Archive of Our Own

The first time someone had expressed having visions of their soulmate in their dreams, people ignored them. ‘There is no such thing as soulmates,’ people would say. ‘Have you been drinking?’ they’d ask. ‘It was just a dream,’ they’d insist.

But as time moved forward and people saw those fragments in their dreams blossom into reality, scientists began to wonder if these dreams were destined to be true.

Soulmate Studies began thereon out; studies that tested everything they could about soulmates on willing subjects. Unfortunately, many of these questions are still unanswered today, for example: How is one's soulmate decided? Can people have more than one soulmate? What if someone doesn’t have a soulmate? etc, etc.

However, Soulmate Studies have been able to answer some questions to help predict when one would find their soulmate.

It was discovered that the dreams first begin around the ages of 8 to 10; of course, there were some rare cases of dreams starting around ages younger or older. The latest up-to-date cases of those anomalies getting their first soulmate dream is age 13 and age 6.

Studies have shown that people usually find their soulmates between ages 20-25, some of the most unique cases being ages 17 and 49. This proves how there is no definite line where one learns of their soulmate and finds said soulmate, showcasing just how much is unknown when it comes to soulmates.

"Hm," Osamu thought as he read through the article, neglecting his studies for college entrance exams.

‘Soulmates, what an interesting topic,’ he thought to himself while skimming the article again, looking at the date from two years ago.

Osamu’s own soulmate experience had been unique, as one might say. His first soulmate dream occured when he was about 15, nearly 16. The first fragment had been weird, strange—non-comforting.

A tall figure stood in front of him, clad indark clothes, and appeared to be standing in a skatepark of some sort. He looked intimidating, from what Osamu could remember. The figure’s voice had been muffled;, apparently they were in the middle of a conversation when young Osamu clawed through. The figure then dropped the skateboard in his left hand, riding off into the haze. Osamu heard a laugh when he woke up, knowing it was from his soulmate.

Ever since that day, Osamu had been infatuated with soulmates, absolutely hating the idea of the universe forcing one to have a soulmate and the pressure of society forcing those two together, but wanting—needing—to know more about soulmates.

"Are ya reading up on soulmates instead of studyin’ again?" Atsumu popped in the room, leaning against the door and craning his head to look at Osamu on the top bunk of their bed. 

"What’s it to ya?" Osamu snapped, clicking out of the website and onto his study material.

"Why’re ya so interested in soulmates? It’s just a thing that happens, yer not supposed to spend your whole life learning about it," Atsumu pointed out, hopping atop the edge of his bunk to peek his head over Osamu’s.

"Lots of people make their whole lives about soulmates, hell, the age yer supposed to find yer soulmate is between 20 and 25; not everyone finds theirs when they’re 16," Osamu pointed out as Atsumu huffed.

"It’s not my fault the universe decided Shin and I needed to be together since youth," Atsumu teased, and stuck his tongue out.

"Have ya ever wondered why soulmates exist? How soulmates evolved into our everyday lives? Has it never occurred to you that soulmates weren’t a thing at one point and if one were to express seeing their soulmate in their dreams, they’d be called crazy?" Osamu asked, looking straight into his twin's eyes. He searched for something in Atsumu’s honey gaze but came up short. 

"I think ya need a break from this soulmates business. How about we have dinner to take yer mind off the universe and its mysteries," Atsumu smiled slightly, jumping down from the bed and heading for the door. Osamu sighed in response, jumping down to follow.

"And, Samu," he added, still facing away from his brother. "Sometimes it’s better not to think about it. All I know is Shinsuke and that I love him. I don’t want to question it if it means him and I aren’t meant to be," he finished, walking out the door, and leaving his brother standing there alone in their bedroom.

Soulmates, hm. 

A dream; Osamu knew he was in one the second he opened his eyes. He awoke in a bed, one he’d never seen before. His face was met with a cold breeze, one kept at bay by the plush covers that surrounded him.

He sat up, his eyes taking a moment to adjust to the darkness around him, the sight of a small room finally appearing. His eyes landed on the open window across the room. A figure stood there, gazing out of the window. 

His soulmate stood before him, and Osamu was in their bed. His heart beat loudly in his ears as he stood, slowly making his way towards them.

"Who are you?" he asked, and his voice sounded muffled to his own ears. When he reached them, Osamu slowly lifted his hand to rest on their shoulder. The person started to turn, but just as he was on the cusp of facing him, Osamu woke up.

All he could think, when he rose, was how foxy his soulmate felt. Their presence was enough to sprinkle bits of who they are as a person in Osamu’s head.

But Osamu didn’t want to meet them—didn’t want to be destined for someone he didn’t know. Why waste his time trying to find his soulmate when said soulmate may reject him, may not even want to find him, may hate him just for existing?

Soulmates don’t always work out. Just because two people are ‘destined’ to be together doesn’t mean they should be together.

Osamu was starting college in a week, anyway he shouldn’t be thinking of his own soulmate when he was supposed to be focussed on getting accepted into the college of his dreams. The unwelcomed feelings for his own soulmate were nothing but a distraction from the greater picture: one where soulmates have been fully explained to people; why they exist; why people are forced to experience this.

Soulmates—Osamu always knew they’d be connected to him, but not the way the universe intended. Just in the way he wanted to be connected to them, the way where he was in control.

He stood looking at the entrance to the place where he’d spend the next few years of his life. The place where he would get the freedom to learn and research Soulology—the study of soulmates—to his heart's content.

He shook with excitement at the prospect of the next few years of his life being focused on his passion that was once a guilty pleasure; was once something he’d be shamed for by family, was— no, will be— the thing that brings Osamu peace.

"Soulmates. What a wonderful thing to study," was the response of the professor interviewing him, her smile warm and welcoming.

Nearly a month later and Osamu didn’t know how to feel. Not much has happened besides him getting a job as a waiter. His classes have kicked off, but the material he was learning was barely entertaining. His Study in Soulmates class was only going over the history and what has already been proved, despite it being so little, and Osamu had already read it over and over in every single article he’d found in his youth.

From what Osamu gathered from his research on the place, it was one of the top schools in the study of soulmates, one where many Soulologist went to further  their studies. However, the class felt as if they were in grade school again, learning about soulmates for the first time.

Osamu couldn’t help but walk out of class one day unable to hear another word. He was going insane just listening to the teacher repeat the same things. The class was only a waste of time. He could have been working and making money for his tuition and family bills instead of learning something he’d known for years already.

He remembered getting bumped into, his headphones blasting loud music in his ears. The bump came from someone running into him, the collision sending all the person’s belongings crashing to the ground as a muffled curse sounded in his ears. Osamu pulled his earbuds out, rushing to help the person pick them up.

