"Yeah, it's so strange, but cool right?" Javier hummed with an emphatic nod, still grinning. Honestly it still amused him that things turned out this way and of all the unbelievable things, that Erik ended up this way. He stole a glance at him before switching his attention back to Elliot and Davvin. "Even Erik never figured out our marks meant this! But...that's fate right?" He hummed low, falling into a rare serious moment, his tone seeming to imply something. His eyes said the comment was meant directly for Davvin. "But what we really want to hear about now is you and Tavis, right guys?!" he exclaimed with an elbow to Erik's side.

Erik regained his usual countenance at that. "Hell yeah! Spill it dude! I know you haven't been messing with us until now." Because then he would have to beat someone up. "Are you guys real or not?"

"Sure, cool, that's the word I'd use for it." He sighed though as he said this, resigned apparently to the situation and to explaining what exactly had transpired between him and Tavis to all three that were gathered. He settled in the arm chair as Elliot moved to sit back between Erik and Javier on the couch.

"Well, first, we never really meant to trick you two. It just, you two bought it hook, line, and sinker when we told you, so we just went with it, which really was the start of things getting out of hand." he sighed, "My friends did not, they called b.s. right away, so we told them the truth."

He then went on to explain Tavis and Corena, and how he'd managed to agree to the arrangement and how it billowed out of control in the varying ways that it had from Erik and Javier to his cousin's wedding. He sighed before explaining the next part, "Anyway, the long and short of it is that all the pretending really meant nothing because the reason everyone believed us is because we're actually soulmates for real." his voice unintentionally fond, "Which would explain why I've been kissing him every chance I got" he paused and ran a hand on his face, "Tavis doesn't know yet though."

Erik and Javier listened to all that Davvin had to say, Javier with a look of awe and excitement and Erik with something like pure shock. And yet he was the first to speak. After a couple seconds of silence, Erik jabbed a finger right at Davvin. "Hah! I knew it! You guys were so real it was impossible not to see! I don't know how anyone could think that was a lie," he added with a snort. Even if one of those people was apparently Elliot. He remembered too well the first time he met Davvin and the moments that he and Tavis shared at the bar.

Javier finally regained himself and nodded with his own grin. He had to agree with Erik and they had photographic proof of the connection between Davvin and Tavis. "Aw wow, they grow up so fast. The soulmates are real soulmates! Ah...but Tavis doesn't know?" he asked with a pause. Tilting his head, he considered that. "Well it's true that Tavis is a stubborn idiot..."

"It takes years of knowing the weird shit Dav gets himself into, sometimes; And what he looks like when he's up to something." Elliot said raising his eyebrows at Erik, "You're just upset that you two didn't question it, babe." he patted Erik on the shoulder as he said this. "We also were the first to tell him the moment we started thinking there was any chance of it being the real deal." He then turned to his best friend, knowing that Davvin was more distressed than he was letting on, "Why don't you tell him?" he asked.

Davvin shook his head, sighing as he ran his hand through his rainbow hair, "It won't work. He'd never believe me in a million years." He groaned, "He's way too stubborn and way too determined that Corena or some equally flighty girl he's gonna hate is going to be his soulmate." He flopped back into the chair, "And I don't know if I can stand to be around him without him knowing...." he whined.

Erik made a face, more upset about Elliot's words than anything else. Of course he'd been right and for good reason. He wasn't upset that he never caught on the others were lying because in reality, they weren't lying. Or at least, to anyone but themselves which was a little confusing in itself. He sighed and sunk down in the couch, his arms crossed. "Aren't you both being idiots now?" he muttered under his breath, not really caring if his words reached Davvin. Probably best if they didn't. Javier got a look in his eyes though and glanced at his soulmates, trying to keep the grin off his face.

"Don't you think we should do something to help them?" he whispered, crazy schemes on his mind. Of course, he was never the sort to successfully come up with such a plan, but decide they needed one? He could do that in a second. He wanted to interfere for the sake of his friends whether they wanted that or not.

Davvin's head whipped around to glare at Javier, something akin to fear in his eyes, "No. No no no. You are not helping. Nope. Not happening." he rushed out words piling on top of each other in a hurry to stop Javier from getting farther than throwing out the suggestion. "I'm sorry, I know what you two helping looks like," he said eyes flicking between Erik and Javier, "And I can only see that making things worse."

