Dark Hearts

[Dragongal]

There it was. Em chuckled. "Ah, finally you get around to the direct words. No. I'm sure your apartment is very nice, but no thank you." 


Eli looked Mason in the eyes, then down at the table. "I.... Well, I actually am...." Unfortunate to disappoint such a cute guy, but he had to be honest.

 

[sugakookie]

Matt frowns. "Why not? Is it me? I'm not all that you were looking for, huh?" Matt asks, trying not to get offended.


Well, crap. Mason looks apologetic. "Sorry, I was a little insensitive. Um, thank you. Have a nice day." Mason stands and takes the baseball cap he brought. He puts it on and pulls it down to cover a fraction of his face. He doesn't look Eli in the eyes anymore. He quickly leaves the restaurant, not wanting to be feeling awkward anymore.

 

[Dragongal]

Wow. Suddenly very prideful. His charms were wearing thin. Had he really expected her to just climb into bed with him? Why was he the one who was insulted? "Excuse me? You said that this wasn't even a date - and you have a girlfriend. I'm not just some cheap side-bitch. It's not you that's the issue,  it's the fact that I still hardly know you!"


All Eli could say before Mason left was a quick, "No, it's okay -" before he was gone. He sighed and started clearing Mason's table. Eli had just finished cleaning it up when the next customer walked in - this one, a frequent visitor that Eli knew. Without even waiting for the hostess, who the guest just smiled to, he took his seat. His hair was curly, black,  and cut on the short side. He wore a black jacket over a white t-shirt and blue jeans. Numerous long necklaces hung around his neck. The most striking feature about him wasn't his pale skin or wiry frame, but rather, his sparking silver-blue eyes. When Eli approached, Conroy looked up to him and grinned. "Good afternoon, Eli!" Suddenly he paused. "Wait, why are you so quiet and sullen?"


Eli mumbled back, "Why are you so happy and chipper?"


Conroy raised an eyebrow. "I just got a call from an old friend - now, what's the matter with you?"


What was the matter with Eli? He didn't even know the answer himself. "I was serving this guy. It'll sound crazy, but our hands touched, and... and like, our perspectives switched. He saw it too."


Immediately, Conroy's expression turned to shock. "Shit, that was your soulmate! You know who he was, right? You have to go find him!"

 

[sugakookie]

"You're not a side bitch, I never said you would be." Matt says nothing more and finishes his coffee. He stares at the empty mug and tries to get his thoughts in order. Why was he being like this? If he wanted a one night stand he should go to a club like usual. Matt sighs, unsure what else to say.


Mason walks down the street toward his red with black racing stripes 1969 Camaro. Why did he want to go back and see Eli again? It didn't make sense. He wasn't gay, or even bi, and that soulmate stuff was complete bullshit. With a huff, Mason sits in his Camaro and starts the engine. "Calm the fuck down, Mace. You're just freaked out," He says to himself. Mason doesn't usually have to talk to himself, but in this situation it seems appropriate. He hits the steering wheel in frustration, then drives off before he can change his mind and go back into the restaurant.

 

[Dragongal]

It had been kind of insinuated. What had happened to make him flip from being so nice and charming to being so aggressive? "I'm sorry, but that's kind of what I'm going to assume when you yourself said this isn't a date and you then invite me to your apartment - while you're dating another girl. Sorry, but I'm not a sex-on-the-first-date kind of girl, much less on some half-date." Truly, she had her own reasons for being "classy" that weren't just social standards - but he didn't need to know that. "Look, it's not like I suddenly hate you or anything, but... if that's the only reason that you wanted to talk to me, then... I'm sorry."


Eli quickly shook his head. "He read that off Google too, we're pretty sure it's BS, I mean, he's straight - "


Such a response elicited a groan from Conroy. "No, no, no, he's not straight, he's your soulmate. I didn't read this off of some internet page, I know this for a fact."


Conroy's certain tone took Eli back a bit. "Wha- well, how do you know, then? Your religious studies?" Eli was referencing the small number of talks Conroy had had on previous occasions when Roy had brought large dusty books - hell, nearly tomes -  to study.