Osamu caught sight of his face, and his heart nearly stopped for just a moment at his beauty. A strange aura surrounded him, and Osamu’s heartbeat thundered louder as he stared at him. The man grabbed the items out of Osamu’s hands, barely looking at him before standing up.

"Sorry," he said, his voice deep and soft, but crisp as it cut through the quiet to caress Osamu’s ears.

"’Ts fine," Osamu whispered as his eyes followed the man running off towards the Arts’ building.

The warm feeling Osamu sensed earlier began to dissipate the further the man got, as sounds slowly began filtering back in.

He was able to refocus on his surroundings, as though a veil had been lifted off his senses.

Osamu scanned the courtyard, noting the other students studying or walking around. He observed them, his mouth forming a smile as he breathed in the fresh air. Right. He’d been so focused on his classes and work that he’d forgotten to breathe. His eyes landed on a wallet left on the ground; a pair of keys with a fox charm hanging from it. Osamu picked it up, opening it

"Suna Rintarō," he read out loud, the picture on the ID looking exactly like the man who had bumped into him mer moments ago. He must have dropped his wallet, Osamu thought, his mind fogging up again just from looking at a picture of him.

Osamu immediately closed the wallet, his cheeks burning from the feeling of holding something related to this Suna Rintarō. The warm feeling his presence brought was unlike any other feeling Osamu had ever felt in his life. 

Osamu cradled the wallet in his hands, allowing the strange warmth to seep into his skin.

He couldn’t keep the wallet, Osamu knew this, but the temptation was strong, tingling in every nook of his body. He was back in his dorm, sitting on the kitchen table, his eyes barely able to leave the wallet for more than a moment in fear of losing it.

He shouldn’t have taken the wallet home with him, he should’ve taken it straight to the lost and found area near the main building. But something in his bones stopped him, whispering for him to return it himself to the man in the picture. Osamu had to listen, his brain unable to stop the rise of his heartbeat—or his feet as he picked up the wallet again.

He opened it, looking through the pouches to find the stranger’s student ID. ‘Suna Rintarō’ it read, the print under it catching Osamu’s eye. 'Raven Hall, 214’. The owner's room was listed on his student ID right there for anyone to see.

He smiled to himself, sensing that warmth flowing up once again.

Osamu tucked the wallet in his pocket before running to grab his bag. His next lesson was soon, he could return it on his way there, say he found it laying on the ground or something of the sorts so as to not sound creepy.

Yes, that was exactly what he should say; he had to make sure not to sound like a creep to this butterflies-inducing guy.

Osamu had no clue as to why he felt so strongly towards this man, his heart unable to stop its excited pattering while he made his way to the Raven hall, counting the rooms as he strolled by. He’d never been one to form crushes so quickly, hell, he could barely call it a crush as they didn’t know one another.

Osamu found himself before the room, his nails digging in his palms as he raised his hand, about to knock before freezing. How come Osamu felt so strongly towards him so quickly? His body was already warm and fuzzy just from standing by his door, almost as if his body could sense everything that belonged to this stranger.

Osamu had never formed a crush on a stranger, it had always been someone he’d known well. Could this even be classified as a crush? Sure, his body felt warm around his items, but Osamu had never even met the man. How could one form a crush on someone they don’t know?

Osamu couldn’t classify this as a crush, it was impossible. If anything, his body was just acting strange because he bumped into someone familiar-feeling. He had no feelings for the man, not even an opinion on the lad, not on his personality or anything of the sorts.

"What’cha doin’?" A voice sounded from beside Osamu, sending a bolt of fear down his spine. He turned to face that same strange warmth that belonged to this dorm’s owner.

Osamu froze, his heart doing an excited flip as the man approached closer.

"You’ve been standing in front of my dorm for a good bit with your arm raised; it’s kinda strange to come home to that on a Friday, y’know," He mused, his eyes piercing through Osamu who felt himself flush.

"I get that, I kinda just spaced out…sorry if it freaked ya out," Osamu apologised, his lips slightly curled upward as his heart skipped a beat from staring directly at him. 

"Hm, fair enough, what’d ya need though?" Suna asked, shrugging slightly as he caught Osamu’s eyes, his attention entirely focused on him.

"I- um," he started, his mind completely blank within the presence of this man. It was just then that Osamu noticed how his senses were blocked, only able to feel the person in front of him. "Shit, I’ve completely forgotten what I’ve come to do, sorry," he finished lamely, rubbing at his forehead as the man snickered.

"Nah, you’re good, at least I got to speak to someone cute," Suna smirked, his voice lighter than before. Osamu’s very soul did a flip when he heard that, his brain screeching to a halt.

"Aha! Anyways, I should get going, I’m probably keeping ya from entering yer dorm and resting." A nervous laugh burst from Osamu’s lips as he backed away from Suna who was watching him with a soft look in his eyes. 

Osamu flushed.

"It wouldn’t have mattered anyways, I lost my wallet which had my key attached to it, I’m kinda stuck for now," Suna shrugged, leaning against the wall and a lightbulb went off in Osamu’s head—the wallet!

"Oh, right!" he exclaimed, reaching into his pocket to bring out the wallet. "The whole reason I came here was because I found yer wallet laying on the ground. I was on my way to class and thought I’d return it since it wasn’t too far out of my way," Osamu smiled, handing over the wallet as the man before him emitted a gasp.

"Oh, thank god, I was worried I had to go to my next lesson unprepared, I would’ve been pretty screwed if that happened, right?" He laughed, smiling at Osamu as he nodded.

Osamu finally allowed himself to look at his face, his foxy eyes and dark hair that worked together so well; the way he was slightly taller than Osamu, but a bit leaner. He had dark bags under his eyes, and a backpack stuffed to the brim. His whole face seemed fatigued, his countenance bored, though the look in his eyes was not one Osamu could pinpoint.

"Thanks again for returning this, truly. I would’ve been without food for days, dude," Suna smiled again, looking down at the wallet in a way Osamu couldn’t quite understand.

"Of course, I didn’t want ya to lose it to the lost and found, ya probably wouldn’t have seen it for months," Osamu laughed too.

"Suna Rintarō, by the way.” Suna offered him a smile.

"Excuse me?" Osamu blurted, a bit confused with him suddenly stating his name.

"My name, I’m Suna Rintarō, and you are?" Suna prompted, surveying him with curiousity.

"I’m Miya Osamu, it’s cool ta meet ya," Osamu returned, suddenly bashful. 

"You should probably get going now, you said you had a class, didn’t you?" Suna recalled, eyes intent on every little part of Osamu..

"Yeah, it’s gettin’ late, see ya around?" Osamu said hopefully as he checked his phone for the time. His class didn’t start for another 40 minutes, it’d take less than 5 to get there.

"See you around, it was nice to meet you, dude," Suna tossed him a smile over his shoulder before disappearing into his room.

