Work Text:
Tendou sighed and ran his fingers through his hair, the soft green of the ivy weaving around his wrists clashing with the russet of his hair.
“You know that’s only going to make that horrible hair of yours stand up even worse,” the familiar voice of his longtime friend and now college roommate, Semi, scolded. “What’s on your mind, anyway?” Tendou shrugged and lowered his hand, not wanting to argue with Semi about what was or was not an acceptable hairstyle. He scratched absently at his wrist, first his left and then his right, as he tried to postpone answering.
“It’s nothing,” Tendou said at last. “Really, SemiSemi,” he added, grinning because he knew Semi hated being called that.
“You’re not going to derail me that easily,” Semi snapped. “You've been moody since we moved in two days ago. Classes start tomorrow. What's up?” Tendou sighed and scratched his wrist again. “Satori.” Tendou blinked at the sudden shock in Semi’s voice. “Satori, look.” Tendou frowned at him, then followed his gaze...to Tendou’s own wrist, where he had been scratching. But as he scratched, the leaves on his skin rustled. He stared at them, stunned. Footsteps in the hallway drew closer, barely registering with Tendou, until he realized that the leaves moved more the closer the footsteps came . Tendou stared, watching in awe as the footsteps passed their dorm room and the leaves’ movement reached a crescendo, then faded back to stillness as the footsteps faded.
“What…?”
“Go!” Semi shoved him toward the door. “That must have been your soulmate passing! Go find them!” Tendou blinked, then yelped as Semi’s words sank in, and he bolted for the door. His soulmate. His soulmate was just outside. Tendou threw the door open and turned in the direction the footsteps had gone, mouth opening to shout…at the empty hallway.
Tendou groaned and looked down at his wrists. The ivy on his skin was still, just as it had always been. But one of the leaves was in a different position, proof that they had been moving seconds before.
“You didn't find them?” Semi guessed when Tendou returned to their room. Tendou shook his head. “Well, you know they're on campus. You'll find them again.” Tendou nodded, and Semi grinned. “You already look less mopey.” Tendou rolled his eyes, not sure if he was excited or frustrated to have just barely missed his soulmate after all this time. “Come on. You should get your books ready for class tomorrow. We have math together first thing in the morning, right?” Tendou sighed and went in search of his book. It couldn’t be that hard to find, right? He had it when they moved in…
Tendou eyed the chalkboard apprehensively as Semi slid into the seat on his right, closer to the door.
“Are you sure this is going to be stuff we already know?” Tendou asked, scratching his right wrist. Semi had urged him to take this particular math course, because geometry was something they both knew from high school. But the things on the board looked like they might as well be alien writings. “There are way too many words up there for this to be geometry.”
“That’s left over from the topology class before this,” said the person sitting on Tendou’s left. Tendou blinked and glanced at the person beside him, who inclined his head slightly in greeting. “I’m Ushijima Wakatoshi.”
“Tendou Satori,” he replied. “And that’s Semi Eita, my roommate.” Semi, who had only been half listening as he reached up to touch the scattering of eagle feathers on his neck, rubbing one of the feathers as though he was trying not to outright scratch it. “Eita?” Semi jerked and dropped his hand as he turned to greet their new classmate. Tendou’s eyes flew wide, because the feathers on his roommate’s neck were moving. Semi didn’t seem to realize it, or if he did, he was keeping any indication to himself.
“The professor is late,” a new voice complained, and a tall brunnette flopped onto the seat on the other side of Semi. Tendou paused in scratching at his wrist and blinked, overwhelmed by the sudden urge to switch seats with Semi. Because as soon as he met the brunette's eyes - framed by soft, wavy hair and honestly adorable glasses - the ivy on his wrists went crazy, the leaves rustling and vines twisting into new shapes on his skin. The brunette’s hand went to his hip, and Tendou felt a surge of hope. If his mark was on his hip, and was moving enough to bother him, then maybe...
“Oikawa. You’re late too,” Ushijima observed.
“Well, you used all the hot water in the shower, so I had to wait,” the newcomer snapped, taking the seat beside Semi.
“There would have been plenty of hot water if you didn’t take hour-long showers,” Ushijima replied, tone tinged with resignation, like they’d had this discussion many, many times before.
“They’re definitely roommates,” Semi murmured to Tendou, who nodded absently, paying more attention to the way the newcomer’s lips - Oikawa, Ushijima had called him - moved as he retorted than to what anyone was actually saying. Semi elbowed him sharply in the ribs, and Tendou realized he was blatantly staring and scrambled for his book as the professor walked in.
“It’s not fair,” Tendou complained as he and Semi walked back to their dorm. “How am I supposed to concentrate with that hot guy in the glasses sitting two seats away? And there were still way too many words.” The person in question, of course, had left the lecture hall before Tendou could talk to him, probably on his way to his next class. He wasn’t sure what the rush was, but Ushijima had left fairly quickly too, so Tendou hadn’t even gotten to ask if Oikawa really was his roommate.
“It could have been nothing but shapes for you to color in and you wouldn’t have been able to figure it out, you were drooling over Oikawa-san so much,” Semi replied. Tendou shot him a glare, but didn’t protest. He might have been a little too preoccupied trying to figure out how Oikawa’s name might be written to really listen to what the professor was saying. Tendou sighed and rubbed his wrist. The ivy on his skin didn’t itch so much anymore, not since he’d met Oikawa’s gaze, but he couldn’t stop running his fingers over the leaves, wondering what Oikawa’s mark was, if it really was on his hip, like Tendou suspected. He wondered what it would be like to trace whatever the mark was, to - “Satori, watch out!” Semi shouted. Tendou blinked, refocusing on his surroundings just in time to walk straight into the the dorm’s front door as it opened, his face hitting the glass. Tendou yelped and fell back, holding his nose, and stared right into the surprised face of Oikawa. The ivy on his wrists went crazy.
