Hiding his flushed, teary face by hanging his head low, he dashed as fast as his short legs could carry him. Passing the living room and kitchen in such a rush made them look like a blur in his peripheral vision, and he practically dove into the bedroom once he reached it, tapping the control panel that slid the door closed less than a moment after he stepped foot inside of the safe space. 

The soft sound of the door sealing behind him was the only trigger his brain needed to release the tsunami inside of him, breaths picking up uncontrollably and vision blurring with salty tears as the first sob forced its way out of his small frame. Aria’s back slid down the door as his legs gave out, face crumpling and head tilted back as if it would somehow make the tears fall back into their ducts. 

Aria felt incredibly sad and hopeless at that moment. He knew that it probably seemed ridiculous that he was crying over something as little as a note, but those notes meant so much more to him than anyone could understand. He was so sure that all of the little things he was doing to build up his relationship with Thaddeus would pay off, that Thad would eventually see how dedicated he was and somehow fall in love with him. 

But now, with just a simple sentence, reality came crashing down and he felt that he would surely suffocate under the rubble as a little part of him began to accept the truth. 

The truth that maybe… Thaddeus wasn’t as perfect as Aria once thought. 

The truth that maybe… Thaddeus would never love Aria, no matter how many ways he tried to show him how much he cared. 

Thaddeus and Mitty didn’t miss the distinct pitter-patter of small feet that scurried behind them as if they were on fire, and in that moment Thaddeus released a bitter groan as he realized that he fucked up. 

He was immediately aware of the fact that Bug heard what he’d said, the timing of it all was just too perfect. Thad wanted to curse himself for not being more observant, temples pulsing with annoyance as he realized that he would now have to listen to the sound of Aria’s horrible, feminine-ass sobs through the wall when he tried to sleep tonight. 

Mitty held the glass bottle to his lips, frozen in his spot as his wide, inquisitive eyes shifted from the door of the bedroom where he’d just seen a flurry of brown hair disappear, and back to his best friend who was now manspreading angrily on the couch.

Mit knew his friend well enough to know when he was pissed, and he did not particularly want to stick around to deal with it, as it usually ended with Thad becoming somehow even more narcissistic than his usual egotistical ways. 

“Aaaand I’ll take that as my que to leave.” Mit chuckled with secondhand embarrassment, tilting his head all of the way back to chug the last few sips of his drink before quickly gathering everything back into his bag to sling it over his broad shoulder. “You have some shit to figure out, man. The Elders really aren’t going to like it if they know one of their beloved Soul Mate pairings isn’t working out.” 

“I know.” Thaddeus responded with another large swig of his drink, wishing that he could wash this situation that felt like living in an extended nightmare down his throat along with it. “But I’ll figure something out. I’m fuckin’ Thaddeus Axton, The Elders don’t scare me. No one scares me.” He finished with a grumble, head beginning to feel exceptionally fuzzy as the alcohol began to work its way into his bloodstream. Mit simply sighed at the sight.

“Alright man, I’m out. See you on the Unit the day after tomorrow.” Mit reached out to give Thad a brofist before making his way toward the front door of his friend’s Pod. 

“See you, bro.” Thad replied with a slight slur to his words. 

Mitty took one last look at the closed door of the bedroom before stepping out into the corridor, as if his gaze alone could coax his friend’s Soul Mate out to slap some much-needed sense into Thaddeus. But, knowing that it was just wishful thinking, Mit simply tapped the control panel to slide the door closed behind him. 

The large male quickly made his way down the hallway, flashing a few friendly smiles to the other stragglers in the corridor who were also likely on their way back since Free Period was ending soon. Once he finally reached Housing Pod number six-hundred and ninety-two, he quickly tapped his tablet against the panel and entered the space.

As he stepped inside, Mit was overcome with the sweet smell of his Soul Mate’s sweet perfume and the familiar sight of her wavy, red hair peeking over the couch as she watched The Society News on the Digi-window. 

She turned, smiling brightly at the sight of him in the foyer as he kicked off his Construction Unit shoes, chucking his bag in the corner next to them before making his way over to the couch to plop down beside her. 

“Pod, pause the news.” The redhead instructed so that she could converse with Mit easier, and the digi window froze at the spot she left off on. “Hey, handsome. How was your day?” She inquired, leaning into Mit’s side and tilting her head up to look at him as he draped an arm over her slender shoulders. She could smell the faint scent of alcohol on him, and scrunched up her nose playfully at the stench. “You’ve been partying hard, huh?”

Mit pressed his index and forefinger to the innermost corners of his eyes, shaking his head with a humorless chuckle. “I wish. Instead, I was stuck listening to my best friend whine about his Soul Mate pairing.” Pulling his hand back, Mit finally glanced down at the cute face of his own Mate, leaning down to press a soft kiss to her lips. The action calmed him down immediately, and he tugged her warm body closer into his side. “He’s such a fucking idiot sometimes, but he’s been my friend since age five so you get used to it eventually.” 

“Hmm, I guess there’s multiple couples having problems, then.” She breathed out, pursing her lips in thought. “My good friend from the Early Childhood Instructional Unit has also been getting treated like crap by his mate, it makes me really sad to hear him talk about it…” Andrea trailed off, her heart hurting a bit as she remembered the look on Aria’s face as he told her about what had happened after the Introduction Day dinner. 

Mit sighed, exhaustion hitting him like a train as he leaned his head on top of hers. He felt grateful to the Elders in that moment, happy that they’d paired him so well, as he had zero wishes to be in a situation like Thad’s pairing, or the pairing that Andrea’s friend was apparently in. 

“We got lucky then, huh?” He whispered, turning his head momentarily to press a kiss to the crown of her curly hair that smelled of lavender shampoo, the same shampoo that was sent to each Society member in their biweeky rations. “I’m grateful that The Elders put us together.” 

Andrea smiled fondly as she snuggled up against Mitty, turning her own head to gently press a kiss to his shoulder. “Me too. You’re the best Soul Mate I could have ever asked for. ” 

Mit noticed the slightest skip of his heartbeat at her words, reveling in the gentle comfort that her presence brought him.

As they lounged in one another's arms, Mit couldn’t help but hope that one day his best friend would be able to feel the same level of contentment that he did with his own Soul Mate.

… Maybe one day they would get through that thick ass skull of his.

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