Osamu smiled back, unable to stop the way his heart was so close to bursting. He walked out of the building in an excited daze at the thought of one Suna Rintarō.

The next dream didn’t happen until nearly two months later, and Osamu knew this dream was about to become more interesting than the last. He was in a decent restaurant, clad in a smart-casual outfit. Before him, a comedian stood atop the stage. He sounded fuzzy to Osamu, unable to be heard despite being right there.

A small voice sounded beside him, but Osamu barely paid it attention as he tried to figure out what the comedian was joking about.

"Samu, dear," the voice whispered in his ear, dragging Osamu’s attention away from the comedian on stage and to the person sitting across from him.

His soulmate sat there, their face blurred but their voice present. Osamu’s heartbeat quickened, something that hasn’t happened in his dreams with a soulmate before. 

His heartbeat was different from what one would expect. It wasn’t racing because of nervousness. It was a beat of excitement, the same type he felt whenever he found a new piece of information regarding soulmates.

The both of them sat in a booth, across from one another, separated by a plate of breadsticks . Osamu lowered the menu he was holding.

"Are you doing okay, dear? You’ve been acting strange ever since we got here," they asked, their hand creeping closer to Osamu’s as he pulled away.

"I have?" Osamu wondered, his voice confused and twisted to his own hearing. He could sense his soulmate's discomfort as they withdrew their hand to hide it under the table. He probably just caused a problem for his future self… if he decided to stick with his soulmate, that is.

"My darling, have you fallen ill recently? I hope you haven’t been staying up too late, you know how bad it is to stay up late, hell, you pester me for staying up too late," they chuckled. What a familiar voice that was to Osamu…

"I’m fine! Y’know how hard it is with classes and stuff, ahaha!" He scrambled to remedy the situation; his soulmate couldn’t find out that this is a different version of Osamu.

"Classes?" They asked, tilting their head. Osamu panicked; he had to try to clear everything up before he woke up covered in cold sweat.

Soulmate dreams were a window into the future, Osamu knew this, but how much would a version of one’s past-self in their present-self affect their life?

"How do ya feel about soulmates?" Osamu asked, walking into Suna’s dorm, a place he’d grown familiar with after a few months of friendship. Suna sat in the middle of the small space, an easel before him with a sketch on it. 

Suna looked up from his paint mixtures, pulling his earbuds out and looking at Osamu.

"Soulmates?" He asked, earning a nod from Osamu in confirmation. 

Suna sighed. "Soulmates..." he repeated, turning to the sketch on his easel with a look of longing in his eyes.

"Everything okay, Rin?" Osamu peered over his shoulder at the sketch; a half-painted one of a beach with a lone fox sitting on it.

"Rin, huh?" Suna muttered, a small smile decorating his face. Osamu looked at him, an eyebrow raised in confusion.

"Hm?" He questioned as Suna sighed, and went back to mixing his paints.

"What brought up soulmates? And why ask me about them, you’re studying the whole thing, aren’t you?" Suna prodded, starting on the details of the sand on his painting. Osamu sighed, dropping on a stool beside him.

"I had a soulmate dream that made me think, and yer kinda my only friend here so I wanted to get yer opinion," he explained, studying his friend whose paintbrush stopped for a moment.

"I’ve never really thought about it before," he admitted after a beat, placing his paintbrush down. "I don’t know if I want to meet my soulmate, or rather, I don’t want my soulmate to know who I am. I have the feeling he’d hate having me for a soulmate," Suna admitted with a self-deprecating smile and stood up.

"How do ya know he’d hate ya? How do ya even know he’s a he?" Osamu asked, keeping his eyes on Suna as he made his way to his kitchen area.

"I know who my soulmate is, I’ve known from the first moment I saw him. It’s kinda strange, isn’t it? So many people find their soulmates at the same time…but mine hasn’t realised I’m his yet, maybe he’s rejected me as his soulmate, maybe he’s rejected soulmates all together, it’s really awful since it’s kinda hard to tell." Suna was avoiding eye contact, busying himself with washing his hands.

"Awful how?" Osamu croacked, standing up to walk closer to him.

"Every night I dream of him, dream of a reality where he’d want me, dream of us together doing the most stupid shit. I can’t help the dreams, can’t control them, they just happen every night no matter how much I try not to think of him. My soulmate experience feels like a trap, like an awful joke the universe pulled on me to make me suffer. So there, that’s what soulmates are for me," he finished just as Osamu came to a stop before him.

"Wow, yer experience is really unlike any I’ve read about," Osamu admitted as Suna snorted, rolling his eyes slightly before looking back at his easel across the room.

"Everyone’s experience is different, it’s not like I chose my soulmate. Why would someone take it out on their soulmate for something they can’t control?" He demanded, staring directly at his painting as Osamu watched him.

"I never thought about it like that before... I always thought having a soulmate would be a waste of time, but I never thought ‘bout it like that before," Osamu admitted, feeling a small spike in his chest. He immediately looked at Suna, catching his eye..

"Sometimes you just have to listen to someone else’s point of view to understand the world a bit more, I thought someone like you would’ve known that," Suna teased, smirking after that last bit.

"There’s my Rin, ya were gettin’ too weird, it was unnatural," Osamu cracked a smile despite the way his heart squeezed at the sight of Suna smiling back. 

"Soulmates are a strange topic, nobody really thinks about them without foreign influence," Suna admitted, taking a piece of candy from the bowl on the small counter, opening it and eating it whole.

"Why do ya think yer soulmate doesn’t want ya?" Osamu probed, watching his friend’s eyes dart away from him to search the room.

"Because he’s admitted to not wanting his soulmate, I’m not sure if he knows that I’m the soulmate or not but he’s said he doesn’t want a soulmate—that it’s a waste of time," he muttered.

Osamu felt a small stab in his heart at seeing Suna’s sad face; barely noticeable to anyone who didn’t know him so well.

"Well, yer soulmate sounds like a dick. Who wouldn’t want ya to be their soulmate! I would beat up that guy for rejecting ya as his soulmate," Osamu jested, crossing his arms as Suna snorted, and stepped in front of Osamu to rest his head on his shoulder.

"It’s funny you say that, Samu," he muttered, relaxing as Osamu put his arms around his waist. "I hope you don’t regret your words," he added, voice barely above a whisper, almost as if he didn’t want Osamu to hear him…

"Wanna watch a movie? It can be anythin’ ya want," Osamu offered, feeling a smile in the crook of his neck.

"Have I ever told you how much I love you?" Suna asked, his voice teasing and light, but still sincere and full of that same emotion Osamu could never quite place.

"Well, now ya have, come on, lover boy, I’ll make some popcorn if ya pick the movie," he smirked, cheeks turning pink as Suna squeezed his shoulder, leaving a small kiss on his temple before moving towards his couch.

