Y/N grew up at the Holland home. Her mother knew Nikki Holland from their uni days, and when they both had children, it was the perfect opportunity to make the friendship expand to their families. Y/N and Tom were practically inseparable growing up even though they attended different schools. That all changed when they both got accepted to the BRIT School for theatre. They were both so excited to attend the same school for the same craft. Things became better when they both befriended a boy named Harrison. The three became fast mates, and their parents became curious to see if either of them were soulmates.
Y/N, Tom, and Harrison had heard the stories of soulmates since the time that they were going through puberty. The idea that after you turn 21 you can feel your soulmate's pain seemed like a myth to the 3 of them. Granted, they didn't know anyone old enough to ask if it was true aside from their parents, so they didn't think much of it. As they got closer to their 21st birthdays, the butterflies began to kick-in for Y/N. Tom was the first to turn 21, then Harrison. It was only a few days short of Y/N's 21st, and they were trying to plan what they were going to do.
"What do you feel like doing?" Tom asked as he plopped onto Y/N's couch next to Haz.
"I don't know. I was thinking of just having a night in. I'm still trying to recover from your guys' birthday!" She laughed as you walked toward the kitchen to get some water.
"You know you had fun!" Harrison countered.
"Yeah, but I'd like to not be hungover the day after my birthday." She took a sip of her water before sitting in between Tom and Harrison.
"Good point. So uh, Brooklyn Nine-Nine?" Tom asked as he put Hulu on the flat screen.
"Do we have a choice?" Y/N and Haz said at the same time before looking at each other.
"Nope!" Tom popped the "p" in his response.
"It's my house!" She whined.
"But your parents practically let us live here!" Tom recalled.
"He has a point!" Harrison gave her a sympathetic look.
Y/N crossed her arms, but quickly loosened up with Jake's onscreen antics. As the three were laughing at the show, they didn't realize how late it had gotten.
"Oh shit, it's 3 AM!" Tom practically shouted while looking at his phone.
"You guys can stay over. It wouldn't be the first time." Y/N shrugged at the boys as she stood up.
"Have a good night, Y/N." Harrison said as he watched her walk toward her room. Once she entered her room and closed her door, he looked at Tom.
"Okay, so I think we should cook dinner for Y/N." Harrison stated.
"But what are we going to make? Pancakes?" Tom smirked at his best mate.
"Very funny, Thomas. We can make her spaghetti and meatballs from scratch!" Harrison suggested to the older boy.
"Yeah, just make sure we don't cook the noodles with cold water like my div of a brother." Both of them laughed at the memory of Harry attempting to make pasta.
"Alright, well goodnight mate. See you in the morning." Harrison said as he got up from the couch.
"Night mate." Tom threw up a peace sign before finishing up the last of his water bottle.
–
The following morning Harrison was the first one up. He figured he'd start the birthday celebrations early by grabbing some pastries and coffee from a nearby bakery. He ordered a dozen cinnamon rolls and three drip coffees. As he made his way back to Y/N's house, he hoped that his best mates were awake, or just about to wake up when he arrived. Walking into the home, Harrison could hear Y/N humming around in the kitchen.
"Good morning!" Y/N practically sang as she heard footsteps approaching.
"Morning, love. I brought some cinnamon rolls and coffee for us and Tom." Harrison smiled as he set down the items on the kitchen counter.
"You know my birthday's tomorrow, right?" She let out a small laugh before picking up a cup of coffee.
"Of course, I know, but we can always celebrate early!" He said as he watched her take off the lid to add a bit of cream and sugar.
"Though, this saves me from brewing a pot! And thank you!" She placed the lid back onto the cup and took a sip, savoring the warmth of the caffeinated drink.
As Y/N and Harrison started eating the cinnamon rolls, Tom walked in rubbing his eyes as a feeble attempt to wake himself up. Both Harrison and Y/N laughed at his hair being all over the place. Tom gave them a sarcastically amused look before drinking his coffee black.
"Go to bed late, mate?" Harrison asked before finishing his cinnamon roll.
"Yeah. I feel like a train hit me." Tom answered before taking another sip.
"I feel sorry for your soulmate." Y/N joked.
"Very funny. You still believe in that?" Tom raised an eyebrow at her.
"I don't know. I am going to be 21 tomorrow, and what if I start feeling his pain. Doesn't that scare you guys?" She looked down to try to hide her worry.
"I mean, Tom's been 21 for a few months now, and I have been 21 for a month. Nothing has happened to either of us. I think you'll be fine." Harrison reassured her.
"Yeah, for all we know, it could just be in our heads." Tom tried to rationalize the underlying fears they all had, while secretly glad he hadn't felt anything yet.
"You guys are probably right. I'm probably over thinking it." Y/N smiled at the boys before taking another bite of her cinnamon roll.
"You know what'd be weird? If two of us were soulmates." Tom said to no one in particular.
"If that were true, why haven't either of you felt each other's pain?" Y/N smirked causing Harrison to nearly choke.