Groaning, he turned to look at Elliot, "Seriously, why them two?" he whined, still mourning the fact that he inevitably was going to have to like Javier and Erik because life was weird and the world was way too small.

Elliot laughed, though it was more fond then anything, "Oh come on Dav, don't be a wimp," he then grinned and conspiratorially whispered, completely so Javier and Erik could hear, "Besides it's not like I don't have it handled." He didn't add that Davvin was a pain in the ass himself, he figured that should be obvious to everyone involved.

Javier pouted at Davvin's response. He really did want to help because these people were precious to him in some way or another. And of course, he'd love to have fun doing it. "What did you expect?" Erik muttered to him with a small huff. Despite still sitting too close to Elliot to be just friends, he acted like his usual self. And well, Javier never stopped acting like his usual self. He burst out laughing, covering up his grin behind a hand as he glanced over at Elliot. Handled? Indeed.

"But how can it get worse than pining after an idiot who doesn't even know who his right soulmate is?" Javier pointed out after he just barely got his laughter under control. Rolling his eyes, he gave Davvin a look. "I mean, come on!"

Davvin pouted at Javier, knowing that both he and Tavis had participated in a fair share of idiocy about this whole ordeal, not that he'd actual say any of that to them. "Oh and what, you all had it magically figured out right away? I mean you and Erik have known each other for years, why now you'd suddenly realize, hm?" he asked, trying to throw the attention of of him and Tavis for the time being, maybe not thinking about it for now was better. Elliot shook his head at the exchange between his mates and Davvin, life had just promised to get a whole lot more interesting. He didn't really feel a need to interfere though, so he shifted around and laid his head on Erik's shoulder his leg spreading out to tangle with Javier's.

"Ah! Well that's that's a bit..." Javier mumbled, looking deflated for just a moment, something unusual for him. But then, he already knew he was an idiot and got told that often, so he recovered quickly. "So what? It's all good right. It's the end that matters!" He looked at his soulmates, feeling confident in that.

Erik nodded his head as well before relaxing like Elliot and leaning his head against the other man's. "Anyway Dav...can I call you that? Why did you come here if you didn't want help with your problems? I mean, the fact that the three of us are here together should be proof enough that I can make miracles happen." Perfect little miracles like falling in love with your best friend and a wonderful stranger.

Davvin pouted, he had mostly come to whine and freak out to Elliot. He didn't really expect to find anything else going on, and he didn't really expect help, except maybe processing all the emotions coursing through him. Not that he'd really been thinking about them with the insanity that was his life, but maybe that was for the best. He didn't really want to admit that his only reason was here to whine, so instead he said, "I like talking things through with Ells. It just... makes things better." It was the same type of thing he'd do for Elliot, if he needed it. Or any of their friends. "I don't want to rush Tavis," and that was so very, very honest, "I just don't know how to be around him without telling him. He needs to figure it out on his own." He was absolutely certain on that. Tavis had been aware of something in that moment and so he had to believe that Tavis would get there, and hopefully soon.

Javier pouted. "Well, that's not fun." He didn't say anything more though because in a way, he got it. He understood talking things through with Elliot because without a doubt, he was a good person to come to for that. He also understood not wanting to just tell Tavis although he didn't want to. The need to help still felt strong, but unlike Erik, he didn't jump to 'help' people who didn't want it. "But whatever. It's your soulmate."

Erik dropped his head back against the couch and sighed. "Fine, I'll let it go. Go ahead and talk to Ells if you want, but we're not going anywhere," he stated. Since Javier let the idea of crazy schemes go, he figured he might as well too. It wouldn't be any fun by himself.

Davvin sighed in relief glad he wouldn't have to deal with any crazy schemes on top of everything else. He really didn't need to be worried about that. He smiled at them and nodded, "Thank you," he paused, "And honestly, I think just the distraction of all this has helped." It still kinda stung to know that he couldn't yet be with Tavis in the way he wanted, but he also had to believe that it would happen eventually. They were soulmates for a reason, right? "I'm gonna give Tavis time. He'll get there. I know he will, and I can wait in the meantime."

Elliot smiled at his best friend, knowing he looked much less tense than he walked in the door, who knew that his soulmates would handle the situation so well. He knew that things still need to settle out between Davvin and his mate, and probably through the new dynamic that all their friend groups had to take. But he quite liked the way things seemed to be heading, and he was very happy with his mates.

