This took me forever to write. I'm in love with the Soul Mate au, so I had to write a merome one. also things that were italics and bolded went normal for some reason and im too lazy to go back and fix it so things that were like one or two words on one line are supposed to be fancy.
Warnings: homophobia, homophobic slurs, bullying
Mitch stared at his wrist with so much hatred. This mark on his arm, the stained black ink on his skin. It only gave him ridicules and beatings. No matter what he did, the ink wouldn't come off. He'd scrub his arms to the point of almost bleeding, but the ink was still there. And it would be there for the rest of his life, a small reminder that he was different.
Soulmates, they were called. Two people destined to be together. When a person turns sixteen, their arms will begin to change colors. Somewhere, the name of someone in the world would come up. That person was your soulmate, and you'd have to marry them, have kids with them, love them. Of course, it sometimes didn't work out like that. Soulmates refused to marry each other. They would most likely end up being alone for the rest of their life, an outcast in the world. It was just how things worked.
Mitch pulled the sleeves of his jacket down. He still felt that they were far too short. You could still see his wrists, the ones marked with the name. The name that tortured him everyday. It's not like it mattered if anyone seen his wrists. Everyone knew what name was on his wrists. The name of another male.
Mitch was seen as different. His friends quickly deserted him once they found out. He gained bullies. When he'd walk down a hallway, everyone would stop talking and just stare at him. They'd single him out, all because of a stupid name on his wrist.
Jerome Aceti
The name forever scarred Mitch. This "Jerome" had caused Mitch so much pain. So many bruises, yet they didn't even know each other. All they knew was that they were soulmates.
Mitch wondered if Jerome got bullied, too.
XXX
Jerome was forcefully pushed against a locker, the combination lock digging into his back. His books were scattered across the hallway, but no one cared. No one cared that he was being attacked by some kid he'd never talked to. Not even the teachers. Everyone just quietly watched.
"What's up, fag?" The teen spat. Jerome said nothing. He didn't try to get away. He knew what was coming for him; it happened everyday. On his wrist was the name of a male, and he was seen as different. His personality hadn't changed a bit, but now everyone hated him. They hated him for something he couldn't control.
"Not gonna talk, ya little pussy?" The teen punched Jerome, hard, in the gut. He doubled over in pain. The bell rang, signaling the beginning of class. Everyone quickly dispersed, leaving Jerome alone in the hallway.
He thought about going to the nurse, but he knew she wouldn't do anything for him. No one else in the entire school had a soulmate of the same sex. Jerome was all alone in here. He had no one.
Mitchell Hughes
He gathered his books from the ground, his abdomen still in pain. He cursed the name on wrist as he made his way to class.
XXX
The last bell of the day rang, and Mitch quickly escaped the classroom. He made his way to his locker where he shoved his books inside before closing it. Everyone filtered out of the front doors, and Mitch tried to best to avoid everyone. He didn't need a new bruise to go home with.
He spotted his dad's car and got in.
"Your mother and I have a surprise for you," Mr. Hughes said as he began to drive off.
Mitch raised an eyebrow, "What is it?"
"Now, what kind of surprise would that be if I told you?" Mr. Hughes chuckled. Mitch eased into a smile, something he found hard to do now a days. He was glad that his parents supported him. They didn't care if the name on his wrist was male or female. He was still their son.
"We're going to find your soulmate!" Mrs. Hughes announced. Mitch froze.
"Y-you really don't have to waste money on that," Mitch slowly answered. He didn't want to meet Jerome. This was the guy that ruined his life, even if it wasn't intentional.
"We think this will help you feel better. I'm sure Jerome is going through the exact same thing as you. You both need comfort now." She explained. Mitch sighed. His mother was right. And, he'd have to face Jerome eventually.
The program for finding your soulmate was simple. All you had to do was enter your name and date of birth and your soulmates name. It will locate them and give you a phone number. The only issue was the amount of money it cost. 500 US dollars. It was usually a birthday gift a parent would give to their children.
Mitch typed in his information and soon the program was scanning through its database. Red letters popped up on the screen, "Match Found".
A picture of Jerome showed up, along with his phone number and the town he lives in. Mitch studied the picture. This was the person he was destined to be with, huh? Mitch couldn't deny that this guy was attractive, although he did have a large nose. He lived in Northern New Jersey, USA.
