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Seungmin saw his soulmate, or rather he should say Soulmates as there seemed to be seven of them, in a cafe near campus. It had been raining outside. What had been a cloudy day quickly darkened into a full on storm that drenched the streets and blurred the windows. He had been lucky to pack his umbrella that day but the winds were too strong and he was forced to seek shelter rather than have his only umbrella broken. The cafe was almost a beacon of light in the storm darkened city. The door opening to warmth and the smells of coffee and pastries. The line wasn’t very big and he took his position at the back as he dropped his umbrella into the stand waiting by the door. One hand brushed back his dark hair, some of the strands damp as he had not been so lucky to escape the downpour before ducking inside, as he read over the menu. A mocha sounded good. The chocolate would give his brain an extra boost against the exhaustion consuming him, his last class having been more boring theory than practical. It was a relief that his camera had been protected in its water resistant case that day. If it had gotten ruined then he was pretty sure he would die. The line grew shorter and he took a step forwards, grimacing at the wet squeak his shoes made on the floor.
The next two boys up to order were obviously together. They swung jointed hands as the one with blue hair went up to slit off a whole line of orders. Seugmin’s eyes trailed over them curiously. The two were eye catching. The shorter one had wavy blue hair sticking up from under a beanie. He had not dressed for the storm and his hoodie failed to hide how damp his white t-shirt was underneath. Piercings dotted his ears and there was a hint of an eyebrow slit when he turned to look at his partner. If the first boy was eye catching, then the second was head turning. He was lean and taller than his boyfriend. Dressed like a dancer with leggings and an oversized sweatshirt, half his jaw length blonde hair pulled back into a ponytail. The taller dancer boy leaned closer to the counter to add on to the list his boyfriend had just spilled out, before turning and grinning at the seating area on their left. Seungmin followed his gaze and found more boys that stood out from the crowd.
There was five of them, all pilled round a series of tables pulled together. Three squished into a booth seat against the wall and two more in chairs. There were two empty spaces for the ones ordering and they all sent matching thumbs up at the counter. Seungmin let his eyes trail across them out of pure curiosity. They looked like models, the kind he would see from the fashion magazines he would browse through in stores and his fingers itched with the want to take photos of them.
The three in the booth seat were half seated on each other’s laps, draped over each other with an easiness that seemed second nature to them. One boy, who was dressed like the dancer blonde and who also had fluffy blonde hair, was speaking animatedly with hand gestures. He had freckles, Seungmin noticed dimly. (He had sought shelter, not to be attacked by visually stunning beings). Cute. On one side of him was a boy with slanted eyes that crinkled as he smiled. He had dark hair that brushed his forehead and was dressed in skinny jeans and a green long sleeved t-shirt. His eyes crinkled further as he laughed at something the freckled boy said. On the other side of the story teller was a handsome man with purple hair and a polo shirt. He seemed to have come off shift as he was wearing the uniform the baristas were flaunting. The other two both had brown hair. One with squishy cheeks had paler hair than the other, a lovely acorn brown that did not help the squirrel comparison that Seungmin’s brain was making. He was in a sleeveless shirt, hoodie draped over his chair, and sweatpants. The man next to him wore similar attire, both looking more comfortably dressed than their friends. Seungmin let his eyes wander over the last man’s arms. He had a rather intimidating aura that wasn’t helped by the obvious muscle in his exposed limbs.
Seungmin was just letting himself admire the group when the squirrel boy laughed loudly and threw up his arms. His bare forearms catching the warm orange light of the cafe and Seungmin’s eyes widened. There, right below the inside of his right elbow, was a black mark. The design was that of a four pointed star set in a compass. It was dark on his skin and Seungmin felt his breath catch in his throat. The place where the same compass rested on his back, nestled between his shoulder blades, itched and seem to throb at the realisation.
He had barely caught his breath when he saw the purple haired boy tilt his head and expose the same compass behind his ear. Quickly, Seungmin’s eyes roamed over the others again, not wanting to miss anything. The freckled faced boy’s stretched collar of his sweatshirt exposed half of the same mark on his collarbones. The dark haired man with no sleeves swung his arm round the back of his neighbour’s chair and the compass flashed on the back of his hand. The grinning boy shifted in his seat and there was a glimpse through the rips in the thighs of his jeans of a curve and a pointed star. Seungmin hastily turned his eyes back to the two at the counter. They had finished ordering and were waiting for their drinks. The long haired boy reached up to tuck a strand of hair behind his ear and there it was on his wrist. The blue haired boy turned at the call of his drinks and through the damp patches on his white tshirt, Seungmin spotted a dark silhouette over his heart.
