Work Text:
After a mission where Toge returned tired, he went to the vending machine to get a drink and rest for the rest of the afternoon after delivering his battle report.
The day was too hot, forcing him to take off his black school jacket, the lack of a turtleneck revealing the mouth area where his cheeks were marked with perfectly identical minimalist symbols, one on each side, connecting them to the center of his clenched lips.
Arriving at the vending machine in less than two minutes, he opted for an iced coffee and heard the can fall to the floor to be picked up after he paid.
As he crouched down and stood up, he bumped into a tall, black-haired first-year student.
His violet irises initially took in the details of his rather serious face, but when he noticed what he had done, a slight movement of his dark eyebrows caused his expression to change slightly.
They did not know each other, but Inumaki had heard that a young boy from the same Zen'in clan as his friend Maki was at the school.
The younger boy signaled to him, looked at him carefully, bowed to apologize for the encounter and also picked up the small can that had fallen and handed it to his interlocutor.
Toge's eyes lit up as he noticed something that many would have completely missed.
It was the sign language he had made, even if it was too fast to be understood, but because he had been the bearer of the cursed language for so long, Inumaki understood it.
“Sorry. Are you okay?” were the movements his thin hands and fingers made towards Toge, with Megumi standing motionless waiting for a positive response.
In reality, Fushiguro didn't mind too much, but ending up on the wrong side of a veteran wasn't what he wanted after having just met him.
“Salmon.” Toge said, receiving a surprised look in his green eyes from the other boy, who quickly closed them in a sign of pain at the slight tremor he saw in him.
When the can was handed over and their fingers touched for a few seconds, Inumaki's left wrist burned like hot coals, but nothing was written on it as he had expected.
But now he could feel the slightest nuances in the epidermis, and he dared to say that this was something, definitely something.
And when he looked at the bare forearm of the taller young man, who looked at him with a not quite suppressed hope and shyness, he could finally understand.
"Salmon" was what Megumi had written, small and almost hidden on his skin, probably also what he had felt burning because he had said exactly that only a few seconds ago.
The one word that Fushiguro had unknowingly stared at for years without understanding why his soulmate would say it right away when they met. It always seemed like a bad joke and he remembered Gojou laughing in his face every time.
"So... Do you want to go out to eat?", Megumi offered and signaled Toge.
They were both back from their mission and probably not only thirsty. And they could use this little excuse to get to know each other better.
He received a small smile from Inumaki and simply nodded his head. After all, finding his soulmate warmed not only his wrists but also his heart with unbridled happiness.
Fate could be confusing and playful, but it was never wrong to bring the right people together in its own unique way.