Chapter Text

00:19:23:09

In this world, you weren’t destined to find your soulmate.

Takemichi tried to ignore the timer on his arm, the way it steadily moved towards zero. He didn’t have much time left, did he? Everyone had a soulmate- and everyone had a red string or a marking connecting them to that person, it was just a question of whether you found them before the timer runs out.

When it ran out, your mark, red string- would become invisible and your chance of finding your soulmate would all but vanish. They’d still exist and your bond with them would still be there, but you would never be able to find the person. 

That was the way the world worked; finding the person you were destined to be with was a twisted game. 

Love isn’t a game. Well, Takemichi felt it shouldn’t be one. He knew for a fact, people considered it one these days- if not a game, they considered it a gamble and some people decided not to throw the dice at all. It was interesting to watch people let their timer hit zero and do nothing. He didn’t understand how they did that. How they watched the time slip by and not search? Were they not at least curious? Were they afraid of disappointment? Even if the chances of finding that person were slim to none, was it not the least bit enticing? 

“Takemichi,” Kakucho was waiting for him outside his classroom door. He was looking down at his timer. Kakucho was very interesting when it came to soulmates. He went back and forth between caring a lot about finding the person he was meant to be with and not caring at all. “How was class?” 

Takemichi followed Kakucho as they made their way to the restaurants near campus. “It was normal, I guess.” 

Kakucho hummed, looking off into the distance. His mind was definitely somewhere else entirely, but Takemichi had no clue where. They were supposed to meet Chifuyu and Hina at the diner across the street, but the place looked packed. “Are we still going here?” 

Kakucho blinked a few times looking over, before pulling out his phone, “I’ll text Chifuyu.” 

His timer was under a year at this point, which made him antsy. Then again, if he didn’t find the person, wouldn’t he have the freedom to fall in love with whoever wasn’t looking for a soulmate? 

“Chifuyu said they went to this place a block or so down the street,” Kakucho pointed and began to walk that way. 

Takemichi groaned, “I’m not in the mood to walk that far…” 

“Then stay here,” Kakucho deadpanned. 

Takemichi ran after him, “Shut up!” He fell in step with his childhood friend, “I’m coming along.” 

The restaurant they ended up in was a smaller establishment with a retro feel, red couches in booths, checkered floor, bright colors all around. Takemichi wasn’t sure exactly what to make of it. 

Kakucho looked over behind the counter and tensed for a second. Takemichi looked over to where he had only to see a waiter looking visibly done with his life, glaring at them as if to say ‘why did you decide to come here, please leave’ . Kakucho walked forward without looking over again, “I think I see Hina and Chifuyu!” 

Kakucho and him sat across from Hina and Chifuyu as they were talking. 

“I think I found my soulmate.” Hina informed them. As guilty as Takemichi felt thinking this, the words felt like salt in a wound that he didn’t know was that deep. Takemichi couldn’t help but glance at his timer, ticking slowly down. Would he find his soulmate before the time was up? 

“Who are they?” Chifuyu asked, “What are they like?” 

“She’s amazing, strong-” Hina rambled off. “I thought she was a guy at first because she was wearing this big baggy hoodie but then I found out she was a girl because she got hurt and I had to stitch her up.” 

“Ah yes, our certified nurse,” Chifuyu joked, taking a sip of his drink as the waiter from earlier walked up. 

“How can I help you?” He said in the most monotone voice. The waiter had light hair that seemed almost lilac, but the lights in the restaurant could be making it look a different color than it actually was. His eyes were this piercing purple color; an intense color you’d remember seeing. It was similar to Takemichi’s roommate’s very bright gold eyes. 

Kakucho seemed flustered when he replied, “I’ll have a water-” 

The waiter furrowed his brow- otherwise just writing down and ignoring the odd response; he turned to Takemichi next, “And you?” 

“A coffee?” Takemichi was looking between him and Kakucho, unsure of what was going on, but he knew there was something. He’d have to ask later. 

When the waiter walked away, Hina asked outright, “What was that?” 

Takemichi was pretty sure those were the worst words to use, since they could be misinterpreted and sound offensive to the poor waiter who looked like he already wanted to jump off the roof of the establishment. He looked over to Kakucho waiting for his answer as well. 

Kakucho looked between them all, “What?” He seemed taken off guard, “It was nothing.” 

Takemichi knew it wasn’t nothing, but he decided it was best not to push it. They got their drinks and then food, until eventually it was time for his evening class and he had to leave. Hina and Chifuyu followed along, leaving Kakucho trailing behind. “Are you coming?” 

“I have to use the bathroom,” Kakucho’s words were definitely a lie, but Takemichi just gave him a look and scurried everyone along so Kakucho could talk to the grumpy waiter about whatever had flustered him so much. 

Hina, Chifuyu and him parted ways at the cross section and once Takemichi got to the school parking lot, he felt something pulling him in a specific direction, towards the sound of a motorcycle, but he was already almost late to class… He made a split second decision, running to the noise.

Once he got there, the feeling was gone and so wasn’t the sound of the motorcycle. 

00:19:20:52 

“Class today we’re going to talk about entanglement,” The very short and very loud physics professor yelled. “The two atoms are connected even at a distance- one effects the other. Physicists are trying to use the concept of entanglement to create time travel…” 

Entanglement. Although in the case of physics, entanglement meant the two things were the same, the concept of two things that effect one another in two different places without making contact, reminded him of soulmates. Especially how without even interacting with the other person, when one person's timer runs out so doesn’t the other. The two people are linked intrinsically. 

“Takemichi!” The teacher called on him. He hadn’t been paying attention so he was ready to die on the spot. “What do you think of entanglement?” 

“I think it’s romantic I guess,” Takemichi rambled off, embarrassingly to try and cover his own ass, “The idea of two things being linked like that-” 

“You don’t think it's suffocating?” Someone behind him said. He couldn’t see their face, “The idea that you’re attached to someone- or in this case something. You’re stuck to it .” 

“Why would that be suffocating?” Takemichi questioned. He understood the logic in a sense, but he enjoyed the idea of not being alone. He enjoyed the idea of having someone around who was meant to love him. 

“It’s not your choice. You don’t get to pick who or what you're stuck to and you can’t know how much of the things you feel are real,” The person scoffed, “That’s not romantic.” 

“Manjiro,” The teacher scolded, “We’re talking about atoms, not soulmates.” 

“I was talking about atoms,” Manjiro, Takemichi supposed was his name, corrected, “Atoms can totally feel romantic things, right Takemitchy?” 

