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“Hey okaasan, what’s that red string on your pinky connecting you and dad?”
“What are you talking about, Akito?” His mum looks over at him while washing the dishes from dinner.
“That red string around your pinky! I see it a lot! Especially my friends’ parents!”
His mum chuckles in response, drying her hands with the towel on the counter.
“Well, perhaps you’re talking about the red string of fate?” She couches to meet his eyes
“What’s that?”
“Well, typically it's an invisible string that connects someone to someone else. It means that one day you’ll fall in love with the person on the other end of the string”
“Invisible? Then why can I see it?!”
“Perhaps it’s like a secret superpower you have” his mum winks at him.
Akito is fascinated by the idea that he could have a superpower and goes along with it.
*
It’s been years since that conversation with his mother. He’s learnt to ignore the strings, at one point it just became annoying to him as if couples were rubbing their relationship in his face. Only very few even know Akito can see the red strings. He doesn’t care for anyone’s romantic relationships but being constantly reminded of such a fact made him irritated. He gets it, they’re destined to be together or whatever.
He even stopped paying attention to his own string as a result. Akito never really cared about what his soulmate would look like, nor did he try finding them. If they’re destined to meet, they’ll meet eventually.
On a random Sunday morning, VBS were doing their regular practice for an upcoming event when An said she had some news to share. An dramatically coughs to make them all pay attention.
“I have some news to share!” An said with the biggest grin
“Me and kohane….” Akito could tell where this was going.
“ARE DATING!” He was right about it too.
“Congratulations, An, Kohane” Toya replied
Kohane just rubbed her neck with a smile.
“Finally” Akito sighs
“What do YOU mean 'finally'?" An retorts
Akito didn’t want to explain the fact he could CLEARLY see the red string connecting the two. Therefore, he didn’t.
“It was pretty obvious, you and kohane liked each other”
“Hey! What about you and Toya?!”
“Now what does THAT mean?”
“Oh please, don’t act innocent, you guys both like each other, it so ‘obvious’” An made air quotes while giving Akito a shit eating grin
“You!-“
“Guys, calm down” kohane stepped in
The two huffed in unison after Kohane intervened.
What was An even talking about. Him and Toya are just best friends and singing partners. Akito rolls his eyes at the thought of that kind of idea.I mean surely he and Toya don’t act like THAT right? Besides, were they even soulmates? Not that he checked actively but he never saw his string attached to Toya’s. Whatever, Akito stopped thinking about it.
*
Akito was walking down the hallway of Kamikou when he spotted the weirdo duo and making a sharp turn to avoid them. Unfortunately, Tsukasa saw him and called out for him, the redhead let out a sigh, accepting his fate before turning around and walking up to them.
“Fufu, trying to run away, Shinonome?” Rui teases him
“Ugh whatever, did you need anything?”
“Not really, but since you’re here, could you tell us what you think about our up and coming play?” Tsukasa asks
“Fine, what is it?”
They then start telling him about the plot. To be honest, it sounded pretty interesting, while the two were explaining to him, they started adding more ideas to it, making it far too whimsical for him.
Starting to lose interest, he looks down slightly, not looking for anything specific but his eyes had different plans. Akito immediately locks onto their pinkies, seeing that bright red string, connecting them, staring a little longer than he should. Of course they were soulmates, they’re practically the same person. Just as the two were done explaining, Rui noticed him staring at their hands.
“Shinonome-kun?” Rui asks
“Huh? Sorry, what was that?” Akito snapping out of it
“Well what do you think? Is this story perfect for a star?” Tsukasa puffs out his chest, unaware of whatever Akito was doing.
“Sure, sounds like something you would do anyways” Akito says
The redhead hears the bell ring, indicating he had to get to his next class. He waves them off while walking back to his classroom. Akito sits down on his seat, feeling irritated at his new discovery while waiting for the teacher to start the lesson . He really hates finding out that people he knows are soulmates with each other. It’s gotten him involved in unnecessary drama before and he wants to avoid it at all costs.
*
“I’m home!” Taking off his shoes.
