Work Text:
David remembered that day like it was yesterday, the memory as clear as glass. He never thought the day he met his soulmate would come.
Most people didn’t even have a soulmate. An invisible red string connected their pinky to their soulmate’s. Almost all soulmates were platonic, too. Those that were romantic were almost myths, not many out there in the world.
For the longest time, David always thought that he would have to wait until he left the tiny town he was in to meet his perfect half. In college. Once he got a job, maybe. After he got a wife and had a full blown family. He even accepted that his would just be a friend, not truly believing that romantic soulmates existed.
But not in an arcade.
David was walking with a cup of coins in hand, him and Brenda trying to get as many tickets as fast as possible.
“Come on, Bre! If we don’t get that giant teddy bear, I’m probably going to-”
He bumped into someone rounding the corner, causing them both to bounce back and fall to the ground. All the coins scattered on the ground.
Brenda kneeled to David’s side, “Are you okay?”
“Yeah, I’m fine,” David rushed to pick up all the coins.
“Oh,” the other kid saw David struggling, “let me me help.”
As the three of them started gathering all the coins, David and the mystery boy brushed fingertips. David had to have a double take. And so did the other boy.
A red string connected their pinkies. They made eye contact.
No way.
It had obviously registered to the other kid, realization washing over them both.
“It’s you.”
X
David’s hand was still holding the phone against the wall, devastated by what he just heard. He could barely keep his thoughts straight, and his breath was uneven. He felt his eyes start to water. The red string on his pinky taunting him.
The mystery boy had a name.
Exer Campbell.
A boy with puffy hair, golden skin, amber eyes, and a perfect smile. It was hard to hate the guy, easy to love.
They had grown up together. Which is why it hurt David so much when Exer, the person who was destined to complete him, betrayed him.
Dating Brenda . Of all people, out of everyone at their school, it had to be his sister.
And on top of that, it took over a year for him to find out about all this. Not by them, but through a stupid phone call when he was trying to order pizza.
Even Ronald knew. Probably Jackson and Pamela too. David was the only one left in the dark.
Yet it wasn’t even the part where Exer dated Brenda that David was the most upset about. It was the fact that he hadn’t even told him.
But it was too late now.
Ding dong!
David eyed the door. He could hear his heartbeat thumping loudly.
He knew who was going to be behind that door as he stared it down, the red string pointing straight at it, connected to the person waiting there.
When he opened it, Exer was none the wiser.
He probably didn’t expect it to be David at the door, “Oh! H-hey Day! Sorry I’m visiting out of the blue. But Brenda and I wanted to talk to you about-” he stopped when he saw David’s expression, “Uhhh…is everything alright?”
Brenda came rushing in behind them, “David! Were you the one who hung up the phone?!” Exer let out a surprised gasp, pieces starting to click in his head. Brenda kept going, “What did you hear?! Please, tell me you didn’t-”
David hated this entire situation, “Oh, nothing really interesting…just everything about your secret romance.” David eyed the two, “So that’s what Jackson tried to tell me…right?” He couldn’t stand to look at them anymore, “Everyone knew but me…”
“David…” Brenda sounded heartbroken.
“How could you guys lie to me like that?”
“N-no! Wait, David!” Exer tried to explain, “We’re not dating anymore! This only happened last year! And it’s totally over! I swear!”
“W-what? But…” Brenda looked at Exer, “I…I thought…that maybe…you’d still…”
David couldn’t take this. It made his blood boil and heart ache. He couldn’t believe they were still thinking about getting back together.
What David wanted at that moment was to cut that stupid piece of string and forget about him completely. This isn’t what soulmates did to each other.
David pushed past Exer, “I’m out of here.”
“David…” Exer called out to him, his voice small at first, but louder as he went after him, “No…D-Day!”
He didn’t waste any time marching down the street, trying to get away from this mess. But Exer didn’t back down
“Wait! David!” Exer got a hold on David’s bicep, “David!!!”
God, all David wanted was to be alone. He tried to yank his arm away, “Buzz off!”
“I swear to god! I was going to tell you!” Exer pleaded, “But things went wrong and I-”
“So what? You still lied to me!” David managed to free himself, facing Exer. He was tired of hearing all these excuses, “And out of everyone…it had to be my sister, right?!”
“David…” Exer stared at him, eyes full of regret, “Listen…I know how-”
“No! You don’t know!” David yelled, “You don’t know the half of it, Exer!”
Exer tried to understand, “I’d also be mad if my soulmate and sister were-”
“It’s not about that!!!”
“Huh?” Exer got lost, not knowing what David meant.
“If only that were the case!”
“W-what?” Exer stepped closer, “Then what going on? I don’t get what you mean-”
“I mean that I…” David stuttered as his heartbeat got faster and faster. What did he mean?
