The tired trope of one’s soulmate written somewhere on their body, the handwriting unique and from the match’s own hand. Sometimes it doesn’t appear right away. There are those who age into their twenties, thirties, forties before it appears. Sometimes there are multiple names that appear for poly folks. Sometimes they don’t appear at all for those who aren’t romantically and/or sexually inclined. But for most, names show up around mid-teens to early twenties.
Satya’s appears at seventeen when she is studying in Vishkar’s academy. It is on her left shoulder, printed in chicken scratch capitals: JAMiSON. It’s a very English name, Anglican, certainly something none of her peers would be called, and she hasn’t the faintest who might have such a name. The day it appears, she puzzles over it long into the night only to suffer the following morning in her early classes. In her spare time in the following months, she researches the etymology of the name and pores through companies and people who bear it. It has become a part of her without her consent, and she feels that in order to be prepared, she must discover as much about it as she can. Despite her efforts, nothing feels familiar or gives the so-called “heart skip” her friends describe, and so she is left wondering.
Jamison’s appears when he is fifteen. Orphaned, he’s hidden himself in the less savoury parts of Junkertown and scavenges to keep himself fed. It’s difficult, more than difficult, but he manages well enough, even if it means going a day or two without meals. Almost half of his right arm is missing from a particularly brutal encounter with the big bosses, supplemented by a very bare bones prosthesis one of the kinder mecha pilots had put together for him. On the side of his right thigh reads Satya in a flowing, elegant script. He doesn’t know who Satya is or where they might be from, but knowing they exist somewhere in the world makes the nights easier to endure, and he takes solace in the fact that he is no longer alone.
Overwatch is where their paths finally cross, just over a decade later. Satya is “lent” from Vishkar, and the pair of junkers are travelling mercenaries for hire. They are introduced to one another by their monikers, Junkrat and Symmetra, and neither is fond of the other upon first meeting: Satya finds him too coarse, and Jamison is too wary of her position within a powerful corporation. Their interactions are brief, encompassing stiff and cordial hellos and occasionally talk centered around missions at hand, and that is the extent of their communication—
That is, until one very late night post-mission under the dim lights of the workshop. Jamison is wide awake, half dressed, concentrating on wiring together a new set of stock to keep his mind from dwelling on the past. Satya is still composing herself after combat and lets the comforting familiarity of work and routine guide her away from the cacophony that lingers at the back of her mind. The room is silent except for their respective movements, the sounds of sketching and gathering parts, and despite their disagreements and differing views, their tentative agreement to remain cordial and professional staves off the awkward tension—there is no grasping for small talk or incessant bickering; just two sleepless individuals finding comfort in their crafts.
Eventually, Satya sees her name splayed across his right thigh. His prosthesis is resting a foot or two away on the floor (its crude structure must be too uncomfortable for floor work, or so she assumes), and the fabric of the shorts he wears is half shimmied up his leg. There is no mistake: Satya is written in her handwriting across pale skin, the white lightning of a scar crackling between the letters. It jolts a surge of shock through her nerves, and she finds herself gripping onto the table to keep herself steady.
After all these years of researching and wondering and travelling across the world, thisis the person she is destined to be beside? This man is Jamison? It’s this man whose writing is scrawled over her shoulder? No, surely not. It can’t be. But that is her handwriting. There’s no doubt about it.
“Junkrat,” says Satya, keeping her eyes very focused on the set of blueprints before her.
“Yeah?” The scuffling sound of him reaching across for another tool or piece of his inventory comes from across the room.
Tentatively, she lets her gaze sweep over to him. “When exactly did you get your mark?”
“Mark?” His eyebrows pinch together in thought, bewildered, but when he follows her eyes to the strip of black letters on his thigh, he taps his hand over the casing he’s stuffing with explosives and breathes a loud, “Oh.”
“That long ago?” asks Satya, somewhat amused. “I imagined everyone remembered when their mark appeared.”
Junkrat shakes his head and bites down on a coil of wire to free his fingers. “Nah, s’not like that,” he mutters through the metal. “Was a good while back. Not too long. Probably… I dunno. Eight years? Maybe. Something like that. Memory’s not the best, but I remember that night. Remember it crystal clear. Just been so long you sorta forget about it sometimes, y’know? Nobody ever showed, so s’not like I got some breathing reminder of it near me all the time. Right, just got a bunch of letters down where the rest of me leg used to be. Reckon that’s as good a reminder as any, but…” He shrugs, tugging the coil out of his mouth and guiding a pair of clippers to snap off a piece. “Eh. I ain’t worried.”
She absently traces the knuckles of her prosthetic hand. It gives her something to focus on. “I assume you never found the owner of the name,” she says.
“You’d assume right.” Arching a brow, he glances over to her. “What about you, then?”
“Me?” Satya supposes she should have expected the question. That is where the natural progression of the conversation was headed, wasn’t it? “It’s been almost eleven years. I never found the person it belongs to, either. I searched when I was younger, of course. Curiosity. But my efforts were fruitless. It was strange seeing my peers discover their significant others during the academy or in their first few years of employment at Vishkar. At the time, it felt like I was missing something important.” She lifts her right hand and settles it on the metal that covers her shoulder. Beneath, the letters seem to burn. “I think I might understand now.”
Jamison offers a terribly puzzled look. “What? What’s that mean? You find ‘em or something?”
Her heartbeat becomes a drumming in her chest. It hammers by her lungs and she can feel it swell with every swallow. The spacious workshop room now seems too cluttered, too close, too narrow, and she takes a steeling breath to calm herself. Her eyes keep drifting to the script across the side of his thigh, and she can imagine penning each curve of every letter.
“Yes,” she says.
Slowly, Satya begins to undo the latches by her shoulder that keep her prosthesis in place.
Louis wants a soulmate, Harry loves his free will. They don’t exactly go hand in hand.
Prompt: AU where you have a countdown on your wrist for when you’re going to meet your soulmate and if you miss it the time will reset. Louis/Harry keep having awful luck and always are missing their time until one day they don’t. Maybe the other one is scared/has anxiety about meeting their soulmate? Maybe one time they’re in a relationship so they intentionally miss their time? Who knows! But they finally meet :D
Character Pairing: biker!Bucky x librarian!Reader Soulmate AU
Word Count:1705
Warnings: a little cursing, anxiety caused by insecurities
Summary: You nearly gave up on finding your soulmate. You couldn’t greet anyone without stuttering. But all that changes when a leather-clad man walked into the library to get a library card.
Prompt: “I wanted to say ‘I love you’ for the first time without stuttering, but I failed.”
A/N:This is for #jbwinterchallenge hosted by @jurassicbarnes! I’m so so sorry this is so late! Inspiration for the soulmate AU is from the story Pulse, by @tomhollands who was kind enough to give permission to use the idea here. Constructive criticism is welcomed and my tag list is open! Huge thanks to @mindingmyownbusiness for all her help, I wouldn’t have posted my first fic without her, let alone fourth. Also, should I make this a mini-series/drabble series?
This is a repost from my original blog, @the-observant-fangirl
There Is Nothing To Forgive a Braime soulmates one shot
This fic is a twist on the “shared dreams” soulmate trope, where, in my version, the God’s let your soulmate appear in dreams.
Jaime Lannister had never been good with words. All his life they had evaded him, from the time when he was a child and he couldn’t read without a heafty struggle, to his adolescence when he’d attempt to express to Cersei his feelings.
She didn’t care of course. She didn’t want his love, his admiration, and she didn’t care about his words, or lack thereof. All she wanted was his body and the pleasure it could bring her, all she sought was the security of knowing he was hers, under her spell, forever.
So the appearance of anyone speaking to him in dreams was odd. He was visual, and his dreams often came as a bombardment of images, some cruel, some lovely, all powerful, without a word to be gleaned from any of them.
But this night was different.
The dream was simple really, he was there, in the throne room, watching from above like a raven in the rafters, Aerys on the throne, his own white cloak shining. He watched as the mad king laughed, and he could hear the innocent scream as the king shook with wicked, mad laughter. He tightened the grip on his hilt and stepped closer. He could not hear what Aerys was saying, nor could he hear any other words, but he could smell the sickly chemical scent of wildfire and could feel the heat that would surely come from it.
He watched his own hands shake as he took another step up behind the king, all the fear he had felt in that moment evident on his terrified face.
But suddenly, he was not alone as he raised the sword to strike true. A girl, tall and strong, with long blonde hair hanging down her back. She was younger than him, but her eyes glowed like saphires and as she pressed herself against him, she took his hand on the swords hilt in her own, wrapping a warm hand around his, and helping guide the blade.
I understand. Her words materialized in his mind, and she smiled sadly before helping him guide the word into its sheath through Aery’s back.
Forgive me. Never before had he spoken in a dream. Nor had he cared to.
There is nothing to forgive.
She faded before he could get a true glimpse at her face, leaving him alone to claw at the air, before waking bolt upright, alone in the summer night.
—
Actions spoke louder than words, and yet words were what Brienne put stock in. Honor was her pillar of principle, and she believed in any man’s word as she expected them to do in hers.
And so, when a young man’s begging voice pierced the foggy clouds of her dreams one night, begging for help, for forgiveness, and justifying why he killed.
For the innocent. For those he would slaughter. Because if I do not do it, who can?
She felt a strange sense of longing for that voice, for the man who must wield its mighty tone. She let herself drift towards it, it’s words becoming more and more earnest, panicked, even.
Please, mother, father, someone, guide me.
She searched the crevasses of her dream for its source, but as always found no images, only fragments of words. But then, just as she was about to give up, heappeared.
Forgive me.
The boy was behind the mad king, drawing his sword, tears gathered in his eyes. And suddenly, Brienne was there too. One look at the boy and she knew what he needed. She wrapped her hand around his, and pressed herself gently beside him, taking on the burden of the blade and the sentence it was about to deal. She knew how this story would end.
The sword pierced.
There is nothing to forgive.
All was warm and light was everywhere for a moment, and then it became too much and she awoke, sweating and panting in the summer night air.
Soul dreams are a thing of the distant past. I am no fool. She repeated the sentiment over and over, across years as she travelled lands and seas, and came to the service of Renly Baratheon. Finally, she had stopped thinking about the boy, the Kingslayer, with whom she had shared a dream unlike any other.
Until the night she dreamt of the shadow.
Though she could not see it, she could feel the cool air sweep through the tent, and could feel the hair on her arms stand up. She felt her heart hammer in her chest, and her blood run frozen.
No. No. Please no. Do not make me watch this again.
Renly was dead a week, and yet she could not sleep without watching it play out, over and over again. Perhaps I am the Kingslayer.
You are not.
Suddenly she could see again, and there he was. Older now, but without mistake: Jaime Lannister.
It takes one to know one, and it is not you.
It was his phantom turn to come closer, to warm her against the chill.
How can I ever forgive myself? She wept as Renly before her died once again, and her heart felt as if it were frozen to ice.
There is nothing to forgive.
Her heart beat fast and she turned to see his face.
But he was gone. And she left alone in her bedroll in Catelyn Starks tent.
—
There is nothing to forgive.
Jaime repeated the words his golden haired maiden had once offered him so many years ago. He prayed it would bring her the same solace it brought him.
He had heard of soul dreams, of the most ancient and purest loves, ones which the gods themselves were invested in. Ones for whom the soul was so tightly bound that they could, when direly necessary, appear in dreams.
But he didn’t believe it. Rather, he believed that as comfort had been offered to him, so would he offer it. For some reason. He couldn’t quite place why, but something had compelled him to speak to her, to comfort her, despite not even knowing if she was real, or just a figment of his imagination.
He thought about it a lot on the road to Kingslanding, as him and Brienne walked in silence. There was something in the way she looked at him, this odd familiarity, overshadowed by anger and confusion. It made him wonder a great deal about what she knew of him. It was not an expression he was used to being on the receiving end of.
—
To Brienne’s chagrin, Jaime did not appear in her dreams after the night he lost his hand. Despite the fact that she so sincerely blamed herself for it.
But as they stared at one another at the bathhouse, and he suddenly, inexplicably began to speak, something in her chest thrummed.
“I know, Ser Jaime.” She said, before he had fully begun the explanation of why he killed Aerys. “You did it for the people, for the innocents. If you didn’t, who could?”
His face went slack and his jaw hung loose, eyes fixed on hers as they simultaneously put the pieces together. In unison they spoke their next words carefully.
“There is nothing forgive.”
~~~~~
Thank you so much for reading!!!! I am so happy to be back, and I hope to write a lot more in the coming weeks. Pleaaaaaaaaase send me any suggestions or promps you might have, or if you’d like to see more continuations of any of my work lmk!!!! As always, PM me if you want to be added or removed from the tag list :) Love you all xx, Bea
M | 6.6k | No warnings but violence | Tags: soulmate marks; up all night to get Bucky; post catws; canon divergence | Summary:
The Soldier gets his soulmate mark while on a mission in 1978, September 23rd.
It rips through him like a storm, a bright iridescent burn on his back like a hundred candles igniting at once, searing his skin beneath the leather.
He drops the rifle and unbuckles the straps that bind him. In the filthy rooftop window, he sees his reflection: his back alight with a pair of wings so beautiful and vivid it’s nearly blinding.
serendipity | +3.9k | lila salt, adrien salt, alya salt
summary: the last time damian al-ghul saw marinette was when they were twelve. he didn’t think he would see her again. so, it’s a huge surprise when he stumbles upon her in WE while exposing the liar of the class from France.
the confrontation | +0.8k | lila salt, mild class salt [part 2 to ‘serendipity’]
summary: what a lovelytime to run into her enemy that probably wants her deadby now.
soulmate au | +1.8k | lila salt, adrien salt, alya salt
summary: tradition says that your soulmate will have another tattoo, something that relates to you. when they meet you, it is said that the tattoos start glowing a bright gold.
summary: he was a handsome man, she would give him that, but according to her father - the one of the most important lords of the kingdom - he was extremely stand-offish and cold. she didn’t know if she would get along with him.
summary: damian glared at her fiercely and she shrunk back. “i can assure you, lila rossi is most definitely not my soulmate. perhaps you should check everything she has said on google. it does exist you know.”
summary: tim and marinette attend marinette’s class reunion.
the recording | +1.5k | little angst, fluff, salt; [part 2 to ‘an…interesting reunion’]
summary: the recording (can be read as a stand-alone)
the gala | +1.6k | lila salt, adrien salt, alya salt, class salt [platonic]
summary: timothy drake-wayne was not happy. he had to lead the (according to dick at least, and he was inclined to believe him because he had never seen dick so unhappy) class of dimwits from france because it was his turn. He had put it off all week and now he had to do it as the CEO of WE.
summary: “you really should have sat down,” sighed anarka. “lad, your father is bruce wayne.”
no pairing
oneshots:
the exposé | +5.3k | lila salt, adrien salt, alya salt, class salt
summary: lila was having the time of her life at WE. the class was fawning over her, ready to do her bidding whenever she wanted, however she wanted. she could spout out a ridiculous lie and they’d believe it; they were completely and irreversibly under her spell. but then, of course, things hadto go wrong.
summary: marinette wakes up in a hospital, paralyzed.
what a liar! | +1k | lila salt, class sugar, fix-it fic
summary: lila rossi mentally prepared her plethora of lies as she entered her new class. the only thing was, she wasn’t aware they possessed brain cells.
summary: “i mean,” marinette says frustratedly, ready to tear her hair out - you will never believe the number of rants she has told chloe and kagami and the nights she has spent obsessing over it, “i’m in love with both of you!”
summary: damian glared at her fiercely and she shrunk back. “i can assure you, lila rossi is most definitely not my soulmate. perhaps you should check everything she has said on google. it does exist you know.”
Said girl stirred a little, mumbling, “5 more minutes, maman.”
“Marinette!”
Yet she did not respond, rolling over to cover her ears with the pillow next to her.
“Marinette Dupain-Cheng, if you do notwake up right now you are going to miss your flight to New York!”
Sabine Cheng stifled a laugh at her daughter’s high-pitched shriek.
**
Marinette grumbled as she picked herself up from the ground.
Amazing start to the day, rolling off your bed and falling down.
“Cheer up, Marinette!” Tikki said, unfailingly happy in the morning (as always). “You’re going to go on your America tour today!”
Her chosen brushed her teeth faster, while simultaneously trying to make sure she had everything ready. “Tikki, am I missing anything?” she asked frantically.
While looking at the list Marinette made, Tikki smiled fondly at her chosen, hoping that the Rossi girl and Marinette’s ex-friends didn’t ruin the trip Marinette had worked so hard to organize.
Since Bustier couldn’t be bothered to, it fell onto Marinette to plan the senior trip. It was supposed to be educational and fun, in a way, since they would be required to write an essay about their trip. It counted for more than 50% of their grade.
With help from her friends (Alix, Kim, Max and Chloe), in no time, Marinette had developed an outline of what places they could visit.
Theoriginalplan (before it was presented to the class) was to go to New York, Metropolis, LA and then finally California.
But nooo, Lila Rossi just hadto see her so-called soulmate, Damian Wayne (“Marinette, how could you?” “How could I what?” “How could you just exclude Gotham because I want to see my soulmate?”), billionaire Bruce Wayne’s son.
Despite Marinette’s warnings, Mdm. Bustier forced her to change the itenary so that Lila could see her ‘soulmate’ (“Marinette, please change the locations.” “But Mdm. Bustier, Gotham is one of the most crime-ridden-” “I will not stand for your petty grievances, Marinette. Change it at once.”) and so the list had become:
California, New York, Metropolis and thenGotham.
Nevertheless, Marinette beamed as she waved to her parents, feeling excited.
“You can stop waving now,” Chloe remarked dryly, filing her nails. “They’re out of sight.”
**
You might be wondering, what happened to elicit such a changebetween their relationship.
Lila.
That was one thing Marinette had to thank her for. She showed Marinette who her realfriends were, a.k.a Chloe, Alix, Kim and Max.
Chloe didn’t believe Lila from the start (“Ridiculous, utterly ridiculous. Does she expect meto believe that Jagged Stone, the one who lives in my hotel every monthowns a cat? Everyone knows he’s allergic to them!”) but Max was disillusioned when some of the things Lila said didn’t line up – “I got tinnitus from saving Jagged Stone’s cat from an airplane!” “You would’ve become deaf. Not suffer from tinnitus.” “Don’t be silly, Max!” – case in point.
Kim and Alix, on the other hand, came to know when Lila mixed her names up (“I know Michael Phelps – he’s such an amazing skater, Alix. I could give you some tips from him!” “Michael Phelps? Isn’t he a swimmer?”) and (Marinette snorted when she heard that) said Michael Phelps was a skater.
That certainly didn’t earn her any points with thosetwo.
In the end, Marinette could say she would take her life right nowthan the one before because until Lila came, she never really noticed how whinythe class was.
She shuddered when she remembered the never-ending requests they had – and they expected herto do it for free.
Thank god she got away from them.
**
In response to Chloe’s statement from earlier, Marinette mock-glared at her. “I know,Chloe. I was about to stop.”
“Sure, Mari,” sniffed her best friend.
Marinette protested feebly. “Really!”
“Uh-huh,” Chloe continued to file her nails, completely uninterested.
Before Marinette could retort, the door burst open and two balls of chaos rolled into the car with one poor Max.
“Ha! I won, Kim, you owe me 30 Euros!” Alix crowed triumphantly.
Kim, as expected, disagreed. “No way, pipsqueak! Iwon.”
“I did.”
“No, I did.”
“I did.”
“Can you both pleasesit properly?” Chloe pushed them with a surprising amount of strength. “You’re wrinklingthe car leather.”
In response, the two of them stuck their tongues out.
Marinette snickered at the expression on Chloe’s face – exasperation, pureexasperation.
Maxfinallyup righting himself, stood up unsteadily as he walked to the only empty seat next to Marinette.
“Oh no, you don’t,” Kim said, pulling Max onto his lap.
Max squeaked, his cheeks turning a fiery shade of red.
Alix cackled, “Poor Max. Kim, you reallyshouldn’t do that. You’re going to give the poor boy a heart attack.”
Marinette sighed happily for her friends. She was honestly elated that Kim and Max had found their soulmate in each other. They were just adorable!
She fairly beamed when Marinette saw the love-sick smile on Chloe’s face. It meant she was talking to Kagami.
Alix hadn’t found hers yet and according to the girl herself, she wasn’t really bothered by it either because she was ace.
Marinette just wished she could find hersoulmate.
Soulmate bonds – in their world – came in different types. For example, Chloe and Kagami’s bond was the word bond. Each had a word or a phrase written circling their wrists (“Excuse me, you dropped your phone.” “Thank you”) and whoever said those words was their soulmate.
Kim and Max had the string-bond – one of the strongest bonds in existence. The bond only surfaced when it decided whether the two people were readyto become lovers.
Marinette had the aura bond – one of the most difficultbonds to find your soulmate with. Basically, her aura and her soulmate’s aura – when they meet – would touch each other and glow.
It was extremely rare to witnesssuch a bonding and even rarerfor someone to find their soulmate with it.
She often wondered whether she would ever findher soulmate. At first, she thought her soulmate was Chat Noir, after all, wasn’t he her other half?
But their auras did not connect when they met.
“Marinette?” She snapped out of her thoughts when Chloe shook her arm. “Come on! We’re at the airport!”
**
After checking in – and successfully avoiding Lila’s attempts at sabotage (“Oh my gosh, Marinette! Your ticket is ripped to shreds, you can’t come!” “Well, it’s a good thing I made two copies then, isn’t it? Just in case I lost mine.”) – Marinette sighed and resigned herself to listening to Lila’s bullshit for the next few hours.
