Chapter Text
Julian never had faith in the whole soulmate-thingy.
Why would his happiness depend on one person? Why were they so special?
Instead of having a mark - it was such a popular opinion and sometimes Julian wished it was the case because at least he could have hide it unlike what was the harsh reality - you were colorblind. At least, until you kissed your soulmate.
And Julian couldn't see the red color. And the other colors were dull, too.
At first, he didn't even notice it just when his mother brought him to the Rainbow Global Jewelry. The place was huge and the owner was a jittery old man that made his 6-year-old-self feel like he walked into an asylum. The man showed him a palette, which held the colors of a rainbow.
"So, can you tell me the color's order?" asked the man and watched him like a hawk. This made him feel really uneasy.
"Isn't it constant?" he asks back, straightening his back like his parents always told him - act like you were above them. Don't show fear. Show superiority.
"Really funny, young man. Really funny. But what can you tell me about this specific one?"
"It's dull." he answered, face wrinkled in thought.
"Dull huh? What else? Is one color... duller, grayer than the other?"
"The first one." hearing his answer the man muttered something, opened a drawer and put a crystal in front of Julian.
"Can you tell me what's the color of this stone?"
"Gray? No, it's white, or transparent I think.Like a diamond." was his answer but when he looked up he saw the man shaking his head, smiling.
"No, boy. It's a ruby.So your missing color is red."
Later that day he got a bracelet, like everyone who didn't find his soulmate yet. According to Emma, the stone in his was a beautiful red ruby. According to the man, it was necessary, so he'll know when he finally kissed his soulmate because after that moment he'd be able to see red.
As a young child, it was exhilarating, wondering when he'd finally meet his soulmate. His other half, who would understand him better than anyone else. But as the years went, he never met his other half and slowly lost his hope.
The only thing why others kissed him was because of his parent's money. All of his girlfriends, and after a while his boyfriends, admitted at one point that they were after the fame and the money. And every time it hurt more than the last. The cruelty of the teenagers.
When he was 21, Emma died, leaving him alone, pulling a barrier between him and his parents. So he packed and left, at first only England and went to Scotland.
Here he met Daniel, who gave him the color of strawberry red. According to him, Julian gave him the sky blue. But it wasn't what they hoped for, it was a sign that they weren't soulmates, just simply mates who understood each other like nobody could before. So, with a teary goodbye, Julian left the UK and traveled around the world. He went to France, to Japan, to India and Mexico.
His parents didn't understand his obsession with traveling and said they'll cut him off if he's gonna continue it.But for the first time, he felt free and happy. So, just to further anger them, he visited the USA. And that's how everything changed.
His mom explained the whole colorblind thing to him when he was five.
At first, Barry didn't understand why he couldn't see the color of the grass, why the leaves were gray.Then his mother explained it to him.
Barry won't be able to see the color green until he kissed his soulmate.
When he was 15, he kissed Iris for the first time. After that, all he could see was the pine tree color. He grieved for days, crying himself to sleep because they were so perfect and happy together, but why weren't they soulmates. It took a few months to get over it, but his bond with Iris remained strong as ever. He felt proud when she said he gave her the color pink.
He met and dated people during his school years, but he couldn't picture them at his side their whole life. So he watched as his friends found their soulmates, and he was only jealous at Eddie for a little while. But he made Iris happy and who was he to intervene?
It was a sunny day in Central, Barry just bought his coffee heading towards the park when he walked into someone, pouring his drink at the other.
"I'm so sorry!" he said as the guy just stood there, frozen. "I didn't burn you right?"
"..Know it was too great to be true. Why would one day be free of problems?" murmured the guy and sighed, looking into Barry's eyes. "It's nothing too serious, don't worry. Just next time look around and watch where you're going." his accent was strong, and Barry felt his cheeks grow hotter.
"I'm sorry. Can I help you with anything?"
"My hotel is relatively near, don't worry, mate. It'll be fine." the guy looked like he bit into a lemon. "I just hope this will come out. This is my only white shirt."
