Chapter Text
The Price of a Soul
Soulmate.
It was something Dick had truly prayed for. Someone who he could share a connection with on such a profound level that he could communicate without words. It seemed like a fairy tale, a story about people’s souls that were made for each other; souls that would connect on an elemental level and generate some power between the individuals in question. A power that could heal or destroy them, a tempest really, a raging storm within that demanded constant control if soulmates were to be in close proximity. A blessing and a curse, because a price had to be paid for something so powerful.
It seemed to be a fantasy, and so few people found their soulmates that it was questioned if it was even a genuine thing. At home, he rarely heard about soulmates, until he went to college. There was a book on ancient religion in the library that covered the basics, attributing the bond to alchemists of old who were trying to harness the power of the earth and heavens and ended up cursed in the process. It had been a fascinating story; in the pursuit of enlightenment, Alchemists had bonded themselves to each other with an element. In doing so they completed themselves, bonding to an individual who was a complete opposite in order to be whole.
Unfortunately, all transmutations -as they called it- came with a cost. One so powerful, a high cost. Bonding two people together without fusing them physically, left two individuals connected by some magical tether- an element: Air, Earth, Fire, Water or some combination of those two. The element would course through them to create the bond, traveling between them in a current, allowing feelings and thoughts to flow along with it. Dangerous, as all power was, but it was mostly dangerous to the individuals connected. It connected their souls, so without management, the power would consume and kill them.
Naturally, people were reluctant to connect with someone who was their polar opposite. The soulmate bond wasn’t something romantic in the early days, the soul was considered a price paid for the access to the powers of God himself. 'Soulmate' became a term sometime during the Victorian era when novelists became fascinated by the occult, and they used a brushstroke to turn something that used to be a warning to not play God into something more akin to a love at first touch. Dick didn’t exactly believe in that, but something in between those two, and maybe his ego was big enough to tell him he could manage it unlike everyone else who tried.
But to have someone you could connect to so intimately? Communicate on a level that was without words, have an understanding so deep it was spiritual? He hungered for it. And soulmate bonds were becoming more commonplace as distant travel became easier. Actually, it became more common now that the world kept going to war. Something, perhaps, about the individuals who walked into death and stared it in the eye and accepted fate. Now that there was another world war on, Dick was actually glad he had never found his, if his soulmate was truly out there. He couldn’t imagine leaving someone you were bonded to, breaking that kind of connection to go to war. Leaving, knowing you may not return, but also knowing that your soulmate could feel instantly when your light was extinguished.
The army, basic training, and the impending war allowed him to finally focus on something other than daydreaming about a future he may never get. He was an athlete, the work and discipline wasn’t something he shied away from, nor was the interest in leading others. So, once basic was finished, he applied for Officer Candidate School.
It was there he thought he had come down with a fever, but it turned out to be something far greater.
“Winters, you’re burning up.”
“Nix, was it?” Dick asked his bunkmate as he stood to get out of bed and shut off the alarm. “I didn’t know you studied medicine at Yale. How could you possibly know my temperature from across the room?”
“Because I can feel you.” Nix had just come in from a night of carousing in the bar. The first day of OCS started in a few hours and last night he arrived and got his room assignment. He dumped off his stuff, made polite introductions, shook hands and felt a little something but thought it was the hot redhead and not some heat starting on a whole other level. Which was why he went out to get drinks with the other guys after Winters declined. The entire night he felt like heat was building and he wondered if he picked up a fever, but coming back to the bunkhouse was like walking into a burning building. “As in...maybe that little introductory handshake last night might have sparked something, like a soulmate connection?”
Dick turned on the light. Oh no. No way his soulmate was a spoiled rich New Jerseyan who spent all night drinking and chain smoked. NO.
“What do you have against New Jersey?” Nix snorted . “I mean, Pennsylvania is up against it, practically spooning it with a wet dirty river barely separating us.”
Dick raised his eyebrows. Oh. He can hear me? ”
“Yeah, I can hear your thoughts and feel you on fucking fire. Not sure what that says about me that I’m more in tuned to this than you are, but right now I think we need to get control of your temperature before you roast us both. “
“How do I do that?” Dick asked sincerely, his mind racing because there was no way this was what it was. No way his soulmate was….”You’re reading my mind again.”