"Sure, call it that, call it anything that will get you to get him back. This stuff is legit, it's traceable to the beginning of history, and you ought to count yourself lucky. Plenty of people never meet their soulmate." Roy himself had yet to meet his. He could only hope that one day he would.

 

[sugakookie]

Matt could feel himself closing off. He never understood emotions, he never knew what they meant. He didn't like being confused. Matt wanted out, and fast. He was always the type to run away from things that didn't sit right, or that he couldn't explain. "Let me remind you that you are the one who wanted to talk to me. I'm not who you want me to be. I... think I'm going to go. Thank you for this." Matt stands and puts a ten dollar bill on the table, then walks away from the table and out the door.


Fuck this. Mason can't take it. He needs answers, he needs to figure out what's happening. He's only a block and a half away from his home when he makes a sharp U-turn and speeds back to the restaurant. Eli's face is stuck in his head, and something inside of him is telling him to go back and see him. It felt deeper than his conscience. Mason parks sloppily and runs back to the restaurant.

 

[Dragongal]

So, was that why he wanted to study psychology so much? Because he didn't seem to understand himself? Within a few minutes his attitude had changed multiple times. Determned not to leave this one a bad note, Emmalia got up from her seat and followed him out. "Matthew, please, hold on a second. It's not who I want you to be - I just don't even know you in the first place." To get his attention, she reached out and took his hand, touching him for the first time.


Eli's head jerked up as he saw Mason running into the restaurant. Conroy looked up to Eli, then to Mason, and put two and two together and grinned.

 

[sugakookie]

The moment that Emmalia touches Matt, something that seriously freaks Matt out happens. He seems to see himself through her eyes. Matt is frozen, unsure if he should move or what. The vision change comes and goes in a flash, and Matt is left standing and staring at Emmalia. What just happened? He was absolutely speechless. He had seen himself, his whole body, as if he was looking through someone else's eyes.


Mason looks awkward and ignores the hostess, walking straight over to Eli. "What if it's real?" He asks, no hello or anything. His eyes are desperate for something- anything to calm his concern.

 

[Dragongal]

The same vision flashed in Emmalia's head and she tugged her hand back like she had been burned. Was her skin really so pale and her eyes such a deep green? It had been too long since she'd seen herself in a mirror..... "W-what...?"


It was a good question. Eli blushed crimson and smiled shyly, then shrugged a bit and quietly said, "There are worse fates than to be gay.... And... if-if I may... I don't think I'd mind being your soulmate...."

 

[sugakookie]

"You saw it too? Shit, that was weird." Matt takes a step back. This hallucination of sorts strikes him as familiar- as if he's heard or read about it somewhere, somehow.


Mason furrows his eyebrows and glances at Roy, then looks back at Eli. "Can we talk in private..? I'm not sure I want anyone to eavesdrop." He was under the assumption that Roy was just another customer who knew nothing.

 

[Dragongal]

Through happenstance, Em didn't know what it was either. It was unsettling and strange and couldn't be coincidence that they both had seen that at the exact same instant. "Maybe we should stay together until we figure out what that was...."


Roy huffed quietly, though he was grinning still. Eli nodded and guided Mason to a secluded corner of the diner.

 

[sugakookie]

"Maybe we definitely shouldn't stay together, because I don't know about you but I don't need weird supernatural shit to happen to me today. It's a bad omen. I have work tonight." Matt proceeds to leaving the cafe, again running away from confusion. He didn't care what it was, he'd ask around later. He just didn't want to be in an uncomfortable situation.


"Look, you're really nice and all, but I'm not gay, and I don't even think you'd want me. I think we should just be friends if we have that kind of connection, you know?" He left out the part about himself thinking Eli was pretty. Like, really, really pretty.

 

[Dragongal]

This time when Matt ran off, Em didn't try to stop him. They had each other's numbers, after all. It wasn't like they'd never speak again. 


Eli smiled shyly. "If just friends is what you want, then we can be just friends. Though I don't know why you think I wouldn't want you."