"Why don't you let me a new one?" he asked and at the guy confused expression just blushed harder. "I mean, there's a place just a few minutes from here and I'm sure they'll have white shirts in your size. I mean, you probably don't wanna smell like coffee for the whole day and believe me, it'll stick to you like a second skin. And don't forget the burn it could cause you, so..."
"Geez, hold your horses, man." the guy said and Barry was pretty sure his whole face was crimson by now. "Fine, if it'll make you feel better, show me that shop.
And that's how Barry found himself in a Stop-shop and tried to pretend he didn't hear Felicity's snickering. The guy tried some shirts and after a few minutes chose a checkered one. Barry paid for it, ignored the comments and walked out, the guy following him.
"Thanks, mate, but this wasn't necessary."
"Yes it was, it was my fault your shirt got soaked in the first place. So yes, it was only fair if I paid for it."
The guy just groaned, said something about good doers and Americans.Barry just snickered and said that if it bothered him so much then he could buy him a coffee.
That's how he get the guys name, - Julian - phone number and a date for tomorrow.
Barry was... something else.
He surprised him every time, the way he talked, the way he listened to Julian's ramblings. And it felt so good.
He never judged Julian, no matter what he told him. When he admitted he didn't call his parents for years, how he never visited his sister's grave, how he cut off things with Daniel after he found his soulmates. And Barry told him how jealous was at Eddie for a little while, how lonely he felt especially since his friends already met their soulmates and left him the only one from their group who still hadn't.
They bantered, made silly jokes and Julian loved every moment he spent with Barry. Barry understood him on a level like no one ever before.
The only thing they hadn't done in the six months they were together was kissing. Because just thinking about it made Julian terrified.
No matter how deeply he got to know Barry, he was afraid that after their first kiss Barr won't see his missing color and he would just simply walk out of his life, leaving him alone and heartbroken because before he could've stopped it, he fell in love with Barry. And he just couldn't let him go.
So he backed out from everything, saying he wasn't ready or he just simply gave Barry a forehead kiss or kissed his cheeks. Barry never made fun of him, sometimes just looked at him funnily and one time maybe a little hurt, but he never pressed the issue. But Julian knew, somehow, how it hurt Barry because it hurt him too like nothing before that. But he was just so damn afraid.
It was their first year anniversary as boyfriends when he kissed Barry for the first time. Barry's lips were soft, sinfully soft and the way Barry kissed him... It made his heart flutter, before it dropped to his stomach, sitting there like a stone. When they parted and he opened his eyes, all he could see was Barry, his cherry red lips, a blush covering his face...
Wait, he could see Barry's lips, the shade of it. He quickly glanced at his right wrist and swore his heart stopped for a moment. The ruby in his bracelet was red. He finally saw the true color of the ruby.
When he looked up, he saw Barry, tears in his eyes as he gripped his shirt. His green shirt. Oh.
"It's you." he whispered and saw how Barry glanced at his bracelet too.
"Yes, it's me." he said, choked on his tears and kissed Barry again, with more passion.
Everything felt new, everything was so much vibrant. At first, everything hurt his eyes a little, but he paid no mind to it. Barry's pale green eyes turned into beautiful hazel ones, his hair was chocolate brown instead mud brown and God, he was in love.
"I can't believe I found you," he said when they parted and nipped Barry's neck before he sucked on it. Barry just gripped his hair, pulled him in closer.
"Neither can I," was his answer and Julian just chuckled wetly, kissed Barry again.
The world looked beautiful. The sky was more vibrant and the sunrise was as amazing as everybody described it.
Barry said they'll have to take a walk in the park because he waited 25 years patiently and now, finally, he'll be finally able to see how the grass looked like, how a forest looked like. But Julian didn't have any of it.
He finally could see the way Barry blushed. And he wasn't in any hurry to get dressed. He finally could see how red looked like and he was determined to find out how far Barry's blush went.
The trees will be there tomorrow, too.