Unfortunately, she and Alix had gotten the seats rightbehind her and Alya.
“-and then Prince Ali took me out on a date!” Lila was babbling.
Alya gasped theatrically, right on cue. “Oh my gosh, girl! How did it go?”
“Well-”
Marinette groaned and resisted the urge to throw herself out of the window. “Kill me now,” she said tiredly, “Please.”
Alix didn’t look like she was faring any better and glared at the idiots in front of them. “Why did we have to get stuck with them?”
“I don’t know,” Marinette banged her head on the table in front of her. “But what I doknow is that the next few hours are going to be torture.”
**
By the time the plane landed, Alix was eyeing the knife in her hand murderously, clearly plotting Lila and Alya’s murder, and Marinette had scribbled uselessly on 2 clean pages of paper because Lila’s voice was interrupting her inspiration.
“FINALLY!” Alix screamed, running around like a maniac. “FINALLY, WE GET TO LEAVE THOSE-” Yelling some extreme profanities, she continued, “BEHIND!”
Even though the attendants were eyeing the two of them like they were crazy, Marinette didn’t care because finally.
How did anyone believe Lila anyway?
**
The next day, Marinette argued with Chloe the better color for her new sketchbook at one of the gift shops near the Statue of Liberty. “Red it better because it’s so bright but not toobright. That way, if I don’t know where it is, I can just look. For. RED!”
Snatching the yellow one off the shelves, Chloe held it in front of Marinette’s eyes. “NO! Yellow! Red would just mergeinto your room because it’s pink, while yellow would be more obvious!”
“But yellow is too brightfor the night!”
Offended, Chloe gasped. “How dare you-”
Seeing as they were dragging the attention of other customers, Alix snatched both the books from their hands and put it on the counter. “Both of them, please.”
As they walked out of the stationary shop (Chloe and Marinette still arguing) the three of them spotted Lila, Alya, Mylene and Rose walking out of a boutique loaded with bags.
“I can’t believe they’re going shoppingwhen we’re supposed to be taking notes for the essay.” Alix muttered glaring at them with disgust.
Chloe smirked icily. “It doesn’t matter because when they fail the essay, it’ll be theirfault.”
Marinette and Chloe agreed to disagree in favor of scorning Lila and her cronies.
**
California was the funpart of the trip. With its beaches and just right weather, Marinette and crew set up their site somewhere on the beach.
They spent most of their days running around, playing games and in Marinette’s case being completely oblivious to the boys flirting with her.
Nevertheless, she couldn’t help wonder whyHawkmoth wasn’t striking. It had been 3 days now and yet there was no akuma. Perhaps he was giving hera break since Chat Noir didn’t show up to half the fights anyway.
It certainly wasn’t because Gabriel Agreste was frantically planning for his spring line of which the developments got delayed due to his…terrorizing activities.
They were in Metropolis now and Marinette was currently stuck inside a sideways bus.
How, you ask?
She saved a young girl from being the hostage of the villain. Unfortunately, because she wasn’t Ladybug then her reflexes weren’t as fast and now Marinette was stuck inside the bus being the villain’s hostage.
Just a regular day for her.
Along with Chloe, Alix was yelling, “Mari, what is wrong with you?”
“Marinette, is her name?” asked the terribly-dressed villain (seriously, was he color blind or something?), “Alrighty then! Superman!” he bellowed suddenly.
Superman appeared almost immediately and distracted the villain.
While,Superboypulled Marinette out and set her beside her friends where she was promptly pulled into a bone-crushing hug.
“Guys,” she gasped, exaggerating only slightly(read:a lot), “Can’t….breathe…need…to…breathe!”
Finally, they let her go and just before Superboy was about to take off, Marinette called out, “Thank you!”
In reponse, he merely tipped an imaginary hat.
**
Marinette muttered angrily while Kim and Alix rough-housed with each other blow some steam.
How could they? She fumed. How f*cking could they?
Their ‘class’ had left them behind in Gotham Park. And Mdm. Bustier (someteacher) hadn’t even bothered to do attendance to check if everyone was there.
Marinette would even go as far as to bet that Lilawas the one to engineer this.
“Look OUT!”
Yelping, Marinette tumbled down laughing when a Great Dane came jumping on her, licking her face.
Giggling, she ran her hands through his fur making no move to get up.
“Marinette!” Chloe gasped, running to her, “Are you okay?”
Still playing with the unnamed dog, Marinette giggled out a “Yes,”.
“Ms, I am sosorry,” a masculine voice gasped, evidently from running. “Titus, no. Bad-”
Marinette sat up slowly. “It’s fine, your dog – Titus, is it? – is really very cute.”
“Cute?” Surprise laced his tone. “Most people describe Titus as scary. I haven’t seen him take to someone so fast.”
Standing up with Chloe’s help, Marinette brushed her outfit and made eye contact with the man.
Her breath suddenly whooshedout of her chest.
And slowly, slowly but steadily, her pinkish red aura reached out and merged with his dark emerald one.
As Marinette watched in wonder, the two of them slowly formed a beautiful, breath-taking gold turning brighter and brighterand then it was gone.
The only sign it had been there was a little heart made out of a puff smoke – one side red, the other green.
“Oh my god, Mari,” Chloe breathed. “I think that’s your soulmate!”
You think?
◇─◇──◇─◇
When Damian went to walk Titus that afternoon, he expected it to go normally.
He certainly didn’t expect Titus to run off and then meet his soulmate all in one go.
Nevertheless, he swallowed thickly and introduced himself, “My name is Damian Wayne.”
His soulmate’s friends looked at him in shock but his soulmate didn’t have any such reaction. If she was surprised, she was doing a damn good job of hiding it. “Marinette Dupain-Cheng.”
“Marinette,” her glasses friend said, “Don’t you know who that is?”
She turned to him curiously. “He’s my soulmate, Max.”
The girl – familiar from somewhere, he thinks – slaps her forehead and pulls Marinette to her side while whispering something in her ear.
“Oh!” Marinette’s cheeks suddenly colored and she said, “I didn’t know you were theDamian Wayne, I just-”
Suddenly feeling nervous, Damian interrupted her. “It’s fine,” he said slightly harshly. “It was actually kind of refreshing to meet someone who didn’t know who I was.”
She started blushing all over again and he distantly thinks, it’s cute.
“What are you doing here, anyway?” Damian moved forward to try and dispel the awkward silence that had descended upon them. “I’ve never seen you here.”
“Well,” Marinette stutters, “We were actually on a school trip, but our teacher acci-”
“Since Mari’s too nice to tell you it objectively,” Her blonde friend interrupts, “I will. We were left behind by our teacher. Chloe Bourgeois.”
Chloe holds out her hand, eyes threatening and Damian takes it, equally cold.
Somehow sensing the tension between them, Marinette continues, “And we were supposed to go to WE but because they left us behind-”
“-we’re stuck here,” finished a pink-haired girl. “Alix Kubdel.”
Nodding towards her (she certainly seemed better than Chloe), Damian sends a small smile to his soulmate (his heart beat faster at the thought that he found his soulmate). “I can take you to WE if you want. But how did your teacher just forgetyou existed?”
Exchanging looks with her tall friend, Marinette gestures towards him and says, “Kim will tell you.”
**
By the time they have reached WE, Damian is fumingresisting the urge to go and murder this Lila Rossi and Adrien Agreste and the rest of their idiot classmates.
Whotells someone letting a pathological liar, lie and lie is taking the ‘high road’?
What kind of friends ditch someone who did so muchfor them just like that?
And the liar. Damian seethed at the thought of her. How dare she, how dare she targethissoulmate.
“Woah, Damian, man,” said Kim – the tall one, “You might want to calm down. You’re scaring the people.”
Breathe Damian. Breathe.
Inhaling with great difficulty, Damian said, “I am going to murderyour class and teacher. And I won’t even make it look like an accident.”
Chloe finally looked at him with something other than wariness as she murderously said, “I’ll help you.”
Marinette panicked looking at their serious expressions. “No! You guys can’t do that!”
“Watch me,” Damian snarled.
◇─◇──◇─◇
Richard Grayson considered himself to be a good person.
So,whothought he deserved this?
This being a class (and teacher) without braincells because they believe every damn word out of a patheticliar’s mouth. Seriously, hadn’t they heard of something called Google?
Oh, and as if thatwasn’t enough, the teacher had forgotten about 5 students and stated, “They are troublemakers anyway, we can start without them,”
Was she insane?
She was a goddamnteacher! Didn’t she know it was her jobto make sure they straightened out?
Gritting his teeth, he said with a patience did notfeel, “Mdm. Bustier, we cannotstart the tour without your missing students. You will have to findthem and get them here.”
So, here he was.
Waiting for the idiot of the teacher to try and get her students to WE.
Needless to say, he was elatedwhen the WE doors slammed open and Damian came striding in (even though he looked like he was about to murder someone).
“Lil’ D!” Dick yelled, hoping Damian saw the pleading in his eyes, “Come meet the class we’re touring today!”
Growling, Damian walked right passed him and glared icily at the class. “Which one of you is the liar?” he hissed, glaring at everyone.
When no one responded, Dick volunteered himself, “That one.”
Damian shot him a slightly thankful look and advanced to her. “You,” he spat. “Lie about my soulmate one more time and I’ll end you.”
Turning her nose up at him, she sniffled theatrically. “How dare you say that to me? My soulmate is Damian Wayne and he’ll have the Wayne lawyers on you in seconds.”
By now, everyone (employees included) had frozen, watching the drama eagerly. But when Lie-la said that.
Most people burst out laughing immediately, and Dick would have too, had she not said Damianwas her soulmate. “What do you mean, Mdm. Rossi, that Damian is your soulmate?”
Smirking triumphantly, her olive-green eyes sparkled maliciously as she said, “Damian Wayne is my soulmate.”
Woah.Shereallyhadn’t done her research. “Mdm. Rossi,” Dick said coldly. “Damian is not your soulmate.”
“And how would you know that?” An ombre-haired, glasses-wearing girl glared at him.
“Because,” he said coolly, “I am his brother andyou do realize that Damianwas the one to tell you to stay away from his soulmate?”
Lila paled and Dick felt satisfaction course through him.
But then he registered what Damian said. He had found his soulmate.
“Wait, Damian,” Dick asked turning to him, “Just whois your soulmate?”
“I am,” a female voice said. A short blue-haired girl with pale skin walked next to Damian and held out her hand. “Marinette Dupain-Cheng,”
Dick smiled at the girl and shook it firmly. “Dick Grayson.”
“But that’s not possible,” cried out the glasses-wearing girl, Alya. “Lilais Damian’s soulmate!”
Damian glared at her fiercely and she shrunk back. “I can assure you, Lila Rossi is most definitely notmy soulmate. Perhaps you should check everything she has said on Google. It doesexist you know.”
Alya quickly pulled out her phone and was probably searching up everything Lila told her.
The rest of her class watched her in tense silence and then backed away slowly as they saw the unbridled fury grow in her eyes. “You.” Alya hissed. “I CAN’T BELIEVE YOU!”
◇─◇──◇─◇
Marinette jumped when she felt a hand touch her elbow.
It was Adrien. “Marinette,” he hissed, “What are you doing? Why are you exposing Lila?”
“Oh, I don’t know, Adrien,” she said loudly, drawing the attention of Damian. “Maybe it’s because she’s been lying about me?”
“But she wasn’t-”
“Hurting anyone?” Marinette glared at him coldly. “She was, Adrien. Me.And you and your ‘high road’ bullshit can go and rot in hell for all I care.”
“Wait,” asked Nino, hurt evident in his expression. “Adrien knewall this time?”
Chloe smiled icily. “Yes. He didn’t wantto expose Lie-la because she wasn’t ‘hurting anyone’,”
And then suddenly, the entire class was rounding on Adrien, who was frantically trying to explain his actions.
In the chaos, no one noticed Lila advance closer and closer to Marinette.
She jumped onto her and screeched, “MARINETTE DUPAIN-CHENG,I’M GOING TO KILL YOU!”
Lilaattemptedto try and choke Marinette but said girl was quicker, stronger and smarter.
Marinette quickly backed away and flipped her onto her back, pinning Lila’s wrists together.
“Let me go!”Lila was thrashing around trying to get out of Marinette’s hold.
“Mdm. Rossi, you are under arrest for assault and attempted murder,” came the cool voice of an unfamiliar officer.
As one of his men handcuffed Lila, Damian wrapped Marinette into a warm hug. He opened his mouth to say something but Alya interrupted him.
“Marinette!” she called. “I’m so sorry! Can you give me an interview with theDamian Wayne?”
Marinette goggled at her, unable to process what she said. Turning to Chloe, she asked, “Did she actually just saythat?”
“Well?” Alya tapped her foot impatiently and Marinette glared at her.
“No,Alya, I will notgive you an interview with Damian,” she hissed.
Alya looked gobsmacked. “But…why? I’m your best friend!”
“Best friend?” Marinette laughed. “Best friends don’t leave each other when the next shiny thing comes around. Best friends don’t ditch other. Best friends don’t believe a liar over each other. And besides,” she added sweetly. “Youare not my best friend. Chloeis.”
Chloe beamed at her.
“Alright,” Dick clapped. “I know this must be a nasty shock-”
Molly kept him around till he was ‘oh his feet again’. So it was a shame that Remus tripped over so much. He regretted not contacting the Weasleys again. But every time he fell, got kicked out of a job, or tried to push his mind away with alcohol it felt as though he was throwing away their kindness with both hands. So Remus stayed away. Kept away. He didn’t see the Weasleys again for years.
—
Some days it’s fine. The walls in his head — or rather, some shambles of a picket fence as he now recognised them— seem to hold up. The flashes of that someone could be kept at bay.
From time to time he could even afford a morning sat in the damp kitchen of a rundown cottage, flicking through the newspaper, watching birds flit across the sky.
The head of the pack from his last days in the war, he read, was apparently a high ranking ministry official now. Runcorn, he called himself. Remus sipped his tea.
—
There were yet days he yielded to the bottle, and inevitably allowed the past to slip through the fences. Through the confused dimness of his inebriated mind, Sirius would be there, residing invariably in the most painful corners, making a mocking of his hope to ever run from this tether. Eventually, Remus stopped wondering how much of this was a manifestation of his guilt-ridden yearning; started being able to utter his name; started accepting, and almost relishing the flashes though they never ceased to feel like stabs to his chest.
—
When he saw the Hogwarts advert for a Defence professor the third year in a row, he got in touch with Dumbledore. It was a joke of an attempt, really. For too many reasons, he should have stuck to helping the children in Knockturn, who hadn’t a chance of seeing the walls of Hogwarts.
Though in spite of everything, it was how he found himself sitting again across from Dumbledore at his claw-footed desk, slowly finding his walls falling apart once more.
“You must understand, I certainly don’t find you incompetent. There may be a more critical time when I may need your assistance, Remus.”
“Voldemort is dead.” He said flatly.
“In a certain sense, that is true, yes. But our fight is far from over.”
“And that means I’m a card you’re shelving until further notice?”
Dumbledore leaned forward, “We cannot afford to take any chances. Voldemort’s power is yet palpable, the curse on the position remains.”
“You can’t afford to waste a chess piece on an unplanned step.”
“All metaphors are as apt as they are self-fulfilling, Remus.” He said after a strained silence, “you’ll find a chess game is not how I perceive it.”
But there was no room in his head to squint for humanity in his old man’s grand game, his bigger pictures. Because there was only the ringing of him finally realising how much this man tried to control. How well he played this game.
“You knew exactly what you were doing in ending the war.” Remus said lucidly, stunned, “you let Voldemort be directed to one specific target and allowed them to be— to—”
Remus couldn’t go on. Dumbledore looked steadily back at him. He didn’t speak to deny anything, eyes stony and calm. Remus knew the words that those eyes silently spoke: ‘what would have been the cost otherwise, Remus?’ ‘Would you rather not one— or two— die instead of thousands?’ And he could no longer bear the cold calculus of lives pitted against each other. He was chilled to the bone, more helpless than he had felt in years.
—
In some ways he’d always suspected that Dumbledore created a Remus Lupin as some sort of gateway to the other side. But what about the rest of them? Was Dumbledore a mastermind enough? Did Dumbledore create a Sirius Black just so he could be planted to betray the Potters and end the war?
He passed by a pub on the way back to the latest ramshackle flat. It had been so long since he’d succumbed.
An old, familiar image through his mind, perhaps Sirius had also been lied to, it said. And he felt his resolve starting to come apart.
—
The images get to him, more clearly than ever. He’s too tired, his mind too loosened, to try and block him out now. Maybe this once, he’ll watch it play out, and face the consequences in the morning.
But this time, the same sequences kept repeating. There was no cacophony, only one strain of argument. A street. A rat. An explosion, again and again. The street, the rat, the explosion.
—
There was something in the magical world that everyone knew but Remus never believed. Something about soulmates, their connection— the Connection, in fact, it was called, by some uninspired convention having gotten stuck.
The Connection was the mark of a soulmate. It was nothing as garish as a mark on the forehead, but behind it through the mind. A trickle of thoughts and moods that opened the day you turned twenty one, that could grow into a canal as you grow to become so fine tuned with each other. Not everyone has a soulmate; not everyone could hear the voice of their soulmate. Not everyone listen to their soulmate. It matured under care, wilted with neglect, but never died. This was no linking randomers-at-different-ends-of-the-world, neither was it the universe telling you who to have sex with or the other half you’ve always needed. No, it was merely another person, whom you almost always come to know before you learn about being each other’s soulmates; but with whom you could grow to sing a duet of the souls.
—
Remus had always assumed there wasn’t enough human in him for there to be a soulmate. But for the first time in his life, it occurred to Remus that possibly—
It wasn’t his own treacherous imagination Remus had been fighting with in his mind. It was Sirius all along.
The Connection opened when you turned twenty one, not a day earlier. Settled in when you’ve both turned twenty one. Remus remembered November 1981, the day he’d first become acquainted with the voice that’d dominated his moments of drunken frenzy for years, that he’d been blocking out and inviting ever since the start.
There was no room to panic. Remus tried to find the soul-shaped string in the depth of his mind, that’s been there growing unbeknownst to perhaps either of them— when he did, it was such a familiar cacophony of anger and pain and he finally understood. It’s been binding them together in the dementor-clad despair, disguising the truth— despite how the word innocent always rang out— as mere tricks of the mind. Without realising, Remus’ thoughts were running down the line towards the other end of the Connection. Then this voice in his head— Sirius’ voice, as it appeared— that had always been nothing less than a turmoil, was quieting down.
Kicking things off with a soulmate au drabble! I’m hoping to start moving my collection of soulmate aus over to ao3 soon, so this seemed like a good place to start. next week i’m thinking it’ll be a slightly longer non-au sluff ficlet…
–
All things considered, the reflection in his mom’s full-length mirror wasn’t bad.
Slash’s favorite band tee was fresh out of the drier, his jeans were free of any holes, and he had carefully scraped all the mud off his boots after that one night at the dirt biking track…
He tugged on his nicest leather jacket and a cool belt, then sifted through a pile of jewelry for his best pieces. All of it was cheap, but he found some chains that weren’t noticably tarnished, and nabbed a nice pair of hoops from his mom’s jewelry box — she wouldn’t mind, right? This was important, after all.
There wasn’t, unfortunately, much he could do about his completely unmanageable hair. Despite his best efforts in the shower, it was frizzy as hell and as usual it consumed his face. He could try a ponytail, maybe? No, that just felt too unfamiliar and exposed. A hat it was, then — the round felt hat he’d taken to recently would suffice.
Never in his life had Slash put so much thought into his appearance, but this wasn’t just any day. He ran through his mental checklist: He’d cleaned his car, stashed a tin of mints and some tissues in the glove box. He’d already resolved to introduce himself as Saul Hudson, not just Slash, so there wouldn’t be any confusion later on. He’d slipped some extra cash and a condom into his wallet, prepared for any eventuality.
Fuck, did he do enough? Some people started preparing for this moment years in advance. What if he already screwed everything up by not organizing some huge, expensive event? What if he made a fool of himself, what if he was too awkward, too sloppy, too unimpressive?
No, it was better not to even entertain the thought. Whatever happened, happened, all he could do was hope for the best.
With a deep breath, Slash finally allowed himself to glance at the timer on his wrist.
Six hours. In six hours, Slash would meet his soulmate.
Summary: Soulmates are very tricky because sometimes two people who are meant to be are born in two different generations. Your soulmate can be born three days after you die. Luckily the mystical universe transports you there to meet yours. That’s how you find yourself back in the 1960’s instead of the present.
Warnings: hinting at sexual assault
~~~~~~
Friday night is ladies night. It has been since you were twelve and it will be until you die. The core group gets together and does whatever seems interesting for the evening. The three of you ranged in activities of going to the movies, getting something to eat, thrifting, people watching, getting coffe and sitting at an empty park- you name it and it’s been done.
Tonight the gang decided to get smoothies and sit in an empty parking lot. The small town didn’t allow much entertainment for freshly graduated adults. Especially for adults that wanted more to life than such a simple place could provide.
Claire laid on the pavement, dark hair swirling around her shoulders as she turned to gaze at the moon. She was beautiful in the moonlight, soft skin glowing. You were always jealous of her unique good looks, but never aimed bitter thoughts at her. She was a warm and loving friend who was literally a ride or die.
Claire turned her head to look at Margo who was sitting upright with her keys in hand, twirling them around her hands. Margo was the wild one of the trio. The jokester who was basically a meme lord. You three fit like puzzle pieces, best friends for ever.