"We were glad to help!" Javier chimed in. Davvin seemed to have said all he came to though and soon the trio were left alone again. Erik let out a huff.

"Well... that was interesting. Who knew." A grin flashed over his face again as the quiet of the room settled over the room again and they left thoughts of Davvin and Tavis alone, trusting them to get it right. "Now, where were we...?"

After leaving Elliot's apartment, Davvin decided to just head home and sleep. He'd had an eventful and exhausting day, with way to many discoveries and realizations and emotions that he really didn't have energy for much of anything else.

Back at Elliot's apartment, Elliot smiled at Erik, "Hm, I don't know, but I can think of a few things we could do," he said reaching a hand up to stroke Erik's cheek, while his other reached out to pull Javier closer to the both of them.

Tavis found himself almost running home after he parted ways with Davvin. It started out as an ambling, confused walk, then angry steps, until he couldn't contain the panic in him anymore and he threw open the front door to his apartment. "Damn...damn it," he croaked before pacing through the room even before he turned on the lights. He didn't need those anyway. What he needed...but who could he talk to about this? Those two dumb best friends of his weren't worth shit in conversations about feelings and he found he just didn't want to talk to either Erik or Javier.

Tavis froze in the middle of the room. That's right, he knew one person he could talk to about anything. He probably should have called him months ago, when he started this mess with Davvin. Dragging in a deep breath, Tavis flipped through his phone's numbers before coming to the right one. Once it started dialing, he sunk to the floor beside his couch. Memories filled the space behind his closed eyelids--advice and a kind, gentle sort of smile. When his own parents looked at him in disgust, Elias taught him there there were other forms of love out here. He thought he could live like the man, even without a soulmate or love from his parents, but that was always wrong wasn't it?

"Hello. Tavis? It's late isn't it..." the voice broke though his tumbling thoughts.

"Uncle," Tavis breathed out, feeling the thud of his heart relax some. "Sorry, but I didn't know who else to talk to. You see, I met this guy a while ago and it's become a bit of a mess..." Tavis continued to tell about Corena, how he and Davvin engaged in their 'relationship' and then what happened at the church, though with much less attention to detail and emotion than he could have. Elias said very little, just listening to what his nephew had to say despite the hour getting late.

"So now I'm confused. Is it possible for someone besides your soulmate to make you feel like that? Or maybe, there's more than one out there, like a choice? Please tell me I'm just overthinking it," Tavis pleaded.

After a pause, Elias answered. "No, I'm afraid it doesn't work that way. You always were a stubborn one, even when holding a paintbrush," the older man sighed. "You only get one soulmate. That's the point anyway. I know this is hard for you, but Tavis, have you ever considered that you are wrong?"

The words fell on Tavis, the implications silencing him in an instant. Wrong? If someone else said it, he wouldn't listen. But since his uncle said it, he felt the truth sink in, painful and real. Tavis just might possibly be wrong. He didn't know yet, but for the first time since he decided Corena might be his soulmate, he considered he might be wrong. "T-thanks, uncle..." he whispered after nearly a minute of silence. "I've got....some thinking. Talk to you later?"

"...Yeah. I hope you figure things out, kid."

After that, Tavis excused himself from the call and dropped his phone into his lap. He sat there with his head hung late into the night, ignoring needs like warmth when the AC kicked on or sleep. He just sat there and thought. Maybe he didn't quite know things yet, but from now on, he swore to look at the situation with new unclouded eyes. Then, he would finally know who his real soulmate was.

Davvin groaned and flopped back on his bed letting his shirt drop as he did so, obscuring the mark he'd spent the last several minutes staring at. It still seemed hard to believe that the mouth that'd been on his rib cage for so long was because of Tavis. Tavis with all his weirdness and too much personality for one person. Tavis who was an artist in a way that Davvin could never fully understand. Tavis who from the moment they'd met he'd felt drawn to in some inexplicable manner, though he guessed it was explainable now. How he'd immediately felt the need to kiss him then, and every time since, never really able to stop himself from giving in to the temptation. Tavis who was so painfully oblivious to all of this, who thinks fate would hand him someone he would hate.