"I don't think I could handle being his soulmate." Harrison gestured toward Tom.
"That's right. I'm too good for you." Tom smiled triumphantly.
"Sure, Tommy, sure." Y/N sipped on her coffee again.
–
Y/N's birthday came and went. It was lowkey, just like she had wanted. Tom and Harrison managed to make spaghetti and meatballs without burning down their flat, and Y/N and her family actually enjoyed it.
"How did you guys make this?" Y/N asked.
"Or better yet, did you guys make it?" Y/N's father asked.
"It was simple really. We just followed my nan's recipe." Harrison answered before taking another bite.
"That, and he didn't let me do anything other than 'supervise.' I'm pretty sure he didn't want me to screw it up." Tom quipped.
"You were taking the piss." Harrison fired back.
"I didn't think you were seri-" Tom was cutoff.
"Well, I love it! Thank you, Harrison! Thank you, Tom!" Y/N sweetly smiled at the two boys sitting across from her.
The rest of the evening was filled with ice cream, presents, and watching Disney movies. Y/N loved spending time with her family and her two best mates. That night was more than she could've asked for, and it took her mind off of the possibility of feeling her soulmate's pain. All she felt that night was joy and love.
–
A few days after Y/N's birthday, she messaged the group chat with Harrison and Tom asking if they wanted to hang out. Harrison responded saying that they wished they could, but they both had to do things for Tom's shoot. She didn't think much of what they had to do, so she replied saying it was alright and she'd talk to them later. She decided to start reading Beneath a Scarlet Sky since Tom had been auditioning for the role. As she was finishing up the first chapter, Y/N felt as though the wind was knocked out of her. Then her ribs began to ache. She didn't know what was causing it.
–
Harrison let Tom know that his hands were taped up and he was ready to enter the ring. He saw his best mate drinking some water as he got closer. They both figured that taking up boxing would make Tom more attractive in the eyes of casting directors because it could show them that he could take a hit and it wouldn't slow him down.
"I'm ready to go, mate." Harrison nodded his head toward the ring in the boxing gym they were at.
"Let's go." Tom led the way to the ring.
Both of them stepped into the ring. As they both warmed up, they met in the middle of the ring and bumped gloves. They each brought their gloves close to their face and began to slowly circle the ring. Tom was the first to throw a punch, but Harrison blocked it. As each boy took turns throwing punches and hooks, Tom was finally able to calculate the right moment and hit Harrison in the torso. He hit him to hard that the wind knocked out of him and Harrison crumpled to the floor.
"You alright, mate?" Tom's voice dripped with concern.
"Yeah.... It's.... Only.... Air...." Harrison stammered out each word while gripping his torso.
"I'm so sorry. We can be done for the day." Tom knelt next to Harrison.
Harrison only nodded. After several minutes of lying on the floor of the ring, Harrison began to feel better and was able to get up. He hit the shower, and the hot water soothed his aching ribs. He was sure that he was going to feel it in the morning.
–
A week after the boxing incident, Tom and Harrison were over at Y/N's house watching Brooklyn Nine-Nine. After two episodes, Y/N got up to make some popcorn and grab some beers. When she returned, Harrison noticed something seemed off.
"You alright, love?" He asked Y/N as she handed him his beer.
"Yeah, I guess. Can I ask you guys something?" She looked at both of them and they nodded.
"Are you sure you guys haven't felt anything? A few nights ago I felt like the wind was knocked out of me and my ribs hurt the rest of the night." She told them of her experiences.
"I haven't felt anything. What about you, Haz?" Tom turned his gaze to his best mate.
"Nope, I haven't felt a thing. Maybe you were feeling panicky?" Haz offered a possible solution for the sensations she felt.
"Maybe. It could just be all in my head. I've been worried about it..." She rationalized while looking down at her feet.
"Love, there's no need to worry. Any guy would be lucky to spend a lifetime with you." Harrison smiled sincerely.
"He's right. Any lad would be way out of his league with you. Now come sit back down so we can laugh our asses off." Tom motioned for Y/N to sit back down, which she sat between her best mates.
–
After finishing the final episode of Brooklyn Nine-Nine on Hulu, Y/N began gathering the empty beer bottles to take to the kitchen. Tom began to throw some un-popped popcorn kernels at Harrison. This began to annoy Harrison, which he happily threw a couch pillow at Tom. Y/N walked back into the living room to see the couch and floor littered with kernels. She sighed. I'm best mates with children, she thought.
"I'm gonna go to my room. And please clean up the kernels." Y/N said before turning on her heels to head to her room.
"We will!" Haz called out before hitting Tom again with another pillow.
Y/N settled onto her bed and picked up her book again. She was enjoying Beneath a Scarlet Sky, and she was simply amazed that the events had occurred. This was definitely one of the rare moments where life was far better than fiction. Halfway through a paragraph, she felt a short, sharp pain in her left shoulder. She rubbed her shoulder briefly and went back to reading. Y/N was so wrapped up in the book, that she didn't hear Tom and Harrison in the living room. None of that mattered until she felt a sharp pain on her nose. The pain was so sharp that her eyes began to water. She pinched the bridge of her nose and that seemed to intensify the pain and she let out a small yelp. This couldn't have been all in her head. She got up from her bed and walked over to the living room.
