where stars land | haobin

four.

Their star blazes so stunningly bright that just for a second they're both startled. Two iridescent golden strings run from the pinky fingers of their joined hands, shimmering faintly as they link the two people on Earth to their soulmate star. When he looks into Zhanghao's eyes, it's like he finally knows he's complete. Mayhem descends around them as the three hundred new third-years at the party tonight see their fate for the first time, but as Hanbin collapses into Zhanghao's arms in the chilly winter night, they forget that anyone else exists in the world but them.

Somewhere around half past midnight, as the crowd lingering around the back deck of Krystian's house dwindles, Hanbin and Zhanghao manage to locate the rest of their friends. Ricky and Kamden are absolutely wasted and draped all over the deck chairs at the far end of the pool. Yujin sits perched on the space left on Ricky's deck chair, playing with an empty plastic cup as he searches the crowd for any sign of Gyuvin or Zhanghao.

"Hyung!"

"Yujin-ah, everything alright?" Hanbin asks, letting go of Zhanghao's hand momentarily to poke at the two incoherent boys in front of them. When he gets a perfunctory groan from both of them, just to make sure they're not dead, he steps back and lets them be.

"Yeah, everything's okay. They had a little too much to drink, that's all, I think they were downing bottles at some point."

"Hanbin!"

Hanbin turns at the sound of his name. "Oh, Seokmae-ya! How's your soulmate?"

"Not here tonight, apparently," Matthew says, grinning. "It's a big world out there. I'll find them one day. What about you?"

Hanbin smiles and it's enough for Matthew to know the answer, though he should have known from the way his hand hasn't left Zhanghao's ever since the conversation began.

"Congratulations," Matthew says, plopping down on the floor beside the now-fully occupied deck chairs, still swirling the dregs of something purple in his near-empty cup. "If you guys weren't soulmates, I would've given up believing in love at all."

Gyuvin appears just then, stumbling a little as he walks, Ollie in tow. "What's up!"

Zhanghao gets up from the deck chair to vacate a space for Gyuvin, who's clearly been drinking a little more than he should have. "Sit your ass down. Everything okay with your soulmate?"

"Yup! They're not too near me, though. I wonder where they are right now..." He trails off and slumps over, landing on Ricky who immediately raises an arm to shake him off. "Ah...stop hitting me..."

Somehow, between the five sober ones left; Hanbin, Zhanghao, Yujin, Ollie and Matthew, they manage to drag Kamden, Gyuvin and Ricky into the backseats of Ubers. Ricky was supposed to have a chauffeur tonight, but he was too drunk to even dial the number of his driver.

Matthew senses that Hanbin and Zhanghao want to be alone for a bit, and he happily takes the younger two away to find Jay for their carpool home. And then there were two.

Hanbin looks into Zhanghao's eyes, searching for any sign of tumult. "You okay?"

"How could I not be?" Zhanghao answers readily, smile reassuring. "Now that I know you were always meant to be mine."

They kiss, and something lights up in their hearts, and it's as if they're seventeen again, the very first time they learned love had a taste. They still go their separate ways at their street corner, but as Hanbin wrings the water from his hair after his shower, he thinks about the day he can drift off in his soulmate's arms, and sleep uninterrupted till the morning.

Something settles over him as he sleeps that night, something warm, something calming. Peace and contentment. It's new.

The first day of school begins on Monday. It's pandemonium in the cafeteria during lunch hour; Hanbin and Zhanghao sit back and watch the aftermath of dozens of fresh breakups between bites of rice and stewed meat. Not everyone was as lucky as they were that night. Statistically most people don't end up becoming soulmates with their high school sweethearts, and this year's stars were no different.

They're the exception, the lucky ones. Many of the couples from their year learned they weren't soulmates last night; whether they chose to break up and forget about each other, or fight back in the face of destiny, Hanbin thinks there's no difference. Those relationships will all end when they find their real soulmate.

After all, he can't imagine loving anyone more than he loves Zhanghao. In his eyes, nothing can compare.

"I think it's brave," Zhanghao answers, thinking, sipping at a carton of banana milk. "It's your life. Live it by your own means, not anyone else's. Not fate's, for sure."

Hanbin pretends to look hurt. "Does that mean you don't want to be my soulmate?"

Zhanghao throws a stalk of vegetable at him. "I'm here with you by my own means, aren't I? I chose to love you before I even knew you were my soulmate, so be quiet."

"Okay, fine. I love you."

"I love you too."

"Guys, we know you're perfect," Gyuvin insists, banging his empty milk carton down on the table between them. "No need to remind us every second, god."

Life returns to its regular chaos as their senior year in high school truly begins. As they eat ramen dinners by the convenience store curbside and play basketball after school at the courts and complain about the staggering increase in homework this year, Hanbin and Zhanghao remain as inseparable as ever, harmony in every step, symphony in every smile.

Peace is difficult to earn, and easy to lose. The letter that arrives in Zhanghao's mailbox in two weeks' time proves it so.