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Everyone knew what the black mark on someone’s skin meant, everyone knew that it would eventually burst into bright colours when they touched their soulmate, the person who was perfectly made for them. It’s why everyone knew what it meant when Yu Wenzhou was born without a mark. He scoured every inch of his body, searching for anywhere his mark could be hiding but he came up empty. He was thirteen years old and mourning the loss of something that he’d never had, and he curled up in his bed, chest aching with a kind of emptiness that felt bone deep. His parents had always told him about their first meeting, where his mother stumbled over her shoelaces, grabbing onto his father in desperation, ending with them both in a shallow pond, laughter turning to all-consuming joy as they watched the black burst into colour. Yu Wenzhou had spent years curled up next to his parents, dreaming about his soulmate, dreaming of the day they met, and they could be happy.
And it was something he was never going to experience. He was too old to do this, but he was curled up in his mother’s lap, sobbing his heart out as every other person in his class developed their mark and he was left with nothing. Clear skin where everyone else had a mark. His mother held him close, pressing a kiss to his forehead as she swiped her thumb over his cheek, clearing away his tears with a gentle smile that hid her sorrow.
“Yu Wenzhou, it is not the end of the world that you don’t have a mark. You can still find love without one and just because two people share a mark doesn’t mean they’ll be happy with one another.” Yu Wenzhou looked up at his mother with watery blue eyes and she pulled him into another hug. “You’ll find someone who loves you and you love back.”
And he did. But he had a soul mark.
Huang Shaotian had never believed in soulmate marks. Realistically, just because the universe thought two people belonged together didn’t mean they’d be together forever. His parents were proof enough of this, spending more time arguing than being in love. As a result, when Huang Shaotian’s soul mark came in at thirteen he didn’t care, where everyone else tried to analyse what their marks could mean, Huang Shaotian kept a bored expression on his face, uncaring of what his could mean. His friends wouldn’t let him off the hook and Ren Shi grabbed his hand to examine his mark closely.
“It doesn’t look like a handshake; it looks like thin strands or something.” She frowned at the odd mark and at Huang Shaotian’s bored look she rolled her eyes in response. “Just because you don’t care about this doesn’t mean we have to be the same.”
“They’re stupid, no one will just fall in love with you because you have the same mark on your hand that lights up when you touch. Just because you are supposed to be together doesn’t mean you’re going to like each other, you could have your best friend in the world who you’re in love with but if the universe says you’re not meant for each other you’ll listen to it? That’s stupid.”
“You’re stupid Huang Shaotian, just you wait, one day you’ll find the person your soul mark matches and you’ll fall in love.”
“I’m going to fall in love first! Soulmate marks are stupid and I don’t believe in them.”
“You’re going to be proven wrong and I’m waiting for the day that comes!” Huang Shaotian scoffed, rolling his eyes, certain that he was going to fall in love with someone long before his soulmate mark decided to burst into colour.
And he was right. But he didn’t have a soul mark.
Huang Shaotian was loud. That was the first thing Yu Wenzhou noticed about him when he entered the training room at Blue Rain’s training camp. He was destroying someone in a PK, laughing loudly as he did it, insults and taunts falling from his lips smoothly, barely pausing for breath as he yelled both into the mic and at his helpless opponent. Yu Wenzhou slipped into the background to watch and listened as Huang Shaotian eviscerated his opponent.
“Ai I didn’t know I was in the training camp for people who don’t know how to play Glory, your character is such a high level and yet you don’t know how to use half the keys! You dare to hold an account card at all when your fingers move across the keyboard like a slow old snail, with an crippling injury who’s been stepped on five times and crushed into the dirt only to try and crawl away but you can’t escape at all!”
Huang Shaotian’s character’s blade rang out with the finishing blow and his screen lit up with the victory animation while he swung his chair around to point at the newest guy to join their little group. That just happened to be Yu Wenzhou and he grinned, a challenge written across his face, in the way the light reflected off his teeth, making them look sharper than they actually were.
“You! You’re new, do you want to PK me? If you say no, I’ll just ask you fifteen more times until you agree to PK me so you should just let me PK with you.” Yu Wenzhou nodded stiffly, unsure of what else to do but agree and he sat opposite the other boy, slipping in his account card without a word.
He regretted his decision fairly quickly. He’d always won his PKs on sheer tactical ability compensating for the fact he couldn’t move his fingers as fast as other players, particularly pro players but Huang Shaotian didn’t play like anyone else he’d played before. He managed a few attempts at a counter-attack but he was spending most of his time defending against the other boy’s lightning fast attacks, his sword cleaving down again and again, coming from all directions as Yu Wenzhou tried to keep himself alive long enough to lure Huang Shaotian into a trap. Then the talking started.