Claire and you shared a look of amusement as Margo dropped her keys, mumbling a quiet shitbefore laughing and picking them back up to repeat her actions.
“This is supposed to be a quiet, soul searching moment you know.” You deadpanned, lips curling into a smile as Margo rolled her eyes and flipped you off.
“If you wanted quiet then you picked the wrong bitch to bring along.”
Claire shook her head, “Okay, let’s post on snap about a replacement bitch. Preferably one that can be silent at times.”
You shifted so that your legs were pulled up in front of you instead of rested against the cold ground of the parking lot. A funny thing to add popped into your mind and you knew it would make them laugh, “There’s one more requirement though. It’s vital.” You added, swirling the contents in your cup to break up the remaining blotches of ice.
“Hmm?”
“They have to be willing to sacrifice their own life for Pakistan”
Claire busted out laughing hitting her cup off her leg and Margo snorted, causing everyone to laugh even harder. That fucking tik tok would never not be funny to you guys. Especially when their soulmates thought it was hilarious and would say it when you guys failed to.
Claire found her soulmate a year ago at a football game. Her soul mark burned when the cute player from the other team bumped into her after the game. Gage was the coolest dude you knew. He treated you guys like best friend and he treated her like she was the sky, the moon, and the stars. Not long after Claire found him, Margo found Naomi. A badass chick that was a tattoo artist in town. Margo now has little tattoos decorating her body from the designs her soulmate came up with. Naomi and Margo just fit, and you were happy for her. Happy for both of them.
Day after day with no luck of finding your other half, you were starting to despair for yourself. Soulmates usually found each other close to adulthood if they were in the right life time. It was disappointing to go to bed every night knowing that you were still alone. Your best friends loved you more than anything and always included you, but the soulmate connection was different- special above everything else. And here you lacked that.
Margo dropped her keys again but left them there. She picked up on your solemn mood after you didn’t talk for a few moments.
“I wanted to go camping this weekend, maybe you’ll find your lover there?” She softly spoke, giving you a hopeful smile.
You sadly smiled back, “I dunno, probably not. Sorta giving up over here.”
You looked down at the simple soul mark. An old pop bottle was the initials S.P in the middle with the letters DX very small on the bottom left underneath it. Marks were supposed to signify something important about your other half, describe something about them to you. Ever since you were old enough to remember you would buy old fashioned pop in order to collect the bottles. It meant the world to you.
“Don’t say something like that, of course you will meet them dude. We found ours early but that didn’t mean you won’t ever find them. I’m sure your other half is right around the corner.” Claire supported, patting your thigh for comfort.
“Yeah, it could be Harry Styles for all we know. And honestly it would make sense because how the hell do you meet someone famous like that?” Margo trailed off.
You scoffed, “Harry Styles- my ass. His indicator would so not be an old pop bottle. It would be a guitar or something like that.”
“I guess so. Point is, don’t fret. You have time. The world may fuck with people, but not good ones like you.” Margo grinned childishly.
“Yeah, you’re right. I am good. I sacrifice my own life for Pakistan.”
“God dammit, I hate you.” Claire stood up and offered a hand, pulling you both upright, “We better get going. The same cop has been driving by and I don’t like it.”
“ACAB.” Margo chanted as she crawled into the backseat of the car. You laughed and pushed her the rest of the way in with your foot before shuffling in yourself.
‘Best friend’ by Rex Orange County blared through the speakers as the car moved on the damp roads in the dark night. You guys sang loudly, hands out the window to feel the wind ripple against fingertips. Your heart filled with adoration of the girls in the vehicle with you. Getting sad about the soulmate thing sucked but dealing with it was easier when you had two people to assure you and take your mind off of it.
You waved bye as you walked up the steps of your house. You quickly noticed that no one else was home. Your siblings were off with their friends for the night and your parents went out for their anniversary. You sighed, taking your shoes off lazily. A warm bath would feel so nice to finish out the day. You stretched before taking a step forward toward the bathroom but your foot caught underneath the rug and you fell face first onto the hard surface of the tile.
****
Your body felt like it was on fire while rolling over to rest on your back. Forcing your eyes open, you gasped at the sight before you. Instead of laying on the bathroom floor, you were in an empty parking lot. Your heart thud roughly in your chest as you scrambled to stand.
Your mind began to panic as you didn’t recognize your surroundings. An old diner sat across from the lot and it wasn’t the one you, Claire, and Margo sometimes went to. You brushed yourself off and looked around, confused as to what was going on. Had you gotten drunk and imagined you were home and somehow managed to get lost? Did you fall so hard that you passed out and got kidnapped? Sharp pains alerted your mind to put a finger to your face. There was a scratch from where you fell, you must’ve hit it. You were just glad that your wallet was still in your hand but your phone wasn’t. You searched for it but no luck.
You meekly opened the diner door and shuffled inside. It was themed to be an old authentic diner. The usual black and white checkered floor tile, the twisty barstools, and the car sign decorations on the wall. Diners like this were adorable in your eyes.
You went to sit at a both and grabbed the young pretty waitress. She gazed at your clothes in confusion which made you internally frown. Your outfit wasn’t inappropriate or anything. Blue khaki shorts that came above mid thigh and a white and blue tie dye shirt.
“Excuse me, where am I?” You asked, embarrassment creeped up your spine as she gave you an old look.
“Tulsa. Are you lost?” She asked, shifting the tray to rest on her hip.
You quickly shook your head no, “Thank you, I’m not lost. Just uh, traveling. I’ll just have a water please.”
She gave you a funny look but nodded, going to get you the cup of water. Everyone in the diner glanced at you in curiously which made you paranoid. Alone without a phone and no escape plan. Not an ideal set up. You tried to rack your brain for what the hell was going on but you were outta luck.
Water was set down on the table and she stood there, observing you. You felt her eyes staring at your piercings, especially the hoop in your nose. You awkwardly looked up at her and smiled, hoping she would go away.
“That’s an odd looking necklace, Miss.” Her hand casually pointed towards the crystal gem necklace hanging between your breasts over your shirt.
You shrugged, “You’ve never seen them before? They sell them at Walmart or any hippy store really.”
She wrinkled her nose in judgement, “Huh, never heard of Walmart. Must be from wherever you’re from.”
You choked on air, coughing loudly to force oxygen back into your lungs. How could someone now know Walmart? Was she fucking with you right now? Waitresses usually weren’t rude unless you were rude to them first.
“They’re like nation wide? One in every town? Seriously, every town.”
No emotion appeared on her face as she shook her head no, “I still don’t know what you’re talking about… do your parents buy you those shorts? Do they care about your nose ring?”
You squirmed in your seat at her question, her voice carried a shrill tone that let you know that she didn’t approve. Jesus, did this girl think you should be in a full body suit without showing skin? You pulled them down subconsciously to try to hide some of your upper thigh. As for your nose ring, you were baffled as to why your that was an issue. So many women had them.
“I bought the shorts, but they don’t have an issue with them if that’s what you’re trying to get at? They think the nose ring is cute too. My parents are very cool with me choosing to do what I wish with my body.”
Her eyes widened in a holy-cow-you’re-crazy sorta way, “My parents would kill me if I looked like you.”
A dry laugh escaped your lips at her harsh words. And they were harsh, whether she met them to be or not. Putting women down wasn’t what you stood for and you really thought that the world was passed shaming people for what they look like.
“It’s twenty-twenty , they shouldn’t care about what you look like. Acceptance is key to a happy family.”
“What’s that mean?” She cocked her head to the side in confusion.
“Huh?”
“Twenty-twenty what is that?”
You glanced at the table to your left that was intently listening in on the conversation. You felt uncomfortable in the booth. Two guys stared shamelessly at your legs and you wanted to crawl under the table and hide.
“The year? It’s two thousand and twenty?”
She threw her head back, blonde hair following to fall down her back, “You really are an odd ball.”
You furrowed your eyebrows.
“It’s nineteen sixty nine, dear. Your cheek is bleeding and I’m assuming you fell because you’re acting crazy.” She quietly said, bending down to your eye level. A part of you wanted to hit her so hard that she fell down. Condescending attitudes rubbed you the wrong way to say the least.
You were fuming as you took two dollars out and put them on the counter, “Have a good evening.” You gritted out.
***
The cold night air pinched your skin as you walked aimlessly around the small town. You came to the conclusion that it was 1969 and you realized why the waitress was so taken back by your appearance. Girls in the sixties probably didn’t have shorts this short or nose piercings. It all made sense as you took in the town. The old styled cars, how people dressed, hell- how they talked. Old ass terms that people only used as a joke now.
So yes, you were in the past, but how and why. Watching Shameless in your bed right now seemed like heaven on earth. Your mom and dad’s faces haunted your mind when you thought about never getting to see them again. Tomorrow they would get back only to see that you have disappeared without a trace. Your dad will be so worried and heartbroken and your mom will be calling everyone to ask if they saw you.
And what would Claire and Margo think? You just knew they would feel so guilty for not knowing when they were the last ones you saw. Hurting them only hurt you more.
You found an old tree and sat down against it, letting the tears splash down your face. It was cold out from the brisk air and you had nothing to layer up with. This sucks, mega sucks, you noted.
An old red Ford Mustang parked on the road and two men got out of the car and headed your way. You clutched your wallet close to your chest in predetermined fear. Two men walking towards any woman would make that woman scared. It was a built in instinct that still wasn’t gone in the twentieth century. Especially with the men from this time. You knew women weren’t truly equal yet and they especially weren’t in this time.
They had on khaki pants and different colored polyester sweaters. Same guys from the diner that were watching you. Horrible look in their eyes as they stood in front of you.
“What’s a pretty lady like you sitting out here alone for? It’s late.” The one wearing a yellow sweater asked. His hair was brown and smoothed back, you were unable to see his eyes in the dark. He bent down to look at you in a way you didn’t appreciate. You were not having it.
“Really? Is it late? Couldn’t tell, not like the moon’s out or anything.” You retorted, shifting further back into the tree.
“Woah, no need to get lippy with me, hun.” He said, looking back at the other guy with the red sweater. Red shook his head to agree with yellow.
“Let’s not get comfortable with the nicknames. I’d say I’d call the cops but hah, ACAB… not that you would know about that.” You trailed off. You rambled when you got nervous and it was not a good feature.
“ACAB? You’re a weird one, aren’t you?” Red said, leaning down too.
“Weird, but an absolute doll. Not many girls ‘round here show skin like you.” Yellow said, hand grabbing your thigh.
Your hand slapped his away lightening fast before jumping up and backing away. You took your shoe off and held it up in defense, “Go fuck yourself! Get away from me.”
The men looked at each other in shock, assumingly at the vulgar words that escaped your pretty lips. You backed further away until you felt safe enough that you put your shoe back on and ran. You heard their feet shuffle in the grass as they ran after you.
You turned down an alley way and tripped again on a stick in the middle of the road, the boys were suddenly visible meaning you would not have time to get up and run. Instead of trying to escape, you grabbed said large stick and grasped it tightly between your hands. You wish Margo and Claire were by your side right now. You could do anything with them.
“A stick? Really? We just wanna spend some time with you.” Red said, walking closer.
“Fuck this! Fuck this so hard! Fuck toxic masculinity that makes pricks like you think it’s okay to do shit like this! Systematically you were probably raised to think chasing a woman is okay- judging from the car that you have money. Kids with money, especially in these days, are spoiled and never told no, but I don’t want you. Leave.” You shouted, twirling the stick like you saw so many times in Starwars movies. You saw the two men slowly step back and you were proud of yourself for fending them off until you heard another masculine voice behind you.
“You soc scum need to bounce.”
You moved to the side to be equally separated from whoever was behind you. A man about your age stood firmly beside two others that looked a few years off, one younger and one older.
The one that spoke was standing in the front and boy, he was beautiful. Dark hair slicked black to rest comfortably against his neck. He wore a blue and white flannel with blue jeans. His body was slim but you just knew he had some lean muscle on him. Red and yellow turned and walked away but not without making some derogatory claims about greasers.
You panted, finally breathing again as you doubled over, stick still firmly grasped in between your palms and fingers.
“Are you okay?” You heard the same voice quietly ask. You noticed they were standing right in front of you now. You meekly looked up to gaze into his pretty blue eyes. He hissed out in pain as he looked at his arm at the same exact moment that your mark started to burn so bad that you couldn’t take it. A searing pain ripped through every single one of your cells. You did it! You finally found your fucking soulmate! Without being able to stand the pain and excitement, your body tumbled forward for the second time that evening.
~~~
You heard rustling going on around you, but you clenched your eyes in fear that you wake up still stuck in the past.
“If I open my eyes and I’m not home, I’m gonna throw hands with whatever God there is.” You mumbled, slowly opening your eyes. The handsome man sat on the floor by your face, causing you to yelp and quickly move to a sitting position, hand clinging to your necklace.
“Hey, calm it, I won’t hurt you.” His gentle voice spoke. You laughed nervously as it hit you that he was your soulmate. Your life was fucked, oh so fucked. Sure, you found the one, but in a different decade!
“The world is a cruel place.” You muttered, hands removing from your necklace to rub down your face in irritation, “My life is a joke.”
He sat up on his knees, cautiously moving closer towards you as if you were a scared stray cat that he was attempting to take home to keep and take care of. You internally gagged at the idea of being kept inside as a house wife now that you were living in this time. You could not survive like that.
“It’s not. Usually people are happier to find their soulmate, yanno? I’m happy… I thought you would be.” His voice seeped with disappointment and pain.
You sighed as you felt his sadness creep up your bones and invade your sanity, “I would be thrilled if I wasn’t transported back in time. I’m not kidding, I’m from year twenty twenty. I can show you.”
You grabbed your wallet and ripped your lisence out, showing him. His eyes squinted as he read your birthday and the date you got it. His eyes enlarged as he looked back at you.
“That- that’s just impossible.”
You snorted, “S’what I thought too. Guess the universe really shoved us together on this one… and uh, thanks for saving me earlier, my inner jedi isn’t strong enough yet- I’m no obiwan.”
He furrowed his eyebrows, “I don’t know what that means.”
You blushed, “Big movie franchise that eventually comes out. I’ll try to avoid pop culture references… my bad.”
He smiled, pearly white teeth showing, “you’re really pretty, y/n.”
Your heart raced in your chest at how attractive he was. Claire and Margo would hardgirl swoon with you over him but they’re not here to join you, so you had to soak up his beauty all on your own. And him saying your name like that? God, that would make any girl bust a nut.
“How do you know my name?”
He shrugged, “Saw it when you showed me the date. The name surely suits you. I’m Sodapop, Sodapop Curtis.”
He held his hand out and you hesitantly met his half way as if to give him a handshake, but instead he intertwined your fingers together before moving closer. His skin was so warm against yours and all you wanted to do was pull him closer and bury yourself in his chest. Finally finding him was overwhelming after convincing yourself that you were doomed to be alone.
“Those guys that chased you, we ain’t letting them get away with it. We’ll find them and give ‘em a good what for.” A new voice spoke.
A kid, you guessed to be about 16, stood in the living room doorway, hands shoved deep into his jean pockets. He had longer brown hair like Sodapop, but his eyes were more hazel instead of the pretty blue. You awkwardly smiled, attempting to pull your hand away but Soda tugged it back, stubborn to lose contact so soon. He gave you a sweet smile to reassure you that he wasn’t going to try anything like the two men last night.
“Y/n, this is my brother ponyboy, and that’s my brother Darryl.” Soda said, pointing to the younger kid and the full on man that walked through the front door. You nervously waved with the hand that Soda didn’t claim.
“Hi, thank you guys for saving me… although I think my stick was pretty promising…” You awkwardly spoke making all three of them chuckle softly.
“Better safe than sorry.” Darry said, offering a smile, “Come on, Ponyboy. We will be back.”
Darry signaled Pony to go with him outside, you and Soda sat in silence as you heard the truck doors and the rumbling of an engine pulling away. His thumb grazed over the back of your hand. Your insides felt like they were melting. Sodapop was extremely attractive and you could not believe that you found him. Harry Styles has some competition for sure. Well, maybe that was going far. It’s Harry Styles, no one could really beat him.
“So what’s it like here? What do you do for fun?” You asked, looking around the house. You imagined the houses around to be very similar. Old couches, ancient TVs with the antennae’s, framed photos on the mantles, and the cool old wallpaper. Very similar to the sorta place your grandparents grew up in.
“Play cards every couple nights. Go to the drive in movies when I’m not working. Diner is open late at night so that’s where young folk hangout. We find good times.” He smiled softly, getting lost in his own thoughts, “What’s there to do for you?”
You couldn’t even begin to explain that you lay in your bed watching tik toks off your phone while Netflix plays softly in the background. Or that you quote memes in a parking lot with your friends. Soda would not understand memes at all and that would be a huge struggle because half the shit that came out of your mouth were memes.
“I have fires a lot at my house, we usually sorta just sit there and bullshit for hours but uh then there’s the usual- getting coffee and sitting in a parking lot. Not much to do in my town but eat and go somewhere to hangout…”
“That sounds nice.”
You shrugged, “More people than not get drunk or smoke weed everyday because what the hell else is there to do?”
He quirked an eyebrow, “you do that?”
You shook your head no, “My friends and I drink from time to time but not heavily. And we especially don’t go to parties because those are cesspools waiting to be caught by cops. Well, fuck cops anyway, but..”
You froze when you realized that cops in this time weren’t critized by the public as much. Political climate ranged from your time to now. Soda probably wouldn’t support the LGBTQ community, or if he did he didn’t know much about it. And racism surely lingered in the 1960’s air. You felt sick thinking about fighting barriers that you usually didn’t have to.
“Do girls swear a lot in the future?” He asked timidly, not wanting to upset you but also he was just very curious. He never heard ladies swear and especially not that word.
You snorted at how cute he was, “All the time. It’s normal for us. Trust me, if you are shocked by that you don’t want to imagine the crude things that are said daily..”
His thumb stopped rubbing circles on your hand and your heart faltered. He was probably used to obideint women who were dainty and didn’t outspeak too much. Women in this era were subservient and you could not be further from that. You had quite the mouth on you and your idea would not be oppressed. You graduated pretty high in your class. You were intelligent and political and that was mind blowing to men of this time. What if you were too much for him? You wouldn’t dare change but it would be heart breaking to know that your other half couldn’t take who you are as a person. As a woman.
“What you said about the cops.. what did they do wrong? I mean here they can be annoying but they try to be fair.” He asked, thumb rubbing your skin again. His eyes glanced down at your thighs and you blushed a bit, wishing you would’ve put on your sweatpants instead before leaving to go with the girls.
“If I explained it all, we would be sitting here for days. Long story short; African Americans still aren’t equal and they are murdered by cops at an unequal rate compared to the population size. Protests turned violent and the whole country is a mess. Half the country trusts cops and the other half wants the systematic corruption to be dismantled. Personally, I’m with the latter. So cops aren’t really my heroes. I try to avoid them. Of course my dad disagrees because he’s old fashioned and doesn’t get it, but what’s so hard to get about treating people equally. America’s supposed to be a melting pot so what’s with the racism and harsh divide? Guess the founding fathers only meant equality when it came to every white man- and that’s bullshit.”
You stopped rambling to see that soda was grinning from ear to ear at you. You gave him a questioning look. “Did I miss something?”
“You are wicked smart with politics. Wiser than anyone I know, prettier than anyone I know.”
~~~
Three weeks later you found yourself walking through the library with ponyboy, fingers grazing over every book you walked past. Books were little keys to jump inside different worlds. You wished you could find a book from 2020 that would magically transport you back. You found Soda, but at what price? You wanted to go home where you had control over your life. You were lost here.
“Any book recommendations? I’m sure you had to read a lot of these.” The youngest Curtis asked as you rounded the corner.
“Hmm, ever read any Tolkien books? Like The Hobbit or Lord of the Rings Trilogy?”
“No.”
“Awh, goodie, I get to be your mentor for this. Basically these are the best damn books that you will ever read. Bit lengthy but the detail is beautiful.”
He gently took the Hobbit in his hands, one gripping the back while the other flipped through the pages, examining how many there were before he tucked it under his arm, affirming that he would take a stab at it.
“What’s it about? Is it girly stuff- not that I mind really.”
Ponyboy was unlike the rest of the gang. He was a little softy that you wanted to hide from the world in order to protect him. The gang protected him physically but his feelings were usually punched, as much as Soda tried. Ponyboy felt things differently and deeply. He was in touch with literature and his life revolves around movies and books. You imagined how much he would adore the twentieth century with how much content there would be for him.
You crossed your arms and shifted your weight to one foot, “It’s a fantasy set up. So like elves, dwarves, hobbits, trolls, orcs, shapeshifters, magic, and I’m sure there’s more but my mind is blanking here. I promise it’s worth it. And I can explain as you read.”
“You’re a nerd?”
His innocent question made you laugh, “I guess you could say that, bud. Give it a shot and if you don’t like it, so be it,” you muttered this part to him, “although no one can resist middle earth’s charm.”
“What’s middle earth?”
“Where it takes place, it’s like another version of earth basically. But hey! You’re already so interested. Soon enough you’ll be wishing you were an elf slaying orcs too.” You joked, jabbing him in the side, “and if you say you wanna be a dwarf instead, you’re dead to me.”
He smiled, “what if I like the humans more? What then?”
“Then, I would consider you an absolute freak. Humans in this are like mediocre. Well, in the hobbit at least. Lord of the Rings they are more of a key part, but they’re so boring compared to the other cultures. Unless you like boring?” You raised an eyebrows at him.
“No, I ain’t boring. And I don’t like boring either.” He stubbornly said, walking side by side with you to go check your books out.