“Lil-bro! What’s up!” Mizuki pokes her head out to the corridor and greeted with a potato chip in her mouth
He could tell she was raiding the fridge, getting snacks for her and his sister aka her girlfriend.
“Hey Akiyama” Akito walks past her to get to his room.
“What are you in a rush for lil-bro? Trying to talk to some secret partner?” Mizuki teases him playfully.
“No, Akiyama. Where did you get that from?” Akito replies, clearly irritated
“I don’t know, maybe you and Toya finally hit it off”
“Shut up, what are you talking about?”
“Poor lil-bro is blind to his own feelings”
Akito rolls his eyes just as Ena leaves her room to see what is taking Mizuki so long.
“Oh, you’re home, Akito”
“Yea I am, Ena” Akito replies
“Lil-bro was about to go talk to his boyfriend~”
“Oh, did you and Toya finally get together?” Ena asks
“No, and I don’t know where this is coming from. Also ‘finally’? What are you trying to imply?”
“Seriously? You don’t know where it’s ‘coming from’, can’t you see those strings?”
“Yea but what’s your point?”
Ena just sighs before dragging Mizuki and the snacks back to her room. Akito, following suit, enters his own room, setting down his school bag on his desk. Slipping into his chair, he thinks about what his sister was trying to imply. Is she trying to say him and Toya were soulmates like her and Mizuki? Do I even like Toya that way? I mean he’s kind of pretty with the mole under his eye and all, and the way his hair moves in the wind. The way his grey eyes shine when he’s determined, his singing voice. Akito could list Toya’s features to the end of the earth but that’s normal right? Or-
Oh crap.
He likes Toya.
He’s in love with Toya Aoyagi.
Fuck, he’s been oblivious this entire time. Is he stupid? Akito groans audibly at his realisation. No wait, were him and Toya even meant to be? I mean the last time he checked- wait that was just from the corner of his eye, he can’t be certain about it. Ugh whatever, luckily he and Toya were planning on hanging out tomorrow, he can check then.
*
Akito spots Toya waiting for him in front of the arcade. The redhead feels heat rising from his chest to his face as he sees Toya waving at him. Akito waves back as he walks up to the bluenette, trying to act normal.
“Yo, Toya!”
“Hi Akito”
“You wanna head inside?” Akito says while pointing his thumb to the arcade
Toya nods in response as they both start walking inside. The bluenette immediately walks over to the new puyo puyo machine they put in. Akito just follows him, watching him start the game.
After a while, Toya reached a new highscore and Akito congratulated him with a fist bump. They started walking around and a claw machine caught his eye. It had a plush that reminded him of Toya.
“Hey Toya, you wouldn’t mind if I try for that plush right?” Pointing at the machine
“Of course not Akito, go ahead” Toya replies while giving a nod
He puts the coin into the machine and starts moving the claw. Akito moves it to a place where he thinks it’s right above the plush he wants. Luckily he did get it, and breathes a sigh of relief, knowing some claw machines are rigged. The redhead crouches down to pick up the prize from the machine.
“Good job Akito!”
“Thanks Toya, it’s for you” before handing him the plush
“Oh, thank you Akito, I appreciate it” Toya smiles warmly at the gift and at him.
Akito can feel warmth reaching his cheeks and grumbles about how it’s not a big deal.
They went on and played a bunch more arcade games, and claw machines. Getting a pretty big haul of prizes, more than they know what to do with. It was getting dark and the two of them decided that was enough arcade for now. Akito volunteered to hold the bags of prizes while they walked to some nearby park to rest before going home.
The duo sat down on a bench next to a bright lamp post. While he was sitting down he caught his pinky in the corner of his eye and remembered he was going to check if he and Toya were tied to each other. Akito closes his eyes while calming his racing heart, hoping that they were. He slowly opens his eyes and looks down, a bright red string around his and Toya’s pinky staring right back at him. His eyes widened, while also being relieved at the fact they were soulmates. Toya noticed his partner staring intensely at what looked like the bench space between the two.
“Akito, are you okay?”
Akito parts his lips but closes them again, thinking about what to say before just letting it slip.
“Toya, will you go out with me?”
Fin.