How come Osamu’s emotions always doubled around Suna? How come he always hurt whenever Suna started to get upset? Whenever he got stressed or angry... how come he always had the urge to hold him so tightly, to keep him away from the world, to keep him by Osamu’s side no matter what?

Why did Suna whisper that so softly? ‘I hope you don’t regret your words.’

It played over and over again in Osamu’s head, almost as if Rintarō was trying to tell him something, but what?

He looked over at Suna, watching him pick up his paints and brushes, and separate them into boxes. 

How could someone reject him as a soulmate? Osamu’s heart thumped angrily. 

His hands moved on autopilot as he made popcorn, eyes unable to pull away from Suna.

He often had a blank expression on his face, only displaced by the occasional scowl or smile. But Osamu knew him, he knew that look when he saw it. It was a face Suna barely showed, he never seemed to express sorrow around Osamu—not that he ever truly tried to express his emotions often.

Osamu walked over to where Suna sat, offering him a bowl of the finished popcorn. Suna spared Osamu a glance as he sat down beside him, arms resting against the back of the couch.

"Did’ja pick a movie?" Osamu asked and was met by an ever familiar smirk, though that expression of sorrow was still present deep in his eyes.

"Soulmates.." the voice spoke, loud but muffled in Osamu’s ears. A word meant to be deafened for him, for Miya Osamu from his soulmate.

"…soulmates.." it spoke again, the dialogue around that word incoherent to Osamu, speaking over and over again, the word soulmate screaming in his ears.

How could such a topic haunt him? One that brought him so much joy, so much curiosity? One that brought him an escape from his everyday life? Why was the word screamed at him? And why in so many different ways?

Louder and louder the noise came about, screaming in so many different tones. Stress. Happiness. Sorrow. Jealousy. Anger. More and more came about as the screams became louder, all out of synch and different volumes.

"Soulmate!" One screamed, another screaming it halfway through the first and another right at the end.

The screams grew and grew until distress was all he heard, screams of pleading and guilt as he heard the cries of none other than his soulmate.

Silence was granted for a near moment, the sound of glass breaking before the voices yelled at him again. All of them screaming over each other, not allowing Osamu to understand, not letting him know until the one screamed louder then the rest—

"I’m your soulmate!" He yelled, flicking his head up fast, looking around in distress. He was in the library, faces looking at him from that sudden yell.

They started, eyes judgmental, watching. They saw through him, saw his dream—nightmare. His face was red, eyes shaking as everything blurred around. The eyes watching him, looking through his life to find every mistake. How could this nightmare come about in such a public place?

A snicker sounded, a comment made, more and more laughter filling his head. But what if it wasn’t in his head? The laughter felt so real, the comments sounded from behind him, in front of him, besides him, inside of him. Everyone knew he was going insane, knew his soulmate was always on his mind only months after that dream he had where his soulmate first spoke.

This soulmate had haunted him for months, almost every night they crawled into his dreams, screaming and screaming at him until he woke up with tears in his eyes. His soulmate always screamed at him, he could always feel their heartbeat within their own.

But everybody around knew that, knew he was repressing trying to find them, knew he didn’t think he was good enough for his soulmate, knew they would reject him the moment they knew who he was. They knew his soulmate would scream in his ear, and knew they screamed to be found. But Osamu couldn’t do that, couldn’t let his soulmate be embarrassed by the way he always was.

"And I’m your soulmate too, we’ve established this, dear," a calm voice broke through the racing of Osamu’s mind.

A warmth broke through his beating heart, slowing it until it kept a soft beat. His mind became more clear to the turning of pages, writing of papers, typing of computers, and other clicks and claps of the building.

His hands fell from his face, eyes clearing up as they landed on Suna. He sat across, typing away on an older Chromebook with stickers splattered all across the back. He had an earbud in, only one. He looked up from his typing, holding out a hand as they made eye-contact.

Osamu slowly unravelled his hand from his other, forcing his hand to move towards Suna’s with small hesitance. Their fingers touched first, the warmth immediately shooting through Osamu’s body, the tension in his body relaxing as his hand slipped fully into Suna’s. Their palms fit together perfectly, even as their fingertips reached way over their wrist.

Their hands twisted until they held together perfectly, fingers spreading every so slightly before they weaved together.

Osamu felt his heart beat in a way he didn’t recognize, almost as if it weren’t his. The sound felt so familiar, so comforting, so beautiful.

"Was it that dream again?" Suna asked, his eyes studying Osamu as he spoke, his hand squeezing the others slightly tighter in a way of comfort.

"Y-Yeah," he admitted, his eyes looking away from Suna as he thought through his words. "I just- my soulmate deserves so much more than me," he said as Suna nodded to keep him talking, closing his Chromebook to give his full attention to his friend in front of him. "I just wonder if they’re looking for me and I feel so bad that I’m not even sure if I want to be with them. It’s so strange that I feel my heart beat so hard for my soulmate, but I really don’t want to meet them at the same time, it feels so selfish," Osamu admitted as Suna hummed, his hand squeezing Osamu’s.

"Why is it that you don’t want to meet your soulmate?" He asked, his eyes studying Osamu’s— he really did that often.

"I-" he tried, his voice failing as he thought for a moment. His mind came up blank however, unable to think of an explanation for how strange this was.

"May I make a suggestion on what is happening?" Suna asked, breaking Osamu from his strange mind before nodding towards the other.

"You’re scared your not gonna be in love with your soulmate, you want to get to know them as a person rather than as a soulmate," he said, his eyes piercing into Osamu’s as he waited for a reaction; something must have happened for Suna to smirk before a buzz sounded from his phone.

"I have to get going to my lecture, sorry, Osamu," he said, his voice so soft as he spoke his name, almost like a whisper against the wind.

Osamu simply nodded, giving his hand one last squeeze before letting go, watching him pack his stuff up before heading out of the building. He could feel his heart mourn the loss of Suna’s warmth, almost screaming to go get that warmth back.

Osamu didn’t listen—couldn’t listen. Suna had a soulmate already, and how could Osamu take that away from either of the two? He wouldn’t allow himself to chase after Suna, no matter how hard his heart beat for him, because Suna was already in love with his soulmate. And how could Osamu win against that?

"You’re an idiot," was what he first heard as his eyes closed and his head hit his pillow, only sitting up a moment later to his bed in the middle of a lake. His bed floated there, his blankets barely touching the water. He was in another dream, how else would he not be sinking?

"Did you hear me?" That voice said again, slightly louder and a bit irritated. That was his soulmate's voice.

"Yeah, ya said I was an idiot," Osamu repeated their words from mere moments ago. He looked around the area, the lake broke off into waterfalls all around the circle where his bed sat. A haze decorated the outside, hiding everything that was beyond where he rested.  "Why am I an idiot?" He asked the voice, his eyes still searching for something among the haze, what was he searching for?

