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Clutching onto her shirt he wetted her clothing with countless sniffs and sobs, staining it with both snot and tears. “It hurts,” he cried into his mother’s embrace, burying his face against her “M-Make it stop, please!”
The mother, distraught at the sudden awakening in the middle of the night could only stroke her son’s head. Soothing fingers going through strands of brown hair in an attempt to calm the little child. “There there Naib, there there. What’s hurting now, is it your tummy again?” As much as she hoped it was simple like that it seemed to be far worse than that.
Hesitant, Naib sat back to show her his arm -although he would much prefer to stay in her embrace. Stretching out his arm for her while his other hand went to sweep away both snot and tears, he showed her what seemed to be his skin burning. Not directly burning. It was like someone had put up a projector to show a video of skin burning and Naib’s arm had become the screen for the show.
Seeing his arm it was as if realisation struck her. For a moment she looked in shock, and in the next her eyes saddened when she realised what was going on. When she pulled her son back in for a hug it was hard for her not to contain her own sobs. “Just hold out a bit more, okay? It’ll be over soon and then your arm will go back to normal.”
Merely nodding, Naib couldn’t do much more than try his best to get through the night for his mother. She never left him until it was over, and even then she stayed the night with Naib to make sure he was truly okay.
Back then he was too young to be informed, too young to understand that back then was the day he lost his soulmate to fire. If your soulmate painted their arm the same painting would show on your arm, something great if you could write down an address to meet.
Something great, if your soulmate wasn’t painted by fire.
——————
Valentine’s was a circus and Naib played the lead clown. Out of every special day Valentines was by far the worst. Not because he didn’t have anyone to spend it with, rather so the day held no meaning to him, it held no importance when he had no interest in love. Considering that he had still let himself convince on coming together with some friends to celebrate. Some friends and… him.
Across the table he was fiddling with her hair, sitting leant back on the couch with her between his legs. Resting his head on top of hers with a mind blank as space, seemingly not too interested in what she was showing him on her phone. How the sight pissed Naib off. Norton Campbell, the jerk, would never pass Naib’s acceptance in dating Tracy. Someone Naib had grown to see as a sister was dating the least compatible person ever, someone who had no control of his emotions; he always seemed sour and angry. Sure, Norton was sweet around her once upon a blue moon, and when he had hurt her a few months prior he had expressed another emotion than anger for once. Yet Naib couldn’t stand him, and seeing those two cuddled up didn’t do much favour for his least favourite holiday.
With the sneer of a hound Naib turned his chin to the scene before him, taking a long sip of his drink.
“Naib you okay there?” With a light shove of the elbow William startled the Nepali, nearly making him spill his drink in his daze.
“Yeah,” Naib gargled, wiping the corner of his lip. “Just fine, why?” Answering a question with a question, not the best distraction, but a good way to learn what he had failed to conceal in his annoyance.
“You just seem kinda off, that’s all,” William spoke through a smile, one which soon turned to an expression of wonder. “Is it… you know,” gesturing down to his own arm he spoke of something between the two of them. Something Naib had only been comfortable enough to share with William.
“Oh are you on about the soulmate marks?” Tracy’s voice rang through their ears before Naib could even think to reply, startling both of the men in their top secret talk.
Naib scowled quickly at William, earning an apologetic look before he looked to Tracy. “Yeah, just the marks.” A white lie was fine, William had pointed to his arm rather obviously, so Naib couldn’t think of any other explanation that quick.
Putting her phone away Tracy was now fiddling with Norton’s arm, focusing on the two others. “Have you two tried it yet? Writing to see if you get a response?”
The thought itself made Naib’s nose wrinkle up, knowing there was no purpose to. For William it was another story. “Oh yeah, I did. Didn’t get much response yet.. Though there are some doodles now and then.”
With a faint chuckle Tracy could only smile, fiddling more and more with Norton’s hand. It was no secret; those two weren’t soulmates. Months ago Tracy had scribbled on her arm, only to figure it didn’t appear on Norton. All the more reason for Naib to despise the guy. Yet they stayed together, since neither seemed hopeful to find their soulmate.
“What about you Norton?” Tracy perked up again.
“Hm?” He mumbled, eyes fixated on her hands with his.
“Don’t you want to try and write something?”
One could see the lack of interest in those coal black eyes, not even a hint of a real smile was pulling at his lips. “Dunno. Seems kinda pointless. I already have my princess right here,” with his words he leant in to leave a kiss at her neck. Making Naib’s body scream in ten different languages.
Tracy didn’t waver though, as she soon grabbed a hold of Norton’s right arm, looking up at him for some kind of permission. What she couldn’t even roll up his sleeve without him getting pissy?
With a sigh Norton gave her a tiny nod, one so small you’d miss it if you blinked. Happy with the permission Tracy rolled up his arm, searching over the table for a pen. “Will, Naib, do any of you have a pen?”
On one side Naib didn’t own it to Norton to ever find his soulmate. Yet on the other side seeing him with someone other than Tracy would surely make him get better along with the guy (he wasn’t a terrible person, they even had some fond memories together before the relationship with Tracy.) Will stepped up and didn't give Naib much to think about, pulling up a pen from one of the drawers on the table. It was Will’s home, so of course he knew where the closest pen was. “Make sure to write something embarrassing” he tossed the pen over, Tracy catching it with a wide grin.
“Will do~.” With that, she started scribbling.
The energy in the room differed all from Tracy and William who seemed to be sucked into Norton’s arm, Norton who only eyed it somewhat interested, and Naib who wished to ignore it all together. No one found their soulmate just from drawing, so it wasn’t like anything good would come out of it.
The room went silent as they all awaited something. What did they wait for? No one knew. It was only when Naib felt an unfamiliar, or long forgotten, pricking at his arm that he felt his gut twist. Oh lord.
“Don’t you wanna check your arm?” Will seemed curious, perhaps a bit hopeful.
“No, we already know we’re not soulmates. It isn’t a one way thing.”
“The bunnies would look better on you” Norton’s nose scrunched up as he spoke, frowning down at the three tiny dots.
Bunnies. Naib didn’t even dare touch his jacket arm, only staring intently at the television. A million questions bursting through his mind, yet he wandered helplessly with no answer to any. Ignoring the poking feeling at his arm he blocked it out, forgetting all about the two others on the couch.
“Naib” Norton’s voice snapped at the brunette, breaking him out of his daze, making him acknowledge the other three in the room. Both William and Tracy seemed to have attempted the same, at some point.
“You alright there?” Tracy sounded worried as she moved over to Naib. Hand going to hold lightly over his arm, fortunately his left one.
Naib looked at her for a moment, but couldn’t stand it for too long. The stabbing feeling of guilt being too persistent, making him more dreading of ever placing eyes on his arm. “I’m fine. Too much cake, maybe. I think I might head home, if that’s fine.”
When he looked back at Tracy he could see that she knew. Knew something was up, but fortunately not what. “I hope you feel better, take care of yourself.” She truly was a darling, even now she was so kind.
With a sigh Naib gave her a light nod, standing up and getting his stuff together before heading out. Not looking back before he was out, out of the apartment and out of sight. Out of sight where he could lean back to the wall with a heavy sight, gazing down to confirm the main question pounding in his mind.
Three tiny dots. Oh, how he wished those to be gone.