“Winters.” Nix said with a smile. “I’m sure I’m hardly what you dreamed of, but we’re going to put an end to those dreams real quick if you boil us both alive while having an internal crisis about who your soulmate is. And I’m way worse once you get to know me, I promise.”
Dick. Call me Dick.
“Dick, I’m guessing it has something to do with my brain being wired for language? I’ve been raised to be multilingual. It’s second nature. You speak…Amish?”
“No.” Dick frowned at him. “I am not Amish nor do I speak Pennsylvania Dutch.”
“So from what I have read about soulmates is that…” Nix huffed as he read Dick’s thoughts and snapped. “Yes, I read . It was in the course material for OCS, why haven’t you read it?”
“That…” Dick looked over at his pile of books. ‘Management of Elemental Bonds’ was a separate pamphlet that was part of a course they wouldn’t have until next week on working with the assortment of volunteers under their command.
“Is next week’s material, I like to be prepared. I read fast. Actually brushed up on it before I came in here because I suspected something already. I’d say we’re Fire element, considering you’re even hotter than you were when we met. Which is why we have to figure out how to get your temp under control. I know you don’t trust me, but we can’t play with this and figure it out if you’re dead. So, how do you want to do this? Read my mind or fuck nasty on these cots?”
Dick actually laughed and realized that was the point. His ‘fever’ wasn’t as bad now. He thought he heard ‘good boy’ but that was…..oh. It was Nix. In his brain. Nix smiled. No, I don’t have a praise kink, Nix . Nix replied with ‘ Yet’. “If we can get this under control enough to not be late for the first day of class, I suppose I don’t mind seeing what you’re thinking.”
Nix laughed. “Okay, just don’t hurt yourself.”
And that was how he met his soulmate.
Which ended up being the perfect match despite them having nothing in common but the uniforms. They could talk about anything, vocally or telepathically, and connected on so many levels beyond just heat and soul bond. Nix’s mind was incredible, he knew so much and could mentally work on so many levels it was like absorbing an entire library all at once. Nix , despite having no experiences in common with him, became his everything.
Being a bonded pair of soulmates seemed to carve the way for them to the paratroopers together. The best of the best, the elite. It was exactly where the Army wanted two people with mythical power coursing between them. If it wasn’t for Sobel, the training at Toccoa would have been a way to sharpen their skills and figure out exactly what the fire element could do–other than kill them if they let their guard down. As of now, they had no idea if it was something more than the ability to output heat. After that first night, they had managed to control that without another flare up, but it was something that needed constant attention. Tending to that flame, was more like sitting around a campfire discussing everything– from a can of damned peaches to why Stanhope Nixon deserved to rot in hell.
It became second nature to manage it, to reach out to each other. It hardly felt like a curse, more like a gift from God. Dick was able to flood Nix’s mind with the feelings and emotions his rich entitled life had been devoid of and that thrilled Dick to no end. Nix was equally happy to be raunchy and fluster Dick while he tried to overwhelm him with affection and pride. It was their ebb and flow, it was intoxicating in itself.
Despite the paratroopers being elite, and the Army obviously giving an immediate pass to anyone filing for a soulmate bond dog tag, they didn’t encounter other soulmates to compare notes. So it was a literal shock to them when they were doing the dreaded obstacle course to watch Carwood Lipton get blasted off the wall by a Lieutenant from another company. They immediately thought the worst, assuming it was an attack of some kind since joint training could be competitive, but the Lieutenant from Dog company also found himself blown off the wall. Not their concern, Dick and Nix raced over, screaming for a medic and before Lip could get out of the mud all of Easy was surrounding him.
“What the hell was that?” Luz was the first one to ask the question and Lip was still shaking from whatever voltage had passed through him.
“Someone check that wall for a live wire.” Dick instructed.
“Someone might want to check Speirs.” Nix remembered Dog wasn’t too thrilled with the new transfer from Charlie company as he was a little weird and nobody knew why he had been transferred. The guy was great to smoke with though, he didn’t talk your ear off. He felt Dick telling him to go check because he didn't trust the Easy boys to not drown him in the mud for whatever happened to Lip. “I’ll go check.”
