THIRD PERSON POV

Aria held his cheeks between warm palms as he walked down the corridor, trying to hide the pink, flushed flesh behind thin fingers. "I really don't know what's happening Andrea, but something's just... different!"

Said redhead just raised a wary brow at her friend's statement as they strode side-by-side.

Andrea had been surprised to find a message from Thaddeus on her tablet at the end of the day, practically begging her to walk Aria back to their Housing Pod after he was notified of being assigned to overtime at the Construction Unit. Considering Aria was one of her closest friends, Andrea didn't have a problem with helping out, but the desperation evident in the message had thrown her a bit off-kilter.

Andrea didn't like Thaddeus. Based on the stories Aria told her every day during Nutritional Period, she didn't trust the cocky prick as far as she could throw him – hence the reason she'd gone to The Elders about his despicable behavior in the first place. But lately, to her absolute shock and surprise, the man had been acting... well, weird, for lack of a better term.

Kindness. It was far from a characteristic that the brutish man possessed, and yet over the past week and a half, that was all he'd shown toward Aria. The drastic shift in behavior was baffling to say the least, and doubt was a sharp twist in her gut as she prayed that her naive friend wasn't being taken advantage of in some covertly sinister way.

"I sure hope so, Ari." Andrea sighed heavily as the pair rounded the corner, the door to Aria's Housing Pod now in clear view at the end of the corridor. "Just know that I'm here for you, okay? You can tell me anything." She finished, sincerity lacing her tone.

Aria glanced up at his friend, finally allowing his fingers to drop from his cheeks in favor of twisting them nervously in front of his body. "... Anything?"

Andrea's eyes widened at Aria's suggestive tone, and she suddenly yanked her friend out of the flow of foot traffic and into an alcove just big enough to fit the both of them.

"Spill."

"Andrea!" Aria scolded after muttering a quick 'sorry!' to a Society Member who almost tripped due to their quick exodus. "It..." He glanced back into the flow of traffic, trying to avert his gaze from his persuasive friend as he whispered, cheeks reddening once more. "It's... nothing, really."

"Oh cut the crap," The redhead crossed her arms, "I'm not blind, you know. I'll accept an 'I don't really want to talk about it yet,' but there's obviously something on your mind that you're dying to share."

Gnawing gently on his lip, Aria shuffled from foot to foot as he contemplated his options.

Technically, the Elders hadn't told him that he couldn't tell anyone about their... situation. And as every day cut deeper, passing like a scalpel across his skin, it taunted as it whispered, reminding him that they were running terrifyingly low on time.

Ignoring it simply wasn't working anymore, and now, he yearned to share this burden with at least one other person. Someone who wasn't directly involved, someone who could maybe even give him some advice.

Sex and reproduction were something that was heavily touched on in upper level Instructional, and Aria – like the exemplary student he was – paid attention to every second of every lecture, no matter how hard he had to rub his thighs together under his desk to get through it without passing out from embarrassment. But regardless, the idea of actually putting that knowledge to real, hands-on use was...

Aria squeaked out his concern, stomach filling with a million butterflies as his mouth flew open. "I have to have sex with Thad by the end of the week!" The words were a terse whisper, and came out so quickly that they sounded more like a single word than a sentence.

"Woah, woah." Andrea's expression softened as she glanced down at her friend, brows pulling together with concern. She fucking knew that slimy worm Thad was up to something! "Is... is he coercing you to have sex with him?" She spoke gently and carefully through concealed rage, as if trying to placate a skittish animal.

"No, no!" Aria was quick to correct her, hands waving here and there as if trying to scrub the idea from her very mind. "It's nothing like that at all! Well... actually it's kind of something like that, but–"

"That's it, I'm castrating this bitch." Andrea spat, not needing to hear another word to draw a crystal clear conclusion. She went to stalk out of the alcove, but a hard tug on her elbow made her pause.

"No, no! I'm sorry, I'm messing up all of my words! Just give me a second, I'm just so... nervous about this. Please."

Andrea gritted her teeth as she pressed her body back against the wall, needing the pressure of the firm surface to keep from grabbing the closest, sharpest object she could find and exterminating Thaddeus' ability to procreate.

"Sorry, I just..."