"You’ve been running away from your soulmate," the voice spoke, plain and simple as Osamu’s head snapped in the direction of where he thought the voice might have come from. Nothing was before him.

"How’ve I been running away from my soulmate? I don’t even know who they are," Osamu said, voice slightly sharp as the voice groaned, sending shivers down Osamu’s spine. 

"Stop running from your soulmate, if you wish to find them," was the last sentence he heard before waking up. That voice still rang in his head.

His mind was frazzled, heart pounding quick as he absentmindedly grabbed his phone, immediately searching for Suna’s contact before hitting the call button. After that first rang, Suna answered.

"Samu?" He whispered into the phone, drowsiness hugged his voice as Osamu felt his heart skip a beat.

"I’m sorry for wakin’ ya, Rin," Osamu spoke softly, the complete opposite of his racing mind as he heard Suna mutter a slurred ‘it’s okay’. "I just really need to talk to you about something—it can wait till morning, if ya need, it’s more of selfish ‘I need to talk to ya’, if ya get my groove," Osamu said into the phone, hearing the soft laugh of Suna, picturing his smile perfectly in his mind. God, his heart was beating so fast again.

"If you get my groove," he quoted as Osamu blushed.

"Shush, I didn’t realise how late it was to be callin’ ya, I panicked," Osamu explained as Suna continued to laugh.

"You’re so cute when you’re flustered," Suna whispered, Osamu’s cheeks burning darker than he ever thought possible. "You should come over," he spoke soon after, causing Osamu to choke on nothing.

"Oh my god, that sounds so bad when I say them right after each other, I’m so sorry, Samu," Suna said into the phone, Osamu imagined Suna slapping a palm to his face, a snort coming from Osamu as Suna laughed as well.

"What I meant was: do you wanna come over to hang out? You did wake me up at 2am, and it does take me a bit to fall back asleep.." Suna said, Osamu could practically feel Suna leaning against him as he said that, the ghost of his hand running over Osamu’s.

"Rin, yer really gonna make me walk all the way over there? What about my early morning  classes?" Osamu asked as he moved around to get his shoes.

"We both know you don’t have early morning classes, Osamu, but if you don’t wanna come over that’s fine too. I guess I’ll just lay here— alone— on my bed while being unable to sleep, all because of a cutie who woke me up, not even telling me why," he flirted, Osamu rolled his eyes in response.

"And the cutie didn’t even tell ya why, man, what an ass," Osamu responded, slipping his shoes onto his feet.

"Yeah, but he’s usually very nice, very kissable as well," Suna smirked, Osamu could tell just from his voice.

"You should introduce us, maybe we’d hit it off, hm?" Osamu smiled, closing the door to his room behind him, reaching into his pocket for his keys.

"I can hear you on your way over," Suna teased, his voice slightly warmer, was that because he was on his way over at such a preposterous time?

"Yeah, figured I might as well make sure ya eat yer breakfast before yer exams tomorrow," Osamu said, successfully locking his door before beginning his journey down the hallway.

"How’d you know I have exams tomorrow?" Suna asked, his voice softer than before in a way Osamu had never heard.

"Um, ya told me a few weeks ago when all of yer exams were, I jus’ remember them to know when not to bother ya," Osamu said, trying his best to let his brain malfunction at that warm voice.

"Oh," he said, his emotions so hard to tell without looking at his face. Was that a fond ‘oh’ or one of disapproval? Was Osamu being creepy towards him? "Don’t forget to run to the store, dear, we need breakfast for tomorrow," he whispered in a way where Osamu had to listen hard to hear him.

"Do you expect me to get all yer groceries for ya, now?" He teased, hearing a small snort from the other side of the phone.

"That would be helpful, but I don’t feel like getting out of bed yet," Suna smiled, one Osamu could feel through the phone.

"Yer lucky yer cute, otherwise I would’ve hung up long ago," Osamu chuckled, a small huff of amusement coming from Suna in response.

"Okay, ima hang up now, try to get some rest before I get there, Rin," Osamu said, his voice deep and soothing as he heard Suna hum in response.

"See you soon, dear, make sure you buy me flowers," he laughed, hanging up the phone before Osamu could protest.

Suna Rintarō. He was lucky Osamu was so down bad for him.

The jiggle of the front door was all it took to bring Suna back to the world of the living, as he would call it, stealing him away from his slumber. Curse these paper-thin walls. There was no reason for Suna to get up, he’d given Osamu a spare key months ago during the winter holidays when he went up to visit his family, but his heart raced as he knew Osamu would be walking through that door with flowers for him. No matter how much he would protest buying them for him, Suna knew he would without him trying to convince him.

He climbed out of the bed, his socked feet hitting the floor as the icy air kissed his exposed skin. It was still so cold in the midst of spring, Suna grimaced at that thought. He’d walked into the living room by the time Osamu had taken his shoes off; the lights were low so as to not disturb Suna’s neighbours.

"Hello, love, did ya get to fall asleep at all?" Osamu asked, that nickname making Suna’s heart skip a beat.

"I was about to before that stupid door made noises," he complained, voice still light as Osamu locked the door behind him, picking up some of the groceries.

"Yeah, the walls in yer building are pretty awful, sorry about that, dear," Osamu apologised as Suna hummed in response, picking up the rest of the groceries Osamu bought.

"I see you bought all of my groceries, a lot more than what it takes to make a simple breakfast," he pointed out, following Osamu into the kitchen.

"I didn’t buy all of yer groceries, I made a guess at what ya needed from the last time I was here," Osamu explained, placing the bags atop the counter as Suna hummed.

"Looks like you’re pretty spot on.. except for one thing," he teased, leaning against Osamu, staring at him with those foxy eyes.

"I’m sure I’ve got everything ya asked for, maybe it’s you who’s missed something," Osamu smirked as Suna groaned.

"You’re really gonna make me go all the way back to the living room to get them?" Suna complained, using that sweet, soft voice that made Osamu’s head light. He’s really been abusing that power tonight.

"I bought yer groceries, I need to put them away and get ya back to bed," Osamu said as Suna groaned, spinning towards the living room while Osamu chuckled at his dramatics.

That dream kept repeating in his head, over and over again. The voice of his soulmate sounded more and more foreign every time the dream repeated, not at all like the familiar voice it once sounded like.

The voice yelled at him to quit running from his soulmate, but what did that mean? He didn’t even know who his soulmate was, how was he ‘running away’? Everytime he thought the dream over, it made less and less sense. His mind may have been playing tricks on him, but a soulmate dream wouldn’t be something his mind would play with. Every case of soulmate dreams has been proven to be true, so far as he is aware.

"What’cha thinkin’ about?" Suna’s voice whispered in his ear, snapping Osamu from his mind as he flinched.