You grabbed a few random books that you wanted to check out. Soda worked and he refused to let you go anywhere alone, so you and Ponyboy just read a lot. It was summer vacation so he was outta school and had all the time in the world. You liked hanging out with the kid.
The two soc boys were standing by the counter when you guys got there. You huffed as the one winked at you. In that moment you wished you were legolas with a dagger and could gut him.
“Surprise seeing you here, considering I doubt you guys are literate.” You spoke, smiling at the librarian as you handed her the books.
“Surprise seeing you here with only the kid, we’ve heard you’re shaking up with Sodapop now. Looks like the greaser found his soulmate.”
The derogatory term aimed at Soda fueled your veins with rage. Blood rushed into your head at the idea that these guys thought they were above Soda, who was the kindest man you knew. Your heart told you to call them motherfucking cunts but your brain warmed you that it wasn’t a good choice. You glanced over and noticed that Pony looked as mad as you. If you retaliated, you wouldn’t get beat up but if he did, he would go home bloody while you trail behind him with a guilty face. You would give them a little talk.
You blew air out of your mouth before turning around to them, “Boys, I don’t know if you keep up with the news or not, but Vietnam is an ugly war filled with horrible people. Do you know what soldiers see? People being burned alive, dogs getting shot down, bombs obliterating people, women in villages getting raped, and most importantly you watch the men you grew to love die right before you.”
The two men stared at you wide eyed as you paused to grab the books from the librarian who was also now listeninf to you.
“Drafts are inevitable, and you know what? War doesn’t care who you are; greaser or soc. The enemy won’t stop to ask your financial stability before ending your life. The boys who you deem greasers could be the ones to save you from dying. Maybe try being nice because you never know who you will end up with on that field.”
Ponyboy’s mouth opened in shock when the two socs slowly back away and left without a single word. You hummed in victory before ushering the younger boy out of the building with you.
“Where did you hear those things? Darry keeps up with that stuff and I never heard nuthin like that.” Ponyboy asked after a few minutes.
You guys walked through the gate of the house but you halted before the steps, “A lot about the war is exposed after it ends. We learned about it in school. I used it against them as a wake up call. Try not to worry too much about it.”
Pony slowly nodded, “okay.”
The door opened and two-bit shuffled out the door with a beer can in his left hand, right hand wedged in his pocket.
“You guys are in trouble.” He sang as pony pushed him out of the way and walked into the house. Two-bit walked off the porch and turned to head home. He didn’t wanna be present for the yelling.
Soda and Darry’s heads snapped to the door and you held the books tighter to your chest to hide yourself. You two forgot to leave a note where you were going and now you were going to get scolded.
“Where the hell have you two been? It’s past 8:00.” Darry scolded, throwing down the newspaper that been in his hands.
You looked to Soda for help but even he shook his head to signal that he was just as upset. You handed the books to Pony before holding your hands up in surrender.
“Oh no, you caught us. We were at the library.” You joked, quickly knocking the smile off your face when the two older Curtis boys glared at you.
“Not funny. Anything could’ve happened to you.” Soda reprimanded. Your soulmate was always worried for you when he wasn’t around. He knew how horrible soc could be and they clearly had an interest in you. It was bad enough being away from you, but getting home to you and his kid brother not there made his nerves fly through the roof.
“Socs aren’t a worry when she’s around, trust me.” Pony mumbled, setting the books down on the table.
“Whats that mean? Did those socs bother you again, Y/N?” Soda suddenly was in front of you, checking your body for any cuts or bruises. You smacked his hands away.
“No, simmer down, I’m fine.” You said, offering him a reassuring smile.
“Then what happened!”
“She shut them down with her wit before they could even start. Those soc didn’t know how to respond so they turned around and walked right away.” Pony explained.
“What did you say?” Darry asked, slightly amused. He liked you very much and was glad that such an extraordinary woman was meant for his little brother.
You shared a look with pony to silently tell him to shut up about what you really said, “Nothing that’s important. What does matter is that Ponyboy got a bunch of books that he should be reading.”
He playfully rolled his eyes, “You want me to read so you can talk to me about elves.”
You nodded, “Well yeah, they’re the best part so get to it! Once you start you will love it.”
Ponyboy nodded before picking up the books and heading towards his shared room with Soda to begin reading. You smiled as you watch him go. You knew deep down that he was excited to read but didn’t want to make it seem like he was. He liked to taunt you with your taste in movies and books but you knew he really did agree.
“You baby him more than Soda does.” Darry stated, giving you a teasing glance.
“I don’t baby him.” Soda argued, glaring at his older brother.
“You do, Soda. Darry’s right though, I baby him a lot but I can’t help it. Pony’s a good kid that’s curious about the world. Reminds me of my best friend back home… I am sorry that we didn’t leave a note, we didn’t even think about it.” You admitted, grabbing Soda’s hand and intertwining it with his. He melted into your touch and you could tell that he wasn’t mad anymore. He couldn’t stay mad at you even if he tried.
“I know, I know. Just try to be more careful.” Darry softly spoke, “I’m headed to get a shower and go to bed. Don’t let Pony stay up too late.”
Soda muttered a yes and goodnight as you saluted Darry in a joking way, making the oldest Curtis smile and roll his eyes before going about his way.
As soon as the door was shut you were pulled into Soda’s arms, both wrapped tightly around your midsection as he nosed against your neck. You blushed as you wrapped your arms around him too, smelling the oil and dirt that came with working at the DX. It was an oddly comforting smell. Distinctly him. Your soul mark tingled as he left a soft kiss against the skin of your throat.
“You gave me a real fright, doll.” He softly spoke. Your eyes fluttered shut as he pulled you closer, his lips grazing your skin with his words, “ just worried when you’re not around, ‘m always thinking about you.”
“I didn’t know you thought about anything other than cars all day,” you poked.
He snorted, “yeah right. As if.”
“I’m so used to my independence that I forgot that here I need to let people know where I’m going.”
He pulled away slightly, “Did your parents not care about your safety?”
You snorted, “They did. Of course they did, but it was so easy to get ahold of them that I could just let them know while I was away. Plus once I turned 17 they stopped really caring what I did as long as I wasn’t doing anything sketchy. And I was always with my best friends.”
“Makes sense. Darry doesn’t care what I do if I’m with Steve…”
You pullled away and picked up one of the books to start reading it, “He should be the most concerned when you’re around that boy.”
You sat on the couch and held the book in your lap as you gave him a pointed look. He rolled his eyes. You and Steve sorta got along. He was nice and all to you, but he was a dick to ponyboy and that wasn’t appreciated. He walked to the kitchen to get a pop.
Minutes later he sat beside you on the couch, glancing down at the words splashed across the pages. He skim read but the book didn’t seem that great to him.
“Y/n?”
“Hmmm, soda?” When he didn’t reply you half way shut the book and turned to him, “what’s up?”
“Does it ever bother you that you’re so much smarter than me?”
Your heart burned at his question. Soda had a complex that he was stupid because he dropped out of high school. Everyone knew he did it because of his situation in which he tragically lived. Darry couldn’t do everything on his own and soda knew that. He sacrificed his future for the better of his small family. He wasn’t dumb.
“Education changes through years, so a lot of new material has been taught to me that you wouldn’t have known.”
He crossed his arms against his chest and slunk down in the cushion, “Come on, for real. Doesn’t it bother you that I’m a drop out?”
You set the book down and shifted so that your hands wrapped around his right bicep. You leaned your head on his shoulder. He didn’t look at you, instead he was staring holes into his bedroom door.
“Sometimes I feel like you should’ve been Ponyboy’s soulmate instead of mine.” He softly spoke, “He’s brilliant.”
“Oh my god, Soda. Can it. The universe wouldn’t send me decades back to find you if we weren’t meant to be. Not one part of me cares that you didn’t finish high school. You’re Soda. The smart man who takes care of his family. Does it bother you that I’m brainless when it comes to cars?”
Soda gave you a look like you were insane, “I don’t mind at all.”
“See, it doesn’t matter. I don’t see you as dumb and I wish you would stop seeing yourself that way too.”
Ponyboy walked into the living room, blonde hair messy as if he was playing with it. His cheeks were flushed from sitting under blankets and he looked a bit sleepy. Reading always made him a bit tired from how at peace he was, which was rare in his current life.
“Y/N, I don’t know how to feel about Bilbo. He seems good but he also seems a little selfish.” He said, eyes skimming along some of the words.
You smiled, “He’s a really pure character. You’ll grow to enjoy him. What part did you get to?”
Just like that Soda was in a better mood. Watching you speak so happily and effortlessly to his little brother about a book made his heart soar. Sometimes he felt like he couldn’t connect with Pony like he wanted to. And where he was lacking you were there to make up for it.
A few hours later Soda sweetly kissed you goodnight before retiring to his shared room with Pony. You snuggled into the couch with blankets wrapped around you.
~~~
Opening your eyes you saw that you were laying in your bed instead of the Curtis’ couch. Panic flood through your veins at the idea of returning home without the boys. Your heart was racing out of your chest as you looked at the decorations on your wall. A place that felt like your safest place was now a personal hell.
You wanted to return home but not without Soda, Pony, Darry, Two-bit and even Steve. God, you had to have been especially emo if you wished to see Steve more.
The idea of seeing Claire and Margo was beyond relieving but the pain of never seeing Soda again almost cancelled it out. Once again you would be the friend without a soulmate- without a better half. You sighed as angry tears slipped from your eyes. Why did the world have to fuck with you so much? You didn’t have a soulmate, found them in another decade, and then when you grew adapted to the times and people, Mother Earth ripped you back to your old life.
“Hun, why are you crying?” You heard Soda say. You tried to sit up to look for him but a firm arm was wrapped around your middle. Somehow you completely didn’t register that when you woke up.
You struggled to turn around and there he was. Beautiful Sodapop Curtis laying right beside you in your bed. In 2020. His hair was slightly shorter but his kind blue eyes were still the same. He was still the same handsome boy from the 1960’s.
A choked sob escaped your lips as you wrapped your arms around him, pulling yourself as close as you could. Warm skin against yours assured yourself that he was real. This was real. Not some dream that your brain cruelly conjured you in attempt to calm you down.
“Did you have a nightmare?” He softly asked, a hand coming to rub up and down your back. His gesture only made more tears leak out of your eyes. You were so confused. Why wasn’t he freaking out too?
“I don’t know. Where’s Ponyboy and the guys?”
His hand faltered for a moment before he went back to comforting you, his lips pecked your forehead a few times, “They’re at home, probably asleep. Did you have a nightmare about them?”
Your mind was spiraling. Somehow the boys made it here too and soda seemed to not find this weird at all. He was acting like everything was normal.
“What year were you born?” You asked, clutching onto him, trying to remember what his skin felt like against yours.
“1999. Babe, tell me what’s going on. You’re starting to scare me here.” He lightly chuckled, adoring that you were clutching onto him as if he would disappear.
You didn’t know how to explain so you disguised it as a dream, “I had a weird dream, a really realistic one, that I was transported back to the 1960’s and I found you and the guys there. I can’t remember how we met now.”
You felt him shift slightly to get his arm free. He picked up his phone and the screen lit up. His lock screen was a picture of you two in front of a well taken care of old blue camaro.
“We met five months ago at a car show. You were with your grandpa, Claire, and Margo and I was with the boys. My mark burned when I accidently brushed your arm when I passed. We realized what was going on and we got this picture. We’ve been together since.” He recalled easily.
As he spoke, you could faintly see all of this happening in your point of view. How happy you felt when you saw him, the tingling of your mark, gushing internally at how attractive he was, you could even hear Margo cat calling in your head when you two got that picture.
Suddenly memories were dancing around in your brain. Getting Taco Bell together at midnight. Him joining your friend group to sit around the usual fire pit, him making you a s’more when you beg him even though you knew you didn’t have to ask more than once. Him building you the nice wooden shelf in your room that you put your weird Knick knacks on. Him laughing along when you scream “I will sacrifice my own life for Pakistan.” Going over for dinner and watching Lord of the Rings with pony boy.
“It’s all real.” You breathed out, “I’m sorry, that dream just really messed me up..”
He grinned down at you, his lips slowly drifting right above yours until they softly brushed together. Your soul mark tingled in utter delight. His arms slithered around your back as he moved on top of you, “I should be offended that you forgot about all of that, you know.”
You laughed, “Yeah… I’ll make it up to you by being nice to Steve for a whole day.”
He snorted, “wow, a whole day… that might kill you.”
You exaggeratedly nodded, “Honestly. He’s seriously the worst, soda.”
He boyishly smiled as he rolled off of you and stood up, grabbing his jeans and pulling them over his legs. He shoved his hands in each pocket to make them go in. He grabbed his plain black shirt and slid it over his shoulders and then head.
“I have to get home, Pony’s drivers test is in an hour and I’m the one to take him. He’ll for sure pass. I made sure of that. But tonight we will probably get cake to celebrate, the boys are all coming over. You’ll come, right?” He asked grabbing his hat and sliding it on his head.
“Wouldn’t miss it.”
He winked at you once and leaned over the bed to give you a quick peck, “see you soon, pretty lady.”
You blushed, “see ya soon, handsome.”
He smiled softly before walking out the door. You laid there in the bed in disbelief. Your dream was too real to not be true but at the same time you recalled meeting him in 2020 too.
Either way you were thankful that soda was in the present with you because it was honestly the best of both worlds.
A strong breeze hit the house and your window popped open. A small scrap of paper floated in and landed on your dresser. Your hands smoothed they paper before reading it.
“Sometimes reality changes for people who deserve it.”
Soulmate AU where Person A and Person B hate each other with heart’s content, but when one of them goes missing, they realize how much they need each other, and fight to reach each other.
Anon: Can i request a soulmate au with gfriend’s yuju? Thank you ❤
Note:Just to clear some things up, this scenario is made following the reader’s pov, so the person you’re “talking” to is Yuju. I am so sorry it got so short but i felt like i’d ruin it if i make it bigger. So, yeah, i hope you like it, enjoy :).
“The Akai-Ito legend says that neither time, distance nor anything that happens in the way, will keep the extremities of the string unconnected. Then, you will find true happiness, your purpose in life about loving and being loved.”
I’ve always thought that love and destiny were two things that never crossed paths. In my mind, love was something that radomly happened, being certain and sometimes not. That would be why some couples actually work out and some not.
I was so wrong and now I can finally see it. Since the time when I started having dreams about you. They were not normal dreams; they had an cronological order, always seeming to follow a script. The previous dream always connected to the next, somehow. Sometimes, it was like I was moved to someone else’s body the moment I fell asleep.
Those dreams were so real that I started thinking I was going crazy. I was living someone else’s life, a completely different world, and sometimes it was hard for me to know what was real and what was a dream.
Until the day we’ve met and I’ve finnaly realised that it was you all the time. All of those weird dreams that kept me curious for so much time. I have no idea about how I got to this conclusion, but i just know.I recognized your voice the moment you said ‘hello’.
In my dreams, I never saw your face. Whenever we walked by mirrors or anything that could reflect face, all I’d see was a blur. But your voice is something that I could never get wrong. Sometimes it felt like you were talking to me.
There is this one time I remember dreaming one of those dreams again. However, something was different, this time I was in my own body, seeing through myeyes and you were right beside me, holding my hand really tight, with your face still blurred, I remember hearing you say
“I will find you again. Even if it’s on another life. Promise you’ll wait for me.”
Can you believe it? One more dream. One more promise abou future lives.
That was the last time I dreamt about you, though. After that line it stopped, almost like you had left my life forever. That was the only time I woke up feeling a little empty after dreaming about you.
I had some relationships that didn’t really lasted too much. They were all very boring and it felt fake all the time. Sojung used to say that they didn’t last because those people weren’t on my destiny line and that someday I would finally find my soulmate. They weren’t meant to be.
And I waited, and waited, until the day we’ve met and I could fell real love. That was when i had the confirmation tha my soulmate had finally come to take me. When you told me that you had those weird dreams too, it got realer. I remember it like it happened yesterday.
“Do you believe them? The dreams?”
“I believe that we’ve already met in our past lives, and that we will keep meeting after this one too.” You said, with your voice calm like the ocean after the storm.
“And what if we don’t met?”
“Well then we make a promise, just like we did before.” You lifted your hand and lifted your pinky, saying “I promise I will find you in all of our lives”
I looked at your raised pinky a little skeptical, but with my heart begging me to believe. Then I attached my finger to yours, and saw your bright smile as we touched our thumbs, finalizing our promise.
“This is completely crazy.” I said and you laughed
“It is,” you agreed “But you know what? I don’t care, I just want to love you in every opportunity I have”
“I really hope we can keep that promise” I said a little insecure. I was afraid we couldn’t make it.
But you looked at me, still holding my hand and gave me one of those smiles of yours that make your eyes smaller when your cheeks tighten them, and said
“Don’t worry, the world can go against us, the laws can try to separate us, but they’ll fail. Because as long as a me and a you exist, we will find each other, and we will love again, and again, and again.”
Loki runs his fingers through Y/N’s hair as she lays on his bed, sleeping off the remainder of the intoxication. Stephen assessed her moments ago, though the altered scent alone indicative of the drugs that are still in her system.
The letter written in her blood sits heavy in his pocket. The scent unfamiliar, but the vampire had watched them. Watched Y/N.
Loki needed to know what made her get into the allure of narcotics. She could have wanted temporary distraction? How had she become an addict?
Guilt breaks through him. If he would not have left he could have protected her earlier. Kept her safe, and not have broken the heart that she trusted him to keep.
Thor enters the room, a hesitance laced in his movements, “Brother, please do not react without thinking.”
The younger sibling’s eyebrows furrow in confusion then in anger.
“You brought them here?” It takes everything in him not to pull away from Y/N to lunge at Thor for bringing the three witch coven members into the house.
“They may have a theory.” Thor attempts to explain.
“So based on a whim of theirs you bring them into my home? Seriously brother what goes on in that buffoonery fuelled head of yours!” His voice rises in crescendo, red rims surround his green irises.
“Brother.” Thor warns glancing at Y/N.
“Do not test me.” Loki counters, covering Y/N with more of himself.
“I do understand that you are feeling overly protective. The coven has been invited by Nia who holds an extension of my own will, we do not have to agree with them but they may know what is happening.” Thor attempts once again.
“I will only when she wakes.” The red dissolves back to bring forth the green. Thor’s heterochromia gaze moves between the two mates.
“We need to act fast Loki you have done enough of your whims.” Thor knows he’s taunting and provoking his brother.
“My whims? Let me remind you you’re the one who proposed killing off our dear father first. You’re the one who got your mate. You are the one who agreed with Zemo’s plan. Y/N is a witch, we knew but her belonging to the celestial coven complicates things.”
“YetI had to put forth the plan of having the bond weakened by another coven’s magick. No matter how horrible it was for the both of us. So that she would stay protected lest Alexander found her because you are incapable of taking care of anyone but your mate. Because Thor, you thought it was best to keep her as a pawn in this little chess game you have been playing.” Loki seethes.
“I was not alone in agreement of the plan.” Thor yells back his blue and brown irises surrounded by red rims as his fangs descend.
“But you initiated it, signed off upon it.” Loki spits out.
“You did what to our bond?” Y/N’s hauntingly cold voice breaks the angered stupor that grips at Loki.
“Y/N…” He pinches the bridge of his nose, “This it’s—, it is very much a complicated set of occurrences.”
“I believe she has a right to know.” Thor interjects.
“You, you, is this, some kind of grand game?” Y/N sits up moving away from her mate.
“Alexander is a dangerous man further, a dangerous vampire.” Loki begins to make her understand.
“Was there another way without you leaving?” There is a sway in her movements as she creates distance between herself and the vampire brothers.
Loki looks towards Thor, the elder brother sighs and then nods.
“You didn’t leave Nia.” Y/N accuses, bearing no ill towards her best friend.
“Our bond was fully established.” Thor says simply.
“So what, your brother is skeptical about soulmates and you just thought to run with it by putting the two involved souls through hell? I felt like dying each moment he was apart from me. I confided in you each moment and you knew.” Y/N’s voice interlaced with betrayal.
“Y/N, look in the grander scheme of things, this,” Thor ponders for the right words.
“You were too selfish to give up your own bond.” Y/N suggests, a venomous undertone to them.
“Yes and no.” Thor answers then looks toward Loki.
“Zemo, the vampire who attacked you the night of the party…” Loki prompts his mate.
“The party you erased, there was another vampire as well.” Y/N completes with a distaste in her mouth.
“We spoke in detail about a plan that exists to take down Alexander Pierce. It had several road blocks, he has an ability to know what could be the potential gifts a human can bring across their vampire change. Certain witches were spared for their talent, others because they were mates of the vampires in the coven.”
“However one witch coven is hated by Alexander because they have survived erasure time and time again. Yours.” Loki takes an unnecessary breath.
Nia opens the door, her eyes first on Thor who gives her a look of reassurance.
“If our bond was complete I would have to turn you.” Loki informs her realising she may have not heard everything he said during her astral form minutes.
“How has Nia not been turned?” Y/N looks at the two mates.
“Blood exchanges need to happen everyday from a full moon to a new moon. Basically second half of the lunar cycle.” Nia explains, “I’ve been having his blood for the first half.”
“Did you know about this?” Y/N looks at her best friend.
“He told me in the car, what the plan was, why Loki did what he did. Why he left you.” Nia looks sombre.
“It seems Thor has left out some details.” Loki mutters quietly.
“So you agree with me being used as a pawn?” Y/N bellows at her best friend from her place.
“Damn thats some fucked up shit.” Sierra comments from the first floor the conversation clear as day to be heard. Doctor Strange looks at her.