Aria shook his head with a sigh, taking a quiet moment to put his thoughts in a single file. "Look, I get it. Thad doesn't exactly have the best track record, so I can see how easy it would be to jump to conclusions. But this time, it really wasn't him, I swear."

Andrea's eye twitched. She'd heard this line so many times before as Aria attempted to defend Thaddeus' actions that it almost made her physically ill. But she was supposed to be listening right now, so she glued her mouth shut and did just that.

"It's..." Aria shuffled again, lowering his voice to the ghost of a whisper for fear of someone overhearing what could be misinterpreted as treasonous speech. "It's The Elders."

A mixture of shock and confusion stunned Andrea into silence for a moment, mouth opening and closing as she tried to comprehend what her friend was insinuating.

"The- The Elders?!" She whisper-yelled back after a moment of senseless sputtering. "There's no way, they would never–"

"When you reported Thad, they gave us very... clear orders." Aria shuddered, remembering the icy depths of Elder Laancaster's eyes as she slithered into his mind, shaking him up beyond repair. "We were given four weeks to mate. And that was..." He hesitated, the urgency of the situation finally settling in now that he was speaking it aloud. "That was three weeks ago."

"What?" Andrea's voice was a picture of disbelief as two parts of her brain warred.

One side reminded her of the truth – that The Elders knew all, and therefore there must have been a good reason for such a rule to be placed on her friend. But then again, another part ached for Aria, knowing that if she were in his position she would have been uneasy as well, no matter how strong her certainty in the reasoning behind The Elders' discretions.

"Andrea, I don't know what to do! I'm so scared, and I– I'm not ready!" Aria shook his head, body trembling with unshed fear.

Blowing out a breath that made a piece of bright red hair fly from the front of her eyes, Andrea leaned down toward her friend, pulling him into a tight hug. Aria instantly clutched her back, burying his face into her upper arm as he tried to stifle out the world around them.

"I'm sorry. I know it's probably so frightening and daunting." Andrea whispered to her friend as she held him, squeezing her own eyes shut as she tried to find the right words. "But if there's one thing that you can count on, it's that The Elders always have your best interests in mind. There's no way they would have given you that order if they didn't know that you possessed the ability to carry it out." She pulled back a little then, settling one hand on Aria's shoulder while using the other to tilt his wobbly chin up to allow their eyes to meet. "Aria, you can do this. The Elders believe in you, and so do I. All that's left is you believing in yourself, too."

Aria sniffled back tears that had yet to be released, nodding resolutely despite his shakiness. He wiped at his eyes with the back of his hands then, blowing out a deep, burdensome breath.

'Keep it together. You're an adult now, a full-fledged Society Member. There is no room for tears.'

"You're right." He finally replied after a few more, shaky breaths, the words still wavering despite the truth of his friend's words. "I just... It's just a lot."

"It is." Andrea soothed, pulling her friend back into her arms. Aria folded back into the soft embrace without protest, allowing himself to be coddled. "Have you talked to Thaddeus about it? I mean, maybe it will help you feel less... alone."

For a long moment, Aria didn't respond.

Talking to Thad about it? A flush, with intensity like no other before it, settled into the small man's cheeks. Sure, they had mentioned the deadline once or twice in passing, but it was never anything more than a clipped acknowledgment of their predicament, the exchange barely even classifying as a conversation.

"Or, I could shove my head above the surface and breathe in the toxic fumes!" Aria practically screeched, anxiety forcing the ridiculous words from his rattled brain. Andrea just giggled, leaning back once more to gently flick her friend's heated forehead.

"We might need to check the integrity of your Housing Pod, because with heretical thoughts like that, I think there might already be some leaking in!" She joked, a lighthearted grin spreading across her cherry-red lips. "Listen Ari, I'm not an Elder, so I don't have all the answers. You don't have to talk to him if you don't want to, but I think it might be nice to know what page you're both on. You never know, you might be doing all of this freaking out for nothing."

Lost in a surplus of thought, Aria just nodded up at his friend, reaching up to squeeze the hand that still rested on his shoulder. "Yeah. Thanks for listening. I've got a lot to think about."

