Archive of Our Own

“Soulmate – a close friend or a romantic partner with whom one has a unique deep connection based on mutual understanding and acceptance.

First case of a soulmate pair was recorder over 7000 years ago, during Era Creatura. The tale of the creation of the humankind has been known to all – Kephale, using Georios's divine body, first shaped the humans. Then, Kephale asked Aquila and Oronyx to bestow their divine blessings upon Kephale’s creations. Under Aquila's domain, they would labor, while under Oronyx's domain, they would rest in peace.

After, Kephale sought out Cerces, asking them for the fruit of wisdom so that Kephale might bestow upon their creations the gift of reason and thought. Mnestia, brought forth by Cerces, bestowed upon humans the blessing that their eyes might perceive beauty.

Then, Kephale cut their own arm, allowing their golden blood to grant true life to their creations.

A few years have passed by and before long the land was filled with humans shaped in Sky Father’s image. The land had prospered and as a reward, Mnestia, in the throes of their love for their lover, had bestowed another blessing upon the humans – the gift of a soulmate.

Feeling pity for Kephale’s lonely creations, Mnestia had created a golden thread that wove between human’s souls that had perfectly matched each other, and bound them forever, to never part.

Thus creating what was now known as a ‘pair of soulmates’.”

“I really don’t see how a history lesson will help me now, Cyrene,” Phainon said. He plopped back on the ground and stared forlornly at the sky.

“History can teach us a lot, you know,” Cyrene softly turned a few pages. “Oh, I think you’ll like this one – did you know that Mnestia’s actions had consequences not only for the humans but for The Sky father and their soulmate too? Since humans were created in their image, Mnestia’s blessing included Kephale too. Some say they were not too happy about that because their soulmate was not the easiest to court before Mnestia had bound their souls and they had become even more stubborn after it.”

Phainon scrunched his forehead. “It’s not like The Sky Father needed to court them. They could’ve let them go.”

“Silly,” Cyrene replied. “Why would they? They’ve been long in love before Mnestia had bestowed them their blessing; now that their souls were bound for all eternity, Kephale had even less reason to let them go. On the opposite, to The Sky Father it was further proof that they were made for one another.”

“Then why complain? Mnestia made it easier for them. Proved them that they were meant to be together, so what was the problem?”

Cyrene smiled and turned her book to Phainon, showing him the golden gates of a grand palace. “Because The Sky Father’s soulmate was no other than Nikador, The Strife Titan. And, well, The God of War did not make anything easy, including this. Kephale had to suffer quite a bit before Nikador had submitted to their advances.”

“Huh?” Phainon blinked and turned his head to his friend. “Nikador and Kephale were soulmates? I thought they hated each other.”

“This is why you need to pay more attention in history classes. Who even taught you this?”

“I pay attention! I just… can’t remember this stuff for some reason.”

Cyrene shook her head and turned a page in her book, showing Phainon a grandiose throne made of red crystals. “Have you heard about the Battle of 10 Nights?”

“Yes,” Phainon perked up and pushed himself on his elbows. “The famous battle between Kephale and Nikador that lasted for 10 days and nights, and was later recorded in the history of Castrum Kremnos becoming almost as popular as the founding story of the then kingdom. Who doesn’t know this?”

“Of course you know this,” she playfully rolled her eyes and tapped her finger on the picture of the red throne. “That battle happened right in front of the throne. Do you know the true reason for it?”

Phainon shook his head.

“That battle was a test to Kephale from Nikador – if The Sky Father managed to beat The War God in battle, then they’d consider a union between them.”

“But,” Phainon plopped back on the ground, his forehead marred by a frown. “The Sky father didn’t win the battle.”

“They didn’t,” Cyrene confirmed. “But Nikador was so impressed with their tenacity, that they granted The Sky Father their wish anyway.”

“Really? Just like that?”

“Mhm. Historians say Nikador was testing Kephale but if you want to know my opinion,” she lowered her head, her purple eyes shining mirthfully in the summer sun. Curious, Phainon leaned closer to her. “I think Nikador was just playing hard to get!”

“No way!” Phainon reeled back and immediately denied. “Nikador would never!”

“And how do you know that?”

“I just know it! Nikador is not that kind of Titan, they’d never do something like that.”

“So dutiful when defending the honor of your favorite Titan and yet,” Cyrene reached out and riffled Phainon’s hair with one hand. Ignoring his pout, she continued, “you have none of that trust in your own soulmate.”

Pout disappearing from his face, Phainon stared at her, confused. “…What?”

“You heard me,” she said. “You got your words today. That’s why you asked me about soulmates, didn’t you?”

“I,” Phainon fidgeted with the edge of his shirt before he finally admitted, “Yeah. I got the words today.”

“…Can I see them?”

He sat up and wordlessly pulled the black chocker on his neck, showing Cyrene his words.

Once Cyrene saw them she covered her mouth, her purple eyes widening.

“These…” she blinked slowly. “Aren’t so bad?”

Phainon stared at her with dead eyes.

“They’re not!” Cyrene assured him. “It could always be worse, you know. Peri in my class just has a ‘hi’ on her arm. Imagine trying to find a soulmate when their first words to you are ‘hi’? Yours are very…” she squinted at Phainon’s neck. “Original.”

“’Original?’” Phainon repeated, bafflement clear in his voice. “There’s nothing original about them. My soulmate just hates me.”

“Now, don’t be dramatic, it’s not that bad! Besides, soulmates can’t hate each other, you know this. Especially your kind, too – your words are gold. You know what it means.”

“This isn’t a fairytale, Cyrene,” Phainon said, exasperated. He dropped back to the ground and looked at the sky. “This is real life. Just because my words are gold doesn’t mean everything is set in stone.”

“Sure, it doesn’t,” Cyrene agreed. She closed her book and put it carefully next to her on the blanket. “But you are jumping to conclusions. Stick to the facts – you have the first words your soulmate will ever say to you on your skin. Silver words for platonic soulmates, gold words for romantic. Studies show that 98% of soulmates – platonic and romantic – stay together until the very end.” She saw Phainon open his mouth and closed it for him with a quiet click. “And before you ask, those 2% are for people that don’t believe in soulmates and later get their marks removed. Are you one of those people?”

