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What is a soulmate?
Satoru still remembers asking that innocent question to his nanny. His 4-year-old self tucked his nanny sleeve as he was curious after hearing some other maids congratulating their friend for meeting her soulmate.
Gojo Satoru, the sole heir of Gojo Corp., the young master of the Gojo Family, the golden child—the perfect heir—
Satoru was already tired of hearing all of that flattery bullshit. He was a lonely child; his parents were too busy managing their family business, almost never giving him affection. ‘This is for your future, Satoru.’ They said.
Satoru knew that; he knew that everything his parents did was for him, for his future; but he was lonely. He wanted someone to pay attention to him and give him endless affection. To care about him.
Not even his childish tantrums could make his parents bat eyes at him. It only gave their family servants more headaches and made them more annoyed with their young master. So, Satoru just stopped; it’s useless.
So, when he accidentally heard about how happy the maid was when she met her soulmate, he was curious. There was someone already waiting for him, who would give him endless attention and affection. Satoru couldn’t wait to meet them!
With sparkly eyes, he begged his nanny to tell him about soulmate. The middle-aged woman just smiles gently, gesturing for her young master to sit.
‘Soulmate is a person with whom one has a feeling of deep or natural affinity. Once Young Master meets your soulmate, you will instantly click with them, sensing a natural bond between the two of you. It will become the most romantic memory in your life. It will feel warm, fluffy, and make your stomach flutter. After your first contact with them, a red string will appear and tie the two of you until the rest of your life. That’s usually when people know who their soulmate is, but don’t worry, the red string will disappear after the adult does their job, so Young Master doesn’t have to worry about it!’
Satoru believed in his nanny’s word like a gospel. After all, his nanny never told him anything wrong.
But now he might consider it because it doesn’t feel like that. He doesn’t feel warm or fluffy, and his stomach doesn’t flutter after meeting his soulmate.
Instead, he feels angry, upset, and embarrassed after being punched in the face by the said soulmate. Satoru doesn’t think that soulmates are capable of hurting each other, but here he is, being punched and sent flying into a wall. The only good thing that comes out of this mess is the fact that he doesn’t have any broken bones.
He could hear people shouting, trying to arbitrate them. Satoru just gives Fushiguro Megumi, his soulmate, a dirty look while the said boy just gives him a blank stare, his fist still clenched and promising another painful punch if he tried to do something funny again.
People say that meeting your soulmate is the most romantic memory in your life; it is supposed to be warm, fluffy, and make your stomach flutter. But for Satoru, he met his soulmate after the boy punched him in the face.
It all happened because of some stupid quarrel, really. Satoru himself feels dumb for doing that, honestly.
Today is the first day of school, and his six-year-old self is excited as he can finally leave his big and cold mansion to live in the school dorm with his friends, namely Suguru and Shoko. The three of them have been childhood friends since they were babies.
Their new school is a private academy for mostly rich people, so he mostly knew everyone else in his year, with the exception of those who don’t belong to high society. Commoners, as they dubbed them.
There are three commoners in his class: Kugisaki Nobara, Itadori Yuuji, and Fushiguro Megumi. The two formers, despite coming from commoner families, still own reputable businesses in industry. But the last, Fushiguro Megumi, came from a really humble family, even for a commoner standard.
A father who works as a construction worker, a mother who works as a civil servant at city hall, and a son with the most stinky deadpan face and cute annoying pout; who was smart and lucky enough to get a scholarship to the most esteemed academy in the country
At first, Satoru didn’t want to do anything with those three, especially with Fushiguro Megumi. They've lived in different worlds, and there’s no way they will meet each other again after they finish their 12-year school lives.
But somehow, Satoru couldn’t help but be attracted to the sea urchin head. He didn’t know what happened, but he was sure that Fushiguro Megumi cast a spell on him to make Satoru couldn’t help but stare and observe him. Satoru couldn’t chase away Fushiguro Megumi from his head.
It bothered the young master of the Gojo family so much that he planned to confront the sea urchin head after school ended. He wanted to tell him to leave him alone and stop bothering him.