"Not half bad," His mother commented. Mr. Hughes chuckled as Mitch rolled his eyes. "You should call him. Maybe set up a date to meet him?" She suggested.
Mitch stayed quiet. Noticing that her son wasn't going to say anything, she added, "You can't change your destiny." She and Mr. Hughes left the room. Mitch continued to stare at the computer screen; at Jerome's information. He took his cellphone out of his pocket. He just held it, doing nothing for a few minutes. Eventually, he began putting in the number displayed on Jerome's page.
The phone rang. After the first four rings, Mitch thought no one would answer. But then, his heart skipped a beat.
"Hello?"
XXX
Once Jerome got off the bus, he headed toward his house. Neither of his parents cars where there, since they had work. His parents were embarrassed of him. It was just another thing Jerome lived with.
Inside his house, he threw his bag to the ground and headed to the kitchen. He grabbed an icepack out of the freezer and placed it lightly on one of his many bruises. He went up to his room and turned his computer on. A thing he loved to do to get his mind off things was play video games. He opened up Minecraft and entered a hunger games, his favorite mini game.
Vrmm Vrmm
Jerome's phone vibrated from inside his pocket. He paused the game, resulting in his death. Taking the phone out of his pocket, he inspected the number. He hadn't seen it before, and the area code wasn't recognizable. He contemplated answering it, but ended up clicking and button.
"Hello?" He answered. He heard the other take a breathe before talking.
"I-is this Jerome Aceti?" They asked. It was a male, Jerome noted. He was probably around Jerome's age. The called had a bit of uncertainty in their voice.
"Yeah, who's this?" Jerome asked. It was rare that Jerome's phone rang. He didn't have any friends that would call him. Not even his parents called him. He didn't even know why they wasted money on the phone.
There was a long pause of silence. Jerome was curious. Eventually, the person began talking again. "This is your soulmate."
It felt like everything began to move slowly. Jerome's heart pounded, and he could clearly hear the thumping in his head. He stole a glance at his wrist. It was hard to believe that this was happening. His soulmate was on the phone with him.
"Mitchell?" The name left Jerome breathless, and he didn't know why. He didn't know this kid. Why did he feel so different? After all these things that happened because the two were destined to be together, and he feels happy? Relieved? Shouldn't he be wanting to rip this kid's throat out?
Jerome had to remind himself that it wasn't Mitchell's fault.
"Y-yes." Jerome was out of words to say. What was there to say? "Hey, we're supposed to get married and have kids only we cant do that because we're both guys." Jerome would pass on that.
"So..." Mitchell's voice trailed off.
"What's up?" Jerome asked, trying to have a casual conversation.
"My parents bought me the program to find you." Mitchell said.
"My parents would never do that for me. They're embarrassed of me. All because your name is on my wrist." Jerome tried not to say the words with any venom. Once again, it wasn't Mitchell's fault.
" I'm sorry."
More silence.
"You like video games?" Mitchell asked.
"Yeah, I'm actually playing a game right now." Jerome answered.
"What game?"
"Minecraft."
"Really? Dood! We have to play some hunger deans sometime!"
Jerome could feel himself relax. It was obvious that some tension had disappeared. They've found something in common, and they could use that to get to know each other.
"Hunger deans?" Jerome inquired.
"The Hunger Games!" Mitchell yelled. Jerome felt himself smile. Maybe this could work.
XXX
Mitch loaded up the game, Jerome now on speaker phone so that they could play together. They chose a server to play on and entered the same game.
"BajanCanadian?" Jerome read Mitch's IGN.
"I was born in Canada, but I lived in Barbados. Back in Canada now." Mitch explained.
"Hm." Jerome made a noise to show that he was listening.
The in-game timer ticked down from ten, and once it reached zero, all the players sprinted toward the center, looting anything and everything from the chests.
"I got an axe!" Jerome cheered. "Chop, chop!"
"ASFJerome has drawn first blood!" The chat read.
"Alright, Biggums!" Mitch cheered. He almost regretted saying it. It slipped out, but thankfully, Jerome didn't seem to mind. If he did, he didn't show it.
They both met up and traded loot. Mitch's character was decked out in a "lingerie" Chain-mail "Boob Plate" Chest Plate, and a pair of golden pants. Jerome had iron boots and a leather chest. Jerome's character chomped on some raw fish while Mitch scouted the area.