"I can already see the smoke coming out of your ears." Andrea winked, flashing a playful grin before peeking her head out of the alcove to assess the corridor situation. "Think you're ready to go back into the madness or do you need a few more seconds?"

With a gulp and a few rapid blinks, Aria nodded.

"I'm alright, I'm ready."

Andrea flashed her friend another wide smile before swiftly integrating them back into the throng of Society Members on the way back to their own Housing Pods. The small man beside her side practically floated down the hall, lost in an ever-evolving string of uncertainty so bottomless that he literally ran into Andrea's back once she stopped in front of the door leading to his own Pod.

"Ow, sorry." He brought his palm to the tip of his nose to rub out the transient pain of it jamming into Andrea's vertebrae. His friend just whirled around, smile still stretching her lips thin.

"Oops! At least we got here in one piece, that's all that matters!" Pressing a quick kiss to Aria's forehead, preparing for her departure to her own Housing Pod. "Will you be okay by yourself until Thad gets back?"

Aria nodded, half-smile curling the corners of his lips toward the ceiling. "Go home. I've gotta cook dinner anyway, that always helps distract me. I'll be okay"

"Alright, if you say so." Andrea gave her friend one last, lingering look before moving to filter back into the dwindling crowd. At the last second though, she turned, walking backward as she shouted at her friend and held her travel tablet up above heads that were in the way. "Comm me if you need anything!"

Aria just chuckled, smiling back at his friend even though she couldn't see it before tapping his travel tablet to the control panel that made the front door of his Housing Pod slide open.

Relief was palpable as he stepped inside the familiar space, breathing in the mixture of his and Thad's scent that had begun to infuse seamlessly into the quarters. Despite the fact that the Pod was all concrete lines, standard-issue furniture, and shiny control panels, knowing that there was that one, little thing that belonged to both of them – allowing them to make their own mark on the sterile space – was enough to soothe a slice of Aria's stress that he hadn't even noticed was there.

No longer was this place one that he dreaded returning to at the end of a long day on his Work Unit. Now, it felt much more like a home, a place where he didn't have to walk on eggshells every time he stepped through the threshold. A place where he and Thad had grown much closer over the past week... after their kiss.

It still made his stomach flutter to think about how Thaddeus held him like something precious as he devoured his lips and neck that night, dunking Aria head-first into a new world of pleasure and red-hot desire the likes of which he'd never even known existed within the stuffy confines of their sterilized world. It was something that left both a physical andmental mark on the small man, altering the base chemistry of his being into something that felt so much more grown-up and mature.

Thin fingers slipping just underneath the high neckline of his knit sweater, Aria's fingers trailed absentmindedly over the bite mark that lingered there, leaving tiny sparks of excitement in their wake that settled like feathers into the hollow of the small man's stomach.

After kicking off his shoes, Aria almost tripped over his own, socked feet on the way to the kitchen. His hand only briefly vacated his nape to wrap his apron into a secure knot at the back of his waist before promptly beginning the makings of a one-handed dinner. He was unwilling to let go of the place that bore the undeniable proof of Thad's claim, and – unlike the first time Thad's teeth had breached the sacred area – Aria's full consent to it.

Just like he had told Andrea earlier, things were indeed different after the vulnerable act of acceptance they'd shared the week prior. Different in many ways, in fact.

The first of those ways was wholly intangible, a connection that, although unspoken, both Aria and Thad knew existed just as clearly as they knew of their own existence. The sensation was odd, like an itch that just couldn't be scratched, sans the discomfort that came with such a feeling. It was almost better described as a sixth sense... something that let them know that the other was always there, a physical presence lingering in the very back of their mind. And weirdest of all, Aria could have sworn that he could physically feel Thad's emotions through it sometimes, like a completely separate consciousness meshing with his own.

At first, he thought nothing of it, assuming that it was just one or two of his own, rogue thoughts getting loose. But then it began occurring more frequently, sputtering to life randomly throughout the day; a bright flash of anger here, a dull pang of hunger there. And finally, when he definitely heard the telltale sound of Thad's frustrated roar rip through the connection, he knew that it was something else entirely, something almost... mystical.