Phainon shook his head.

“Then it doesn’t apply to you,” she smiled and continued. “You are already lucky – your words are original and it won’t be too hard to search for them! Look at my words,” Cyrene pulled her dress down, showing her right shoulder. There, lay golden words stark against her skin ‘As beautiful as you are’. “See, we aren’t so different! Both our soulmate words are replies to whatever we said first.” She pulled up her dress, hiding her words from Phainon once more. “There’s no need to panic. You will find each other no matter what – it’s inevitable.”

Summer wind caressed Cyrene’s face. She looked in the distance, breathing in the familiar scent of golden fields, of her home. “One day,” she twirled a lock of pink hair around her finger, her eyes turning contemplative. “We will leave Aedes Elysiae. We will travel to other parts of the words, meet new people and start new lives. Perhaps,” she blinked and looked at Phainon that was sitting quietly by her side, scratching at his neck. She pulled his hand away from his neck, “Perhaps we wouldn’t even be friends in the future.”

“I –”

“What I mean,” she interrupted. Phainon stared at her, blue eyes confused. “Is that nothing in the world is set in stone but soulmates may be the closest thing to it. You should never let some words dictate what to do with your life but… treat it more as a nudge in the right direction. A helping hand from the Gods, if you will.”

Phainon frowned. He looked back at their village that was surrounded by golden fields from one side and an endless stretch of dark blue ocean on the other. He listened to the muffled sounds of children playing and their parents’ chiding, people haggling prices on the market and happy laughter of teenagers that had just finished their classes and were excited to play in the fields before dinner.

He lived his whole life here – he couldn’t imagine ever leaving Aedes Elysiae. It was his home.

“…But I don’t want to leave,” he said quietly, still staring at their village. “And I don’t want to stop being friends, too.”

A soft smile spread across Cyrene’s face. “You’re only 14, Phainon. You don’t know what will happen in the future.”

“You speak as if you’re any better – you are just one year older than me,” he complained. “If I don’t know anything, then you don’t know anything either.”

Cyrene shrugged. She pulled a dusty pink shawl made out of soft wool over her shoulders. “Perhaps. My point still stands.”

“No, it doesn’t.”

“It does,” Cyrene laughed, her smile as warm as the setting sun that was shining softly on Phainon’s face. “And if it makes you feel any better, your soulmate words can be seen as proof of my words!”

Phainon unconsciously touched his neck. “…It’s stupid.”

‘Bold words for someone who claims to work at a prestigious firm and yet looks like he just crawled out of his own bed. Is that the best their so-called professionalism has to offer?’

Cyrene reached out and covered Phainon’s shoulders with the end of her shawl. “In the future, we have to thank your soulmate for their help. ‘Prestigious firm’, I wonder where it is,” she hummed and nudged him playfully in the side. “What if it’s in Castrum Kremnos? You wanted to visit it, didn’t you? It sure has a lot of good companies.”

Phainon shielded his sides from her pointy elbows. “Who’d even let me go there? First, I need to ask my parents, then I need to pass my exams and I heard their top schools require history for their courses…” he trailed off, his imaginary dog ears dropping despondently.

Cyrene leaned harder against his shoulder. “Will you let history stand between you and your soulmate?”

“…My soulmate doesn’t sound like they like me all that much, so honestly might as well.”

Just like all children his age Phainon always wanted to find his soulmate. His best friend, the one who’d understand him, who’d support and love him no matter what. His parents were soulmates, too. Together since childhood, they were inseparable. Every day Phainon saw how much his parents loved and treasured each other, how they understood each other without words.

He wanted that too.

But…

His soulmate words did not instill hope into him.

He knew it wasn’t that serious – Cyrene was right, he was lucky that his first words were original and he wouldn’t have to spend years searching for his other half. In a world where the first words your soulmate ever said to you, some people, unfortunately, still had regular greetings written on their bodies.

Phainon was lucky.

‘Bold words for someone who claims to work at a prestigious firm and yet looks like he just crawled out of his own bed. Is that the best their so-called professionalism has to offer?’

He didn’t expect that, though. Maybe some basic, ‘it is nice to finally meet you!’, or a simple ‘I’ve been waiting for you’ – he would’ve been very happy with those words, even if some people thought them to be cliché.

But was there any need to be so… snobbish? Was his soulmate a snob or something? Why were they talking about Phainon’s appearance of all things?

He carefully touched his hair. Was it his hair?

Cyrene laughed. “Don’t say that! Don’t forget, their words are a reply to whatever you said first, so if there’s anyone you want to blame then blame yourself.”

Phainon’s hand dropped from his hair and he rolled his eyes. “Very supportive, thank you.”

“I’m telling you the truth. Just watch what you say and you’ll be fine. Don’t forget,” she patted her own shoulder where her words were, “we’re not that different. We both make the first move.”

“Why does that even matter?”

Sure, his soulmate’s words were a reply to whatever Phainon said first but was there a need to be so condescending? It was their first meeting, after all!

“It doesn’t, not really. But it puts things into perspective,” she curled the shawl tighter around them and leaned on her hands to watch the setting sun. Phainon followed suit. “Whoever our soulmates are, they were interesting enough for us to make the first move, to start a conversation. It’s not that important to me – I love talking to new people! – but you…” she looked at Phainon with raised eyebrows. “Are not that good with strangers.”

“I’m fine with strangers,” Phainon denied immediately.

Cyrene looked at him sideways and stayed silent.

“I really am!”

Cyrene shrugged lightly and didn’t reply.

“Give me one example where I was bad with –”

Cyrene answered instantly. “2 days ago, after teacher Pythias tried to introduce you to the president of the new –”

“Okay!” Phainon hurried to interrupt, not wanting to relive that awkward moment. “Okay, you made your point.”

“You need to get out more,” she said. “Make new friends.”

“I already have friends,” Phainon replied, a little petulant. “I have you, Livia and Piso. That’s enough.”

Cyrene smiled. “If you say so.”

She stood up and did a little stretch, and then nodded at the village that was just as serene in the evening as it was during the day. “Come on. The sun is setting. We should get back soon.”

