#various soulmate aus but exploring how a world in which people are paired off without their choice would act about non soulmate pairs

[letheslullaby]

Coping mechanisms for the mentally disturbed: debating on writing out several academic-style mla-cited explorations of various fanfic tropes that people either 1) don't really care about or 2) are aware of because everyone only ever hears about that trope for the absolute batshit insane kink shit

#beastiebites #hanahaki disease as an allegory for rejection sensitive dysphoria or grief or lose #various soulmate aus but exploring how a world in which people are paired off without their choice would act about non soulmate pairs #everyone thinks omegaverse is just “tee hee gay werewolf kink” which isnt Entirely wrong but Also its such a good allegory/setpiece for shit #the explorations of gender roles and intersexuality and asexuality and found family and non-nuclear family dynamics that it can cultivate #are so good #worldbuilding as a coping mechanism babey just call me Tolkien i guess

[adorablele]

@riothae ♡ to my darling table leg 💞 this is to push the doyoung dream boy agenda. and also i’m sorry for not releasing this on your birthday, please accept this belated birthday gift.

☍ pairing; kim doyoung x reader ☍ genre; fluff, romance, a little bit of angst but mostly fluffy // apocalypse!au, zombie apocalypse!au, strangers to lovers!au, soulmate!au, parallel world!au ☍ word count; 4, 210  ☍ summary; you have your very own dream boy, a literal man of your dreams and he goes by the name of Kim Doyoung ☍ a/n;  don’t be fooled by the beginning, 99.9% of this is just dialogue. also I tried my very best to avoid using the word zombies to describe the people who were affected by the virus because...yeah it has something to do with the characters mindset but i didn’t get to explore that because I wanted to focus on the romance lmao ANYWAYS PLEASE ENJOY AND FEEDBACK IS ALWAYS APPRECIATED since this is my first ever apocalypse!au and longest fic (in general and for doyoung)

trigger warning(s); mentions of weapons, use of weapons (doyoung uses a machete, mc also uses a weapon to kill the zombies), mention of blood 

This has got to be the stupidest thing you’ve ever done. 

“Hey!” you screamed, banging together two pots. 

The growling behind you started to multiply. 

You smirked, continuing to clash up more noise, “C’mere!” 

Out of the corner of your eye, you saw two rotted figures make their way towards you. The adrenaline in your veins pushed your legs to move faster. You heard the growling behind you grow louder, more shuffling of feet syncopated between your own. Out of either confidence or pure insanity―quite possibly both―you turned around to admire the hoard of creatures that you managed to gather.   

Disgust swirled in your stomach. They were ugly with skin so pale that you could see the infected black veins running through their body. They snapped at you with rotted teeth, blistered lips and blood-shot eyes. 

You laughed. “You’re so slow.”

Those vicious, viscera eating monsters didn’t seem to like your taunt. With inhumane twists of their bodies, they started to sprint towards you. This was, without a doubt, the stupidest thing you’ve ever done. Still, you shouted at them and banged your pots. Your pace was already outmatched by theirs, but it didn’t help that you were walking backwards. 

“Just a little closer, I know you can do it!” you cheered. 

By now, more monsters have noticed the ruckus that you’ve caused and they decided they wanted to join in on the fun. That’s when you decided to continue running. You could hear their growls growing closer and closer. For a split second, there was a single drop of fear that touched your spine, or rather, a finger. Acting on instinct, you slammed the pan into the head of the intruder. 

You were done for. They were catching up to you. 

And yet, you kept running, faster than you’ve ever ran. Despite the fact that any one of the, probably, hundreds of virus-infected bodies were one step away from tearing you limb from limb, you laughed. 

This was it. This was the end. 

This was where you die.

The maniacal smirk on your face never ceased. You didn’t know how long you’d be able to run for, but you kept going. At least, you tried to until you were suddenly slammed by a body quite larger than your own. The wind was knocked out of your lungs, the buildings behind you a blur until you were pulled into an abandoned convenience store. 

“Are you insane?” the stranger scowled. 

One second, two, three before you gathered up your wits. 

“Let go of me,” you shouted, pushing off the stranger, “and yeah, I am.”

You aimed your gun at the stranger who held his arms up in surrender. 

“A thank you would be nice,” he frowned. 

The tall man was dressed in tattered jeans and a fitted black t-shirt. Around his wrists were newspapers bound by masking tape. He was covered in blood, dirt and grime; chapped lips and sharp eyes; black hair nestled messily on top of his head. Aside from all the cuts and bruises, you would deem him handsome. Although, that’s not of importance right now. 

“What would I be thanking you for?” 

“For saving you,” he replied like it was the most obvious thing in the world.

“I didn’t need saving.”

He scoffed, “You were about to die.” 

“I’m already dead,” you muttered, “we all are.”

The stranger raised his brows, “Is that so?”

“There’s nothing to live for,” you replied.

He stared you in the eyes. “Then go back out there. Go say hello to your fanclub.”

A brief staredown occurred, his gaze challenging your own. Both of you knew that you wouldn’t walk back out there. At that moment, you wanted to see how close you could get to Death, but when it really came down to it, you didn’t want to die, not to those things anyways, and―as much as you’d like to say otherwise―most definitely not now.  You were on the brink of insanity, yes, but you weren’t completely diving in head first. You also knew that deep-down, you’re relieved that he saved you. 

And he knew that too. 

“Don’t move!” you shouted when he started to lower his arms.

He paused and looked over to the counter, “I’m just reaching for the candy.”

You eyed the counter where a bag of food laid and followed his movements closely as he reached for the opened bag of gummy bears on the counter.

“You’re human, just like me. We’re not like those...beasts out there, but if you really want to become like them, then go ahead.” He reached for the backpack lying on the floor by the counter and slung it over his back, “I already tried saving you once, though your actions aren’t in my controls.” 

He opened the back door of the grocery store and left. 

Your shoulders finally relaxed. You lowered your gun, then glanced out the window at the horde of monsters that roamed around aimlessly looking for the meal that had escaped them. Those soulless creatures were easy to read, easy to know what their intentions were. You turned back to the door where the stranger walked through. Who knows what his intentions were?

Yet, you decided to follow him.

For a block or two you followed him, watching as he slashed through the creatures with his machete. Occasionally, you too, killed the monsters that made their way towards you. Eventually, he entered a building and climbed all the way to the roof. 

You found him sitting at the edge, feet dangling as he stared ahead. His weapon lay next to him and his previous bag of opened gummy bears sat in his hand. You joined him by the edge, and this might be even stupider than attracting a mob of bloodthirsty fiends. 

Rather than shoving you off, he offered you some gummy bears which you accepted. He didn’t turn to look at you once. In silence, the two of you observed the abandoned city in front of you. Rubbled buildings weakly stood, streets filled with crashed cars, various monsters (who were once human) lingered on the sidewalks. The prettiest of all the ruins was the sky. A toxic mix of orange hues. Shapes of clouds filled the sky, providing no rain and no shade. The Sun was half over the horizon. It sent out constant waves of warmth. 

“I’m Doyoung,” he whispered, as if it were sacred to share his name. He turned to you, eyes vulnerable, a soft brown like the fresh soil used to plant a flower, “Kim Doyoung.”

You gasped out your name as you woke up. 

You sat up in your bed, dazed from the dream. Or, was it a dream? Panic slowly tickled your spine and you immediately turned on the news, phone dialing with numbers of your loved ones. 

After constant reassurances from your friends and family, you slumped on the couch. It was all just a dream. It was just a dream! You shook your head and went to wash your face in the bathroom. It was just a dream. A dream that you vividly remember. 

A dream with Kim Doyoung.

-

For the next few months―each month―you had one overly vivid dream that included Kim Doyoung and the apocalyptic, orange skied world. It mostly consisted of the two of you running around in empty fields, abandoned cities and hacking away at monsters. In many ways, it was you and Doyoung against the world. 

“Any updates on dream boy?” Kara, your best friend, smiled, sitting at the bar-counter of the diner you worked at. 

You placed her usual order of coffee in front of her. “You’re still calling him that?”

“Well, isn’t he?” she shrugged.

“Yeah…”

She smiled, “Any updates?”

Your heart thumped slightly at the question, the memory of the dream you had this morning resurfacing. 

The squelch of flesh echoed against the walls of the room as you and Doyoung explored the bakery. 

“Believe it or not, I was a baker,” he shared, slashing at a crazed waitress

“A baker?” you asked, raising your brows, quickly opening the door to the kitchen area. Running towards you was a murderous customer who, you assumed, didn’t receive the food they wanted. After taking care of the virused creature, you frowned at the disemboweled chef on the floor, “Should we bake in this kitchen?” 

“Do you want to?”

“Not with this on the floor,” you mumbled with a pout, “I thought we finally found a place!”

He shrugged, “Let’s just move the body.”

Together, the two of you, while trying not to gag, dragged away all the dead bodies in the kitchen and tossed them out. After another check around the bakery, the two of you barricaded the windows and doors, also checking through them to make sure no more rotted mouths were running towards you. 

Once all safety precautions were taken care of, Doyoung took out a container of sanitary wipes.

You snorted, “Are you really going to clean?”

“I told you, I was a baker, and in order to cook or bake, you need a clean area.”

You didn’t say anything, only smiling in amusement as he started to wipe the counter. 

“Aren’t you going to help me?” he asked.

Your smile turned upside down as you saw the dusty counter, bloodied floors and molded dishes. “Do I have to?” 

Doyoung threw the container of sanitary wipes at you. You caught it with a grumble. After a good three hours, the kitchen was finally clean enough for Doyoung’s standards. 

“I can’t believe you wanted to clean on your birthday. We could’ve just grabbed one of the pastries or gotten a cake from another place,” you sighed. 

“Well, if we did that, then you wouldn’t make me a cake.”

“Aren’t you the baker?” You countered. 

“Yep!” he leaned against the counter, “but you’re the one who promised to make me a cake.”

“Fine,” you grumbled, dragging your feet as you made your way over to the pantry. 

Somehow, you managed to follow the recipe that you tore from a cookbook and not burn down the entire building. You grabbed the cake from the counter, “Let’s hope you enjoy this, Mr. I’m-a-baker-so-I’m-going-to-give-your-novice-attempt-at-a-cake-a-rating-out-of-ten.” 

“Just an FYI, I had my own bakery,” he proudly added.

“Showing off now, I see,” you chuckled, placing a one tier cake with a very messily and unnecessarily large ‘Happy Birthday Doyou’ written on it. “I ran out of space for your name,” you explained as you added a candle, “but it’s the thought that counts, right?”

“2 points off,” Doyoung called out, “didn’t complete your decorations, y/n? Not good.”

“No mercy, huh?” you tsked, lighting up the candle, “not even one point for the effort?”

He shrugged. 

“Guess I’ll just have to impress you with my singing skills,” you sighed. 

Doyoung watched with amused eyes, “You can try.”

“Happy birthday to you. Happy birthday to you. Happy birthday dear Arden- ” 

“Minus another two points.” 

Your jaw dropped, “What, I totally was hitting that high note!”

Doyoung shook his head, “First off, no. Secondly, who even is Arden.”

“Don’t know, maybe it was a classmate of mine whose birthday just happens to be today,” you shrugged. 

He raised a brow.

”Look, I just wanted to say a random name other than yours.” 

“Another point off.”

“You’re being ridiculous.”

“Insulting the judge,” he shook his head, holding back a smile, “another point.”

“Doyoung!” you whined.

He laughed, “Okay, okay. I’ll give back two points if it tastes good.”

“Four if it blows you away,” you bargained.

“Deal.” 

Although you watched with a confident smile, your heart pumped nervously in your chest. You weren’t the best cook, nor baker, so you knew that there was a chance that the cake wouldn’t taste that good. And you were right. 

Doyoung’s face twisted into a sour expression. 

“It’s…”

“Just say it,” you sighed, “don’t hold back.”

“Horrible.”

You sighed and sat down next to him. You took a piece of the cake to taste. Upon the abomination you called a cake landed on your tastebuds, you realized that you deserved a final rating of -54325/10. 

“This tastes like…very salty sand,” you gagged, “did I forget the sugar or something?”

Doyoung got up from his seat and analyzed your ingredients. “My love, I think you did.” He then placed the bag of what you thought was sugar in front of you. 

“It’s salt?!”

Needless to say, Doyoung saved his own birthday cake by making one himself. You insisted that you should help which, reflecting back on it, you weren’t sure was a good idea or not. Multiple times, you got distracted by the way the dim lights of the kitchen seemed to highlight his face, or the way it felt too comfortable with his hand over yours when he would teach you how to do something. It left your stomach flipping, palms a little sweaty, and your heart ready to burst out of your chest. 

“And it’s done!” he smiled, finding the last flower decoration on the cake. 

It was clear who decorated what. 

All the orderly placed strawberries, raspberries and blackberries, along with the prettily swirled flowers and legible font were obviously Doyoung’s expertise whereas the little random patches of unevenly placed blueberries and poorly attempted flowers that ended up looking like dots were your humbly added touches. 

“Wait, I want to add one last thing,” you told him.

You took the piping bag full of royal icing from him and started to shakily draw on the corner of the cake. 

“Is that...a bunny?”

You bit the inside of your cheek as you concentrated, “Yep.”

“Why a bunny?”

“You look like a bunny when you smile,” you nonchalantly confessed.

Doyoung didn’t say anything.

“Alright!” you smiled, proud of the animal that you drew. You turned to Doyoung who you were surprised to see already looking at you. “Doyoung?”

He looked towards the cake and cleared his throat, “You uhm, you ready to sing?”

“I thought we were just going to eat it?” 

“Oh…”

“Well, I mean, unless you want to hear my amazing vocal-”

“Let’s just eat,” he grimaced.

You laughed, taking a knife and slicing a piece. You offered for him to take the first bite. 

“No, no, you taste it.”

“You’re the birthday boy,” you countered.

“And as the birthday boy, I want you to take the first bite.”

You frowned, “Pulled that one on me, huh?”

He only gave you the bunny smile that made your knees weak. 

“Fine,” you grumbled, taking a bite of the cake. It tasted a thousand times better than the cake that you made. “Oh my- This is really good! You need to try it.”

You didn’t get a chance to fully give Doyoung a piece of cake because he gently cupped your jaw, turning your chin to face him. 

“I think I’ll try it now.”

Before you could respond, he kissed you. It was quick, unexpected on both sides of the party. That didn’t stop him from kissing you a second time though. This time, it was less hesitant and a little longer. He pulled away, yet again. 

The two of you took time staring into each other’s eyes. His thumb rubbed against your cheek. 

“You’re absolutely breath-taking,” he confessed.

You smiled, “Doyoung…”

“Completely stunning,” he whispered, leaning closer. 

Your eyes started fluttering close as you muttered his name.

“Yeah?” 

“Kiss me.”

Kara’s smile widened, her eyes glinting with mischief, “Oooo someone did have a dream.”

Your face felt hot. 

“Someone had a dream?” Felix asked curiously. He took the seat next to Kara and placed a plate full of waffles in between the three of you. 

Kara stuffed a piece in her mouth, “Dream boy strikesh ahjain.”

“What?” you mused.

She swallowed her food. “I said, dream boy strikes again,” Kara smiled, “perhaps, a little something happened?”

“Maybe a little something.”

“Like…” Felix trailed off. 

“Like… a kiss.” 

“You kissed him?!” your friends both exclaimed. 

Luckily, at the early hour of 6 in the morning, the diner was always empty except for the three of you. You rolled your eyes. “So what, we kissed,” you shrugged, “it’s just a dream.”

“Y/N,” Felix sighed in an exasperated tone, “it’s not just any dream-”

“It’s a dream with your dream boy!” Kara finished. 

“He could be your soulmate!” Felix gasped, “What if he’s having dreams like this too!”

“C’mon,” you gave your best friend a look of disbelief, “he’s not even real.”

“You don’t know that,” Kara told you, “there are people out there named Kim Doyoung.”

Felix tilted his head and rubbed his chin thoughtfully, “You know, his name does sound pretty familiar.”  

You shook your head, “You guys are crazy.”

They continued to converse about people named Doyoung and possible suitors for you which you ignored and, instead, focused on continuing to wipe down the counter. The door to the diner then jingled as a customer stepped in. 

“Welcome in!” you greeted, still not looking up from the counter. Not hearing a response from the customer, you looked up. The rag in your hand dropped onto the counter. At your reaction, your friends stopped talking. 

Doyoung.

The man dressed in all black that stood at the door, smiled slightly, “Hello.” 

You felt the eyes of your friends. 

Clearing your throat, you nodded, “Oh uh, hi. Sit where you want.”

He nodded before making his way towards a corner table. 

“Looks like someone likes-” Kara started, but you interrupted her. 

“It’s him,” you told them quietly. 

“He’s the man of your-” they both exclaimed.

“Shut up!” you hissed before they could finish their sentence. 

They both glanced over at the man looking out the window before turning back to you with wide grins.

“He’s the man of your dreams?” they both asked excitedly.

“You two are unbelievable,” you mumbled, taking a menu and walking over to the man.

“Here’s your menu. My name is y/n, I’ll be serving you today. Just let me know when you’re ready to order,” you smiled. 