Over the next few days, he learned that if he focused hard enough on that one channel, he could tune into it like a radio, amplifying the signal. It was something that had made the shift in their relationship that much easier, seeing as to how Aria could practically read the sincerity of Thad's emotions like a book splayed out right in front of him. No matter how intriguing this new bond was, however, he tried not to tap in any more than was necessary to quiet his own hesitancies, prioritizing Thad's privacy above all else.

The second way things had changed was much more upfront. Before his very eyes, Thaddeus had transformed into nothing short of a budding gentleman, going so far as to kiss Aria's cheek every night before they parted to their separate sleeping areas, make both of their lunches so that Aria could sleep longer in the morning, and even help out with dinnerevery night!

Aria's lips stretched into a shy smile as he remembered all of the little things too; the gentle touches, the intermittent side-eyes, the press of Thad's body against his as they cuddled almost every night before bed... It was the stuff like that that really sent shivers cascading down his spine like a waterfall whenever the memories flashed across his mind's eye, and Aria couldn't help but get a little high off of the sensation from time to time.

By the time the bellowing fire in his stomach finally settled to a smoldering sizzle, Aria wiped at his brow with the back of his hand as his gaze settled down on the three-course dinner he'd finished cooking. It was a masterful creation of wild rice and stir-fried veggies, all piled underneath a perfectly seared pork chop.

The scents swirling around the small kitchen were to die for, but even when his mouth started watering with hunger, Aria busied himself with hanging up his apron, tidying up the space, and meticulously setting the dining table with warming plates and cutlery instead. He wouldn't even dream about eating without Thad being home.

... but what to do until he got there?

Twiddling his thumbs by the entryway was an option, but that would probably be considered a bit weird. So instead, the small man shuffled his socked feet, drifting into the living room and settling onto the couch that he suddenly realized he'd never actually sat on since he'd moved into the Pod.

It was fairly soft, the fabric a special blend made to stand the test of time as couples moved in and out of the Housing Pod over the years. It was a deep gray color that left nothing much to be desired, and certain areas displayed the use of previous inhabitants before them. But nonetheless, Aria found himself sinking into the cushions, laying down and breathing in the tantalizing scent infused deep into the threads.

The scent of Thaddeus was so thick there that the small man could almost taste it, and before he could stop it, a small whine slipped through the cracks of his throat as he buried his face into the pillow tucked in the corner.

He couldn't have laid there too long, in fact, he swore it was only a few minutes... but before he could even comprehend that he'd fallen asleep, he was being woken up, the gentle fluttering of lips across the soft slopes of his face and the pressure of Thad's heavy hand on his arm blinking him back to life.

"Bug. I'm home."

Aria stretched his body a little while simultaneously snuggling his cheek into the pillow, as if his brain were warring the pros and cons of staying asleep. But after a few moments of forcing his brain online and stretching his lips into a tiny yawn, his eyes finally fluttered open, and the smaller man grinned a sleepy smile in his Soul Mate's direction.

"Welcome back." Aria greeted quietly, making Thad's soul clench at the sweet words. The fuzzy feeling dragged his lips upward, and he couldn't resist smiling back at his little peach. "I waited for you."

"I noticed. Thank you." Thad responded, pulling his face back from where he had woken Aria up with a series of kisses across his cheeks and forehead. "If you're ever hungry when I'm not here though, eat without me. Don't deprive yourself, you're already skin and bones as it is."

"But... dinner isn't the same without you." Aria pouted gently, and Thad had to pinch his thigh when the small man looked up at him through those long, pretty lashes. Thad was thoroughly convinced those adorable things were the work of the devil himself, or maybe something even more malevolent as they worked magic on his entire system. It didn't help that Aria was also curled up in his makeshift bed right now, mixing that syrupy peach scent deeper in with his own in a way that made the possessive side of his brain do an Irish jig.

"Fine. But a snack at least, if I'm not here."

Aria's smile widened, making his cheeks turn into little soft mounds that Thad longed to brush his thumbs across. "Alright."

"You're not bullshitting me? You promise?"

A giggle suffused the air, and Thad marveled at the sound coupled with the blip of joy that zipped through whatever bizarre, empathetic bond he and Aria now shared.