“Thank you, Nix.” Dick went to help Lipton up, got a touch of static shock in the process and let go. Lip’s body was still wracked with occasional shake, as if the jolts were aftershocks. “You okay?”
“Yeah, it was the weirdest thing. I reached up to have the Lieutenant pull me up and as soon as I took his hand it was like I grabbed an electric line.”
Dick looked around, nobody knew the significance of that. Oh..wow. So Lipton….found his soulmate? And got electrocuted? What does that mean?
Nix got around the side of the wall just in time to read Dick’s thoughts and he laughed. Speirs was trying to crawl out of the mud, with some help from DiMarzio and Reed. “Hey, Sparky. How you feelin’?”
Ron narrowed his eyes at him, “What did you just call me?”
“Sparky.” Nix pointed to the top of the wall and made sure no wires were visible. “You blasted my noncom off the wall with your soulmate tingles.”
“My what?”
“Shocking, isn’t it?” Nix said.
“Nix, if you don’t stop being a cryptic asshole and tell me what you’re talking about I’m going to haul your ass up there and throw you off.” Speirs said and wiped mud off as best he could while cringing from the aftershocks. “Soulmate?”
“Yeah. Guess you get the electric option, Air and Earth maybe? I don’t know where Lightning falls other than apparently the top of that fucking wall when you two touched. Way more powerful than what Dick and I had, so maybe we should speed through the process of you and Lipton figuring out how to control it before you fry your brains.”
“Lipton?”
“Yeah, sad eyes, big heart, broad shoulders to carry the world and company on. Carwood Lipton.”
“Why the hell would he be stuck with me?”
“Probably a cosmic joke, like Dick getting a rich jerk from New Jersey. But uh, something about opposites attract and polarity and best damned thing you’ve ever had?” Nix raised his eyebrows, that sounded like Sparky knew who Lipton was. Not surprising, Lip was making a name for himself as being one of the best noncoms in the 506th.
Ron wobbled, the jolts still going through him. He was seeing colors and flashes every time he closed his eyes. “Soulmate?”
“Congrats.” Nix said and the two guys keeping Speirs upright seemed to be surprised as well. It was interesting anyone touching Lip got shocked, but Speirs was internalizing it. Probably a statement about personalities but that discussion would come later.
“Now!?”
“Well it’s touch activated.” Nix explained. “Best of the best here in Toccoa right now. Maybe Sink should have us all molest each other before we get to the jump training so nobody takes down a plane.”
“I read the books, Nixon.” Ron put pressure on his eyes, not sure if his eyelids twitching were why he was seeing flashes or not.
“Just didn’t think it would zap you out of nowhere, huh?”
“No, I just don’t need to be sidelined by this obstacle course like the rest of the regiment right now.” Speirs staggered forward. “He, okay?”
Nix asked Dick who just got shocked again as Lipton was apparently untouchable. Dick was starting to panic. “Well, turns out he might be outputting some power himself. So, before he electrocutes someone, maybe you should come see if you guys can get this under control?”
“How?” Ron asked. “How do I turn it off?”
“I let Dick read my mind.”
“Well that’s not going to happen.”
“Sparky, this shit can kill you if you don’t.” Nix lowered his voice, “And it doesn’t matter what you fantasize about because from here on out all your feelings and thoughts are a two way street.”
Carwood Lipton was a good, understanding man, with a heart of gold. Someone Ronald Speirs certainly didn’t deserve, but Lipton most certainly didn’t deserve the rush of things running around his mind either. Their bond demanded it though, the flow of electricity had to be open between them or the circuitry of their physical being would overheat- for Ron it was internal and for Carwood external. Poetic really.
Ron kept his thoughts internal, not a huge talker. His opening volley was probably too powerful but he knew some of the thoughts Lipton would see needed buffered. I prayed for a soulmate, because I know my faults and the notion of a compatible individual being gifted to me, someone who would not be off put by my intensity, someone who I could finally connect to like nobody I’ve ever know, has been something I have wished for from the moment I read about it. Now, I feel like I’ve sentenced you to a punishment of being tied to someone who is ready to do whatever it takes to win this war.
I think I deserve the chance to make up my own mind, don’t you?