When Doyoung, or the man that looked like Doyoung, heard your name, you could’ve sworn that his eyes widened slightly, but you shook off the thought and left when he mutely nodded his head at you. 

“It’s dream boy,” Kara immediately said once you returned back to the counter. 

You shook your head in disbelief, looking over at him before back to Kara. “No.”

“What do you mean no?” Felix quietly whispered.

“Just because it looks like him doesn’t mean it is him! He’s just a dream,” you nodded over at Doyoung, “that guy, he’s real.”

While you bickered quietly with your friends, Doyoung spared another glance your way. It was odd seeing you in normal clothing, ones that weren’t tattered or bloodied. You weren’t holding your usual weapon, and you most definitely weren’t bashing heads. Though, he couldn’t help but admire you in the same way he had in his dreams. 

“Completely stunning,” he mumbled. 

When you dropped the rag, he was sure that you recognized him; recognized him as the Kim Doyoung from NCT. When your friends kept whispering and looking back at him, he knew that, not only you, but also your friends knew who he was. Doyoung turned back to the menu.

He doubted you knew had the same dreams as him. He did feel a bit awkward considering the fact that he dreamt of kissing you without knowing that you were an actual person. Maybe he should leave? After all, he was hoping to come to this diner because it was relatively empty, and he just hoped that the people in here wouldn’t know him. 

He glanced once more over to the counter where your friends quickly turned their gaze away from him. 

“Guys, he’s looking over here,” you muttered, “you’re making him feel uncomfortable.”

“You’re right,” Felix mumbled, “we can’t destroy your chances at dating dream boy.”

Kara nodded, “Yes, we’ll leave.”

“What?” you exclaimed, a bit louder than intended. Lowering your voice, you sent a panicked glance at your friends who were packing up, “Where are you going?”

“Well, I have to go to work now,” Kara sighed loudly, slinging her bag over her shoulder, “I’m going to get going.”

Felix followed Kara’s lead and stood up, “Yeah, I have to go walk my cat.”

Before you could process that Felix doesn’t have a cat, they were out the door, leaving you alone, in the diner, at approximately 6:37 AM with a boy that―just this morning―you dreamt of kissing. Your face felt heated again. 

Shaking your head, you looked over at Doyoung who was analyzing the menu. 

For the first time, you could clearly see him. His hair matched the color of his black long-sleeve turtleneck that was tucked into some black jeans. No blood, no dirt, no machete, just him. Just him and the highlight of the Sun on his cheeks. That reminded you of the dream you had and you shook away the daze, turning your attention to the very interesting tile of the counter that looked like it needed some serious scrubbing (not really). 

“I’m ready to order,” Doyoung softly called out. 

You quickly walked over to him, jotted down his order, then ran away to hide in the kitchen. Your body worked on auto-pilot as you prepared his meal. With his drink and food in hand, you started to walk back towards his table. Doyoung was staring out the window and he was humming. 

As you got closer, you realized that you knew that song. 

“Do you remember what the stars looked like?”

In the middle of an empty grass field, you laid with Doyoung. Your head was rested on his chest, and you felt his voice vibrate throughout his chest. 

“Yeah,” you told him, “they look like your eyes.”

You could feel Doyoung roll his eyes, “I’m serious.”

“So am I!”

He chuckled and brushed his fingers through your hair. “Did you ever stare at the stars and see everything you wanted? Did you ever see your ambitions? Your achievements?”

“Getting deep here, aren’t we?”

Doyoung sat up, “Have you?”

You stared at him for a moment before turning to the endless orange sky. The Sun never seemed to move from its place over the horizon. 

“Yeah, I have.”

A pause of silence. 

“When I looked up at the stars, I saw my future. I saw the plans I had, the answers to my problems, I saw hope. However...” you smiled sadly at the orange hues, “they all went up in flames.”

Doyoung placed his hand on yours. 

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to get that deep,” you crookedly smiled, but Doyoung only pulled you into a hug. And the two of you stayed like that for a while. 

“What did you see?” you asked when the two of you were back to laying on the floor. 

“Honestly?”

“Honestly.”

“Me on stage, singing.”

“Singing?”

He sighed, “Yep. It was nothing more than a hobby, but my grandmother would tell me that I was a singer in some other life. She told me that if I looked at the stars, they would show me.” 

You chuckled, “Kim Doyoung, a singer.”

“I’m sharing a heart-touching story and you’re laughing.”

“Sorry,” you gave his knuckle a kiss, “it’s my coping mechanism.”

He intertwined his hand with yours, “I’m just kidding, but is seeing me as a singer that funny?”

You shrugged, “A bit hard to believe.”

“Really?” he asked, sitting up, untangling your hands.

“A little,” you admitted. 

He stood up and lent you a hand. “C’mon.”

“Where are we going?” you asked, taking his offer. 

The two of you were back to traversing through empty fields and abandoned streets (fighting zombies along the way) until you stopped in front of a music store. Ripped posters hung from the window, a broken open sign dangled from the door, and a few savage creatures were lingering inside. Using the power of teamwork, you and Doyoung were finally able to do what you pleased.

“So why’d you bring me here?”

He sat a keyboard, “I’m going to play for you.”

“Doyoung, that’s going to attract a lot of noise,” you peeked through the boarded windows, “is this really a good idea?”

“Aren’t you five kills behind me?” Doyoung asked.

The competitive side of you perked at the mention of your kill counter. You were reminded of the little daily game that you and Doyoung decided to play. It was simply just to see who could kill the most virus-infected barbarians you could in a day. 

But, your smarter side still worried about safety. 

“I’ll sing you two lines,” he told you, “just two lines.”

“Fine,” you sighed.

“This is an original, by the way.”

“Wow, an original song,” you teased, “just for me.”

He winked, “Of course.”

“What’s it called?”

“Lost Souls,” you mumbled, “the song is called Lost Souls.”

“You’re actually my dream boy,” you blurted.

“What?” 

You awkwardly placed his food down on the table, along with his drink, “Uhm-”

Outside the window behind him, you could’ve sworn you saw the setting change and a creature run head first into the window. You gasped as Doyoung quickly turned towards the noise. “The apocalypse,” he mumbled. 

Slowly, the blue sky started to change. “Orange skies,” you announced.  

The tables were rusted, chairs torn, walls peeling. “Empty buildings,” he added. 

Doyoung turned to face you, the same warm eyes as in your dreams staring right into your own. A certain dream resurfaced. 

You looked at the familiar looking convenience store, “Is this the building where we met?”

Doyoung didn’t answer you, only saying, “I hope you like watermelon ring pops.”

“What?” you laughed, watching as he reappeared from between the aisles.

He stood in front of you, unwrapping the watermelon ring pop. He then bent down on one knee. 

“Just you and I?” he asked.

“Against the world.”

#nct-writers #neowritingsnet #neothestars #kafenetwork #nctcreations #starryktown #neowriters #(but kara what about painting sunsets) #(SHUSSHHHHHHHH) #kim doyoung #nct fluff #nct scenarios #nct 127 scenarios #nct 127 oneshots #nct 127 fluff #doyoung scenarios #doyoung fluff #doyoung oneshots #nct 127 x reader #doyoung x reader

[kayteewritessteve]

Your ‘One’.

Description: You arrive back in New York after 4 years abroad, to attend your older brother, thee Tony Stark’s, birthday party. And just when you’d given up on ever finding your soulmate, he finally comes along.

Masterlist HERE.

Word Count: 7,710 ish.

Pairing: Steve Rogers x Reader.

Rating: G.

Warnings: A couple swear words. And a few cheesy lines.

Requested: Yes, by the lovely, @ghostofthebarricade ! Who asked for a Steve Rogers x Reader Soulmate AU, with the first words tattooed on their skin, and the reader being Tony‘s little sister. So here is it, I didn’t stick entirely to what you’d asked for, as I seem to be just horrible at doing that. But I truly hope you like it nonetheless! And I can’t wait to hear what you think!!! ♥️♥️♥️

A/N: I sadly don’t own any of these characters. And no beta reader either, so I do proudly own all the errors and this story, so there’s that.

2 posts in one day. Dang, I’m on a roll!

28 years. That’s how long you’ve been alive, how long you’ve been on this planet, and how long you’ve spent staring at these damn words just below your left clavicle. Always wondering when you’d finally hear them aloud, hear the voice that would speak them. Curious what the owner of that voice would look like, sound like, smell like, just be like. What their job would be, their family life, their hobbies and interests. Their whole personality.

Would they like animals just as much as you?—Who are you kidding, of course they would, they are your soulmate. Your other half in every way. The person you are meant to love unconditionally, the one you’d build a life with, and possibly have kids with, one day, maybe. The one you were going to grow old beside, hand in hand, and happily in love.

And yet, where was this person? 28 years you’d spent looking for them. Searching the world for the one whose soul matched yours, completed yours. Feeling like your life was paused, on hold if you will, until you finally found them. Until they stepped into your life for the very first time. Because basically everything up to that magical moment was just life filler. It was just passing the time, as your life couldn’t truly begin without them.

But the more that time ticked on, the more disgruntled you became. Maybe you didn’t actually have a soulmate? Maybe you were an anomaly. Maybe you just weren’t good enough for a soulmate. Maybe in a past life you’d done something to piss off the God’s and as punishment for that, you’d have to go a lifetime without a soulmate. Without someone to love you on the deepest, most spiritual level. Someone who would accept you for exactly as you are. And not only that, but they’d love you for it as well.

You had watched every person you knew growing up find their ‘one.’ And yet, you were still entirely alone. God, even your brother had found his soulmate already. Something you genuinely never thought possible. He was a playboy. A reckless party animal—Which, don’t get me wrong, that isn’t necessarily a bad thing, but still, you’d done everything right. You’d kept your virtue intact. Steered clear of trouble, as best you could. Gotten good grades in school. Gone to university. You’d tried to make something of yourself, so that when the time finally came, and you did meet the one, you’d be ready. You’d have your own accomplishments to show them. Things that they could be proud of you for.

But yet, still nothing. No soulmate in sight.

You believed wholeheartedly that you’d meet them in university, you swore up and down that you would. And you’d dreamt about that special moment often. Dreamt about meeting them on campus on the first day. Or at the library when you were trying to find a specific book. Or maybe somewhere in town, when you were looking for a coffee house or cafe. So many different scenarios ran through your head, constantly, but every single daydream had one thing in common. You being lost, somehow, somewhere.

“Ma’am, are you alright? Are you lost?”

You grazed the fingertips of your right hand over the fabric of your shirt, in the place where it currently covered the black cursive writing, just below your left clavicle, and sighed. Maybe this would be the year?

With a deep inhale you glanced out of the cab window and watched as you passed the massive skyscrapers. New York. The city you were born in, the one you grew up in, and the one you’d left behind in your search for your soulmate.

See, because you’d been so adamant that you’d meet your soulmate in university, when graduation day finally came around, you refused to think about it. Refused to give up hope. But then 2 weeks after uni ended, and you had to begin the mad job hunt, you had to finally acknowledge that you’d been wrong on that original idea. 100%. You would not, and did not, meet your soulmate in university.

And then as that vivid realization smashed through you, something in you sort of just, snapped. Something in you went off the deep end and you decided you needed a change. Needed something new. Something more. So you planned it out, and then sat your brother down and told him all about it.

You had decided to travel, to explore the world before you had to settle down and live the 9 to 5 life. You wanted adventure. You wanted experiences. You wanted to attempt to not only find yourself along the way, but maybe also find your soulmate.

So even though you did plan most of your trip to a T, you left a bunch of open time blocks. You left yourself multiple chances to just get lost. Entirely and completely.

Because the only way to truly find your other half, was to first lose yourself. At least that’s what the words on your left clavicle were telling you.

But then 4 years later, nothing. Still freaking nothing.

You’d damn near seen the whole freaking world in those 4 years. You’d been more places then you could count. You’d seen, experienced and lived so many amazing things.

You had red sand boarded in Vietnam. Bathed in the thermal pools of Pamukkale in Turkey. Smoked authentic Cuban cigars in Cuba—which didn’t go well, and ended in you damn near coughing up a lung, but you can at least say you’d done it. You’d learned to belly dance in Egypt. Got a selfie with a Quokka on Rottnest Island in Australia. Gone to Zao Fox Village in Japan. Gosh, the list goes on and on. Too many magical things to name.

But yet, the one thing you’d set out to do, you hadn’t accomplished. You’d actually failed miserably on it, to be exact. You hadn’t managed to find your ‘one.’

“So much for needing to get lost,” you mumble under your breath to yourself, just as the cab pulls up to a familiar tower. One that, even after 4 years away, still looks exactly the same. You glance up at the massive structure and catch sight of the giant Avengers ‘A’, instead of the original ‘Stark’—okay, so maybe it’s not entirely the same, but freaking close enough.

You pay the cabby, and then grab your backpack and hop out. Going to the trunk to grab your duffle bag and insanely large suitcase. And then, as the cab pulls away, you just stand there, on the busy sidewalk, staring up at the tower. Tourists, fan girls, lookie-loos, and paps all hanging around, probably hoping for a glimpse at the world famous heroes living within the towers walls. All shuffling around near you, stepping around you, or bumping into you.

But you just continue to stand there, looking up at the physical form of your families legacy. At the empire your family built, and still continue to build.

You always thought the next time you’d see this place, that you’d be hand in hand with your soulmate, bringing them here to meet your brother. But instead, you are just here to celebrate your brothers birthday. The first one you’ve been able to come home for, in years. What with college and then traveling always getting in the way.

You sigh deeply, putting on your backpack, slinging your duffle bag over your shoulder and then extending the pull handle of your suitcase, before making your way into the ridiculously large and sleek lined structure.

You venture up to the front desk, and wait for one of the two, busy receptionists to be done on the phone. You would normally have just gone right up to your brothers office, but since the tower has been changed into the Avengers new headquarters, you aren’t exactly sure where your brother, or his office, currently are.

Plus with your exceptional luck—note the sarcasm—you’d probably end up walking into Sam Wilson's bedroom, or Natasha Romanoff’s living room. And then you’d have to awkwardly explain who you are, and that you just had no idea where you were supposed to go. And it would be a whole thing, one you are not interested in partaking in. At all. So instead you’d just wait at the front desk, and then politely ask one of the ladies where the heck Tony Stark is, currently.

You glance around the busy lobby, a drone of voices, footsteps, and laughter echoing around the giant space. Everyone has a place to be, or people to see. Everyone moving with such purpose, such drive, as they head off to various places. Off to get coffee, or lunch with a coworker, or upstairs for a meeting, or to Central Park for a run. And yet here you are, lost both in mind and physical form. Unsure where to go next, unsure of what is to come next.

“Can I help you?” A sweet voice rings in your ear and you turn back to face the stunning receptionist. Of course she’d be beautiful, you’d be willing to bet hard earned cash that your brother hired her. Most likely mainly due to her looks alone.

“Ah, yeah,” you shake your head, stifling your giggles at your last thought. “I’m um, I’m just wondering where Tony is at the moment?”

She furrows her perfect brows, as she looks at her computer monitor, the sounds of her nails clicking on the keyboard keys at a rapid pace now in your ears. “Do you have an appointment with him?”

“I don’t, but he knows I’m coming,” you start, but the unconvinced look on her face has you adding. “He’s expecting me.”

“What’s your name?” She asks as she flicks her eyes to you.

“Y/N,” you say quickly, pulling out your real ID and showing it to her, “ah Y/N Stark. His little sister.”

She takes the ID, giving it a quick look over. “Oh!” She says, as her eyes widen instantly at the last name, just like everyone else’s eyes always do the second they hear or see it.

Your last name holds weight all over the world. So you try to avoid telling anyone it, as the last thing you want is people treating you differently, entirely because of your last name. Or God forbid kidnapping you for ransom or something insane like that. Your brother does deals with a lot of horrible people—or rather, he pisses off a lot of horrible people. And you’ve travelled through some less than desirable countries over the last 4 years. Using an alias that your brother insisted on making for you. Y/N Y/L/N, being that alias. You even had a fake ID and passport with that name on it as well.

You using a fake name was—as your brother had put it, the day you’d told him of your plans to travel the world—‘the only way he’d feel comfortable with you being out there, alone. It would be the only way he’d be able to sleep at night.’ But you still had to call him every few days to check in, or he’d have sent people out to find you. And not just any person, a superhero at that.

How embarrassing would that have been? To have someone like Bucky Barnes, show up at Machu Picchu in Peru to find you. You’re sure all the other tourists with you that day would have loved it, but you? Yeah, not so much.

“Here you are, Miss Stark,” she says, handing you back your ID along with a special all access pass. “Mr. Stark is on the 89th floor, and you take that elevator, just over there,” she says sweetly as she points to it. “I have informed him that you are on your way up.”

“Thank you so much,” you smile and nod once, then head for the elevators.

The ride up isn’t long and before you know it the doors are opening and you are pulling your massive suitcase into a large, empty hallway. Glancing up and down it, but there is no one in sight. No Tony in sight. Where the heck is he? He should be here, he knew you were coming up.

You breathe out deeply, then decide to just explore until you find him. It was one floor, how lost could you get?

Very lost, the answer to that was. Very. Lost.