"Jesus, Rin, warn a guy next time ya sneak up on ‘im!" He scolded, his face slightly pink at how close Suna had gotten, his heart beating fast.

"I called your name three times, you were just trapped in the cage that is your mind," he smirked in amusement, eyes analysing Osamu’s face so close.

"Didja find yer flowers?" Osamu asked, his heart praying a pitter patter sound in his chest, wondering if Suna liked them.

"Yup, I put them in a temporary vase for the time being. Maybe they’ll give me inspiration to paint after exams are over," he shrugged, resting his head on Osamu’s shoulder.

"Do you like yer flowers?" He hesitated, trying his best to avoid Suna’s direct eye contact while he turned his head to look at him.

"Is this your way of flirting with me?" He teased, Osamu’s face going bright red at that.

"Shut up, don’t ya have a soulmate you could be flirtin’ with?" Osamu retorted as Suna put his hands up in surrender.

"Buzz kill," he muttered, earning a smirk from Osamu.

"Yeah, yeah, now help me put this shit away before goin’ back to bed," he said, hearing a small groan from Suna as he pulled away.

Putting everything away was a smooth process, Osamu buying (and using) enough of Suna’s soaps and household items to know where they belonged. Something like this always had started to make Osamu’s heart beat more and more over the past few months of knowing Suna Rintarō. Something so simple had him feel so happy, no matter how.. domestic.. it could seem.

Domestic. Relations to running a family and/or maintaining a household. Maybe domestic wasn’t the correct word to describe them, they didn’t often do this sort of thing: that being buying one another’s groceries in the middle of the night. Of course, they’ve shared many intimate moments, but that doesn’t excuse the facts of their situation.

They both had soulmates, no matter how much Osamu wished to deny that.

"Why are you so deep in thought today?" Suna asked, stretching his arms above his head after returning from putting some bathroom supplies away.

“What d’ya mean?” Osamy asked, folding some of Suna’s clothes, putting the dirty ones in a small laundry basket beside his door.

“I mean, you’re folding my clothes and it seems like you’re gonna clean my whole apartment while I sleep, you doing good, man?” Suna asked, resting his chin on Osamu’s shoulder again, his chest fully pressed up against Osamu’s back.

“Yeah, ‘m doin’ fine, shouldn’t you be goin’ to sleep now?” He questioned, avoiding Suna’s eyes as he continued to fold. He wondered if Suna was going to call him out on his bullshit, what he said did sound very out of his ass.

“I mean, you did wake me up in the middle of the night, now you’re not even gonna tell me why?” He asked, a scoff of annoyance was mixed into his voice.

Osamu did feel bad for waking him, it wasn’t often that Suna got good sleep. Osamu found out, after many months spent befriending the man, that Rintarō often spent most nights awake until the early hours of the morning. Most nights, he’s spent sitting in front of a canvas, sometimes a notepad or something of the sorts, thinking up ideas until he either passes out from exhaustion or had finally got some inspiration. Osamu has walked into his dorm too many times to find him staring at his canvas with bags under his eyes and greasy hair. He wonders how Rintarō managed these habits before Osamu first ‘found’ his wallet, he assumed Rintarō’s parents would have forced him to maintain his mental health... but sometimes Osamu wonders.

“So, are you gonna tell me or are you gonna keep being secretive?” Suna asked, pulling away from Osamu to help put the folded clothes away. He considered this for a moment: what purpose does it serve for Suna to know about his ‘dream’? But then, why even consider the purpose? Suna Rintarō was his best friend, the person who he wanted to spend nights watching crappy netflix shows until they fell asleep.

“I had another soulmate dream but it was so weird from the typical ones, I’m kinda stuck on something they said,” Osamu admitted, still avoiding Rintarō’s eyes. He heard a hum in response, feeling his hands touch his shoulder in such a soft and careful way, one that Osamu had felt before but in such a different way.

“Do you wanna talk about it?” He asked in response, softly rubbing Osamu’s arm while looking at his profile. He was close to Osamu’s face, hsi breath tickling his neck, his hair moving slightly with his movement. He needed to get a haircut soon, he decided.

“Yeah,” he answered, finally looking into Rintarō’s eyes as his heart beat just a bit faster.

Talking with Rintarō had always been one of the few easy things Osamu learned to do when he left for college. They would spend hours on the phone, chatting away about anything and everything. They would text non-stop, through classes, through family holidays, even through movie’s they’d watch together at times (sometimes they’d find a funny picture when looking through their phones, how could they not send it to one another?). But some of their best conversations happened when they were face-to-face, sometimes sitting in a café, sometimes just in one of their dorms doing homework together.

Osamu always found talking with Suna easy, something he loved to do with someone he cared for so deeply it hurt. He wished he knew why it was so easy with Rintarō compared to everyone else, why his heart sped up around him, why it felt like he would explode with emotions. They both had their respective soulmates, why wouldn’t these feelings Osamu held inside of him go away?

“So you want to understand what your soulmate meant by ‘stop running away’?” He asked as Osamu finished talking. They both sat on the couch, cuddled up against each other in ways that were not appropriate for a friendship, but neither of them brought that up.

“Yeah, I haven’t met my soulmate yet so I’m not sure what they meant in the dream. That’s why I called ya at such a strange hour,” Osamu explained, his head hurt while he spoke more and more, but for what reason, Osamu couldn’t tell.

“I think it’s pretty obvious what your soulmate was trying to tell you,” Suna said in response, leaning back to look at him fully while Osamu gave him a strange look. “You’ve been running away from your soulmate all this time–emotionally, at least. The universe, or whatever, doesn’t think you’re ready for your soulmate yet because you don’t want to meet them and then fall in love with them. Maybe you’re telling yourself that you’re ready to know who your soulmate is if you’re willing to open your heart,” Suna said, glancing over at his canvas as Osau sat silently.

‘The universe does think you’re ready’, maybe Osamu wasn’t. The idea of a soulmate being someone random out there in the world scares him, someone he doesn’t know and could never fall in love with as a soulmate. How could he just start going out with them and not know each other? What if they didn’t fall in love?

“What if I don’t think ‘m ready to meet my soulmate?” Osamu asked Suna as he sighed, standing up and stretching his arms above his head.

“Then ignore the dreams, do anything but meet your soulmate. Your case seems special, I assume nobody has ever gotten a choice from choosing to withhold information of their soulmate, am I correct?” Rintarō asked, smirking slightly at Osamu as he blushed. God, he really loved when they would talk about Soulmates. Suna was someone who always listened to Osamu’s rambles.

“Okay, but what if I wanna meet my soulmate?” Osamu asked, voice hesitant as Suna chuckled at him.

“Then go to sleep, go back to that dream and demand your soulmate to expose themself. If you’re ready, you’re ready. If not, then you’re not.” He finished, walking over into the kitchen as Osamu laid on the couch, considering his options in this matter.

