Chapter Text
The thing so special about soulmates is that only 3 out of 100 people in the world have them. Various studies about soulmates have proved that those which have them always meet after they turn 15 and before their 30s, and soulmates inevitably end up with each other.
Now, the question is how can you know if you’re one of those special people who has a soulmate?
According to the same studies, there are two ways to find out. One is that they will feel an instant overwhelming connection with their soulmate during their first physical meet up. Two, soulmates have the power to communicate with their fated person through writing on their flesh; a perfect mirror image of the writing immediately appears on the other’s flesh.
This predestined phenomenon is nature’s way of showcasing pure and true love to humanity, through humanity.
Having someone fated for you must feel nice and very romantic, right? Well, Sakusa Kiyoomi would beg to differ. It wasn’t as if he hated or even slightly detested having a soulmate, but he thought it would have been better if his soulmate didn’t use him to answer measly Math homework questions.
When he told his cousin about his situation, Komori Motoya instantly laughed his ass off inside Itachiyama Institute’s volleyball gym until he fucking teared up. “On the bright side, you have a soulmate! And they’re communicating with you!”
But no, there is no bright side because Sakusa’s soulmate ONLY communicates with him when the other needs help with homework or questions for quizzes and exams. Very romantic, really.
“Well nothing’s gonna happen if you keep up with how you’re handling this. Kiyoomi, you’ve been answering your soulmate’s homework for three weeks now, but you still come complaining to me. How about you actually try to get to know them? Know each other?”
After hearing those words from his cousin, the ace froze. Sakusa honestly thought of introducing himself to his soulmate through writing, sometimes he wanted to ask for the other’s name or any information regarding their identity really. Hell, he didn’t even know if his soulmate was a guy or a girl!
Now, as he was thinking about what Komori said, he realized that he failed to do the obvious after being too preoccupied with satisfying and helping his soulmate through answering their inquiries, regardless of the fact that they were about their homework. Better safe than sorry, right?
Sakusa swears he’s not this hopeless with people, he wouldn’t be adored by his fangirls if he was. Because even if he is very much conscious (Komori would like to use the term loathed instead) on the subject of any close contact with humans, he still had some respect and common sense regarding human interaction.
But interacting with your supposed other half is different! The ace convinced himself. What if they find him uninteresting? What if he says something mean to them? What if they don’t like volleyball players?! Sakusa just knows he can’t handle any negative reaction from his future lover. So yes, he'd rather answer his soulmate’s homework and play safe, for now at least.
“They’re your soulmate, you guys are fated for a reason, Kiyoomi. Now stop that and just make a move.”
Sakusa hated it when his cousin pointed out obvious things to him as if he didn’t know it already. “It’s because you don’t listen to what your guts tell you and are always doubtful about anything and everything. Someone has to point things out to you sometimes.”
“Fuck off, Motoya.” The ace flipped him off, although his cousin was right and he knew it. “…But thanks anyways.”
“Thank me when you guys finally fall head over heels with each other. Not that it won’t take too long for it to happen anyway.” The libero replied with a grin plastered on his face, looking smug and confident with his verdict.
Kageyama Tobio was currently in his room, his Math notebook wide open and his right hand holding a pen. His lips formed into a scowl every now and then as he wrote down on the notebook.
If you asked his friends about what the genius setter was thinking about when he had that kind of concentrated glare, their answers would most probably be volleyball, it’s definitely volleyball, it’s always volleyball. However, right now, Kageyama’s head was full of anything but volleyball.
Well, others would argue that it was kind of connected to volleyball, but still! The setter was reviewing down his notes for a Math quiz the next day and doing his homework at the same time, his eyes fixated on the traces of black ink in the form of algebraic equations. It was rare to see Kageyama actually studying so seriously, but their teacher said something to him along the lines fail another quiz and I’ll give you a failing grade that would make you skip your precious volleyball practices for months. And like hell he would skip even a single session of volleyball practice!
So here he was. Staring at numbers and letters littered on paper rather than watching and critiquing volleyball matches on his phone.
While he was answering a particularly difficult item, the setter noticed how he ran out of paper to write onto. Scavenging around his desk for any blank page but then failing to do so, he improvised instead used his arm for penning on his calculations.
It was around eleven in the evening and his left arm was almost full of digits and letters, just one more question and I’m done for the night. The setter was beginning to get mentally drained too, and he still had morning volleyball practice so he should really go to bed in a while.
However, as he was going to write the solution he guessed should be correct, he noticed something written in an unfamiliar handwriting just below the equation for the last item.
“Huh…? When did I write thi- OH! Haha. Must be my soulmate...” Kageyama muttered to himself, his eyes drooping and a soft smile gracing his lips.
Wait… what?
“Oh wait yeah, the Math question.” Reviewing the written response to the math item he jotted down on his arm, the setter realized that his soulmate’s solution and answer was undoubtedly correct.
Thank you. You’re really smart. He wrote just below the answer. He should at least thank the other person.
You’re welcome. We had this lesson last year, you must be a freshman.
Yeah, Math is hard for me.
I can tell. Rest now, it’s getting late.
Okay, goodnight.