“Yeah,” Phainon took off Cyrene’s shawl and wrapped it around her shoulders. She looked at him, curious. “It’s getting cold. You need this more than me.”

Phainon turned away to look at Aedes Elysiae; he could see in the distance that Uncle Galba started to light up the lanterns on the streets in preparation for the evening. He watched for a bit as lanterns were lit one by one, until the whole village was blazing like a little warm sun surrounded by wheat fields and ocean guarding this little corner of tranquility.

He added, slowly, as if almost forgotten, “Dad wanted you to join us today for dinner. Let’s go, the food should be ready.”

──  ⚘᠂ ⚘᠂ ⚘᠂ ⚘  ──

“Mom,” Phainon said after the dinner was done and Cyrene had already left.

“Yes, sweetheart?” Audata looked up from her book and looked at Phainon that had already changed into his mismatched pajamas.

Phainon touched his hair, a little self-conscious. “Do you think there’s something wrong with my hair?”

Audata blinked. “Your hair?”

Phainon nodded.

“Where is this coming from?” she asked, confused, as she closed her book.

“Just,” he shrugged, not looking at her. His hand dropped from his hair. “Just curious.”

Audata tilted her head to the side as she regarded her son with curious eyes. “You have my hair. I might be a little biased, but I think you have a very fine hair, if I say so myself.”

Phainon blinked at her. “You really think so?”

Audata hummed. “Yes. It’s like a soft little cloud, isn’t it? It’s very nice. If you don’t trust me, you can ask your dad,” she smiled and nodded at the kitchen that was busy with sounds of Hieronymus washing the dishes after dinner.

“No,” Phainon said with a small bashful smile. He rubbed his neck, a little awkward. “That’s fine. Thanks, mom.”

Audata nodded, glad that whatever problem Phainon had was resolved this easily. She opened her book once more and then stilled for a second. She studied her son’s retreating back a little longer and asked. “By the way, since when do you wear a choker?”

Phainon stopped in front of the stairs that led to his bedroom. His hand gently touched his black choker that was covering his neck, alongside with his soulmate words. “It’s a new thing. I’ll tell you in the morning.”

“…Alright. Goodnight, sweetheart.”

“Night, mom.”

──  ⚘᠂ ⚘᠂ ⚘᠂ ⚘  ──

(And if Phainon started to care more for his hair after his soulmate’s words appeared… Then it was his business and his business alone.

Audata was more than happy to assist her son with different products and hairstyles.)

──  ⚘᠂ ⚘᠂ ⚘᠂ ⚘  ──

“Let’s go, sleepyhead! It’s time for lunch!”

“Cipher,” Phainon groaned and buried his head deeper into his hands. “Leave me alone.”

“No can do, deliverer boy,” she walked in as if she owned his office and leaned her hip against his desk. Seeing no response, she buried her fingers in his hair and pulled slightly. “You promised Cassie you’ll join us today.”

“I just came back from court,” he whined into the crook of his elbow. “Let me sleep.”

“I remember. You won the case; we saw your selfie with the team in the groupchat. Congrats, by the way.”

“…Can you sound like you care even a little bit? I was struggling with this client for almost a year.”

“Yeah yeah,” Cipher waved her free hand in the air, her other one still buried in Phainon’s hair, now scratching him in all the right spots as if he was an actual dog. “You were a good boy and now it’s time for a treat. I didn’t bother you for 2 hours, get your ass up – we’re going to the new bakery across the street.”

Phainon stilled. “The one that opened this week? With The Hot Baker?”

Cipher quirked one of her eyebrows, amused, as she drawled out. “Oh? I didn’t see much of him but what a nickname.”

Castorice had talked about the bakery that opened across from their workplace a few times but so far Cipher hadn’t had the chance to visit the place or even see who it belonged to.

She usually came to the office last and weren’t bakers known to be early birds or something? They lived in completely different worlds.

“’Didn’t look at him’?” Phainon raised his head and squinted at her with bloodshot eyes. “He’s impossible to miss. You couldn’t miss him even if you tried. He’s like. Very noticeable.”

“Very eloquent today, aren’t we?”

“Shut up,” Phainon brushed her off. “I left my vocabulary in the courthouse. Don’t expect any smart thoughts from me today.”

“It’s okay,” Cipher reassured him and playfully mussed his hair. “I never really expect anything smart from you even on good days.”

Phainon smacked her hand away and dropped his face on the desk with a long groan. Cipher’s face involuntary twitched in sympathy at the loud smack.

“It should be illegal for bakers to be this hot,” Phainon mumbled into his cool gray desk. “Aren’t they supposed to be family friendly or something? Is that like, approved by the bakery association – do they even have a bakery association? – to wear shirt and pants this tight when you’re at work? Showing off his body like that… What happened to shame?”

Cipher raised her brows as she listened to his rant. “And where did you learn that he wears tight clothes? I know you haven’t visited that bakery; Princess Homebody would’ve seen you.”

Phainon vaguely waved in the direction of the window walls of his office. “I have eyes, you know.”

“Huh,” Cipher looked out from the windows of Phainon’s office and whistled lowly. “You can see the whole street from here.”

Lucky bastard, Cipher thought as she spotted the bakery they were talking about. Phainon was one of the only senior associates in their law firm that had an office all to himself. Cipher would’ve cried injustice and nepotism if only she wasn’t the nepo baby of their group.

Technically, she tapped a window with one long painted nail, she might be the daughter of the Senior Partner but her mom clearly loved Phainon more; he was invited to all their family dinners. So, technically speaking, there was some nepotism at play.

She turned away from the window and looked at Phainon’s prone form that was still laying on his desk, not moving an inch. He took off his dark blue jacket, staying only in his rumpled white shirt that had definitely seen better days. His blue tie was throwing over his work computer, spotting a weird stain of unknown origin. Cipher had managed to arrange his white locks into… something – it was a far cry from the shiny fluffball it usually was but it was better than the electrocuted mess he was sporting when she walked in.

He still looked like he hadn’t had proper sleep in months though.

And yet, despite his disheveled appearance, his table was spotless – each case had its own folder, with separate notes, notebooks and disks attached to them; everything was color corrected to perfection. Cipher noticed that Phainon was logged in on their company’s server and had one of the tabs open – there she could see each client that was currently assigned to him named in alphabetic order with an order of tasks related to them in a separate tab, ranging from urgent to minor.

