Four/Tobias Eaton Imagines

Throwing Punches

Your knuckles are hurting again.

It had been so long since it last happened that you hoped it might finally be over. Maybe, just maybe, your soulmate was smart enough to stop getting into fights and you could rest easy for once in your life. But no, your fingers are stinging with the aftereffects of another blow, another punch dealt to another unknown victim. At least you aren't feeling any pain other than your hands- at least know he's winning.

You close your eyes, wishing for the umpteenth time that soulmates were connected in some other way. Maybe a sealed envelope with their name written inside or even a thread tying them to you. Literally anything would be preferable over this. What links soulmates in your city is pain, injury. Every blow or scar or paper cut is transferred over to them. You may not bleed out if your soulmate is stabbed, but you'll certainly feel the pain. Your mother used to say that it worked because love is pain, and this is just a physical representation of that. Soulmates come with strings attached, with hurts that you'll always have. This is just a reminder of the hurt you'll share with them. What a perfect, charming, utterly useless system.

You know that technically isn't fair to say. Most other people have no problems with this at all- your mother found your father through a shared scar on their left arm. Your friend is convinced that their soulmate is somewhere in Candor because they keep feeling a pinching pain on their neck, right where the truth serum would be delivered. Your soulmate, instead of leaving an easy-to-follow pattern, simply enjoys getting in fights.

It would be one thing if it was an accident, something that didn't happen often. If they had to use their fists to escape some situation, it could be less frequent, say every other week. However, this is not the case- your soulmate must have a death wish, because you find yourself covered in bruises day after day. Honestly, it's getting a little hard to explain.

The good thing is that your soulmate is at least getting better. The pain usually erupts on your knuckles now instead of your chest or legs, like they're the ones beating someone up instead of getting kicked down themselves. It's all in the small victories, you suppose. Even this is better than before, when they must have been doing something terribly wrong- you kept feeling this sharp pain in long lashes across your back and torso. It makes you shiver to think what they must have been going through to warrant that much pain.

You know that they're older than you by one year, maybe two. You'd felt the cut across your palm when a Choosing Ceremony had taken place, so they've at least selected their faction. You hope they won't be in the middle of another fight in an hour or so- it would certainly be a distraction to feel a knife slice open their hand when they weren't expecting it. You know it was hard to concentrate when your soulmate chose his faction, so you can only hope that it won't slow them down. They may be bothering you by constantly getting into fights, but they're still your soulmate, and you wouldn't want them to lose because of you.

Your friend glances over at you as you stand in line to enter the hall. The Choosing Ceremony will begin in about fifteen minutes, but crowds are already forming around the entrance. "What, are they fighting again?" They ask, and you grimace. "I don't know what's gotten into them. I'm starting to think that they like getting punched." Your friend laughs. "At least you know they're exciting. Ana's soulmate barely gets hurt at all. It's like they've got no personality."

You grin at her, incredulous. "What, and getting hit all the time proves that they're interesting?" Your friend shrugs. "They're willing to do interesting things." You shake your head, still fighting back a laugh. "You're insane."

The Choosing Ceremony runs by faster than expected, each person hurrying to cut their hand so they can look out into the audience and see if someone else winces at the cold metal slicing into their flesh. You've heard of people finding their soulmates in the audience, people who have to hurriedly remember which faction their soulmate chose so they can be with them. Others choose to leave their soulmate behind, deciding that their future faction is more important. You've seen enough disappointed faces to know that the abandoned are often disappointed to be left behind.