That night, Kageyama slept like a baby, more peacefully than usual, arms still inked and Math homework finished.
“WHAT DO YOU MEAN YOU HAVE A SOULMATE BUT JUST TALKED ABOUT HOMEWORK?! DID YOU EVEN GET THEIR NAME?!”
Hinata Shouyo could be heard screaming early in the morning near Karasuno High School’s volleyball gym. It was too early for practice and the setter and him were the first to arrive at campus for morning volleyball practice, as usual.
“Shut up, dumbass. Someone might hear you!”
The setter and middle blocker were talking about their Math pop quiz the previous day,. When the former mentioned how he aced it, Hinata instantly asked how the hell did your volleyball of a brain ace an algebra quiz?! And that’s when Kageyama explained how his other half was helping him these past two weeks with their Math lessons.
“You’re the dumbass! You didn’t even ask for a name, heck, you don’t even know if the person is a guy or a girl! Kageyama, they’re literally your soulmate! And this has been going on for WEEKS?! Your conversations are so bland too, the cringey kind of bland!”
The setter just stood there and glared down at his friend (Yes, I consider this tangerine a friend, no one fucking dare tell him.) He internally concedes to his companion’s words and thought that he should really have asked for his soulmate’s identity or some sort.
In his defense, they always talked late at night and Kageyama had to jog early in the morning before going to school! He did not want to sacrifice much of his sleeping hours besides working on his failing grades. It’s not like the setter’s soulmate would disappear after talking to him a few nights. They’re soulmates!
And true to his words, it has indeed been two weeks since they first talked and both of them always had some time to write down on their arms. One asking for help on his homework and the other diligently answering them. Kageyama’s soulmate would also thoroughly explain English lessons to him from time to time.
“Bakageyama, he’s your soulmate, not your personal tutor.”
“Tsk. You’re practically taking advantage of him, King.” Tsukishima Kei pointed out, while they were going home from practice along with the other freshmen players.
“At least I know they’re in their second year.”
“Obviously, they should be older than you when they could easily understand first-year Mathematics.”
Kageyama glared at the taller male. “We also talk about other things.”
“Oh really? Such as?”
“…The English quiz.”
“…”
“…”
“Hinata, Yamaguchi, he’s your burden now. I don’t want to deal with him anymore.”
Sakusa was currently packing his bag for the upcoming All-Japan Youth Training Camp which officially starts the next day. The ace was honestly exhausted since the past week was full of practice matches with various college volleyball teams, another week of intense training with Japan’s top high school volleyball players will undeniably tire him even more.
Don’t get him wrong, Sakusa loves volleyball and is great at it (he’s not called the ace of aces for nothing), but it was tiring to think about how he’s going to be required to socialize with other people and dorming with a complete stranger.
He just knows the training organizers aren’t going to let him and Komori dorm again after the latter and Miya Atsumo’s little stunt that included throwing a bucket full of water at a sleeping Sakusa for a dare. The ace caught a nasty cold the next morning and they had to separate him from the other two for his sanity’s, and everyone’s, sake.
At ten in the evening, Sakusa was about to go to bed after showering when he suddenly noticed a few words on his arm.
Hi, you up?
The second-year felt his heart stutter at the recognition that his soulmate was talking to him. An unfamiliar warmth spread throughout his body when he realized that he was talking to the other again after a few days, it’s been so long… too long.
Yeah, sorry I haven’t talked in a while. Been busy.
It’s okay, I was too.
Hm. Did you want to ask about something?
Yeah, how are you?
Fine, I guess. I’ll be busy for the next few days though.
Ah, it’s okay.
Yeah.
Sakusa internally face-palmed at how their conversation was going.
Do you like volleyball?
The ace’s eyes widened for a fraction before hurriedly writing down a response. Thinking that his soulmate also liked the sport, he took the opportunity to subtly impress the other.
I do. I’m a starting player and the ace of our volleyball team. You?
Wow, that’s great. I also like volleyball, I’m a setter.
A setter… A setter! Just the thought of him and his soulmate playing together, on the court together, him spiking the other’s tosses… The possibility of those happening caused Sakusa to grin like a fool.
What school do you play for? You should set for me sometimes too.
Now, he waits.
Although, a few minutes flew by and Sakusa became agitated, his soulmate hadn’t replied to his last writings and he was starting to think that the other wasn’t interested in the conversation anymore. Was asking for the other to set for me considered too fast? Was I too demanding? Oh fuck, Motoya always complained how I was too demanding sometimes, did I annoy them?
It was almost eleven in the evening and the ace decided to take a bath before going to bed instead. A sigh slipped out of his lips, talking to my soulmate can wait, I guess. He still had to wake up early for the training camp too, and maybe tomorrow he can impress his soulmate by mentioning about how he’s picked for such a prestigious training camp. Sakusa didn’t really mean to brag, but his reputation on the court is quite well known, he’s convinced that his soulmate knows him and is already impressed even.
Entering his showers, he let the warm water cascade down his body and his eyes instantly fluttered close at the feeling of his muscled relaxing. The writings on his arms gradually faded, as his thoughts wandered to his unidentified soulmate.