My high school classmates could only come up with “He Means Well” as my superlative in our yearbook, if that says anything about what you’re about to discover.
“What did you do ?” Lip asked and started to laugh. That was the most ludicrous thing he had ever heard! He means well!? Who would write that about a classmate!?
And the power began to flow between them, allowing a cautious medic to finally touch Lipton and determine if he was okay.
Ron smiled, the warmth and amusement coming off Lipton was reassuring. His laughter, incredible. Whatever this was, he wanted it.
“Webster’s right, he’s got a pretty mouth.”
Nix, what the hell are you talking about?
“Words, Dick, use words.” Nix said and waved at Speirs trying to gift Lipton something he would take for the tenth time that week. This time, it was a book. And it was receiving more consideration than the cigarettes, stationary, bottle of something that could have been iodine, moonshine or cough syrup, and a variety of other things he conjured out of thin air. Where the hell did Sparky get all that shit in an army base?
“I think you heard my question quite clearly, Lewis.”
“Harvard. David Webster. Private.” Nix clarified. “Maybe he said something like his smile is genuine? I don’t remember, it was a weird thing to inject into the debate about whether or not the Company wants Speirs around Lipton or not.”
“It’s not exactly their choice.”
“Oh, but the hive is buzzing , Dick.” Nix said.
Dick sat down next to him and watched Ron Speirs beam with a smile that was clearly because of whatever Lipton said in response to his gift. “He does have a nice smile.”
“Think Sobel is trying to have him transferred to Easy?”
“Without a doubt. He’s a hell of a soldier from what I’ve seen and heard. Sobel will think he’s getting a minion but I’m not so sure about that.” Dick said. “Turner transferred him out of Charlie company because it turned into the second civil war over there between those two. Other than one being a Yankee and the other a Southerner, nobody was able to clarify what happened. Speirs glared at him enough like he was going to kill him, so Turner might have just gotten rid of him for his own safety. Dog company was suspicious, hasn’t welcomed him. Easy…I’m not sure Sobel is prepared for someone who got transferred away for his CO’s safety.”
“Let him figure that out. If Speirs is coming over, it means one of us gets kicked out or up, Lieutenant wise.”
“Are we pretending I don’t know you’ve been up at Battalion kissing ass?”
“I was hoping to use it to put some pressure on Sobel to stop torturing his company.” Nix said. “And let’s be honest, I’d be a better S-2 than platoon leader.”
“I was just getting somewhere with you.”
“Well, that too. I mean, if I’m at Battalion then we are not working together which means I can do something about all my dirty little thoughts about you in those PT shorts.”
“And there is the real reason.” Dick said with a smile and Nix bumped him with his shoulder.
“Not going anywhere, Dick. Just know moving to S-2 has more benefits than staying here under that tyrant. You want to read my mind about all the positives or just come up with it yourself?”
“I love seeing how many levels you think on, just could tone down the images of my thighs while you do it.”
“No, all bonuses are firmly between images of your thighs.”
“Nix. This is why I keep our conversations in our heads.”
“I thought this should be said, in case you might want to write it off as just thoughts. I want to get a weekend pass to celebrate my promotion and get you one too.” Nix smiled. Give you a lot more than that, Richard.
“Shared dreams aren’t good enough anymore?” Dick asked, because if Nix was sober he had some vivid dreams. They were incredible, imaginative, had taste and smells and passion. It was disorienting to wake up because they were so real.
“Rather jerk you off, honestly.” Nix said. Dreams usually were not solely about getting ice cream at the shore and resulted in waking up horny as hell. Both of them. Talk about no privacy.
“You don’t think this is going to make things more difficult?”
“Knowing how you like to marinate in your thoughts, I think getting physical before you get a new roommate on Monday is going to enhance our connection and make it easier on you.”
“Bullshit.”
“Well, you knew my answer before you asked it so you clearly wanted some bullshit line.” Nix sighed. “No going back Dick, only forward. And I’d rather have no regrets when we do finally fling ourselves out of a plane.”
“This weekend?”
“Yes, sir.”
“It’s a date.” Dick said and felt the excitement bubble between them, pure unfiltered delight and a grin that came with it.
A soulmate, and it was everything he had prayed it would be.