“Fushiguro Megumi, right?”
Satoru asked, and he confronted the poor young boy with Suguru and Shoko-the two of them were curious and just wanted to tag along and watch. Megumi turned his head back, his big, adorable pair of emerald eyes meeting a sky-blue one. The black-haired boy was currently hanging out with Itadori and Kugisaki. Figures, commoners would like to flock around together.
“What can I do to help you?”
Fushiguro Megumi tried to answer as politely as possible, but it still irked Satoru because how can this boy speak that casually to him when he was having a hard time gathering the courage to talk and confront him?!
“I don’t know what your problem is with me, but I hope you’ll stop bothering me.”
Megumi gave him a confused look.
“But I don’t even know you? I think this is our first interaction ever.”
“Stop denying it!”
Megumi’s eyebrows twitched in annoyance.
“I’m not. This conversation is over. If you can, please leave us alone.”
Megumi said as he walked away with his friends. Satoru didn’t know what possessed him, but he immediately grabbed Megumi’s small hand and said something that he would regret for the rest of his life.
“For a commoner like you, you really don’t have any manners. Did your parents not teach you? Oh, I’m sorry, they must be working very hard and not sparing any glance at you-“
The next thing he noticed was how hurt his right cheek and head were, as well as the ton of people shouting about something-he didn’t give a damn about it since his head hurt like hell. He knew that Suguru and Shoko were asking for something, but he couldn’t tell about what. He threw a dirty and angry glare toward Megumi, and the said boy just blankly stared at him, fist clenched, promising more pain if he dared to badmouth his parents again.
Their ‘fight’ attracted many people; even teachers came. One of the professors widened when he saw a thin, red string floating in the air, tied to both Satoru and Megumi’s little fingers.
They’re actually soulmates. What kind of sick joke was this?!
One of the teachers quickly guided Satoru to the school infirmary, too scared if one of the school’s top donors' sons got badly injured because of some silly banter. The school also informed their parents about the soul bond.
Satoru met his soulmate when he was 6 years old. But it was far beyond what he expected. The supposed fuzzy and warm feeling was replaced with anger and embarrassment. Satoru knew he messed up, but he never expected that Fushiguro Megumi dared to punch him in the face. How can they become soulmates?!
‘What does it mean to be soulmates?’
Satoru couldn’t help but wonder.
The next day after their disastrous meeting, both Satoru and Megumi have a really tense atmosphere between the two of them and it’s so unbearable.
Satoru knows he deserves that punch; he spoke too much after all. It even made his parents, his too busy parents who couldn’t even spare a second for him, talk to him at dinner to apologize to Megumi.
Even without his parents’ asking, he already plans to do that; after all, he has manners.
He wants to apologize to the said boy after their class ends, just before Megumi goes back to his home. But unfortunately, Satoru’s plan is wrecked, as he is surprised to see his parents picking him up from school.
Along with Megumi’s parents and Megumi.
Of course, the only reason his parents bothered to see him is because of the soulmate bond. They must want to talk about the bond with the Fushiguros.
They eat dinner at one of the fanciest restaurants in the city. The Gojo spouses book the entire floor for them so they can discuss his and Megumi’s bond freely.
Satoru’s father takes the lead of the conversation first, apologizing to Megumi’s father and mother about Satoru’s behavior toward their son the day before. Megumi’s father, Fushiguro Toji, is surprisingly well-mannered and acts really natural with casual business dinner like this, like he used to it for years, unlike his wife, who is visibly tensed and nervous.
Satoru then learns that Fushiguro Toji is the former heir of the Zen’in corp, their longtime family rival, and knowing that Satoru is the soulmate of Toji’s son is a pleasant surprise since Satoru’s parents want to intertwine formal business with the Zen’in. What is better than a marriage alliance? They also already talked to the Zen’in patriarch last night, and the old man agreed.
“I must say that I’m really surprised to meet you again, Fushiguro-san. To think that we will become in law in the future! Fate is really surprising, huh?”
Satoru’s father laugh, Toji just offers him a polite smile.