“You’re from Geometry,” Oikawa realized, one hand going to his hip. Tendou nodded, still holding his nose, and saw Oikawa’s gaze land on the leaves rustling over his wrists.
“You ran off before I could talk to you,” Tendou replied, letting go of his nose and studying Oikawa.
“I left my book for my next class in my room,” Oikawa admitted, reluctantly dragging his gaze from Tendou’s wrists as Semi tried to discreetly step away, wanting to leave the two to talk. Oikawa’s eyes paused on Semi’s neck, where the eagle feathers were calm and unmoving. “And since both of you had moving marks, I was going to wait until I knew who...”
“Mine wasn’t moving,” Semi objected. “...Was it?” His words were lost on the other two, because Tendou’s attention was darting from Oikawa’s face to his hip and back, and Oikawa, after seeing Semi’s mark unmoving, had focused on Tendou again.
“So yours did …?” Tendou trailed off hopefully. Oikawa hesitated, then shifted his bag to his other shoulder and lifted his shirt, exposing the pale skin of his hip, marked with a red tailed hawk in flight, feathers shifting as though air really was rushing through them. Tendou’s eyes were locked on Oikawa’s skin, and he reached out, his fingertips hovering over the hawk mark, unsure if he was allowed to touch or not.
“Why are you all blocking the door?” Ushijima asked, walking up behind Tendou and Semi, with what appeared to be a to-go container for a salad in his hand. Tendou jumped, stumbling away from Oikawa, and Semi turned to greet Ushijima, the feathers on his neck swirling over his skin as he did so.
“Eita,” Tendou whispered, reaching out to poke his friend’s side. “Yours is moving.” Semi’s hand flew to his neck, covering the mark as his eyes widened. Tendou grinned broadly, then shoved Semi’s shoulders, sending him stumbled toward Ushijima. Semi yelped in surprise, but Tendou ignored him and turned back to Oikawa. “You came back for a book, right? Are you going to your next class now?”
“Are you going to walk with me?” Oikawa asked.
“Well I’m not about to let you dash off without me again!” Tendou replied cheerfully. Oikawa blinked almost sheepishly at that, and the two started toward the academic buildings. They made small talk, discussing classes, majors, and exchanging phone numbers before they reached the building Oikawa’s class was in. Tendou hesitated as Oikawa stepped towards the door. He really, really wanted to kiss Oikawa, to put his hand over the hawk on his hip and pull him close.
“I'll text you when I'm out of class?” Oikawa suggested. Tendou nodded eagerly. Texting was good. Not as good as he was sure kissing his soulmate would be. But still good. Oikawa stepped away from the building and tilted his head up, pressing a brief, chaste kiss to Tendou’s mouth. Tendou’s brain short circuited, leaving him staring after Oikawa as he grinned and waved before stepping into the building.
Years later…
Tendou watched his soulmate stand by their bedroom window, highlighted by the morning sunlight, wearing nothing but his boxers and one of Tendou’s shirts. Tendou let out a satisfied little hum as he watched Oikawa’s arms stretch over his head, Oikawa’s shirt riding up to reveal the rustling feathers of the hawk flying on his hip. Tendou couldn't help himself. He closed the distance between them, pressing his chest to Oikawa’s back, and dropped his head to press kisses along Oikawa’s neck as his hand came up to cover the mark on Oikawa’s hip.
Oikawa’s breath caught in his throat at Tendou’s touch, a shiver trailing down his spine at the soft caress of Tendou’s lips on his skin.
“Hey,” Oikawa breathed, resting his own hand on top of Tendou’s, his fingertips tracing the ever-shifting patterns of the ivy on Tendou’s wrists.
“Hey,” Tendou replied, grinning against Oikawa’s neck. “You're up early.” Oikawa let out a soft sigh and leaned back against Tendou’s chest.
“Semi and UshiWaka are coming over, remember?” Oikawa reminded him. “I can't afford to sleep in.”
“So instead you’re standing here, watching the sun rise, in your underwear and my shirt,” Tendou noted. “That makes complete sense.” Oikawa laughed and turned in Tendou’s arms, tilting his face upward for a kiss. Tendou obliged, as he always did, covering Oikawa’s mouth with his own in a warm, affectionate gesture. Oikawa sighed again, a little noise filled with such contentment that Tendou just had to deepen their kiss to swallow it. He was tempted to pull Oikawa closer by the hips, but restrained himself. Oikawa was right; their college roommates would be arriving in a few hours, and while Semi and Ushijima were revoltingly in love and probably wouldn't notice even if their apartment looked like a war zone, Oikawa wouldn't want the apartment anything less than perfect, because somehow that would mean Oikawa has one-upped Ushijima. Tendou stepped away from Oikawa. “Come on, I'll make you pancakes.” Oikawa let out a happy little squeal and threw his arms around Tendou’s neck.
“Yes!” Oikawa exclaimed. “Make me pancakes and I’ll love you forever!” Tendou huffed and let his hands rest on Oikawa’s hips, one palm pressed to Oikawa's soulmate mark.
“I thought you already loved me,” Tendou complained. Oikawa tilted his head as though considering this.
“Well, I guess that’s true,” Oikawa agreed after a moment. Tendou dropped a light kiss to Oikawa’s forehead, smiling.
“I love you, too,” Tendou informed him with mock solemnity. “Even if you never make me pancakes.”
“That’s because you won’t let me,” Oikawa pouted.
“Tooru, you almost burned down the kitchen the last time you tried,” Tendou laughed, kissing the corner of his mouth. Oikawa huffed and tilted his head up, lips slightly parted as he silently asked for a proper kiss. Deciding that breakfast could wait, Tendou obliged him.