Exer waited for a response, wanting to know, “You…what?”
David felt his face get red, his eyes starting to well up with tears. He needed to get out of there.
He turned around and started running, running as fast as he could, “Nothing!”
Exer started to go after him, “David!”
“Forget it!”
“No! Wait!” Exer kept trying, “David! David, tell me-”
Exer’s pleads started to fade away as David kept running.
David’s mind was racing, the sound of his feet on the pavement and his heartbeat filling his ears.
There’s no way…
Tears started streaming down his face. He saw the red string still hanging to Exer behind him. How badly he wished it were real. Just so he could have the satisfaction of cutting it and not wanting whatever stupid connection they had.
I can’t be in love with my soulmate.
X
Things had gotten better over time. They all made up and rekindled what trust they had broken. And David came to terms with it.
He was in love with his soulmate.
But what to do now?
“No, but I was thinking…maybe Brenda could help?”
Oh hell no. “W-what?! Brenda?!”
“Yeah…” Ronald continued, “Pretty sure she will understand David’s feelings and find a way to make things work, together.”
“Ronald, are you crazy? I can’t do that! I can’t tell her that I like a guy!” David explained, “Especially when the guy is Exer Campbell, her freaking ex!”
“But you should talk before it’s too late.”
“You know I’m not ready to come out to her or anyone! What if other people find out?” It made David nauseous at the thought of other people knowing. “What if my dad finds out? He’d be so disappointed in me…” David’s mind started spiraling, “I’d be dead meat! My whole life would be fucked…”
“Right…sorry…” Ronald looked guilty, “Didn’t mean to pressure.”
David sighed, “It’s alright. You just don’t want anyone to get hurt, as usual. I think I just have to accept the idea that he’s off limits and keep moving forward.”
“Are you sure?”
“Yeah,” David concluded, “he’ll never see me the way I see him. He’s just my soulmate. A platonic one at that.”
David proceeded to mutilate a leaf to try to tear up whatever feelings he had for Exer.
Soulmates are platonic. What he felt wasn’t normal.
He wasn’t going to lose Exer over this.
X
“Why haven’t you told him?!”
Whelp, David caved and told Brenda.
“Brenda, I can’t. He’s my soulmate.”
She just stared at him, “You know romantic soulmates exist, right?”
David laughed at the thought, “Pff, no they don’t. That’s just a thing hopeless romances say to get their hopes up.”
“David, listen to your big sis,” Brenda positioned herself so that she was directly in front of David, “What you two have is unbreakable. You guys have made it this far. What are you so scared of?”
He took a deep breath in, tears running down his cheeks, “I just don’t want to lose him.”
Brenda hugged him tight, “David, you're not going to lose Exer just from telling him how you feel. He told you that he has magical wizard powers for goodness sake!”
X
“Sooo,” Exer asked when David brought him to a part of the school where no one would find them. Everyone has already gone home for the day but David had stood there in silence for over 15 minutes, “what did you want to talk about?”
I can do this.
“Exer…” David started, “I know that what I’m going to say is super weird, and that I shouldn’t be feeling these things. But…”
Exer’s eyes went wide.
“I-I,” This was it, “I like you. A lot.”
Exer stood there, face going red.
Fuck. Okay, damage control, “A-and I know that you don’t feel the same way! Which is fine!”
“David-”
But he was on a roll now, the tears not stopping, “But I just needed to tell you cause if I didn’t, I would have probably got insane.”
“David-!”
Exer grabbed his face, with his eyes watery for some reason, “David!”
David went quiet, the space between them small and quiet. Exer whispered, “I like you too.”
He’s pretty sure his brain shut off at that moment. There was no way Exer just said what he thought he said.
He had no time to doubt it, though. Exer’s lips were in his before he could. It was soft and plush and everything David hoped it would be.
When they pulled away, they laughed in the small space, holding each other tight. Exer reached down and grabbed David’s hand, thumb brushing the spot where the string was tied.
David was so happy there was no way for it to be cut.
They froze when they heard a loud sniff, “That was beautiful.”
“Ronald!” Exer screeched, “What are you doing here?!”
“I was hungry.”
“Okay, then couldn’t it wait-”
“I want burgers.”
“Ronald!”
“Let’s go get burgers,” Ronald turned around and started walking down the hall.
Exer let out a big sigh before turning to David, a smile bright on his face, “You coming?”
“Oh, yeah!”
They linked their pinkies together as they walked. David cherished it, knowing they would probably have to let go after they went outside. He watched as Exer started berating Ronald, who seemed completely unbothered by the situation.
Okay, maybe romantic soulmates did exist. And David had one. Someone who completed his soul and would be there no matter what came their way.
And David didn’t plan on letting his go.