Whenever you turned eighteen, you acquired the first word's your soulmate would say to you tattooed somewhere on your body.
James Madison had been waiting for this day since he was fifteen, the last time he had even attempted having a relationship. He woke up that day, and the first thing he did was examined every visible inch of his skin. At last, he found the words he was looking for, 'Oh my God, sorry, I'm kind of in a hurry,' the little words read.
James huffed, that could be anybody anywhere. He tried to put the sentence in the back of his mind as he prepared for yet another horrific day of school. All that day, people stared at him, trying to find the words that had been inked onto his skin. He kept his head down, and tried to avoid talking to anybody. The last thing he wanted was for his soulmate to be somebody at that hell hole.
Thomas Jefferson had had his tiny words inked onto his skin for many years now. He was a sophomore at the College of William and Mary still searching for his other half. It was like every other student had found their perfect match, except for Thomas. He sulked around campus, rolling his eyes constantly at the couples that crowded the place. Even in class, he sat by himself in the back, glaring at the happy couples together.
The words didn't make sense to him, 'No, you're fine.' What? Anybody could say those words to him, literally anybody could be his soulmate. That scared Thomas more than anything.
At the end of the year, James was touring college options in Virginia. He wanted to go to New York, but to appease his parents, he looked at campuses around home. He walked alone, having opted not to go on a tour. They were too crowded, too annoying for his taste. He took in the details of the buildings, noting the students rushing from class to class. Everything there was too busy, too serious for James' taste. He wanted to go somewhere not bustling with life, he wanted to go school where his education was the main priority. He sat on a bench, leaning to look at the sky. He sighed, taking in the blue hues of the sky. College was too scary, too much for him to handle. He wanted to be told what to do with his life, where to go, like his life had been for the past eighteen years.
James finally looked up, deciding he might need to finish walking around. He wrapped his arms around himself, putting his head down. He bit his lip as he walked, being pulled back into reality. He was knocked back a little ways, a pair of strong arms steadying him.
The boy who had ran into him looked as startled as he had, "Oh my God," The boy apologized quickly, letting go of James almost immediately, "Sorry, I'm kind of in a hurry."
James' hurt skipped a beat, and his face flushed. He didn't know what to do, what to say, so naturally he said the first words that came to mind, "No, you're fine."
Thomas went to walk away, but froze upon realizing what the boy had just said. He put his hand over his mouth, walked over to James, grabbed his shirt, and kissed him.
Without a cue, or a word, James automatically kissed the boy who he hadn't caught his name back, "James," He whispered, once he pulled back from the kiss.
Thomas must have looked confused, because James felt obligated to explain.
"J-James," He managed to stutter out, "I-I'm James."
Thomas nodded, releasing his grip on the poor boy, "Thomas," He said, holding out his hand, "Thomas Jefferson."
James shook Thomas' hand, suddenly feeling self-consious under Thomas' gaze. He turned his own gaze to the ground, studying the bricks on the sidewalk.
"Sorry about that rather blunt introduction," Thomas apologized, continuing to look down at James. Had he expected his 'soulmate' to be a guy? No. Had a little part of him been hoping it would be? Hell yes. Especially the boy who was standing in from of him. James was just too perfect in Thomas' eyes. The way his eyes had lit up whenever Thomas had talked to him, his small size, everything and anything about him.
It took everything James had in him not to laugh, "It's fine, enjoyed it," He assured the other boy, still not looking up at the older boy.
Thomas did laugh, titling James' chin up to look at him, "You're allowed to look at me, you know that right?" He asked, giving the younger boy a smile, "I'm not going to bite, I'm not going to harm you in any way. Ever."
James blushed, finally letting his eyes meet Thomas', "Promise?" He whispered, realizing how much of an idiot he must have sounded like.
All Thomas did was reached down to kiss the other boy, before letting his forehead meet James', "I promise on everything I have that I will never do anything, ever, to harm you."
"Aren't you late for something?" James asked quietly, remembering the words that Thomas had first uttered.
The look of realization dawned on Thomas' face as he realized James' words were true. He quickly shook it off, shaking his head along with it, "No, it's fine, I don't have to be there."
"No, go to whatever it is," James urged. Even if he wanted to get to know Thomas better, wanted to spend more time with him, he didn't want to be the reason that Thomas missed something important.
Thomas reached down, taking James' hand. He shrugged, "It's not important," He promised, "Missing one day won't do anything to my grade. I'll be fine."
James still felt guilty, but he had already figured out that arguing with Thomas wouldn't work. He nodded, his gaze returning to the brick walkway.
Thomas kissed the top of James' head, before putting his own chin on top of his head, letting James continue to stare at the ground, "Why are you so nervous, love? Is this not what you wanted?"
"No, no, no, no," James immediately started in, "That's not what I meant at all," He was getting flustered, and he had to take a breath before continuing talking, "I don't know. I just didn't ever think I would find you, and now that I have, what do I do?" He asked quietly, "I don't want to go to school here, Thomas, I just don't. But I don't want to go to New York, and you hate me, or anything."
"Shh," Thomas urged, pulling James closer, "I don't care where you are, I don't care how far away you are from me. I will always be here whenever you get back. I promise," Saying these words to a boy he had just met were a little bizarre, but he knew every word that was coming out of his mouth was true. Was honest.
James didn't respond, instead he just let himself fall into Thomas' grip. He relaxed in the elder's grip, he let himself breathe in Thomas' scent, get used to everything about him.
It didn't matter how far apart they were, how long they went without seeing each other, they were always there to welcome the other home. After all, they were meant to be.