What I feel

Chapter 1

John jumped as pain exploded across his jaw. He recovered quickly, rubbing at the already fading pain. Unfortunately, the sensation was something he was all too familiar with.

"Yo, did your soulmate just get punched again?" Hercules asked from across the room, noting John's movement. John winced as pain blossomed across his ribs.

"Yeah, that dude gets into more fights..." John felt a few more blows land. When he finally met his soulmate, he would probably punch him in the face himself. "He's obviously a very pleasant person," John said sarcastically. Hercules laughed boisterously.

"Hey, you aren't exactly the most level-headed person." Herc reminded him "You used to get into fights all the time."

"Yes, but I grew out of that, I learned a better way to channel my anger."

"Yes, and I'm sure you're soulmate appreciates you getting slammed around the hockey rink on a weekly basis."

"Trust me, getting checked with pads hurts a hell of a lot less than getting punched in the face." John didn't care about his own pain when he got hurt, but he did feel bad for his soulmate. The poor guy had enough of his pain, he didn't need John's as well.

From what John could tell, he soulmate had a rough childhood. While most of his friends felt scraped knees and broken bones at the very worst, John felt hunger pains, life-threatening sickness, and horrible injuries.

"Well, as soon as I meet this guy I am going to tell him to chill. And then suggest he tries out for hockey." Hercules said with a grin.

"Bonjour," Herc and John looked over as Lafayette strolled into their dorm room like he owned the place. He certainly spent more time in their dorm room than he did his own.

"Guess who got into another fight," Herc said as Laf settled onto the bed next to him. Lafayette turned to John and raised his eyebrows.

"Yeah, my charming soulmate. I think it's over now though, and it wasn't one of the bad ones." John's pain had disappeared, although he knew his soulmate, wherever he was, would still be feeling the aftermath of his beating.

"Tsk, we need to find this guy," Lafayette said

"We've tried," John said, slightly defeated. It was clear that wherever his soulmate was, it wasn't anywhere near him. Someone who got into fights on that regular of a basis was bound to get noticed, yet everywhere they asked they came up empty.

"You'll find him, mon ami" Laf assured

"Hopefully before he gets himself killed," John muttered

"Who knows, it's a new school year, maybe he'll be here this year." Hercules offered

"Maybe" John forced himself to be optimistic. He knew that sometimes soulmates never found each other, but he wasn't going to let that happen to him.

*****

Alexander surveyed his bruising jaw with disappointment. He really hated it when he got punched in the face. The bruises always made it blatantly clear that he had been in a fight. It was not at all the impression he had wanted to make at his new school.

Alex had been attending classes at a local college part-time while he worked 2 full-time jobs. After a lot of hard work and a good scholarship, he had been able to afford to transfer to King's College. While it wasn't his first choice, it was a good school and could hopefully help him get into law school.

Now thanks to the idiot he'd met last night, he was going to walk into his new classes sporting a lovely looking bruise.

"Yikes, Jefferson has got a mean right hook." Aaron, his new roommate, commented.

"Eh, I've had worse." Alexander turned from the mirror to find Aaron looking at him appraisingly.

"You know, I've never seen Thomas get that mad. Normally he's the one holding James back. You certainly have a way with words" Aaron commented.

"It's my specialty. Thanks for your help by the way." Alexander said sarcastically, but without much heat.

"I'm sorry, confrontation just isn't my thing." Aaron shrugged

"I've noticed" Alexander muttered under his breath, earning a glare from his roommate, which he ignored. Alex liked Burr just fine, but it hadn't taken him long to figure out that he was someone who didn't like to stir the pot. Aaron would listen to Alexander's rants about various subjects, but he skillfully managed to avoid providing his own opinion. It hadn't surprised Alex one bit when Aaron had stood back and let him fight his own fight with Jefferson.

If Alexander had time for such things, it might occur to him to find a more like-minded friend, but he was a Political Science/Economics double major who was pre-law so he didn't have time for things like friends. Burr was the closest thing he had to a friend and that was okay by him.

Alex was walking back to his desk when he felt like he had run face first into a wall. He stopped and blinked for a few seconds before regaining his composure.

"What just happened?" Aaron asked, looking at Alexander in amusement

"My soulmate plays some kind of physical sport. He or she's always getting thrown around." Alexander said, plopping into his chair. His high pain tolerance meant that he didn't mind the slamming feeling, but he would be lying if he said he understood the point of sports. Yes, he got into fights, but he never went into a situation actively seeking out pain. Alexander would much rather battle verbally, although most of the time his opponents fell short and resorted to fists. Alexander simply didn't understand why someone would seek out an activity that involved getting hurt on a regular basis.

"Your soulmate's a jock? Interesting..." Aaron said, leaving it up for Alex to determine what exactly he had meant by the word interesting.