“I thought pro players were supposed to be able to actually move their fingers quickly, I thought the other guy was slow but you are even slower than he was, so much slower that he was like a turtle and you’re not even moving in comparison, you don’t know that you can move your fingers? Is this new information? Do you normally just let yourself die and sit deadlast? That’s a good name, you should be called that, Deadlast!” To no one’s surprise Yu Wenzhou’s avatar was soon sprawled on the ground while the silver animation played out on his screen. He inclined his head but the other boy stuck out his hand with a smile, showing off the soul mark on his hand.
“Good game Deadlast.” He sing songed with a smile and Yu Wenzhou took his hand, shaking it briefly before he pulled away, leaving to go to the mandatory training.
“Deadlast is better than unlovable.” He thought wryly to himself, at least here, no one knew he didn’t have a soul mark and people mocking his APM was much less cutting than when what happened when they found out he was destined to die alone.
Yu Wenzhou was slow. That was the first thing Huang Shaotian noticed about the other Blue Rain recruit but it was soon revised. Yu Wenzhou’s hands were slow, his mind was sharper and faster than others and Huang Shaotian was part of the group that watched the person they’d all been calling ‘Deadlast’ eviscerate Blue Rain’s captain with ease, again and again, the silver animation played out across Wei Chen’s screen. The nickname was retired the same day Wei Chen left.
Huang Shaotian was bitter at first, how could he not be? Wei Chen left only moments after this Yu Wenzhou beat him three times in a row, surely it was the other players fault but this line of thought soon died off and he sighed, kicking aimlessly against the wall. It hadn’t been Yu Wenzhou’s fault that he was talented enough to take down Wei Chen and Huang Shaotian thought that he should likely go apologise for starting up the chant of Deadlast.
He found the other player in the common area, scribbling away in his notebook, the diagrams clearly making sense to Yu Wenzhou but were indecipherable to the others. He tapped the other on his shoulder, watching himself take notice as Yu Wenzhou’s hair fell over his eyes and he had the urge to brush it to the side but he restrained himself, fidgeting with his sleeve as he sat beside the other.
“I owe you an apology, I shouldn’t have started calling you Deadlast, it wasn’t fair. I’m sorry.” To his surprise, Yu Wenzhou’s smile was still genuine and the other player shook his head.
“It doesn’t matter, you don’t need to apologise. There are worse things to be called.” Huang Shaotian felt a strange burst of protectiveness at the thought that Yu Wenzhou was used to being called names but before he could press further, the bell for dinner rang and Yu Wenzhou left, engrossed in his notebook once more.
They began to grow closer after that, Huang Shaotian inserting himself neatly into Yu Wenzhou’s life, popping up beside him at every waking moment, during meals, training, recreational bonding, they soon seemed joined at the hip. The other trainees soon took notice and would whisper that Huang Shaotian was clearly playing the field before he met his actual soulmate. They heard the rumours and for a little while Huang Shaotian wasn’t entirely sure of what to say to Yu Wenzhou about them, unsure as to how to approach the topic. His lack of brain to mouth filter soon took care of this problem for him as the words came out without his permission.
“Have you met your soulmate yet?” When Yu Wenzhou looked confused at the sudden question, he elaborated. “It’s just there are rumours going around that we’re dating and we’re debuting next year and if you have met your soulmate I don’t want to make you uncomfortable because we’re close but I can change my behaviour if you want me to, it’s no problem at all, I can change at once, just give me the word and it will happen-!” Huang Shaotian was cut off by an oddly bitter laugh from his friend, sad half-smile tugging at his lips.
“I don’t have a soulmate Huang Shaotian.”
“You shouldn’t look so sad, you’ll find your soulmate eventually, everyone says that eventually people come together when they need to and just because some people find their soulmate early doesn’t mean everyone will!”
“You don’t understand,” Yu Wenzhou’s eyes were filled with regret as he explained, “I don’t have a soul mark.” Huang Shaotian’s lips parted in shock and a few pieces fell into place at the new revelation.
“Is that what you meant when you said you’ve been called worse things than Deadlast?”
“They used to say I was unlovable, who could be so wrong that there’s no one out there for them? I am.” Huang Shaotian’s face darkened and he grabbed Yu Wenzhou’s wrist, his grip tight and almost bruising in its intensity.
“Don’t say that! Don’t you ever say that Yu Wenzhou! I don’t even believe in soulmates really, just because you have some dumb mark on your skin you’re destined to love each other? That’s not real, if you love someone it’s because you love them, not because some unseen magic is making you love them! You’re so great Yu Wenzhou and there’s no way you won’t find someone who loves you because anyone who doesn’t see how amazing you are is obviously blind or stupid and you shouldn’t listen to them anyway!”
