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“If I leave before you
And I walk out alone
Keep your hands to yourself
When you follow me home
I don't want love
I don't want love”
-From “I Don’t Want Love” by The Antlers
You would turn eighteen at exactly 1 am, on the dot. You had set up a mirror on your bed, aimed straight at your upper arms.
12 seconds to go…
You wondered which arm it would appear on. That isn’t what really mattered, of course.
7 seconds…
You wondered if you could tell if the person was average or ordinary by just the symbol alone.
3…
2…
1…
The silence in your room suffocated you. Your heart sank into the pit of your stomach.
It looked like a hand with the index and middle finger twisted together. You knew that symbol. You’d seen it every damn day.
Gojo Satoru. Your soulmate was Gojo Satoru.
The weight of your fate crushed you. This was even worse than the outcome you had feared the most. You had prayed for an ordinary person, someone who could whisk you away from this world of curses and responsibilities. You just wanted someone who could offer you the normal life you so desperately craved.
Instead, fate had bound you to the most powerful sorcerer alive, a man whose very existence was a magnet for danger and chaos. A man who would never, ever live an ordinary life.
“No fucking way…” you whispered to yourself, shaking your head frantically as though you could just simply deny what was seared into your right shoulder. You couldn’t accept this. You wouldn’t accept this.
You knew what you had to do. Your clan was skilled in concealment techniques and, with a bit of effort, you covered the mark on your right shoulder, and created a false mark on your left. It was a simple sun, unremarkable in every way. The perfect lie you could craft to fool your family, the world, and maybe even yourself.
The symbol could belong to anyone. Anyone but Gojo Satoru, who had been showing off his mark since his 18th birthday last year.
When the next morning came, your parents’ faces fell at the sight of the ordinary sun on your left shoulder.
“Oh, I was hoping you’d get a powerful sorcerer,” your mother had never sounded more disappointed, “Someone like that nice Satoru boy.” You hid a wince.
Your father crossed his arms, “Are you sure you want to leave our world behind for some ordinary man?”
You shrugged, acting like the decision was out of your hands. “I can’t drag an ordinary person who can’t even see curses into our world,” you replied.
Your parents agreed and, without much more resistance, you headed out to a world where everyone was oblivious to the existence of curses.
A world you had always wanted to be a part of.
—-----------------------------------------------------
1 am on the dot for Gojo Satoru was like waking up in a bath filled with ice cubes. He shot out of his bed, panting and ready to fight whatever curse had found its way into his room. Then, he felt a warmth spreading over his soulmate’s mark and he relaxed, a smile playing across his face.
His soulmate had reached her 18th birthday!
Gojo’s smile widened as he pulled up his sleeve and studied the mark on his arm, the intertwined fingers that must match yours. For months, he had anticipated this moment- the day his soulmate would finally know of their connection!
Then, a strange, muted feeling. As if all of the warmth had been sucked out of him and his senses had been dulled. His smile sank into a frown.
His soulmate was attempting to hide their bond.
He was no stranger to concealment techniques- he was a sorcerer of unparalleled strength. But why would his beloved soulmate try to hide her mark?
It bothered him, but also piqued his curiosity. You must know who he was (everyone did), so why were you trying to hide from him?
Gojo’s frown deepened as the muted sensations got stronger. His soulmate was actively hiding from him. He couldn’t help but wonder, irritation spiking, why you would go to such lengths.
This wasn’t some simple concealment- you were rejecting the bond itself. And how dare you? He was the strongest sorcerer alive, you should be goddamned proud to be his soulmate!
He took a deep breath and tried to remain calm. He’d wait until the morning and find out whose birthday it was. Then, he’d approach you and figure out what you were playing at.
—------------------------------------------------------
One month had passed since your birthday, and you had already gotten yourself a job as a receptionist at a law firm. Your parents’ money would buy you an apartment for a few months, but you’d be expected to take care of yourself after that.
One of the lawyers, a tall, handsome man named Akira, was always stopping by your desk, flirting casually with you. You encouraged it full-heartedly. He was handsome, kind, intelligent and best of all…
He was normal.
Akira smiled as he stopped by your desk for the third time that day, “So, I was wondering-”
Briiiiing
“Sorry, hold that thought,” you winked up at him, picking up the desk phone, “Thank you for calling Hashimoto Law Firm, my name is (Y/n), how may I assist you today?”