“What, you need to be honest.” She shrugs.
“I believe that lesson needs to be learned by your own coven as well.” Doctor Strange sneers.
“I do not agree to that, but it keeps you safe from a conversion and it aids in the process.” Nia hesitates, “The last witch to be granted immortality from your coven was Luna, because of her gift of prophecy.”
“Nia.” Y/N tries to understand.
“If you aren’t deemed worthy, bonded or not, he would end you.” Loki tells her point blank.
“Why could you not have been honest?” Her eyes brim with tears, why was he always so closed off? Why could he never just share his burdens with her?
“You’re supposed to be my mate. I, we could have navigated this better.” Y/N accuses him.
Loki closes his eyes at the heartache that laces her words, “I know. I did not want to burden you.”
“While you held my burdens?” She sniffles, the ache for more substances scratches at her chest.
Loki stays quiet.
“I, I need to go home— I—, this is, all, is too much.” Y/N turns to move past Nia as she descends the stairs.
“We pushed for your bond to weaken to awaken your witch side.” Miles tells her as she comes into view.
“The bond suppressed it, if it would have been established chances are we would not have had to put you under that much duress.” He continues much to her dismay.
Y/N turns her teary eyed face to them.
“Am I just some kind of fucking pawn? Vampire ruins the bond to protect, my coven uses to have strength, random vampire makes me his drugged up blood bag?” Her voice is hoarse, “Can’t any of you be honest? Upfront? I would understand better help better, but no you,” She turns to Clark, “You’d rather my bond shatter.”
She faces Loki and Thor who stand upon the steps, “You two would rather play with the bond, toy with my heart. Pretend to be my confidant and then just break my trust over and over.”
She turns to Stephen, he raises an eyebrow.
“I just gave you homework.” He raises both hands in defence.
“He’s at least honest.” Y/N gestures to Stephen.
The baby witch makes her way to the door but it does not budge.
“You’ve been exposed to drugs.” Miles does not lower his raised arm.
“And?” Y/N crosses her arms.
“Those weaken your witch sense as well.” Clark concluded.
“Thor was right.” Nia exclaims, “We were right.” Thor intertwines their hands.
Loki’s eyes widen, he appears in a blur near Y/N.
“The vampire left a note again.” Loki presents the note out of his pocket.
“Is that…” Sierra looks at Y/N.
“It is in my blood.” She affirms to the more practiced witch.
A possessiveness pulses across the bond, as everyone reads the contents of the note.
The young witch goes over her scarce memories of her highs, most would be muddled and one she left untouched— the forest.
She never noticed any puncture wounds before and they only started upon Loki’s return.
These notes the message left on the wall and the note both had an undertone of a deeper rivalry or mocking of Loki and his inability to keep her safe. Or rather mocking his way of keeping her safe.
What if this rogue vampire wasn’t a rogue at all?
Y/N’s eyes widen, they search for Loki’s comforting green.
“I, I have a theory.” She states and the collective group looks at her curiously. Hunger sears her stomach.
“I need something to eat though.” A light dust of red coats her cheeks.
Loki returns with a paper-bag housing her favourite order from the local diner. The human and vampire pair enjoy the brief appearance of the stars across their bond.
Thor and Nia settle on the loveseat the latter upon Thor’s lap more than the seat.
Miles, Clark and Sierra sit on the couch and Stephen sits on the lone leather chair.
Loki and Y/N sit in their designated spot on the L portion of the worn down couch side by side.
“How long have you been practicing?” Stephen questions the coven, in a bid to offer some time to Y/N to eat.
There is a tremor in her hands and Loki takes over holding the takeout box.
“We do not divulge coven dynamics.” Miles smoothly replies before his husband is irked.
“Alright, when was the awakening?” Strange counters.
“Mine began at fourteen,” Sierra smiles, Clark groans, Miles places a comforting hand on his thigh.
“Always was into the whole mystic aspects of things, also I knew something was up when I started being able to see the spirits my dogs would bark at back home.” She completes.
“Ooh which kind of puppers did you have?” Nia grins, always ready to speak about the sweet little creatures.
“One was a mutt adopted him off of the mall parking lot named him Mustard, there is a whole story he would not leave without this unopened bottle of mustard; and the other was a doberman— Boba both passed away a few years ago, sadly.” Sierra presses her lips into a thin line but then smiles fondly at the memories of the sweet creatures who stood by her family and her.
“I’m sorry.” Nia frowns, Thor rubs a comforting hand over her back.
“No, no, talking about them makes me happy.” Sierra smiles at the pair, “When did you two bond?”
“We met at the local gym, I was doing cardio and Thor is a personal trainer there.” Nia grins looking up at her mate.
“And this one here lost her footing, and I helped her up.” Thor brushes his nose against Nia’s own.
Both have love struck smiles on their faces.
“When is the change due?” Sierra concentrates and can see tiny golden suns orbiting around them, “Oh you have tiny suns!”
“You can see them?” All the vampires look bewildered.
“We can even see bond lines, Sierra here has a particular interest in bonds, vampiric or non vampiric.” Miles gives her a proud look.
“I do, I used to well still do online tarot readings for the collective from time to time. Most part I’m a paediatric nurse.” Sierra proudly beams.
“That is amazing.” Y/N praises, her food portion half eaten, slowly the air turns serious as they wait for her to find the words to put forth the theory.
Y/N stares at the pattern on the coffee table, she would laugh if she could since this was the third replacement that was brought in by Thor and Nia.
“I believe that these two incidents of me being forced to consume narcotics aren’t isolated. Maybe the fact that I do not remember a lot of the highs isn’t to do with well, just the drugs.” She takes a deep breath and Loki takes her freehand into his own, steadying the newfound tremor.
“I, I think this vampire whoever they are, might be working for Alexander Pierce. Or they know I’m a witch or they know I’m Loki’s mate and they have a plot of revenge. Or they just want tainted blood.” Y/N completes.
Loki’s own mind races to think of people whom he has wronged but the list of the ones left alive in Alexander’s name is short.
Thor purses his lips, “It is a plausible theory.” He agrees.
“However deranged rouges, they do prey upon half abandoned mates. This could even be a one off taunt.” Stephen adds.
“The marks are staying visible for me to see, so the vampire is keeping tabs on my whereabouts.” Loki gazes apologetically at his mate.
“It is a messed up situation.” Y/N attempts at comfort rubbing circles over his palm with her thumb.
“Which concludes he is not working alone.” Stephen adds.
“They also have a witch or warlock.” Clark speaks for once contributing to the discussion, “The Vampire Weave is not an easy feat to achieve.”
“This is a seasoned witch or warlock.” Miles agrees.
“But who would help a vampire?” Clark makes his patented dissatisfied expression.
“Compliance.” Nia sits up straighter adding onto the fact, “Y/N knew Loki altered her memory, he’s keeping a warlock or witch between them. So she can’t remember. Cause the witchy side would block the vampire compliance.” She adds.
“This adds proof this is not some baby witch or warlock.” Sierra ponders,
“If we teach you before the next attack, the witch or warlock will have to come into physical contact with you for the spell to work, you could counter it and break the hold the vampire has on them.”
“She is not going to be left alone to be subjected to non-consensual narcotics usage.” Loki’s free hand balls into a fist adding to his adamance.
“You still need to be trained. In the event he is locked into a weave.” Miles adds for Loki to see the logic.
“You know the laws of our kind Loki, you cannot hold back a witch or warlock from training in their craft. It must be their decision.” Clark reminds Loki of an old rule.
Y/N watches the High Priest and her mate have a stare down competition.
“I want to train. I need to be able to protect the ones I care about and myself.” Y/N speaks voicing her thoughts.
Loki presses his lips into a thin line, displeased.
“Fine then.” Clark stands, “Bring your grandmother’s grimoire tomorrow, also search for Samana’s grimoire and we need to begin your own first. Bring in a notebook then Sierra will teach you how to make your grimoire. I presume your mate will stand guard?”
“You presume correct.” Loki sneers.
“You must stay outside the perimeter.” Clark warns.
“Your coven isn’t strong enough.” Loki taunts then falls to his knees as do Thor and Stephen. Their faces blank, forms unmoving.
“What are you doing to them? Stop it!” Nia screams in panic, trying to shake Thor out of the forced upon trance.
Y/N grabs onto Loki’s hunched over form. Then gazes worriedly at Stephen.
“This is just my skill level, I have Miles and Sierra.” Clark smiles, “You can hear everything, the panicked voice of your mate and friends, the dread, while all other senses remain deprived.”
“Clark.” Y/N turns to him, “Please, enough.” She pleads.
The High Priest lowers his raised palm.
Loki glares up at him, the stars move through Y/N’s side of the bond to his, Loki places his hand upon hers which rests on his chest.
“That was something.” Stephen stands cleaning his clothing of any stray lint.
“Indeed.” Thor breathes in deeply, pulling Nia close to quell her worries placing a soft kiss against her lips.
Miles and Sierra stand, both move to hug Y/N goodbye.
Sierra requests Y/N to meet her in the event she does resume duty at the hospital, provided Stephen clears her for the same due to the narcotics in her system.
The coven clears out. Clark gives them a final glance before turning away.
“I must commend Thor, blood sharing having to just have synchronous with the lunar cycle.” Stephen observes, though his tone feels akin to a jab at Thor.
“Stephen.” Loki says in warning.
“Its true though, why did you have to sacrifice your bond into smithereens? Just because you were skeptical?” Stephen raises his hands as if in question.
In a blur Thor has Stephen against the wall.
“I did not make him do it. It was the best option given the circumstances.” Thor spits out at Stephen.
“It was the way most convenient to you. Where did that leave Y/N? In Narcotics Anonymous.” Stephen yells back.
“When her mate had no issues I think you should stay in your place.” Thor seethes.
“Loki will you open your mouth or should I continue?” Stephen’s ablaze red rimmed blue eyes turn to Loki, Y/N looks up at her mate questioningly.
“You did not even care for her. You both did not,” Loki speaks after a breath of silence.
“We cleaned up after each mess of hers, if she weaselled her way out each time that is not upon us. Because you were gone.” Thor glares as he turns toward his younger brother.
Loki takes a step back as though wounded, “You forced me to leave.”
“Cleaned up after me?” Y/N knows her face betrays her hurt, she tries masking it, Thor had been an elder brother of comfort through the mess as he put it, he turns to look at Nia.
“It was hard upon us as well to watch you in that manner.” Is all Nia says, fiddling with her ring clad fingers.
“Caregivers often bear the brunt, however she was under compulsion. You could have protected her better.” Stephen interjects.
“As could you.” Thor speaks with retaliation.
“And I did on each placement of her under my care, I did.” Stephen presses the back of his right hand into his left palm the sound of skin against skin adding emphasis.
“Can we actually believe that theory or is that just an excuse?” Nia meant to mumble it under her breath, the chill that took over the room sent a shiver up Y/N’s spine.
Loki looked at his mate’s best-friend.
“It is true, Thor could have protected her better, yes maybe we took the easy way out as vampires, I was skeptical about the bond but I was skeptical about the plan as well. Have it in your heart and mind to speak the truth or should I extract it myself? Did you give even fifty percent of effort of protection to my mate?” The younger brother looks at his elder brother.
Thor looks to Nia, then at his brother, then at Y/N.
“You could have told him to return if you couldn’t handle the responsibility.” Y/N murmurs, there still was so much to unpack from the conversation and if anything that was given to her only brought forth a craving to just consume more for the numbness.
“He did not want me to return.” Loki says as though something dawned upon him, “Is that why you never alerted me about the OD, about the forest attack?” His voice raised, in demand, venom pricks at the corners of his eyes.
Thor stays silent. Y/N gazes at Nia questioningly.
“You told me he did not care enough to return.” Nia accuses Thor.
“He was supposed to stay away for another month. In the end you craved your mate did you not? After all those talks about disregarding your chance at love and eternal affection.” Thor sneers.
“You’re behaving just like Odin. I say one thing and you hold that against me, expecting me not to learn or be educated and change my opinion or stance.” Loki looks down at the hand that Y/N wraps around his arm to provide comfort. The stars pass between them.
“I am nothing like Odin.” Thor presses, red rims appearing to further his anger.
“I think it is best we dismiss this conversation.” Stephen interjects, knowing the topic of their human father was one that still brought about bitter memories.
“Oh thats rich first gaslight then dissipate.” Nia narrows her eyes at the doctor.
“At least I don’t disregard my best friend’s trouble with being forced to consume drugs!” Stephen wants to leave the air here getting too much to warrant peaceful responses anymore.
Y/N tilts her head, seeing an iridescent tinge of orange in the air surrounding them. It stays present for a flash then disappears appearing near Thor.
“He has nothing better to do, he was tossed away. Left for dead by townspeople. Only supports the vampire who took him in from the streets.” Thor seethes as he adds agreement with Nia.
The orange gleam shifts edging towards Loki and herself, she pushes Loki’s chest and they duck.
“The fuck are you doing?” Nia raises an eyebrow, “Is this some new response to some drug? Or is it a witch thing?”
“Can someone contact Sierra?” Y/N questions, her eyes focus upon the dancing gleam, her wonders if it can be slowed down to a stop.
She keeps her vision steady, imagining a thick sludge surrounding the gleam to slow it down before it reaches Stephen.
The doctor dials the number of the nurse, she answers after a few rings.
“Whats wrong?” The curly haired witch questions over the call.
“Y/N is staring at thin air…” Stephen tries to explain.
“Put her on speaker.”
Stephen appears next to her, holding the phone as it remains on speaker.
“What are you seeing?” Is her immediate question, “describe it don’t lose focus.”
“Iridescent but orange, bouncing around.” The baby witch explains.
“Are you all having an argument or heated discussion suddenly?” The vampires and Nia look at each other in surprise.
“Yes.” Y/N answers for them.
“Well that is another little gift Clark left, you all need to leave the room, that is a self sabotage spell, since its iridescent the effect will wear off if the room clears. Listen Y/N I know how difficult this all is but you will have to prove yourself to Clark. What you did today with the astral meeting that showcases your skill but refining your craft will only be the way to stay in control.” Sierra offers advice hoping it encourages the new witch.
“I understand, I am ready to put in my share of hard work. Also, um. Is it possible to slow it down? The orange thingy?” Her eyes remain on the said object.
“While it is possible to stop it from going further I’d suggest not wasting energy, get it out of the way but everyone leave the room for the next one to two hours just to be safe.” Sierra suggests, receiving a collective reply of affirmative responses the call is brought to a close.
Thor and Nia move to leave to the upstairs rooms.
Stephen waits near his car outside.
Loki wraps his arm around Y/N’s waist, she doesn’t break focus on the orb, as her mate uses his speed to move them backward and out of the house.
“I will see you tomorrow, OPD paperwork only.” Stephen ruefully tells her, she sighs then accepts.
“I know you were benched long enough but this…” Stephen lets the sentence hang in the air between the three of them. He bids the two goodbye, getting into the driver’s seat.
Loki presses his lips to her temple, “Home?”
Y/N nods, intertwining their hands as her leads her, to the familiar Mercedes.
The vampire opens the door for his mate then speeds into the driver’s seat.
“We have much to talk about.” Loki addresses the unspoken thought as the car is turned into ignition.
“We do, but at home… right now I just want to be with you.” Y/N requests and Loki meets her eyes, they still remain bloodshot but in lesser intensity.
“As you please.” Loki reaches for her hand out of habit, across the console, resting over her thigh, their fingers intertwined
——/- div
Fourteen Months Ago.
“Where are you taking me?” Y/N has a smile on her face as she adjusts the phone to reach up to the top shelf for the Nutella jar.
“Somewhere.” Loki smiles sitting outside the dean’s office for the upcoming literature symposium the university would be hosting.
Y/N huffs, partly at the jar and partly at Loki.
“I thought you would be happy.” Loki teases.
“I am, but I can’t seem to grab this jar.” Y/N stares at the Nutella, wishing it would levitate.
“Nutella?” He enquires, a fondness grows within his chest. Y/N smiles at the sudden warmth. She hums in agreement, wishing he was there to reach up for it.
“Kinda wish you were here with me.” She sighs, it had been two weeks since their moment in the bookstore’s cafe.
“Why?” Loki knows she probably wants him to reach up for the jar.
“So you could get me this jar.” Y/N still gazes longingly before moving to the next aisle.
“Darling, here I thought you were dating me for me.” His voice is light and full of mirth.
“Nope, I just need your very tall limbs to get me things from the top shelves.” Y/N goes along with the humour.
“I’m wounded.” Loki feigns sadness but can’t help the laughter that rumbles in his chest.
Y/N giggles, switching the side of the phone.
“Do you need anything?” She asks mindlessly pushing the cart.
“Just you.” Loki breathes, allowing himself to relish and enjoy the fact that he has a mate, consciously throwing the meddling thoughts away instead of harbouring them.
“Professor I believe I’m quite the priciest item here.” Y/N brings in the playfulness again, his words stirring something deep within her at being wanted.
“I’m sure I could come up with a sum worthy of you alas, these numbers cease at the feat of your beauty and intellect.” He admits, and she feels a cacophony of stars trickle towards her, the sudden sound of metal clanging worries him.
“I’m okay just crashed into the yogurt fridge.” She grumbles lightly before righting the fallen items.
Loki bites back his smile picturing her reddened cheeks and expression. He adjusts the papers he holds with the files, fidgeting every few minutes to keep up his human façade.
As Y/N arranges the items a softer happiness makes itself present within her at the openness he displayed the past week.
It was not a vast ocean of being open with her but he tried. For her sake. That was enough for her to know he could and would try for her.
“Hey, I’m back, reporting live from the averted accident in aisle 20, yogurt and soy milk.” Y/N laughs, Loki chuckles.
“Any casualties?” The professor looks up at the dean’s assistant who gestures for him to head inside.
“Well does my bruised ego count? Or the indented pack of pudding cups Thor seems to love.” Y/N reports back, reading the labels of the hot sauces for Nia’s preference.
“Well for the bruising I’d recommend waiting till I pick you up. I believe my lips will know what to do.” Loki gathers his laptop bag, the bond willing him not to say goodbye as it glows happily between them.
“Youstill won’t tell me? Also no kisses for Lokis who withhold information.” Y/N will stomp her foot as does a tantrum throwing child, she will.
“Would it be a surprise if I did?” Loki chides.
“At least tell me the dress code.” Y/N pleads.
“I believe comfortable should do.” Loki whiles away the time, the dean could wait.
“What are you wearing?” She enquires that would give her a better hint.
“An oxford button down and slacks.” He answers recalling the light blue shirt he picked out for their date that hangs in his office.
“So it is okay if I don’t wear a dress right?” Y/N hesitates, dresses though nice weren’t always her first choice of clothing.
“Darling, I believe what you wore when you accompanied your friend to meet my brother should work.” Loki admits,
“Oh the cream sweater?” She recalls, Loki hums in agreement, the assistant returns once more hands on his hips giving Loki a pointed and impatient look.
“Yes, also I have my appointment with the Dean, I’m sorry to cut the conversation short. I will speak with you soon.” Loki apologises.
“Oh no its, alrig—,” The line cuts and Y/N sighs, “its alright.” She repeats more for herself.
She does a once over for all the items in the cart, matching them with her list proceeding to the check out.
“So how is Romania treating the great history buff?” The woman in front of Y/N speaks a little loudly.
“Really? Wow, didn’t think anything surprised the intuitive Mr. Bucky Barnes.” The woman laughs in response and Y/N feels the air leave her lungs.
How many Bucky Barnes-es could exist in this universe?
The checkout aisle next to her opens up Y/N recedes to that one. Trying not to focus on the conversation.
But the short-haired woman’s laughter keeps following through and the number of jokes just keep flowing.
Y/N grits her teeth, so Bucky blocked her out. Did not bother contacting her but kept in touch with someone else. So maybe she wasn’t the only one who didn’t have feelings.
“Cash or Credit?” The cashier enquires palm raised to take whichever mode of payment chosen.
Y/N hands her the credit card, loading up the groceries as the transaction is completed.
“Oh Bucky, come on, just do it. What is holding you back?” The woman encourages, she’s on the same stage of shopping as herself.
Y/N grabs the card swiftly not wanting to hear more about Bucky. He could do whatever he wanted. Talk to anyone. Why does she care?
As she’s loading the groceries in her car, the same short-haired woman approaches her, “Hey are you, Y/N?”
“Um, yes…” Y/N trails off hesitantly.
“Oh great I caught you, here you left this on the counter the cashier recalled your name from the system. I’m Maria Hill.” Maria smiles as she hands the hastily forgotten bag to Y/N.
“Oh um, thank you.” She says, placing it with the others.
“Um, I don’t mean to pry…” Y/N regrets the words as she says them, “Were you speaking to James Barnes?” She fiddles with the zipper on her jacket.
Yep Y/N thinks, Maria must be creeped out.
“Oh um yeah, he is a PhD candidate as I am, left for some personal work so I like to keep him updated so he can keep up and not turn into a slow poke.” Maria grins, “Though I’m going to beat him to it but it’s no fun without healthy competition, do you know him?” The brunette waits for a response.
“He was in creative writing with me, he left quite suddenly, just haven’t had the chance to talk. Maybe he switched numbers, but I’m happy to know he’s okay.” Y/N offers a smile,
“I have to rush, it was nice meeting you Maria.” Y/N gives her a wave before quickly sitting in her vehicle and leaving Maria eyes wide as she connects the dots.
She brings back attention to her ongoing call with Bucky, he had heard everything due to the headphones Maria wore.
“You did not give her your number?!” Maria yells at him.
“It, it was better that way.” Bucky winces as he explains.