Let me just say this now, this may only be one floor, but it is a freaking labyrinth of a floor. You aren’t sure how long you have just been taking random corners in the hopes of finding someone, anyone—But Tony, specifically.

You’d even take finding the dang elevator again right about now. Anything would be better than what you are currently doing, which is just aimlessly wandering around. And whenever you’d come upon the end of a hallway, you’d just ‘eeny meeny miny moe’ to pick which direction to take next.

Where the heck is your brother?! Gah, you are so going to die here, alone in a random hallway of the tower. In a place where no one will even find your body for months, because this place it just too stupidly big. Too ridiculously large. Why?! Why does it need to be so dang—

“Ma’am, are you alright? Are you lost?”

Was that in your head!? Ah, nope, no, it was not! You completely freeze at the deep voice, saying the exact words you’ve said to yourself over and over again. The words that have plagued your mind, left you daydreaming endlessly, and had you fantasizing about how they’d sound finally falling from the lips of your ‘one’. The words that had started to haunt you, more and more, as the years ticked by.

Wondering, worrying, hoping and praying that you’d actually get to hear them aloud one day, and hopefully soon. Curious as to how your soulmates voice would sound uttering them, and let’s just say, you were not disappointed by how his deep voice, said the words you've been dying to hear for as long as you can remember.

The cursive writing on your clavicle tingles and heats up, deliciously. And your right hand shoots up to gently trace the spot, the fabric of your shirt the only barrier between your fingers and his words. Your heart beats at an alarming rate in your chest now, as your mind completely fogs over.

You turn slowly, so damn slowly, on your heel and come face to face with stunning, deep blue eyes. You don’t even clue in at first who they belong to, you are just so entranced by them. But that doesn’t last long, your eyes finally scan over his whole form, and you instantly want to faint. Or puke. Or both, maybe?

Captain Steven Grant Rogers stands about 5 feet from you now, the only other person in the hallway with you. So you know it was his voice that spoke the words written on you. You know he is your soulmate. Your ‘one.’ There is no other possibility. This is it, the moment you’ve always waited for.

And holy hell! Is this for real?! Is this a prank your brother is pulling on you right now? You glance around the hallway, looking for your brother, so you can pummel him if it is. Your eyes land back on the ridiculously attractive super soldier and, seriously?! Are you being punked right now?! Because..

“This has got to be some sort of joke?” You mumble quietly to yourself, and then you abruptly slap a hand over your mouth, feeling mortified. Not even realizing that those would be the first words you’d ever say to your soulmate, because the guy has super serum hearing for crying out loud. So of course he had probably just heard your stupid, thoughtless mutterings.

Your eyes widen, you assume comically, as your hand still sits over your mouth. Oh God, those are the first words you’d ever say to him!? Oh crap! Those are the exact words he has written on him?! The words he has probably had written on him his whole dang life. Even back when he was small and sickly. Oh shit, oh no! This is not good, not good at all! The image of a little Steve Rogers reading those words for the first time plays in your mind, and that instantly just breaks your heart into a million pieces. This is just your damn luck!

But then you watch as Steve’s face drops, becoming depressingly forlorn and downcast, as his right hand rubs at a spot on his left pec, directly over his heart. And you instantly need to fix this, you need to make him happy again. You can’t stand seeing him upset, so you drop your hand from your mouth, taking a small step towards him on instinct, as you go to fix your horrible blunder.

“Oh gosh, oh no, I didn’t mean it like that. I’m so sorry, I meant more that I have ah,” you glance around the empty hallway, trying to figure out how to word this so he will understand. “You see, I’m not upset in anyway that it’s you. That you’re it for me. It’s just that I’ve searched this whole darn planet to find you, to then only learn that you’ve been right here in the tower, in my home city, all along.” You sigh deeply, looking down at your feet as you mumble, more to yourself, “it’s just all rather maddening, really.”

A deep chuckle rings out in the silent hall, the glorious sound causes you to snap your eyes up to look at Steve again. “I can imagine,” he smirks, and it’s the most beautiful thing you’ve ever seen. More beautiful then both the Plitvice Lakes in Croatia, and Oia, Santorini in Greece, combined. You’d know, you’ve seen both first hand. You’ve gazed upon both. “I’ve searched for you for over a 100 years.”

“Even with knowing that the first words I’d ever say to you, would be asking if this was all a joke?” You chuckle anxiously, glancing down at your fidgeting hands.

“Yeah, Doll,” he chuckles, your heart skipping at the sound and the pet name that so effortlessly fell from his lips, you glance up to lock eyes with him again. “Even with knowing that. I was always so curious what you’d mean by that line. I mean, when I was younger, I assumed it would be referring to my size, my health,” he shakes his head, as if to banish the memories now playing in his head of that hard time in his life. “But after the serum, after waking up from the ice, I had no idea what your meaning behind those words could have been about. I honestly wasn’t sure if I’d even ever actually get to hear them, get to finally learn why you’d said those exact words. What with being frozen for 70 years and all,” he shrugs one large shoulder, sadly. “I feared that I’d missed you. Missed my chance at meeting you.”

“I’m so, so sorry, again. Not just for taking so long to finally find you, but also for those being the first words I’d ever say to you. The words on your skin all these years, I can’t even imagine all the horrible things your mind conjured up about them.” You sigh deeply, lowering your head and mumbling, “I just feel so bad about all of this.”

“Hey, hey,” he says quietly, sweetly, “don’t feel bad, sweetheart. You had no control over it, it was just the hand Fate dealt us both. But I don’t regret any of this, at all, I’m actually really happy to finally know the reason behind your first words to me. Let’s just say this is a huge weight lifted,” he chuckles. Then adds quietly, “for a bunch of different reasons.”

You nod, your eyes meeting his once again, and just seeing his sincere smile, causes a large one to form on your own lips.

“That’s better,” he whispers happily, and you assume he is talking about you smiling now. He sticks his hand out to you, “I’m Steve Rogers, by the way.” His other hand rubs the back of his neck, as he awkwardly adds, “but I guess you probably already knew that, hey?”

“I did,” you giggle, and take hold of his hand, shaking it firmly, “and I’m—“

“Y/N!” A familiar voice cuts you off, echoing through the empty hallway. You glance passed Steve to see your brother walking hastily towards you. “There you are, Kiddo. I’ve been looking everywhere for you.”

“Tone’s,” you say quickly, reluctantly pulling your hand from Steves so you can hug your brother. “It’s so good to see you! Happy Birthday!” You say as you both embrace each other for the first time in years. You pull away from him, “damn, you got old!” Then you abruptly burst out laughing at the dramatic gasp, accompanied by the now indignant look on his face.

“You take that back!” He playfully scolds, “and I don’t get old, I get better with time. Like a fine wine, or an expensive bourbon.”

“Or like cheese?” You snort.

He narrows his eyes at you, but ignores your comment. “I see you’ve met Capsical,” he says as he turns to the man, patting him on the shoulder. The aforementioned who is now just awkwardly standing there, clearly unsure what to do here. Whether to leave you both to your moment, or stay and wait for it to be over.

“Yeah,” you nod, smirking up at Steve. “We were just in the middle of that.”

“Oh, then let me take over,” Tony says excitedly, gesturing to you, “Steve, this is my little sister, Y/N.” And you almost burst out laughing as Steve’s eyes widen comically, upon learning exactly who you are. Tony then gestures to Steve, “Y/N, this is Steve Rogers. Also known as Capsical.” Your brother loops his arm with yours, “alright, now that that’s over with, let’s go Y/N. I’ll show you around quickly and then take you to your room. We don’t have a lot of time before my partaaaaaay!” He says loudly with a flourish, as he begins to hastily pull you down the hall, and away from your soulmate. From Steve.

“Oh,” you say as you quickly try to keep up so you don’t fall flat on your face. “Ah, okay.” You look over your shoulder, saying loudly, “it was amazing to meet you Steve, I’ll see you later, yeah?”

He chuckles and shakes his head, probably at your brothers ridiculous antics. “Yeah, Y/N. You’ll see me later, promise.” You hear him say just as Tony pulls you around a corner and you lose sight of Steve entirely. You sigh, and turn your head back to face forward so you can watch where you’re walking.

After a moment, Tony pipes up. “So you and Capsical seemed to have hit it off pretty well,” he side eyes you. “You know he still hadn’t found his soulmate yet either, hey?”

You nod and shrug, “I gathered as much.” You could have told your brother right then and there, but you’d barely gotten to talk to Steve yet, much less feel comfortable going around advertising that he was your soulmate. Telling people, your brother included, was something you and Steve should discuss first, together. Something you both should sound off on, this wasn’t just your news to spill. It was both of yours.

Tony nods, “most people believe Peggy was his soulmate, there is even a small write up about it at the Smithsonian exhibit. They asked us all for comments on it, but Steve wasn’t interested in divulging whether or not she actually was. He wanted to keep her personal privacy, and his own, intact.”

“Understandable,” you nod. “I’d have probably not told them either. That exhibit is ridiculous, I can’t even imagine how it makes Steve feel having all these people, these strangers, gawking at his life like he’s some sort of circus attraction. He deserves a little privacy in his life, and a few of his life secrets staying just that, secrets.”

“Could you imagine if they made an exhibit about my life?” Tony chuckles, then promptly shutters.

You laugh, “oh God, let’s just hope they never do! The things they’d dig up about you, and me most likely as well. I’d never forgive you for that!” You say playfully, laughing a little more.

“Like your 8th grade school photo?” He raises an eyebrow, a stupid smirk on his face.

You shutter at the memory of that day, you’d attempted to cut your own bangs the night before your school photo day. And it had not gone well. At all. You’d cut them while your hair was still wet, and ended up with bangs only covering half your forehead. It wasn’t a good look for you. Not at all. “Thanks for the reminder, now I will do everything in my power to make sure they never make an exhibit for you. Solely just to ensure that those photos never see the light of day, ever again.”

He laughs loudly beside you, and then you both continue to just catch up, as he gives you a tour of the new layout of the tower. You telling him about all of your adventures and him telling you about his, and even though you always love being around your brother. Your mind is completely fixated on other things. Or one thing, actually. That being a ridiculously handsome and large, blonde super soldier, one who just so happens to be your soulmate. And then all you can think is that you can not wait to see him tonight at Tony’s party.

You give yourself one more final look over in the mirror in your room, hoping a certain tall blonde Captain likes the dress you’ve chosen to wear. You really, truly hoped he does. After Tony gave you the ‘tower tour-lite,’ as he’d called it, since you didn’t have much time for a full tour before you had to start getting ready for the party. He’d brought you to this guest room, and then he’d headed off to get ready himself. Leaving you to shower, do your hair and makeup, and then paint yourself into your form fitting dress.

You nod to your reflection, pleased with how everything turned out and then you gather up all the fabric to your floor length, white satin gown and head for the door. The gown was new, you’d only just bought it a few days ago, as you didn’t actually own anything that would have worked for the party’s all white theme.

It was an absolutely stunning dress though, you’d fallen in love with it even before you’d tried it on. And you secretly want to just live in it, no really, you actually do. Like go about your day to day life just wearing it, go grocery shopping in it, do the dishes in it, stroll through the park in it. Basically you just never wanted to take it off, that was what you were getting at here.

The dress had a deep plunge in the front and left the upper half of your back exposed. Showing a tasteful amount of skin, but covering all the important bits. As was your style to a T, plus this was your older brothers birthday celebration, and you refused to walk in there scantily clad and looking like a dang hussy.

Plus your soulmate would be there, ya know, the one you just met and now desperately wanted to look good for. But better than good, you wanted to knock his dang socks off with just one look at you. You really wanted him to like that way you looked, I mean, you knew he would even if you were wearing a dang black garbage bag. But you know that feeling of wanting the person you’re interested in to love how you looked all done up. It was a total confidence boost if they did, even if the time leading up to them finally seeing you, was thee most nerve wracking experience ever. It would all be totally worth it though, if their breath hitched at just the mere sight of you.

That’s what you were aiming for here, leaving Steve completely and utterly wide eyed and speechless. Gosh, you really want him to be. More than anything you’ve ever wanted before in your life. Hands down.

You enter out into the hall and head towards the elevator. Once it arrives, it quickly whisks you down to the party floor and as the doors open, you come face to face with a giant room full of people, all dressed in white. Music plays throughout the room, as waiters shuffle about with trays of champagne and different hors d'oeuvre. There are three bars, that you can see, scattered throughout the giant open space.

Your eyes scan the room, as you rise slightly on your tiptoes, trying to see over everyone. Your eyes searching for one person, and one person only. And plot twist, it’s not the birthday boy you’re looking for currently. You begin to walk into the crowd, still searching for Steve as you go.

But just as you believe you’d finally located him, off near the other side of the ballroom, his back to you as he talks to a few people, an arm loops with yours before you can even take a step towards him.

“Finally you’re here, and we can really get this party started!” Your brothers excited voice sounds in your ear and you glance to your right to see his big, joyful smile. Which in turn causes you to smile widely at him, you’d truly missed him during your travels. You both weren’t too close as kids, just due to the age difference and the fact that when your parents died, Tony had to take on their role and basically raise you. But as you grew older, the bond grew as well, morphing from parental to brotherly. So now you both were like actual siblings, ya know, since his maturity level was basically stuck as a 20 something year old. You giggle at that thought.

“Happy Birthday, Tone’s!” You say happily as you kiss his cheek. “You having a good time so far?”

“Much better now that you’re here,” he says then he abruptly turns on his heel and drags you in the opposite direction of Steve. Which makes your heart drop a little. You just want to see him up close so bad, see how he looks in a suit. Especially an all white one. Oh gosh, now that image is stuck in your mind. And you might actually drool on yourself because of it. You are willing to bet he looks exceptional in a suit. Oh, now you just so badly want to know if that last thought is true or not. “Let’s get a few drinks into you, so you can get on my level!”

You chuckle again, shaking your head and deciding to just focus on Tony for right now. It is his birthday party after all. Plus, you honestly want to have a drink, or 5, just to calm your insane nerves. “That is, hands down, the greatest idea you’ve ever had,” you say playfully as you smirk at him.

“What, robots not good enough for you?” He scoffs.

“Not when they try to take over the world and attempt to kill you, along with all the other avengers,” you narrow your eyes at him.

“Okay, that was a poor example,” he sighs, and at least he has the decency to look slightly ashamed with himself.

“Yeah, you probably should have led with ‘badassium’,” you laugh. “At least that one saved your life. Instead of trying to end it.”

He chuckles as you both reach the bar, “Fury was not pleased when I wanted to patent it as that. Said I’d encounter ‘several bureaucratic obstacles.’” He shrugs, a cheeky grin on his lips, “I don’t see any problems with the name I gave it.”

“Of course you don’t,” you roll your eyes fondly, then give the bartender your drink order and as you wait, you glance around the room, your eyes involuntarily scanning for the tall blonde Captain again.

“Who you looking so intently for, Kiddo?” Tony questions, glancing around the room as well. As if there’d be neon lights pointing to the person you were trying to find.

“No one,” you shrug, looking at him. “Was just checking everything out. Pepper set this all up, I take it?”

“She did,” he nods, “I’m going to ignore how offensive it is that you’d assume I had no hand in planning any of this,” he playfully glares at you. “Because I know you’re lying and just trying to distract me from noticing by triggering me. But I will have you know, this party sucks in comparison to the ones I usually plan,” he says smugly. “So spill it, Kid, who are you searching for?”

“Drop it, or I’ll inform Pepper that you said her party planning sucks,” you smirk.

Tony’s face visibly pales, “you wouldn’t.”

“Try me,” you give him the best poker face you can muster up.

“Fine,” he sighs, “I’ll drop it. For now. But I’m gonna find out who you’re looking for, mark my words.”

You giggle, patting him on the shoulder patronizingly, “good luck with that, Tone’s.” You pick up your drink off the bar top, the bartender having just placed it there. “Please don’t do anything too strenuous to figure this out, though. We wouldn’t want you breaking a hip at your own birthday party, now would we?” You laugh boisterously as you quickly walk, dang near run, away from Tony as fast as you can. And even with ridiculously high, heels on, you aren’t letting anything hinder your hasty escape.

Though you aren’t fast enough as you manage to catch Tony gasping loudly and then yelling, “you’ll pay for that one, Kid!”

“I look forward to it!” You yell back over your shoulder at him. And then slip into the crowd, making your way towards the place you’d last seen Steve. Which honestly wasn’t your brightest idea, as Tony would probably be keeping an eye on you now, trying to figure out who you were looking for.

But honestly, you really just didn’t care if he figured it out or not. He’d obviously learn who Steve was to you soon enough. Really, you just didn’t tell him because you liked messing with him whenever you could, as much as you could. However once you've had a chance to actually talk to Steve, Tony will be the first person you tell the news to. He was your only family after all. The only person in the world you loved more then yourself. Well, for now at least. Until you truly got to know Steve Rogers, then he’d join that very short list in your heart.

Your eyes scan the room once more, landing on broad shoulders and a muscular back, wrapped deliciously in a tight fitting white suit jacket. If that wasn’t a dead give away that you’d found who you’d been looking for, then the iconic blonde hair would have been. Your eyes travel the length of him, and even though his back is facing you, you have to suppress a delightful shutter. But you can’t stop yourself from biting your lip.

