Thaddeus

"Bro, that's completely fucked."

I grumbled out in annoyance, sitting down at a table across from Mitty and chucking my lunch bag on top of it. Our Construction Unit Training had been pretty uneventful and boring so far, mostly just consisting of basic orientations, and now Lunch Period had just begun. 

"Trust me, I fucking know. I'm convinced that it has to be some kind of fucked up joke, but I'm definitely not laughing." I replied angrily, pressing an irritated thumb and forefinger to my eyes.

"I don't think that the Elders have ever made a fake Soulmate pairing as a joke." my best friend pointed out, unwrapping what looked like a chicken sandwich. 

"Well, what other fuckin' explanation could there be? The Elders can't really expect me to be with that. I mean, look at me." I stated matter-of-factly, gesturing along my body.

"...I'm looking." Mit grinned as he chewed a bite of his sandwich, his green eyes glinting with amusement while he glanced over at my sulking form. "...And I don't see anything special." 

"Oh shut the fuck up, you dick. I don't need your approval to know that I'm hot as hell." I retorted with a crooked grin and a wiggle of my brows, simultaneously flipping him the bird. 

"Yeah, if hot as hell means that you belong there, seeing as to how you're basically Satan." Mitty muttered under his breath before taking another bite of his sandwich and pointing the half-eaten thing at me as he continued.

"Well, it's probably not a joke but maybe the Elders finally caught wind of the fact that you're a cocky piece of shit, and this is their revenge, muahaha!" His words and fake evil laugh were muffled from the large quantity of chicken that he tried to speak around. "If that's really the case, can't say that I blame them. With all due respect my guy, you could stand to get knocked down a few pegs." 

I narrowed my eyes a bit at him but didn't retaliate, knowing deep down that he wasn't necessarily wrong. I knew that I was a bit cockier than the average person, but it was justified because I was, in fact, better than the average person. Not my fault that people got angry when I showed that I knew it. 

"Okay but seriously, just because the fucker might look feminine enough to be a girl doesn't erase the fact that he's a guy, meaning that he has a dick." I emphasized the last word, trying to get Mit to stop trying to stage some intervention for my vanity and focus on the more important matter at hand. 

"The Enforcers will have to beat me black and blue before I touch another dude like that, that's just... ugh." I blanched, not even wanting to consider the possibility of having to touch another man in any kind of sexual manner. In my mind, even the thought of it was simply revolting. 

"But you know what, I've had enough of talking about all of this." I said, all too eager to get the disgusting thoughts out of my head. "Let's talk about you, my man! How are you and your lucky lady? What's her name... like Audrey or something?" I asked as I leaned forward in my chair, grinning across the table at Mit and pulling my lunch bag into my lap just as my stomach began to growl hungrily. 

Yeah, I was definitely regretting skipping breakfast. 

"It's Andrea, and let's just say... she ain't a prude." Mitty wigged his eyebrows suggestively, taking another bite of his sandwich. I grinned wider as I immediately picked up what he was putting down.

"Ayeee, fuck yeah! My man got laid!" I said enthusiastically, reaching across the table to give him a fist bump. "Was it good?" I inquired, simultaneously opening up my lunch bag to see what stuff was packed inside.

"Dude, I can't even begin to describe how good it was. Her tits are huge, and she's got so much stamina it's insane. She even jumped me again in the middle of the night, after we had already fallen asleep..." He rambled on, a glazed look taking over his face as he continued to give a detailed recap of his first night Soul-Bonding with his new Soulmate. 

I zoned out a little bit as I glanced down into my lunch bag, only to let out a quiet groan of exasperation. Inside were many warm, metal containers full of food, and on top of it all was a yet another note.

Dear Thaddeus,

I hope that you are having a great first day at Construction Training and that you enjoy your lunch! I can't wait to see you when you get back! :)

Love, Aria ♡

I cringed as I skimmed my eyes across the paper before I quickly zipped the bag shut and shoved it far away from me so that it slid across the table. That little bug was fucking relentless, acting as if he was some sort of housewife and leaving all these embarrassing ass notes all over the place. 

Regardless of the fact that my stomach felt as if it was going to cave in on itself at any moment from hunger, I quickly decided that there was no way that I was going to eat any of his food. It wasn't worth it. It would probably give that little bug the wrong idea, making him think that I was some kind of homo weirdo like him. 

Just the idea of someone thinking that I might swing that way made me immediately lose any semblance of an appetite, which I was grateful for as my stomach settled down a bit.

So, with the intent of shoving all of my uneaten food into the incinerator after Lunch Period ended, I focused my attention back onto my best friend, who was graphically describing something about how his Soulmate had "gorilla grip." 

I couldn't help the slight pang of jealousy that ate at me as he continued to recap his steamy night, silently cursing the Elders yet again for fucking up my perfect life.