“Come on dude so what if the date thing didn’t work, at least you will have a friend, she will have a friend!” She groans.
“Maria can we discuss something or someone else?” Bucky pleads stirring the conversation away from Y/N.
— — — —
Loki smoothens his coat’s lapels, as he stood waiting outside Y/N’s home. His occupied hand holds a bouquet of daffodils. He smiles at the flowers, knowing they would be appreciated.
Y/N opens the door, with one hand trying to fix her earring with the other smiling brightly at Loki.
“Hello.”
“Hi.”
They both smile sheepish and then laugh.
“You can come inside, I just need to fix this—,” Y/N huffs again as the earring still does not stay in place.
“May I help?” Loki offers, she looks at him then nods.
Her eyes fall onto the flowers,
“These are for you, darling.” Loki hands her the bouquet, promptly taking the earring from her.
“Thank you.” Y/N smiles at the flowers.
“I know I don’t know your favourite flower yet. But I believe these,” Loki pauses, as Y/N sniffles.
“I, Did I do something to upset you?” Loki worriedly gazes at her.
“I just remembered what you said, about these, what the daffodils signify. Now, we’re about to go on our first date… Just you putting in the thought. I know its stupid to get emotional over this—,”
“Hey, no, no, you are not stupid for getting emotional, I myself teared up when I saw the florist put them together.” Loki knows how the venom feels when it pools over his eyes.
“Thank you.” Y/N hugs him, Loki rests his cheek upon her head, arms wrapping around her frame. The warmth of her skin seeping through his clothing onto his own.
“You’re welcome.” Loki softly inhales her scent, letting it wash over him. Her blood did have an allure to him, but only because mates were to share blood in order to prepare for the inevitable conversion.
The way her scent called to him right now, he was glad he had fed from blood-bags before arriving.
Loki relaxes his hold when Y/N initiates pulling away from the hug. Still holding the flowers tenderly in her arms and smiling at them. Loki adores her, tucking this moment away for himself.
“May I?” Loki requests, holding the earring up; she shifts so he can place the earring.
Goosebumps break out across her skin as his knuckles ghost over her as he places the earring, his breath softly fans across her cheek.
Loki places the earring his knuckles trace along her jaw, resting under her chin.
Y/N tilts her head back at Loki’s prompting meeting his gaze. She feels the stars bloom around them, twinkling brightly.
“May I?” Loki questions once again, his lips inching closer to her own.
“Yes.” Y/N breathes out, softly.
His lips find her warm ones, they mould together. Eyes closed, the stars cascade merrily.
Loki pulls her closer, Y/N places her hands upon his shoulders as the kiss deepens.
Y/N’s right hand inches upward along the side of his neck towards his hair. Loki hums in the kiss, his hand moving along her spine pressing her closer. Their chests touch, Loki knows he’s pushing his luck, there is only so much control he can keep when they are like this, she tugs on his hair while she lightly nips at his bottom lip.
Loki knows his primal instincts are taking over, he pushes her against the wall, wrapping her legs around his waist and supporting all of her weight.
His tongue moves across her kiss bitten bottom lip as she parts her lips for him, her scent fills his senses. Heady, addicting and absolutely ethereal.
Loki knows his eyes are red rimmed, the bond glows brightly. Y/N’s fingers tangle in his hair and legs tighten around his hips.
His hands roam over her sides, his fangs begin to descend as she tugs on his hair wanton sounds of need spilling from her lips unto his.
Their lips part and Loki lays kisses over her exposed neck, he holds her up with one hand and something about his strength sets a heat ablaze within Y/N.
Loki, pulls down the sweater, small nips and kisses over her collar bones, he keeps his eyes closed.
“Loki, Loki, Loki.” His name spills from her as a fervent prayer.
The bond speaking through her begging Loki to establish it completely.
When he reaches her sternum, Loki freezes.
Y/N opens her eyes, heat blooming all over skin, the stars surrounding their bodies.
“Loki?” She cups his cheek, worry takes over her.
“I’m okay.” He takes an inhale, eyes closed, he places his forehead against hers.
“Why did you stop?” Her hand nervously fiddles with the collar of his oxford shirt.
“I, I want to do right by you. This, I enjoyed, there is not doubt in that, if I could, I’d have my lips on your skin till the world ended, but I don’t want you to think that I only want your body.” He opens his eyes, sincere green greets Y/N.
“I’d—, Loki, you never gave me that impression.” Y/N assures, pressing a soft kiss to his cheek, “I though, maybe I did something wrong or something you did not enjoy.” She admits, a blush taking over her face.
Loki’s eyes widen, “Love, you did nothing wrong I quite enjoyed those sinfully addictive sounds you made for me. Also, if you do not enjoy something I am doing you need to tell me, we have to communicate our likes and dislikes always; just not at one point. This doesn’t just stop at the physical aspects of our courtship.” He places another kiss against her lips.
Y/N smiles, “Sometimes you sound as though from another era.”
A momentary panic surges through the vampire.
“I guess that would be because of all the Shakespeare and poetry you’ve read and immersed into.” She adds with a small laugh, her fingers run through his hair trying to tame the tresses she caused to mess up.
“Are you making fun of me, Ms. Y/L/N?” Loki playfully narrows his eyes, his tone stern.
“Why no, Sir, I would never dare.” Y/N feigns innocence, “Just maybe a little.” Her giggle is caught in her throat as Loki’s fingers begin to tickle her sides and she breaks into laughter.
“Loki!”
“Y/N!”
Their laughters intertwine, echoing in the room.
Once they make themselves presentable again for the outside world, Loki and Y/N are divided by the S-Class’ console. Elbows nearly touching.
An excitement cascades from Y/N to Loki through the now stronger bond.
Loki smiles, “I hope you enjoy what I have planned.”
“If you tell me, I promise to be more excited than I already am, pinky promise.” Y/N bargains.
Loki taps his index finger over his lips, as though in deep thought.
He looks at her while switching the lanes, “Nope.”
Her annoyance amuses him, he laughs much to her chagrin. Y/N rolls her eyes looking out the window, annoyed.
“Darling,” Loki says, she doesn’t look at him.
“Love.” He attempts again, with failure.
He huffs, reaching over and grabbing her hand, intertwining their fingers over the console. Y/N pulls his hand back towards her, the back of his hand rests on her thigh.
“Is that a smile I see?” He teases.
“Give me a hint, I’ll give you a kiss.” Y/N pouts.
“Oh come on now that is extortion.” Loki accuses. Y/N just shrugs.
“We’re almost there.” Loki points out.
“We drove an hour into London.”
“Are you trying to deduce where we are going?” Loki smiles at her focused expression, the furrow in her brow reminds him of her in class.
“Wait, did—, what if we’re seen?” She panics, Loki meets her with a calming gaze.
“It is a weekday, the place will probably only have tourists. Although I’ve booked a private thirty minutes.” He assures, smiling only when she calms down.
Loki pulls into the parking building near Tate Modern, London. Y/N curiously follows Loki’s lead as he navigates through the floors to get to their destination.
He doesn’t let her even see what installations are being presented, showing the tickets discreetly to the security as they wait in a corridor. A gentle older woman comes out a corner door greeting Loki.
“You can go in, it’s just been cleared.” She informs him, greeting Y/N with a smile as well.
“Thank you.” Loki offers the woman a smile.
“Oh one more thing.” Loki turns to Y/N, “I want you to keep your eyes closed till we are inside.”
“Loki… Fine.” Y/N only agrees when he pouts and it is too adorable to say no to him.
The vampire beams brightly, covering her eyes with a blindfold. Y/N holds onto his hands and hears the quiet hinges of the door opening and Loki leads her for about fifteen steps.
His footsteps echo in the quiet room, as he stands behind her. She takes a deep breath as he undoes the blindfold. Taking a few steps back to admire her reaction.
Y/N opens her eyes, blinking a few times, her jaw then drops. She is surrounded by an infinity of small lights that are mirrored all around herself and Loki.
Tiny blue, yellowish and green lights seemingly akin to stars, she turns attempting to find Loki to hold him close to take in this moment with him.
Loki smiles at her elation that he sees and feels within himself.
Y/N moves to him, closing the gap he put between them.
“Loki this, it is, beautiful, ethereal even, as, as though we’re surrounded by our stars.” Her throat feels heavy, emotion overcoming her.
“Well we once admitted we feel stars for each other. Now we can finally see them. Surrounding us.” He tucks her hair back, they both grin at each other.
“Loki, this, I don’t have words, thank you.” Y/N admits, tears pooling in her eyes.
Loki softly brushes the tears, “I’ve made you emotional again. I know these are tears of happiness. I want to admit something, if I could, I’d bring down all of the stars that surround the moon and bring them to you. For you are my moonlight. The stars would be merely a fraction of what I’d do for you, now that I’ve found you.”
Y/N’s breath is caught at his admission, her heart soars. She reaches upward, placing a soft kiss against his lips. Loki returns the affection, with as much of emotion he can pour into the gesture.
When they pull away, slightly breathless.
“I’d do the same if not more for you.” Y/N admits to him, in a soft whisper, a promise just between them.
“I’d do the same if not more for you.” Loki repeats, sealing the promise between them with Yayoi Kusama’s infinity mirror room lights as their witness.
—————div
Present.
—————
Saturday.
—————
Y/N groans, feeling the after effects of the grilling at Miles is putting her through.
“Come on, up you go.” He prompts again.
She sits crossed leg again from the sprawled out defeat on the soft carpet in their living room.
“Now come on, protective enchantments on the ink bottle again. Block my hex without actively holding the enchantment.” Miles instructs again.
Y/N raises her hand, drawing the symbols for protection, adding intent and visualisation. Then she looks up at Miles, nodding for him to hex the bottle.
Miles raises a finger of his left hand drawing the hex over the bottle. For ten seconds nothing happens. Then Miles is launched two feet away from the bottle.
He grins at her, “Well done, now we’ll move onto plants, don’t worry I can reverse the hexes so the plants won’t be harmed. But you have to protect them well enough.”
Y/N nods, she begins to place the enchantments upon the small succulent cactus.
Miles prepares the hex and the spikes fly out towards Y/N, her eyes widen and she holds up her hands, the spikes stop mere centimetres away from her face. Dropping down onto the floor.
“Did you alter the wording for living things?” Miles enquires, Y/N groans.
“Fuck, I’m so stupid.” She facepalms.
“Hey no bad words said to yourself. You’re trying hard.” Miles pats her back.
“If she was trying hard, silly mistakes would not happen.” Clark adds dryly, upon entering the room.
Y/N bites the inside of her cheek, Clark reminded her of her father, never pleased. At least he was not a verbally abusive like her dad, just showed his disdain for her inability to perform well.
Basically Clark and Miles were good cop, bad cop.
Clark waves a hand and the spikes split into two groups heading for Miles and herself. Y/N stops them this time farther away from their bodies.
“Add the protection.” Miles prompts.
“The spikes…” Y/N reasons.
“Add it.” Clark says as he begins with the hex, Y/N scrambles with one hand to maintain the shield then adds the enchantment with the living thing wording, the spikes turn towards Clark with full throttle.
He turns them into petals of flowers falling to the ground.
Clark only hums, that means he is mildly pleased by her work.
“You kept the spikes connected as well.” Miles praises, “good work.”
Y/N only smiles, the clock hits seven-thirty and now it was time for Clark and his mind bending tricks.
It was only day five of training but it felt as if eternity had passed between the days.
Clark settles on the chair near the fireplace, Y/N joins him on the free chair, “Now, you have to block out the compliance. We can try that with the guard dog vampire outside.”
Y/N rolls her eyes, but nods out of respect.
“For the vampire kind of compliance once you harness the warlock and witch kind. We’re trying to make it so that you have to be touched to be compelled. Once that occurs we need you to break the compliance upon the warlock or witch.” Clark continues, cracking his knuckles to prepare.
“Okay.” Y/N nods, focusing herself.
Clark focuses upon her, bringing forth his visualisation of her own protective enchantments brought forth by her own witch status.
“Tap your right foot.” Clark attempts, as her ankle twitches to move.
Y/N focuses her mental shields. Her ankle stops twitching.
“Snap your fingers in the rhythm of ‘we will rock you.’” Clark compels once again, focusing upon the one weak area through her shield. Y/N resists, visualising his compulsion trying to break through her guard.
Clark huffs, he has to go with something that will pick at her emotions. It was cruel and Miles would tell him off but it needs to be done.
“Tell me about what Loki said to break your heart.” Clark demands, Y/N’s eyes widen her focus wavers.
“He said I am a distraction, he only wanted to know if the bond held any weight in his eyes that—,” Y/N pauses, bringing her mental shields back up to focus. Gritting her teeth.
“Tell me about the heartbreak a parent caused you. Your father specifically.” Clark feels remorseful but this needs to be done.
“You will need to be specific.” Y/N jokes, trying to not let her father ruin yet another thing for her.
“A moment he abandoned you when he should not have,” Clark drills through, the minute Y/N lets that moment flash by her mind.
“I was eleven, we were on our first international trip,” Y/N feels the tears brimming, she tries not to let the story spill but fails, “We were trying to find the tour buffet room, for dinner. The place was new and women over there not that safe but okayish, he got angry that he couldn’t find my mother or the remainder of the family, so we returned to the room. He knocked hard and fast on the door.”
Internally she tries to stop, begs herself to learn quickly.
“When they did not open the door, because they were gone, he left my hand pushed it away with force, it hit the wall behind me. He then says they left us, so I’m leaving you, let them find you alone. Don’t bother searching for me. I stood there for thirty minutes, men, women passed by staring. I pretended to knock each time someone passed by, so they’d know I had family inside. When my mom and remaining family came back cause we never reached they found me sitting in front of the door crying. All alone.” Y/N felt the wetness of the tears, on her cheeks and on her shirt.
“They took me in, I didn’t eat that night, just cried and then fell asleep. He came home late night, when I woke up I saw that I was facing him from my bed, I turned around and slept again. He pretended he never did anything. He never apologised or tried to make it better, he kept abandoning me, he left all the time for others, he never wanted to be there for me unless it was convenient to his motives to have me there to seem like a doting father—,”
“Clark.” Miles’ voice cuts through, Clark pulls away the compulsion.
Y/N glances at the clock, blinking away her tears, the clock said eight. She picks up her bag, checking for her notebook and grimoire.
“Y/N,” Miles begins, Y/N wipes her tears quickly.
“I’ll see you tomorrow earlier its Sunday. I’ve finished my coursework. Thanks for today.” She rushes out before the fresh wave of tears start, she crosses the perimeter where Loki stands against his car, he quickly walks over to her, wrapping her up in his arms as she falls apart in front of him.
He softly runs his hand over her hair trying to provide comfort. She clings harder and her shoulders shake harder as the sobs turn more deep rooted.
Loki presses a soft kiss to her temple. His hard gaze moves towards the house as Clark and Miles gaze at them, only one holds worry the other’s cheek grits. Their lips moving in conversation
“Miles what kind of second rate man is her father?”
“I told you not to push further.”
“She was eleven who leaves their child in an unknown place?!”
“Clark, please just, these are sensitive topics I hope you learn to build a better relationship with her. As High Priest you’re also an elder who the coven should be able to speak with ease.”
“Miles you know I can’t be vulnerable on demand, I don’t understand why the Priestess was insisting upon me being the successor.”
“Clark…”
“Love,” Loki attempts to have her take a few breaths and drink the water he had kept in the car.
Y/N nods, Loki takes all of her weight and she lets him settle her into the car, she takes a few sips of water. Sniffling as her chest still heaves.
Loki runs his hands over her head, cheeks and arms. When she finally meets his eyes, he worriedly notes the redness in her tear stained ones.
“Thank you.” Y/N whispers, Loki nods, placing a kiss to her temple again.
“I’m sorry he made you share that against your will, I think your father on the other hand deserves quite a few harsh words.” Loki mutters angrily. Maybe more than words he thinks.
“He isn’t worth it, honestly I don’t know why I keep crying over him and what he did to us as a family, what he put me through out of his selfishness.” Y/N admits.
“Darling, he was given a role he doesn’t deserve, you do not do that to your child.” Loki tells her, wiping her escaping tears with the back of his index finger and then thumb.
“I know I never shared that with you, I just,” Y/N loses her words.
“It was a difficult moment, I only wished I could have heard it out of your own volition.” Loki confesses.
They stay quiet, Loki looks back at the house Clark still stands watching, Miles had retreated back into the house.
“Are you hungry?” Loki enquires, Sierra had provided him a list of ways to replenish her energy stores, the top one being rest the remaining being food and stress free moments.
Y/N nods, “We can get take out? I don’t know what to cook with what is left at home; groceries is not something I want to run an errand for today, maybe tomorrow before practice.”
“Of course.” Loki agrees, he checks her again, then walks around the car to the driver’s side.
Their hands lay intertwined upon her thigh as always since their first public date’s drive.
Loki drives to her home, after the conversation that brought out everyone’s worse sides, their little entourage walked on eggshells and Stephen and Loki altered watching over Y/N giving Thor and Nia the Manor and some time to themselves without any responsibilities other than their own.
Nia tried apologising and protesting against the division but understood that maybe this could have them heal from wounds that they never knew existed.
Thor on the other hand said nothing to Y/N nor Loki. Stephen never really spoke unless they had anything to discuss. All in all it was sort of an impasse upon which they had arrived.
Loki walks in through the threshold of the door of the home as Y/N leads the way holding his hand.
There is something lighter in the air maybe the breakdown she had did her some good. Midnight circles around their feet, greeting their return, she had only slightly warmed up to Loki upon his return. Only marking him with her scent when Y/N’s own was present upon him.
Other times Loki swears he could see the cat glaring at him with disdain and anger at leaving them distraught.
As Loki empties the take out boxes into designated plates, his phone chimes. The water still running upstairs indicated Y/N is still in the shower.
Email: Tate Modern
Subject: Return of the Infinity Mirror Room for One Weekend Only. Members Exclusive.
—open to read further—
———————————————————
Email: Rayesa - Tate Modern
Subject: Private Viewing of the Infinity Mirror Room.
Dear Mr. Loki,
I realise that this must be short notice but I could have you and a guest come in for a thirty minute private viewing as before for the return of the same exhibit.
Please let me know as soon as possible so I may save the slot for you if required.
Warmest Regards,
Rayesa Addams-Ahmed
Curator
Tate Modern
Loki finds himself in a blur outside Y/N’s door, he knocks before entering. The shower shuts off and Y/N exits at the same time as he sets foot in, Loki finds his eyes trailing up her frame as Y/N momentarily freezes.
“Loki!” Y/N chides.
“I’m sorry I, I got excited because of an email.” He snaps out turning and covering his eyes with one hand.
She quickly grabs her night shirt throwing it on and only mildly struggles with her pyjama pants, “What email?”
“Tate Modern, the exhibit it is back, it is open for one weekend exclusively for members. Rayesa offered us a private viewing whenever we want.” He explains.
“Tonight we, its late how will we even—,”
“We could eat dinner now, I can drive, or we could even run.”
“No, not after eating.” Y/N shudders at the thought.
“Right you get queasy.” Loki purses his lips, “The train?”
“Faster than the car…” Y/N trails off, Loki turns as he hears her pad towards him.
“I’ll call her.” Loki beams at the prospect of reliving their first date again.
“Yes please.” Y/N grins equally happy at the prospect to have their bond visualised once again.
Loki finds Rayesa’s contact, pressing call.
“Ah, Mr. Loki, I think you found my email I was just sending you an updated one, the private viewings are only open for the next weekend.” Rayesa informs,
“I apologise for the inconvenience, I remember how much your guest and you enjoyed the experience.”
“Oh, just a moment Rayesa,” Loki conveys the change to Y/N they agree to have it next week they’d leave after practice so a ten o’clock night viewing was penciled in under their names.
“Thank you so much. I look forward to catching up with you two.” Rayesa bids farewell.
Loki settles in next to Y/N on the couch as they hold their plates of food.
He’s picked out rewatching modern family knowing it is a comfort show for his mate.
Y/N smiles as they settle into the familiarity of the show.
Plates slowly become empty and bellies are full of future date plans and food. Hearts still stay wounded around the edges but moving towards healing.
Their soft laughter only adds to the comfort Y/N feels. Her head rests on Loki’s chest as they shift into a more laying down position, Loki’s arms encircle her, the throw blanket laid over them, his fingertips trace over her back as they lay still watching.
Y/N finds sleep creeping upon her easier. Her eyelids slowly droop. Y/N sighs snuggling closer to Loki, his body slightly colder than her own but there was a comfort he brought to her by just being there.
“I missed this,” She admits, Loki looks down at her sleepy face, smiling.
“Missed what?” He enquires, he shares the sentiment of this quiet moments that were as much as theirs to keep as were their moments out and about.
“This, laying with you, hearing your breathing, having you near me.” She confesses.
“I have missed having you in my arms.” Loki confesses as well.
They yet hadn’t spoken alone about what transpired when he quote unquote broke things off.
Y/N and Loki both silently agree that moments of comfort and finding their way back to each other took priority.
It was futile to move forward with that hanging above their heads, but they just wanted to escape till when they could, till their hearts and minds wanted to hide away from the harsh words.
Three words still dance on the tip of her tongue. Even in her sleep addled moment. She wanted to whisper them.
Loki feels the bond shift back to silver, he feels his breath knocked out of his lungs at the force with which Y/N’s love cascades across their bond towards him at full throttle, venom pools at the corners of his eyes.
She still held love for him.
Maybe he had hope, hope that he could have her forgiveness her love to cherish again and never let go.