 

[sugakookie]

Matt sits in his car and stays there for about five minutes before finally driving off. He's tired- exhausted, actually. He decides to start his current job a little early and calls his client to talk about it while driving.


"It's... complicated. But I don't want you to get your hopes up for something that won't happen, so friends is... fine." Mason takes a relieved breath, as if he just figured out his life. He looks less stressed. "Yeah. We should go do something someday." Mason takes out his phone. "What's your number?"

 

[Dragongal]

Suddenly finding two hours of free time on her hands, Em left the cafe and started walking. She glanced in the windows at some stores and just thought. A woman passed in the reflection and Em watched her pass in the glass with envy. 


Eli simply smiled and gave Mason his number. Before returning to work, he quietly said, "I'd love to go and do something sometime. Feel free to call me up anytime." Despite really liking Mason and thinking he was cute, he wasn't about to push himself on him. 

 

[sugakookie]

The next day, Matt ignores his phone completely for most of the day. He knows that he has no work, and doesn't want to take a new job just yet. He also suspects Emmalia might call him again, and doesn't want to deal with that happening. He read about what he saw online and asked some close friends, including his father, about it. He learned that what Emmalia and Matt experienced together was some sort of soulmate bonding. Matt didn't want to believe it, but the more time he spent alone that day the more logical it seemed. Well, logically illogical. Matt went to some classes that day and thought about Emmalia. He ate lunch and thought about Emmalia. He drank coffee before his final class and thought about Emmalia. He sat in his car after his last class and, again, thought about Emmalia. Realizing what his mind has been on all day, Matt lets out a loud yell and puts his forehead on the edge of the steering wheel. Why was he like this? He glances at the glove compartment, remembering that he had put his phone in there. He wonders for a brief second if Desaray had tried calling him, then wondered if Emmalia was even trying to contact him after yesterday.


Mason called Eli the morning after they met and asked when he got off work. They planned a trip to the movie theater together that same afternoon. Eli gets off his shift and goes right home to change, and Mason came over an hour later to pick him up. He parks outside of Eli's place and texts him to let him know he's waiting. It occurred to him then that Mason had no idea how old Eli was, or whether or not he lived with his family. Mason makes a mental note to ask him about all of that a little later. Mason has on a bit baggy dark gray t shirt with a pocket on the chest, slim fit black jeans, reddish brown chealsea boots, and a soft, slightly large black leather jacket with a fabric hood. He remembered to put on cologne and do his hair nicely. Was he subconsciously trying to impress Eli? Mason wasn't sure, though the thought did cross his mind. He opted against lingering on that thought too much, though.

 

[Dragongal]

The most Emmalia had done was sent Matt a text, and it merely said that they should meet up and talk - or at the least, call. For most of the day, she had him on her mind, despite wanting to be able to focus. At one point a customer had looked vaguely like Matt, and in a moment of surprise, she had dropped a flower arrangement and then had to spend a half an hour fixing it. She had put the effort out to talk to him - but he needed to respond. 


Eli checked his phone and smiled, then went down to get in Mason's car. Movies were comfy occasions, so he dressed to the occasjon, in loose jeans and a soft sweater. He smiled and got into the car. Mason looked... good. "Hey there! How was your day?"

 

[sugakookie]

After a lot of inner debate, Matt takes out his phone and sees three missed calls all from Desaray, and 9 texts, five of them being from Desaray. He ignored her texts and went straight to the one that caught his eye. Emmalia. He quickly opens the text and stares at it for a solid minute before responding, 'I'm free now' but then he deletes it, and writes instead, 'My classes just ended. If you want-' he cuts that short, deleing up until 'ended.' With some thought, he deletes that, too, and writes instead, 'Hi' and sends it.


Mason smiles. Eli looked adorable, but Mason quickly scolded himself at the thought. "Hey, my day was pretty average. Practice was tough but that's expected. What about yours?" Mason asks and drives off as soon as Eli has his seatbelt on.