❦ 

The rest of the day of Construction Training passed rather uneventfully, and by four o' clock the PA system was announcing the end of our daily Schedules and the beginning of Free Period. By that time I was completely famished from not eating a single thing all day, and because of that I was also feeling extremely fucking irritated at anything and everyone. That's why, when someone called my name as I trudged my way to the AirLift, I snapped at them with a day's worth of pent-up anger and stress.

"What is it now?" I shouted, my angry tone reflecting how bad my attitude had deteriorated throughout the day. I turned around in my spot, expecting to see the head of my Occupational Training group trying to pull me for one last task. However, my eyes widened in shock as I recognized none other than one of the youngest fledgeling Elders, a man with a salt-and-pepper beard who was probably around the age of fifty, standing behind me with a polite smile on his face. 

"Ah, touchy today, huh?" He began, tapping something on the tablet that he held in his hand before lifting his head to look back at me. "My name is Elder Edergan. I apologize for the sudden interruption into your Free Period, but there is something that has come to the our attention that must be urgently discussed." He continued, the same polite smile on his aging face. He turned, beckoning me to follow him into one of the now empty classrooms in which our Occupational Training was held today and I followed behind him obediently, ignoring the the loud growling of my stomach as the door slid shut behind us. 

"Why are you here? I didn't do anything wrong." I chided with a grumble, crossing my arms against my chest as I stared at the man in front of me. In any normal circumstance I would probably be pissing my pants right now, seeing as to how the High Elders almost never send out their subordinates to do individual 'house calls' unless it was a serious matter. But in that moment I guess I had a death wish, or maybe I was just too pissed off at the Elders to care as I narrowed my eyes at him.

"Ah, if you truly think that then we may have a problem, Mister Axton." Elder Edergan tutted at me and I scowled at the belittling sound. "The Elders were informed that you made an unauthorized, early exit from the Soul Mate Ceremony. Is this correct?" 

I sighed, running a hand down my face as I realized that I had done. In the heat of the moment, I had made the rash decision to up and leave the Ceremony, and not until now did it cross my mind that it would be a complete violation of the Society laws. 

"Yeah, that it is correct. I'm sure you can understand that I was shocked by the news of..." I paused, searching for another word as I refused to call that thing my Soulmate. Still, my teeth clenched together in protest as I came up with a somewhat better word. "...my pairing." 

Although my words to the Elder came out respectfully, I was internally seething as I reminded myself of who was really at fault here. 

That little fucking bug  was the cause of all of this, and at this point I was convinced that he was some sort of expert on knowing how to get on my bad side. If only he wasn't fucking born, then right now I would be returning to my Housing Pod to Soul-Bond with my sexy, female mate. But instead, I was stuck with a fruitcake who was the sole reason why I was going to probably get a mark on my record for violating a Society law. 

You see, the Society worked on a three-strike system. The first strike was usually a warning, a reminder intended to deter you from breaking another law. The second strike was usually a lot more... persuasive, and usually consisted of some sort of physical punishment. However by your third strike, you may as well just kill yourself because the punishment was a mandatory public execution. 

The Elders said that the three-strike system was necessary to keep our home peaceful, which is important considering it is the only one we have due to the Surface being uninhabitable. Luckily the system worked pretty well to keep crime levels practically nonexistent within the Society, considering I could only remember seeing one public execution years ago, when I was around six years old. 

Elder Edergan nodded, tapping something yet again on his tablet before looking me up and down with a familiar expression that I instantly recognized as judgmental, seeing as to how I was usually the one directing it towards others.

"Your feelings on the matter are irrelevant, as you still unlawfully exited a mandatory Society event. Therefore, you will be receiving a first strike warning on your record." I clenched my fist in vexation as I heard my travel tablet chime in my pocket, indicating that the mark was indeed permanently applied to my Society record. 

"Can I go now?" I asked through clenched teeth, eager to get back to my Housing Pod and sleep off this anger before I ended up getting a second strike for strangling someone. Considering the cumulative effects of my interactions with that fucking bug this morning, a long day of training, and now this first strike, I declared this day officially fucked. 

The Elder nodded, gesturing towards the door. "You may, just mind yourself in the future, as I am sure you are well aware of what will happen if you continue to be careless." 

I didn't miss the slightly threatening tone in his voice, but I didn't stick around to ask what it meant. Instead, I whirled on my heel, immediately heading out of the room and towards the AirLift. I impatiently made my way back up to the negative sixth floor, the only thought on my mind being getting some sort of sustenance in me. 

The door to my Housing Pod slid open with a small electric-sounding noise after I scanned my fingerprint, and I was immediately met with the smell of someone cooking.

That fucking guy is making food again? Does he ever fucking stop? I thought as I made a beeline for the kitchen, deciding to make myself a quick sandwich before crashing on the couch. 

"Oh, you're back! How was your Occupational Training? I totally loved mine, the kids were so sweet! The Elders are so smart, they always seem to know exactly what we need, don't you agree?" 