She clicked on another tab to see how many projects he was involved in at the time and whistled when she saw the number. She scrolled for 2 full minutes before she gave up and looked at Phainon with mild pity.

Was he even breathing? Cipher poked him in the shoulder.

Phainon groaned feebly in response.

Still alive, then, she looked back at the number of his projects and grimaced. Thank every titan, alive and dead, that Cipher went into marketing and not law school.

“Alright, this is an intervention,” she decided. “Get your ass up; it’s time to see your hot baker.”

The boy needed a break, at least until the end of the day. Their law firm can survive one day without their most ambitious and silver-tongued attorney. If someone at the Head Office complained, then Cipher will just ask Castorice to sic their whole legal department on them. What, just because they were establishing a branch in Castrum Kremnos didn’t mean that the Okheman Head Office could just bully them however they wanted!

She nodded to herself and grabbed Phainon’s ratty bag from the couch that looked brand new as if Phainon had never sat on it in all the time he possessed it. But, remembering the number of his projects, that might as well be the case.

“I’ve already seen him…” came Phainon’s weak response.

“Watching him through the windows of your office doesn’t count,” Cipher immediately refuted. “What are you, a stalker?” Seeing him ready to open his mouth, Cipher pointed one finger at him. “Don’t. That was a rhetorical question.”

Phainon shut his mouth with a soft click.

“Come on,” she gave him his bag and helped him get back into his jacket. She popped open the first buttons of his shirt and fluffed his hair a bit, making him look more alive. “Now you look a bit more presentable.”

“No longer like a zombie?”

“No longer like a zombie,” Cipher agreed. “You looked worse during your third year of law school. Remember? You crashed at our place during your exams; Cassie didn’t have the heart to kick you out.”

“Huh,” Phainon followed her out of his office. They nodded to the secretaries at the reception desk and called for the elevator. “Honestly, that whole period of my life is kinda blurry. I don’t remember much from that week.”

Cipher snorted. She stepped into the elevator and pressed the button to the first floor. “No wonder. You looked like hell back then. Even Cyrene had trouble recognizing you.”

“Really?”

Cipher hummed. “Yeah. I was at home most of the time back then and Cassie gave my number to her. She video called a few times, trying to talk sense into you. You were utterly unresponsive and I had no idea who the hell you were, so it was a very weird experience to see some random dude in my living room raiding my fridge like it was his last day on earth and worrying my newfound soulmate every day with his antics.”

“Oh,” Phainon breathed out. “I do remember that actually.”

Soulmates, he thought ruefully. Right.

He met Cipher and Castorice back when they were studying in Okhema University. Against all odds, Phainon did get into a Law School – not the Kremnos one like he dreamed of but he was satisfied with Okhema nonetheless. The second best law school in Amphoreus, Phainon would’ve been a fool to refuse their offer.

His first years in law school were spent studying and participating in various debate clubs, which was how he and Castorice met. Phainon was there for her and Cipher’s meeting, heard them exchange their soulmate words and saw their marks glow, forming a bond that would follow them across lifetimes.

It was a beautiful moment and Phainon was incredibly happy for his new friend. Castorice – and Cipher – deserved to be happy.

It was just…

Seeing so many people – his family, friends, old classmates – find their soulmates while Phainon remained alone, a one man show that was always in the background, clapping and celebrating their love lives… He was happy for them, of course he was, but… he couldn’t help but feel slightly jealous too.

After all, it’s been 14 years since his mark manifested. Phainon knew he was young – he was only 28 – but everyone around him had found their soulmates long ago. Was it so bad that he was disappointed that he somehow was an exception?

Even Cyrene had called him a few months ago, gushing about a girl that she met on the rooftops. She talked into the night about how pretty she was, how kind, how amazing her soulmate was that Phainon had to forcibly remind her that he had to go to sleep because he had to be in court in 4 hours.

It was a beautiful moment and he was happy for her – Cyrene was his best friend and if it wasn’t for their already existing romantic soulmates, Phainon was more than sure that he and Cyrene would’ve shared a platonic soulbond. But it was also 5 in the morning and Phainon needed sleep.

He and Cipher stepped outside of the elevators and, with a swift swipe of their cards, they were out of the office. Phainon shielded his eyes from the bright afternoon sun and squinted at Cipher that pulled out her sunglasses out of nowhere. Seeing his questioning gaze, she shrugged. “What? I have no idea where your sunglasses are. You’ll live for a few second it takes us to cross the street. Let’s go. Cassie is already waiting for us.”

“You’re in surprisingly good mood today,” Phainon noted. “What happened? Did someone die?”

“Oh, a real joker, aren’t you,” Cipher sent him the fakest smile in her repertoire. “No, I just got promoted today – thanks to that project we did together a few months ago, by the way, our top assholes loved my presentation – and me and Cassie finally agreed on the apartment we’re planning to buy. You know,” she shrugged, “nothing big.”

Phainon stopped for a moment, waiting for his brain to process the information. Cipher walked a few steps ahead of him and Phainon hurried to catch up with her.

“Wait, really? Congrats!” Phainon exclaimed. “You’re now what, the head of our marketing team?”

“Precisely,” Cipher nodded with a smug smile. “Not much changed in my schedule but now I get the pay that I deserve.”

“And the apartment?...”

“Same neighborhood as yours. Yes, yes” Cipher rolled her eyes when she saw Phainon perk up. “You were right. Cassie fell in love with the park and the pool, just as you said. We’re now neighbors. We expect you to help us with the move in, so don’t even think to slack off!”

“No slaking off,” Phainon promised. He put one hand on his chest, to show how sincere he was. “I’m taking a week off soon, I can definitely make the time to help you guys. You were at my place a few times already but I’ll do you a tour of the grounds anyway. You’ll love it there!”

Phainon bought that apartment once he was sure that he’d have to remain in Castrum Kremnos for a long time. Setting up a new branch took time, and he knew the process would be lengthy – every step required his supervision.

