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1.
On a person’s eighteenth birthday, the red smudge that’s been clinging to the skin of one of their ring fingers for a year clears and only a name is left. Then someone, somewhere, will have that person’s name on their eighteenth birthday, only on the opposite hand’s ring finger. Two halves of a whole that will eventually meet, and live happily ever after.
Only, of course, it doesn’t always go that way. Sometimes, one half of that whole dies before they even meet, leaving only red ink turning black and grief to their living halves as they struggle to find someone who can make them as close to whole as they could be without their soulmate. Sometimes, making each other whole does not always mean making each other happy, and those struggle to find the happiness that they should’ve gotten when they had finally met. Most of the time, the two halves never even meet, and those are either the happiest people, or the saddest.
Aoba wakes up to his seventeenth birthday without either red or black on his skin. A year passes, and then two, and three, and his ring fingers remain clean. He finally wonders then, what did that make him?
2.
It’s not really polite to ask about your ring finger, and it’s not uncommon for people to cover it up. Aoba wears a glove on his right hand, and people just assume. He doesn’t speak about it with anyone, and his friends knew better than to ask.
Sometimes, when he sees covered hands of other people, he likes to think that one of them is hiding unblemished skin as well.
3.
From all his friends, Koujaku is the one who hates the name on his finger the most. He doesn’t say it, of course, but Aoba knows him well enough to see the bitterness in his expression when it’s even ever mentioned. It’s surprising, considering the man is a romantic at heart, but when Aoba thinks about it, perhaps that’s why he hates it.
“Love shouldn’t be bound by a set of rules,” Koujaku says one night while smoking at Aoba’s balcony. “People should be free to love whom they want, without ever having to worry about the perceived betrayal they’re committing to someone they haven’t even met.”
“Lots of people do that anyways,” Aoba points out. “Most teenagers don’t care about it at all, nowadays.”
“And the adults?” Koujaku asks. “Hypothetically, if you fell in love with someone long ago, before you were eighteen, and that person wasn’t the name on your finger, what would you do? Would you give up on that person, despite your feelings, for a person you can only theoretically love?”
Aoba doesn’t answer. Instead, he quietly says, “Is that what happened to you?”
The resigned and bitter smile on Koujaku’s face was enough of an answer for him.
4.
Aoba’s known Virus and Trip since his teenage years, and despite the fact that Aoba knows they’re not twins (heck, not even related or the same age), he can’t help but sometimes think of them as one unit rather than two separate ones. They’re always together, always Virus and Trip rather than Virus or Trip, and Aoba can’t think of any other pair in Midorijima that’s as attached to the hip as those two are. It’s mind-boggling, in all honesty, and a little, well, weird.
So when the name on Virus’s left ring finger was revealed to be Trip, Aoba wasn’t even the least bit surprised.
5.
Aoba is privy to one of Mizuki’s deepest secrets. Namely, the blackened ink that will be forever etched on his finger, ‘til the day he dies.
It’s probably the reason why Mizuki is so devoted to Rib. It probably wouldn’t be able to completely replace his other half, but it’s close enough.
(Aoba just wishes he at least had someone to replace in the first place.)
6.
He gets pulled into a Rhyme field in the middle of a delivery.
And there’s a stranger in a lab coat and rabbit mask right in front of him, in the middle of a rabbit themed field, who spouts some shit about it being an honor and having a fun game and starts attacking him with rabbits, and seriously, what is up with the rabbit thing?
Later, he somehow wakes up in front of Junk Shop Heibon with an aching body. Ren doesn’t remember much, and neither does he.
But what he does remember, when his head finally clears up a bit, is that the stranger knew his name.
7.
Clear falls from the sky and within five minutes of being introduced, Aoba decides that he’s singularly the weirdest person he has ever met.
Still, he did carry Aoba all the way to Heibon yesterday, apparently, so he’s probably not that bad. As long as Aoba ignores the gas mask and being called “Master,” that is.
Clear wears gloves, and Aoba gives it a disinterested glance as he looks over him fully. But his eyes must have lingered a little too long because Clear takes it as a sign of interest and takes off both without question and holds his hands up for Aoba to see.
His smooth and pale skin is completely bare of any markings.