“Likewise, Gojo-san. I never think that we will meet again under this circumstance.”
“Hahaha! You’re right. Speaking of circumstance, since we know Megumi-kun and Satoru are soulmates, how about we prepare for their wedding as soon as possible? I think fall wedding suit them.”
Satoru freezes; wedding?! Is his father still sane?! Everyone in the dining hall is tensed. Even Megumi, who is sitting beside him, grips his sleeve, clearly uncomfortable with the topic.
“I think it’s too soon for them to marry, Gojo-san.”
Toji tries to give the Gojo patriarch some common sense. Gosh, he’s so not ready to send his only child to high society again, especially after all of the effort he put in order to give his wife and child a normal and seclude life.
“Nonsense! It’s common to marry soulmates after they meet each other, Fushiguro-san! Of course we need to prepare Megumi-kun to enter high society first-“
Toji quickly cuts the Gojo patriarch’s words.
“They’re still children, Gojo-san. Let them become children first. I'm not against them being married, but it’s too soon for them. Let them enjoy their childhood first.”
The head of the Fushiguro family tries to convince Satoru’s father, and after a few seconds, Satoru’s father nods.
“I guess that makes sense. Alright, then they will be engaged until they’re of the appropriate age to marry.”
Toji nods in satisfaction.
“That sounds good for me. As long as both of them agree, I don’t mind.”
Then the two of them continue chatting, with sometimes both of the wives’ chimes in while the children just eat their dinner in silence. In the end, only Satoru’s father and Toji’s words mattered. Not even his or Megumi’s opinion mattered. The two children just sit timidly, listening to a discussion about their future, and they cannot even protest against it.
Satoru doesn’t really remember what happened after that. His body moves in autopilot, and the next thing he knows, he already sits on his seat the next day. They wear an engagement ring that’s too big for their small fingers, so they wear it as a necklace. And from what he remembers, his father said something about keeping their marriage certificate, which will be officialized as soon as they reach 18 years old. Tying them for the rest of their lives.
Everything feels so surreal for Satoru. So much happened in less than three days, and it makes his head hurt. Before he knows, the day has already passed, and most of the children are already leaving the classroom, except for him and one other student.
Even without turning his head back, Satoru knows that Megumi remains in the classroom after convincing Itadori and Kugisaki that he will be fine being alone with Satoru. The two of them need a private talk after all.
Satoru approaches Megumi’s desk, grabs a chair, and sits in front of him.
“I’m sorry for what I said before.”
He apologizes earnestly; it actually hurts his heart to see Megumi look so hurt and confused like this.
“I… I also apologize for punching you before… Does it still hurt?”
‘It does; it hurts like hell, and god only knows where you learn to punch like that’ Satoru thought grimly, but seeing how concerned, worried, and stressed Megumi is, he decides not to tell him.
“Nah, it doesn't hurt anymore.”
There are a few minutes of awkward silence between them before Satoru decides to start a conversation.
“I didn’t expect that it would turn out like this, but I promise you that I will try to make it work for our sake.”
‘Yes, for our sake, not for our parents’ sake. Though they’re the ones who decided things for us, it’s us who are living it.’
“Gojo-kun…”
“Yes?”
Gosh, Satoru hates how small Megumi’s voice is; it’s so unfitting for him, especially with the cold and confident voice he gave him three days ago.
“What does it mean for us to be soulmates?”
Satoru honestly doesn’t know either; it’s too sudden for him. One day he was just fantasying about having a soulmate that would love you unconditionally, and then he got punched in the face by the said soulmate, and the next thing he knew was that both of them were engaged and would spend the rest of their lives together because their parents said so.
“Honestly, I don’t know.”
He answers truthfully, too tired and confused to think of a lie.
“I-I don’t want this…”
Megumi suddenly starts to sob before crying, which alarms Satoru. It hurts Satoru’s heart when he hears that Megumi doesn’t want this, but calming him is his top priority.
He awkwardly embraces the black-haired boy and pats his head.