He’s been living in Castrum Kremnos for 2 years now; it was a beautiful place, everything that Phainon had ever dreamed of when he was a child. His apartment was conveniently near his work, a perfect place with a park, a gym and even a pool. Phainon still couldn’t believe he managed to snag it, and for such a low price too!

He first rented and then bought it from a couple that owned the apartment for years but never had any use for it. They were thinking of gifting it to their son but he refused it – at the time he lived with his friends and he already had an apartment of his own that he was currently renting out to other people. One next to Phainon’s place, actually. He had no need for another apartment.

And so Phainon made a deal with the couple and the apartment was his. Best deal of his life.

He would always be grateful for Mr. and Mrs. Kremnos generosity.

Phainon knew their son had moved back into his own apartment recently – he’d seen his boxes in the hall a few days ago – so, he’ll need to make time and visit him. Make friends or something. That dude did him a solid a year ago, it was only right that Phainon thanked him.

“A week off? Is that why so many people are bothering you lately?”

Phainon blinked out of his thoughts and rubbed the back of his neck. “Yeah. I’m delegating most of the stuff to other attorneys. Some things will be put on hold since there’s nothing too major going on those projects but I’ll need someone else to replace me in court and in meetings with the clients. It just… took me some time to find the right people to delegate my work to.”

“And? Did you find anyone?”

“Yes, thankfully. Castorice agreed to monitor a few of my projects and stay in contact with the clients. I also asked Cerydra to sit on my court cases since we share a lot of the projects and she’s allowed to represent the clients just as I am. It all worked out.”

“You just piled your work on my wife, didn’t you,” Cipher deadpanned.

Phainon grimaced but still tried to correct her, “Not really. Castorice won’t even notice it. Cerydra got a much worse deal to be honest,” he then looked around. “I’m expecting her to refuse any day now, which is why I don’t really want to see her before my week off and remind her of my existence.”

Cipher snorted but before she could reply, a soft voice called out to them. “You’re finally here.”

Both Phainon and Cipher looked up to see Castorice waiting for them in front of the small but classy looking bakery. She was dressed in a light pink summer dress that stopped just short of her knees. Her hair was pulled in an elegant updo, showing off her neck and the beautiful butterfly shaped earring that adorned her ears. She waved at them with one hand, her laptop bag carefully secured under her free arm.

Cipher ditched Phainon and quickly made way to her wife, pulling her in for a quick familiar kiss. “Sorry,” she murmured softly into Castorice’s lips. “Someone,” she pointedly looked back at Phainon. “Didn’t want to come.”

Phainon raised his arms in defeat. “I’m here, though. Sorry we kept you waiting.”

“It’s alright,” Castorice replied with a small smile and wrapped one of her arms around Cipher’s waist. “I didn’t wait for long. Let’s go, I think you’ll like this place.”

“Chrysos Heirs, huh,” Cipher mumbled when she saw the name of the bakery written in elegant writing on the golden plaque. “The owner must be a history nerd.”

Phainon squinted at it. The writing was surprisingly familiar but he couldn’t remember where he could have seen it.

“Well,” Castorice also looked up. “You’re not wrong. I had the opportunity to talk to him a few times before. Mydeimos… does love history a lot.”

“If you were here before,” Phainon said as he opened the door for them. He nodded for them to go in first. “Then I’m leaving our order in your hands.”

He stepped into the bakery after them. Immediately his senses were filled with the smell of coffee, of fresh pastries and warm bread, a smell so familiar, so homey that Phainon felt some leftover tension seep out of his shoulders.

He glanced around, weary eyes taking note of the plush chairs and sofas, the walls painted in a soft, pale yellow that made the space feel as though sunlight always lingered in this small corner of the world.

The bakery was far larger than Phainon expected. One side functioned more as a social area, with rows of tables arranged to accommodate different group sizes; the other side resembled a cozy library, furnished with couches piled high with soft pillows and shelves made of deep dark wood lining up the walls; different books and various plants were stored on them, transforming the bakery and giving it its own unique charm.

Phainon was a bit surprised that a place like this existed right here, smack in the middle of Castrum Kremnos’ capital that was filled with business centers and different city malls. He would have expected to see something like this hidden in some alleyway, a place that was hard to find and that was even more treasured because of it.

And yet, here it was. Right across Phainon’s work place.

“Welcome to Chrysos Heirs,” a girl not much older than Phainon welcomed them. She was standing behind the counter, wearing what must be the standard bakery uniform. Her curly pink hair was tied in two ponytails and tied with a fluffy hairtie. Her smile widened when she noticed Castroice. “Miss Castorice! It’s good to see you again!”

Phainon’s eyes dropped to her nametag. Hyacine, manager.

“Miss Hyacine,” Castorice smiled in response. “I hope you’ve been well.”

Phainon let Castorice’s small talk with Hyacine wash over him as he inspected the food behind the screen. There were so many options – ranging from cookies filled and topped with different flavors and cremes, to cupcakes, sandwiches and even full-on meals that Phainon can definitely see himself buying in the future.

Phainon knew that the bakery opened just this week – he saw the move in happening with his own eyes and the space had been under renovation for a few months now, so the bakery opening wasn’t a surprise to him. Once it started operating, he saw that the line to the bakery was always very long, sometimes stretching around the corner which was very impressive for a place with no established reputation yet. Phainon did plan on trying some of their things when he had the time but, unfortunately, he hadn’t had the chance until now.

Work kept him busy; each day he started early, with a cup of coffee that he made in their office kitchen and then he spent at least 30 minutes organizing his tasks and meetings for the day. At that point The Hot Baker appeared on the corner of the street – dressed in his leather jacket and with his strawberry blond hair always pinned in a careless updo – and then Phainon spent watching the whole 5 minutes it took The Hot Baker to get to the door of the bakery until he disappeared deeper into the building where Phainon’s eyes could no longer reach him.

There was something tranquil about that whole thing. Maybe it was the way The Hot Baker moved – with a surety and confidence that made Phainon’s own spine straighten just a little whenever he caught sight of him. Or maybe, Phainon admitted to himself, he was simply happy to see such a striking man this early in the morning, before the city had even fully woken up. There was something about the man that just... made Phainon's chest feel warm.