“I love you.” Loki whispers against her temple. Keeping her in dreamland with his soft caresses and soothing words of affection.
————
Sunday.
—————
Grocery shopping turned out to be an impromptu reunion between the two best-friends and brothers. They first hesitated and awkwardly hugged.
Then Nia dropped the canned soup display when she picked one up from the middle. Y/N saw the whole thing from the other end.
Loki and Thor were off broodingly staring at each-other in the corner.
Y/N wheeled her cart quickly to Nia, grabbing her and pretending they were never near the display to begin with, only when they reached the aisle for detergents did they begin to laugh.
“That was exactly like the cartoon.”
Nia wipes a tear that strays due to the laughter.
Y/N only giggles nodding, the mental imagery on repeat.
“Ma’am do you know who touched the soup display?” The store manager approached them. They straighten up. Shaking their heads.
“It looks fine to me.” Nia says gesturing to the display.
The man turns around and the display is perfectly in place.
Thor and Loki round out from the next aisle holding various decoy items with smiles of achievements on their innocent faces.
“I swear I saw the mess just a second ago.” The manager turns back to their ground then scratching the back of their head they go to inspect it up close.
Y/N grins spying the Nutella jar Loki holds, “This is incentive to kick ass today.” He insists.
“Whats today?” Nia questions, Thor silently watches the exchange.
“Witch training.” Y/N informs making space for the items in Loki’s hands in the cart.
“Oh, how is it going?”
“Kicking ass some days and getting my ass kicked most days.” The young witch admits.
“You’re going to do great. I believe in you.” Nia pulls Y/N in for a hug.
Y/N hugs back, her heart feeling elated at the happiness of having her best friend back, not that she was lost to her. Just the fact that they weren’t speaking.
Thor clears his throat drawing the friends apart.
“Thor.” Nia huffs, “I just got my bestie back.”
“I’m not keeping you apart I just wanted to say that, I’m sorry.” Thor looks down at Y/N apologetic.
“Oh,” Is all Y/N is able to muster.
“I realise things could have been handled keeping everyone’s emotions safe and not jeopardise your bond with my brother.” Thor admits, “I’m also sorry that I didn’t protect you better when you were vulnerable.”
“I’m sorry too for implying that taking care of you was a burden.” Nia adds.
Summary: In this world, your soulmate is the one who will save you from death. Also, in this world, the gods of destiny thought it would be funny to make the soulmate connection Minecraft themed.
Genre: SoulmateAU! Fluff, elements of hurt/comfort, smudge of angst. Headcannon format
Pronouns: They/them (Gender-neutral)
Warnings: Near-death situations, short reader, captial letters and cursing.
[a/n: THAT’S IT IM SIMPING FOR M! Thank you so much for requesting and supporting my work. It truly means so much to me. I’ve decided to do hybrid of bullet points and blurbs for this one because I wanted to have some ~variety~ in the format of the soulmate fics. Additionally, I did a mix of both by doing ‘irl’ Sapnap and SMP/c!Wilbur Soot. I hope that’s okay with you, m. I hope you enjoy, have a lovely day <3 Edit: Sapnap expressed discomfort of fanfictions including his first name so I changed it!]
╒═════ ▬ ★✦★ ▬ ═════╕
Sapnap
╘═════ ▬ ★✦★ ▬ ═════╛
★ It all began at a PC café.
★ (Y/N) was a regular since it was a nice change from their all-too-familiar room and the coffee and pastries were the best.
★ On the other hand, this is Sapnap’s first time at a PC café.
★ Usually, he would just use the setup he has at home but he figured that he might as well try it at least once.
★ Plus the café was having special where first-timers get their first hour and snacks free
★ And who was he to decline free shit?
★ (Y/N) and Sapnap crossed paths when he sat behind them playing Minecraft, (Y/N) noticed, and (Y/N) offered to join him.
★ The two bonded over the game and played together until they were out of money and remembered “wait, we could just use the pcs we have at home and keep this party going”
★ They get up to head to their respective homes and that’s when the height difference was noticed.
★ “Oh my god that’s fucking adorable.”, Sapnap thought.
★ Cue the eyebrow raise from (Y/N)
★ “Shit I said that out loud.”
★Both of them continue to hang out as friends for months.
★ One of these hang-outs, they were going down a really crowded sidewalk.
★ They had to hold hands so they didn’t lose each other. (cha cha real smooth)
★ But in a particularly dense part of the mass of people, (Y/N) was pushed out into the street.
‘Who’s idea was it to go here? We should’ve gone at a different time and avoided all this-’, Sapnap’s thoughts were interrupted by the lack of warmth in his left hand. ‘Shit, where’s (Y/N)?’, Sapnap panics and tries to crane his neck to find them in the crowd, ‘Damn them and their smallness.’
Finally, he sees them getting pushed around and makes his way towards them. Nick was almost to their side when (Y/N) gets pushed out into the road. They stumble and fall pretty bad, hitting their head. Nick decides to forgo ‘Excuse me’s and ‘Sorry’s; he just needs to get to them before they get hurt further.
(Y/N) manages to sit up, disgruntled and loopy; not registering the speeding car headed their way. ‘Oh no. Move. Move. Fuck, fuck, shit, shit’,Sapnap’s body goes into autopilot and he lunges forward, grabbing (Y/N) to his chest, the inertia causing him to fall back on to the sidewalk. “Holy fuck, that was close.’, he lets out a breath he didn’t know he was holding, “Are you alright? We should get to the doctor.”
★ Right then, it happened.
★The soulmate connection within clicked.
★ After a visit from to the hospital, they decided to make it official with a cute date at home since (Y/N) needed their rest.
★ “What’s up, what’s so funny?” “This is the greatest day of my life and I almost got fucking run over today.”
╔════◈◉◈════╗
SMP!Wilbur Soot
╚════◈◉◈════╝
◉ (Y/N) was Eret’s sibling and has known Wilbur since the drug van.
◉ At first they were just an apprentice trying to make a quick buck and in for a good time, but soon they fell head over feels for Wilbur.
◉ So when Wilbur proposed to start a nation, (Y/N) was right by his side.
◉ As for Wilbur, he has always been fond of (Y/N).
◉ He always admired their work ethic and loyalty and fell in love with their daring spirit and clever mind.
◉ The two can usually be seen making drugs, working on political documents, and teasing each other about their height.
◉ “Will, I swear to god if you rest your arm on my head one more time I’m gonna-” “Oh what’s that? I’m sorry I can’t hear you from all the way up here.”
◉ That earned him a swift kick to the back of the knees which made him topple like a Jenga tower. Tommy nearly burst his lung laughing.
◉ Together they were the feared duo, an unstoppable force on the battlefield and on the podium.
◉ Skip to to the moment where Eret has his hand over the button.
“To think, we were family. That I trusted you, believed you, and defended you!”, (Y/N) looked at Eret with such disdain and hurt that he flinched. “I’m sorry…”, he began, “It was never meant to be.”
BOOM!
What was supposed be one crater turned into a minefield of explosions. Wilbur was knocked back, but (Y/N) was quick to act and pulled Wilbur away from the other blasts. Tommy and Tubbo were already running, with Tommy leading the way. (Y/N) caught Sapnap aiming a crossbow in Wilbur’s direction and threw themself into the way, much to Wilbur’s dismay.
Their health quickly dropped, but they fought through the pain and turned to fire back at Sapnap. Their arrow hit the mark and distracted him enough to get away.
In the bunker Tommy made, they took a moment to heal themselves. Wilbur finished wrapping up the bandages around (Y/N)’s back and sat down next to them. “Thank you.”, he handed them some bread, “For saving me back there.” (Y/N) gladly accepted the food and gave him a genuine smile, “Hey, I’m with you ‘till the end of the line. Don’t worry about it. I know you would do the same for me”
“Hey guys, I think you should check the chat.”, Tubbo interjected.
The two did just that and they saw it.
WilburSoot has just earned the achievement [Guess I fell for you]
melodious(Y/N) has just earned the achievement [Guardian Angel]
When Marinette joined Alya and Nino for a weekend at the beach, the last thing she expected was to be lost at sea, or to be rescued by a very handsome merman.
When Adrien volunteered to swim a remote patrol, the last thing he expected was to meet his soulmate… or for her to be human.
Mermaid + Soulmate AU. Ongoing, coming back to this one cuz they started updating again. Adrien and Marinette confirm themselves as soulmates very quickly and he goes to live with her BUT the author has stated the intent for this to be a slow burn romance so I’m pretty interested in seeing where this winds up going.
Tony’s pretty sure it’s written into cosmic law somewhere: superheroes are not supposed be cute.
Apparently, no one’s told these two.
He’s okay with that.
Yeah, coming back around to this one again, gotta love crossover stories that treat all the series with respect. Also outsider pov, when done well, is one of my favorite things.
- the first thing you do when you wake up in the morning and look in the mirror is scream.
- your eyes were silver making you look like a demon. you were gonna kill your soulmate.. well if you could find them.
- over the years your eyes were the standard dark brown eyes. you thought you would have it easy like your soulmate’s words imprinted into your arms. maybe even having the luck of hearing your soulmate’s voice in your head.
- that was until you one you woke up with light caramel eyes. then your family realized your soulmate mark was that your eyes matched the hair color of your soulmates.
- just last week your eyes we’re matching a blonde hair color and today you woke up with your eyes silver making you look even scary to yourself.
- “what?!” your brother frantically ran into the bathroom holding his baseball bat.
- you turn around pointing at your eyes before he releases a screech.
- “mom, y/n is possesed!” he yells running out of the bathroom.
- you grumbled to yourself praying that your soulmate switches their hair back to a normal color so you can enjoy walking around without looking like a demon.
- “hey your eyes look uh… so cool!” your bestfriend attempts to put a smile on their face to reassure you but you saw straight through it.
- “yeah yeah, i know.” you grumble trying to eat your fries in peace without everyone staring at you.
- “maybe your soulmate is an idol, thats why your eyes are always crazy colors.”
- “i doubt it, maybe my soulmate just likes being different.” you say giggling, imagining what your soulmate was like.
- all you knew is as soon as you met your soulmate, you were gonna beg them to stop the crazy dyes. you made it easier for them by never dying your hair once in your life but unfortunately your soulmate didn’t seem to feel the same way.
- “oh my god! y/n.” your friend exclaimed pulling you out of your thoughts.
- “ what! you made me drop my fry!” (you made me drop my croissant)
- “i know who your soulmate is!”
- “no you don’t shut up.” you grab your stuff about to head out but they grab your hand.
- “look! it’s lee jeno! his hair was dark brown his whole life then his hair was light caramel around the same time your eyes were and then his hair was blonde last week just like your eyes! now today his hair is silver and now your eyes are silver! its him, its him! yes! no more having to pay for nct concerts!” they exclaimed super quickly and excited.
- “maybe it’s just a coincidence. people mistake others for their soulmate’s all the time!” you say while walking away before your friend had a chance to argue.
- the thought of jeno being your soulmate was unsettling. he was perfect and idol. you would barely get to see him and you would have to deal with hate, screaming girls and having to get his company and bandmates to like you. it all seemed very, very scary to you.
- the next morning, you stumbled out of bed going to the bathroom to wash your face. instead of finding your toothbrush you found a new surprise, your eyes.
- this time your eyes were a blueish color and again you couldn’t help but let out a scream.
- “if your eyes look any scarier than yesterday, i don’t wanna see!” your brother screamed back at you.
- at school your best friend shook their head at you smiling.
- “i knew it!” they screamed shoving a picture of jeno in your face.
- “lucky for you, i begged my sister to let you come to the fansign instead of her. looks like your meeting your soulmate, am i the best bestfriend or what?!”
- you groaned, needing to sit down for a second. you were finally coming face to face with your soulmate.
[time skip yo]
- your friend woke up you up in the wee hours in the morning, showing up to your window with a box a dye, bleach and some gloves.
- “hell no!” there was no way that you were gonna let them dye your hair. not only was she no professional, she wanted to dye it the same colors as jeno.
- “theres a bunch of girls who use contacts to try and tell jeno that they are his soulmate! we have to make sure he knows you’re his real soulmate!” she says before grabbing you and pulling you into the bathroom.
- “uh… so i heard bleaching your hair can kinda hurt sometimes, so just think about meeting your soulmate.” as soon as you heard kinda hurt you attempted dashing to the door only to be met with the hard shoulder of your brother.
- “y/bf/n told me not to let you out, so back in you go!” he yells pushing you back in the bathroom and closing the door. (sike you really though you were gonna get out and ruin my story?)
- four hours later, your friend did a surprisingly decent job and now you and jeno had matching hair like the couple goals y’all are.
- you arrive at the fansign and your heart drops. his eyes are still the regular color.
- you’re on the verge of tears. you got your hopes up really high thinking you had finally found your soulmate but unfortunately they were still out there.
- your friend looks at you apologetically but your turn away instead locking eyes with jeno.
- an expression of panic settles upon his face before he puts his finger into his eye taking out his contact lenses, revealing his eye color to be the same as yours.
- his blue eyes turn into crescents as he smiles you before turning to the staff and asking them something.
- before you can even process what has just happened, a staff member is aking you to join jeno in some secluded area.
- you bid your friend farewell before following the instructions of the staff member to find jeno waiting for you.
- you smile running to hug him feelings his arms wrap around your waist.
- you’re relishing in the moment before pulling away slapping his arm playfully.
- “hey!”
- “you big idiot! you keep dying your hair, making my eyes look crazy. then you wear contacts scaring me half to the death that you aren’t really my soulmate!”
- he chuckles bring you back into his arms.
- “i’m sorry soon i’ll go back to black just for you.”
- everyone always has a different way of finding their soulmate.
- one of your friends was stuck in a loop until they found their soulmate haechan and another one of your friends had their soulmate voice in their head.
- out of all of your mini friend group you have it just a little harder.
- you know what your soulmate looks like and their personality, the problem was just you didn’t know where your soulmate was.
- you only know his name starts with a j and that he was really adorable.
- you were able to communicate in your dreams, almost every night you guys would sit in some unrecognizable area and talk.
- today you were extra tired, you and your soulmate agreed to go to sleep around 10 pm every night so you would get to spend time together but you couldn’t help it.
- after two ap test and your friends being constantly lovey dovey with their soulmates at lunch you couldn’t help but want to take a i’m lowkey bitter about not knowing my soulmate nap.
- you were in dreamland for almost two hours when jaemin finally popped up.
- “baby, how long have you been waiting for me?” he smiled going to kiss your cheek.
- “i’m not sure, it’s been a while though. i couldn’t help it though my test and friends were stressing me out.” you whined slightly as he pulled you into his chest.
- you laugh when he tickles your sides trying to brighten your mood.
- “what did your friends do?”
- “oh it’s nothing they can help, i just get a little sad and jealous when i see them with their soulmates at lunch. it’s stupid” you murmur the last part looking down.
- he lifts your chin up smiling down at you, “it’s okay baby because soon we will meet. plus we must be the coolest couple who else gets to meet their soulmate in their dream every night?”
- you couldn’t help the smile that blossomed on your face. he always knew how to make everything better and make you smile even when you don’t want to.
- you guys just sit holding each other for a while and you can feel the sort of melancholic atmosphere.
- you knew both of you were thinking, what if dreams were all you were gonna have for a long time.
- you know its time to go when you can feel yourself slightly stirring in your sleep.
- he gives you a sad smile, a smile nonetheless, kissing your cheek before you wake up.
- you still feel kinda sad but with a more determination to find your soulmate, wanting to prove dreams would not be the only thing you have.
- you ask your friends if they or their soulmates know a boy with golden brown hair and name starts with a j.
- they all say they know nothing and you feel slightly defeated but you promised yourself you wouldn’t give up!
- you started to go later and later into your dreams (which was bad because you guys only had a limited amount of time starting) because you would spend most of your time after school exploring new areas in hopes of finding your love.
- one night your mom requested you come straight home and you took a nice loooongggggg nap and you saw jaemin waiting there for you with an expression that is a mixture of annoyance and worry.
- you wrapped your arms around him but he didn’t return the hug and you looked up at him confused.
- “what’s wrong, honey?”
- “why do you keep coming into your dreams later? you know our time is limited already. i haven’t even seen you properly for a month.”
- well you didn’t really wanna tell him you were looking for him because he told you before he thinks you will meet when the time is right and that spending time together in your dreams was worth the wait.
- “i’ve just been busy is all.” you said softly trying not to upset him. unfortunately that didn’t seem to work.
- “you must mistake me for a fool. i’m your soulmate, you think i don’t know that you’ve been wandering around everywhere trying to find me again?”
- you kinda gasped a little but you knew jaemin had always been very perceptive and you aren’t exactly an expert in hiding things.
- he could see the sad look on your face so he tried to calm down but he couldn’t help the clear annoyance in his voice.
- “baby, you were too busy worrying about me that you didn’t even stop to think about yourself. what if your wandering lead you into a bad area, did you even think about the possibility of us not being close to each other?“
- before you even got the chance to respond you woke up because your mom was calling you for dinner and told you the next day you would be visiting your cousins for the weekend.
- so the next day, you guys pull up to your cousins house and shes like “omg i’m sorry if i knew you were coming I wouldn’t have invited friends over.”
- and you tell her it’s okay you’ll just chill in the living room and catch up with the babies and everyone else.
- so an hour later your cousins friends are walking through the living room and you look up and your heart drops.
- it’s him.
- you look down because you start to get nervous because i mean your meeting the love of your life.
- but its too late because he’s already tackling you into a hug.
- “i’m so happy we finally met baby.”
- “honey, can you tell me your name.” you try to say with your normal voice but he’s hugging you too tight.
- “oh yeah i forgot we don’t know that about each other.” he laughs.
As a child, you’d only heard mere stories of the “Red String of Fate” from the mouths of your parents and grandparents. When you were younger, you took it a little too seriously; you always blabbered about it in your elementary classes and usually got in trouble for it. As you got older, of course, you dropped the subject, not believing in the soulmate nonsense anymore. But it was something you never really forgot, something that lingered in the back of your mind as nothing but a fragment of your childhood. Little did you know how real it truly was.
It was a normal day to your eighteen-year-old self. You sat in your parent’s bakery at the counter, your chin in your palm with your elbow propped up on the counter. The apron you wore (by force, of course) covered your knees as you spun on the stool you sat on. Heaving a sigh, you picked up your phone and scrolled through your Instagram feed. Your eyes shot up when you heard the bell on the door ding, and you made eye contact with a cute, shy-looking boy who seemed around your age. He walked closer and looked at the pastries on display as you shot him a small smile, putting your phone down. Your spinning came to a stop, leaving you to politely face him.
“Hi,” You said, gaining his attention, “Just let me know when you’re ready to order. We also sell coffee and tea, for here or to go.”
“Ah,” He flashed you a smile, “Thank you.”
You nodded in response and turned your attention to the cash register, staring at it and daydreaming. You didn’t really want to get on your phone while a customer was in the room.
After a few more seconds, he approached the counter, making you look at him with a polite smile. His lips raised to mirror your own before he spoke, “Can I have a walnut pie and a small cup of coffee for here, please?”
You nodded as you jotted his order down on your handy notepad, “Want creamer and sugar?”
“Ah, yes, please,” Came his response. His voice was smooth and melodic, you noticed, it wouldn’t surprise you if he were a vocalist.
“All right,” You chimed, “It’ll be ready soon. And what’s your name?”
“Jeongin,” He replied, taking the time to look around again.
“Got it,” You nodded before hopping off your stool and gathering his order. While pouring the coffee into his mug, you heard the bell go off again and looked over before realizing it was just Chan – he was a usual. A busy college student, but your friend nonetheless. He came by for a quick to-go coffee and left almost daily. You also took note of the time – late evening, your brother should come in for your shift soon.
Finishing Jeongin’s order, you made Chan’s coffee without asking and slid it across the counter, earning his signature grin, “Why, thank you, Muffin.”
You rolled your eyes and chuckled, “Stop calling me Muffin. Just because I work at a bakery doesn’t mean I’m a muffin.”
“Yes it does,” The older responded simply, sliding you the payment for the coffee across the counter. You took the money and put it in the register, shaking your head, “Don’t you have that thesis due tomorrow?”
“Don’t you dare remind me,” Chan groaned before sending you a quick wave, taking his coffee, and leaving. You chuckled but waved Jeongin over. The boy stumbled to stand quickly and rush over, taking his order and giving you a quick thanks, then proceeding to go back to his booth and taking out a laptop. At first, you thought he was lonely, but now you understood he probably just came here to get some schoolwork done in the peace and quiet. You’d bet he knew Seungmin, who told him to go to the little cafe you worked at. You shook your head at the thought as you sat back down at your stool. Seungmin was a good friend of yours, although you went to different schools because you lived on the border of the district, you still saw each other often. Then, he graduated and went onto college almost immediately. You, on the other hand, wanted to wait until you were nineteen or twenty to go to college. You wanted a bit of a break. He, too, liked to study and work at the cafe.
You fixed your posture and smiled as another customer came in.
* * *
You found that your worthless brother never came in for his shift, of course. Jeongin stayed working until it was nearly closing time. You heaved a sigh as you were wiping down one of the tables, looking over at the boy. He was just as focussed on his work as he’d been for the past few hours. It made you wonder just how on Earth he could work for so long, assuming he was working, anyway. He had papers skewed on the table in front of him and he stared almost angrily at the screen.
You gingerly tapped his shoulder, making him jump slightly and turn to look at you. Offering a small smile, you explained, “We’re closing soon. Would you like a coffee to go?”
“O- Oh!” He stammered, looking around as he scratched the back of his neck, “I didn’t even notice. But uh, no thanks on the coffee.”
