Chapter Text
Bitter.
Alfred’s lips tasted bitter.
He paused for a moment from his studies, setting down his pen on his desk. He licked his lips once again, grimacing at the slightly unpleasant taste. It also had a hint of something burnt, like a reheated leftover pizza left in the microwave for too long. Maybe it was like toast? He wasn’t sure. He could recall the first time he tasted the curious flavor, how could he not? He got in trouble because of it after all.
It was in Literature that he crumpled his face in displeasure as he absentmindedly ran his tongue over his lips. The teacher had been telling a story about her daughter's first day in pre school–which was a godsend, because his teacher was sharing her life story instead of asking a brick wall why the author specifically wrote the door’s color blue–and caught the sour expression on Alfred’s face. With the offended scowl of a plum-faced white mother of two children (which is ironic, because that’s who she is. A terrible analogy.), his teacher sent him out of the class for the rest of the period. Alfred never really liked literature anyway.
The memory was an embarrassing one, but it tugged a smile at his lips. That was in middle school, almost an eternity ago. Alfred was already in his senior year of high school, studying for college entrance exams. His mind went from the memory to the flavor once more. It wasn’t unpleasant, but the bitter taste on his lips did bother him a bit. He had a terrible sweet tooth, after all.
The bitterness felt comforting for some reason.
Alfred wondered why his soulmate liked bitter things, was it because they liked black coffee? A coffeeholic maybe? That didn’t explain the hint of something burnt. Maybe his soulmate liked burnt food too, which is kinda strange. Alfred was in no place to judge though, as he loved to mix different sodas and juices to freeze overnight so he could have a frozen treat on hot days and stack burgers high enough to break some non-existent world record.
Alfred pursed his lips, willing not to lick them, and tried not to think about his soulmate. He sat up on his chair and reached over to a bag of kisses on his desk. He popped a kiss into his mouth, letting the chocolate melt on his tongue, and resumed doing his homework.
The bitter aftertaste didn’t help him focus.
“Heading out?” Alfred asked from the couch.
Matthew, his older brother, raised his eyebrows, “What?”
“I asked if you’re going out.”
“Ah,” his brother was putting on his boots, “Yeah. Just need to hand something to Gilbert.”
“Better not be something illegal.”
“Shut up.” Matthew shot him a half glare, “It’s just maple syrup. He asked if I could buy him some when I got groceries.”
Alfred set down the comic he was reading and shifted his body, “Again? That’s like the third bottle this month, the hell’s he doing with all of that syrup?”
“No idea. He’s probably starting a pancake business, I’ll ask him later.”
“Maybe,” Alfred reclined on the couch and pulled up his comic, “he just really loooovess the taste of maple syrup. Maybe it’s because his soulmate also loooooovesss the taste of it too–oomph!” he didn’t get to finish what he was going to say because of the red scarf thrown at his face. Alfred laughed and chucked the scarf back at his brother–it miserably landed somewhere halfway, so Matthew had to pick it up from the floor–whose face was just as red as the fabric. “I’m heading out!” Matthew briskly walked outside and shut the door to their apartment.
“Kiss him, you fool!” Alfred mischievously shouted after him.
Then he was by himself in the apartment. He wondered why his brother and Gilbert won’t just admit that they’re two idiots in love already. Gilbert was once a gang leader in their high school, and Matthew was just another student, someone who is soft spoken and often overlooked by many. A series of events and coincidences led to the two of them meeting, and becoming unlikely friends. Friends…more like lovers in denial. On the last day of school, graduation day for the seniors, the whole student body (and some faculty members) expected one of them to confess…had that happened, we wouldn’t be in this situation right now. Even now, when they are already in college, they keep dancing around each other. They are basically the protagonists of a rom com movie, but alas, the two of them were denser than the atmosphere of Venus.
Was it like that when you find your soulmate? Even if you are the most observant, confident, self-aware person, the moment Cupid shoots your heart, you become the densest motherfucker in the entire galaxy? Is that what romance does to a person? Alfred’s train of thought inevitably went towards soulmates and bitter tastes once more.
He absentmindedly licked his lips, tasting bitter tea.
Tea.
So it wasn’t coffee then? Damn.
He suddenly shot up from the couch. Alfred touched his lips and ran his tongue over it again. Ever since he tasted the bitterness on his lips, he was never able to place the exact flavor of the bitter taste. But now, he could clearly feel the taste of tea on his tongue, it was barely there, but he could still taste its ghost.
What?
He wondered what that meant; suddenly being able to recognize the taste on his lips that had bothered him since middle school. Did it mean his soulmate was nearby? Was it a sign that he was going to meet his soulmate soon? Alfred could feel his heart racing, his mind was reeling, yearning to know what it meant.
The bitterness was bothering him once more. He reached into his pocket and opened a packet of M&Ms, popping three into his mouth.