He didn’t know, and truth be told, he wasn’t all that interested in finding out what it was about The Hot Baker that made Phainon's eyes linger. After all, he still had his soulmate to think about. Whatever fleeting thoughts he entertained about some random (though criminally hot) baker were ultimately irrelevant. Or so he kept telling himself.

“And this is Phainon,” he heard Castorice say and he turned around with a blink. He gave a little wave when he noticed Hyacine looking at him with a thinly veiled interest. “We’ve been friends since college. We also work together, right across the street.”

Hyacine smiled at him, her turquoise eyes twinkling with indescribable emotion. Phainon tilted his head to the side, a bit confused.

“Working with friends… that must be very nice,” Hyacine finally turned away from Phainon and smiled at Castorice and Cipher.

Castorice looked around, “If you don’t mind me asking, but where is Mydeimos? He was usually the one behind the counter the few times I visited.”

“Oh! He’s just in the back,” Hyacine waved behind her at what must be the kitchen. Phainon vaguely heard the muffled sounds of mixers and banging pots. “He’s finishing a new order for the cake. He should be done soon. But in the meantime,” she clapped her hands. “What do you want to order?”

Castorice perked up and immediately started to list off things. Phainon looked curiously at the bread display, his mind wandering.

He missed his mother’s bread… Maybe he’d stop by Aedes Elysae during his short break.

“And Phainon,” Castorice looked at him, “This sandwich and… Anything without caffeine. Let’s go with milk tea, he doesn’t need anything too stimulating.”

“Hey,” Phainon protested feebly. “I can handle a cup of coffee.”

“You can’t,” both Cipher and Castorice replied. Hyacine’s sunny smile twitched in barely contained amusement. “Milk tea, please.”

Phainon stayed silent for a second and then, “…With coconut jelly?”

“With coconut jelly,” Castorice added.

“Coming right up!” Hyacine said.

She rung them and asked them to sit wherever they wanted until they waited for their order – it was a quiet hour at the bakery so there were plenty of empty seats.

Phainon sat down and leaned heavily against the cold wall, closing his eyes.

“Hey,” Castorice touched his forehead gently. “You alright?”

Phainon let out a soft hum. “Fine, just a bit tired. I think I’m gonna go home early today.”

“Did you eat anything today? You’re cold to the touch.”

Phainon blinked his eyes open. “…Do 2 cups of coffee count?”

“No.”

Phainon closed his eyes. “Then no.”

Before Castorice could reply, Hyacine put their order on the table. “There you go!”

“Oh, you shouldn’t have,” Castorice hurried to help her. “We could have –”

“Nonsense,” Hyacine smiled and put Phainon’s milk tea in front of him. “The bakery is empty right now. It was no trouble bringing you your order.”

They thanked her and with a last wave of her hand, Hyacine went back behind the counter.

Phainon quietly took a sip of his drink and looked appreciatively at his tea. It had just the right amount of sweetness and the taste of coconut wasn’t overpowering. It was just as Phainon liked it.

He tuned out Cipher and Castorice’s conversation, taking a backseat and watching quietly as they talked to each other. They tried to involve Phainon in their talk; he grunted and nodded in all the right moments but they knew his heart wasn’t in it, so they let him be for now. They knew he was tired.

Phainon rubbed the bridge of his nose.

He knew it wasn’t just tiredness from work. No matter how hard he tried to ignore it, he knew he couldn’t blame it solely on his colleagues (even if they were partly responsible for his exhaustion).

But, Phainon sipped his drink, he knew it wasn’t just that.

“When is your sister visiting us?” Cipher asked as she gently wiped the corner of Castorice’s mouth.

“In 3 days, she’s packing her things now,” she replied. She lifted her spoon to Cipher’s mouth. “Try this, they have very good desserts.”

Cipher licked her wife’s spoon clean and let out an appreciative sound.

Phainon lowered his eyes to his phone that lit up with another text from Cyrene.

He knew he was just… lonely.

In a world where every person had a soulmate, this feeling, the feeling of not fitting in, of feeling incomplete without the other part of your soul – it happened a lot. Phainon wasn’t the only one feeling like this and he knew it, he talked to enough people back in Okhema who hadn’t met their soulmates to know that.

Everyone in his close circle was a couple – his parents, his friends, his classmates, Kephale help him, even Cerydra had met her soulmate already, so what was the deal with Phainon then? Why was his soulmate hiding from him?

One of his hands touched the edge of his choker that hid the golden words.

‘Bold words for someone who claims to work at a prestigious firm and yet looks like he just crawled out of his own bed. Is that the best their so-called professionalism has to offer?’

He was 14 when they first appeared. Most people got their soulmate words at 16 and yet Phainon thought that maybe this was a sign that he’d meet his soulmate earlier than most.

He was so excited when he felt that first burn of words etching themselves into his skin. Just like all kids his age, Phainon imagined what his soulmate would look like, what they’d be like. He dreamed of them playing and running around the golden fields of Aedes Elysiae, dreamed of spending their time together as they grew closer to one another. Phainon even asked his mom to teach him all of her secret recipes because he wanted to be able to cook for his soulmate, to show that he can provide for them. He wanted to meet them – who didn’t? It was another part of his soul, someone that was made for Phainon and Phainon alone.

He had all of their lives planned out and even his soulmate words appearing in all their rude glory didn’t dampen his mood for long. Sure, he started watching his speech, making sure to always be careful when meeting new people. He started to take care of his appearance – even though he knew it wouldn’t change his soulmate words; it was a point of pride at that point.

At some point down the line, it had become a habit – as a high-ranking attorney he always had to watch his speech and look impeccable. Even now, with dark eyebags under his eyes and his hair a disheveled mess, Phainon knew he looked fine.

He wasn’t being vain; he simply knew the truth.

It was his soulmate who first brought up his appearance – after that, Phainon started taking better care of himself. His soulmate mentioned that Phainon worked at a prestigious firm – and now here he was, working at one of the top three law firms in Amphoreus.

He studied hard, moved places, took care of himself, he wasn’t a shut in and always tried to make new friends and yet here he was, 14 years later and the only one his age that hasn’t met his soulmate.