"You're so silly." Aria teased, pushing up on his arms until he was sitting up. Then, with a single, shining glance at Thad, he stood and began ambling toward the kitchen, where their warm plates still sat waiting atop the dining table.

Thad followed in his exact footsteps like a moth to a flame, jaw twitching as he tried to smother the urge to scream out his frustration. Deep breaths. Deep breaths.

"Aria... You didn't say you promise."

Aria shuffled to the kitchen to grab a few napkins before striding back over to the table. As he placed them down beside each plate, he eyed Thad with a thoroughly amused expression, the large man standing stiffly just a few paces away.

"I'll be fine, Thad. A few hours of hunger isn't going to kill me, you know."

A grumble ripped through the air, and Aria released a startled yelp when he was suddenly yanked against a hard chest, cheeks held captive by warm, calloused hands. Their gazes connected, and Thad's was scalding.

"You don't know that." He countered, hunching over as if to emphasize his desperate plea. It would have been a little scary seeing the large man's eyes flashing with such dominance and determination if it wasn't for the fact that he was throwing a tantrum over literal snacks. "You have to promise me, or else I'll... I'll..."

Aria could sense it then, the thorny tendril of intense worry that poked at the back of his head, letting him in on the uncontrollable trepidation that was definitely filtering in from Thad's side of the bond. Empathy kicked in at that realization and Aria shuffled ever closer, resting a palm against a firm pec as his smile faltered.

"I can... I feel you." Aria offered the notion gently, trying it out despite his uncertainty regarding Thad's response. To his surprise however, the larger man's hands only drifted down from Aria's cheeks to the small of his back. Thad then ticked his jaw, eyes never unlocking from their stare. "You're scared. But you don't have to be."

"... I feel you, too." Thad finally responded after a long moment of hesitation, as if saying the words aloud was like admitting the universe's ultimate secret.

Aria breathed, lips curling back up into a small smile that flickered like a candle as Thad leaned down with closed eyes, resting their foreheads together. "Is that... normal? You know, like between... Soul Mates?"

Thad frowned, fingertips curling into the space just above Aria's butt as he whispered his reply. "I don't know."

A few, unsteady breaths were exchanged between the two, lungs pushing and pulling with a co-dependent type of accuracy. They stayed just like that, wrapped up in a precarious cocoon of incertitude for a long while, neither one wanting to release the other from such a significant embrace. But eventually, Aria's stomach gave him away, gurgling ruthlessly, and with great strength, Thaddeus managed to peel himself away in favor of the greater cause.

"Let's eat, yeah?" He peered down, using one hand to brush a stray tendril of hair behind Aria's ear. The small man's breath hitched as he nodded in agreement, stepping out of the impossible weight of Thad's gravity.

"I made pork chops. With all your favorite seasonings, too!" Aria explained as the pair settled into their chairs, sitting directly beside rather than across from each other at the square table. Another recent development.

"I see. It looks fuckin' great. Thanks, Bug." He praised, reaching over to briefly squeeze Aria's hand before releasing it in search of cutlery, more than ready to dive headfirst into the masterpiece.

Aria flamed, ducking his head at the compliment as he gathered up his own fork and knife. He had never handled compliments well, but getting used to hearing them on such a frequent basis from the same man who used to struggle to utter even a single nice thing was a major adjustment. It seemed like his emotions were just all over the place these days, but luckily they were mostly the good kind.

They ate most of their dinner in silence, which wasn't odd considering how Thad had a tendency to practically inhale Aria's food, leaving zero room for chit-chat. But what was typically a relaxed occasion was anything but for Aria, because this time Andrea's words echoed, bouncing off the jagged edges of his skull as he poked around in his rice.

Have you talked to Thaddeus about it? I mean, maybe it will help you feel less... alone.

Thighs rubbing together, Aria's fingers tightened around his fork.

There was no way to gently bring up the sex at the dinner table. And even if he had the courage to do it, how would he even bring it up!?

'Buddy, how's the sex deadline going?'

'Um, how's your penis?'

'So... when are you gonna fuck me?'

Shaking his head, Aria gnawed his lip, thigh jumping with rapidly unraveling anxiety now as he succumbed to the pits of his own fear-riddled hysteria.

A hand landing on top of his and squeezing made him jump, eyes wide as his head snapped up.