What was left unsaid was the tight bundle of emotions that Huang Shaotian was harbouring in his heart for his friend. They’d been friends for years now, it was a great opportunity to confess except for everything that was going on around them. They were debuting next season; Yu Wenzhou would be taking up the role of captain and all eyes would be on him as his APM speed was well-known to be below the speed of pro players. There was too much going on to confess and so Huang Shaotian settled for glaring at his friend, conviction blazing in his eyes.
“Someone is going to love you even if you don’t have a soul mark because you’re just that great Yu Wenzhou. I know it.” Huang Shaotian admired the pretty flush that spread across his captain’s cheeks and he glanced down at the floor, pleased smile pulling at his lips and chasing away the bitterness in his eyes.
“Thank you Huang Shaotian, that- it means a lot.” The conversation was forgotten and Huang Shaotian remained by his captain’s side, defending him against anyone who’d speak out against him.
Huang Shaotian was an excellent vice-captain, in fairness, Yu Wenzhou didn’t have another vice-captain and he also had no experience to draw from but Huang Shaotian did everything he asked him to, worked hard and kept the team upbeat and motivated. At least when he wasn’t verbally eviscerating them but he’d always enjoyed trash talk and everyone had learnt to tune the words out at this point and it was almost soothing to hear his trash talk, like easy listening music.
What had Yu Wenzhou falling in love wasn’t his hard work or eagerness to help his teammates, the reason Yu Wenzhou fell in love was because Huang Shaotian was loyal and it showed every single time someone commented on his APM or shot an insult or insinuated that Blue Rain would never advance without replacing their captain with someone with a higher APM, Huang Shaotian would throw himself into the fray to defend his captain, mouth running a mile a minute as he espoused his captain’s virtues and it never failed to make Yu Wenzhou blush and his chest warm. But it also made his heart ache.
Because he knew he was in love with Huang Shaotian, knew what the blush, the warm feeling and the tightness in his chest meant but he couldn’t say or do a single thing about it. Because Huang Shaotian had a soul mark that hadn’t burst into colour yet and no matter how much Huang Shaotian complained and vowed that he wasn’t convinced by soul marks, Yu Wenzhou refused to take Huang Shaotian away from the person he was destined for.
So he kept silent, kept his feelings bottled up inside himself, not willing to push more problems onto Huang Shaotian when there was already so much going on. What he didn’t know was that Huang Shaotian was sitting on his own feelings for the exact same reason. He’d overheard a rumour that Yu Wenzhou needed a win soon or else they’d have to find someone else to take his place and he knew he couldn’t stress his captain out further and so he stayed silent.
It all came to a head in season six, the year Blue Rain won the championship for the first time, under Yu Wenzhou’s leadership and everything was bright and beautiful. The trophy was placed in their hands, their fans were screaming, their team was cheering but all Huang Shaotian cared about was the flush on Yu Wenzhou’s cheeks, the way his eyes were alight with joy and he just wanted to kiss him. They’d just won the championship, something they’d been dreaming of for years and he was more focused on his captain than the interview, or the trophy or the celebration everyone was planning.
At the first chance he got he grabbed his captain’s arm and tugged him away from the noise, the chaotic joy and into a seldom used corridor. Yu Wenzhou’s eyes were filled with surprise and he cocked his head to the side in curiosity, noticing how Huang Shaotian seemed more worked up than usual and he brushed his hand against the other’s shoulder briefly.
“Are you okay Shaotian?” To his surprise his vice-captain pressed him against the wall, trapping him between his body and the wall, eyes bright with hope. He was speaking but Yu Wenzhou felt himself get distracted by the way Huang Shaotian’s lips shaped around his words and how his breath was warm against his ear, so he only caught the tail end of his words.
“-and please let me kiss you captain?” Yu Wenzhou wasn’t sure how they got to this point, unsure of what Huang Shaotian had just said but the man he’d been pining over for months had just asked if he could kiss him and all he could do was nod helplessly.
Huang Shaotian’s lips were soft against his, hand cupping the back of his captain’s neck, tilting his head down for a better angle and Yu Wenzhou let a soft noise leave his throat, caught up in the sensations rushing through his body. His hands were resting on Huang Shaotian’s shoulders as he let his vice-captain lead him in the kiss and he wondered if they could stay like this forever as in that moment everything was perfect-!
Yu Wenzhou’s eyes flew open when he remembered who he was kissing.
“Wait, Shaotian!” They broke apart and Huang Shaotian blinked at the panic in Yu Wenzhou’s dark blue eyes and his heart twisted at his captain’s next words, “your soulmate, you can’t you have a soulmate waiting for you-!” He was cut off by Huang Shaotian’s finger against his lips, determination in his golden-brown eyes.