–
After Y/N left Tom and Harrison in the living room, Tom continued his kernel assault on Harrison.
"You div! Stop, or I'm going to hurt you!" Haz threatened.
"I'd like to see you try!" Tom countered.
Both of the boys got up and moved the coffee table to make more room and so they wouldn't break the furniture again. They got into a boxing stance, and they began to throw punches. Harrison was able to get a few good hits in before Tom was able to hit his left shoulder. Harrison winced in pain before unleashing his right hook on Tom. Tom shook it off and was able to block some more punches. Both of the boys were getting tired when Tom saw an opening. Tom threw a punch with his right hand, which made contact with Harrison's nose. Harrison felt the pain, and his hands went straight to his nose. He didn't feel any blood, but the pain made his eyes water.
"Shit! I'm so sorry, mate." Tom rushed towards Harrison to assess how badly he hit his mate.
"I think it might be broken." Haz tried applying pressure, but it was too much.
"I'm pretty sure the guy I'm soulmate's with just broke his nose because last I checked, reading is harmless." Y/N walked in with her hands cupped over her aching nose.
Both Tom and Harrison looked at her. The myth was no longer a myth. It was real. It was all real. Tom looked between his two best mates. Y/N still hadn't realized what had happened. It wasn't until Tom cleared his throat that Y/N placed her focus on the boys than her nose. She took in the sight of Tom looking at her and Haz, who was cupping his hands over his nose.
"What's wrong with Haz?" Y/N asked quietly.
"He might have broken his nose when I punched him." Tom's words sunk into Harrison's and Y/N's mind.
"I gotta go!" She quickly turned around and went to her room.
–
This can't be happening. My soulmate is Harrison?! Y/N thought as she paced back and forth in her room. She never looked at Harrison, or Tom for that matter, as anything but her best mate. But she began to recall all the times he called her "love" and the way it made her heart beat a little faster. The way his smile seemed to light up the whole room made her smile. But, she then had a fear: what if he didn't care for her in that way? Just because fate was forcing them together, that didn't mean he actually loved her, right? What if he felt like he was stuck with her? These doubts soon flooded her mind, and she couldn't stop it.
–
"What was that about?" Haz looked at Tom, still a bit preoccupied with his nose.
"Div! Y/N is your soulmate! She can feel your broken nose!" Tom informed his mate.
"What? No! That can't be right! Can it?" Harrison somehow confused himself.
"Go talk to her. You'll be doing that for the rest of your life." Tom smirked.
"What? No! If she wanted to talk, she would've stayed." Haz pointed out.
"Look, your nose doesn't need to be set or anything. Just go talk to her. You'll score points by taking the initiative." He tried to encourage Haz.
"But what if she doesn't want me?" Insecurity and worry weighed on Haz's tone.
"Div, she's one of your best mate's! She's stuck with you for this long, why wouldn't she stick it out longer?" Tom asked, knowing she would stick it out for a lifetime.
"I don't know Tom..." Harrison's voice faded as doubts wracked his mind.
"C'mon mate, let's go." Tom got behind Harrison and pushed him towards Y/N's room.
Harrison didn't bother protesting, though he did reluctantly walked to Y/N's room. When they reached her door, Tom knocked for Haz.
"I'm not here..." Y/N's voice sounded faint through the wooden door.
"Y/N, I'm opening the door." Tom warned before turning the doorknob and slowly opening the door.
Y/N saw her two best mates standing at the door. It was almost as if she was seeing Harrison for the first time. His eyes were an ocean blue that she could easily drown in. His hair looked soft, and she imagined what it would feel like to run her fingers through it. She forgot about the pain she felt in her nose because all that mattered was Harrison.
Harrison saw the way the light hit Y/N's eyes. They were so full of life and love. Her facial features were soft, and her lips held a faint smile that wiped away all doubt for Harrison. Y/N was there, right in front of him the whole time, and yet he was seeing her for the first time.
"Well, I'm going to leave you two to chat. See ya!" Tom threw up a peace sign before walking away.
Harrison and Y/N continued to look at each other and take in physical features. Without realizing it, Haz was slowly making himself closer to Y/N. His hand reached out to gently touch her right cheek. His fingers memorized her smooth skin that now radiated a bit of heat.
"Hi." Y/N said quietly.
"Hi." Haz replied back just as softly as she had said it.
"Who would've thought?" She asked, her faint smile growing slowly.
"Not me, but then again, I'm a div." He chuckled lightly before removing his hand from her cheek.
"What do we do know?" The curiosity began to take over Y/N's mind.
"Well..." Harrison started out. "We'll ice our noses, and then I am going to take you out on a proper date." He smiled.
"I'd really like that." Y/N replied with a radiance about her.