“It will be okay…”
Satoru hates how small his voice is, like he’s afraid that he will break and cry soon. He can’t, he can’t cry because who will calm Megumi down?
The two stay in that position for a good couple minutes before Megumi calms down. Satoru then offers to drive Megumi home, to which Megumi easily agrees. The poor young child is beyond mentally exhausted.
After calling his driver, both Satoru and Megumi sit comfortably inside the car. They aren’t talking during the entire drive, but the silence isn't as awkward as before; rather, it’s kinda comfortable.
Satoru bids his last goodbye after dropping Megumi off in front of his house.
“See you tomorrow, Megumi.”
“Um, see you tomorrow, Gojo-kun.”
After that ride, the barrier between the two crumbled a little bit. Satoru keeps his promise as he tries to put down his pride and shallow it. For both of their sake.
Megumi also tries to open himself more to Satoru, and in the end, the two agree to spare at least two hours to get to know each other better—one hour from their lunch break and another one after the school end—usually they just study in the library or in Satoru’s dorm room.
Small steps, but this small progress is more than enough for Satoru.
“Megumi! Satoru-kun! How’s your day?”
Megumi’s mother happily greets them as Satoru walks Megumi to the school gate after their study session. Megumi happily runs into his mother embrace; honestly it makes Satoru envy him.
“I’m doing great, Ma’am. Thankyou.”
Satoru politely answers his future mother-in-law; he then notices a familiar car, his family car. Megumi’s mother, who notices Satoru’s confusion, quickly explains things.
“Ah, since Megumi will be Satoru-kun's spouse in the future, we decide to give him an etiquette lesson so he can adapt to high society… Of course you can join him if you want, Satoru-kun!”
Megumi gives Satoru a hopeful look. sending a signal that he doesn’t want to do it alone.
Satoru sighs. Fine, he will do it, for their future relationship’s sake. The young master of the Gojo family smiles politely.
“Sure, I’d love to.”
“Perfect!”
The young mother beams in happiness.
Ever since then, Megumi has always been driven by a chauffeur and attends etiquette lessons with Satoru every weekend. Megumi is already smart and fast-learned, and after only two years, their parents agree that Megumi is ready to live in the school dorm, to get more opportunity to interact and familiarize himself with his classmates, who are the majority of whom are part of high society-and maybe forge some connection or learn more about them.
Megumi, of course, agreed. He, just like himself, doesn’t want to disappoint or worry his parents.
So, when Satoru’s parents say that he’s ready, Megumi is ready. Though Satoru knows better that he isn’t. He isn’t ready to part with his mother, with his father, with his bedroom, with his two dogs-he knows that Megumi sobs and is silently crying when he hugs his dogs for the last time before leaving his home to the dorm. It makes Satoru want to tell them the truth that Megumi isn’t ready yet. But he can’t, not when Megumi himself is already determined. Satoru honestly admired his bravery.
Satoru sighs as he lays himself on his mattress. He’s really tired after helping Megumi move into the dorm. Megumi’s room is on the third floor, while his is on the second floor.
Satoru is so tired, but he can’t sleep. His gut is telling him that he is missing something, but he doesn’t know what.
He stayed on his bed for a good 15 minutes before he heard a small knock, and then it clicked.
Oh
Even without asking, Satoru knows who is knocking on his door in the middle of the night like this. He opens his door and opens his arms to the person behind the door, his soulmate. Megumi goes into his arms and hugs him tightly. Of course, Megumi would feel uncomfortable living alone in the dorm.
They hug for a good five minutes before Megumi lets him go and takes Satoru’s hand. Satoru sighs, looks like he won’t be sleeping alone tonight.
“Alright, we can sleep together tonight. Do you mind it?”
Megumi’s face immediately brightens as he’s literally radiating and the sight immediately washes all of Satoru’s tiredness from his body.
“Mmn! I’d love to! I’m sorry if I disturb you-“
Satoru quickly cuts him
“You’re not. We’re soulmates, remember?”
Satoru answers as he drags Megumi into his room. Preparing another pillow and blanket for him
“What does it mean for us to be soulmates?”