“Takemitchy?” Takemichi spun around to see a guy with his feet up in the back of the lecture hall. He couldn’t see his face, but he could see the black boots and jeans that were on the desk. He seemed kind of… 

The professor sighed and closed his book, “ Class is over .” He walked back to the corner of the hall to presumably pull together his things for the next lesson he taught, “Go argue in another lecture…” He mumbled just loud enough for Takemichi to hear. 

When Takemichi got up and walked out of the classroom he couldn’t find ‘Manjiro’, but it was dark out and it looked like it was going to rain, so he decided it was best to just head back to his dorm room. The streets were dark and eerie, making him regret deciding on enrolling in a night class, but it was very quiet and peaceful. He heard the roar of a motorcycle again and against his better judgment, turned on his heels and ran towards the sound. The sound of the motorcycle got further and further away and before he even got too far from where he’d started he realized he’d be too late. The person who rode the motorcycle was definitely already gone. 

00:19:12:23

“You’re back late,” Kazutora commented from behind his computer screen as Takemichi walked into the door and dropped his bag on the floor. 

Takemichi sighed, “It’s been a horribly long day.” He fell onto his bed, “How has your day been?” 

“Not too bad, to be honest,” Kazutora replied with a shrug. He looked over as he added, “What happened today?” 

“Well, Kakucho was acting weird, the restaurant we like to go to was packed so we had to walk more to get to a different one and this guy argued with me in physics class-” 

“What did he even argue with you about?” Kazutora questioned, putting his laptop down, seeming curious. 

“Well, I was an idiot and said the concept of entanglement was romantic-” 

Kazutora deadpanned, “You-” He sighed, “Nevermind… Continue.” 

“He asked how being attached to something like that was romantic and said it was suffocating,” Takemichi explained. “I don’t understand that mindset I guess.” He put his arm over his eye and tried not to think about the person behind him who he hadn’t even gotten a look at. 

“Not to mention!” Takemichi jumped up at the thought, slightly heated, “He said my name wrong!” He looked to Kazutora, “The teacher had said it minutes before so it obviously wasn’t an accident right?” 

“I have no clue Takemichi…” Kazutora responded. “I will say though, I do understand feeling suffocated by soulmates and connections to people, depending on your past and the people around you.” 

Kazutora had always been pretty skeptical of the concept of soulmates. When he was younger he fell for someone who wasn’t his soulmate and they eventually found their soulmate- leaving him with a ticking timer and heartbreak. Takemichi looked away, “I mean, I guess so, but-” 

“People whose soulmates are bad to them? People who’s soulmates let the clock tick down and don’t search for them? People who have lost people in the past?” Kazutora rambled off circumstances, “There’s plenty of circumstances that would make a person dislike connections with others, especially if they can’t even judge the person for themselves.”

“It’s just sad to think about people feeling that way,” Takemichi responded. 

“You’re a good person,” Kazutora said, “You empathize and care for others.” 

Takemichi didn’t know how to feel about the whole situation. 

00:19:03:35

The next day, he met up with Kakucho in the morning, who was looking at his timer again. Takemichi was concerned about him at this point, but he knew bugging him wouldn’t help, so as they walked to campus he just said, “If you need anything, you can talk to me…” 

“You’re worried about me?” Kakucho questioned, genuinely confused. He sighed, “Am I really that bad at hiding my feelings?” 

“Yes,” Takemichi replied with a sigh. “You suck at it.” 

Kakucho looked around for a minute before whispering, “I think I found my soulmate…” 

Everything Kakucho had done made sense in an instant. The weird behavior, looking at his timer, staying back to talk to the waiter- “It’s that guy!” 

Kakucho put a hand over his mouth, “Sometimes you’re too loud…” 

“You should really know that by now-” Takemichi spoke into Kakucho’s hand, making it very inaudible. 

“I do know it, that’s why I’m always prepared to cover your mouth…” 

They made their way to class and Takemichi saw a very pretty blonde boy out of the corner of his eye at a table before he walked into the building. He almost walked into the doorframe, but Hina stopped him from getting a serious head injury. 

“Listen, I know I’m studying to be a nurse,” she said, “But I can’t protect you from being accident prone and walking into walls…” 

Takemichi laughed uncomfortably, “Sorry about that!” 

She gestured for him to walk inside and followed behind him. They sat in the back of the classroom so they could talk for a minute or two and not get reprimanded by the teacher. Hina leaned back in her seat, crossing her arms. “What were you looking at that made you almost walk into a wall?” 

Takemichi almost choked on air, “No one- I mean nothing.” 

Hina perked up at the mess up, “No one?” She smiled deviously, with this evil sparkle in her eye. Takemichi wondered idly if her soulmate was just as evil. “Is no one the person’s name…? That’s an interesting name…” 

“I really mean it was no one,” Takemichi sighed, leaning back in his seat and shrinking into himself. 

She sighed, “I heard from my girlfriend you got in a bit of a tiff during your physics class last night?” 

“A tiff?” Takemichi questioned, tilting his head. He didn’t know Hina’s soulmate was in his physics class. 

“An argument,” She corrected, putting her elbow on the table, with her head in her hand, “You and Manjiro Sano.” 

“I don’t know who he is,” Takemichi told her honestly, “...but yes I think I argued with him.” 

“You should talk to him,” Hina’s suggestion was the worst she’d given him in all of their friendship. “Senju said you guys were very passionately fighting about soulmates.” 

“Yeah and he basically said he didn’t want one-” Takemichi let Hina know. “I do want to know mine, that’s where we differed.” 

Hina shrugged, “It’s just a suggestion.” 

Takemichi sighed. A horrible suggestion was what it was. Takemichi didn’t plan on talking to Manjiro Sano again any time soon. Well, that’s what he thought. That was the plan .  

00:19:02:03

Well that was the plan until he got to the restaurant they’d visited the day before and came face to face with the nametag Manjiro Sano and the pretty face from earlier that made him almost walk into a door. “Hi, may I take your order?” 

When he turned to Takemichi he gave him a shit eating grin, “What can I get for you Takemitchy?”

“You two know each other?” Chifuyu asked, confusion written on his face. 

Takemichi glared as he responded, “A knuckle sandwich- just knock me out.” 

“We don’t serve those here,” Manjiro kept this very professional public service smile on his face. 

“What’s going on?” Kakucho asked, but Takemichi was too busy considering how many times he’d have to bang his head against the wall to knock himself out. It would probably take too long, someone would stop him before he was out cold and that’d just be embarrassing.

“I’ll just get you a water,” Manjiro said, walking away.