Fuck. Soulmates are difficult.

This was the dream. The one every child looks forward to once since the first moment they’ve learned about soulmates. The dream that tells one who their soulmate is, Osamu was having that dream. He knew it from the moment the blackness of his eyelids faded into a blushed pink. If not that, then the feeling in his heart when he appeared in the school yard. He was walking down the road, having just left one of his classes. This all felt familiar, maybe this took place somewhere at the beginning of the school year.

He was simply walking with his headphones in his ears, a song he didn’t know but recognised blasted through his body. Everything felt real from the way the sun shined down on him to the way his feet hit the pavement. Yet everything felt so different. The way his heart was beating so loud and how his mind was cleared of the emotions from when this had happened so many months ago.

Osamu blinked, falling over in a single second. He knew this moment, but who was it that ran into him? That soft curse sounded in his ear as his body moved without his mind, picking up the stuff of the person. He looked up to meet their face, but it was blurred.

“Sorry,” they said before running off as Osamu tried to see their face, but it was all blurred.

He looked back to the ground, reaching to the wallet he knew was on the ground but not seeing it. He looked back in the direction of where his soulmate ran off too, only to see a library surrounding him. Where was he? Was he still on campus?

A pair of arms wrapped around his neck in a hug, a soft kiss being pressed against his hair. His soulmate stood behind him, holding him so tenderly. A vision of the future is what it was. Osamu looked behind him, their face still blurred but Osamu could feel the familiarity of the face, of the arms, of the feeling in his chest when he looked at them.

“Found you, love,” the voice teased, pulling away again as Osamu reached out to hold onto them. His hand grabbed onto their’s, but faded away after a moment.

Why was his soulmate so unclear? Did this have to do with what.. what was his name? Why couldn’t Osamu think of anyone but his soulmate? What was the name of the guy he spoke about his soulmate dreams too? The person whose arms felt so familiar when his soulmate hugged him, was that person his soulmate?

He opened his eyes, looking around a new area, a new room. A room that looked far too nice to be his dorm. Where was he?

He looked around, eyeing all the pictures sitting around. Many of them consisted of him and somebody standing besides him, that somebody was his soulmate. But the faces were still blurred, but that hair looked so familiar. A loud crash came from the other room as Osamu sat up, panicked. Did his soulmate get hurt? Was the only thought through his head as he rushed out of the bed, opening the door and down the small, but new, hallways into a kitchen area. There they were, wearing a unicorn onesie in the kitchen while trying to make something with pots and pans.

“No! It was a surprise for your birthday, go back to sleep,” they demanded, voice playful as they walked over, trying to push him out of the kitchen.

Osamu turned around, trying to look at their face only to be met with darkness around him. Why was this so difficult? Why would his soulmate not show who they are? He looked up, seeing only pitch darkness, nothing. He sat in the middle of absolutely nothing.

Maybe he just wasn’t meant to find his soulmate, maybe he wasn’t the one running away like that one person said. God, who were they? Why did his heart warm up at the thought of them?

“I’m your soulmate,” a voice whispered, snapping Osamu’s attention away from his head. He looked around, unable to find where the voice came from. “Come to me, dear,” the voice whispered again as Osamu looked in the direction the voice came from. The darkness stood there, surrounding him while he wondered.

“Come to me, Osamu, stop making me wait,” the voice said, slightly getting softer as Osamu started to run towards the direction the voice came from.

The voice didn’t speak again since the moment he took off, but he could feel himself getting closer. Closer to the voice, closer to finding his soulmate. Osamu wouldn’t let them get away before showing themself this time.

“Osamu,” he heard, stopping right in his tracks as a small glow came from beside him. He looked down, seeing a flower on the ground. The colour was switching between red and pink as Osamu bent down to inspect it.

A small piece of paper sat next to it.

“Camellia Japonica,” Osamu read outloud, the name of the flower. A paragraph about the flower was on the back of the paper, but only a few words were highlighted, some of them circled or boxed or underlined. Admiration. Deep longing. Ardent Love. So many more along those lines were highlighted, but Osamu couldn’t read them all as he stood up. The flower in his hand as he looked up. He was back on campus, at the beginning of the dream. But something felt different.

He was walking away from the building where his soulmate studies class was, loud music blasting in his ear. His heart was quiet, almost like it hadn’t been chasing down his soulmate for however long this dream had been. He closed his eyes, sighing before being knocked to the ground, hearing a muffled curse over his music. He pulled them out of his ears, picking up some things the person dropped before handing them over.

His heartbeat sounded in his ear, his cheeks flushing pink as he made eye contact with the person destined to be his soulmate. His face was clear. Osamu gasped.

“Rin is my soulmate,” he said as soon as his eyes opened.

Osamu had left the dorm in a panic after not finding Suna inside. His soulmate. God, how could he have not known? How long has Suna known and kept it secret? Why would the universe keep such a thing from him for nearly the full year he’s known Suna?

The rain outside was getting heavier and heavier as Osamu ran through campus, looking for Suna. His soulmate. But he was nowhere to be found, no matter how many building’s he ran inside to search, no matter how much he searched in the places he usually found him. Suna Rintarō was nowhere to be found, and Osamu was running out of places to search.

He stood in the place they first met, clear as day in his head after that dream. How could he have not known his soulmate was Rintarō? How long had he known, how long had he been loving Osamu from afar? Osamu stopped, looking down at the flowers that bloomed by the sides of the road. Rintarō said he had an exam today, how could Osamu forget.

How legs took off before his mind could think twice. What time was it? Shit, he left his phone at Rin’s dorm, no wonder he hadn’t been messaging him. He knew where Rintarō’s classes were, they’d walk each other to classes so often it was hard to keep track. Osamu had no clue how he got into the building so fast, but there he was, looking around the building for the quickest way to Rintarō’s classroom.

Once that way had been found, Osamu was off again. Running down the halls, dodging other students as he saw the flashes of art on the walls. How many of them were Rin’s, he wondered. As the drawings switched into paintings, Osamu knew he was getting closer. Students walked past him, away from one of the rooms in a way that showed they just got done with an exam. Osamu saw someone he recognised, calling out for him.

“Akaashi!” The guy turned towards him with a hint of wonder, waiting for him to come to a halt before him.

“Hello, Osamu, what brings you here today?” He asked, voice as polite as ever as Osamu tried to catch his breath. He never realised how out of shape he’d gotten since quitting volleyball.

“Have ya seen Rin?” He asked, cheeks flushed as Akaashi tilted his head to the side. “Suna Rintarō,” he clarified as Akaashi let out a small ‘oh’, was it weird for Osamu to use his given name?