Satoru finds himself being asked the same question by Megumi, but this time he knows the answer, at least for this time.
“We can be friends first; it’s okay to take things slowly.”
Megumi smiles at the answer, satisfied.
“I like that.”
“Me too. Now come on, we need to go to sleep since we have school tomorrow.”
Both of them sleep without issue after that-only to be woken up by their mother dorm’s ruckus, as she’s panicked when she didn’t find Megumi in his room.
After some explanation and persuasion, the dorm mother agrees to move Megumi room next to Satoru. Both of them are satisfied with this result, though they’re tired as hell after packing and unpacking Megumi’s stuff for the second time.
It’s been four years since Megumi moved into the dorm, and the relationship between the two of them has improved a lot. They’re friends—really good friends.
And a source of new dilemma for Satoru, at least for him.
Satoru has fallen for Fushiguro Megumi since, god forbid how long. It’s not even him who noticed that he loved Megumi; it was Shoko who pointed it out for him. And Suguru also patiently helped him when he was in his denial phase.
It took months for Satoru to finally admit that yes, he actually fell for Megumi and loved him, that he wanted to marry him as soon as they graduated, and that he was so relieved that they’re already engaged, so he didn’t need to worry about other people making moves on Megumi.
But what can he do with his so-not-obvious crush? his friends’ words, not his since they said that everyone in school already knew about their so ‘enemies to lovers’ arc and the only oblivious one is Megumi and him. Satoru is already satisfied with what they have right now, and he doesn’t want to destroy it. He might love Megumi, but does Megumi think the same? Didn’t Megumi once say that he doesn’t want all of this? What will happen if he confesses his love, Megumi rejects him, and they become distant? Satoru doesn’t want that.
“Satoru?”
Satoru blinks, waking up from his daydreaming. It’s been a year since Megumi started to call him by his given name, and it made Satoru fly over the moon.
"Ah, sorry, what are we talking about again?”
Satoru apologetically smiles, scratching his not itchy head. They’re currently chilling inside Satoru’s dorm; the summer heat is killing them and the library air conditioner is out of service. Satoru stares at their half-eaten pudding and pastries, along with their half-empty drinks.
Megumi pouts, gosh, he’s so cute…
“It’s almost summer break, Satoru!”
“And your point is?”
Satoru asks, raising his left eyebrow.
“Do you have any plans this summer?”
Satoru grimes as he remembers his parents’ words, 'Sorry, Satoru, our new company has some troubles that required us to stay this summer… You are okay spending your summer in the school dorm, right?’ Right, they care about their business more than their son; ‘for me, my ass.’ Satoru thought as he rolls his eyes.
“Unfortunately, my parents are busy, so I’m staying here. It’s not like a surprise or anything since I know their latest business investment doesn’t do as well as they expected.”
Megumi looks at him sympathetically. Gosh, he’s so cute and caring… It makes Satoru’s heart melt.
“How about coming with me and my family to my mother’s home? It’s in the countryside, but it’s so beautiful! I will teach you how to ride a horse!”
Megumi excitedly exclaims as he takes Satoru’s hands; Satoru couldn’t help but blink a few times, clearly caught off guard. Satoru feels like heat is creeping up on his face.
“I don’t mind it, but my parents-“
Megumi quickly cuts him
“I already asked Uncle and Auntie. They’re okay with it because we are soulmates!”
Megumi happily announces, and Satoru just sighs softly. Megumi really surprises him, huh, to think that the quiet, stoic child grows up to be charming and adorable like this…
“Oh yeah, speaking of that... I want to make sure again…”
Megumi suddenly wonders.
“What does it mean for us to be soulmates, Satoru?”
Megumi once again innocently asks, but unlike his previous answer, this one hurt Satoru’s heart.
‘It means I love you-I love you, and I hope you reciprocate my feeling. I want to officialize our relationship.’
"It's still the same as before, Megumi; we can take things slow.”
Somehow, the words feel bitter for Satoru, and seeing Megumi beaming at his answer, he doesn’t know how to feel.