The duo collected their tray of drinks and headed for their partners. (Partners for they were all soulmates. All of them. Seungmin had heard of soulmate groups before, but he had never dreamed of seven). He watched as they took their spaces and began passing the drinks round. The purple haired boy leaned across to press a kiss to the long haired blond’s lips. It was not much more than a peck but Seungmin didn’t miss the smiles. Soft content smile of people hopelessly in love. It sent a sharp pang through his chest and he averted his gaze, feeling like he had just seen something private.
It was his turn at the counter and he tore his mind away from the group of boys. Mind dizzy with the suddenness of the situation, he barely got his order out between wide eyed stutters. The barista didn’t seem to ming as his hands shook as he paid. He had known that he had a soulmate out there, everyone did. Marks appeared as soon as you were thirteen. They were dark like tattoos and were designed to lead you to whoever fit your soul most. When you met them, your mark would finally gain colour. Trios of soulmates weren’t too uncommon but larger groups were rare. Seungmin could barely believe that he had one person out there for him, yet here he was with the proof that he had seven. That sudden knowledge eft him feeling off kilter. It was unexpected and he hadn’t expected for it to happen at his college of all places.
His eyes returned to the boys as he waited for his drink. They were laughing at something the blue haired boy was saying. The purple haired one with his arm over the freckled one’s shoulders. The squirrel on leaning across the table into the fox eyed boy’s space. The blue haired one was leaning against the short intimidating boy, shoulders supporting him. As Seungmin watched, one reached across the table to try his partner’s drink. The long haired blonde slapped his hand away with a pout and the squirrel boy grinned without shame. They looked happy together. They looked complete. Seven was already a large group, did they really need one more? A call of his name broke him once again out of his thoughts and Seungmin was turning away to collect his drink.
He chose the small empty table meant for two next to the booth where the group of boys, his soulmates, were seated. He couldn’t help it. Part of him was wanting to flee, run far away and go back into his comfortable bubble where he existed with manageable change. Seven soulmates was daunting, scary, a massive change to his peaceful life. It terrified him. A second part of him wanted to join them. It envied their closeness and latched onto the empty touch-starved feeling that watching them had stirred in his chest. Seungmin tried to remember when he was last hugged as he spotted one of the boys ruffle the slanted eyed boy’s hair. It had been too long ago and all of a sudden he wanted to be hugged. The last month had been stressful and he’d had a tough time. Coursework and dealings with a particular arsehole who lived below him and liked to throw loud parties long into the night, it had all worn on him. For a second, Seungmin cupped his hands round the warm cup and sighed as he swallowed back the urge to cry. No matter how much he tried to deny it, he knew that part of him wanted a soulmate. Someone to lean on when he needed support. That couldn’t be too bad.
A sudden sneeze made him jerk. He blinked, surprised by the reaction of his body. For a second he rubbed his nose, hoping his sneezes had stopped. The dampness of his clothes and all the late nights recently was probably not good for his health. Seungmin hopped he wasn’t getting sick. A second sneeze that made his eyes squeeze shut. He sniffed and sighed, rummaging in his pockets for a tissue. He could have sworn he had left a packet in his bag. Just as he was reaching for his backpack, a voice made him look up. “Hey, do you need a tissue?” The blue haired beanie boy was leaning round the long haired blonde. One of his hands was extended and a tissue offered in his grasp.
Seungmin stared at it, heart hammering. He didn’t know what to do. Internally he was panicking. If he took the tissue then their hands might touch and their soul marks would react. If he didn’t take the tissue then he would come across as a rude ass.
He took the tissue, careful not to touch the other boy’s hand. “Thank you”, he mumbled with a slight nod of his head. He blew his nose as gently as he could and stuffed the tissue into his pocket.
Blue haired boy smiled. He had dimples, the smile looked infectious. “No worries”. Then, much to Seungmin’s mixed despair and relief, he turned back to his soulmates. Seungmin started for a few seconds longer before turning back to his drink. The coffee was warm on his tongue.
