Chapter Text
Kei hated the mere mention of soulmates the second he realized that Yamaguchi was not his. When Yamaguchi got a pattern of beautiful flowers blooming around his fingers and Kei got a golden crown and an eclipse on the base of his neck he immediately decided that soulmates were stupid and he didn’t want one. The only person he liked to have around was Yamaguchi. The years passed and he settled into not wanting a soulmate even if his weird middle school crush on Yamaguchi finally passed. Yamaguchi still hadn’t found the other half of his pair, but he was excited about the prospect. Kei refused to even look for his even if he was growing tall enough to be able to see most people’s neck just fine if he wanted to. People never really broadcasted their soulmate mark, but very rarely did people cover it.
Kei had started hiding his. He made sure that all of his shirts covered the mark at the base of his neck. He made sure that it appeared to everyone as if he didn’t have a soul mark as rare as that was. He didn’t want to find his fated other half. He didn’t want to make his entire life about one person again. He didn’t want to care for them.
Besides, he was almost certain that one person couldn’t possibly feel that many emotions at once. The little sun warmed whenever his soulmate was happy. The crown seemed to ice over when his soulmate was sad. The worst days were when it started doing both at the same time. He didn’t know how they could possibly feel that happy while also being so sad. Kei wished they would just pick an emotion and stop bothering him. Yamaguchi’s flowers bloomed when he got overwhelmed and were generally a pretty good indicator of his mood. He was determined that it was his soulmate comforting him. Kei hated it. It was disgustingly cute and it almost made him soft for his own soulmate which was not allowed.
It all came crashing down when he had met the king of the court. He couldn’t stand him on sight. He made sure to get him worked up about his nickname right up until he had seen a flash of that all too familiar crown and eclipse. Kei could feel his heart pounding and he doubled down trying to make the king hate him. He didn’t want this. He wanted the image of his mark on the base of the king’s neck gone from his mind. He wanted to go back to pretending he didn’t have a soulmate. There was only one problem with that plan. Yamaguchi had almost certainly seen the mark from the way his eyes darted his way.
Yamaguchi held out calling Kei out right up until they parted from the duo. The teasing laugh that bubbled out of his best friend made him suddenly thank any deity listening that he didn’t get his wish of being Yamaguchi’s soulmate. He was sure he would have driven himself insane by that point.
“Shut up, Yamaguchi.” Kei bit out his cheeks flushing pink. The last thing he needed was Yamaguchi trying to set him up with the king. Yamaguchi plastered on that innocent smile that Kei knew was a dirty rotten lie.
“Sorry, Tsukki. I can’t believe that you found your soulmate before me! You don’t even want yours! It’s ironic!” Yamaguchi teased knowing that Kei wasn’t going to talk to him when he was turning that particular shade of red.
“I am beginning to put homicide on the table of things I am not above doing.” Kei griped at Yamaguchi. Yamaguchi laughed again and waved as they finally split to go their separate directions. Kei dropped face-first into the bed the second he got up to his room. He was just glad that Yamaguchi hadn’t called attention to it in front of the king. He didn’t want someone chasing after him saying they were fated to be together. He didn’t even like the king. He was not about to spend the rest of his life with him.
Do you at least think he’s cute?
SHUT UP, YAMAGUCHI
I am just asking!
He is your soulmate!
You have to at least think he is cute.
I am not having this conversation with you.
I don’t want a soulmate and I hope I never have to see him again.
He’s got an intense presence.
I didn’t know you were into that.
Yamaguchi, I am terminating our friendship.
I will see you in the morning. <3
Kei put his phone down rubbing his face. He didn’t think he could take much more of Yamaguchi’s questions. The worst part was he had to admit that he had been a little attracted to how intense the King was. He figured that at least fate got that part right.