Aoba is probably gaping or something, hence why Clear starts to explain. “Grandpa said it’s unusual not to have a name on my fingers, and that I should cover it up. But not showing my face is more important, so if it’s just my hands and just to Master, then it should be fine, right? Or did I do something strange?”
“No,” Aoba clears out his throat and tries to shake off his shock. “No, it’s not strange at all.”
Clear may be weird, but Aoba can’t deny that finding someone like him, someone with no name on their finger, lightens up that particular burden from his shoulders. And it feels great.
8.
A stranger is in his room, messing with his computer, and giving him a stare that flashes from irritated, unimpressed, and something Aoba can’t put a finger on. He finds out that this guy was the rabbit man who had pulled him into Rhyme, and who he apparently defeated, and now he wants a rematch and what a little shit--
Koujaku and Clear appear and everything goes downhill from there.
After they all get hit in the head and scolded, Tae treats them to her delicious donuts and the mood eases considerably. Of course, Koujaku is giving the stranger a stink eye, dislike evident, while the other guy doesn’t seem like he could care any less.
However, Noiz - the stranger’s name, Aoba finds out - keeps glancing at Aoba with a strange look in his eyes. Aoba tries to ignore it and pretend he doesn’t notice. And starts to wonder if there’s something he’s done recently for him to suddenly attract weirdos.
Though, if he’s being honest with himself, something about those glances makes Aoba not mind them as much.
9.
Noiz kisses him. It’s nothing more than a peck, and it came completely out of the blue, so Aoba doesn’t know what else to do other than get angry and flustered.
His heart beating harder than it ever had didn’t help with the situation at all.
10.
Mizuki and the entirety of Dry Juice disappears, Tae is kidnapped, then Aoba is kidnapped. He ends up making an agreement with Scratch’s leader, Mink, after events he’s already burying into the back of his mind.
A few days ago, his only worries were the creepers who keep calling to hear his voice, Ren, and whether or not he’s destined to be alone with no other half to call his own (probably a bit melodramatic of him, but he was having drinks at Mizuki’s at the time). It’s really not his week, is it.
Still, with Koujaku, Noiz, Mink, and Clear, Aoba manages to save Grandma, but at the cost of Mizuki’s mind.
Tae then tells him some truths. Aoba wonders if any of them have something to do with the lack of a name on his finger.
11.
After being declared a terrorist, chased by the police, and getting ambushed by another Rhymer, he ends up going to Platinum Jail with Noiz. Aoba silently prays to any higher power listening for patience.
Though it’s a bit unfair of Aoba to judge Noiz from the short time he’s known him, Noiz does have the tendency to piss Aoba off from just a few words. He doesn’t know if the other guy is doing it on purpose, or if he likes to provoke him, but the best Aoba can do at the moment is grit his teeth and do what they’re in Platinum Jail for.
But, he’s not a bad guy, really, Aoba thinks. Not if he was willing to take out the worm out of Ren, whatever his initial reasons were. (Aoba wishes Noiz had let him help with the injury he had caused, not only because he felt guilty, but he really was worried.) It’s a bit weird that he doesn’t know what things like crepes and takoyaki were, and that he had managed to live off delivery pizza and pasta all this time, but it’s kind of… endearing, as well. Just a bit, though.
Of course, the brat (because he’s only 19, seriously?) then manages to get piss off the wrong people like it was a talent, and they really don’t need this shit right now.
As Aoba is cleaning off the blood from Noiz’s left hand (an act which he even had to fight for, seriously), he notes that there’s nothing on his ring finger. It’s on his right one then, huh, Aoba thinks. Noiz is silent, but strangely compliant, and there, there’s that strange look again in his eyes, like Aoba is something he can’t decipher and that he doesn’t know what to feel about that, or something.
Then Noiz starts accusing him of completely wrong things, which Aoba fervently argues against, then Noiz is kissing him, then. Then they’re on Noiz’s bed, getting each other off, and for a moment, Aoba worries about the person Noiz is supposed to be meant to be together with. (Not that he looks like the type to care about that sort of thing, really, and people do it with other people all the time. But.) But then Noiz tugs his cock just the right way, and he stops thinking about things that don’t really concern him and comes all over Noiz’s hand and takes Noiz’s cock in his mouth.
