A/N: This is a soulmate AU where your soulmate's first words appear on your body in the form of a tattoo, so keep that in mind while reading and enjoy!! :)
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"Love is so overrated," Haechan grumbled as he watched you ogle at the group of guys leaving the coffee shop. "If you stare any harder, your eyes are gonna pop out of your head."
"Why? Are you jealous?" you smirked, leaning over the counter. "Come on, there's nothing wrong with a little eye candy."
Haechan smiled while playfully rolling his eyes. The two of you had been best friends since high school, and together, you had survived university and were now working part-time jobs to make some money before heading into the real world. You would be attending medical school, and Haechan would be joining an entertainment company to work as a reporter.
And to save money, you two stayed in the same apartment- two separate rooms, of course. You weren't trying to get that close. You slid on the back of Haechan's motorcycle, platonically wrapping your arms around his waist as he zigzagged through the streets to your place. It was days like these both of you lived for. There was nothing weighing you down, and the two of you had each other's backs no matter what.
Haechan unlocked the front door, and you flung yourself on the sofa.
"Wanna watch that new K-drama that's airing?" you asked.
Haechan smiled weakly. "Why don't you wash up first, and I'll make some hot chocolate, and we can binge. Your convenience store shift is at 11 tomorrow, so if we sleep at 2 AM, that's 8 hours of sleep and 1 hour to get ready. Sound good?"
"This is why I love you," you winked. You grabbed a clean towel from the laundry drying rack and slipped into the bathroom.
Twisting the faucet, you smiled as the hot water spurted out. Warm showers and comfy pajamas with a steaming cup of hot cocoa was your favorite combination. Of course, that setting wouldn't be complete without Haechan.
As you stepped under the water and let it cascade down you, you suddenly felt a burning sensation, and you pushed the water faucet onto the cold side, but your side felt like it was on fire. Quickly, you turned off the water and twisted to see what was causing so much pain, and you lost balance.
Haechan heard the crash from the living room and rushed to the bathroom to pound on the door and ask if you were alright.
"Y/N? You good?"
There was no answer, and Haechan's nerves started to get the best of him.
"Do I need to come in?"
"DON'T! DON'T HELP ME. I JUST SLIPPED. I'M OKAY!" But the truth was you were not okay. As you stared at your side in the mirror, tears welled up in your eyes. There it was. The first words your soulmate had said to you were now inked on your body. You had been waiting for this day but dreading it so much, but now here they were.
A six pack is too heavy for me, so I only carry one around... Those were the words in small cursive etched into your side.
"Wait, but that's what Haechan said to me when we first met-"
You clasped a hand over your mouth and stumbled backwards. Did this mean the goof you felt like you had known all your life was your soulmate? Tears pooled at the edges of your eyes, and you thought back to the countless times you had laid in bed and thought about your relationship with your best friend. Haechan had always been there for you despite his seemingly cold personality.
You threw on your pajamas and calmed your nervous heart as you took a seat beside Haechan on the sofa. He handed you a mug of hot cocoa with extra marshmallows- just how you liked it. But this time instead of coolly sipping your drink and kicking your feet up on the coffee table, you scooted away, sitting upright with your hands folded in your lap.
"Night, darling," Haechan winked after the show was over. "I'll drive you to your shift, so you better be ready by 10:30."
You had to be yourself or he would catch on. "Yes sir! Good night, love."
And at 10:30 sharp, you two were putting on your helmets so that Haechan could drop you off to one of your many part-time jobs. But instead of wrapping your arms around him, you limply grasped part of his hoodie and used your leg muscle to hold on.
"Let's grab coffee at the shop before our shift," Haechan said. He knew something was up with you, and he had an idea but didn't want to confirm it just yet. "Meet me there."
"Bye, Haechannie!" You sighed as you trudged into the convenience store and pulled your vest on.
The hours ticked by and customers came and went. And before you knew it, it was time to meet Haechan. You had thought long and hard about whether you wanted to tell him about your soulmate tattoo that had appeared. If he knew about it, then it was only a matter of time before his showed up for you too.
Haechan was waiting in a booth by the window with drinks already on the table. You smiled when you saw the steaming hot white chocolate mocha across from him and took your seat.
"Did you wanna talk about something?" you asked slowly before taking a sip of your drink.
"You've been acting weird since last night. What's going on?"
You shook your head. "It's nothing."
He rolled his eyes. "Obviously you got your soulmate tattoo because now you're being all distant. Whoever that guy is, you'll meet him eventually, but how could you push me away so easily? I thought I was your best friend."
Mustering up the courage, you pulled up the side of your shirt slightly, showing him the tattoo. "Haechan, you're more than just a friend. You're my soulmate."
He froze. "No. There must be some mistake."
Your expression fell. You had expected him to be happy, but here he was a grumbling mess.
"You don't want to be my soulmate?" you asked carefully.
Haechan looked at you with that cold expression everyone usually misunderstood. The icy look in his eyes spoke for themselves, and he left the café and stormed down the street. You wanted to cry and curl up in a ball, but it was time for your next shift. You slipped into yet another part-time uniform and cursed as customers filed in from the evening rush.
Over the next few days, you hardly saw Haechan at all. He left for his jobs before you did and came back after you were asleep. He still cooked and kept stuff in the fridge for you, but he had cut off all forms of communication. That was until about a month later when you caught him sneaking out at dawn to "go to work."
"Haechan," you grabbed hold of his wrist. He tried to wriggle away, but you held onto him tightly. "You can't keep avoiding me like this."
Maybe he had been faring fine, but after he had disappeared from your life, you realized just how much he impacted you. Whenever you were sad, he knew exactly how to cheer you up. He knew what topics to avoid in conversation and would defend you if anyone ever said anything mean. He would take interest in your hobbies and would teach you some stuff, too.
But now, it felt like your heart was on fire. You had lost the one person who mattered the most to you. He had coldly turned his back and walked away, leaving you alone to deal with your now unrequited feelings. And the thing about the soulmate inking was that you'd always be stuck with them as your soulmate. You'd never be able to fall for someone else that hard ever again. There were always rumors that your soulmate didn't have to like you back and that you may not even end up together. You had never thought you would be confirming those rumors.
"I'm sorry," you apologized. "If you hate the idea of me liking you that much, I'll leave. You stay here, and I'll disappear for you. You'll never have to see me again."
Haechan's expression softened. "Y/N, that's what I'm afraid of. I've always been afraid of losing you." He slowly pushed your hand away and rubbed hard at his wrist. Slowly, you realized he was rubbing off makeup, and right there on his wrist was his soulmate tattoo.
I never signed up for this...
"I never signed up for this. Everyone here is so fit," Haechan recounted. "Those were the first words you said to me when we had to take a physical education class together in college."
You held up his wrist, staring at him in shock. "Why didn't you tell me about this? Since when have you had this?"
"Since the day I met you," he confessed. "I didn't think much of it until we became the inseparable duo we are. I didn't want to like you because the thought of losing you altogether scared me even more. I've never met someone who can understand me without saying a word."
You placed a hand on the side of his cheek and pecked his lips. "Don't you dare ever disappear on me like that again. If you do, you'll have to be prepared to face my wrath."
Haechan hugged you, pulling you tightly against him, and you felt the warmth radiating off his body. "I didn't sign up for this."
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A/N: Thanks xxlilmeowmeowxx0903 for requesting this one! I don't experiment much with soulmate fanfics, but this one got me in my feels and had me wanting to write more!
Question of the imagine: Would you like the idea of your soulmate's first words appearing on your body? I'm honestly on the fence on this one! I think part of me would like it and part of me would find it kinda pressuring!