Takemichi didn’t particularly want to answer that, so he just shrugged and looked over to where the waiter had walked to, as if that would make them any less curious about the situation. Manjiro Sano worked at the diner his friends now seemed to enjoy. Manjiro Sano was the pretty blonde, with a snarky mouth and Takemichi was a little bit smitten, if he was being completely honest, but he decided at that moment, maybe honesty was a bit overrated. 

“That’s Manjiro Sano right?” Hina exclaimed, “The one you fought with in Physics class!” 

Kakucho looked over with surprise, “You fought someone?” 

“I didn’t know you could fight?” Chifuyu added. 

“No,” Hina rolled her eyes, “Not physically fought!” She was practically bouncing with excitement, “They argued about something. I guess it was like something out of a fanfiction! A shoujo manga!” 

Chifuyu looked over, suddenly interested, “Really? Like enemies to lovers? Or ‘bad boy with a heart of gold’?” 

Hina put a hand to her chin, “I’m not sure…” She punched her palm with her fist, as she exclaimed, “Maybe both!” 

“I’d definitely read that..” Chifuyu opened the notes app on his phone and started jotting something down. Hina was looking over his shoulder, making little comments. 

Chifuyu was a manga artist, who wrote shoujo manga. Hina, while she was studying to be a nurse, loved shoujo and romance pieces so she helped Chifuyu a lot on the side. A lot of times when Chifuyu was close to a deadline and needed help with manga coloring, he’d call the three of them over to help- so Takemichi had a small amount of knowledge on how to create manga. 

Mikey put a cup of water in front of him, “Since you looked thirsty.” 

Manjiro Sano was in fact picking on him and while a part of him wanted to cry, another part of him loved it. Did that make him a masochist? His friends were laughing at his misfortune as his face heated up. He turned away from the blonde with a huff, “Thanks Manjiro .” He emphasized his name, hoping that would be some way to get back at him for all of the teasing and when he heard a small stutter from his next words, he wasn’t sure whether to feel accomplished or bad. 

“Y-You’re welcome,” He was flustered. Takemichi’s eyes widened a little bit and he truly regretted whatever was playing out in front of his three best friends who would never let him live it down. 

00:19:16:52

He didn’t have physics class that night, so he ended up going home earlier. Kazutora was on the computer yet again and looked up when Takemichi made his way inside. “Yo.” 

“Today was a mess,” Takemichi told him, sitting down on his bed and putting his head in his hands.

“You say that a lot,” Kazutora responded, putting his computer to the side and shutting it, giving Takemichi his full attention. 

“I saw Manjiro again today…” Takemichi informed him, “At the restaurant with the others… He picked on me.” 

“You mean like he pulled your hair?” Kazutora questioned, “It’s pretty short and you could report him for that…” 

“No,” Takemichi corrected. “He said my name wrong and called me thirsty.” 

Kazutora gave him a look, “Can you google flirting for me? I need to know the definition and I just shut my computer.” 

“You and I both know what flirting is…” Takemichi mumbled, looking up from the ground with an exasperated look. 

“I don’t think that’s true Takemichi…” Kazutora mumbled with a sigh. As Takemichi laid back, Kazutora continued, “This guy is flirting with you…” 

“No way,” Takemichi replied, “He’s too pretty to flirt with me.” 

Kazutora gave him a look before opening his computer again, “Okay… sure.” 

That night he didn’t get much sleep, he kept looking at his timer- bright red and ticking on his arm. It sometimes was hard to sleep when you could see the numbers constantly changing every second out of the corner of your eye. Manjiro may be right in a sense, if your soulmate wasn’t good for you, maybe the concept of a soulmate could be suffocating, but if they were good for you? What then? 

Plus, not looking, not even trying to look? Takemichi couldn’t just not look, his curiosity was killing him. He had to know, if there was someone out there he was meant to be with: who were they? What were they like? Was it possible to actually have a perfect person? The only way Takemichi could find out for himself was to look for his soulmate. 

Maybe Manjiro would be completely right. Maybe it would blow up in his face, but maybe he’d be completely wrong and Takemichi’s soulmate would be perfect for him in every single way. It was a very slim chance but possible.

00:18:21:27

“Takemitchy!” Manjiro Sano found him the next day before class and handed him a drink. “I found you.” 

“Yes,” Takemichi responded, unsure of how to respond. It was weird, how the first time they’d interacted Manjiro was so snarky and crude, but now he was giving him drinks and speaking to him like they were best friends. Manjiro smiled and it honestly felt like Takemichi was a bit too close to the sun.

“Let’s be friends,” Manjiro held his hand out and gave him a smile similar to the fake service worker smile from the day before at the diner- except in this situation, Takemichi realized the smile was also something devious, like Manjiro was planning to tease him. Maybe, just maybe, it was a little cute- in a completely unbearable way. As much as every fiber of Takemichi’s being told him ‘ maybe this was a bad idea’ , since they had very opposing views on certain things. The primary difference being that Manjiro didn’t like soulmates and Takemichi wanted to find his. The biggest issue was the fact that Takemichi was probably crushing on the blonde a little bit. The blonde who didn’t believe in soulmates and had a very negative view on attachment. 

He knew that, but he grabbed Mikey’s hand anyway and shook it, “Okay.” 

00:17:20:27

After spending some time with Manjiro, Takemichi wasn’t sure how to feel about the guy. He was an enigma in every definition of the word: He was cynical, but almost overly optimistic at times. He was chipper, but some of the things he said had extremely melancholic undertones. People in general have changes in emotion obviously, but Mikey’s personality and emotions were so infuriatingly confusing. The amount of opposing parts of Manjiro’s personality traits were exponential. “Call me Mikey,” Manjiro- Mikey told him. 

Takemichi also wasn’t sure how to feel about this newfound friendship; yet he took the dive because just like how he felt when it came to soulmates: You never know what you’ll find. You never know what will happen unless you try. 

00:17:15:17

When he got back to the dorms, Kazutora was on his computer yet again. He and Mikey had stayed out a while that day so he felt… somewhere in between tired and confused. 

“So,” Kazutora started as Takemichi shut the door behind him, “How was your day?” 

Takemichi sat down on his bed and stared at the wall, “I don’t know.” 

“You don’t know how your day was?” Kazutora looked up, “That’s kind of concerning.” 

“It was okay,” Takemichi corrected, falling back onto his bed and staring at the ceiling. The white painted swirls above him were a bit mesmerizing, especially when the alternative is confronting your problems. “I spent time with Mikey.” 

“Mikey?” Kazutora questioned. Takemichi could feel Kazutora’s eyes on him, but he ignored that feeling. 