“Channie hyung”, the freckled faced boy leaned closer over the table. His voice was surprisingly deep and Seungmin found himself eavesdropping before he could stop himself. “I swear I just saw your mark shift”. The blue haired boy looked down at his clothed chest. The mark was a dark silhouette under his damp tshirt. Seungmin felt his heart stop in his chest as his breath caught.
“Oh shit yeah”, The purple boy gasped. “Felix, quick. Check mine”. The freckled faced boy turned. Felix inspected the mark under the purple haired boy’s ear. Across the table, the others were checking their partners.
“The compass turned”, The fox eyed boy spoke up. “Changbinnie, hold up your hand”. The dark haired boy placed his hand flat on the table and everyone crowded closer. Seungmin glanced over but couldn’t see over their shoulders. He hunched his shoulders over his cup of coffee and wondered what he should do. He could introduce himself, or he could pretend he was a simple stranger and avoid the whole issue altogether. Normally he thought logically about a situation, obviously being this close to them would just lead to them discovering him, but the anxiety of actually making this bond real was too much. They all looked so happy and pretty together. Obviously they didn’t need him.
He was just pulling his hood up over his ears and pulling his earphone from his pocket when the group a few feet away started up again. “Mine has shifted too! So has Hyunjin’s!” The squirrel boy was waving his arm around as Chan checked Hyunjin’s.
“Minho, check mine!” Felix was pulling the neck of his sweatshirt for the purple boy.
“They are all pointing left”, Chan stated.
“The last time mine did that was when we found Jeongin”, Hyunjin frowned.
“That must mean that we have one more”, Minho sighed. Seungmin felt dread pile up in his stomach. Did they even want another soulmate? “I thought that our marks were always supposed to be black and white”.
“We must have one more. It would explain why they have moved all of a sudden”, Changbin spoke as he looked round at them.
“One more”, Chan nodded. “They must be close too. The last time our compass didn’t move until we were all in the same room. They must be here”. Seungmin jammed his earphones into his ears and hastily began to look busy on his phone, one hand cupped round his cup as the boys all gazed round at the cafe. The coffeeshop was packed, everyone seeking shelter from the storm outside. To the left of their tables was two more booths full of students, a few of which Seungmin recognised from their college, and then the counters beyond with the baristas and the queue of people waiting for their drinks. Seungmin’s mark was on his back so it was impossible for him to check and see if it was pointing towards his soulmates in return. He had a feeling that it probably was.
“How do we know who they are?” The squirrel boy asked. “There much be at least twenty people it could be pointing too”.
“Maybe we should try and move around?” Felix suggested.
“If our marks are reacting, do you think theirs has too? Why haven’t they come to us?” The fox boy voiced.
Chan shrugged. “Maybe they’re scared? I mean, I didn’t expect six soulmates when I first got my mark”.
“Or maybe their mark is hidden under their clothes so they don’t know it’s moved?” Hyunjin added. Seungmin took a drink of his coffee and pretended to be scrolling through his instagram feed. On his back, his mark itched. The earphones in his ears silent as he strained to listen to the conversation happening next to him.
“We should spread out over the cafe and see if they change again”, Chan spoke as he stood up. “Don’t be obvious though. Jeongin stay at the table”. The boys all nodded. Immediately all the rest of the boys, other for the fox eyed one,rose. Minho, Squirrel boy and Felix heading towards the toilets. Felix watching Minho’s compass just under his ear while Squirrel boy watched his arm. Chan, Changbin and Hyunjin headed towards the counter as if to eye up the menu and pastries. Both groups had barely gotten two feet past Seungmin when they both stopped.
“Mine is now pointing behind me”, Changbin alerted. Seungmin kept his actions steady as his heart thundered. “Jisung?”
“Mine too”, Squirrel boy answered. “Jeongin, what is your’s doing?”
“Mine hasn’t moved”, Jeongin called. Seungmin felt rather than saw, eyes glued to his phone screen, them turn round and their gazes land on him. Hastily he pulled open his music app and hit play on a random playlist. Day6 blasted in his ears but he barely heard it, his heart was beating too loud. Out of the corner of his eyes he saw the boys all reclaim their seats and lean in close to each other. Hyunjin and Minho both shot glances at him but Seungmin continued to scroll down his phone, pausing for a minute to smile at an adorable video of a puppy.