Thad's lips were set in a harsh line, cutlery discarded atop the empty plate in front of him as he stared at Aria with an intensity that left him fidgeting with unease.

"You're scared now, too."

Aria could only look down in response to the truth of Thad's words, toes curling in his socks as his brows pulled together with distress that threatened to eat him alive.

Scrapes were heard as Thad scooted his chair closer, and he continued his trajectory until he was close enough to slide a hand underneath Aria's nervous thigh and drape it over his own. Then, calloused fingers reached out, cupping the same side of Aria's neck that carried his mark.

"Talk to me."

Unbeknownst to him, Thaddeus' pinkie grazed just right across the sensitive divots in his skin, and Aria crumbled.

"I'm so scared, Thad, I don't know what to do. It's like it's just always gnawing at me, burying a hole through my chest and I– I–"

The very moment he spied the way Bug's mouth curved down into a picture of sadness – tears welling up and wetting his bottom lashes – Thad jumped into action as something deep inside of him snarled, yearning to fix it.

Aria was light as air when Thad lifted him from his chair, sliding him into his lap with a swift accuracy that might make one think he'd done it a million times before. Then, he wrapped him up tight, draping his arms around the smaller man like a blanket as he buried his lips into Aria's soft tresses, inhaling him.

"It's about our mating?" Thad predicted, voice low. Aria hesitated as his fingers curled into Thad's jumpsuit, although a large part of him was relieved that his Soul Mate had detected the issue before he was forced to voice it himself.

"Yea." Aria's voice was meek as he leaned in, seeking warmth and consolation as a few tears finally dripped from his trembling cheeks and soaked into his clothing. Thaddeus squeezed his Bug tighter, eyes shutting slowly in a solemn salute.

"I wish... that things were different for us," He whispered into peach-scented strands, voice crackling with emotion, "That we could find each other at our own pace." Aria nodded in agreement, sniffling softly, but remained quiet as Thad continued. The larger man's voice lowered to a dangerous husk. "I would bash their fucking heads in for you, given the chance."

"Thad, don't say that..."

"It's true." He growled back, canines flashing. "Fuck them. Fuck all of them. I wish I could take you away, hide you in a place they would never, ever find you... Just... fuck!" He shouted the last word, voice splintering in such a fitful way that it made Aria's soul lurch.

Face wet and blotchy, he turned it up toward his Soul Mate, noting the watery line of Thad's lower eyelids and the way his strong chin quivered with fury. His jaw, although sharp and imposing, fit perfectly in the soothing cup of Aria's peaceful palms.

"We are better than their violence." He whispered, just as another tear cascaded down his cheek. His entire face was tight, but he forced himself to continue. "And we cannot run when there is nowhere to go."

Thad's teeth ground together, but still he reached up, placing an open palm atop Aria's. "But we have each other."

Aria smiled wetly. "We do. And now, here with you, even though I'm still scared..." He leaned closer, voice shaky. "I want... to try."

Thad's hand tightened around Aria's, chest expanding with a harsh, sobering breath. He almost asked if Aria was sure, if he was absolutely crystal clear about such a monumental decision, but the warm tingle emanating from the back of his skull told him instead.

"I won't hurt you. I promise, I won't."

"I know, Thad."

"I just need you to really, really know."

"Thad..."

"I'm sorry."

"Shh. It's not your fault."

Thad slumped forward, forehead on Aria's shoulder as thick arms wrapped his Soul Mate in a tight, repentant embrace. "I'm sorry."

Aria said nothing in return this time, eyelids fluttering as the apology sank through their bond and tangled them together like warm bodies into blankets.

The two words were so simple, but spoke to a place much deeper than just the impossibly daunting situation they currently found themselves in.

The words came from a place at the very core of Thaddeus, a newly awakened place that craved Aria like the filtered air he breathed. A place that remembered. A place that regretted.

They stayed like this for a long while, as if savoring dwindling moments of freedom and understanding.

They stayed like this until Thaddeus cursed the world a million times.

They stayed like this until Thad finally cradled his Soul Mate close to his chest, pushed up to stand, and carried his heart – his Aria – over the threshold to their bedroom, and through the fiery ring of their shared fate.

__

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