“Manjiro Sano,” Takemichi explained, “The one I argued with in physics class.” 

“And how was that?” Kazutora almost sounded like a therapist. Takemichi looked over when he heard the clicks of a keyboard. Kazutora had looked back down to his computer as Takemichi was thinking of how to respond.

“It was…” When Takemichi spoke, Kazutora’s attention returned to him. “I don’t understand him at all.” 

“Is that a bad thing?” Kazutora asked. “I mean we didn’t understand each other at first either.”

“But we’re just-” Takemichi stopped himself before he blundered. “It’s different.”

Kazutora raised an eyebrow, “Oh?” His expression turned to something devious, as if he’d discovered Takemichi was holding a treasure and he could somehow steal it. “How so?” 

Takemichi didn’t want to say how he never exactly was that confused by Kazutora. Plus, Kazutora didn’t flirt with him or pull him close like Mikey had been doing. “I’m going to bed.” 

Kazutora yawned. He almost looked disappointed, “Go ahead. I still have to finish this stupid code.”

Kazutora hadn’t really ever complained about his classwork. He was pretty quiet and could normally get through an inhuman of work in minutes. “What is the code for?”

“A game,” Kazutora didn’t look up as he explained, “It’s a combined project with another class- write and code a game.”

“What type of game is it?” Takemichi continued to pry.

“A dating sim,” Kazutora explained, before mumbling an angry stream of cuss words. The words made him instantly think of Chifuyu… He would probably like something like that.

00:17:03:37

When Takemichi got up he met with Kakucho and Chifuyu again to go to the diner. He was hoping- just a little bit, that Mikey would be there taking their orders. When Kakucho opened the door for Takemichi, he was met with dark eyes and a surprised expression that instantly morphed into something sinister. 

A few minutes after they sat in a booth, Mikey was looking at him with a service smile, “Hello Takemitchy , what will you be having today?”

When Takemichi noticed Chifuyu and Kakucho’s eyes on him, he wanted to run out of the restaurant. Why did he hope Mikey was there again? 

“Well- Uh-” Takemichi started, “I haven’t picked something yet.” 

“Should I come back?” Mikey asked, moving slightly as if he was going to walk away.

“No no,” Takemichi threw his hands up anxiously. He was both anxious about having Mikey there and being a nuisance, “Just take their order and I’ll pick something by then.” 

“May I suggest the omelet?” Mikey looked over his shoulder and pointed to it in the menu. Takemichi felt… warm. Mikey was so close he could feel his breath as he spoke. Did he do this with all his customers? 

“Sure,” Takemichi tumbled out, not at all prepared for his friends’ input on what had just occurred. He was just happy when Mikey went to take the other’s orders. Takemichi enjoyed seeing Mikey work. It looked as though he was leading everyone else there, but he didn’t seem over the top about it. He was calm, cool and collected as he went from yelling out an order to speaking to another group of customers. Takemichi watched as Mikey pointed out something to them, without getting too close to them. 

“You’re staring,” Kakucho reminded him he wasn’t alone in the diner and even if he had been, it wasn’t polite to stare. 

Chifuyu looked between Kakucho and him, before he asked, “Who is that guy to you?” 

“Huh?” 

“Is he a friend? Is he a crush? What do you think of him?” Chifuyu questioned, scribbling in his notebook. He was probably asking this as research for his manga.

“I don’t know,” Takemichi responded. “We’re friends I think.” 

Chifuyu blinked a couple times, “So that interaction was just friendly.” 

“Yes,” Takemichi responded, ignoring the way Kakucho’s eyebrow raised at the response. 

“ Interesting… ” Chifuyu continued scribbling in a notebook he placed on the table. Takemichi couldn’t decipher the messy scribbles that riddled the paper. 

Kakucho didn’t say much, until he saw a white haired guy walk out from the back of the diner with a trash bag. “I’ll be right back.” 

So that’s his soulmate huh. As Kakucho ran over to him, Takemichi noticed how good they looked together. How much calmer Kakucho seemed in his presence and the way the white haired guy softened immensely- the scowl he wore dissipating when he saw Kakucho. 

Chifuyu broke the silence, “So that’s his soulmate, huh?” He looked down at his notepad again, “I wonder when I’ll find my soulmate. I don’t particularly know how I feel about it.” 

“I thought you liked the concept..” Takemichi had assumed he liked soulmates, since he wrote romance.

“I do,” Chifuyu answered. “Well, I have mixed feelings… I read a story the other day where the main couple wasn’t soulmates and hated the idea of soulmates and how it felt artificial and a part of me is inclined to agree.” He sighed, “Maybe it’s more romantic to be with someone who’s not your soulmate in a world defined by soul marks and timers.” 

Takemichi couldn’t believe his ears. Chifuyu, who could make anything into a cheesy rom-com type of story, was saying he didn’t like soulmates. Before Takemichi could ask more, Kakucho was back. 

“So what did I miss?” 

“Nothing really,” Chifuyu responded. The conversation continued on about their next classes and how their older teacher’s soulmark was tragically visible on their collar bone. A lot of people hid their marks- or tried to. It isn’t easy to hide a mark like his on the hand, a mark on the collar bone, or a mark on the face. Takemichi didn’t understand why people hid their marks- if they wanted to find their soulmates, why hide it? Why chance that the person sees you, but not your soulmark and decides to just walk by you rather than start a conversation. Maybe though- maybe it was artificial if the only reason you talk to someone is because their mark matches yours. 

While he could never be sure how much the universe influences soulmates, he knew for sure, he’d want to meet his as another normal person, not their soulmate . 

His train of thought veered as Mikey walked up again with their food and drinks. Takemichi was starting to think like Mikey, but he liked the concept of soulmates- or he thought he did. 

00:16:20:23

“Now,” their professor sighed, “Let’s try this again without arguing.” He drew two atoms on the white erase board behind him, “When one atom changes, the other one does as well. No matter how far apart they are or what other circumstances.”

He turned to the class again, “Measurements of physical properties such as position, momentum, spin, and polarization performed on entangled particles can, in some cases, be found to be perfectly correlated.”

“So you could compare it to the soulmate timers-“

The professor put a hand on his forehead. Takemichi could’ve sworn he said, “Not this shit again.” He wasn’t 100% sure though, since teachers don’t normally swear openly like that.

“Yes, I guess they’re comparable,” The teacher turned away again to the board, “Now as I was saying-“

Takemichi tried desperately to pay attention but his brain was somewhere in the back of the hall where Manjiro Sano sat with his feet up and half asleep. 