“I like that! I’m glad that we’re really good friends, Satoru. I’m so lucky to have you.”
Good friends; Megumi only considers him as his good friend, unlike Satoru who is already fell in love with him. it hurts so much-
Satoru forces himself to smile. The two of them then continue to talk until dinner.
Satoru couldn’t finish his dinner and go to bed early that night.
It’s been three, almost four years since Satoru’s first summer holiday with the Fushiguros, and honestly, Satoru enjoyed it a lot. And since then, Satoru has often tagged along with the Fushiguros since his parents were too busy.
And since then, their relationship has become… somehow strange. And lately, Megumi also feels funny every time he finds himself around Satoru.
‘Think about Satoru later, Megumi! You have a promise to fulfill—oh, it’s still about Satoru!’
Megumi curses himself as he walks faster to the tribune. Their basketball club is currently having a match against their sister school, and Satoru is the captain of their basketball club. Megumi already promised Satoru to watch his match.
Thankfully, both Yuuji and Nobara save him a seat in a strategic place so he can see Satoru’s play clearly. He arrives just in time, as the first quarter has just started.
‘He looks so sparkling and handsome today... Wait, why am I thinking about this?!’
Megumi couldn’t help but wonder; he feels like his face is getting warmer.
“Woah, you’re so red, Megumi! Are you okay?”
Yuuji exclaims, surprised to see one of his best friends become red like a tomato. Megumi quickly shakes his head.
“I-I’m okay! I’m just... uh... did you notice something wrong with Satoru?”
Now Nobara gets interested in the conversation as she ditches the basketball match and fully gives her attention to Megumi.
“Hoh, tell me more about it?”
“Well… Recently, I feel like Satoru has become more sparkly and handsome? Not that he’s not good-looking or anything like that! His smiles also look cuter…”
Both Nobara and Yuuji eye each other, having a telepathic conversation before shaking hands.
“Finally!”
“Yes!”
Megumi just blink, what just happened?
But before he could even ask what was wrong, he heard a lot of squeals from the girl's seat. He hears them screaming and giving Satoru’s support.
Wait, is Satoru that popular?
“Yuuji, Nobara, is Satoru popular?”
Both of his best friends give him startled looks. Does this boy just not pay attention to everything or what?!
“Dude, you’re joking…”
“Gojo-san is one of the most popular boys in school, Megumi! He gets at least one confession every week!”
Huh? Did Satoru get that many? But why did he never see him with another girl and only spend time with him?
“But-“
Sensing Megumi’s confusion, Nobara decides to help him.
“He’s too loyal to you, Megumi. He only has his eyes on you.”
Wait-does that mean…. Satoru likes him? Him? The one who punched him in the face on their first day in school?
“Megumi, look! He sees you—oh, and he’s waving!”
Yuuji exclaims excitedly and hurries for Megumi to see it. Megumi sees Satoru wave his hand; his bright smile dazzles Megumi so much. He looks so good, so handsome. Megumi waves back, smiling and shouting at him.
“Satoru! Keep going! You can do it!”
Satoru gives him a wide grin and thumbs up before he goes back to the court. Megumi then goes back to his seat, only to be surprised by his best friends’ smug faces.
“What?”
He asks annoyedly
“You fall for him!”
“Yup!”
Then it all clicked.
Oh
Oh
Satoru didn’t get more sparkly or handsome; he saw things like that because he loved him.
He loves him; he loves Satoru.
“Oh my god... I love Satoru.”
Megumi exclaims, and Yuuji and Nobara, who sit beside him, finally hug each other.
“Finally!! Is this for real? You’re really figuring out that you like Gojo-san?”
“I’m not dreaming, right?”
Megumi ignores his best friends’ dramatic antics as he realizes in horror
“I love him; what do I do?!”
He exclaims in panic; he doesn’t have the slightest idea what to do.
“Calm down, you freak! Did you bring something for him?”
Nobara asks, and Megumi nods.
“Yeah… I made honey lemons for him… my father often snacks with them after workout…”
“Great! Now give them after the match is finished! I’m sure he will be over the moon!”