He stared at his ceiling as he contemplated all this, his mind circling between the mark he knew represented Tavis and the fact that his mark was apparently a flower. Which was perhaps not what he always expected it to be, but he didn't find himself hating it. If only because he couldn't imagine any other mark on Tavis's skin. It was perfect as was. He smiled softly at that, his foul mood fluctuating upwards as it had been the last couple days anytime he really thought about Tavis and all the amazing things that had already happened between them and all the amazing potential.

It was hard for him to stay sad for long, when all he really wanted to do was shout his feelings from the rooftops. It was why he hadn't texted or called Tavis in days, despite his hands straying to his number and their conversations multiple times. He stopped himself every time, afraid he'd say to much. Heck, he'd barely texted his family or friends in the last couple days, instead just going to work and then going back to his apartment. It was, perhaps, a little bit pathetic, but he didn't know what else to do.

After sleep, Tavis felt more level headed. He didn't yet know what he would do, but he also thought he could face it. For a second, he considered talking to Davvin. Funny how that thought immediately jumped into his head, but he rejected it in an instant. He didn't think he could deal with Davvin in a rational way now. That was why he decided to widen his view in the opposite direction--by figuring out who wasn't his soulmate instead of who was. A day after talking to his uncle, Tavis walked across the hall to knock on Corena's door.

"Tavis!" she said in surprise when she opened it. He offered a weak smile before she invited him in. The two made tea, something fruity that didn't sound like a tea at all, before sitting against some bean bag chairs in the main room. Just like that, the two talked. Tavis felt at ease with Corena in a way he hadn't for months now. As strange as that was, he didn't let his mind try to tell him something with it. Somewhere between a comparison of organic beans and an outbreak of influenza in New Guinea, it really hit Tavis.

Corena absolutely was not his soulmate. He didn't hate her, but it didn't feel right in any way at all. None of this trying to put puzzle pieces in the holes they didn't fit in. He couldn't deny this fact anymore. She asked him a question, seeing his distant face, and he just smiled fleetingly. 'It's nothing,' he said. And it wasn't. They talked for a while more after that and she gave him a vase of flowers he had no idea what to do with before he excused himself to do something about dinner. His step felt lighter with this newfound knowledge and after eating, he found himself texting Davvin before he realized it.

'I never thought hanging with Corena would leave me feeling so good! I wanted to share.'

Davvin grabbed his phone when it pinged, heart speeding up when he saw it was Tavis a smile unconsciously coming to his mouth. That smile quickly turned into a frown when he unlocked his phone and actually was able to read the message. He fought the urge to throw his phone across the room, and instead just growled. Literally, how could his mate be so stupid.

He exited the conversation, not even bothering to think of a response, knowing anything he typed would come out sounding fake, because he couldn't pretend to be happy for Tavis being happy around the girl he thought was his soulmate. Instead of replying, he switched over to his contacts and called Phoenix.

When his brother picked up after a couple rings, he skipped any greetings and just said, "I need to forget some stupid stuff, you and Luke want to meet me at the bar in say fifteen or twenty?" he asked, knowing that calling Phoenix would almost guarantee a yes, and less questions than Luke would ask.

"Sure thing, baby bro!" Phoenix said, knowing that once Davvin got drunk enough they'd probably get the story out of him, anyway, so asking right now was pointless "I'll call look and we'll see you there."

Davvin smiled, though it definitely had a bitter twist to it, "Great see you there," he said, and ended the call, already getting up and heading towards the door, not bothering to change or neaten his hair. He was going to get drunk and forget about how thinking about Tavis and Tavis with Corena made him feel, not pick up anyone. He'd never be going to a bar to pick anyone up again, which was a slightly scary thought, but one that he couldn't find himself being truly scared or upset by.

When he didn't get a response, Tavis couldn't help but feel anxious. He tried to ignore it for a couple minutes, but he found himself pacing in his apartment. Where did that euphoria go? That new sense of confidence? It mattered too much that Davvin never answered and he felt too upset to consider why. 'Dav?' he typed out when he couldn't stand it anymore. 'You there Davvin? Respond already. I wasn't done.'

But Davvin didn't respond. Somewhere between his kitchen and bedroom, Tavis slid down to the floor. He just kept staring at his phone like a complete fool, not even knowing why he waited for this response. He should go to sleep or work on his art like he usually did at this hour, but he couldn't even drag up an ounce of artistic muse. Funny that his sculpture was of Davvin in the first place.