When class ended and people started moving around, Mikey startled awake. Takemichi waited for him near the door of the lecture hall. They were friends right? That’s something friends do right?

“Did you fall asleep during class?” Takemichi asked when Mikey caught up to him.

Mikey was silent for a minute before he responded, “Maybe.”

“You definitely were,” Takemichi persisted, “I saw you jolt awake at the end of class.”

“So you were looking at me?” Mikey teased, getting in his face, “I got your attention huh?”

“It’s not like that!” Takemichi threw his hands up defensively.

Mikey looked away, “Of course.”

Mikey seemed to always throw him off. It was something about his cheerful demeanor mixed with his very flirtatious personality. After a short lull in conversation Mikey asked, “So you’re into soulmates right?”

Takemichi nodded, “I mean yeah . I think most people are.”

Mikey seemed a bit distant as he spoke, “What would you do if the person you loved wasn’t your soulmate? Would you stop loving them?”

“Of course not!” Takemichi’s enthusiasm startled Mikey. “I can have a soulmate who’s a friend and a significant other that isn’t one.” He sighed, “I at least want to know who they are. I’m curious what the universe had plans for.”

Mikey responded, “I don’t care either way. I want to know people for their personality, not the stupid universe.”

“Do you have a mark?” Takemichi questioned. 

“I wish I didn’t,” Mikey admitted. He crossed his arms, “I tried to scratch it off as a kid, but obviously that didn’t work, so I just cover it with makeup.”

Takemichi sighed, “Mines on a place I use often throughout the day, so it’s hard to cover it.” Takemichi’s soulmark covered his right hand like blood. He was used to not reaching out using that hand or 

“Your dick?” Mikey joked with a smirk.

“No, that’s definitely not where it is.”

“You don’t have to be ashamed about it Takemitchy,” Mikey said his name slowly, breaking it up into syllables. Mikey was teasing him. It wasn’t the annoying type of teasing like with Hina, or the unconscious teasing from Kakucho… Mikey’s teasing- though it could be annoying and maybe was unconscious- felt different. 

00:10:24:03

Mikey had a habit of bringing Takemichi to the weirdest places: from rooftops to playgrounds to cafes. Takemichi always was surprised when they went to a new place and Mikey seemed to enjoy surprising him.

“Do you like carnivals?” Mikey asked as they walked out of class one day.

“They’re okay,” Takemichi responded, “Why?”

“There’s a pop up carnival close to here. I was gonna go with Draken but he’s spending time with Emma…”

“Yeah sure,” Takemichi interrupted Mikey’s sulking, “I mean, sure I’ll go.”

Mikey’s face lit up as he pulled Takemichi by the hand, “I can drive us.” 

Takemichi honestly hadn’t known Mikey meant right that second , but he let himself be led along to Mikey’s bike anyway. 

Mikey took a helmet out and put it gently on Takemichi’s head. “Hop on.”

Mikey was a bit of a reckless driver. He took turns fast and was going a bit fast for Takemichi’s liking, but somehow being reckless fit his personality well. Mikey valued freedom and what’s more free than being unabashedly reckless. That being said, do not try reckless driving at home. 

Takemichi was sure at one point he was going to shit his pants, grabbing onto Mikey tighter as they turned and hearing the small chuckle when Takemichi’s holding turned into a vice grip. 

“We’re here!” When Mikey turned his engine off Takemichi almost fell to the ground.

“Solid ground…” Takemichi mumbled as he laid on the ground. “Oh how I’ve missed you….”

“I feel like I should be offended-“ Mikey commented. 

When Takemichi looked up he saw dark eyes and blonde hair surrounded by festival lights and the dings and songs playing from the rides around them.

They made it inside without much of a hassle, but looking at the death machines up close was a bit… 

“Do you like rollercoasters?” Mikey asked, grabbing his hand. Takemichi had a habit of putting his hand with the soulmark in his pocket so people would grab for the other hand and expect him to use it as well. 

Takemichi really considered saying no, but he was too agreeable when it came to Mikey, “Some of them…”

Mikey stopped in his tracks, his eyes going wide at a stand to the side of them, “Look!” Mikey was quickly on the move again, dragging him to the booth he’d seen. “The teddy bear looks sort of like you…” It was a pink teddy bear with a little black poof of hair and a casual outfit similar to what he was wearing.

“You think so?” Takemichi didn’t know how he should react being compared to a carnival festival toy. 

“I want it,” Mikey grinned like a kid on their birthday. 

“You’ll have to carry it around,” Takemichi reminded him. Mikey shrugged before talking to the employee who worked there.

The employee explained how the game worked. It was classic darts, where you have to hit balloons to gain prizes. Mikey seemed interested, more in the prize than the actual game, but he handed over money and took darts in return. Mikey would hit the balloons, but rather than breaking them, the dart would fall off of it. He got a couple of small prizes, but he didn’t pick a prize yet. The blonde looked terribly annoyed at not winning the bear- or maybe he was annoyed that he only hit two of the seven darts he bought… 

Takemichi wasn’t particularly bad at darts, so he decided to step in and try his luck, “I’ll buy a couple darts…”

“I’ll tell you what,” The carnival worker turned to Takemichi, “If you can get a medium prize balloon, I’ll give you the bear.”

That put the pressure on… Takemichi flicked his wrist as he sent the dart flying like a lethal weapon, hitting a blue balloon in front of him. The worker looked surprised, Mikey looked surprised, but Takemichi felt more flabbergasted than both of the two combined. 

“Well,” The worker said, collecting the blue balloon and checking what prize he got, “You just won yourself a bear.” Takemichi didn’t particularly feel anything when he heard that, but when he saw the smile on Mikey’s face- his stomach flipped. The smile on his face almost made Takemichi’s breath hitch. He’s so beautiful . “Do you want to throw your other darts?” 

Takemichi shook his head, before turning to Mikey, “Do you want to use them?” 

“No, I’m happy with my prize,” Mikey smiled in a way that made Takemichi feel something . What that something was, he didn’t really know. 

As they walked away, Mikey had a realization, “Since I have this, I don’t think we can ride the rollercoasters…” 

Takemichi was beyond thankful for that, but instead of voicing it he said, “Oh no.” 

Mikey squinted at him, “That didn’t sound believable.” He got into Takemichi’s space standing in front of him, “Do you really like rollercoasters or were you lying?” 

Takemichi gulped, “I- I don’t like them very much.” 