A movement in front of him causes your eyes to flick to it, see Bucky Barnes looking directly at you. The smirk on his lips leads you to believe he’d seen you shamelessly checking his best friend out. Though turns out, from the heat that is currently rising in your cheeks, it wasn’t actually shamelessly. The fact that someone had caught you is rather embarrassing, actually. And then you see Bucky lean forward slightly, whispering something to Steve, before he nods his head in your direction.

Steve turns slightly to glance over his shoulder, looking slightly confused as he looks around but then his eyes land on you. And instantly his they widen, and his mouth drops open slightly as he gives you a very thorough once over. His eyes completely drinking you in as if you are the most beautiful thing he’s ever seen. The eighth wonder of his world.

And bam, got him, you think. An involuntary grin forms on your lips at that thought. This was the exact reaction you’d been hoping for, this was exactly why you’d spent a ridiculous amount of time on getting ready. It had all paid off though, it had been entirely worth it for this one moment.

You walk right up to him, stopping a foot away and smiling up at him, “hey, you.”

“Uh hi,” he whispers breathlessly, his eyes slipping down to take you in once again. But then he abruptly snaps his eyes up to yours and shakes his head. As if to chide himself for openly looking, or to clear his mind of wherever it just travelled to. You can’t really be too sure which it is, but you secretly hope it’s the latter. “You uh, you look absolutely stunning, Y/N.”

“Thank you,” you say, your hand instinctively comes up to smooth out his lapel, as if you’d done this hundreds of times before. “You look very handsome in this suit, Steve,” your eyes lock with his, as his hand comes up to cover yours, still resting on his chest. But then someone clearing their throat loudly nearby has your eyes flicking in that direction.

Your sight lands on Bucky, smiling at you both, “you gunna introduce me to your lady, Punk?”

Steve sighs, shaking his head, though the fond smile on his lips tells you he is entirely used to this from Bucky. And that his friends forwardness doesn’t actually bother him anymore. You glance at Bucky, then at Steve, and the smile on his lips now looks unsure, nervous even.

His hand lowers both of yours off his chest, but he doesn’t let it go of it as he leans forward slightly, whispering, “Bucky sort of pried it out of me. Ya know, that we met in the hallway earlier, and that you're my uh, my soulmate.” He rubs the back of his neck with the hand not currently holding yours, “I really hope you don’t mind.”

“I don’t mind at all,” you smile reassuringly at him. “Though I haven’t actually told Tony yet, so let’s just not tell him that Bucky knew before him, okay?” You giggle. “He’d never let me live that down.”

“Deal,” Steve chuckles, nodding his head. He turns, still holding your hand in his and then lightly pulls you towards his best pal.

“Buck, this is Y/N,” he glances down at you, lovingly. Which makes your heart skip a beat. “My soulmate.”

“So nice to finally meet you, Doll,” he says and then two arms wrap around you, lifting you up and gently pulling you away from Steve, “and it’s about damn time you finally showed up!”

You giggle as you just dangle there, in the air, wrapped in a giant, super soldier bear hug. “You too, and it’s really great to finally be here,” you say as you glance over your shoulder at Steve.

“Alright Buck, put her down,” Steve chuckles, and Bucky listens, placing you down, gently.

You quickly check that all your important bits are still covered, and once you see that they are, you quickly smooth out your dress and glance around. Noticing that the commotion has now drawn the attention of everyone around you, their eyes all locked on the three of you. You step back so you are next to Steve once again, feeling slightly anxious to have all these eyes on you now.

“Don’t worry, they will get distracted by something else shortly,” Steve whispers down to you, as if he’d just read your mind.

You look up at him and nod, “I guess I’ll just have to get used to all the eyes on me again. No one really knew who I was the last 4 years, so I got sort of used to the anonymity.”

“It’s really not so bad anymore,” Steve shrugs, “most New Yorkers are used to us now, so they don’t really react when they see us around. It’s mainly just the tourists you have to watch out for,” he chuckles.

“Yeah, they can be a little,” Bucky starts, scrunching up his face, “handsy, at times.”

You giggle, picturing the insanely large Winter Soldier running away scared from a large mob of enthusiastic tourists. Yet the guy storms Hydra facilities without so much as a second thought. “That sounds truly awful,” you gasp, feigning shock and outrage. “How do you ever manage!?”

Bucky sighs deeply, grumbling out, “yup, your the Punks other half alright.”

You and Steve laugh, as he wraps an arm around your waist and pulls you closer to his side. Clearly unfazed about the people around you seeing this, and the look in his eyes give you the distinct impression that he’d happily shout from the rooftops that you are his soulmate. But you can’t judge, as you’d probably be right beside him, yelling from the rooftops as well.

“That she is,” he says proudly, smiling down at you. “Would you like to dance, Doll?”

“Oh no,” you shake your head adamantly, “nope, no. I don’t dance. I have two left feet.”

He shrugs, “so do I. But we can be horrible together.”

“Okay, if you insist,” you sigh, nodding. “But when I step on your toes, just remember you asked for it.”

“I’ve taken worse for less gratifying reasons,” he shrugs. “Getting to finally dance with you will be entirely worth it. Plus, I heal quickly,” he laughs and pulls you towards the dance floor.

“Well thank goodness for that,” you sigh, knowing his toes are going to take a beating.

You both reach the dance floor and Steve takes one of your hands in his, as his other slides around to your lower back. Your free hand ending up on his shoulder and then he begins to lead you both. And surprisingly, you manage to not only keep up, but you haven’t stepped on him once.

You both just look at each other for a moment, neither one speaking a word. But then Steve smirks, “I thought you said you had two left feet?”

“I did. But I guess I just needed the right partner.” You raise a brow at him, “though I distinctly remember you saying you did as well. So much for being horrible, together,” you sigh playfully.

“We should have known,” he baits, shaking his head.

You bite, taking the bait. “Known what?”

“That we’d be perfect together,” he says through a giant goofy, lopsided grin.

And you can’t help it, honestly you can’t, you burst out laughing at this big beautiful, cheesy man in front of you. “That was so bad,” you scold playfully as you laugh a little more.

And all you can think in this moment is, you’d finally found him, and you couldn’t have been more happy with the man Fate had chosen for you. The man that completed you, that was made just for you. The same one you’d get to love unconditionally, and who’d love you just as much in return. The very one you’d get to build your life with, possibly have kids with, and grow old beside, hand in hand, and happily in love.

Steve was it, he was Your ‘One’. And he was entirely worth the wait.

Bonus scene.

You and Steve finish your dance and he leads you off the dance floor, back towards Bucky. You glance up and notice that Bucky isn’t alone anymore, he is now surrounded by all the other Avengers.

Your brother included. And oh shoot, here we go. You glance up at Steve, seeing he is already looking at you, “should we just tell them all now, rip it off like a bandaid?”

He chuckles, “probably best.”

As soon as you both get to the group you go to open your mouth, but Tony beats you to it. “I figured it out,” he says triumphantly. “I told you I would.”

“Figured what out, Tone’s?” You play dumb, raising a questioning brow at him.

“I know,” he nods towards Steve, grinning like the cat that got the canary. “I figured it out all on my own,” he says proudly.

Pepper sighs and rolls her eyes, “he had Friday playback the hallway footage of you two meeting earlier.”

“Pepper!” Tony gasps. “She wasn’t supposed to know about that!”

“All on your own, hey?” You laugh loudly.

“Fine, fine, so I had a little help,” he mumbles, waving it off. “But I’d just like to point out that I actually created Friday, so technically I didn’t have any outside help. I just smartly used my own tech to my advantage,” he grins smugly but then his smile turns softer, “but congratulations, Kid. You couldn’t have ended up with a better guy.”

You detach from Steve and step forward towards Tony, you both share a loving hug, “thank you so much, for everything, Tony.”

You pull away and he just holds your shoulders, slowly looking you over, “I’m so happy for you, Y/N, you deserve nothing but the best.” He glances passed you to Steve, “both of you.” He looks back to you, “and from the looks of it, you both got just that.”

You just nod, staying silent for fear your voice will crack, as you feel the tears welling up in your eyes. So you blink quickly to eradicate them before they can fall.

“Uh,” Sam starts, looking around at the others, “anyone else super lost right now?”

Clint raises his hand, “I am.”

“I’m not,” Bucky says smugly, winking at Sam just to rub it in a little more.

Thor leans down to whisper to Nat, and you’re instantly positive that he doesn’t actually know how to whisper, as you can clearly hear him. “Uh, who is Y/N?” He asks, not unkindly though.

“Tony’s kid sister,” she quickly whispers back, waving him away but keeping her eyes locked between you and Steve. The smirk on her lips tells you she already knows exactly where this is going and doesn’t want to miss a single word.

Steve chuckles, shaking his head and looks to you, a question in his eyes. You smile and nod, telling him it’s okay and to go ahead, as you quickly move to stand beside him.

He quickly takes your hand and gives it a squeeze. “Everyone, this is Y/N. For those of you who don’t know, she is Tony’s little sister,” he looks down at you, so many happy emotions swimming in his eyes, and your positive yours match his currently. “And my soulmate.”

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

@hopefulmoonobject @caps-lockdown @itsstillnotwhatyouthink @tessvillegas @boxofteenageideas @wangdeasang @giggleberts @casuallydarktiger @theonelittleone @agentbadbitch @ratwrites @starrystellars @bandsandanimefreak @rockyroadthepastryarchy @lovvliies @cuffski @icesoccerer @alwaysright4 @lilsthethrills @imdiegohargreeves @zombiepotterfour @mu-mu-rs @ledandan1244 @straightforwardly @denzmallows @xremember-me-notx @gwynethjodie @lollipopdomination @capstopavenger @jemimah-b99 @rcvenqers @justkending @marvel13princess @alagalaska @silent-loucidity @sabertooth-potato @pies-wands-and-more @interstellarmess @gabriella69816 @phantom-soilder @wordlesscaptain @captain-hammer-of-asgard @starstucknature @viarogers @pixieferry @kaithezaftig @the-kinkiest-goblin @hysterically-original @badassbeckettswan @heyiamthatbitch @zlixlle @capsicledoll

#au fanfiction #fanfiction #long post #long read #marvel au #marvel fanfiction #steve rogers #steve rogers x reader #steve rogers x y/n #steve rogers x you #soulmate #soulmate AU

[gffa]

I practically read through the entirety of the STAR WARS Rare Pair 2018 Exchange and, jeez, this fandom just has its hooks in me so hard, I love these characters and this world and the wonderful creativity of the fandom! I may often go back to the same tropes that I always love, but there’s also always something new and interesting, some new corner to explore, some new character or relationship to give focus to, some new AU to help fix things. And fandom is really great about giving me the things I want to read a hundred times over and finding cool new things! So, here, have some both! STAR WARS FIC RECS: TIME TRAVEL RECS: ✦ Asajj Ventress and Her Tiny Time-Travelling Conscience by shadowsong26, asajj & luke & cast, 2.4k wip    We all love time travel fics, right? Here’s one with Luke. Tiny, precious, ten-year-old Luke. Who accidentally travels back in time to the last year/year and a half of the Clone Wars. And lands on Ventress. PREQUELS RECS: ✦ Red Sky at Morning by darth_vaporwave, obi-wan & anakin & ahsoka & yoda & plo & quinlan & luminara & cast, 16.8k    Master Ahsoka’s off on a short mission without Obi-Wan, which suits Anakin just fine. There’s something up with Obi-Wan. That last mission he went on by himself, where he got hurt, really took something out of him, and Anakin’s going to figure out what it is. But first, he’s got to figure out why their filing project went so wrong… ✦ untitled by stonefreeak, mace & cast, ~1k    Mace scrubs a hand across his face, trying to keep a clear head even as the council meeting drags on. ✦ Punch-Drunk by bell (belldreams), obi-wan & anakin & ahsoka, ~1k    “Am I the only one who’s not gone punch-drunk over fruit?!” Anakin explodes. ✦ Precipice by shadowsong26, anakin & padme & obi-wan & luke & leia & bail & ahsoka & rex & cast, 165.3k wip    An AU in which Anakin Skywalker does not follow Mace Windu and the others to Palpatine’s office after they leave to arrest the Chancellor. As a result, he doesn’t get that final push over the edge, and doesn’t Fall. ✦ Dance Softly Through by Lady_Katana4544, ahsoka/barriss & cast, 3.3k    She’s still reeling from the parasite in her mind and confused about her feelings towards Ahsoka. Barriss hasn’t known the other Padawan long, but she wants to get to know Ahsoka more if they ever have a chance. ✦ Leitmotif by FireflyFish, obi-wan & anakin & ahsoka, 2.2k    Anakin can hear music that no one else can. Some of it is beautiful. Some of it haunting. But his music? His music is terrifying. ✦ Chosen, not assigned by Lysore, obi-wan & anakin & ahsoka, 2.2k    “It looks like our problems are solved. Fresh troops, new supplies, and perhaps they brought my new Padawan with them,” Obi-Wan had said. Though there seemed to be a misunderstanding regarding the identity of the Master of said Padawan. ✦ The Last Jedi by FireflyFish, obi-wan & palpatine & cast, 2.3k    “The dark is generous and it is patient and it always wins – but in the heart of its strength lies its weakness: one lone candle is enough to hold it back.” - Revenge of the Sith ✦ To Traverse the Center of Your Heart by JumpingJill, mon/padme & obi-wan & bail & cast, 6.1k    Padmé survives giving birth to the twins. Mon has a front row seat to the fall of the Republic and the rise of the Empire. Somehow, they continue. ✦ Hearing by Bythoseburningembers, obi-wan & anakin & ahsoka, 11.4k wip    Takes place immediately after Crisis on Naboo, and follows Anakin and Obi-wan as they try to heal a broken friendship in the face of lies and a never-ending war. ✦ Every hand’s a winner by MirandaTam, adi & han & qi'ra, 1.6k    Corellia has more than its fair share of troubles. Adi Gallia has more than her fair share of headaches. ✦ Raising Up Hope by dreamiflame, obi-wan/padme, 1.5k    Family is what you make of it. Padmé, Obi-Wan and the twins are trying to make it work. ✦ Stitches and Time by ladyarcherfan3, obi-wan & anakin & qui-gon & ocs, 4k    Alara Nel is a seamstress who keeps getting an unusually large number of orders for Jedi robes from an Obi-Wan Kenobi. Over the years, she learns why and gets to know the Jedi a little bit better. ✦ Balance Point by Vinyarie, anakin & ahsoka, 6.3k wip    Ahsoka wakes up trapped beneath the rubble of the Sith temple on Malachor with the man currently known as Darth Vader. He’s a Sith lord who has done some truly awful things, but she’s certain that some part of him is still Anakin Skywalker, and she’s going to convince him of that. No matter how many times he tries to kill her for it. ✦ Refuge by Ljparis, rainydayadvocate, obi-wan/padme, 2k    On Mustafar, Padmé takes matters into her own hands. Obi-Wan is there for her when the dust settles. ✦ The Pleasures of Life by AngelQueen, obi-wan/padme, NSFW, 6.2k    During her early months as a Senator, an irritating soirée takes an interesting, unexpected turn for Padmé. ✦ Along Our Twisted Path by ambiguously, anakin/ahsoka & cast, nsfw, 12.5k    Ahsoka steps out of the World Between Worlds, but not into the galaxy she remembers. ✦ Difference in Degrees by maebmad, obi-wan/anakin/padme (pre-relationship?) & ahsoka & rex & cast, 8.6k wip    An anthology of stories in a universe that is both better and worse than the one we know, in various ways. It is difficult to sort each part into good and bad, after all, when everything is so often both. Evil is not created overnight. Empires are not built in a day. Good intentions don’t guarantee righteous acts. ✦ he will tear your city down by collegefangirl3791, obi-wan & cast, 11.8k wip    Obi-Wan planned to keep a low profile on Tatooine, after Order 66. He was there to protect Luke, and that was all. ✦ Getting to Know You by ambiguously, thrawn/padme, 2.8k    Padmé has agreed to this. That doesn’t mean she’s happy about it. ✦ Let My Second Love Be Kind by nichestars, obi-wan/padme & cast, 3.1k    When Padmé holds her children in her arms for the first time, she thinks: This is the fewest number of beings with which I have been entrusted since I was twelve years old. ✦ Wedding Braids by skatzaa, bail/breha, 1.7k    Breha meets her reflection’s gaze. She was right: the glow from her pulmonodes turns her dress from pink fabric into a living sunset. But she hadn’t anticipated the way the light would catch on the loops and curls of her wedding braids as they cascade over her shoulders. ✦ Warm me up by Ljparis, bail/breha, 3.1k    After enjoying a brisk winter hike in the mountains of Alderaan, Bail and Breha get trapped at the Antilles’ family cabin during a snowstorm. ✦ The Very Best of Acquaintances by Skyberrie (LyaStark), bail/breha, 1.5k    It wasn’t love at first, second, or even twentieth sight for Bail and Breha. But they managed to get there just the same. OBI-WAN/ANAKIN RECS: ✦ Each Day Is Your Last by Nisa, obi-wan/anakin & mace & dex, NSFW, 15.4k    I have always wanted to write what really happened after the Poster Boy scene in ROTS. ✦ Don’t Let This End by SoftlyFocused, obi-wan/anakin & cast, NSFW, 4.9k    Anakin is frustrated by how devastatingly handsome Obi-Wan looks at one of Padmé’s political parties, he gets drunk to cope. Obi-Wan is frustrated with how needy and demanding Anakin has been, he gets drunk to punish him. Both of them really need to release some tension after this seemingly endless war. ✦ Miasma by lilyconrad, obi-wan/anakin & rex & cody & fives & kix & cast, sith!obi-wan, 12.6k wip    Obi-Wan never believed his best friend and lover Anakin would die first. But he has. ✦ Nice to Meet You Again by darlingamidala, obi-wan/anakin/padme, soul mates, 3.3k    A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away, three people met, and fell into a love so deep that it bound their very souls together for all eternity. ✦ To Be Found by darlingargents, obi-wan/anakin/padme, 7.1k    When Anakin and Obi-Wan are caught during a battle and imprisoned alone for weeks, it leads to some revelations. From Coruscant, Padmé, with the help of Ahsoka, is tracking them down – and coming to some realizations of her own. ✦ A Gift for the Hurting by by Petralice, obi-wan/anakin, NSFW, 1.9k    I’m not even gonna try to be fancy here; this is self-indulgent Obikin smut. They’re banging, folks. ✦ Bedroom Hymns by JediMistress, obi-wan/anakin, nsfw, spanking, bondage, bdsm, d/s, 10.9k wip    Anakin Skywalker is a young student with some kinky interests, and his search for a Dom leads him to Obi-Wan, a former professional. Obi-Wan has retired, but their purely professional kinky relationship changes the lives of both men. How long can they keep it professional? And what happens when they start falling for each other? ✦ 36 Questions by thelivingcontradiction, obi-wan/anakin, 24.9k wip    In a study by psychologist Arthur Aron, they found that strangers would fall in love when asked to answer 36 questions together. ✦ Exile Vilify by nessa_j, obi-wan/anakin, nsfw, 1.4k    Anakin struggles with the horrors of war, Obi-Wan tries to offer comfort. ✦ feening by mexicanfood420, obi-wan/anakin & padme & cast, 15k wip    Anakin Skywalker, an angsty mess of hormones and resentment, is thrust elegantly into the hands of temptation, and is expected to turn down every little thing he’s ever desired. ✦ The Blessed by lilyconrad, obi-wan/anakin/padme, soul mates, 1.4k    Jedi Knight Anakin Skywalker can see something few others can, a special gift the Force gives only to those with a soulmate: color. ✦ Saber’s Hilt by lovelykenobi, obi-wan/anakin, NSFW, 2.3k    Anakin’s a boy with a mouth and a sassy attitude. Obi-Wan reacts accordingly. ORIGINAL TRILOGY RECS: ✦ whatever a sun will always sing is you by victoria_p (musesfool), luke & leia & cast, 2.2k    Leia has a lot of things to do, but first, she needs to speak with Luke. ✦ Edges of the World by glompcat, leia & luke & anakin & padme & han & ahsoka & ventress & sana & bail & breha & obi-wan & cast, 228.4k wip    Leia Organa finds herself stuck in a strange alternate/parallel universe where the Empire never came to exist. Meanwhile, trying to navigate a galaxy ruled by the Sith weren’t exactly the Jedi Trials Leia Skywalker had expected. ✦ If That Mockingbird Won’t Sing by ambiguously, obi-wan/beru, 3.1k    Obi-Wan brings Luke to the Lars homestead only to discover Owen Lars isn’t there any more. ✦ Gingerbread Cottage All Covered in Sweets by ambiguously, luke/leia & anakin, NSFW, dark themes, 7.1k    Luke will do anything for Leia, even if it means seducing her to the Dark Side. ✦ Bedtime Stories by kurage_hime, obi-wan & leia & cast, 1.1k    Prompt: Leia being so madly in love with tales of Obi-Wan Kenobi and crushin’ so hard on him IS MY JAM. Doesn’t have to be requited, or happen irl (I don’t mind if it does). ✦ Only In Memory by rainydayadvocate, han/qi'ra & han/leia (sort of implied) & cast, 2.4k    Han, Leia, Luke, and Chewie are on sent on a fuel supply run, and Han suspects the supplier is someone from his past, someone that probably belongs there. ✦ Contentment by WritLarge, obi-wan/owen/beru & luke, ~1k    Both Owen and Beru had harangued him once they’d determined that he was harmless, relatively speaking. When tempting him with kindness and physical comfort hadn’t worked, Beru had begun guilting Ben. ✦ Truth by ambiguously, obi-wan/beru/owen & cast, 4.2k    Kenobi brings Beru and Owen a child to raise. ✦ Midnight by lilyconrad, obi-wan/luke, 1.1k    A gentle moment between two twined in the Force, set just before A New Hope begins. ✦ φοῖνιξ by ambiguously, luke/leia, 1.8k    Everything in Luke’s life has burned to ash. REBELS RECS: ✦ Four Doors by veritascara, hera & mon & cast, 10.8k    Hera and the Ghost crew return to Yavin IV, where she must confront tough decisions about what her future will look like. ✦ Speculation by Nana, zeb/kallus & ap-5, 1k    “AP-5,” Kallus said, “are you under the impression that Captain Orrelios and I are involved, romantically?” “It is common knowledge at the base, sir. You don’t have to deny it just because I am a droid.” ✦ roisters by spookykingdomstarlight, zeb/kallus, 1.8k    For once, he is willing to put aside his thoughts and act. “Garazeb,” he says, because he is the only one who calls Zeb by his full name and because he’s noticed the way Zeb’s fur ripples in pleasure after he says it and somewhere in the back of his mind he knows that means something. “A word?” SEQUELS RECS: ✦ We Met in Blood and Dust by lucymonster, leia/amilyn, 1.5k    Life is only ever a borrowed possession. Amilyn has borrowed twice now. ✦ never gonna get too close to you (even if it hurts) by bittersnake, luke/sana & finn & hux & cast, 2k    Sometimes death brings second chances. ✦ The storms are raging on a rolling sea by ambiguously, rey/phasma, nsfw, 5.2k    Rey is searching for an old Jedi temple and finds someone she was never expecting to see again. ✦ The Warm Sunlight by tspofnutmeg, rey, 1.5k    A Jedi knight, that’s what Rey is now. Well, she has been for a while, but she was hesitant to take on the title. FULL DETAILS + RECS HERE!