There was no response, except for heavy breathing. Unnerved, you tried again, “Thank you for calling, how may I assist you?”
More heavy breathing followed and you gave it one last shot, “If you are speaking, I’m unable to hear you. Please call back again if you are in need of our services.”
You hung up, heart pounding for a reason you couldn’t place. Your right shoulder began to burn and your heart just about stopped altogether.
“What’s the matter?” Akira asked, concern in his voice.
You straightened up, avoiding his gaze, “Just a prank call.”
Akira took the answer with a nod, still looking concerned for you, “Don’t take prank calls too seriously. It’s usually just a kid on the other line.”
You swallowed thickly- you had a feeling you knew exactly who was on the other line.
Akira looked up at the clock, “Ah, it’s time to clock out for the day.” You followed his gaze and your stomach twisted unpleasantly.
“Will you walk me home?” you blurted out.
Akira’s eyebrow raised, “Did that prank call spook you that badly?”
“I’m worried it may be my ex,” you lied, “And if he knows where I work, he could be waiting outside for me.”
Akira smiled and offered you his hand, “No ex-boyfriend will get anywhere near you if I have anything to do with it.”
You smiled back.
The walk to your apartment had your heart pounding in your chest and your hands shaking. Akira’s larger, warmer hand slipped into yours and you squeezed it for reassurance.
You were nearly to your apartment complex when Akira whispered, “Someone’s following us.”
You realized there were not two but three pairs of footsteps walking down this street. You didn’t need to look back to know who it was- the burning on your right shoulder told you all you needed to know.
“You keep going, I’ll tell him off,” Akira said.
You wanted to tell him to stay with you, to not risk his life over you. You wanted to tell him that the person he was going to face was infinitely stronger than him.
But you were selfish.
As soon as Akira turned around, you broke into a run. You heard the man make a confused sound, as though he had tried to punch air (or, more likely, infinity) and then a bloodcurdling scream cut off by the pained, guttural noise of someone being punched so hard that their organs were being ruptured.
Maybe it wasn’t that bad, maybe that was your imagination running wild, but you didn’t turn around to see if you were right. Each time you heard that fleshy sound of a fist caving in someone’s chest, you just ran faster.
As soon as you had reached your apartment, you bolted the apartment door shut, grabbed your suitcase, and began stuffing things inside with trembling hands.
Akira was most likely dead and all you could think about was how you had to change jobs and move right away. Were you heartless?
Maybe. But your soulmate mark wasn’t burning anymore and that was all that mattered.
—----------------------------------------------------
The next morning, you arrived at the law firm, ready to quit. You walked inside and found your boss already waiting for you. “Have you seen Akira? He was meant to be here an hour ago?”
“I haven’t,” you murmured, “Look, I have to quit-”
The door opened behind you and you spun around, hoping it was Akira, safe and sound. Instead, you were met with the sight you wanted to see least.
A tall man with white hair and a blindfold around his eyes. Gojo Satoru in the flesh.
“Oh, Mr. Gojo! Yes, you must be! Ah, why don’t you take that thing off your face?” your boss was quick to welcome the man, “Take a seat, (Y/n), you can take notes for us since Akira’s slept in.”
You remained standing, frozen in place as Gojo walked by you. Your soulmate was scalding hot, burning your skin so hotly that you let out a small hiss of pain.
“I’ll keep this on, if you don’t mind,” Gojo said, his voice carefree, “Now, about what we talked about yesterday…”
You began to inch towards the door.
“(Y/n), please take notes,” your boss said sternly. You jumped at the sharp tone of voice and found yourself helplessly obeying.
I need to quit. I need to leave!
Your thoughts didn’t match your actions. All you could do was hope that Gojo didn’t feel anything on his soulmate mark.
“So, Mr. Gojo, I understand you wanted to start a legal case about securing your soulmate?” your boss asked.
All of the blood drained from your face.
“Yes,” you couldn’t see Gojo’s stunning blue eyes but you knew they were looking directly at you, “You see, she’s a shy one. But, legally, I own her since she’s my soulmate. And she owns me, of course, too, but she’s not the one filing for an arranged marriage here.”
The two men shared a laugh as you began to feel faint. Unsteadily, you wobbled for a moment, before you collapsed to the floor.
“(Y/n)?” your boss stood up, surprised, “Should I call for medical attention?”
“Oh, that’s alright,” Gojo said, reaching out for you with a vicious grin.
“You see, I know just what she needs.”