Chuckling, you nodded and took his mug to the back to clean it. You heard him shuffling to get his things together and leave. What you didn’t expect was being suddenly tugged back by some force on your wrist. With a small grunt, you looked down to see that there was a thin red string around your wrist. "What the hell?“ You muttered, tugging on it experimentally. The string was around your wrist, and it lead all the way out the door into the main area. It was attached to something else.
You heard some distressed noises coming from the main area, which sounded strangely like Jeongin. Setting the mug on the counter near you, you padded out from the back to see what you were connected to and what Jeongin’s problem was.
Your eyes became the size of plates as you realized that he, too, had a red string around his wrist that was connected to your own.
"What is this?” You muttered, walking over to him. The boy’s scrutiny followed the rose-coloured fabric to see the link between the two of you. Before your very eyes, the string shortened until it was about two metres long. The both of you gaped at each other as cars passed the quiet cafe, their headlights shining into the windows as they went by.
* * *
After getting over the initial shock, you ended up taking Jeongin to your apartment. You couldn’t walk away from each other and there was no way you could stay in his college dorm. The two of you sat and decided to get to know each other, or at least the basics of each other’s character.
You didn’t know how long you’d be mysteriously attached.
You learned that it was his first year of college and he was older than you, though not by too much. He was a business major since it was a large topic that could be used for several different jobs. You were right to assume he was a vocalist, because he was. He loved to sing and even had a dream of becoming an idol. You found this all to be intriguing, you figured you wouldn’t mind his company.
“What about you?” He said suddenly, leaning over his arms on the table, “Tell me about yourself.”
You let a small smile grace your lips as you hummed, thinking. “Well,” You started, “I’m eighteen, and I plan to go to college next year. I work in the cafe because my family owns it, though I do most of the work, to be honest with you.”
“That’s weird,” Jeongin commented, “You just graduated and they’re making you do all the work? Plus, you moved out really early.”
You raised your shoulders in a shrug, “I have an older brother, but he barely ever shows up for work. To be fair, my parents pay me extra for the overtime my brother causes me.”
The conversation continued, you couldn’t pay attention to how long it’d been. Talking to Jeongin was strange because although you’d only known him for a few hours, you felt as though you’d known him for years. You were comfortable with him.
You soon moved to the topic of the string around your wrist, slightly begrudgingly. You didn’t want things to suddenly turn awkward because of what you thought was a myth.
The two of you were still calming from laughing over a story Jeongin told about his childhood. You sighed and gave him an apologetic look, “So, this string.”
The boy hummed, nodding, “Do you have any idea of what it is or what it could mean?”
“Well,” You chuckled nervously, “As a child, my family used to ramble about some red string that connected two people. Those two people would be destined to fall in love.”
Your guest hummed as he took in the information, his fingers drumming on the table, “So they’re… Soulmates?”
“Exactly.” You nodded, “But the problem is that in those stories, the string is invisible to the human eye. So I wouldn’t rely on it.”
Jeongin was quick to speak, “I heard those stories as well. But I heard an added detail; sometimes the string malfunctions, and you can actually see it when that happens. It disappears again during the next full moon.”
You massaged your temples at his remark. Those stories were myths. But then what would explain the string tied to the two of you? Were you really soulmates?
“Okay,” You said slowly, “Are you okay with staying here for the time being?”
“Yeah, it’s easiest. I have classes during the week, though..” He responded, trailing off nervously.
Smiling and standing, you shook your head as Jeongin hopped up as well, “I can take off of work to follow you around if I have to. I’m sure we can prove to your professors that I have to be there if they ask. Come on, it’s late and I have an air mattress you can sleep on.”
The older nodded and eagerly followed you into your bedroom and closet. Together, you lugged the air mattress out and set it next to your bed. Jeongin plugged it in and turned it on, letting it fill with air, as you pulled some blankets and pillows out for him and threw them on the mattress.
After struggling to do both of your nightly routines, you got yourselves sorted and said your goodnights.
* * *
The first night was rough because neither one of you could sleep. You were in shock still, and Jeongin was in a place he wasn’t used to, plus the shock. You were both lucky it was Friday. Morning came and went. You and Jeongin took turns showering, the other having to sit outside the door. It was slightly uncomfortable, you have to admit. It felt like you were hovering over each other’s shoulders all the time. You weren’t sure you were too fond of it.
As Jeongin was drying, you took out your phone to see when the next full moon would be. It was roughly a week away, exactly nine days. You could handle that… Right?
* * *
Later on, the same day, you were perched on your couch – with Jeongin, of course – reading a book. The boy next to you flipped through the TV channels aimlessly, dressed in some of the bigger, more comfy clothes you kept around the apartment. You made sure the articles of clothing you’d given him were your brother’s hand-me-downs. It was nothing special, a pair of grey sweatpants and a black t-shirt. You were in similar attire; your own pair of sweats adorned your legs and a large white Puma hoodie covered your torso.
The sound of Jeongin heaving a sigh filled your ears and you turned your head to look at him. “There’s nothing good on,” He whined, tossing the remote aside after landing on some nature documentary about owls. “What’s your book about?” He asked curiously before you could respond, peeping over your shoulder. You chuckled at him and stuck your thumb on the page you were on before halfway closing the book to show him the cover.
“It’s a romantic novel,” You responded, watching him gawk over the well-designed cover, “It’s about the human race hundreds of years in the future. They live in space shuttles and ships because the Earth has undergone another ice age. A girl goes to another ship for a job and ends up falling in love with the captain, who is really strange and mysterious. It’s pretty good.”
“Woahhh,” Was apparently the only thing the older could muster as he gazed at the book, then back at you. “Are you enjoying it?”
You nodded quickly, letting a wide smile grace your face as you couldn’t help but geek out a little bit, “Yes! The characters are so well portrayed and the plot just sucks you in-”
Jeongin stopped listening, honestly. Because all he could focus on was the smile on your face and the twinkle in your eyes as you blabbered about the book you’d been reading.
How cute.
* * *
Later that day, the two of you decided to go to Jeongin’s dorm to move some of his clothes. He would be involuntarily staying with you for a week, after all. So you grabbed one of your duffel bags and hopped in the car to drive him to the college he was attending.
Upon exiting the car (both of you had to climb out of the passenger side), you realized it would probably be awkward to go into the boys’ dorm with him. You were a woman, after all, and the two of you were bound by a red string. Could others even see the string as you could? You weren’t sure.
That being said, you let the crisp autumn air envelope your skin as you stepped out of the car, the wind blowing your hair into your face. Fixing the beanie on your head, you gave Jeongin a small smile as you began to follow him towards the building. The boy gave a small chuckle, “Don’t worry, (Y/N). We won’t be here long.”
A light pink dusted your cheeks. “You could tell?” You let out a sheepish chuckle, “Am I that obvious? This is going to be so awkward.”
“Nah,” The older responded as he held the door to the main lobby open for you, “It’s okay. I have a room to myself, anyway.”
You slipped into the dorm building with a small thanks, relishing in the warmth it offered. “Really?” You looked at him from the corner of your eye, “Lucky.”
Jeongin stepped back ahead of you, grabbing the string that connected the two of you to drag you along at a faster pace, “I dunno. It’s nice for studying but it can get boring otherwise.”
Humming, you let him drag you up the stairs and down the halls to his room, the duffel bag in your other hand. As he unlocked the door, you immediately slipped in before he could and threw the large bag down to look around your companion’s living space. It was modest and shockingly clean for a freshman in college such as himself. You could imagine that Chan’s room was probably the opposite.
“Come onnn,” The inhabitant of the room whined, picking up the bag with one hand and grabbing yours with the other to take you to his bedroom.
* * *
It didn’t take too long to get Jeongin’s things. The two of you were back at your apartment in a matter of thirty minutes. After helping the older put his things in an orderly fashion in your apartment, all you wanted to do was rest. Your new (temporary) roommate, however, insisted that you help him study. So, here you sat. You were across from him at your kitchen table, reading from neatly made flashcards he had taken the time to create. You couldn’t have cared less about what you were saying, but a smile remained on your face. When the child-like teen got literally anything correct, he would give a toothed smile. His eyes would sparkle before turning into little crescents and he would let out a small, proud giggle.
How cute.
* * *
You were dreading having to go to Jeongin’s classes with him. Through an encounter with the lady at your apartment building’s lobby, you learned that others around you couldn’t see the fiery string that bound both of you to each other. Maybe you could sneak into the lectures, the older boy had said that they hold about one hundred people per lecture. With that, you could infer that it was a large university (you’d seen the campus, after all, and it was huge) and also probably a good university. You might be fake attending college with prodigies!
When expressing this to Jeongin on the way there, you were laughed at. But his laugh was not teasing or making fun, it was soft and amused.
“There are plenty of mediocre students,” He said, “Seoul is just so large that a lot of the colleges around the area have thousands of students. Seoul University is the most popular, but that doesn’t mean it’s the most successful.”
Glancing at the rearview mirror as you drove, you let out a puff of air as you mumbled under your breath, “For a freshman in college, you sure sound wise.”
Yet another laugh filled your ears. You couldn’t help but smile.
* * *
The day went by quicker than you anticipated. People had asked you several times if you were Jeongin’s girlfriend, to which you let a soft pink dance across your cheeks as you told them that you weren’t. Soon enough, you were eating lunch. Then you just went home, since Jeongin had only three classes that day. Tomorrow he’d have five, then the next day only one. And all of them were mostly different classes!
College confused you. You were starting to reconsider even going.
When you got back to the apartment, the two of you lazed around and spent time together doing nothing. At night, you helped the boy study. This became a routine.
Wake up, shower, eat, go to university with Jeongin, come home, do nothing, eat, study, and go to bed. You didn’t realize just how much you would end up missing it.
It was the night of the full moon that you realized it.
* * *
As you were putting the colour coded vocabulary cards in Jeongin’s bag, you heard the college student’s voice pipe up from behind you, “It’s night. I can see the moon, but we’re still bound.”
“I think we need to wait ‘til morning,” You replied, zipping up the bag as you turned to face him, “Maybe the moon needs time to do its job.”
He nodded with a small hum. His scrutiny was fixated on the moon that could be seen from your kitchen window. The moonlight gently caressed his smooth skin in the most perfect of ways. His high cheekbones seemed even more prominent, but not too sharply prominent. It was a soft contour that made you want to take a picture of the beautiful human in front of you.
You thought about that picture as the two of you headed to bed. And you were shocked when you awoke at ten in the morning, the boy you’d grown feelings for no longer present. As you sat up and looked around, you realized he’d folded the blankets neatly on top of his bed. All of his things were gone. As you wandered the apartment in a depressed daze, you noticed that he’d also left you a note on the kitchen table.
Thank you for dealing with me and helping me so much, (Y/N). I wanted to let you sleep in, so I left for class as usual. I hope I can see you again soon, and I really hope that the string wasn’t an entire malfunction.
- Jeongin
Sighing, you set the handwritten note down and rubbed your temples. What did he mean by that? Was he coming back?
* * *
It was that evening you saw him again. You were huddled up on your couch, watching The Princess and the Frog, because what else was there to do at a time like this? Nothing.
Hearing a knock at your door, you let a groan slip from between your lips as you stood – leaving the blanket around your shoulders – and padded over to the door. Upon opening it, your mouth formed a perfect o as you gazed upon Jeongin himself. He had a nervous smile on his face as he held a bouquet of white roses as well as a box of chocolates.
“I was thinking,” He said, “And I know that the string tied us together for a reason. I- I think you’re my soulmate, (Y/N).”
You gave a bright smile as you nodded happily, gently taking the gifts he’d held out to you, “I think you’re my soulmate too, Jeongin… In fact, I know you are.”
His smile grew brighter, “So.. wanna hit the cafe for a late night date?”
Okay, no. That was a lie. Russel did care that he couldn’t see colour. It was completely that he wanted to meet his soulmate- though he did! He definitely did. But he knew the world was so full and he couldn’t help it, the world felt empty when it was only in shades of black and white and grey. All of them were named for colours. His parents, his friends, his brother, and he couldn’t see a single one. It saddened him sometimes. He wished he could look at a shirt and know for sure. He wanted to be able to look at the sky and be able to say it was blue and see and know that it was truly blue . Bright and brilliant and maybe even as soft as he imagined it would be.
The Vytal Tournament was fun and their spirits were so high when the team won the first round. It was a clutch and it was exhilarating. There were so many people here, too. Teams of students from other schools. People he’d never met before. Russel was a social butterfly, he couldn’t really deny it. He fluttered from student to student, wishing he could see the colours. See where their name came in. That one was named Mint- did they have pale, green eyes? Their name was Topaz- was their hair more orange or brown? It looked light, more grey than white. Almost silver. She introduced herself as Aurea- which part of her was golden? Her personality, or was that the true colour of her dark eyes, her dark hair? He said his name was Fuscia- was that the dark colour staining his nails as a reflection of his name? Did that mean he’d found his soulmate?
By the time Russel removed himself, put himself in a corner that was more quiet, his mind was swirled with colours he couldn’t even see. There were two new numbers in his scroll. Some part of him had to admit he’d hoped to find his soulmate in the crowd of the fairgrounds. It wasn’t terrible that he didn’t. He was glad to have made not just one, but two friends. But he still found himself staring up at the awning of the building next to him and wondering what that black translated into. He’d bet it was red. If he could, he would ask Cardin. But Cardin didn’t like crowds and he didn’t want his brother to worry. So he sat and he stared.
He had no clue how much time passed before someone else stepped over. Russel didn’t bother to look at them. Some part of him was tired right now. The part that cared about the colours. That was fascinated with the idea of what the world would look like. How bright it would be. And he closed his eyes, sure that looking over would mean nothing but more grey. More black. More white.
“Can I sit here?” The person asked and Russel nodded.
“Sure! The seat’s open.”
“Thank you,” the person said. Their voice was soft and it sounded tired like Russel was. Russel took a breath, because he could feel that feeling itch up his chest. The almost need to be a little more peppy than he felt. To be happy, so that the person around him could be happy too. There were so many people. He didn’t think he had the energy.
It was a hard instinct to fight.
“I’m Russel! He/him.” He said and he put pep in his voice that he knew would convince anyone that wasn’t Cardin, but he kept his eyes on the sky above. His mamma was blue. She’d described it before and he liked the way it sounded. Even without colour, his mamma’s hair looked bright and dark and beautiful. Sometimes he looked at it and wondered how the colour could ever really translate correctly. He wanted to know. Though there was a lot he wanted to know, that was definitely high on the list. The sky. His mamma and papai- Lazuli and Simin- blueandsilver.
His soulmate was on that list too. There would so many colours. Which one would he embody?
“I’m Neptune. Also he/him,” the other boy, Neptune, said and Russel nodded wordlessly. The chair near him creaked when Neptune sat down. “There’s so many people here, I’m not quite sure how to keep up,” Neptune chuckled. It was nice sound. It made Russel smile.
“There are! It’s nice, though I think even I’m a little people’d-out,” Russel joked. Even a social butterfly had limits, Russel knew. Though he enjoyed the crowd and the noise and the people, there was a point where it became just a little too close to ‘too much’. A little too close to overwhelming. At least Russel felt he knew himself well enough to know where that limit was. It didn’t mean he always listened to it. But at least he knew.
“Oh,” Neptune made a worried noise. “I’m sorry, should I go? I can find another empty spot somewhe-”
“No!” Russel interrupted him, quick to reassure. He sat up so fast his head spun a little bit. Neptune stretched out to steady him. “Thanks,” Russel said. “No, you don’t have to m-” Their eyes met, and Russel stuttered. He lost track of his words as… As something bled into his vision. Eyes, bright and deep like how his papai described the ocean. There was a gasp, but Russel did not know who it came from. Too preoccupied with how full his world suddenly was. Bright and warm and dark and colourful. So fucking colourful. Russel smiled and his cheeks hurt because it was too wide but he couldn’t stop. The hands on his forearms that Neptune used to steady him tightened. For a long moment, Russel ignored them. He looked back up.
The awning was still dark, but it wasn’t grey. He thought it might be red. It looked vibrant, like red. The was more bright, more soft, than he’d imagined. So, so blue. There were more colours- things he had the words for but couldn’t quite connect. That was bright and warm, maybe orange. Leaves were normally green now and there was a tree there- that bowl matched the colour though it was darker. The tables were wooden and brown. A loud swallow brought his attention back and the tight grip filtered in. Was it bad that he hoped it left imprints in his skin? That there would be bruises- pin pricks of what he’d been told would be blue and purple in the flesh that he could now see properly. Tan.
Neptune had backed just the slightest bit away, but Russel could still see his eyes so clearly when he looked. The other boy flinched back further when their eyes met again but Russel couldn’t focus on that. Didn’t have the capacity to care about that at the moment, to reassure and talk. It felt like he’d been mute. They were definitely blue. When compared to the sky, they were a much darker blue, but they were blue. So very blue. If that really was the ocean, Russel thought he wanted to go to one immediately. Or as close to immediately as he could. The double rounds still had to be done. Maybe the singles after that. Until then, this was a good replacement. They were deep and Russel had been in deep water before and it felt like he could drown and be happy. He forced himself to look past them, to see skin just a touch paler than his, to see hair a lighter blue than Neptune’s eyes. There was black in his jacket, but the colour there that made up most of it looked like the awning, just lighter. More vibrant. The lenses of the googles in his hair looked darker, but they looked like the sun. Yellow. His hands reached up- or maybe they were already there- and he gripped Neptune’s arms in return and a laugh bubbled up in his chest till it exited his mouth. Till it filled the air with floating sound. There was so much blue and Russel could remember being a kid and thinking that would be his favourite colour as his papai described it. As he talked about seeing his mamma’s hair for the first time and the way it shone in the sun. How he wished that blue would be his first colour, too. And maybe his laugh turned a little hysterical. Maybe Neptune’s expression turned worried in response.
Russel, somehow, couldn’t find it in himself to care. Even as it occurred to him that he was probably crying. They were tears of joy, anyhow. So who really cared?
Apparently Neptune did. The words didn’t fully reach him. There was too much laughter, he couldn’t control it. But he tried to anyway. Because Neptune sounded concerned. Looked concerned. (That was the colour blue turned when it was tinted by concern- a little wider, a little darker.) Tried to choke it down until it simmered to just giggles, popping out every so often. “I’m sorry,” Russel managed to get out, half gasping for breath between words. Before he went to Beacon, he’d gotten his mamma to help him dye his hair. So that when he met his soulmate- he’d hoped, he wanted colours, he believed but he wasn’t sure it was enough. it was enough and he could barely believe it, could barely contain it- his hair would be more colourful than silver. She described the dyes to him as best she could. Together, they chose green. He wondered how it looked to Neptune.
“Are you okay? Is it too much?” Neptune asked. Sometimes, when people talked about getting their colours, they talked about how overwhelming it could be. When Cardin got his it’d given him a headache. Russel was too happy to be overwhelmed. His chest felt too warm, too big. The world was full. And he was giddy.
“Is my hair green?” Russel asked instead of answering. Neptune blinked at him and Russel repeated himself, a little clearer. There was so much noise in his voice that he couldn’t quite keep down.
“I… guess?” Neptune said. He looked around, found a tree close to where Russel had, and looked back at Russel. He squinted and the blue changed again, shadowed by the way Neptune’s head tilted down slightly. The other boy was taller and Russel hadn’t even noticed. “It’s lighter than the trees, but yeah, I would say that’s green.”
Russel smiled again- smiled more?– and a few more bubbles of giggles escaped. He breathed deep to try and control it. “That’s so cool,” Russel said, because he didn’t really know how else to put to words all the fullness that he was feeling, finally being able to see colour. Finally having one of his greatest wishes– a world that was vibrant, and bright, and full – being able to experience blue first, deep and beautiful– come true. Cardin had always been better with words than he had been, even though he spoke more than Cardin ever did.
“So you’re… okay?” Neptune asked and Russel nodded firmly, once, then twice, and then a third time just for good measure.
“I’m good. I’m really good. Thank you. Thank you so much,” Russel said. It felt like he might be crying again. The giggles bit back, his body released the overflow a different way. “ Thank you, ” Russel said again just to make sure Neptune really got it. The boy looked confused, and Russel didn’t think he did, and the only thing Russel knew to do about that was ramble. So he rambled. “I’ve wanted colours since I found out colours existed- The world’s always been so empty, I’ve been looking and waiting so long for colour. For you. You’re beautiful. You found me. You’ve given me my greatest dream. Thank you. Thank you so much. You gave me colours, thank you. ”
Neptune blinked and blinked and blinked. The grip on his arms softened and then tightened. “You’re… welcome.” His voice sounded breathless. He smiled, small and still a bit confused, but sincere.
“Thank you,” Russel repeated. “Thank you for colour.”
Russel’s cheeks hurt again as he smiled. He didn’t look away from a blue as deep as the ocean for the rest of the day.
He couldn’t.
There was so much colour around him.
His world felt bright. It felt colourful and warm. Neptune let him wear his jacket. He gave him his hoodie in return- it was green, like the grass in the shadows. When he did, Neptune smiled at him and Neptune’s eyes brightened just a bit. Russel held Neptune’s hand and saw the black leather more than he felt it against his skin. He snuggled into the jacket- into warmthandred. His papai always described red as vibrant. If Russel had to describe it, he thinks he’d describe it as warm instead. The jacket’s zipper was hidden, but it was silver. But deep blue was his favourite. He watched as Neptune’s eyes changed in the sun and in the shadow and inside under the artificial lights. How they darkened once the sun went down.
His world felt bright, and vibrant, and it felt full. He was so thankful for Neptune.