#obi wan kenobi #anakin skywalker #padme amidala #obikin #obianidala #ahsoka tano #luke skywalker #leia organa #hera syndulla #rey #fic recs #star wars fic recs

[morkmywords]

Strawberries and Cream | Soulmate au | Bts | Jungkook

Masterlist

Soulmate!AU

Length: 5.5k

Note: So i write for bts as well

Warnings: none

Pairing: Jungkook x Reader

Genre: Fluff/Angst

Summary: Imaging living life with everything in grayscale, no colours at all. The only way you can ever see colour is if you make eye contact with your soulmate but things don’t always go as they’re supposed to.

The freezing temperatures of Korean winters really weren’t doing you any favours as you trailed behind your older sister. This morning she insisted on going to a traditional market to shop around and your parents would only let her go if you went along as well which was how you ended up squeezing through various stalls of market vendors and freezing your buns off. It was your annual family vacation and this year it was your sister’s turn to pick, last year your step-dad picked a winery tour in the south of France which you didn’t really mind since most of the vineyard’s had extensive art collections which were on display. This year, however, your sister decided going to South Korea in the middle of winter was an amazing idea and your sister was hell-bent on seeing at least one of her favourite kpop idols while she was there. Due to this, you were being dragged around a famous marketplace instead of going to a traditional dance performance with your mom and step-dad which you would have much preferred with its heating and all.

It was mid-morning and you had yet to eat anything as you followed your sister through the sea of people and past all the delicious smelling foods.

“If I don’t eat something soon I think I’m going to die.” You whined as your sister finally stopped in front of a small jewelry stand. She seemed to be able to run on nothing and have loads of energy which was probably a leading factor in why she was thin and beautiful while you weren’t. She was born first with all the charms and beauty that attracted people like bees to a flower. You, however, got the leftovers, you weren’t skinny or pretty or bubbly but instead, you were on the chubby side with nothing particularly special in the looks department and you preferred to keep to yourself and read. But not everything was better for her, she didn’t have a soulmate system yet and you did. Soulmate systems were almost as confusing as rocket science, there were thousands of different variants and they could develop at any different point in your life. Some people were born with their soulmate system and some people never found theirs which you knew was the source of a lot of your older sister’s stress. You developed your soulmate system when on the day you turned four years old and you got one of the least desirable systems, especially for a child. You couldn’t see colour until you looked into the eyes of your soulmate, as a child you remember crying for days when you learned you couldn’t see colour but eventually you got used to it and the grayscale of the world around you made you forget what colours had once looked like. Nowadays you tended to avoid eye contact unlike others you knew who stared into the eyes of everyone they meet in hopes of finding a soulmate, you preferred to go unnoticed.

“C’mon Y/n you’re always hungry.” She pouted as you refused to move.

You felt your cheeks go pink as she once again reminded you of your shortcomings. “I guess we can keep going for a while but only if you promise to pay.” You whisked as you retreated back into your giant winter coat.

“Deal!” She giggled before heading off again. You followed her around as she headed in and out of shops, she bought a few different things but you just followed only purchasing a bookmark and some random knick-knacks you thought were pretty. You were spending your last few days exploring Seoul after you spent the first part of your trip just travelling to famous landmarks around the country and gaining ‘cultural knowledge’ as your mom liked to call it and Kate, your sister, couldn’t stay still as she was finally in the Kpop capital of the world.

“Here how about we get waffles and ice cream?” She asked as she dragged you over to a vendor selling what looked like exactly what she described. You read each of the different flavours as best as you could with your limited knowledge of Korean but ended up having to resort to your sister who of course knew Korean.

“Can I have the strawberries and cream flavoured one?” You whispered to your sister and she nodded before ordering. You waited next to her as your sister chatted with the vendor in broken Korean as you waited for your waffles. When it was finally ready you both took your food and said a quick thank you before you continued on, you looked at a few more stalls before deciding to go farther into the city. You pulled out your travel guide and decide to head to a park which wasn’t too far away so you decided to walk after a lot of convincing from your sister.

You munched on the waffle as you headed down the street and did your best to eat the ice cream that you were already thinking twice about agreeing to eat. You did your best to eat but your fingers got cold whenever they were outside of your sleeves, you were crossing through a particularly busy part of town with giant crosswalks and huge buildings covered in LEDs, billboards, and posters. You were trying to keep your sister on track as she got distracted by pictures of idols and actors or some kpop songs that sounded familiar. You pulled your sister across the crosswalk before the light changed without getting hit by a car and losing her in the crowd, you sighed once you were in the clear but you felt your heart speed up as you caught a glimpse of somebody’s nose and lips flashing across a billboard. You didn’t know why but something compelled you to stay and see if the person would come across the billboard again but you were pulled away again by your sister who wanted to keep exploring.

——

The two of you wandered around the park and the rest of the city until you had to meet your parents for lunch. The entire time as you listened to her chat you couldn’t get the man’s face out of your head, you had never really been interested in boys before like your sister or classmates and you were utterly dumbfounded. You were so lost in thought that you were sure you wouldn’t have made it to the restaurant without your sister, whether it be by missing your train or getting hit by a car. You finally let yourself relax once you were seated, you quickly looked over the menu you were handed before settling on just getting the same thing as Kate. The restaurant was definitely not a cheap place, the whole aura around it was fancy and expensive which was fine with you since they had some interesting sculptures and things. You half paid attention to what your family members were talking about as you desperately tried to remember anything about the man that wasn’t his nose, lips, or his chin. When the food arrived you stayed quiet and ate as you listened to your mom animatedly talk about how beautiful the dancer’s costumes were. Everyone knew that your mom wanted to be a costume designer with all her heart but decided to become a secretary to support you and your sister after your biological father left her. You listened to her rave on and on about the colours and materials that were used and you couldn’t help but smile at how excited she was.

“Everyone, I have an announcement.” Your step-dad announced once everyone had pretty much finished eating. “In honour of Kate finishing her exams with some of the highest scores in all her classes……. WE GOT YOU BTS CONCERT TICKETS!”

You were sure you’d gone deaf from the shriek that your sister let out in the almost silent restaurant. You mother, step-dad, and sister were all practically jumping with joy while you felt a blush rising to your cheeks and tried to melt back into your sweater.

“These are for tomorrow! How did you get these? I’m so excited!” That was only a small part of what you heard your sister squeal to your parents before you drifted back to the man on the billboard. Was he in BTS? They were really big now and you knew people all around the world loved them, could it be-

“Y/n? Are you paying attention?” Kate asked.

You shook your head a bit in an attempt to wake yourself up. “I’m sorry I guess the jet lag is getting to me.” You let out a nervous laugh before Kate started talking again.

“As I was saying, I’ll have to make sure you know all the members, and the fan chants, OH! And you can borrow some of the BTS shirts I have since you’re the one coming with me!” She spoke so fast you almost couldn’t understand.

“Wait, so I’m the only one coming with you?” You were panicking a little at the thought of going to a concert alone with your sister, “what about you two?”

You parents shared an uncomfortable glance. “Well sweetie, we tried to get enough tickets for all of us to go but those two were the only ones we could nab before they all sold out.” Your mom said as she reached out and rubbed your shoulder with a small smile.

“Besides, you wouldn’t want two old farts like us crashing your party.” Your step-dad joined in, “You two should have some sister bonding time before you both head off to university and never come home to see each other anymore.”

You could feel all the eyes at the table focused on you so you reluctantly agreed. The rest of lunch was spent with Kate chattering in about her favourite member, who you remembered was some guy named Sugar, and your parents chatting about some sort of traditional medicine class they were going to next. Before you knew it the bill was paid and you were parting ways again, at least until later that night.

——

It was afternoon now and that meant the streets were packed with people going in every direction. Kate dragged you through endless shops and stalls, all full of different products that people happily browsed through. Two hours later you were hauling thousands of bags back to your hotel, the bags were filled with all sorts of things but they were mostly your sister’s. She bought tons of different clothes and you had seen a few things you liked but ultimately deciding not to get any because one-size things made you nervous, she also bought a ton of makeup and skincare products which you didn’t have any interest in since it was too much work to wear makeup and have it match skin tone and all when you couldn’t see colours.

Your feet were sore from all the walking you had done and you were ready for a nap when you were crossing the intersection on the way back to your hotel. You were keeping your eyes on the changing lights as usual when you heard your sister start squealing.

“Y/n, Y/n look! It’s BTS!” She exclaimed before pointing to a video clip that was playing in the side of a building. “Aren’t they so handsome, AND WE’RE GOING TO SEE THEM LIVE TONIGHT!”

You looked up to see what your sister was swooning over when you saw the familiar nose and lips on the screen. You suddenly felt as though there was something in your eyes, you brought your head down and rubbed your eyes with the palm of your hands, blinking a few times before opening them up again.

Everything fell from your hands when the grays, blacks, and whites that used to make up your vision were replaced with colours. Your mouth fell open as you saw colours for what seemed like the first time in your life, you felt like crying and shouting with joy at the same time. You looked back up to see the man on the billboard that you had locked eyes with, you found your soulmate but you didn’t see him in person.

“What colour are my shoes?” You whirled around and asked your sister who was admiring all the bright now coloured displays.

“Red, why? Did you find your soulmate?” She asked suddenly excited. You should have told her but you couldn’t, your soulmate was one of the most popular people in the whole world and you weren’t even sure he was your soulmate.

“N-no!” You exclaimed. “I just didn’t remember when you told me this morning.” She seemed wary of your answer but didn’t bring it up again as you made your way back to the hotel. You stared in wonder at the suddenly colour filled world and asked so many not so subtle question that you were sure Kate wanted to knock your teeth out.

The door finally clicked signalling it was unlocked and you rushed inside, dripping all the bags to begin feverishly researching on your phone.

——

The van lurched to a stop which woke Jungkook up from his much-needed nap, they had very busy schedules for the past few days but it was just the staff of it. He squeezed his eyes shut tighter as an attempt to go back to sleep but a few moments later he gave up, his brain was already awake again so he might as well do something productive. He opened his eyes only to be greeted by the bright coloured hat Taehyung was wearing in front of him. The brightness of the hat wasn’t really the problem but the fact that he could see colour was, his ability to see colour disappeared so long ago that he couldn’t even remember what red looked like.

As a teen he resented the idea of soulmates with all his heart, why did he have to be stuck with the stupid system where he couldn’t see colour? It was like not being able to see half of the world but he eventually got over it and accepted in for what it was. Being an idol and all they didn’t talk about their soulmates or soulmate paths whatsoever but it didn’t stop his group from sharing their issues between themselves, they helped him through all the sticky situations you can get in when you can’t see colour.

“Wake up!” He shouted as he elbowed Namjoon Who was sleeping next to him in the stomach. The older man groaned and clutched his stomach but made no protest as he was more interested in knowing what was so urgent and why the boy beside him was almost in tears.