He remembered how his soulmate words started glowingly lightly when he moved into his new apartment and Phainon took this for a sign that his soulmate was near but… Nothing. It’s been 2 years since he moved into that apartment that used to belong to that lovely Kremnos couple – and a year since he bought it – and nothing. Not even a twitch.

His soulmate words didn’t shine after that.

Some people still dated others, even with their soulmates waiting for them on the other side of the world. Everyone knew that it was no string attached kind of relationships for most – some people simply wanted to have fun. But Phainon didn’t want that. People offered, a lot of people offered but he just… He felt wrong accepting their advances. Not like this. Not when every offer felt wrong in ways that he couldn’t explain it.

Not when the other part of his soul was waiting for him.

Phainon would never accept anyone but his soulmate. There was no need to give hope to strangers when he knew – when everyone knew – their hearts weren’t in it.

There was a rumor that Phainon had once heard – it claimed that if you hadn’t met your soulmate by the time you turned 30, your chances of ever finding the other half of your soul grew slimmer with each passing year.

He knew it was not true, science, statistics, everything proved that rumor to be false. Soulmates always met. Always. No matter the time and age, their meeting was inevitable. But… at this point Phainon couldn’t help but be a little wary.

Or, he took a bite of his toasted sandwich, maybe he was just being dramatic.

He was only 28. He had his whole life ahead of him.

His eyes widened. Phainon looked back on his sandwich and made a low humming sound.

“This is really good,” he said, interrupting whatever conversation Cipher and Castorice were having. “Their bread is incredible.”

“Hey –,” Cipher started.

Castorice lay a calming hand on her knee. “Isn’t it? I heard their owner bakes it himself.”

Phainon smiled sheepishly at Cipher and turned to Castorice. “He does? Where is he? I didn’t see him anywhere.”

Castorice nodded at the kitchen. “Hyacine said Mydeimos is finishing up their last order and he should come back soon.”

Phainon mouthed the name of what must be The Hot Baker – ‘Mydeimos’ – and turned to the counter where Hyacine was watching them. He lifted his sandwich in an appreciative gesture.

Hyacine beamed at him and turned around to the kitchen to say something. A second later a loud bang came from behind the closed doors.

Hyacine giggled at whatever response she got and turned around. She noticed that Phainon was still looking and waved.

Confused, Phainon waved back.

“Are you flirting with her?” Cipher demanded when Phainon went back to his sandwich.

Phainon looked at her with his cheeks stuffed full of bread. “Mhm?”

Cipher nodded at Hyacine that was now talking on the phone to someone. “Hyacine. I thought you were against dating anyone that isn’t your soulmate?”

“I still am?” Phainon said as he swallowed. “I wasn’t flirting with her. I just,” he nodded at his sandwich. “Their food is good. I wanted to make sure she knew I liked it.”

“Sure,” Cipher drawled out, still not convinced. Castorice looked between them with a curious glint in her eyes as she ate her dessert.

“I’m serious. It isn’t often that I find a place that can bake a bread as good as Aedes Elysiae bakeries. This is phenomenal. I’m definitely coming back.”

“I’m glad to hear that!” a happy voice said behind him. Phainon turned around, a bit startled. Hyacine grinned at them. “Here,” she put down 3 strawberry tartelettes. “A complimentary dessert straight from our owner!”

“Oh, you shouldn’t have –” Castorice started.

“Nope,” Cipher interrupted and quickly snagged one shiny tartelette on her plate. “We aren’t saying no to divine gifts and from my experience strawberry tartelettes,” she bit into the crust with a low moan and shook her tartelette in Castorice’s face. “Are divine gifts. Big thanks to your boss, Miss Hyacine, you just got yourself another regulars.”

Phainon nodded in agreement and took a big bite out of his sandwich.

“I’m sure Mydeimos will be happy to hear that!” she turned of the sound of the doors opening and she smiled, affection clear on her face. And then she did something that Phainon really should have expected but for some reason didn’t. “And there he is. Mydeimos, come here for a moment!”

Now, hold on a second 

Phainon’s eyes widened dramatically as he swallowed wrong. In his panic, the sandwich stuck in Phainon’s throat.

Tears sprung to his eyes and he started coughing. He lifted one of his hands to his chest and thumped himself with a fist, trying to clear his airway.

Everyone around him startled; Cipher was the first one to recover and she hurried to Phainon’s side.

“Oh my,” Hyacine murmured, bringing her hands to her mouth.

Phainon raised his teary eyes to her and sent her a small reassuring smile before another coughing fit overtook him.

Maybe warn a guy next time? He just didn’t expect her to call The Hot Baker; he wasn’t at his best today, give him a break.

Suddenly, strong arms hauled him out of his seat. Even through his choking Phainon felt warm chest against his back when someone’s hands wrapped around his stomach and pulled.

Phainon grasped at his savior’s forearms, his eyes widening in surprise. In just a few short movements, his pathways were cleared and in less than a minute since he started chocking, he was put back on his seat with a soft pat to his back, as if nothing ever happened.

Phainon blinked a little owlishly and rubbed his bruised throat.

What the hell just happened?

Behind him, Phainon caught a low murmur of his savior speaking to a motionless Hyacine, his words tinted with amusement. “We can’t have a customer choking to death in our bakery on our first week of opening – it’d be terrible for business.”

“I’m so sorry –”

“Not your fault. I’ll ask Perdikkas look at him after we’re done. He was getting bored in the kitchen anyway.”

With another rub to his neck Phainon turned to thank the man that just saved him and felt words get stuck in his throat once more but this time metaphorically (and thank Titans for that, he had enough humiliations for the day).

In front of him stood The Hot Baker in all his radiant glory. His white shirt, unbuttoned at the collar, had the sleeves rolled to his elbows, revealing crimson tattoos that wound down his arms. Through the open neckline, Phainon caught a glimpse of his chest, also marked with red ink. His strawberry-blond hair was tied back, though a few loose curls had escaped the clip to tumble freely across his face. Sunlight streamed in from the street, catching the gold earring he wore and making it gleam in the light.

Phainon swallowed hard.

He knew that the Hot Baker was Hot – had seen him enough times across the streets for that fact to hammer into his head – but he didn’t know that he was so…

Pretty, Phainon’s mind added, a little slower than before. He was pretty.