"There!" Mitch made his character hit toward an opponent.
"Lets go chop him up, Biggums!" Jerome said, charging toward the player. Mitch couldn't help but smile. They easily killed the player and split the loot. From chests and other players, Mitch now had almost full iron, a stone sword in his hands. Jerome had full lingerie and a diamond axe.
The death match was coming up, only one more player had to be killed. That didn't take long. Mitch and Jerome hunted him down, and the death match commenced.
"I'm gonna chop chop you with Betty!" Jerome shrieked, charging at Mitch once everyone else was dead.
Mitch let out a battle cry, his sword making contact with Jerome first. Even so, the "You Are Dead." screen showed up on Mitch's monitor.
"ASFJerome has one the Hunger Games!" The game chat read. Jerome and Mitch cheered.
"We have to do this again sometime, Mitchell." Jerome said. Mitch laughed.
"Just call me Mitch, ok, Biggums?"
"Mitch. I like it." Jerome laughed.
Mitch heard the distance call of his mother. He internally sighed. He didn't want to stop talking to Jerome. Not just yet. But, he knew he had to.
"Hey, I gotta go. Can we talk tomorrow?"
"Definitely." Mitch could practically hear his smile. They both said goodbye, and Mitch ended the call.
Yeah, this could work.
XXX
Jerome could not stop thinking about Mitch. He couldn't wait to talk to him tomorrow. He went down the the kitchen to make himself some food. He put the now melted icepack back into the freezer. He wondered how his parents would react when they found out he talked to his soulmate. Would they finally be happy for him?
He didn't care anymore. As long as he had Mitch, he didn't care about anything. The people in his school could stare at him all they wanted, but that name on his wrist that carried so many bad memories finally meant something. It meant something good.
Time seemed to pass by slowly, and all Jerome wanted to do was sleep. The sooner he slept, the soon tomorrow would come. And then he could talk to Mitch again.
As soon as 9 PM rolled around, Jerome thought it'd be an ok time to go to sleep without his parents questioning him. He threw on a pair of pajama bottoms and a white t-shirt before getting into his bed. His mind wandered and buzzed with thoughts, most of the being Mitch. After laying in his bed for what seemed like hours, Jerome decided to check his phone. He wasn't expected texts or missed calls; he had no friends who'd send him them. He figured he could check social media, see how celebs were doing and whatnot.
One New Message From: unknown
The phone lit up Jerome's dark room. The words and the screen made Jerome's heart jump. He clicked on the message, and recognized the number as the one Mitch called from earlier.
"Good night, Jerome. Can't wait to talk to you tomorrow. -Mitch"
Jerome thought of a reply. Nothing came to mind, so he just typed back "Night Mitch" and hoped his soul mate didn't think he was an asshole. Eventually, he was able to fall asleep.
XXX
Beep Beep Beep!
Mitch groaned, and smacked the button on his alarm clock. The alarm stopped, and Mitch flipped out of his bed. Usually, he'd fall back asleep, which led to him almost missing his bus, but today was different. It was Friday, which was an automatic plus. School would be ending next week for summer vacation, which meant Mitch didn't have to deal with people wailing on him.
And, of course, he got to talk to Jerome again! They still weren't close, so Mitch planned to get to know him better. They'd have to get married eventually, so might as well get to know him now.
He got a quick shower and threw on some clothes, a video game shirt and a pair of jeans, and headed to the kitchen. He put a poptart into the toaster as he brushed his hair. He grabbed the heated pastry and headed to the bus stop.
School went by surprising fast. Once he was home, he dialed Jerome's number and waited. It rang a few times before Jerome answered.
"Hey," Mitch could practically hear Jerome's smile.
"I'm happy I got to talk to you again." Mitch said.
"So am I. I could barely sleep last night." Jerome replied. Mitch's cheeks heated up.
"It's hard to believe that one day we'll get married." Mitch murmured.
"Yeah,"
Their conversation went on as any normal one would. They talked about their interests, favorite things, family, friends (Which neither of them had), and so on. They had a lot of things in common. Right now, they were both loading up Minecraft again. They were going to play some other minigames. They joined a server and picked a game.
"You know, summers coming up. Maybe we can meet up?" Mitch suggested.
"I'd love to. But my parents wouldn't really want us in the house, and I can't afford a plane ticket." Jerome sighed.