“What’s happened this time?” Hoseok asked between yawns as the rest of the group focused their attention on the youngest.

Jungkook looked lost as his eyes stayed trained on Taehyung’s hat. “I can see.” He whispered.

“We already knew you could see Jungkook, is that really all that you woke us up for?” Yoongi asked with an unamused expression.

“You don’t get it,” he insisted, “I can see!”

“You don’t mean-“ Hoseok started but trailed off before he could finish his sentence.

“You can see colour?” Namjoon said, asking the question everyone in the van was thinking.

The boy only nodded in response before a crocodile tear rolled down his cheek.

“Oh, Jungkookie! That so exciting, who’s  your soulmate is?” Jimin asked excitedly.

“I don’t know.”

“How can you not know?” Jin cut in. “You wouldn’t be able to see colour if you hadn’t made eye contact with your soulmate.”

“I didn’t make I contact with anybody though!” Jungkook exclaimed as more tears gathered in his eyes. “When we got in the car and before I went to sleep everything was normal but when I woke up suddenly there was colour.”

Namjoon wrapped his arm around Jungkook who was shaking next to him. “Maybe you didn’t see them, but what if they saw you?” He asked.

There were multiple shouts of confusion from the boys surrounding him before somebody shut them all up to let him continue. “A friend told me that sometimes with these kind of eye contact systems the eye contact doesn’t necessarily have to be in real life.”

“What do you mean?” Hoseok prompted as he turned around in his seat. “Like if kookie’s soulmate saw a poster or something?”

“Exactly! I’ve heard about it happening although it’s very, very rare. Your soulmate probably saw a poster or music video where you made eye contact with the camera that triggered the connection.” Namjoon finished explaining.

“So does that mean Jungkookie won’t be able to find his soulmate for sure?”  Jimin asked as he shifted nervously in his seat.

Namjoon let out a soft hum before answering. “Everything I’ve read says that usually the effects of a bond being made are only partially there and when you do meet your soulmate in real life you get the full effects.”

“So I’m only seeing some colours?” Jungkook asked.

“Probably,” Namjoon replied. “Now you just have to actually meet your soulmate.”

——

The sigh seemed to escape on its own when you came to your conclusion, after an hour of searching through every blog, news article, and website you could find the verdict was that he was most definitely your soulmate. During that time you also decided that under no circumstances would you ever meet him in real life, he was an idol and had an image to uphold that you being his soulmate would only ruin and besides, he was probably just happy that he could finally see some colour. At that moment Kate burst out of the bathroom and dragged you over to the desk where she had set up her computer.

“Now it is time for you to learn all about BTS!” she exclaimed before pulling you down next to her and hitting the play button. You watched every music video there was and listened to all the albums, watched theory videos and crack videos, you even listened to her talk about how much she loved Sugar, who you know knew was Suga, for an entire twenty minutes.

“Uhm, could you tell me more about the boy with the pink hair?” you asked once it seemed like she was finished.

“Ooooo, somebody has a little crush on Jungkook!!” she squealed before tickling you. You burst out into a fit of giggles which easily disguised the embarrassed blush on your cheeks until she launched into a full on lecture about Jeon Jeongguk. Twenty minutes later you were even more certain on what you had decided before, your soulmate who was amazing at everything he tries and had the voice of an angel could never be with you.

----

“Are you girls ready to go?” your mom called as she burst into your hotel room with your step-dad on her heels. “Y/n why aren't you ready?” she asked once she saw you curled up in your cocoon of blankets and your favourite pyjamas.

“I feel really sick and I don't think I can go.” you whispered as the rest of your family gathered by the door. “I think I ate something bad this morning but you should go with mom.”

Your family shared an uncomfortable look before your mom walked over and perched on the bed next to you. “Are you sure you’ll be fine?” she asked as you retreated farther into your blankets.

“Yeah you go have fun, I’ll just take some medicine and go to sleep.” You tried to reassure the rest of your family members without seeming too suspicious.

She sighed and walked back over to where your step-dad and Kate were standing. “Well if you’re sure you’re going to be alright, Dave will be next door and you can call room service if you’re feeling better.” You nodded as they grabbed jackets and shoes, “Call us if you need anything, Bye!” your mom called before she shut the door and you fell back onto the bed. You switched on the television to some random game show in an attempt to drown out your own thoughts and distract yourself although it didn’t really work and you eventually fell asleep.

----

You faked sick in order to stay in the hotel room until the last day of your trip, as much as you wanted to go out exploring with your family you were far too paranoid about possibly running into BTS on the streets as silly as that sounds. You weren’t too upset because you got to watch a lot of Korean dramas even if you hardly understood anything they were saying. Your parents brought you back tons of souvenirs and such, Kate was kind enough to buy you a buttload of Jungkook things just to tease you though nobody else knew he was your soulmate.  It was finally time to leave and you dragged your bags into the cab before it sped away

You hung around in the back with your sister as your parents went to get the tickets, you were there definitely earlier than you needed to be so you could take as much time as you needed.

“What if we see BTS here?” Kate asked and you froze, “I read somewhere last night that they were going to be going somewhere abroad today, why do you look like you saw an alien?”

You quickly shook out of your trance and were itching to go, you heard a few high pitched screams and the clicks of cameras and knew something was happening.

“Let’s go.” You said as you grabbed your sister and almost ran to where your parents were waiting with the tickets, you practically shoved your family through the security in a mad dash to get to the gate and away from disaster. By the time you finally got to the gate you parents were fed up and dumped you to go shopping and find some food while you stayed tucked by an outlet at your gate. You were incredibly anxious as you watched people pass by, you tried to stay there but eventually, your stomach started gurgling and you had no choice but to go find food.

You gathered your bags and wandered around until you found a small convenience like store that was relatively close to your gate, you wandered around a bit before grabbing some sort of sandwich, a way overpriced bottle of water, and a novel in English that looked relatively interesting. You were heading back after shoving everything in your bag, there was about half an hour left till your flight was supposed to start boarding so you decided to stop at the washroom before going back to the gate.

When you emerged from the bathrooms a few moments later you were treated with a stampede of people being held back by bodyguards and you immediately knew what was going on. Without thinking about anything other than getting away from the mob following BYS through the airport you dove head-on into the crowd like a fish trying to swim upstream. You quickly realized how stupid you were as you started to get shoved around and eventually landed on your butt in front of somebody’s very expensive shoes. You didn’t even realize a hand reach down in front of your face before you smacked into it amidst your own panic to get away. You froze when you got to your feet and met eyes with the member you recognized as V standing right in front of you, a mumbled apology in bad Korean fell out of your mouth before you ran into the crowd again, eager to get away.

When you finally got back to the gate the boarding had already started as you waddled up to your family who was anxiously waiting.

“Where were you?” Your step-dad asked as you took your places in the line.

“I just got caught up and forgot about the time.” You said before the staff member took your ticket and passport to check you in.

The flight back home was about as pleasant as a plane ride could be with you dodging your family’s well thought out questions about why you were being so odd lately, it was like walking on eggshells or herding cats. It wasn’t until you reached for your forgotten food in your bag that you realized you had lost the little keychain you bought in one of the markets you went to, it probably fell off in the crowd of people. You were disappointed in the fact you wouldn’t ever see it again but drifted off to sleep on the long flight.

——

“What’s that?” Jungkook asked Taehyung who was sitting beside him examining something intently.

“Ah, remember that girl who fell at the airport earlier?” He said and Jungkook nodded. “She dropped this and I was going to give it back to her if I saw her again but I guess it's too late for that now.”

Jungkook got a better view of the small keychain as Taehyung moved his hands out of the way, he also remembered the girl who dropped it. He felt drawn to her for some reason but before he could even catch a glimpse of her face she disappeared back into the crowd.

“Can I keep it?” He asked his bandmate.

Taehyung gave him an odd look before nodding and passing it over to him. “I don’t know why you’d want it but sure.” He smiled as the younger one took it from his hand.

Upon closer inspection, Jungkook figured out it was a little pink strawberry on a cloud like thing that he didn’t really know what to call. He smiled at the stomach-churning cuteness of it before tying it onto his bag and going back to staring out the airplane window.

----

You were exhausted and glad to be home but it was different now that you could see colour like you knew that your room was always yellow but you never really remembered what yellow looked like until now. You also knew some basic things about how you looked, like the colour of your eyes and the colour of your hair but you ended up avoiding mirrors and pictures since you started seeing colour. Know you knew who your soulmate was and you tried avoiding everything about him for about a month but it was impossible, you could feel your heart slowly chipping away as you sat at home ignoring his entire existence.

Just because you couldn’t meet your soulmate doesn't mean you couldn't learn about him, right?

Kate was obviously a little weirded out when you asked her to teach you Korean, it seemed like kind of an out of the blue thing to her but you managed to cover it up by saying it was because of your recent trip to South Korea. In the meantime you started getting into BTS on your own, starting from their debut and working your way up until where they were now. You knew they were big but you never actually realized how big they were until their collaborations with some of the biggest artists from around the world came into your view.

The months passed and along with learning more and more about your soulmate you also ended up moving out into your own place in the next city over. Your parents were emotional as always but were a little reassured since your sister actually lived in the same building. It’s definitely not like your family planned that without you because that would just be crazy. Aside from that, your life was picking up, you decide to switch your major and become a linguist because after learning Korean for a year you started picking up different languages and got interested in the science behind it. You even ended up getting out of your shell a bit more and made a few friends as you settled into your new house, you were ready to call it a night when your sister burst into your apartment.

“Y/n!!” she called as your door banged open and she ran into your place.

“What are you doing?!” you screeched from your spot on the floor after you fell off the couch in surprise.

“You’ll never guess what’s happening!” she exclaimed, completely ignoring your position on the floor.

You sighed and got up before sitting back on the sofa. “I’m definitely not going to be able if you don't tell me.” you said.

“Bts are having a world tour, and they’re coming here!”

“What?!” you exclaimed.

“The tickets just went on sale and I managed to get one!” Kate squealed as she came to sit on the couch next to you. “I just can't believe I have to wait for 2 months until they come.”

You sighed with relief since they were not coming anytime soon before Kate began to blabber on and on about how excited she was. The thing that occupied your mind was that your soulmate would be in the same city as you in 2 months.

----

It had been two months since Kate burst into your room screaming about the concert and you honestly forgot it was even happening. Exams were coming up so you threw yourself into your studies basically becoming a hermit in your own room, Kate had texted you earlier in the day about it but of course, you gave it no mind as she never referred to it as more than just ‘the concert’. You had been studying for 12 hours straight and decided you deserve a break, at least until tomorrow morning since it was currently 1 am. You tucked your books to the side and dragged your feet to your bed where you flopped down, not even bothering to curl under the blankets. You were very intent on falling asleep but your stomach had other plans as it let out a large grumble before the pain of hunger overtook you. A loud groan was your response before you pulled yourself up from the bed, threw on a giant sweater and some shoes, and headed out the door. You were in no mood to take the stairs so you waited for the elevator while you texted your sister to see if she needed anything since she just came back from a concert, the ding signalled the elevator was there and you left. The convenience store that was two blocks away from your apartment was open 24/7 so that's where you were headed to find food since your fridge was currently as empty as the streets were while you made your way there. You pushed open the door and headed down the rows filled with food in search of something to eat, you ended up grabbing a premade sandwich and some trail mix before heading to the coolers at the back to look for the drinks your sister wanted. You didn't pay attention to the bell on the door ring as you looked through the shelves upon shelves of beverages, you continued on browsing until you recognized a couple of familiar voices speaking Korean and you turned around to see 7 familiar guys. You spun back around and found your sister’s drink as soon as possible before rushing up to the cashier to pay, you were itching to hurry as the employee seemed to ring your items up as slow as possible. You heard the chatter and 7 pairs of feet behind you so as soon as you were handed your receipt you grabbed your things and ran out the door. You were about to cross the street before you heard footsteps and somebody calling after you.

“You forgot your wallet!”

You turned around and immediately froze when you locked eyes with the familiar pink haired boy and even more colours exploded in your vision. You both froze and stared back at each other for a few moments until there were more footsteps and you saw the 7 other boys come up behind him. The crosswalk chirped and you turned to leave but were stopped by somebody grabbing your arm, you turned to see Jungkook standing behind you.

“Wait, you’re my-”

“Soulmate.” You cut him off.

“You saw me before?” he asked in broken English while still holding your arm to make sure you didn't try to leave again.

“In Korea on a poster.” You explained in Korean so he could understand.

He obviously did because he answered right away. “You speak Korean?”

You shuffled your feet nervously and looked down in embarrassment. “I learned when I figured out you were my soulmate.”

The silence was deafening before somebody called out from behind Jungkook

“You’re the girl that fell at the airport!” Taehyung exclaimed and everyone looked back at you in confirmation. You nodded before Jungkook started digging abound in his pockets frantically until he finally found what he was looking for.

“This is yours.” He said.

You looked at his outstretched hand to see the small keychain you lost a year ago laying in his palm, you grabbed the little strawberry from him before throwing your arms around his neck and hugging him.

“Thank you.”

#bts #bts fanfic #bts fanfic au #bts fanfiction #bts fanfiction au #bts soulmate au #bts scenarios #bts imagine #bts jungkook #bts jungkook fanfic #bts jungkook soulmate au #bts jeon jeongguk #jeon jungkook #jeon jeongguk

[shadowsong26fic]

So when you say you ship obianidala, do you mean, like, obi-wan and padme have feelings for each other and padme has a relationship with both obi-wan and anakin? I just really don't like obikin because the power dynamic is really messed up. Obi-wan raised Anakin. And sure, they started working together more as equals, but obi-wan is still an authority figure in anakin's life. He still calls him master in rots. Obi-wan called Anakin his brother, but he's still a much older brother who raised him.

Soooooo my answer turned out to be really, really long, talking about what works for me in the various subdynamics of the OT3 here XD.

Uh, short answer: when I say I ship something, I don’t necessarily mean all the time in every timeline it is the best of all possible worlds? There are definitely ships I can only ship in certain AU contexts (example: in ATLA, I can only ship Zutara in an AU that diverges from canon no later than Crossroads of Destiny). Also, I very, very rarely ship OT3s in general (example: I am one of the like two people in the Leverage fandom that doesn’t ship the OT3). But Obianidala is one of the few OT3s that works for me at all, whether as a full triad or as a vee of some kind.

Anyway, in terms of the three possible romantic sub-pairings (Anidala, Obikin, Obidala), the only one I ship by itself is Anidala. And, honestly, I actually ship them as a pair more than I ship Obianidala, for the most part (though, like, ideally Obi-Wan is always part of their life/dynamic/etc., just not necessarily as a romantic partner for either of them?). This has a lot to do with my personal history with these characters and their relationships and various broad shipping culture things. Especially in terms of the Obikin arm of the triad–I’ve gone back and forth on it a lot as a SW/prequels fan. In part for the power dynamic issues you mentioned, and in part because of personal Feelings I have about the way platonic love tends to be treated as something Lesser Than romantic love, and the two of them (or the way people shipped them, or something about this dynamic) used to hit that button for me really, really hard. But at this point, I like/can work with any of the potential OT3 variants where the Anidala arm is present (i.e., full triad, Anakin-centered vee, Padme-centered vee).

[This is all, of course, assuming canon/a near-canon AU—I don’t really write/am not super interested in Total AUs like modern day/coffee shop/whatever so I can’t really comment on those. And a canon-divergent AU with a significant/early enough breakpoint changes the potentially hinky dynamics and therefore at least some of my feelings/opinions on the subject. On a purely personality basis, though (i.e., in a not-necessarily-near-canon AU, or with the right post-ROTS AU setup), yes, I ship them in any of the three permutations mentioned above. As I mentioned before, they’re one of like two OT3s I ship at all.]

All right, this is already super long and I have like at least 1k words worth of more detail (about the triad as a whole, about Obikin, about Obidala). So we’re going behind a cut. For the purposes of this discussion, I’m classifying ‘near-canon AU’ [henceforth abbreviated as NCAU] as one where no significant plot changes up to AOTC have occurred (i.e., Anakin still grows up in the Temple as Obi-Wan’s apprentice and Padme’s life during those ten years follows much the same trajectory).

So, to start, for the Obidala arm—this one’s hard for me to make it actually work without being part of some form of triad in canon/NCAU, mostly because of the way Anakin fits in with each of the others individually (regardless of whether his dynamic with Obi-Wan is romantic or platonic). Also, we don’t really see the two of them interact much in canon without Anakin being either there or the conversation somehow being about Anakin (which is one of the things I wish we’d gotten more of in TCW…). That being said, I do find their (potential) dynamic very, very compelling? They both…hmmm, I’m trying to figure out how to word this. They have a lot in common, in terms of worldview, interests, how they approach complex problems (though Padme tends to be very “fight me” and Obi-Wan tends to be more “…well that escalated quickly time to jump off a building”)—and they both really, really love to argue/debate in a way that would make the parts where they do disagree a lot of fun for them. Or something? I’m not articulating this well (again, in part due to the lack of canon foundation, also I haven’t explored this arm as much as I feel like I should; certainly not to the point where I could explain why I like it), but…they just work together, you know?