Tavis drew his knees up to his chest, the glow of his phone counteracting the night outside. 'Are you angry with me?'

It didn't take Davvin long to reach the bar he and his brothers always met at, and Phoenix and Luke were already waiting outside when he walked to the entrance.

"Hey bro," Phoenix said smiling, though there was a soft edge to it, wondering what his brother wanted to forget, and he hoped no one had died or anything. "You know the deal, when any of us call an emergency drunk night, we lose the right to our phone, so hand it over."

Davvin nodded, knowing it was to keep them from doing anything stupid, and not when his phone made him think of who he really wanted to talk to and made his heart clench. He gave Phoenix his phone without even glimpsing at it to see if he had anymore messages, just wanting to get into the bar.

Luke smiled, "Okay then, let's go in and then maybe you can tell us what's got you upset baby bro."

Davvin scowled at that, not really interested in talking just yet, but as they went into the bar and he had a shot or two and a couple beers, he felt the story starting to spill out of him, unable to really contain it. The whole story, the one his family most definitely did not know, and the one his mother could never know, at least not for the next few years of his life. He told Phoenix and Luke everything, from the pretend nature of it, to thinking he'd fallen in love with someone who wasn't his soulmate, to realizing that Tavis was his mate, to the text message he'd received earlier that night. How he was both elated and hurt and really was having a hard time keeping track of which way was up.

Every detail of their relationship came spilling out of him without second thought, leaving Phoenix and Luke looking more than a little shell-shocked. After all, who had heard of a pretend soulmate relationship and really how could two grown men have been so oblivious, when things had been just a little too perfect.

"The shit you manage to get yourself into Dav," Luke said, disbelieving, suppressing a chuckle, "You've always had that tendency even when you were a little kid." He shook his head, "But you do realize he'll come around. That's what soulmates do. We're drawn to each other. No ifs, ands, or buts. Yeah waiting is gonna suck, but it'll happen. And the rest of us will be there until then."

Waiting got boring, but Tavis still didn't feel like doing much of anything. The sun fully set some time ago and he did make the effort to turn out his lights. Going to his room was too much though so he dropped onto his couch and drifted off there until the wee hours of the morning which some people considered night and he didn't know what to consider with his own messed up sleep schedule. Like that, he drifted off to sleep with his phone on the floor by his feet. A single phrase repeated in his head--'Stupid Davvin'.

The night continued in much the same vein with Davvin drinking entirely too much and his brothers drinking considerably less, though still ending up well on the way to drunk themselves. Eventually the three of them began to wind down and Luke called an Uber to take all of them home. Luke made sure that that he bundled Davvin into bed with water and puke bowl at hand. He set Davvin's phone on the bedside, table fulling expecting his brother to just sleep right through the night.

Davvin did crash for a couple hours, the liquor catching up with him, but after a couple hours he woke, still feeling drunk, but a kind of anxious settling into his gut, a discomfort that made it impossible for him to drift back to sleep. Before he'd even fully registered the thought, he had his phone pressed to his ear, calling Tavis, knowing just hearing the other's voice would settle him.

Tavis jumped from his sleep, knocking a package of printer paper off the arm of his couch where he left it last week. His phone rang and he reached for it with a rub at his eyes. It didn't feel like he slept more than a couple hours. Just who would call him now of all nights? He saw Davvin's ID and for a second, considered not answering the call. But he really couldn't do that. Upset, tired, or worried, he wanted to hear Davvin's voice earlier and that hadn't changed at all. "What do you want?" he snapped in greeting.

Davvin startled at the anger in Tavis's word, wondering what in the heck he could have done to make the other angry. He blinked reactions slowed as he tried to process what to say and then eventually slurred, obviously drunk, "I don't know. I just wanted to talk to you. Say hi. Hear your voice." the impulse to stop that stopped the words that were too much dulled by the alcohol.

"W-wha...um sorry..." Tavis started, feeling bad the second he heard Davvin's voice. Even though he still felt irritated he got ignored and then called like nothing happened, he anxious from the start. This made him feel that way all over again. Until Davvin finished speaking that was. "Hey, are you drunk?" Those words, they couldn't even be real.