Work Text:
Hope is the only thing that has been keeping Hoseok going for the last few days. Hope that, maybe, one day his soulmate will write a message to Hoseok. Hope that, maybe, one day Hoseok will gather enough confidence to write something first instead.
Hope is a powerful thing, but it’s also a crushing thing.
Because when Hoseok wakes up one morning bright and early for his lecture at eight in the morning and spies characters on the top of his left hand, he has a moment of panic where he thinks, shit this is it. This is the moment he’s going to talk to his soulmate and he looks like crap, sleep still sticking to his eyelashes and limbs. But then Hoseok realizes that it doesn’t matter because his soulmate can’t even see him.
There’s a reason Hoseok isn’t a morning person and his lack of perception and thought are only but two of the reasons.
It turns out, after Hoseok takes more than a few deep, calming breaths, that his panic was for nothing because the characters on his skin aren’t even meant for him. At least, he doesn’t think they are. On his hand are hastily written characters, and Hoseok manages to make out two of them - eggs and milk - although the last one is completely lost on him (he thinks it might be toilet paper but he isn’t sure). Even though Hoseok is barely awake, he can easily recognize a shopping list when he sees one.
Flopping back onto his bed, Hoseok weakly scrubs at his eyes with a sigh.
He had promised himself a week ago that he was going to interact with his soulmate tomorrow, but “tomorrow” came and went without Hoseok doing a single thing.
His phone blares out a tune, Hoseok jumping in surprise. It’s a good thing he always sets more than one alarm, or he no doubt would have stayed there and pondered about his soulmate for hours.
Later, Hoseok tells himself.
Hopefully he’ll stick to it this time.
~~~~~
Hoseok shuffles into the coffee shop on campus after his class. He’ll never understand why he signed up for a class at eight in the morning and then another class right after it at nine.
Hyungwon had responded, “Because you don’t love yourself.” But no one had asked him, anyways, and Hoseok ignored Hyungwon despite how right he was.
With only half of his classes for the day behind him, Hoseok knows he needs to get caffeine in his system before he becomes even more miserable. The barista at the counter is one Hoseok is familiar with, Minhyuk bouncing in place and greeting Hoseok with his signature bright smile as he chirps, “Hey hyung! The usual?”
Hoseok smiles weakly. “Yeah, Minhyukkie. That would be great, thanks.”
The transaction is easy, Hoseok handing the exact amount of change over, a habit he developed after coming here so often. Minhyuk tells him to wait a bit and that his drink will be right out, so Hoseok nods and goes to sit down. The shop isn’t that crowded, although it never really is at this time in the morning. Most college students who aren’t Hoseok love themselves a bit more and don’t pick classes earlier than noon, and Hoseok assumes that people who willingly get up at this time are already awake enough that they don’t need coffee. Hoseok, however, doesn’t fall into either category and as such literally needs some type of coffee if he wants to survive the rest of the day.
Hoseok is almost already on the precipice of sleep when he slumps into a chair and he blinks in an attempt to stay awake a little longer. It doesn’t work and Hoseok wakes up from his very short nap when Minhyuk loudly places his cup of coffee in front of Hoseok. He must looks pretty stupid, for Minhyuk laughs without concern for Hoseok’s feelings.
“Good thing you came for coffee,” Minhyuk teases, snickering as he dances out of the way when Hoseok swipes at him. It’s a lethargic swipe at best, so Minhyuk barely has to move to be out of range.
“Go work,” Hoseok grumbles, Minhyuk laughing as he heads back to the register.
Bringing a hand up to rub his eyes, or maybe slap his cheeks a bit, Hoseok almost misses the black lines being etched into his skin. It’s just his luck that he sees it, though, eyes popping open when he sees the characters on the inside of his left wrist.
Hi :)
Hoseok must be dreaming.
The longer he stares, though, the longer the word and emoticon remain. The smile slowly stretching across his face must be gigantic by now, but Hoseok doesn’t care, the giddiness flowing through his body until he’s almost swimming in the feeling.
When he gets his bearings together, he scrambles for a pen, hastily scribbling out a response that is slightly illegible. Hoseok hopes that his soulmate can read it, but he’s just so excited that he can’t help all of his excess energy.
Hi ^^
His soulmate starts drawing random flowers to pass the time, Hoseok laughing when he finds one on the inside of his left elbow. This is going to be great.