Anyway, apart from their separate relationships with Anakin making it hard for them to be an exclusive romantic couple [at least in canon or an NCAU], the main problem with this pairing, for me, is getting the relationship started. Like, don’t get me wrong—Padme jumps off that cliff in AOTC just as hard as Anakin does; she’s just as attracted to him as he is to her; the only reason she doesn’t make the first move is because she has like 2% more impulse control (and 100% more mental stability) than he does and I will fight anyone who says otherwise/attempts to push that ‘he accidentally mind-controlled her into loving him’ headcanon in my face. …which is another discussion for another day, sorry). And, I mean, I am of the firm opinion that she had THE BIGGEST CRUSH on Obi-Wan for a while, and if they’d reconnected slightly differently somewhere along the way…but that would not be an NCAU. But even given her probable crush and her hopeless romanticism and her less-than-perfect impulse control, it would play out very differently with Obi-Wan than with Anakin.

For starters, he’s not the type to make the first move or any kind of declaration/confession the way Anakin does in canon (or so I assume based on the way things Satine play out). And he’s a lot more reserved and better/clearer about boundaries (as discussed elsewhere re: the full triad dynamic), so she wouldn’t necessarily do it either (even given the lack of impulse control) without major external forces pushing the issue. Basically, it would take a mutual near-death experience or something to make it happen [or, alternatively, a situation like with Satine only Padme actually would ask him to stay at the end of that year–but, again, that would probably not be an NCAU]. But once they get past that first stumbling block, they would be the power couple to end all power couples. Like IDK if I can articulate it, just. Damn. I mean, I don’t think they would actually conquer the galaxy, but only because neither of them really wants to. Because they absolutely could.

[Incidentally, I don’t actually feel a mutual near-death experience (like in canon with the arena) would have been necessary in the end for Anidala to happen, because they’re both extremely stubborn/passionate people, extremely into one another (fight me), they’ve at least acknowledged this/floated the idea of being together, and neither of them is good at impulse control; it would just be a different (and probably healthier) way/pace for their relationship to develop. Also, ALL OF THE MUTUAL PINING until something finally gave. Like, I can’t write it because courtship narratives aren’t really in my wheelhouse but I would read the HELL out of a fic like that.]

Anyway, clearly, a Padme-centered vee works for me ^_^. I think it would still take a mutual near-death experience, and I think Anakin would have to be there when it happened (because of his issues with jealousy etc.; I mean that subplot in ROTS was stupid and I’m very glad it got cut, but he is clingy and possessive and insecure, especially when it comes to these two. If he was there from the start, though, I think he would very much be Shipper On Deck. Possibly to the point of actively shoving them at one another with all the subtlety of a brick [b/c then he can keep them BOTH]. And this is a Happy Endings type post, so we’re gonna go with that).

Moving on; for the Obikin arm (and also sort of blending into the idea of an Anakin-centered vee or full triad)–basically, the way I view it is this: Anakin has two soulmates (and a parasite, but this particular discussion is not about Palpatine and how he fits into things). Whether these relationships are platonic (because I do absolutely believe in platonic soulmates) or romantic depends on a lot of different factors. Generally speaking, in a near-canon timeline, I tend to go with Anakin and Obi-Wan’s relationship is platonic, and his relationship with Padme is romantic; mostly because of the power dynamic issue you mentioned. And, because of that (as well as because Anidala was p. much my first OTP ever, to the point where before I really knew fanfic was a Thing I wrote a really, really terrible serial-numbers-filed-off story that was basically Padme turning up at Yavin), it is really, really difficult for me to be sold on Obikin by itself, so to speak. It’s not a hard no for me, the way shipping Obi-Wan with Qui-Gon is, but it’s not really my thing.

That being said, romantic Obikin can work for me, assuming they reach some kind of new equilibrium post-ROTS (either without Anakin becoming Vader, or potentially some form of Sith!Obi-Wan AU, though I’m less interested in that without it being an Empress Amidala AU as well and then we’re back to an OT3 of some form). I wouldn’t write it pre- or mid-ROTS, though I don’t necessarily mind reading it, at least from certain authors. But basically, either via an Epiphany Moment or (more likely) a slow maturation process, these two (especially Anakin) need to get to a point where the power dynamic issue is softened for it to work for me. I think they can get to that point, and their relationship can shift in that direction (which I think is part of why Qui-Gon/Obi-Wan is a hard no for me, because I don’t think the two of them ever could). Anyway, the only NCAU [that I’ve talked about here, at least] I’d really do even post-ROTS Obikin (whether as an Anakin-focal vee or full-triad Obianidala) is Distaff, and that depends a lot on which way Obi-Wan’s plotline goes after the shit hits the fan (and even the option that could very well lead there might not). So that’s not a 100% thing right now, just a maybe. It’s not going to be a thing in Precipice. (I ship Obi-Wan with someone else in that AU, anyway.)

In addition to all of that, for an Anakin-centered vee or a true triad—I’m not sure I can articulate it properly, but there was a meta post/thread I was following a few days ago that I’m not sure I can find again that went into details about this—anyway, the dynamics involved with the three of them actually work really well? If I can dig up the link I’ll add it, but this thread basically boiled down to: Anakin and Obi-Wan (leaving aside the potential power dynamic issue) have major issues with communication; and Anakin and Padme have major issues with boundaries. Putting the three of them together helps mitigate that to a significant degree. Plus, y’know, I adore Anakin, really I do, but he is a lot to handle for one person/a single primary relationship, even one who loves him as much as Padme and/or Obi-Wan, so having both of them involved (and everyone communicating properly/laying down appropriate boundaries) really helps take some of that pressure off the two of them (and Anakin, but in a different way). (Related note: part of why Anakin is (relatively) stable in Precipice is because he has an increasingly wide set of close relationships/support system.)

Also, whether both relationships are romantic or not, Anakin really needs both Padme and Obi-Wan in his life in some way. So, like, for me personally, the ideal pipe-dream post-ROTS happy ending involves the three of them running off into the sunset together (so to speak; I think they would all get hopelessly bored trying to retire and that part would last all of five minutes), and exactly who is romantically and/or sexually (as opposed to platonically) involved with who (beyond, as I said, romantic Anidala being very close to my heart/important to me) matters a little less at that point. (That aspect, I think, is probably related to this whole ‘romantic love is not greater than platonic love’ button I have.)

Buuuuuut that’s all in canon/NCAUs. Like I said before, once we set an earlier/more significant breakpoint, it’s a different story. I am specifically aiming for (probably) a true triad Obianidala (though it might end up being a vee) in Auxiliaries, (not sure if the notes on last night’s update may have sparked your question?) but that AU breaks off much earlier, as of TPM, and Anakin doesn’t actually end up in the Temple to be raised by Obi-Wan, so that issue isn’t there. At which point it’s…like, okay, I’ll be honest, I used to have issues with Obikin not necessarily because of the power dynamic, but because it hit my aforementioned ‘platonic love is JUST AS VALID/IMPORTANT/POWERFUL as romantic love’ button pretty hard. Right now, though, my view on the subject has sort of settled as–the two of them are so tangled up with each other (again, soulmates of some flavor) that I don’t particularly care about romantic vs. platonic where they’re concerned for that particular reason. Past a certain point of character/relationship development, anyway, as mentioned above.

So, in an AU like Auxiliaries (where Anakin grows up on Tatooine, meets Obi-Wan once briefly in his early teens, and then they reconnect early in the Clone Wars when they’re both adults), it would probably take a lot of effort to make their relationship not become romantic and/or sexual at some point. (Related note that I don’t think I’ve mentioned before: Anakin tends to read, to me, as very demi and biromantic; that probably contributes to some of my views here). And, you know, the OT3 in that AU might well start with Obi-Wan and Padme sort of dancing around one another in some way, whether they’ve had their requisite Mutual Near Death Experience yet or not, and then Anakin meshes with both of them and things just sort of go from there, though I haven’t made up my mind on that yet.

(Also, an AU where Anakin didn’t end up in the Temple but TPM otherwise went as in canon, he’d probably grow up on Naboo and, despite still being largely an Anidala shipper at heart, the romantic-vs-platonic dynamic between these two relationships would do a total 180 for me. I probably wouldn’t actually write an AU like that for a number of reasons, but…anyway. Figured it bore mentioning.)

…so that was a 2k+ ramble about PT OT3 dynamics, lol. Most of this will probably never actually make it to the foreground of anything I write, tbh. Because whatever I feel about these character dynamics aside…the fact is most of what I write tends to not be shipping fic, precisely. As in, (like I mentioned before) I don’t really like writing courtship narratives/stories where the romantic pairing and their relationship is The Plot. Distaff is really the closest I come to it. Which is not to say that these romantic and/or platonic relationships aren’t super important, just…it’s probably never going to be a real focus for me. Well, portions of Auxiliaries will, for spoilery reasons, and I might to a Valentine’s Day bonus fic or something, but other than that.

I have no idea if I actually answered your question XD Uh, feel free to follow up? Or give me your thoughts, or ask me something unrelated…

#asked #answered #edftwinry #shadowsong writes star wars #shadowsong26fic

[thenewtdimension]

It all points to you - pt.1

Pairing: Newt Scamander x Reader Prompt: Soulmate AU requested by anon. One shot(x) or Chapter (x) pt.1/2 || (next part) Word count: 2.3k Warnings: none Genre: Fluff? Maybe a Tiny Speck of angst? A/N: I’m tremendously sorry for all the tardiness!! University has started so it’s all gotten pretty hectic.. to make it to to you, I’ve decided this is gonna be a two chapter fic! The next chapter will be probably uploaded next week tho, as I have yet to finish it. Also, this isn’t some of my best work.. it really isn’t...so please bear with me. Sorry for any grammar/spelling errors!

The world seemed to work in odd, surprising ways. For every person existed another, tied together by an inconspicuous red string of fate. Those, no one could see, though they had no reason to. On each person's wrist lay imprinted a compass, working restlessly all hour of every day of every year, hoping for the bearers' attention to glance their way just at the right moment, just at the right second the string's ends could intertwine.

At least half of the population was a result of this, of having been aware at the time their half crossed their path. They were, mostly, the married and the bearers of children.

Some say it destiny proven to be true. Yet in the back of most people's minds flashed a thought very possible. That is, while they say that, one way or another, pairs will have more than one chance to meet, there are those who never stop wondering.

The world didn't play on destiny, it played on chance. And being a horrible gambler yourself, you decided to ignore all thoughts of attempting to find the person at the end of your shared string. If you were to meet, so be it. You believed it was better not to force it.

If voiced aloud, some would call you mad - you see, no one wanted to end up alone. No one. So everyone, or almost everyone, tried their very hardest - obsessed, actually, over the burden the compass ensued.

Eventually, you came to hide such a thing. You became negligent to the idea, completely absorbed in your own little world instead. Being a witch left little time for those types of worries to cross your mind, either way.

You had developed a love for Herbology and healing since childhood. After graduating Hogwarts you were thankful to have gotten a permit to open up a small herb shop - while also being able to operate as an emergency healer if needed. As of late, however, you had planned to close the store for the time being and restock on some fresh herbs and fungi.

It was a routine you had created thus far. Each month the shop would be closed for a few days and you'd go around either Britain or a wider range of European land in search for this fungi or that plant.

Dusting your apron, already used to the various shades of green and red and other variety of colors splattered on it, you went to help the last costumer of the day.

"Dearie, you will be back by Monday won't you?" A feeble old lady, Mrs. Hobbs, asked. She was a regular, often coming to you instead of St. Mungo's (something about long procedures and lack of patience) for a checkup and some remedies. She was sweet, and you were grateful for the conformity she brought to your life.

You smiled, "Yes, Mrs. Hobbs. Monday at 8 o'clock, as per usual."

Returning your cheeky expression and holding on to her cane, you escorted her as she made her way out.

"I will see you then, dear. Oh, remember to let your compass breath before something bad happens, understood?"

Midway, her words began fading with distance, but you waved and chuckled before the words sunk in. Right. The compass. She must have noticed you had it concealed.

Closing the door with a click, activating the shudders and putting up both a lock and a protection charm, you took off your apron before giving your second home a last look and apparating in your apartment. You had tuned your actions to 'automatic,' truly lacking a desire to think about such things, about soulmates and the myths around them.

But after being days without seeing it, you couldn't help but take off the think piece of silk that covered it. And you stared. On your wrist it glared, arrow still moving lethargically erratic and without rest. It was always like that. Not just for yourself, but for the people that hadn't found their halves as well.

Sighing, you covered it again.

It wasn't that you were against soulmates or finding 'the other half,' you were just too tired to make it your whole life's purpose or sole ambition. So you hid that 'part of life' away and continued onward. At that age, however, people had begun to ask questions. Why weren't you trying to find that person? You could just ignore it, why hide it? You were constantly told to not mess with destiny and whatever it had in store for you. To not hide it for it was central to one's being. Which is why you understood why Mrs. Hobbs said what she did.

After having it hidden for so long, your nights and dreams had become dreadful and dark in a literal sense. Lately it even seeped into your days, a sense of gray overshadowing the passing hours. You suspected it had to do with lack of interest and chase in the matter, but you hadn't put such theories to the test. Not even at night did the silk band come off.

Of course, you weren't going to put it to the test now, for you didn't want to stare at it. Instead, you went and packed some important instruments in your favorite comfy leather bag.

Then, in a manner of seconds, you were far from home again.

The forests of Scotland were amongst your favorites. The different shades of greens soothed your eyes, the barks offering solace and ground when their branches took you too far, be it by imagination or distance. Even when they got thick and the fog reached your knees, you wanted to explore and often kept going. Every new discovery was appreciated and fawned over, from every new herb found to the creatures that scattered about and sometimes hid from your presence.

You apparated into one of the forest's clearings, and carefully got to work. Your feet swiftly took you towards the well-known trees and bushes, while your eyes scanned around for the fungi spots already imprinted in your memory.

It didn't take long to get to your favorite tree. It stood right before a clearing's pathways and the beauty it displayed could leave anyone breathless. The evergreen leaves and the hanging moss swayed in the wind, while its white flowers peppered the air.

You neared the tree, hoping to take its beauty in for a second longer before leaving to find some aconite. But as you went to pick one of the flowers mid-flight, a strong gust of wind suddenly shook the branches, the moss almost entangling your body as it trembled and shivered.

As another wave of wind hit you, your arms instinctively went to shield your face as you heard the whistling sound pass by and… was that someone… talking?

Intrigued as to who would be so deep inside a place people seldom ventured, you lowered your arms and went in the direction of the sound.

That was, until warm hands cradled your head, your face pressed against some man's chest. He wore a vest, soft and mustard colored, and you thought it a bit odd before realization settled in. And your body quickly began to protest, but pushed with little force because of your evident confusion.

"Excuse me! Who-"

But the man held you tighter, although with hesitation, and brought you through apparation behind your favorite tree. Just a few seconds after, the wind picked up. It still managed to shake you slightly.

"Shhh," he whispered, somehow stupefying you enough to drown out your protests. Then, the sound of nasty snapping - of trunks splitting in half - and branches crunching as if under feet soon erupted all around you.

Once your eyes were unshielded, and the man gently pushed you away, both the breeze and sounds had practically stopped. But before you could try and talk to him and demand answers, he apparated back where he held you before. You moved around the tree, hurriedly following him. How dare he- Who- what?

"Who do you think you are-" you began but quickly stopped. Your eyes had gone from hard to soft after locking with his own and understanding what was happening. Because you see, right behind the man, and a few feet from you, stood a dragon.

It was a Hebridean Black, with sleek black scales glistening in the dying sunlight. The sheer size of it, cramped in a rough patch of forest and broken trees trunk and branches, and its overpowering aura left you breathless. Now you knew where the cacophony of sounds had come from. The dragon has just landed.

Letting out a surprised yelp, your hands quickly covered your mouth, as the dragon's amethyst orbs pierced your own - and so did the stranger's blue-green ones.

"I'm actually - ah…. W-would you mind bowing a little? He was a bit hard to calm down, you see," the man asked, and almost instantly your body did as he asked. Clearly, you did not know proper dragon etiquette. Besides, considering the situation, you were almost sure he was not there to hurt you - you were more like a casualty.

And that voice… the hushed, amused yet respectful tone… the longer you heard it, the melodic it turned, and your cheeks colored beet red. You had never, ever in your life heard such a beautiful voice. Of course you wanted to comply, at least this once. The thought was slightly concerning, and you decided to lock it away for the moment.

"Thank you… Arthur is rather prideful, he is," he said, voice piercing you despite the low tone. As an afterthought, could have sworn you heard a quiet "not dangerous."

You straightened just in time to see him move swiftly, but with grace, towards the creature before them. He raised his hand, and you resisted the urge to yell that it might not be the best idea. Yet without any problems at all, the dragon nuzzled his head under a man's hand.

It was an odd sight. They were said to be aggressive so you never neared them. But there he was, a curled haired man, cuddling a dragon.

Weren't they supposed to be looked after by a Scottish clan?

"Isn't he supposed to be in an open space?"

The man's curls bopped slightly as he nodded, freckled hand caressing the creature before him. It… started to look more like a dog, truly.

