Work Text:
Your favorite color is yellow.
You don’t know this until you meet them.
Everyone lives in shades of grey, skylines painted dull tones that buildings reflect throughout the cities. It’s normal to know that a tree is green but not be able to see it. Everyone knows of colors, of blue skies and orange sodas, of rolling hills painted sweet yellow with canola fields and dotted with purple wildflowers.
You’ve heard descriptions of the beautiful shades the world exists in your whole life and listened enthusiastically, in hopes that one day you would see them too. But more than the colors, you were excited to meet them.
Your soulmate.
The one person on Earth that could change the way you see the world.
The day that it happened was just like any other day– you’re running late to work, iced coffee in hand as you bob and weave through the crowded sidewalk. One misstep was all it took, your shoe hit a bump in the cement and suddenly you were falling forward. You barely had time to yelp before you crashed into the person in front of you, the lid of your coffee cup popping off and spilling liquid down the front of their shirt. They catch you in steady arms and help stabilize you.
“You okay?” a smooth voice asks. You tilt your head up to see them and bonk the crown of your head against their chin.
“Fuck, I’m so sorry–” you start apologizing, ducking your head and leaning away to avoid further injury, but as you look up and open your eyes the words die in your throat.
The man in front of you was wearing a loose t-shirt and hoodie, cargo pants, and sneakers that were well worn, with a guitar case slung across his back. Your mind barely registers any of that before your eyes meet his, and despite the fact that you’ve never seen it before, you know they’re yellow.
They shine like the sunlight peeking through the clouds above, bright and warm. The color fills you with a sense of ease, providing comfort and familiarity in something that should be so foreign to you. His hair is bright too, so vibrant that it’s difficult not to stare. He has a black streak through it, and it falls around his shoulders, a loose strand tucked behind an ear with too many piercings to count.
You look back at his eyes and find them staring straight into yours.
“It’s you,” he exhales in shock. His face splits into a wide grin and he grabs you roughly by the shoulders, shaking you, “My name is Denki Kaminari, are you free right now?” You stare at him in shock, utterly entranced by the rosy shade dusting his cheeks.
“I-I’m late for work,” you say weakly. His smile doesn’t falter as he releases one shoulder and whips out his phone, hastily tapping a few buttons before handing it to you.
“Can I have your number so we can meet up when you get off?” he asks eagerly. Your heart thumps heavily in your chest, overwhelmed by how quickly everything is happening but terrifyingly excited to see where it will go.
“Yeah, I’d love that,” you reply, accepting the phone and typing in your number. The name section is already filled out with the words My Amazing Soulmate and it makes you chuckle. You hand his phone back. “I’m Y/N.” His smile grows even wider somehow.
“I don’t want to make you even later– your business casual get-up makes your job seem important, so I’ll catch you after your shift!” he says happily as he types something on his phone and pockets it. “I know we don’t really know each other, but can I give you a hug?” he asks sheepishly.
Your face flushes and you don’t trust your voice not to be shaky so you nod. He leans in and envelopes you in a warm hug, tucking his chin over your shoulder and squeezing tight.
“I can’t wait to get to know you, Y/N,” he says softly in your ear. Your body grows warm and you force yourself to hug him back, finding it easier to accept and more comforting than you had expected. Maybe it was because you were soulmates, or maybe Denki just gave great hugs.
“Likewise,” you reply dumbly, kicking yourself as the words leave your mouth. He laughs and pulls away.
“I’ll see you soon,” he says firmly, giving you a mock solute and then disappearing into the crowd. It happens so seamlessly and so quickly that you find it hard to believe he was ever there at all. But there is one massive detail in your life that will forever be proof of how drastically your world has changed– the colors of the world all around you.
As you walk to work in a daze you can’t help but gawk at your surroundings. Signs you had seen of restaurant chains now scream at you with vibrancy overhead. The buildings stand out against the crisp blue sky, and the clouds look so pillowy and soft with the gentle light they reflect. The lights blinking in shop windows and flashing through traffic dazzle you, each burst of color breathing new air into your lungs.
It takes you double the time to get to work, and you’re rushing through the front door and up to the rooftop bar as fast as humanly possible.
“Looks like someone’s in a hurry,” your coworker calls. You turn to her with a snappy retort on your tongue, but as your eyes focus on her you stop short.
“Mina, your hair,” you say absentmindedly, “It’s pink.”
“Y/N! YOU CAN SEE COLORS?” Mina shouts, gripping your shoulders tightly and shaking you. “Since when! Oh my god, your soulmate– what are they like? What’s their name? Do they– shit oh my god did you meet them on the way to work? Is that why you’re late?” she rushes out all at once. Your head is spinning by the end of it.
“He’s really hot and I was already running late so I couldn’t stop and talk to him for long, but yeah I met him,” you rattle off rapidly. “I got his number so we can meet up later–”
“Later? You are leaving right now and going to see him,” she says matter-of-factly.
“I can’t just leave work!” you gape, “I could get fired, Mina!”
“Y/N, you do realize we get paid time off for family events, which includes the day you meet your soul mate,” she explains slowly, “It’s such a major change in your life, so, of course, they give us time off. It’s government regulated dude,” she adds with a laugh. “Our company also covers all expenses for the Color Specialists, so when you go in to have your eye health evaluated you won’t have to pay out of pocket.”
“Really?” you say in disbelief. “I guess I’ve never worked for a company as corporate as this one,” you remark.