Mikey sighed, “Why didn’t you just tell me?” He put a hand on Takemichi’s head, “We can do other things that you like. There’s bumper cars, a merry-go-round, more booths of games…” 

Takemichi couldn’t help but smile, “Let's play bumper cars.” 

“If you like that type of thing, there’s a racetrack around here- for go karts I mean. We can go there sometime.” 

It was night time and they were about to leave when Mikey said, “Let’s ride the ferris wheel before we go.”

Takemichi followed as Mikey led the way and stood in the small line. They got seated quickly- the bear they’d won hours earlier barely fitting on the ride. In hindsight, they should’ve asked the booth if they could hold the bear until they were done at the carnival or maybe there was a service desk? As Takemichi thought that,  they were slowly being raised into the air. 

“Have you ever heard the concept of heterotopias?” Mikey was looking out the window as he sat opposite Takemichi. He’d never looked so distant, as if his mind was on another planet.  

“Heterotopia?” Takemichi questioned. He’d heard similar words before, but not that specific one. 

“It’s a concept coined by philosopher Michel Foucault. It describes the phenomenon of ‘ other ’ spaces.” Mikey was still staring out the side of the ride as he responded. It was almost funny, since he looked so… distant while sitting next to a plush toy twice his size.

“What’s an ‘other space’?”

“It’s the concept of spaces that are worlds within worlds… They mirror and yet upset what is outside… Foucault used the examples of a graveyard, fairs, prisons… I was thinking to myself, ’ Is the ferris wheel itself a heterotopia?’ ” 

“A world within a world?” Takemichi repeated, putting a hand to his chin, “I think a better word for it would be a space where time feels like it’s standing still… like a park at night, 5 in the morning when no ones awake. I heard a term for the concept a long time ago, but I forget it.”

“A liminal space?” Mikey looked over, “Like the eerie spaces where you wait for something to happen. It’s the concept of being at the precipice of something new, but not quite there yet.”

“Maybe?” Takemichi met his eyes, “That may be it, but it’s not unpleasant.”

Mikey chuckled, “I’m glad the ride isn’t unpleasant for you.”

Takemichi almost rolled his eyes. Of course it wasn’t unpleasant for him. It was actually…  

“I’m having a good time,” Takemichi blurted, pulling himself out of whatever train of thought he’d been on. 

Mikey adjusted so he was closer, the small pod they were in shook as he moved. When Mikey stood, he leaned over, putting his hands on Takemichi’s seat to steady himself, “Do you really mean that?” Mikey’s breath was on his ear, as they suspended from hundreds of feet above the ground.

“Yes-“ Takemichi gulped at the closeness. “I’m having a good time Manjiro .”

Mikey paused momentarily at the use of his name. Seconds later, Takemichi felt a gentle touch on his forehead, before Mikey moved away again. Takemichi could feel the heat in his face and seeing Mikey bright pink and reeling didn’t help him feel less flustered. 

00:10:13:58

When Takemichi got back to the dorms, Kazutora was looking at him like a parent waiting for their kid to get home, “How was your day?” He asked.

Takemichi wasn’t feeling up to discussing his mental struggle with his feelings for Manjiro Sano, so he bit it all back.“It was good.” He couldn’t exactly hide the bracelet Mikey got him but he acted as if nothing was on his arm. 

Kazutora looked at the bracelet and then back at his computer. Seconds later while typing he dropped a bomb, “I think I found my soulmate.”

“ What?” Takemichi almost choked on his spit. “How?”

Kazutora shifted, “I was looking at my project partners facebook and saw a snow tiger on their upper arm and a dark snow scene behind it…” 

The second Kazutora said it Takemichi knew who’s soulmark it was. It was Chifuyu’s- his mark normally stayed hidden underneath long sleeves, but when he wore tank tops and t-shirts you could see it plain as day. Somehow Takemichi hadn’t seen Kazutora’s mark much if at all. Kazutora didn’t leave the house much and when he did it was in a hoodie. He basically lived in hoodies like a second skin. Takemichi hadn’t payed much attention when Kazutora was in short sleeves or with no shirt on, but now that Takemichi thought of it, Kazutora’s mark was very blue and white- like a winter scene. 

“My soulmark is the opposite of it,” Kazutora added, “I have a silhouette of a tiger with a very bright snow scene behind it, illuminating it.”

That made a lot of sense, Takemichi almost felt bad he hadn’t realized before. A part of him though, a small part believed it was better he hadn’t figured it out and that Kazutora and Chifuyu could meet on their own terms, not because of some universe compatibility.

Maybe Mikey was rubbing off on him .

00:08:03:42

That week threw him for a loop. Mikey continued to get close to him and seemed to enjoy it when he was flustered. Everytime Takemichi joined Kakucho, Hina or Chifuyu at the diner, Mikey teased him. It started to become normal, so much so that Takemichi started teasing Mikey back. 

“You and that server…” Kakucho started to ask him one morning they’d gone there. It was only him and Kakucho this time. “What are you two?” 

“Chifuyu asked that the other day…” Takemichi reminded him. When he looked over to the counter, Mikey was staring back at him. The blonde quickly averted his eyes as if he was caught red handed. 

“Okay,” Kakucho responded. Takemichi could feel a ‘ but’ coming along. “But-” There it is. “We’ve known each other since we were kids… I want to know how you really feel.” 

“I don’t know how I feel honestly,” Takemichi responded. “I like spending time with him. He makes me happy. That’s what I do know…” 

“Hello,” Kakucho’s soulmate was our server today. There was pure annoyance in his violet eyes. “What would you like to order…” 

“Are you for sale?” Kakucho commented quietly. All three of them definitely heard the remark and the server’s face turned bright red.

“You don’t see my name on the menu-” The server looked caught off guard, but he continued to be professional. 

When Kakucho chuckled, the server softened. It reminded Takemichi of Mikey on the ferris wheel. The look out the window, forlorn and distant, but seconds later something bright as the sun.

Mikey was still looking over occasionally, but would look away every time Takemichi turned to look at him. It was childish but it made Takemichi smile. When Mikey saw his smile, he grinned back, before beginning to yell out more orders.

00:07:16:23 

Takemichi met up with Mikey for a movie night. He didn’t know what to expect when he visited Mikey’s dorm, but right before he could knock, a very tall person with a dragon tattoo on his head opened the door, “I’m going out now…“

“Tell Emma to stop sending me photos of-“ Mikey looked up before he finished his sentence- eyes wide as saucers, “Takemitchy!”

The tall guy sighed, “I’ll tell her… I can’t promise she’ll listen though.”

When the man left Takemichi turned to Mikey, “Who’s that?”