The match finishes with Satoru’s team's victory. Megumi can feel the entire tribunes are roaring in excitement, congratulating them. Megumi then quickly slips into the locker room, waiting for the basketball club members to finish their shower.
“Oh, Fushiguro-kun! Are you waiting for the captain? Wait, let me call him for you-Captain! Your lover is here!!”
Megumi could hear some crashing and shouting before Satoru appeared, clearly flustered.
“You-“
“Yeah, yeah, captain, enjoy your time~”
Satoru just glares at his teammate annoyedly before he clears his throat.
“So… I heard that you’re looking for me?”
Megumi shyly nods.
“Yes… uh…”
Wait, why is it so hard for him to speak to Satoru? He usually doesn’t have any difficulty talking to him! Is this a love effect?!
Megumi shakes his head quite violently, and it almost gives Satoru concern.
“I’m uh… "Congratulations for winning the competition!”
“Oh… thanks…”
"And, uh-I made this for you! This is good for athletes like you!”
Satoru chuckles, happily opening the container.
“Let’s eat it together?”
Satoru offers, Megumi just nods and allows himself to be guided to private space. The two then eat the honey lemon in comfortable silence.
“This is so good, Megumi. Thank you.”
Megumi beams in happiness, but then he becomes curious about his best friends’ words.
‘He only has his eyes on you.’
Is he worth that much in Satoru’s eyes? Is it because they’re soulmates? He couldn’t help but want to ask.
“Satoru…”
“Yes?”
“Do… do you love me?”
Uhuk!
Satoru chokes on his honey lemon, Megumi quickly gives him water. After wheezing a few times, Satoru stares at Megumi with a red face.
“Yes, I love you, Megumi.”
Satoru finally said it, with a confident voice, he did it.
“Then…”
Megumi is really red; he blushes, and his voice becomes smaller and smaller. It’s so goddamn cute! Satoru could die on the spot because of that.
“What does it mean for us to be soulmates, Satoru?”
“It means mutual love. I love you, Megumi; I really do.”
Megumi blinks a few times, and he thinks he gets even redder than before—it even makes Satoru concerned because he is afraid that Megumi will pass out.
“I… I also harbor a mutual love for you, Satoru… I-I’m sorry since it takes me too long to realize it…”
He shyly confesses. Satoru malfunctions for a few seconds before his eyes beam in happiness and hug him. Megumi yelps in surprise.
“I’m so happy, Megumi! I-I can’t believe that we-we are... uh... lovers?”
Satoru’s voice becomes smaller as he realizes what he is saying. His face is red, or even redder than Megumi.
“Y-yes… We’re official now.”
“G-good…”
Megumi feels uncomfortable as Satoru stares at him intensely, ‘What does he want?’ Megumi couldn’t help but wonder.
“Satoru?”
“Yeah?”
“Why do you keep staring at me?”
Satoru scratches his left cheek, as he feels hotness start creeping into his face. ‘Don’t chicken out, Satoru!’
“I-uh… Iwannatokissyou”
He speaks so fast that Megumi barely understands what he’s saying, but he caught one word.
Kiss
Oh
Oh
Satoru wants to kiss him. Does he want to? Absolutely yes.
“I… don’t mind if you want to kiss me…” Gosh, this is so embarrassing. He wants to die…
Satoru perks up; he’s still embarrassed as hell, but there’s no way he passes this opportunity.
“Here I come, Megumi.”
It’s a clumsy kiss as expected; they’re both clueless and inexperienced in dating after all, but for them, it’s an unforgettable memory.
Many said that the first kiss tastes like lemon; Megumi agrees on that. Satoru tastes like fresh lemon, with a sweet hint from honey.
The new couple then enjoys continuing to eat Megumi’s honey lemon, still feeling over the moon after their confession and first kiss.
They’re finally in their last year of high school—almost on their last day too, since they already finished their studies and exams. And now, both Satoru and Megumi do what every last-year high school student does.
