Chapter Text
Chuuya was eight years old when he first woke up with an arm covered with bandages. "What...what is this?" he stammered, holding his arm out in front of him. He rubbed his eyes, blinking three times, but the bandage was still there. He tried pulling at it, but he couldn't find an end to tug at. It was as if it was glued to him like a second skin.
He asked Kouyou Ane-san about it later that morning. She chuckled and ruffled his hair. "Oh, little one, looks like your 'soulmate' mark appeared earlier than expected."
"What's a soulmate?" He'd asked curiously.
She knelt to his level. "A soulmate is someone you spend the rest of your life with, at least theoretically. We don't get to choose who they end up being, and it may not always work out, but more often than not, the universe chooses the right person."
"Do you have a soulmate, Ane-san?" She looks around furtively, then whispers in his ear, "Yes, I do, little one."
He gasps. "Who is it?"
She puts a finger to his lips. "If this gets out, my soulmate will be in trouble! You wouldn't want that to happen, right?"
He shakes his head.
"So can I trust you to keep this a secret?"
He nods vigorously. "Are you sure? Can we do a pinky promise?"
He nods again, holding out a pinky. She takes it, looking at him straight in the eye.
He can tell, even at this age, how serious she is.
She shakes their conjoined pinkies three times. "It's a promise now, Chuuya!"
She lets go. "Her name is Yosano, and she's in the Armed Detective Agency. She's a doctor."
His eyes widen. "A doctor?! Wow!"
She smiles happily at him. "I'm quite proud of her- she's an excellent physician, even if she has some...weird methods."
"How did you two figure out you were soulmates?"
She points to the pink hairpin clipped to the side of her red hair. "This showed up in my hair when I was 12, so a few years older than you. A hairpin suddenly appearing- seems weird, right? Anyways, I was a few years older than you, come to think of it. I didn't actually meet her until I was 17- she had a yellow hairpin in the same position as me, so I asked her about it. Turns out it showed up for her too at the same time. You can't tell anyone, though, okay?"
He smiles at her. "I understand, Ane-san! I pinky promised! I won't say anything!"
"Good boy," she praises, rubbing his head again. She gives him a hug. "I hope you find your soulmate soon. I'll be very curious to see who it is!"
He wouldn't meet him, a tall, lanky, insufferable bastard for another 7 years.