after all.
"I'm so excited to see all those little cuties who'll be at your shop, Jack!" Lena exclaimed, excitement radiating off of her in waves, infecting the other two in the car who were just as excited. When they had picked up Jack, Angela had noticed the dark circles underneath his eyes but decided not to comment, which Jack was grateful for. They were just arriving outside of the humane society, situated a little bit away from the heart of L.A. The trio ushered their way out of the car, bustling over to the doors and stepping inside, hands filled with various cat carriers of all sizes.
They were all suddenly basked in different animal calls from the various animals laying inside the shelter. A worker with a friendly face and smile presented herself to them as Emily. Orange-red hair in a high ponytail with freckles speckled all across her face. She asked them a few questions on why they were there and what they were looking for. Jack decided to take charge and answer her questions, stating that he had been in a few weeks ago about fostering some cats for his shop. She was quite excited that they were finally here and ushered them in the direction of the holding cell where all the cats were placed for pick up.
Once Jack walked through the doors, the cats went crazy. Meow's and purrs as loud as a lawn mower could be heard. Many of them were stepping over one another to rub up against the cages, wanting attention and affection from someone new. Angela and Lena both cooed at how adorable it was, Emily agreeing. Jack couldn't help the grin that spread across his face, rubbing a finger underneath the chin of a small looking black cat called Ace.
"My superior already made a round to your shop and said that everything looked to be in order and that there was enough space to carry seven cats. You also had the proper amount of liter boxes as well as climbing and breathing room for all of them. She asked me to tell you if you're running low on cats to just give us a call and we'll round up the amount you'll need. Of course we'll be making sure each cat is up to standards and are good around people and other cats. These cats range in age from one to about seven years old. The older cats are a lot more laid back while the younger are a bit more adventurous. I'd say you'll really need to keep an eye out on Ace and Shade, both of them being the youngest and most mischievous of the group." Emily was saying, ushering the group into the small room attached to the one that was currently holding all the cats.
Emily stated that she would let the cats get to know the trio just so they wouldn't be as scared for the ride in the car. They were all more than happy and embraced it with open arms, cooing and petting the cats as Emily placed them inside the room. They all decided to take a seat on the floor, watching with happy smiles as all the cats started rubbing against them, their tails tickling their noses more than once. As Emily had said, Ace and Shade were the two who were the most obnoxious, demanding pets and scratches as well as all their attention.
Angela couldn't help but laugh as she watched the little black cat crawling all over Jack, rubbing her head against the underside of his chin, his cheek, before she fully wrapped herself around his neck, clawing at any other cat who tried getting to close.
"Looks like that black cat has already staked her claim on you Jack." Lena giggled out, petting an older orange Tabby cat called Ty. Jack couldn't help but look embarrassed, softly petting the cat's head that was currently wrapped all around him, forcing him to crane his head and back slightly forward so the cat wouldn't fall. They didn't know how much time had passed as they all got acquainted with the cats before it was time to put them into the cat carriers.
All the cats went in without a hitch, Shade, the Maine Coon was the only one who put up some sort of a fuss but went in finally with the aid of a treat. Once they were all safely packed away, Jack went up to talk a bit more with Emily, asking her about all the small details in case the cats were going to be adopted from his store and other small tidbits he should take into consideration.
Once he was done fretting about all the minuscule details, he took two of the carriers and started heading towards the door, saying goodbye to Emily and wishing her the best.
Once all the cats were neatly packed in the car both for safety and efficiency, they started heading out towards the café. Energy buzzing high in the car with all the happy chatter as well as constant cries and purrs from the cats. Jack nestled himself into his seat, watching the scenery pass by him, a serene expression on his face.
It was as if there was finally a part of him that was at peace, simply taking the chance to exist in this simple moment surrounded by his close friends as well as all his new furry companions.
Jack was proud of himself, this had to be the best idea he ever had since his move. Screw fate, and marks and soulmates. He would make his own destiny by his own design, with the power he held in his own two hands.