It was a fascinating contrast – the baker’s powerful build and deep voice set against a face that was strikingly pretty, yet somehow both gentle and intense all at once. With catlike eyes, straight brows, a strong nose and full pink lips – he was simply beautiful.

Amber eyes caught Phainon’s gaze and narrowed. One brow raised in question.

And for the tenth time that day Phainon panicked.

“So that body of yours isn’t just for show, huh?” he let out an awkward laugh, the flush of mortification already creeping up the back of his neck. “And here I thought you were just showing off, hoping it’d bring in more customers.”

Hyacine covered her mouth once more, her eyes widening.

Mydeimos blinked, slightly baffled. Then he scoffed. “Bold words for someone who claims to work at a prestigious firm and yet looks like he just crawled out of his own bed. Is that the best their so-called professionalism has to offer?”

Phainon opened his mouth ready to defend his honor but then he remembered what he looked like and scratched his neck, a little embarrassed. He ran his hand through his messy hair, tidying it up a little. “Okay, I had that coming. Rough week.”

Mydeimos’ eyes followed the movements of his hand. He looked away with a small cough. “I can see that.”

Castorice, watching their exchange from the other side, softly elbowed Cipher in the side. Her purple eyes widened in surprise.

“But hey,” Phainon stilled as his mind caught onto something. “How do you know where I work?”

“We work across from each other. You think I haven’t seen you before? And,” Mydeimos’ cheekbones flushed a soft pink. “You’re not exactly subtly in you staring. I noticed you a long time ago.”

Ah, Phainon felt his face flush in mortification. Busted.

“Hey –” Cipher tried to gain their attention.

“I just,” Phainon didn’t pay her any mind. His eyes dropped to the sandwich that nearly sent him to the other side both literally and figuratively, “was curious about your bakery. That’s all.”

Phainon closed his mouth, suddenly even more embarrassed. There was just something about Mydeimos that made Phainon’s mouth run wild.

Mydeimos looked at him sideways, his eyes telling Phainon how much he trusted the words coming out of his mouth. Which was not at all.

“I’m sure.”

“I’m serious! It’s not often that you see a bakery open up in this place, it’s very unusual…” Phainon slowly deflated under Mydeimos’ stare and then he admitted, “…Okay, but in my defense it’s not often that you see a baker like yourself, with tattoos and everything.”

“Uhm, Mydeimos…” Hyacine tugged on the edge of Mydeimos’ brown apron.

Mydeimos pressed one hand against his lower back and looked at his tattoos with a slightly perplexed expression. “What is wrong with my tattoos?”

Phainon looked at him, a small smile tugging at the corner of his lips. He shook his head, “Nothing!” he hurried to say. He scratched his neck a bit harder, his skin turning pink under pressure. “There’s nothing wrong with them, they’re beaut… I mean, yeah, they’re good –”

“Guys!” finally Cipher had had enough and slammed a hand on the table, making both men jump and tear their eyes from each other.

They looked at her, confused.

Seeing their faces, she threw her hands in the air, exasperated. She pointed at them. “Look in the damn mirror, you idiots. You’re glowing.”

“Huh?” Phainon looked at his hands, not understanding what Cipher was talking about. “Is that some kind of joke –”

“Your soulmate words, Phainon,” Castorice corrected, her eyes still wide with wonder. “Your soulmate words are glowing.”

Phainon blinked and in the next second his hand flew towards his neck. He ripped off his choker and touched his warm neck that was slightly red from all the scratching.

Next to him he heard Mydeimos take in a shaky breath when he saw Phainon’s soulmate mark. Golden words written in his own elegant writing stark against Phainon’s skin.

‘Bold words for someone who claims to work at a prestigious firm and yet looks like he just crawled out of his own bed. Is that the best their so-called professionalism has to offer?’

Phainon looked at Mydeimos that met his eyes with his own, one of his hands still pressed against his lower back.

His words, Phainon’s eyes dropped to Mydeimos’ hand, must be on his back. 

“That’s what I was trying to tell you,” Hyacine said quietly to Mydeimos. “Your back was glowing. Has been for a few minutes now.”

“That’s…” Phainon trailed off, not sure how to finish his sentence.

He knew he’d meet his soulmate one day; he’d been dreaming about it ever since he first found out what having a soulmate even meant. He’d imagined the moment in a thousand different ways: maybe under the stars, or in a crowded square, or during some rain-soaked rush to get home. The wish had followed him through the years; for Titan’s sake, he’d been thinking about it just a few minutes ago.

He just… never expected to meet his soulmate in a bakery wedged across the street from his workplace.

Of all places.

What were the chances of him ever stepping into this place? Phainon didn’t even like sweets that much.

If it wasn’t for Castorice… Phainon thought, his blue eyes still glued to Mydeimos. Would he have ever found him?

“I’m,” he stumbled over his words, unsure of what to say now that they've actually met each other. All his plans, all words that he wished to say – gone. “Phainon. Phainon Khaslana.”

The other man went still, his amber eyes locking on Phainon with an intensity that Phainon couldn’t place. “Khaslana, huh.”

“Uh. Yeah?”

“You don’t happen to live in an apartment complex just a few minutes away from this place?”

Phainon tilted his head, confused at the sudden direction of their conversation.

There was only one apartment complex that was this close to Phainon’s work and it was heavily guarded, so he had no reason to hide it. “Yes. Why?” his eyes narrowed as he scanned Mydeimos’ pretty face with a different purpose. Something tugged at the back of his mind. “I can’t quite place it, but you remind me of someone… Have we ever met each other before –”

“You already know my name, but you may call me Mydei,” Mydei interrupted, his voice a little strange. “It’s nice to finally meet you… soulmate.”

Phainon blinked at his tone. Unconsciously, his gaze dropped to the name tag pinned to Mydei’s apron. The one he’d somehow missed until now.  

‘Mydeimos Kremnos’

His breath caught in his throat.

Kremnos… Phainon slowly raised his gaze to the amber eyes that watched him with quiet curiosity.

Phainon’s eyes widened. He swallowed hard against the sudden tightness in his throat.

“Or should I rather say…” Mydei leaned forward just slightly, voice dropping low enough that only Phainon could hear, “neighbor?”