"I can pay for your plane ticket, and you can come to my house." Mitch offered. He'd do anything to meet Jerome in person.
"Really?" Jerome couldn't help but smile. This could be it. He could meet his soulmate.
"Yeah!"
And so it was settled. In two weeks, Jerome would be traveling up to Montreal, Canada to meet his soulmate.
XXX
Jerome wandered through the airport, looking for the sign with his name on it. He was excited, yet nervous. He'd been talking to Mitch for over two weeks now. School had ended, and he was free to do what he wanted for the summer. When he told his parents about his plans, they were actually happy for him. It was weird. They dropped him off at the airport, and he swore he saw his mom tearing up.
He'd also been doing research on the ink marks, as well as same-sex soulmates. Apparently, years ago, there was three men who had each other name. Each one had two names on their wrists. Their names were Rob, Mat, and Preston. They were made fun of, just as Jerome had been. He could relate to them.
Of course, there were others with same-sex soul mates, both male and female. There were forums and chatrooms filled with same-sex couples from all over the world. They had all went through the bullying, and for once since the ink showed up, Jerome didn't feel so alone in the world. There were people just like him.
Jerome Aceti
He spotted his name. It was written in black sharpie on a piece of computer paper. A teen age boy with messy brown hair. Once their eyes met, they both smiled. Jerome rushed over to him. It was the first time seeing Mitch. He didn't care what he looked like, but damn, Mitch was good looking.
They were both at a loss of words, just staring at each other with huge smiles. People stared as the walked by, but they didn't care. Those people could stare all they wanted, because they'd never be as happy as Jerome and Mitch are.
"This is finally happening," Jerome whispered breathlessly. Mitch nodded, his chocolate eyes sparkling. And his cheekbones, they were a work of art.
"C'mon. My parents are waiting to drive us to my house." Mitch said, pointing his thumb at the airport exit. Jerome nodded and followed the Canadian out of the airport.
XXX
"So, this is where you'll be staying for the next week." Mitch said as they pulled up to the house.
"Wow, it's nice." Jerome commented. He wasn't lying, either. The house was pretty huge and nicely landscaped.
"I'll show you where you'll be sleeping." Mitch said, taking one of Jerome's bags. They walked through the house and up the stairs, to one of the many rooms.
"My parents won't let us share the same room, even though we're going to be together anyway, so you get to stay in the guest room." Mitch told him. Jerome nodded, setting his suitcase on the bed. "My room is directly across the hall, and the bathroom is next to that. Come get me when you're all unpacked."
Mitch left the room, leaving Jerome to unpack his bags. It didn't take long, though. In a few minuets, he was walking into Mitch's room, the teen laying on the bed with an XBox controller in his hand.
"Wanna play some Cod?" Mitch asked. Jerome nodded, taking a seat in the office chair. "Come sit next to me." Mitch patted the bed as he moved over, making room from Jerome. The American didn't reject, laying next to his soulmate. They played videogames together, until Mrs. Hughes called them to dinner.
"Any plans for this week?" Mr. Hughes asked as they ate. Mitch shook his head.
"Not really."
"Well, Your father and I are going out tomorrow, so let us know if you'd like us to take you somewhere before." Mitch nodded and continued eating.
Jerome and Mitch went back to the bedroom and continued playing video games. Eventually, they both grew tired, and the regular tv took up the place of the video games. Mitch flicked lazily through the channels, finding nothing good on. His eyes were tired, and he'd doze off every now and then. Jerome was still by his side, his head resting on Mitch's shoulder. Mr. and Mrs. Hughes didn't bother them, and soon the house was quiet.
"I'm getting tired," Jerome yawned. He moved to get out of Mitch's bed, but the Canadian lightly grabbed his arms.
"Stay here, with me. I mean, If you want to."
Jerome smiled and readjusted his self. He snuggled up to Mitch and that's how the two fell asleep.
XXX
Jerome woke up, Mitch's legs tangled with his own. His soulmate looked adorable as he slept. He was afraid to move; he didn't want to wake him up. He glanced at the clock on Mitch's side table.
It was 10:43 AM. He wondered how late Mitch usually slept. From the weeks they've been talking, Mitch really likes sleep. He told Jerome how he slept at any chance he got, which usually ended up with a teacher yelling at him and everyone else laughing.