Packing their stuff and reminiscing about their school day. As cheesy as it sounds, the two of them enjoy it-though it's not like they will be separated for years since they’re attending the same university, just different faculty. Satoru will pursue a degree in economics and business, while Megumi will pursue a degree in law.
Both of their circle of friends already helped them pack and sent the majority of their stuff back to their representative home. They only need to pack some other basic stuff and clean up their room.
It’s almost lunchtime when they manage to clean their entire rooms without finding any dust or trash in the corners of their rooms.
“Ugh… this is so tiring!”
Satoru moans as he cracks his back. Oh, that sounds so painful.
"Are you okay, Satoru?”
Megumi asks in concern, he’s sitting on the bed, folding his last piece of clothing before stuffing it into his suitcase.
“I’m not! I’m dying, Megumi! Please console me!”
The white-haired teenager whines loudly as he throws himself into Megumi’s lap. Megumi yelps a bit since he is surprised. He throws a dirty look toward his lover, and Satoru just smiles sheepishly.
“Stop smiling like that! It makes me want to punch your face.”
Megumi threats jokingly. Satoru just laughs.
“Hahaha! How scary! I still remember the first time we met! You punched me in the face! Gosh, it hurts so much that I think I might die!”
Megumi looks scandalized as he throws light punches toward Satoru.
“You said that it didn’t hurt!”
“Well, back then you almost cried—there's no way I said that your punch hurt like hell! I didn’t have the heart to do that!”
“Satoru, you-!”
“What?”
Satoru asks teasingly, and he grins before he sits up.
“But if not for that punch, I don’t think I can get a lover that adorable!”
Satoru says happily as he attacks Megumi with his hug and starts kissing him, making the smaller boy wiggle, trying to break free.
“Satoru, stop! You-wait, wait! Stop kissing me, damn it!”
“Never! You will be bound to me for eternity since we are soulmates!”
After resisting for ten minutes, Megumi gives up and resigns to his fate, letting Satoru kiss him and almost making him pass out if he didn’t throw a quite strong punch at the white-haired teenager.
“Hah… hah… Satoru, you little piece of shit!”
“I’m your little piece of shit!”
He happily exclaims, Megumi just pouts, but it makes Satoru more excited.
Megumi folds his arms angrily before, once again, asking the same question.
“What does it mean for us to be soulmates, Satoru?”
Satoru raises one of his eyebrows, not expecting this question at all.
“I thought we had already passed this question?”
“Just answer it, Satoru!”
“Fine, fine, we love each other and are already engaged-wait, you’re not asking me to propose to you, right?”
Satoru exclaims in panic; he has not even prepared anything, damn it! He wants his proposal to be perfect! Not lamely like this! Who in the right mind proposes inside an empty room while being sweaty and tired from hellish cleaning labor-
“I-I didn’t mean that-uh I mean, I’d love to, but maybe after we finish college?”
Satoru’s misunderstanding makes Megumi blush; he never thought that Satoru already thought to that side! Not that he minds, but is it too soon?!
“O-oh… sure…”
The two then awkwardly stay silent, and the tension is so palpable. Megumi, clearly not comfortable with the awkwardness, is trying to explain himself without shuttering as much as he can.
“W-what I mean is... to officialize our r-relationship… I-I know our parents already engaged us when we were 6 years old, b-but I want another engagement with our consent…”
Megumi shily explains himself, Satoru’s eyes spark with happiness.
“Megumi… of course I will do it! What do you want, Megumi? Public proposal? Or a private one? How about in your favorite restaurant-“
Megumi quickly cut Satoru before he could ramble more.
“Surprise me then.”
Satoru grins, clearly liking the challenge.
“Oh, I will. Just prepare yourself, Megumi.”
Megumi chuckles
“I’m looking forward to it.”
.
.
.
.
.
In the end, Satoru proposes on their graduation day, at a private dinner with their friends-they party wildly until morning, and it was one of their best days in their lives.
When people ask them what it means for them to be soulmates, both of them just stare at each other and laugh,
‘It means all of our hard work, pain, and love that make us be together.’