“Yu Wenzhou. I told you already. I don’t believe that your soulmate is the only person out there for you. I met you first, I fell in love with you, I love you. Why would I give that up for someone I’ve never even met and may never meet? Why should I wait for someone when I already fell in love with you?” His captain’s eyes were filled with tears and he pulled Huang Shaotian into another deep kiss, this one scorching in its intensity and Huang Shaotian couldn’t help the way his lips pulled into a wide grin when they broke apart.
“Two victories in one day captain!” His smile was so smug that Yu Wenzhou pulled him into another kiss, keeping him silent with his latest tactic to add to his playbook and he was content.
Six months later found Huang Shaotian trying to tug his captain away from his desk, trying to convince him that he’d been up for long enough, that the team reports could wait until tomorrow, that he should sleep. His boyfriend shrugged off his concern, tried to shrug off his hands and kept his eyes on the folder of evaluations, the stack of reports and requests that he still had to fill in and he rubbed at the bridge of his nose, hoping to dispel the headache that had been building all evening. Of course, this didn’t escape Huang Shaotian’s sharp eyes and he threw himself into his dramatics with gusto.
“I saw that captain, don’t pretend that didn’t happen, you rubbed at your forehead because you have a headache because you’ve been staring at those stupid reports for hours. I bet you can’t even see them properly anymore because your eyes are going blurry because you’re tired and you have a headache!” Yu Wenzhou’s silence was damning enough and Huang Shaotian frowned.
“Come to bed captain, I’ll give you a massage, I’m really good at them, your headache will be gone in a flash, I guarantee it!” His captain looked at the stack of reports he still had to do and bowed his head in defeat, standing from his desk and leaving to brush his teeth and get ready for bed. Huang Shaotian fist bumped in victory despite this being a regular occurrence, he was still proud of himself.
Yu Wenzhou laid his head in his boyfriend’s lap, the headache having intensified, making him more docile and Huang Shaotian kept his voice quiet as he began to rub gently at his boyfriend’s temples, keeping the touches light and soothing. Bit by bit, Yu Wenzhou’s headache began to fade away and his eyes slipped shut as he began to drift off, the rhythm of the massage luring him to sleep until Huang Shaotian’s hand brushed against his hair and he went very still.
“Captain, your- your hair!” Huang Shaotian’s voice was caught in his throat, sounding strangled and Yu Wenzhou rolled off the bed to look in a mirror when he froze, certain his reflection was deceiving him.
Because part of his hair had just turned into a riot of colours, blue, white, red, yellow, green- just as everyone else had described it and when he turned to stare at Huang Shaotian he saw the same colours on his hand, where there was just a black mark before, now there was a mass of colour. Yu Wenzhou wasn’t entirely sure how to react and the first thing that flickered through his mind wasn’t particularly romantic.
“This look isn’t very professional.” He thought to himself, realising he might be a little hysterical but he was the one who was going to have rainbow hair for the rest of his life. Huang Shaotian’s eyes were round and wide as he stared at his captain and his hair, afire with colour and he was off the bed in a moment, trailing his hand across the now colourful strands of hair.
“I guess you can’t hide the fact you have a soulmate now.” Yu Wenzhou let out a shaky laugh, tears welling up in his eyes as he realised that something he’d thought he’d been missing his whole life hadn’t actually been missing at all.
“Do you still not believe in soulmates?” Huang Shaotian grinned brightly as he nodded his head.
“The universe saying we’re right for each other means nothing. I fell in love with you before we found out we’re soulmates, I love you because I know you, not because of a magic mark on my hand and in your hair.” Huang Shaotian glanced up again and couldn’t hold back a short laugh, the riot of colour in his hair clashed with Yu Wenzhou’s typically calm and professional aura and the contrast was slightly jarring. Yu Wenzhou ran his hand through the colourful strands, a resigned smile on his face as he pulled Huang Shaotian into a kiss, holding him tight until they had to break apart for air.
“I love you Shaotian,” the open affection on Yu Wenzhou’s face made Huang Shaotian’s heart stutter in his chest and he pulled his boyfriend back in bed so they could cuddle.
“I love you Wenzhou,” the two drifted off to sleep, in love and content.
Of course the next day had a picture of Yu Wenzhou’s new look in the Glory pro chat and reactions differed between hilarity, congratulations, confusion and expressing regrets that Yu Wenzhou was in fact stuck with Huang Shaotian. This set off a long stream of insulting comments followed by demands for a PK and then the marketing team wanted to run a spread on their relationship while management lamented that their most professional player now had rainbow hair- but those were problems for tomorrow. In that moment, everything was at peace.