Jerome squirmed, suddenly realizing that he really had to pee. Carefully, he moved his legs away from Mitch's. The teen didn't even stir. Jerome snuck away to the bathroom. The house was quiet, so Jerome assumed that Mitch's parents had already left for the day. After relieving himself, Jerome returned to Mitch's room. He climbed back into the bed next to the Canadian. This time, Mitch moved, but he was still asleep. Mitch draped his arms lazily around Jerome, making the American's face hot. Mitch snuggled close to Jerome, nestling his head into his chest. There was a faint smile on his otherwise calm face.
Jerome couldn't deny that he liked the feeling Mitch gave him. He'd been neglected for so long. Jerome couldn't help himself, and he lightly pressed a kiss onto Mitch's forehead. This woke the teen up. His eyes slowly opened. Confusion painted his face, and in seconds he jumped up.
"Jerome, I-I'm sorry-" He tried to sputter out.
"It's fine, Mitch. I liked it." Jerome stated. Mitch paused, still confused. Instead of words, Jerome pulled Mitch close to him, his arms wrapped around the Canadian. Mitch relaxed and smiled. They stayed like that for a while, until the sound on Jerome's stomach sang out.
"Hungry?" Mitch chuckled. Jerome smiled sheepishly. They both moved off the bed and headed to the kitchen. They both poured themselves cereal, neither wanting to cook. They ate quickly before deciding to play some video games.
The games ended with Mitch winning most of them.
"You're cute, you know what?" Jerome commented. Mitch's face immediately heated up. Jerome chuckled. "My point exactly." He pulled Mitch into his lap, and the Canadian didn't oppose.
"I'm so lucky." Mitch smiled, turning toward Jerome's face.
"Why do you say that?"
"I got you as my soul mate." Mitch stated simply. He leaned forward and their lips met. Jerome extended his hand to cup Mitch's cheek. The kiss deepened, and Mitch opened his mouth for Jerome to explore. Jerome allowed his tongue to travel in the teen's mouth. Mitch let out a small moan. They eventually had to break away, to breathe. They were breathless, faces flushed and panting. Even so, they both broke out into huge smiles.
Mitch cuddled into Jerome as the two laid on the couch.
"So, how much longer until we can get married?" Mitch asked jokingly. Jerome laughed, placing a kiss on his forehead. The TV was on, but neither of them were watching. Instead, they were just enjoying each other's company.
"Six more days until you have to go back to New Jersey." Mitch said offhandedly.
"Yeah, it'll suck." Jerome sighed.
"We'll just have to make it great while you're here."
XXX
Jerome had been at Mitch's house for a week. Right now, Mitch's parents were driving him back to the airport. Mitch sat next to him in the back of the car, their fingers intertwined. Jerome had to admit, this had been the best week of his life. Each day they did something different. Jerome never slept in the guest room, but Mr. and Mrs. Hughes didn't seem to mind. Jerome and Mitch had done their formal good-byes at the house, so they wouldn't be discriminated against in public.
The car pulled in front of the airport. Jerome grabbed his bags and got out of the car. Mitch followed behind him.
"I'm gonna miss you so much." Mitch grabbed Jerome and pulled him into a hug, making the America drop his bags.
"I'mma miss you too, Biggums." Jerome replied.
"Text me as soon as you land."
"You'll be the first one." Jerome snuck a quick peck onto Mitch's cheek, making the other blush.
"You better get going before you miss your flight." Mitch told him. Jerome slowly nodded, picking his bags back up and turning toward the airport doors. Even though they'd already said their goodbyes, it was hard for Jerome to leave. It felt like his heart was being ripped as he walked away from his soulmate. He knew if he'd turn back around, he'd burst into tears. He laughed to himself, though it was more dry than for humor. He continued walking through the airport, and with ever step, his heart panged with sadness.
XXX
Mitch stared at his phone for hours. The last message he got was "boarding now". All he wanted was a little message, anything, that let him know his soul mate made it home safe. Finally, after what seemed like forever, his phone lit up.
"Back in Jersey. Missing you so much xoxo" Mitch smiled.
"xoxo? so cliche." He texted back.
"too bad. Gotta deal with it"
Once again, Mitch smiled at his phone. He wished he could touch Jerome, hug him tightly once more. But, they were in different countries, hours apart. Even so, that wouldn't change anything between the two.
For once in his life, Mitch was grateful for the name on his wrist.
Jerome Aceti