And oh, oh. Nobody really should be making such an expression from getting their dick bitten. But it’s cute.
12.
Aoba finds out Noiz can’t feel pain.
That makes him feel pained, and he wonders when he actually started being fond of the brat.
But he still pulls Noiz to his chest and tells him how the world isn’t as bad as he thinks, really. When Noiz asks if he’ll teach him, Aoba honestly wants to say yes (even though in the end, it’s probably not his place to do so).
13.
Noiz is subjected to mind-control, Aoba tries Scrap again and succeeds, and Oval Tower collapses.
Noiz being able to finally feel was an unexpected bonus, but despite the painful injuries, he wasn’t really complaining. Much.
When Noiz tells Aoba his feelings and admits to wanting to touch him more, Aoba’s eyes subconsciously flicker down to the ring finger wrapped with a band-aid, despite feeling the same way. Noiz notices and his lips press into a thin line for a moment before firmly saying, “Don’t think about it.”
Aoba’s last thought on the subject, before climbing on the bed, was if this was what Koujaku was talking about that one time at his verdana. If it was, then now he can say he understands what he meant.
14.
After Aoba fulfills his promise for a Rhyme rematch, Noiz disappears for three months.
On some of his more bitter and angry days, he wonders if Noiz went off to find his soulmate, the name etched on his skin that was supposed to complete him. He knows it's selfish of him to get angry over something like that, and sometimes he doesn't get why he's so worked up about it - they didn't know each other for that long, after all. But most days he just wishes that he’d hear anything about or from him, because he knows, he knows, that Noiz left for a good reason, and that he’d be back.
And he does, face clear of piercings and wearing a suit. A suit. And he has the gall to ask if Aoba had missed him. This fucking brat. Aoba doesn’t know whether to punch him or kiss him and trust Noiz to take that decision off his hands.
Days later, they’re in Germany, and Aoba is wondering how the hell did his world turn around so fast. Not that he’s regretting it already or anything, but still. He can’t help but feel there’s one last barrier between them, but he doesn’t want to be rude or anything and ask about it out of the blue.
Turns out he never had to worry about it at all.
“There’s something I need to tell you,” Noiz starts seriously one night. The both of them are seated on the couch, mindlessly watching television before they would head off for bed. “I didn’t tell you earlier because…”
Aoba turns off the television and gives Noiz all of his attention.
“At first,” Noiz says, “it was because I didn’t think much of it. Didn’t think much of you. I never paid much stock on those meant-to-be things and all, so I didn’t really care. Then I thought I understood why you kept trying to take care of me and shit. So I started accusing you, thinking that you knew. But then we got closer and I found out the truth, and my reason became that I didn’t want your decisions to be influenced by it. I didn’t want you to feel forced or pressured to be with me because of this little thing, especially since I was asking you to leave your family and friends to go here.”
“Noiz,” Aoba says evenly, feeling strangely nervous. “What are you talking about?”
“I’ve seen your right ring finger, you know. I used to wonder why you never said anything, why you always kept it covered, why it was the right hand when it should’ve been the left in the first place.” Noiz grabs Aoba’s right hand and starts to tug off the glove on it. Oddly enough, Aoba doesn’t feel the need to struggle. “That one time, when you fell asleep in my hospital room some time before our first time, I looked at it then. Your ring finger.” Noiz meets his eyes with Aoba’s as he completely removes the glove. “It’s blank, isn’t it? There’s nothing, no name, there.”
Aoba’s throat feels dry and he tries to swallow. “Yeah.”
Noiz makes a humming sound, and says, “But mine does.” Aoba’s stomach drops, and he knows that this was it.
“Yeah.”
Aoba’s hand was then led to Noiz’s own right hand, and his fingers touch the unmistakable texture of the band-aid Noiz had taken to wearing around his ring finger.
“Take it off.”
Oh. Oh. Part of Aoba doesn’t want to, but he does so anyways, managing a strained laugh when Noiz winces when the band-aid is ripped off. He looks at anywhere other than the bright red ink on skin. He hears Noiz make an exasperated sigh and to his surprise, the hand is shoved right in front of his eyes.
“Wha--” The words die on his throat when he finally focuses on the name written on the finger in front of him.
‘Seragaki Aoba’