Then he sneezed again. The urge crept up on him so suddenly that he barely reached out to cover his mouth. His arm collided with his half full cup of coffee and knocked it flying. Time seemed to slow as it sailed through the air and hit the back of Hyunjin’s chair. The lid came off and the contents splattered over the blonde’s back. Instantly the boys all fell quiet and stared. Seungmin felt his face redden up and he was scrambling out of his chair.
“Oh my god, I’m so sorry”. The gods must be against him. He reached out to pat at the wet spots with his sleeves, too frazzled and light headed to see the fruitlessness of the gesture. As soon as his hand made contact with Hyunjin’s back then a spark of warmth flashed on his back. The seven other boys must have felt it too as each one let out a little gasp as the bond between then latched onto their last member and connected.
“My mark now has colour”, Changbin gazed wide eyed at his hand.
“Mine too!” Jisung yelped. He looked round at his other soulmates to see if theirs had changed at all.
Seungmin froze and stood there dumbly. He could see on Hyunjin’s wrist that the compass tattoo had now gained a red circle band behind the star. Simple yet just enough colour to show that their bond was now complete. It fit with the rest of the back and white design. He wanted to check his back but that would mean wrestling with two layers of clothes and finding a mirror. “All seven of you?” He squeaked, pretending to just come to that realisation. “Oh”. He did actually feel a bit dizzy. A sneeze rattled his chest again and he paired it with a cough. Okay, maybe the exhaustion, dizziness and lightheadedness might have been something other than surprise at the soulmate situation. Was he sick? He felt sore and tired.
“Are you okay?” He asked Hyunjin again, voice stuffy from the sneezing. “I didn’t burn you at all?”
“No”, Hyunjin was staring at him. Actually all the boys were staring at him. Seungmin felt his face redden further.
“Hi”, Chan smiled and Seungmin’s attention was now on him. “My name is Chan. I am glad to meet our last soulmate”. He held out a hand and Seungmin took it and gave it a small nervous shake.
“Seungmin”.
“I am Minho”. The purple winked at him. “You’re pretty cute”.
“He’s adorable”, Felix was leaning round Minho to offer his own hand. “Lee Felix. Nice to meet you”.
“I’m Hyunjin. Don’t worry about the coffee, it was Luke warm”. Hyunjin flashed him a dazzling smile. Seungmin gaped.
“I’m Changbin”. A nod and a gentle smile that softened his intimidating aura.
“Hello”, Jisung waved. “Han Jisung”.
“I’m Jeongin”, the last boy reached over the tables to offer his hand. Seungmin took it and shook it. Jeongin’s smile faded into a frown as he gave a slight squeeze. “You feel pretty warm. Are you okay?”
“I’m fine”, Seungmin responded automatically. Then he sneezed violently and when he straightened it was with a sudden headache that made him groan. “No, I think I’m coming down with something”. The admission made him realise how shitty he was feeling and he swayed on his feet.
Chan was up and grabbing Seungmin’s abandoned chair and pulling it round to their tables in an instant. “Sit down. You look exhausted”. Seungmin sank into the seat and reached out for his stuff. Minho and Chan both passed his backpack, camera bag and phone over. He tucked his phone into his pocket.
“I should buy you a drink for spilling mine all over you”, he mumbled.
Hyunjin waved the idea away. “It’s fine. Most of it hit the back of my chair anyway”.
“Did your mark change colour too?” Jeongin interrupted eagerly.
Seungmin shrugged. “It’s on my back. I can’t look at it without a mirror but I think so. It felt warm”. The table smiled at his reply.
They asked him more questions. Where he went to uni, the same place as they did it seemed. How old he was, the second youngest it seemed. Jeongin pouted at being the baby but Seungmin felt glad to have at least someone call him hyung. What he studied; Chan, Jisung and Changbin all studied music production, but with Chan also minoring in business. Felix andMinho studied dance with Hyunjin studying art but minoring in dance. Jeongin was studying business and media. Seungmin himself studying photography and fashion.
It was only when his eyes started drooping and he shivered that the questions slowed. Chan, who was nearest, reached up and his hand hovered questioningly in the air. Seungmin hummed consent and then his hand was pressing against his forehead. “You’re developing a fever. Do you have anyone at home?”
Seungmin shook his head. “Just a shitty housemate and a arsehole neighbour”, he mumbled. Chan’s shoulder looked like it would be a good pillow. They had just met, would that be too forward?