“Yeah they give bartenders actual benefits here,” Mina agrees, “There’s a reason I’ve stayed here for so long. But enough of that, you need to get your ass out of here!” She turns you around and starts waking you to the exit. “Go downstairs and tell Ms. Kayama everything and she’ll take care of it. You’ll even get paid for your shifts that you miss.” Your entire demeanor perks up at this and Mina smiles. “Yeah, I figured that would convince you.”
You let Mina throw you out of the bar and give you two big thumbs up through the glass door. You shake your head and descend the stairs while trying to keep your heart from beating out of your chest.
Ms. Kayama is very understanding and, just as Mina had promised, takes care of everything. You’re given the rest of the week off and are required to visit a Color Specialist the company will refer you to in the next five days. She assures you that they’ll be fine without you and shoos you out of the room.
Finally, you pull out your phone.
> Hey cutie it’s Denki ;)
You laugh and hastily type out a response with shaky fingers.
Heyooo it’s Y/N! I was given the day off bc we met. Are u free?<
>YES ABSOLUTELY!!!
>do u want to come hang out at the music studio? Or would u rather have a real first date at a coffee shop or walking in the park or something???
I’m fine with either! what would u prefer?<
>My friends all really wanna meet u and I’d love for u to meet them, so I can text u the address!
You receive the address and type it into your navigation app. The studio is only a few blocks away from your job, it would be ridiculous to call a cab.
Be there in 15min<
>can’t wait >:)))
You follow the maps to the run-down red brick building sitting between an empty plot overgrown with tall sun-bleached grass and an office building towering over it by at least twelve extra stories. There’s a small alleyway between the two buildings and you follow Denki’s instructions, circling around back and knocking on the metal garage door.
With a few hefty grunts, the door is pulled up, revealing a surprisingly nice lounge area occupied by a handful of people toying with instruments. A strong waft of weed billows out of the studio space and washes over you, causing the corner of your mouth to pull up into a smile. Denki pokes his head around the corner after securing the garage door, his face the picture of happiness.
“Everyone!” he announces loudly, causing everyone to look up at him. He points a finger at you and holds his other hand over his heart, “This is Y/N. And Y/N, this is everyone!”
You receive a chorus of greetings, everything from an unenthusiastic hey to an over-the-top hail and well met, my liege! It makes laughter bubble up inside your chest. Denki grabs your wrist and pulls you inside, steering you over to one of the low couches and plopping you down in the middle. He pulls up a floor cushion and sits on the floor in front of you, big puppy dog eyes watching your every move.
It’s hard for you to focus on anything. The studio space is loud, not just from noise but for your eyes– band posters with bright streaks of color are plastering the walls, and nearly everyone has dyed hair that stands out so harshly compared to the dull tones you had seen your whole life. It’s a hard adjustment, and it feels overwhelming until you circle back around and meet those eager yellow eyes. They’re so warm and their attention is fully focused on you, causing you to warm under the gaze and try not to blush.
“So, what do you want to know first?” Denki asks. His face is so open and honest, you feel like you could ask him anything.
You fire off some questions and are met with some yourself. It’s easy talking to him, to all of them– Denki’s friends are hilarious and have so many small anecdotes about your soul mate that you simply can’t get enough of. The hours pass so fast, and a few friends head out to grab food. You’re left alone with Denki and two of his best friends, Eijiro and Katsuki, and feel simultaneously on edge and relaxed. You check the time and stand abruptly.
“Oh my god, I need to go feed my cat,” you gasp. “I forgot to feed him this morning because I was in such a rush, so I told myself I’d feed him right after work and–”
“Hey, hey, slow down!” Denki laughs, “I’ll walk you to the bus stop if that’s alright with you?”
“Yeah,” you say, relieved, “That sounds perfect.”
You say your goodbyes, gather your things, and leave, leading the way for Denki. He waves goodbye to his friends and shuts the garage door behind him. He turns to you, the small blush dusting his cheeks barely visible in the dim lighting.
“Could we, umm,” he hesitates, then blurts out, “Can we hold hands?” You smile, biting back laughter, and offer your hand. He takes it. “Sick,” he says, relieved.
The two of you walk down the empty city streets hand in hand, coming to a stop at a bus stop a few blocks from the studio.
“So… will I see you tomorrow..?” Denki trailed off lightly. You laugh.
“Yeah, I have the rest of the week off to adjust to Color Sight and take care of all the doctor’s appointments it entails.” You lean closer, bumping shoulders with him, and add, “And to grow closer with my soulmate.”
He smiles and bumps your shoulder back.
“I’d like that– and I just work at the studio so I can take as many days as needed and just focus on having a fucking blast with you,” he said cheerfully. Down the street you see the bus approaching and let out a tired sigh.
“I guess this is where I leave you for the night,” you say sadly. Denki releases your hand but before you can even complain he pulls you into a warm hug. He smells like fresh lemon tea and you feel a static shock when your bodies collide softly. He holds you close, one hand around your back and the other cupping the back of your head. It’s so comfortable, so easy, the way your bodies fit together.
It feels so right.
The bus rolls to a stop in front of you. You release him and lean back.
“I’ll text you when I’m home,” you reassure him, “And we can make plans for tomorrow.”
“Sounds perfect,” he agrees. You smile, and he mirrors your expression for a moment before getting a mischievous look in his eyes. He leans in and kisses the corner of your mouth. “Until then.”
You pull back, flustered, and stumble onto the bus. You take a seat by the window and watch Denki wave as you pull away. Tomorrow can’t come soon enough.