I ignored the high-pitched voice that immediately began yapping away behind me as I threw my empty lunch bag on the counter before turning around and tapping the control panel to open the chiller. I was only slightly surprised to find it chock-full of all different kinds of foods, including the wrapped up remains of my untouched breakfast. 

I, however, ignored all of the rest of the already prepared food, instead pulling out the bread, ham and mayonnaise. Carrying them all to a free counter, I decided that the three ingredients would be enough to make myself at least a half-decent sandwich. 

I could see the little bug in the corner of my eye as he stood by the stove in his pink apron, a spatula in hand. His eyes widened as he stared at me with an incredulous look while I haphazardly began to assemble my dinner.

"Dinner is almost ready, you don't have to eat... that..." Aria said gently, although it was very obvious that he was more than perturbed by my choice of food, especially when there were tons of options in the chiller that rivaled the fine cuisine that the Elders provided on Founders Day. Regardless of that fact, there was no way that I was going to give him the satisfaction of me eating his pity food, especially after he not only ruined my life, but also caused me to get a strike on my previously crystal clean record. 

I continued to ignore him, acting as if he didn't even exist as I spread the mayo around on the bread. His eyes were like wide saucers as he stared at me, waiting patiently for a reply. A few moments passed with only the crackling sound of the food he was cooking before he apparently decided to take a few, wary steps towards me when he realized that my lack of reply was deliberate.

"Are you alright, Thad? Is something wrong?" 

My muscles began to tense in raw annoyance as I felt him move even closer, practically tearing the package of ham in half as I wrestled with it in an effort to get it out as fast as possible. 

"If there's something wrong I will try my best to help you, just tell me and-" 

I suddenly whirled around, roughly yanking may arm away from him I felt his fingertips on me. It was probably meant to be a comforting gesture, but in that moment it felt like nothing more than an unwelcome violation of my personal space.

"Don't FUCKING touch me." I roared, staring down at the little bug with rage in my eyes. Aria jumped away from me a little, shrinking underneath my intense gaze as he realized just how angry I was. I, on the other hand, feeling satisfied with the outcome, went to turn back to my task, only to turn back around when he began to speak again.

"I-I'm sorry." the little bug tried to keep his voice steady but it audibly cracked as he took more steps away from me, pieces of wavy hair sliding over his shoulder as he hung his head low. "I was just trying to help..." 

"Trying to help?" I scoffed, feeling offended that he would even think that that's what he was doing. "You aren't helping me at all. In fact, you're the fucking reason I got a strike on my record today, so cut the little innocent fucking housewife act, because it's not going to work on me." I turned back around after I finished my rant, my blood boiling as I smashed the second piece of bread down on top of my finished sandwich.

"Y-you got a strike because of me? H-how? If it was my fault, I'll go to the Elders and tell them right now, just let me grab my tablet!" He went to scurry out of the kitchen, but before he could I reached out with one arm, smashing it beside his head and blocking his exit as I trapped him against the wall. 

The small boy stilled underneath me, and I smirked in satisfaction as I noticed that both of his small hands were clutched together against his chest and trembling with fear. Being so close to him, I noticed that he smelled like food, particularly of some kind of vegetable dish, which was probably what he was busy cooking on the stove before I arrived. Hiding just below that scent was what was probably his natural smell, which surprisingly reminded me of my favorite dessert - peach turnovers. His wide brown eyes held an emotion that I couldn't quite place and I leaned in closer with the intention of using my much larger size as an intimidation tactic.

"Listen, Bug." I said sternly, locking my eyes with his and narrowing them dangerously to drive home my point. "You've made my life enough of a mess already. So just stop before you create any more problems, got it?" 

Apparently my intimidation worked like a charm as the smaller boy only let out a small whimper, nodding his head vigorously at my words. I took that as an indication that he got the message, so, satisfied with my work, I pushed away from the wall, freeing him from the cage of my body. 

Aria quickly scurried away, running out of the kitchen without a word, and I snatched my sandwich up from the countertop with a grin of satisfaction as I heard the door to the bedroom slide shut. 

Well, that was easy. 

If I knew that's all that it would take for him to leave me the fuck alone, I would've done it the moment that I met the guy.

With a shrug of indifference, I walked into the living room and plopped down onto the couch. It only took a few bites for me to finish the sandwich considering how hungry I was all day, and after I finished every little morsel, I undressed to my boxers before settling back onto the couch. 

My eyes felt heavy as soon as my head hit the pillow, taking in the evening scene displayed on the digi-windows as my lids wilted closed. 

As I drifted to sleep, I could've sworn that I heard soft, muffled sobs echo their way into the living room.

__

Yep, Thad is an asshole. That is all :)

Please vote and let me know what you thought of this chapter! Love you all!

xoxo, Alex ♡