“My roommate Draken,” Mikey responded nonchalantly. “He’s dating my sister.”

“You have a sister? What’s she like?”

“I have a sister and two brothers. My sister’s name is Emma.” Mikey glanced over for a second before continuing to look intently at a stain on the carpet, “She nags me a lot and teases me, but she lights up a room with her positivity. Her view on soulmates reminds me of you.”

“Oh?” Takemichi walked closer, leaning on the bunk bed Mikey was sitting on.

“Emma believed wholeheartedly she’d find her soulmate… acting as if it was a fairytale or something beautiful and coveted,” Mikey looked up, “Then she met Draken, her soulmate.”

“Is there a specific reason you don’t like soulmates?” Takemichi blurted without thinking.

“I already told you why,” Mikey reminded him, “I don’t like the idea of the universe telling me who is ‘meant for me’. I’d like to decide that for myself.”

“To be fair, soulmates don’t need to be lovers,” Takemichi pointed out. “It worked well for Emma and Draken. Also a couple of my friends-“ Takemichi paused before adding “Actually my roommate may have found his soulmate too…” 

“That’s nice ,” Mikey looked as though he was actually really trying to be positive but it came out a bit venomous. He almost instantly veered them back on track, “Having a soulmate also comes with expectations; ones that I don’t feel like trying to adhere to.”

There was irony to the fact that as Mikey spoke, Takemichi noticed darker red on his hand like a frayed red string. It was covered with white clovers. It looked almost like the red string would line up with his if they shook hands. Were they soulmates ?

Takemichi froze for a moment. He couldn’t ask about it- he shouldn’t ask about it, because Mikey doesn’t like soulmates and what if … 

What if Mikey stops talking to him if he finds out they’re soulmates?

“Are you okay?” Mikey asked, getting closer to him. “You look a bit pale.” He lifted his hand up to cup Takemichi’s cheek, his left hand specifically- the one that didn’t have red on it. Takemichi was used to hiding his mark by using his left hand. Their marks would slot together perfectly if they shook hands .

“I’m fine,” Takemichi faked a smile. Only days ago, Takemichi wasn’t sure he wanted to be Mikey’s friend and now he was hiding his soulmark so they stayed friends. Was Mikey right? Was their relationship just the universe’s idea of compatibility? “What are we watching?”

Mikey put both hands on his cheeks and forced him to look over. The place where Mikey’s mark touched his face felt on fire. Mikey was still looking him in the eye, analyzing him. Takemichi felt like he was under a microscope; one with pretty dark eyes that consumed you. Takemichi’s mind reeled back to the ferris wheel just days before.

After a second or two, Mikey sighed, “I don’t know what to do with you.” He did something between a sigh and a laugh as he dropped his hands and turned away.

“Let’s watch Kimi no Na wa,” Mikey switched his laptop on and brought it back to his bed. “Come and sit down. I know you’ll like this, it has a whole red string of fate element to it.”

Takemichi’s mind raced as he thought of sitting on Mikey’s bed, in Mikey’s dorm alone with him. “I-“ If he was in a romance manga, he probably would have swirls in his eyes and stars floating around his head. Mikey pulled him over lightly by the left hand.

“Are you nervous or something? I don’t bite… Unless you want me to,” Mikey’s devious grin was back, but this time his eyebrows were raised and he winked. Maybe he did want Mikey to bite him, and touch him, and be close to him, but it's not like he could just say that.

Takemichi sat down on the bed, extremely tense and trying to take up as little space as possible. Mikey gave him a look before pulling him down. Takemichi was almost on top of him as Mikey said, “You can relax-“

“Right…” Takemichi murmured, looking at Mikey’s lips momentarily before rolling to the side of the blonde. Just the other day he’d told Mikey he was comfortable with him and he had been comfortable with him, but now that he knew about the marks that comfort plummeted into anxiety. 

“You’re cute,” Mikey told him, causing every fiber of his being to catch fire. 

Takemichi felt so conflicted. A huge part of him liked Mikey. He liked his voice, he liked his hair (especially when it was tied back), he liked his eyes- not to mention how cute he looked in his uniform at the diner. The stupid half apron and suit he wore at the diner and his customer service smile that was nothing in comparison to the one he wore when they were alone.

Mikey was all over him that night, making Takemichi want to combust. It was for the best that he stayed focused on the movie, ignoring how Mikey felt as he put his head on Takemichi’s chest. He also ignored the way Mikey’s breath felt on his ear. The way for some reason the whole thing felt perfect. Was Mikey right about it being a fake connection? The universe making him feel a sort of way? It hurt to think about, since every fiber of his being seemed to want to be close to Manjiro Sano. 

He had a week until the timer ran out. He could hide his soulmark for a week right?

00:06:03:07

Hiding his mark was much harder than he expected it to be. When he was with Mikey, he was much more aware of his hand, his movement- even going so far as to wear gloves when it was appropriate to do so. Mikey hid his mark with makeup- something Takemichi had no clue how to do, so he had to go with simpler methods. 

When he saw Hina in class he asked, “Can you help me with makeup?” 

She gave him a confused look, “What kind of makeup?” 

“I want to cover my mark,” When Takemichi said it Hina’s eyes widened.

“Why would you want to do that?” She seemed almost worried by the tone of her voice. “Don’t you want to find your soulmate?” 

Takemichi sighed, “I think I already did.” 

“So why hide it?” She asked. He must’ve sounded crazy, seeing as everything he said leading up to this moment had been about wanting to find his soulmate and now that he’d found them, he wanted to hide the mark. 

“He doesn’t believe in soulmates,” Takemichi admitted. The words basically implied his soulmate was Mikey, but he hoped she’d glaze over that.

“It’s him!” Hina jumped up a bit, gaining the attention of a large portion of the class. “It’s the guy you argued with!”

Takemichi panicked and shushed her, “Everyone’s staring!”

00:05:22:45

When Takemichi met up with Mikey next he looked to be wearing eyeliner, a very thin line of black surrounding his already black and enticing eyes. 

“You look pretty…” Takemichi stumbled on his words. Who wouldn’t stumble when they saw someone this good looking.

Mikey chuckled, “Did I take your breath away?” 

“Yes- I mean no!” Takemichi was struggling to both talk with Mikey and hide his mark. “Where are we going?” 

“I thought we could just go on a bike ride,” Mikey suggested. He took Takemichi’s hand (without the mark) and pulled him along. It was a common occurrence at this point, Mikey grabbing Takemichi’s hand and dragging him to do things he normally wouldn’t or wasn’t 100% comfortable with. Takemichi wasn’t exactly looking forward to riding on a motorcycle with Mikey again. It was almost like Mikey read his mind when he said, “Do you want me to drive slower this time?” 