 

[Dragongal]

Matt wasn't the only one who had done some research. Emmalia had too, and she didn't want to believe that they were soulmates - she didn't want to believe that she had a soul mate. But the evidence was... compelling. When Matt texted her, she was laying in her bed, not asleep, just... resting. Thinking. Existing. Seeing Matt's name on the text made her heart flutter, and she had to struggle to not immediately respond. What should she say, anyway? In the end she typed out, "Hey there " and left it at that. She hoped the smiley would let him know that she wasn't mad at him. 


How was his day? Not too bad, in his mind. Roy had arrived again and had talked to him about the soulmate stuff - among other things. But Eli didn't want to mention that, he didnt want to scare Mason off. If nothing else... at least he could have Mason as his friend.... "Mine was pretty good. I had some frequent customers that I've come to know, so that was nice. I'm afraid my day isn't as exciting as yours."

 

[sugakookie]

Matt is slightly thrown off by the smiley, but finds himself smiling a little. His heart flutters. "What are you up to?" Matt types and sends, then puts his phone in the cup holder next to him and drives home, constantly glancing to see if Emmalia texted back.


"Trust me, I'm jealous of your normal human life," Mason chuckles. "Being an Olympic athlete can be awful sometimes. I think I'm going to give myself a break from training for awhile after this week, maybe I'll just go to the gym 5 days a week or something. I love running, but you're lucky you don't have to train at my level every day," Mason huffs and touches his thigh. "My thigh is rock hard, seriously. I'm convinced there's not an ounce of fat in me and it sucks because I feel like Dwayne Johnson or something, and that is not attractive.

 

[Dragongal]

This was one occasions where Emmalia didn't want to tell the truth... but why not? "Relaxing at home. You?"


A normal life wasn't all that great for a waiter trying to get through college to be a teacher - hell, to be a teacher and be openly gay was going to be an issue of its own. Not that that was the most pressing issue. He tried hard not to look at Mason's thighs for too long, but it was difficult. "Hey, I think awesome thighs are good, and I've never seen you shirtless, but I'm sure you look good." To cover himself, he said, "Just saying the obligatory compliments of the gay friend here."

 

[sugakookie]

"Sitting in my car, missing you" Matt sends the text, not caring if it's too forward. He finds himself blushing a bit and puts down his phone, starting to drive home.


Mason genuinely laughs and looks at Eli. "If you were a girl, I think I'd really like you." That probably wasn't the best thing to say, but he was saying what he was thinking. It doesn't take long before they're near the movie theater.

 

[Dragongal]

In response to the text, Em couldn't help but slightly blush. At least she knew he still was interested in her. Maybe that soulmate stuff wasn't all false? Not knowing he was driving, she replied, "We can get together and meet up to talk again."


Hm. If he were a girl. That just made Eli feel wonderful. Not that he minded much, he was used to varying comments along those lines. "And if I were a girl, I would definitely pursue." Once at the theatre, Eli could see in the light that there was some bruising on Mason's arms, but he decided not to say anything until they left the movie.

 

[sugakookie]

Matt picks up his phone and types, "Want me to pick you up now?" Before setting it back down and focusing on the road again.


Mason sees that his bruises are visible and tugs the sleeves of his jacket down. It looks like someone had grabbed his wrist, and bruised trailed up his forearm and had disappeared under the leather of his jacket until he pulled the sleeves down. The two of them get seats in a theater where the seats reclined like beds and there were two seats separated by a folding armrest. They pay for themselves to avoid awkwardness. Mason and Eli get that one, then go to wait in line for snacks. Mason has his baseball cap tucked tightly near his eyes. "How old are you, anyway?" Mason asks Eli, chuckling. "I hardly know a thing about you."

 

[Dragongal]

What did he have in mind, though? "Well, sure, as long as we're just meeting to talk and all. Here's my address." She didn't want to give him the wrong idea.


Eli couldn't help but wish that that folding armrest was up - but he didn't say anything at all. When asked about his age, Eli simply said, "I'm nineteen. And I suppose there's still a lot we don't know about each other."