Minho clicked his tongue. “I know we have all just met you, but I don’t feel comfortable letting you go home while sick. How far away do you live?” Six blocks away was the answer. Outside the storm was still howling.
“I don’t like that”, Changbin scowled. “We only live down the street. Come home with us”.
“Only if you’re comfortable of course”, Felix added worriedly. “We don’t want to rush things but you really don’t look good”.
In any other occasion, when his head didn’t feel fuzzy and he wasn’t sneezing so much, Seungmin would feel embarrassed to be meeting his soulmates while looking so bad. He took pride in looking charming but obviously everything had worn on him. His Jean legs were wet from the thigh down, shoes sodden and hair still damp. It was only the thick material of his coat, water resistant and not water proof, that had saved his torso from the sudden storm. Still, he was cold and tired and really couldn’t put in the effort to be scared anymore. His soulmates had met him, the bond had been completed. He wasn’t going to back out now.
“If you don’t mind. I don’t want to go home only to find that my neighbour is throwing another loud party again”. Chan’s shoulder was right there and looked really inviting.
The boys all lit up into pleased grins. “We can have a movie marathon”, Jeongin crowed. “What do you like?”
Conversation started up as each boy began to discuss their favourite movie and what they should watch first. Seungmin sank into his chair and relaxed. Despite only having met them, he felt comfortable around them. He guessed this was what having soulmates felt like. It was nice. He closed his eyes and let his head droop slightly. A hand gently reached round his shoulders and he was pulled to lean on another boy’s warm chest. Seungmin blinked his eyes open to see blue hair then closed them again, sinking into the warmth of Chan’s shoulder.
Fifteen minutes later the boys had finished their drinks and were packing up. Seungmin felt his pillow more and stirred. A hand gently brushed over his forehead and he heard a soft voice. “He’s definitely burning up”, Minho’s tone was low. “I want to bundle him in blankets”.
“He’s adorable”, Felix’s deep voice cooed.
“Is he too skinny? We should get him some soup”, Hyunjin muttering as long fingers brushed his hair from his forehead.
“Eight of us”, Jisung added. “Seven soulmates. Can we do that?”
“The universe certainly thinks we can”, Changbin replied. “I think we can. We’ve come this far”. There were murmurs of agreement. Seungmin sighed and nuzzled closer, burying his head into the junction of Chan’s neck. A pause and several coos.
“The rain is letting up. We should go before it gets worse”, Jeongin alerted. Chairs moving and the sounds of everyone standing up. Seungmin jerked and sat up, opening his eyes blearily.
“Hey”, Chan’s voice was low and soothing. “We’re going now. You up to walking?”
“I can walk”, he said, words coming out slurred as he rubbed the sleep from his eyes. He felt horrible but his legs were still there. As he stood, he swayed and Changbjn caught him with a hand to the shoulder.
“No, he’s not walking. Who wants to piggy back our new soulmate?” Seungmin would normally grumble but he missed human touch. He looked over the boys as they began arguing. He was taller than quite a few of them. Only Hyunjin being taller than him. Chan and Changbin had the most amount of muscle so they could carry him the easiest, but they were also shorter than him which would make the position awkward.
“I’ll do it”, Jeongin stepped forwards and held out his arms. He was one of the closest to Seungmin in terms of height. The other boys nodded before cooing more when Seungmin held out his arms sleepily. Jeongin grinned wide then turned around to allow him to drape himself over his back. The boy lifted him without much effort, obviously stronger than he appeared.
“Aww look at our adorable makanes”, Jisung gushed. “I can already tell that our new soulmate is gonna kill us with adorableness”.
“Come on guys”, Chan began ushering them towards the door. “Let’s go before the storm gets worse again”. Seungmin watch3d through half lidded eyes, head resting on Jeongin’s shoulder and legs round his waist, as Felix and Hyunjin scooped up his bags.
“Umbrella”, he mumbled. Minho paused in the doorway of the cafe.
“Which one?” Seungmin pointed and Minho grabbed his umbrella from the stand, along with three more that he handed out.
“Come on, let’s go home”, Changbin said as they exited the warm cafe. Even though the wind cut through them and the rain began to pelt down, Hyunjin unfolding an umbrella to hold over the two youngest, Seungmin felt warm and content. If he then spent the next five days at his new soulmate’s house being cuddled, wrapped in blankets and fed home cooked food then he hadn’t been happier.