Mikrokosmos (BTS Reverse Harem x OC Romance)

I Get Lifechanging Pills (I Swear I'm Not Taking Drugs)

Cleaning up dishes and writing down orders is not my ideal afternoon. But where am I now? Doing that exact thing. I stumble through my shift trying to hide the ever-growing sense of excitement I feel. Going by the chuckles of everyone around me, I'm not doing a very good job at it.

I work at a small hole-in-the-wall café in Toronto, Ohio. There's usually not many customers, but today every seat seems to be filled. Of course, that could be attributed to the rain ruthlessly pounding down outside.

My name is Akari Bennett. No, I am not Japanese. My mom was just a major otaku and my dad had no say in my naming as he left before I was born. She named me Akari because I was, in her words, "The light of her life." It hurts to know she never got the chance to say more than that. Emily Bennett died in childbirth on July 16th, 1994.

I got taken in by my maternal uncle, Thomas Bennett. It wasn't easy for him, but he raised me the best he could. I loved him like a father. On my sixteenth birthday he asked me if I wanted him to buy the pills as my birthday gift from him. I had grown up daydreaming about who my soulmate would be, and he knew how much it meant to me.

He told me he would stop at a CVS on his way to work the next day. As he was walking on the sidewalk to the pharmacy, an out-of-control car veered right into the sidewalk. The driver was a man who was texting and driving. He survived. My uncle didn't.

No words could console the broken-hearted sixteen year old that I used to be, though many people tried. I still freak out if I see someone pull out their phone while driving even if it's just to make a phone call. After that, I was put into foster care.

I have worked tirelessly for years to be able to buy the pills. It wasn't easy to save up for them. Most people have accounts that were started at birth. I did not have that luxury. Since the moment I left foster care at 18, I have been moving from one job to the next. Continuing to put money in an account in the hopes that my soulmate had waited for me.

Even though soulmates are each other's second half, it doesn't guarantee a happy life. Some people never get the chance to meet the other half of their soul because their soulmate had died before they could take the pill. When your soulmate dies, your Mark turns grey and, over the course of many years, slowly disappears. I could only pray that my soulmate hadn't decided to move on. I could only pray that they hadn't died.

2:58 is what the clock reads. Two more minutes until the end of my shift. Two more minutes until the rest of my life. The clock's hand could not move any slower, as it makes its way around the clock.

"Akari! Stop daydreaming and get back to work!" The sudden, heated words shock me out of my trance. I glance back towards the office in the back of the restaurant and see my boss staring back angrily.

"Yes sir!" I loudly call out as I hurry back to the table to refill waters and take requests.

When I look up after what seems like hours of running back and forth from the tables to the kitchen, I search for the time. 3:30 mocks me in bright red letters. Crap. My appointment is at 4:00.

I rush to the back and change into my regular clothes. I bolt towards the door, not saying goodbye to anyone in my haste to make it to the pharmacy. It seems the rain had let up and was now only a slight drizzle.

The pharmacy is about ten blocks away. I should be able to make it in time. I hurriedly slide past crowds of people. I look up and can barely make out the pharmacy's sign from a few blocks away. I walk into a bookstore, so I can get away from the crowds for a bit. Checking the time, I see I still have 10 minutes left before the appointment.

Taking a deep breath to prepare, I brace myself for the closely packed crowds and resume my journey to the pharmacy. Five minutes pass by and I finally arrive. I never thought that CVS would seem like my salvation.

I walk inside and proceed to attract many disgusted looks from other patrons and employees. I looked slightly bedraggled due to the light drizzle and all the shoving in the crowds. Hmph. Sorry, I gave someone my umbrella, you judgmental people.

One of the other waitresses had asked me to borrow it last week, and she still hadn't returned it. I mentally roll my eyes as I make my way to the back of the CVS. The attendant sitting at the desk looks up as my squeaky shoes alert her someone is coming her way.

"Oh dear! Would you like some towels, Miss?"

I could've kissed her in my happiness. I didn't particularly enjoy the sensation of water running down my body unless I was in a shower.

"Yes, please. That would be greatly appreciated....." I squint my eyes to make out her name tag, "Miss Iris." She nods her head with a smile and walks inside the small clinic behind her.

While I was waiting for her, I half heartedly attempt to squeeze the water out of my clothes and hair. Iris appears with several towels and hands them to me. She then walks back around to the desk and looks down at her clipboard.

"You are Akari Bennett, correct?" I simply nod my head in response to her question. She beams at me. "Great! The doctor should be out in just a minute." I move over to take a seat in the plastic chair pushed up against the wall. My thoughts wander to my uncle.

It had taken me years to accept that his death was not my fault. The only reason he had to be out that horrible day was because of me. He knew how much my soulmate meant to me. I had to remember that he would've wanted me to continue on and not blame myself. Easier said than done.

Some people might be confused at a doctor working at a pharmacy. Let me explain. Five years ago, a nurse practitioner accidentally mixed up the Soulmate Pills and Oxycodone. Oxycodone is very addictive, and the guy who mistakenly purchased it ended up dying due to an overdose. The nurse practitioner lost her license and was banned from all health positions. After that, the courts ruled that only doctors could prescribe Soulmate Pills.

"Miss Bennett?"

The doctor's voice startled me out of my thoughts. He held in his hands an orange pill bottle filled with nondescript white pills.

"Yes, that's me," I murmur.

"Do you have any questions for me before I explain what you can expect with the pills?" I shake my head.

"Okay. I'll hop right into it. It's nothing too complicated. Take one pill everyday for seven days. It would be best if you take them at the same time everyday as well. The day after your last pill is when your Mark will appear. You will feel a slight pain as your Mark forms. It should only last a few seconds. It feels similar to a bug bite or a bee sting. Does this sound good?"

I turn the words over in my head and think carefully on them.

"It sounds amazing," I whisper. The doctor smiled before he continued on.

"I'm happy for you. You can take care of the payment with Iris. We already have your documentation." I pull myself out of my seat and shake his hands. After that, he handed me the pills. Walking back towards the desk where Iris sat, I handed her my card. It would empty out over half of my bank account, but it was money well spent.

As I walk out of the pharmacy with the bottle clutched in my hand, I look up. The rain had stopped completely. The leaves of trees were glistening with raindrops. The dark clouds had parted to reveal a rainbow.

'A rainbow, huh?' I silently thought to myself. Rainbows signified new beginnings. And the way I saw it, mine had been long overdue.

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A/N: Ahhhh! My first chapter! How was it? I didn't think I was going to post again so soon, but I was too excited not to! Hopefully, the next chapter is typed just as fast. Please tell me your thoughts! BTS will be showing up soon! Until next time, my fireflies.

Edit-5/28/20-Akari's birthday is now July 16th, 1994 and not July 16th, 1996. I've changed the years!!! This was originally supposed to be set in the future of 2020. Due to lack of material and other circumstances, it's now set in 2017!!!!!!