"Yes, but Arthur seemed to have escaped," he murmured, appreciating how you didn't run away screaming at him for being a 'lunatic' or other dreadful names, "When I heard, I- I couldn't stop myself from helping. He's not dangerous, you know…" And he wasn't sure why, but he couldn’t help but reveal his actions to you, either. He figured you deserved it, after being intruded on what he figured was a once peaceful walk. Yet you stayed, and you didn't yell… on the contrary, you had turned curious.

"I see…" you began, "Is it… alright? Are - are you alright?"

Blinking at both questions, he looked at you as if you had gone completely mental. A woman. Asking about the well-being of a dragon - on that day and age. Not only that, but asking the strange man with it if he was alright after he had held her without consent, without asking - even if it was for your protection.

A burning sensation gathered at his cheeks, and he wondered why the question tugged at his heart and warmed his chest, "y-yes... We're both fine, miss…?"

"Oh," you jumped a bit, surprised at your own rudeness and ears heating in embarrassment, "I am (Y/N). (Y/N) (L/N)."

You had begun to move about, picking up a few mushrooms that the wind managed to get out of your bag. It was a distraction, for you knew your feet would lead you closer to them if they had a will on their own. And oh did they lead you closer.

"I've already met.. Arthur, was it?" you asked, gesturing towards the dragon. The man nodded. "But.. What's yours?"

Now only separated by a few feet, you could see him properly. He was very tall and lanky, and you appreciated how it suited him so. The curls atop his head stuck out in every direction - he must have been hit by the wind earlier as well. And his skin, adorned with freckles and light visible scars, was as captivating as his eyes.

His eyes wondered to the ground as he caught your stare, "I'm Newt Scamander," he said and quickly offered his free hand.

You shook it lightly, frowning at the electric current that passed between the touching skins.

"Nice to meet you, Mr. Scamander," you said and he scrunched his nose a little.

"Please, just Newt is fine," he murmured, a smile twitching slightly and a hand going for his pocket watch before pocketing it once more.

"It's time to continue now, Arthur. The Macfustys are waiting," he nudged the creature a little, carefully. The dragon let out a grunt like sound that seemed rather whiny, and the man turned back to you.

"Thank you... For your concern," he smiled "and I am deeply sorry for startling you earlier - couldn't have you knocked off your feet now,"

He took a step closer to the dragon before continuing, "Also, seeing as it'll be windy again.. You might want to apparate a few meters out of this area,"

You nodded before moving back, "Yes… and thank you, for shielding me."

The last thing you saw of him was his ghost of a smile, as both of you apparated before Arthur could take flight again. You had left without some of the ingredients.

Once back at your apartment, you let out a shaky breath. The day had been too weird, and you were too tired to do anything but relax.

You were only halfway through the kitchen, with your tea already being prepared in the air, when you noticed your wrist. Its protective silk was gone. And your compass, which once moved incessantly, stood absolutely still.

#Newt Scamander #newt scamander x reader #newt x reader #fantastic beasts and where to find them #newt scamander imagine #fbawtft imagine #fbawtft fic #soulmate au

[iamthechocobabe]

We All Have Battle Scars

Apologies to those who have been reading, as I think that this is where the story starts to pick up. I seriously love that some of you are even bothering to read this, even if it’s not that good. Thanks again, and have some Prompto first date shtick. Shtick. SHTICK! Shtick is a fun word. 

AU based on: We Intertwined by @nifwrites

We All Have Battle Scars ~Chapter 10~ SFW Word Count: 2,755

"This was a stupid idea," 

Alaea sat in her dad's pickup truck that was used to carry heavy bags of Chocobo feed or pull dead trees or the like. The truck was so old and worn down that it was an 'emergency usage only' kind of truck, but Wiz insisted that a trip to Lastallum wouldn't kill anything. 

Alaea was staring at herself in the little mirror in the sunvisor, wondering if she was trying too hard. Libby had insisted she help Alaea get ready for her date that morning, which Alaea was slightly greatful for since she had no idea how to use make up or do hair or anything of the like. The only time she'd worn make up was when she graduated from school, and she hated it because it didn't cover up the scar anyway, so Alaea felt like make up had no point for her. 

But that didn't stop Libby-she had let Alaea's golden brown hair fall in natural waves, french-braiding the left side of her hair so that Alaea wouldn't be able to hide behind her hair like she always did. The only nice thing that Alaea owned in terms of clothes was a bright yellow off-the-shoulder top with long, flowing sleeves and tourquoise stones making the shape of a heart in the front. Libby lent Alaea a pair of jean shorts that reached Alaea's mid-thigh and some nice brown leather sandals.

"You look beautiful, Chocobee," Wiz said with all the affection a father would have for his daughter. Normal fathers didn't want their daughters dating, but not Wiz Thorin, though he really just wanted to see his daughter be happy. He figured a normal date wouldn't be the end of the world. 

Alaea stared nervously at the make up Libby had put on. She went very simple, with just foundation, blush and mascara-Libby somehow managed to make Alaea's scar not appear as deep red as normal, though it still looked a little raw. But when Alaea had looked in the mirror after Libby was finished, it was the first time she felt...pretty. Maybe even beautiful. 

"I feel ridiculous," Alaea continued to grumble as Wiz pulled into the gas station outside of Lastallum. 

Wiz carefully kissed Alaea's cheek, making sure he didn't mess with her make up. "Trust me, Chocobee-you're going to have so much fun, it'll be ridiculous," 

"This is my first ever date, dad. I'm probably going to make a fool of myself," 

"Probably, but you'll have fun doing it," 

Alaea punched her dad in the arm and climbed out of the truck. "I'll call you if I need an emergency escape," 

"He's a boy, Ali, not a serial killer," 

"Not that I know of, anyway," Alaea smirked and waved goodbye as her dad pulled out of the gas station and left Alaea alone to wait for Prompto to eventually show up...suddenly, she had a startling thought. 

...wait, what am I going to say when he gets here????

Prompto hadn't thought to bring any nice clothes when they started their journey, mostly because he didn't think he would meet his soulmate on the way to Altissia. Then again, a lot of things have happened that none of the four friends had planned for. But he still had his casual clothes, so he wore his casual red top and cargo pants with boots, but Prompto could make a garbage bag look casual. 

Okay, maybe not a garbage bag. 

Fixing a stray lock of his hair, Prompto approached the gas station, feeling nervous, but also excited. When he saw Alaea sitting nervously on a bench, he almost stopped walking due to the awe he felt. 

Her bright yellow blouse looked beautiful and her hair was braided and fell in waves around her shoulders. Her muscular legs were pretty pale from lack of sunlight, but it looked beautiful on Alaea, especially with her small and dainty feet that Prompto could through her sandals. While he thought she looked stunning, it was strange...he honestly thought she looked better in her grubby work clothes, with her hair in a messy bun and dirt all over her face. 

Prompto approached Alaea and she stood from the bench she was sitting at nervously, fiddling with her fingers. "Wow," Prompto whistled, suddenly feeling more nervous than ever. "You look..."

"Ridiculous," Alaea said while ducking her head. "I look ridiculous," 

Prompto bent slightly so he could peer into Alaea's face. "Ridiculously beautiful," 

"Oh, gods," Alaea blushed intensely but covered it by walking ahead of Prompoto towards Lastallum. "What are we doing today, anyway?" 

Prompto shrugged. "Whatever you want to do-do you remember coming here...before?" 

Alaea shook her head. "I was in a lot of pain, then...it was hard for me to focus on anything else," 

Prompto nodded and together, they walked into the city and began exploring. They walked in an awkward silence towards the market that seemed to sell everything under the sun and began browsing. Unable to stand the silence, Alaea decided to come up with a game where they take turns asking questions about themselves and Prompto seemed too eager to go along with the idea, something to help calm his nerves a bit. 

"What kind of music do you like?" Prompto was asking as they walked by a stand that sold rugs. 

"Anything, really, I'm not picky-I'm guessing you like..." Alaea glanced at Prompto's vest, which had a few patches of some current punk-rock bands. 

"I like all music too, but what can I say? I'm a 'youthful punk' at heart," Prompto said while pointing to a particular patch. 

"What does that patch by your shoulder say?" Alaea asked. "It's a beautiful day...?" 

"'It's a beautiful day, now watch some bastard mess it up'," Prompto read. "It originally said 'watch some bastard fuck it up', but the Crownsguard made me wear the 'PG-13' version," 

Alaea laughed. "I've heard parental controls can be a bitch," 

"Especially when they're not even your parents," They continued to walk around. "Your turn," 

"Well, speaking of parents," Alaea said. "Where are yours, if you don't mind my asking?" 

Prompto glanced down and Alaea began to worry she had gone too far, but he looked back up and forced a smile. "I don't really know, to be honest. They were never around when I was a kid, so I felt like when I joined the Crownsguard, they were more than happy to be rid of me...I tried to call my dad's number after Insomnia fell, but he never answered. I...don't really know how to feel, if I'm honest," 

Alaea nodded, somewhat understanding. "When my mom left, I wasn't sure how to feel too, mostly because my memories of her were that she seemed very bitter and angry all of the time. To me, it was no real loss when she left," 

Prompto nodded, their hands brushing slightly before Prompto blushed and walked on. "Can I ask you a personal question?" 

"Depends on what it is," 

Prompto bit his lip; he really wanted to ask, but he also didn't want to offend her. He finally went with his gut (or curiousity). "Why don't you believe in the Soulmate Marks? You did when you were little," 

Alaea didn't say anything for a little bit-Prompto felt fear eating into him, worried he'd offended her, but she eventually answered. "It's not that I don't believe the legend or myth or whatever...I just don't think people with soulmate marks are really meant to be together, I guess. I have a hard time picturing two people who don't even know each other being meant for one another without knowing who they are, who they grew up to be. Does that make sense?" 

Prompto paused. "Kind of? I mean, is it...is it because of your parents?" 

"I..." Alaea looked forward, thinking a bit before answering. "I guess, a little bit. My dad was so in love with my mom, convinced that they were meant to be together forever-when she left, she took everything he had, all of their savings, expensive items from the house. My dad had to sell a few of his best Chocobo's just to stay afloat. But more than that, he was angry, bitter...heartbroken. It broke my heart to see him like that and-and I guess that makes me think soulmate's are a joke...a fantasy..." Alaea blinked rapidly and walked ahead. "Can we talk about something else?"  

Prompto nodded as they continued to maneuver around the crowded market, chatting about their interests once again. He wanted to desperately ask her if she still thought soulmate's were bullshit now that she found out he was her soulmate, but something told him that pushing the subject would just piss her off, so he dropped it. 

They walked on in silence until Prompto saw a bright yellow Chocobo set in a thick, woven bracelet. "Check this out," he said excitedly while picking it up. 

The bracelet was part of a pair-both bracelets were woven with a thick rope-like material that was about 3 inches wide that had various blues and yellows woven around the Chocobo in the center. Small words were stiched around the Chocobo-one bracelet said 'I love to ruffle his feathers' while the other one said 'I love to ruffle her feathers'. 

"That's...slightly sexual," Alaea observed. 

Prompto looked at her with a smug grin. "Wow, sex on the brain, much?" 

Alaea punched him in the shoulder. "Shut up," Prompto giggled and handed the shop keeper 20 gil and handed her the bracelet. "Wait, you're serious?" 

"Come on, souvenirs are fun! You, of all people, should know that tourists love to buy souvenirs!" Prompto attached the bracelet to her wrist before attaching his own. "We love to ruffle each other's feathers, after all!" 

Alaea giggled as they left the market and walked on, walking towards the power plant in the back of the city. They chatted about minor things and details about each other, like where they went to school, what their favorite subjects were in school, etc. Just when Prompto was telling Alaea how he met Noctis, she stopped suddenly. 

"Alaea?" Prompto watched as Alaea looked up at the building to the left of them with a serious, almost sad look on her face and Prompto looked as well. Emergency red block letters stood out in the street, wanting to be seen even in the daylight. 'Lastallum Medical' with a big plus sign next the words let everyone know that this was a place to go get medical treatment-but to a child, it would probably be scary, even menacing.

"I...I remember that sign," Alaea said softly. "It scared me for some reason...I hated the color red back then, so I hated that sign. I hated this hospital, people always stared at me with pity or disgust after they bandaged me up. I couldn't wait to get out of there," Alaea glanced at Prompto and then looked down at the ground. "Sorry," 

Prompto hesitated before putting his hand on her back gently to comfort her. "Don't be sorry," 

Alaea smiled up at Prompto and he felt his heart beginning to race at her beautiful smile. Prompto knew that Alaea meant every smile because she was genuinely happy and the fact that she was happy on their date made Prompto unbelievably happy as well. 

Prompto told himself to take it slow with Alaea, but he still felt himself pulling forward as his gaze fell to Alaea's lips that were so adorably pink. He'd heard that being with a soulmate, their first kiss especially, was incredibly intense. Some of his schoolmates described it as two halves finally coming together after decades apart. Prompto wondered what it would feel like, but somehow didn't care if it didn't live up to the stories...he felt like if he even got a chance to kiss Alaea for a millisecond, he would have lived his life to the fullest. 

Prompto was stopped when he heard an audible gasp as Alaea rushed past Prompto to a sign near the hospital. When Prompto saw other people giving him pitying looks, he suddenly felt like he had a giant red stamp on his forhead that said 'friendzoned'. 

"Prompto," Alaea glanced back at Prompto excitedly and Prompto saw the sign that said 'Indoor Paintball' in big, black block letters with splatters of paint around the sign. 

Prompto ignored the pity looks from strangers and approached Alaea with a devilish glare. "Is that a challenge I hear, Alaea Thorin?" 

Alaea shrugged again and looked casual about it. "Unless you're worried you'll get humiliated, again," 

Prompto couldn't stop the cocky grin as he leaned forward to Alaea. "Challenge Accepted,"

Both Prompto and Alaea tried to contain their giggles as they struggled to keep paint off the seats in the Regalia as Ignis, Gladio and Noctis drove to drop Alaea off at the Chocobo Outpost. Shortly after the paintball session, Noctis found Prompto and told him that there was another lost tomb nearby and that they needed to make tracks. After dropping off Alaea, they would head over to where they needed to go, though it hurt Prompto a little that the date was ending. He could spend the whole day with Alaea and he would never get bored, especially with her never ending blonde jokes that she loved to poke fun at him with. 

They pulled into the Chocobo Outpost at around five in the afternoon; Getting out of the cramped car after being forced to sit in the back with Noctis and Gladio, Prompto walked Alaea up to her front door so she could shower and wash the paint out of her hair, the braid now disheveled and almost completely loose. She glanced back at Prompto, unable to wipe away the smile that was on her face, proving to Prompto that she had fun. 

"Are you going to come back...after, you know, Noctis' princely duties and all?" 

Prompto smiled the most genuine smile that Alaea had ever seen as he stared at her, like she was the best thing to ever hit Eos. "Nothing's gonna keep me away, Chocobee," 

Alaea grinned at her silly nickname, somehow making her heart leap when she heard it from Prompto's lips. Prompto walked towards her, looking awkward and Alaea remembered earlier when he tried to kiss her...at least, she thought he was trying to kiss her. The indoor paintball arena was the first thing that Alaea saw and used it as a distraction because she honestly wasn't sure if she was ready yet. But a few hours in an arena throwing paintballs at each other made Alaea realize that she was having fun...more fun than she'd had in years. 

Prompto had this weird habit of making her ridiculously happy. Alaea didn't mind being happy. In fact, she decided that she loved it. 

But when Prompto leaned forward like he had earlier, Alaea still felt the need to run away. 

"I'll...I'll see you around then," Alaea choked out and stepped back. Prompto looked a little disappointed, but smiled anyway and nodded. 

"Call me sometime, okay?" 

Prompto started to walk away and Alaea stood nervously, feeling as if something was left uncompleted, like the date ended far too soon. Just before he got in the car, Alaea felt a sense of boldness and determination, knowing she didn't want it to end this way. "Prompto!" 

Prompto looked up, halfway into the car seat when Alaea called his name and he crawled back out while Alaea ran towards him, the smile still unable to leave either face. 

Before she could change her mind, Alaea followed her gut and surged forward, kissing Prompto's right cheek. "I...I had fun today," she said softly. 

Prompto smiled the same genuine smile he had throughout the day and seeing it made Alaea's heart race. "Me too. Can we do it again? After princely duties?" 

Alaea smiled again and nodded. "You know something? I think I'd like that," 

Prompto nodded and kissed Alaea's cheek, right above her scar. Alaea felt heat rush to her face as Prompto winked at her and climbed into the Regalia. 

"Be careful," Alaea couldn't help but say it, knowing that they were going to be fighting daemons in a dungeon. 

"’Course," Prompto said and continued to smile as the Regalia drove away and disappeared onto the highway. 

Wiz, who had been serving some customers nearby, came up and put his arm around his daughter. "D'ya have fun, Chocobee?" 

Alaea paused and blushed a little while fiddling with her new bracelet. "It wasn't awful," 

#ffxv #ffxv fanfiction #soulmate au #prompto argentum soulmate au #prompto #prompto argentum #the shtick is strong with this one