Takemichi was surprised by the question. Thankfully without Takemichi asking, Mikey explained, “You lied about being comfortable on rollercoasters, so I’d assume you wouldn’t say anything if you didn’t like riding with me.” 

“I do like it!” Takemichi replied, stupidly. “But… yes. I’d like it if you drove a bit more cautiously.” Mikey opened his mouth as if he was going to respond, but Takemichi interrupted, “I don’t mean just with me… I’d like it if you were more cautious in general .” 

Mikey stared as if Takemichi had said something really odd, before he quietly responded, “Okay.” It was surprising that Mikey wasn’t joking with him, trying to lighten the more serious mood that had fallen over them. 

“I was also wondering,” Mikey continued. Takemichi turned his head to the side a bit in a quizzical manor. “Are you doing okay?” 

“What do you mean by that?” Takemichi questioned. 

“You seem stressed is all,” Mikey told him. Takemichi thought he’d been hiding it well- his emotions, though he was also hiding the mark. Maybe he should be more honest. No one, besides Kazutora on occasion, had clocked him for being stressed out. He would cry openly, but he wasn’t a big fan of bringing other people into his problems. 

“I am a bit stressed out,” Takemichi stated honestly. “I can’t really talk about it though.” 

Mikey hummed as they got to his bike, “I’m here if you ever want to talk about it.” 

When they were riding, Mikey started to talk, “My dad was in a car crash…” Mikey was definitely driving slower than he had before. “This is probably TMI,” Takemichi almost giggled when Mikey said the abbreviation rather than the whole phrase, but he stopped himself. This conversation seemed serious. “But I guess he’s part of why I’m not very cautious with how I drive.” 

“How so?” Takemichi gently pushed for more information. 

“I only met him once,” Mikey informed Takemichi, “When I went to see my mom in the hospital, she would always tell me about him. She made him sound like a saint- even his bad traits she talked about with such fondness… I think I unknowingly took on some of his traits that my mom would always talk about.”

There was silence for a couple seconds before Mikey commented, “I wish I could introduce you to my mom…” 

Takemichi had a lot of questions, but he didn’t feel like now was the time to ask them. Instead he scooted closer to Mikey, tightening his grip on Mikey’s stomach and leaning his head against his soulmate’s back. 

00:02:02:10

As Takemichi sat with Kakucho and Hina at the diner, all Takemichi could do was continue to look over to Mikey. The way he worked was somehow mesmerizing. Manjiro Sano was talented at guiding people, he was good at motivating and somehow always can tell if someone’s struggling and has a plan to help them.

His customer service smile was very fake, but the way he smiled when helping someone make a coffee was closer to his real smile. 

“May I take your order?” Mikey asked in his more preppy customer service voice. The couple he was taking an order for began to speak when him and Mikey met eyes for a second. Mikey quickly went back to jotting down the order on his small notebook. 

00:01:20:36

“Today we’ll be talking about Laplace’s equation…” The teacher began to write a crazy formula on the board, before rambling on about the scientists who studied atoms. Takemichi was zoning out, watching Mikey as he had his head down, slightly drooling as he slept. 

“Laplace’s equation describes situations of equilibrium, or those that don’t depend explicitly on time…” Takemichi couldn’t help but think of soulmates as he heard the teacher talk about harmonic waves- the concept of something connected in a sense, that was timeless? It was like a soulmate or some sort of reincarnation story Chifuyu would write. 

When class ended, Takemichi shook Mikey slightly to wake him up and they went to go to dinner. 

“What do you like to eat?” Takemichi asked. 

“Sweet things,” Mikey responded almost instantly. It reminded Takemichi of the carnival and how Mikey wanted to try every type of food. 

“Why am I not surprised?” Takemichi noticed Mikey’s hair tie falling out, “Wait. Hold on a sec.” 

Mikey tries to look back at him, but Takemichi’s already undoing his hair tie and after a couple seconds of getting the loose strands, Takemichi gently ties it back into a high pony. 

Mikey seems taken aback for a second, before he replies, “Thank you.”

Takemichi’s stupid little heart leaps at how small he sounded. 

They end up going to the diner. Mikey sat down across from him. “It’s weird going to eat here, rather than making the food.”

“I’ve only come here when you were working,” Takemichi blurted, without realizing how it sounded. Mikey definitely knew the possible implications of the words. Takemichi only came to the diner to see him . Which Takemichi realized at that moment the words were very true. 

00:00:00:05

“I like sitting up in high places,” Mikey told him as they sat on the roof of one of the dorms. “It’s relaxing to me, looking down at the people below makes me feel so small… in a good way.” Takemichi couldn’t help but notice the timer on his arm. Once it hit zero he wouldn’t have to worry about Mikey seeing it. They could just be together without the soulmate thing driving a wedge between them. “Sometimes I feel like the whole world is on my back… This reminds me it isn’t.” 

Mikey was very close to the edge of the roof, it was making Takemichi a bit anxious, “Make sure to stay away from the edge.”

“I’ll be fine,” Mikey waved him off, but instantly lost his balance as he went to stand up.

If you had asked him hours ago, Takemichi would say the idea of Mikey losing his balance and almost falling off a building was crazy. Takemichi’s heart stopped and without thinking twice he grabbed Mikey’s hand… the wrong hand… the one with the mark on it. As Takemichi had thought, the red string on their hands lined up perfectly and when they grabbed hands, he and Mikey both saw the connection in bright red, as it faded away. 

Once Mikey was stable and they settled down again, Takemichi got up, “I have to go.. I have work.” It was a stupid lie, Takemichi had never even mentioned a job before, and yet Mikey nodded. 

He looked confused, but that was probably because the whole ’ finding out they were soulmates’ thing. Maybe he knew Takemichi had already known, maybe he was rethinking their entire friendship. Takemichi barely got into the staircase before his eyes started to water. “How stupid. The universe is stupid.” 

“Why would they put me with someone who doesn’t believe in soulmates? Was it just to hurt me?” Takemichi wiped his tears with his shirt and continued to walk down to the bottom floor of the building. He’d composed himself at that point so he could get back to his dorm without people staring. As angry as he was, the disappearance of his mark was very… jarring. He almost felt empty. Maybe that was also because he knew Mikey wouldn’t want to be around him now that he knew. 

Takemichi looked at his very empty hand and wrist; continuing to stare at it as if eventually his arm would light back up with color. Of course it didn’t.