“Suna already left, said he had to go find someone real quick,” Akaashi said as he looked Osamu up and down, noticing him in his jammies. “You look like you just woke up,” he commented as Osamu flushed even more, he’d been so wrapped up in finding Rintarō that he’d forgotten to change.

“Suna’s my soulmate, I just got my dream and I gotta find ‘im,” Osamu explained as Akaashi gasped.

“Then why are you still standing here? Go find him!” He raised his voice, pointing in the direction Suna went as Osamu nodded.

“Thank’s Akaashi! I owe ya one!” He yelled as he started to run that way.

“Find your soulmate and then we’ll talk!” He yelled back as Osamu ran further and further, his eyes searching for Rintarō.

This was just like his dream all over again, chasing him all over just to see him. To take him in as his soulmate. Not because he was destined to be with Osamu, but because Osamu loved him. He hadn’t at first, probably never would have if he knew he was when they’d first met. The universe gave him a chance to fall in love with his soulmate on his own, only letting him know once his feelings became so strong, when they became pillars that stood sturdy amongst the brutality of believing he had not been Suna’s soulmate. But now he knew he was, and he would never take his soulmate for granted again.

“Rin!” He yelled as he pushed open the door, following Suna outside. He stood a few feet ahead of him, his head whipping around as he heard his voice. Osamu felt his heart beat become stronger again as he made eye contact with Rintarō, that feeling he’d been feeling in his heart was echoing, sharing Suna’s own heartbeat alongside Osamu’s.

“‘Samu,” he gasped, eyes widening as Osamu ran towards him a bit more, only speeding up when he noticed Suna running away.

“Why are ya runnin’?!” He tried to yell, his voice getting cut up between the heavy breaths he took. He really needed to get back in shape.

Suna was running away, why? He knew Osamu knew, but why would he run away because of that? His eyes always shun when talking about his soulmate, wouldn’t he be happy to know his soulmate wanted him back?

Osamu had to push harder if he wanted to catch Rintarō—curse him and his long legs. He couldn’t let him escape like he did in his dreams, he needed Rintarō to know how he felt, even if he didn’t want him back.

His legs were stiff, everything hurting as he chased Rintarō down the road, the first place they had met. But Rintarō wouldn’t stop, wouldn’t slow down. He seemed to be getting faster as he made his way to the dorms area. Was Rintarō leading Osamu somewhere?

Apparently so as they ran into the Raven hall, Osamu struggled to run up the stairs, having to take a second to catch his breath before running up after him again. Why were they headed to Suna’s dorm? Osamu had just been there how many minutes ago at this point? Might as well have been an hour at least.

He finally made it to the hall of Rintarō’s dorm, not seeing him anywhere in sight. He slowed down, looking at every door until he saw the one marked 214. Suna Rintarō’s room. It stood exactly how it did the day Osamu first came to see him. To ‘return’ his wallet. Osamu chuckled as he stood in front of the door, holding up his fist to knock. But he froze before he could knock. Why did Suna run away when he was him? Did he really not want to be Osamu’s soulmate that badly?

“What’cha doin’?” A voice came from beside him as Osamu startled, looking over to where the voice came from. He made eye contact with Suna, his cheeks flushing at how close he was.

“You’ve been standing in front of my door with your arms raised like you're about to knock. Kind of a strange thing to come home to after a long year of school, and especially right after my hardest exam,” he smirked, raising an eyebrow at Osamu, daring him to play along.

“Sorry, dude, I jus’ spaced out, I guess” he said as Suna hummed, his cheeks slightly pink as he grabbed Osamu’s shoulder.

“Sorry for running away, ‘Samu, I didn’t expect you to come looking for me right after you got your dream,” he huffed, crossing his arms over his torso as Osamu felt his heart flutter. “I just really didn’t wanna deal with that in public, so many eyes, am I right?” He chuckled, avoiding Osamu’s eyes as he held his keys tightly in his hand.

“I remember this, when we first properly spoke to each other,” Osamu said, his voice light as he looked at the door before them. “I stood outside yer dorm for 5 minutes to return yer wallet I found,” he said, earning a snort from Suna.

“Bullshit, you did not find my wallet,” Suna rolled his eyes, looking at Osamu as he blushed.

“I may have taken it from you after we first bumped into each other, I was returning it though!” He tried to explain, earning an even louder laugh from Suna.

“You never stole my wallet, dimwit. I dropped it in front of you while we bumped into each other,” Suna explained as Osamu groaned.

“Ya mean I worked up the courage to talk to ya just because you were messin’ with me?” Osamu asked Suna, a pout lining his lips as Suna just hugged him.

“Of course not, I did it because I wanted to get to know my soulmate,” he said as Osamu wrapped his arms around him as well.

“So.. you’ve known since before we first met?” Osamu asked, looking down at Suna as he shrugged.

“I’ve known since before my final year of highschool ended. I’m not sure why I’ve known for so long, despite not knowing who you were, but I did,” Suna explained, burying his face in Osamu’s chest with a smile on his face.

“Wow,” was all Osamu could think of as a response. “At least you’ve found me now,” he said, voice light as Suna pulled away.

“Yeah, it only took me two years; one to find you, and the other to seduce you,” he teased, unlocking the door to his dorm as Osamu followed him inside.

Osamu didn’t know what to say now, his throat keeping in everything as he sat next to Suna on the couch. This is really happening, Osamu finally found his soulmate, but he still needed some questions answered.

“Why did ya befriend me, Rin, was it really because we’re soulmates or was it because you actually wanted to know who I was as a person?” He started off with, looking Rintarō in the eyes as he sighed.

“Such a deep first question,” he muttered, he must have been expecting Osamu to ask him some things. “At first it was just because we’re soulmates. I’ve been trying to befriend you since the first day I found out we went to the same school. I wanted to know why the universe put us together, what was more inside of me to deserve someone like you as my soulmate. But then I got curious, you seemed nice. So yes, I did befriend you because you were my soulmate, but I stayed friends with you because I started to fall in love with your personality,” he answered, looking Osamu in the eyes as he nodded.

“So was that what the universe wanted for us? To fall in love first before we both knew?” Osamu asked as Suna blushed a deep red.

“Yeah, I guess so,” he chuckled, looking away from Osamu as his face also flushed at his choice of words.

“So, what now?” Osamu asked, still avoiding eye contact with Rintarō, hearing him hum beside him.

“I guess we could kiss, I’ve kinda been wanting to for a long time,” Rintarō admitted, turning slightly towards Osamu.

“We definitely could, I’ve been wanting to for a while as well,” Osamu said, turning towards Rintarō as he huffed.

“You should’ve just kissed me then, dumbass,” he snapped in a way that barely sounded annoyed.

They both leaned in, eyes flickering between each other’s and their lips getting closer and closer. Suna then closed his eyes, halting his movement, waiting for Osamu to meet his lips. Osamu took a breath in before gently pressing their lips together.