Okay, so I got the idea for this someday, started writing it without even thinking about what was going to happen, and… this is the product? I don't know if this type of soulmate AU has been done before, but I thought of this and was like 'cool'. Enjoy! Comments are always appreciated!
Sometimes Otabek got really tired of having a soulmate. The whole concept has been romanticised so much that people don't even seem to care that THERE ARE A WHOLE BUNCH OF THINGS MISSING FROM YOUR F****** VISION! Yes, when you meet your soulmate, you can see everything, like the two halves of your heart finally coming together, blah blah blah, but when you've tripped over about a trillion cats you can't see and have bruises everywhere?
Yeah. Real cute.
The concept of the soulmate is 'You can't see anything your soulmate loves. It'll still exist, just be invisible to you. But when you exchange your first ever words with your soulmate, the whole world will be able to be seen.'
Otabek met a poor sap a few years ago who was effectively blind BECAUSE HIS SOULMATE LOVED LITERALLY EVERYTHING.
Except cabbages.
They seemed to have a weird dislike of cabbages.
When Otabek was six, the ice disappeared. He should be happy that his soulmate loved the ice that Otabek skated on every day, but come on. He would like to see the thing he skates on please (skates were also invisible, which had lead to Otabek cutting himself on more than one occasion). Otabek didn't care though. He loved the ice anyway, which meant his soulmate wouldn't be able to see it either. He counted that as a small victory towards the unknown person who kept messing up his life.
When he was twelve, he went to his first competition. It was local- in Kazakhstan.
He broke his leg on the ice he couldn't see.
He vowed never to go to a competition again, and started to hate his soulmate for making his life so difficult. He still skated, and still loved the ice. Nobody could take that away from him.
When he was fourteen, his mother shared the story of how she met her soulmate- Otabek's father. She couldn't see sunsets, the sky, the moon. She couldn't see trees either, which had lead to her wrecking the car more than a few times.
Otabek's mother had said it was surreal when they met- the world was so much brighter, full of colour (You weren't able to see your soulmate's favourite colour either. If you had a strawberry icecream and your soulmate's favourite colour was pink for example, all you'd be able to see was the cone. And maybe a flake or something floating above it. You could still taste it if you licked it though- luckily the limitations were only on how you see things)
Otabek had told his mother that he hated his soulmate. She told him that that was okay- some people chose to not be with their soulmate. A friend she had from work had a soulmate that was so self-obsessed that she couldn't even see him. They only met when they physically bumped into each other, and he was so obnoxious and arrogant she hated him. She asked out her boss, and they were together to this day and happily married.
That story made Otabek laugh, and tell himself that he didn't need some soulmate to feel happy. He'd find his own person to love.
Now Otabek was eighteen, and still stuck to this philosophy. He still hated his soulmate, and had a steady job at a coffee shop. He skated in his spare time, and still loved the ice.
He was happy.
He even had a dog. A really cute dog.( He felt another sense of victory when he thought of his soulmate not being able to see the things that chased his oh-so-precious-cats. Which Otabek also couldn't see.)
"Down, boy" Otabek laughed, scratching his dog's head. He pulled on his helmet, and left his apartment, taking the elevator down to the first floor. He pulled out his invisible phone, and put on some music (One of his friends who could see phones had drawn out a detailed picture of how each one worked, and taught Otabek where each app was- it was like being blind for a while. Now he has it down though, and can use his phone easily)
Otabek clambers onto his motorcycle and shoots off down the street, making the 15 minute trip to the coffee shop where he works. Today he's unfortunately got stuck with the early morning to late night shift (all of the workers at the coffee place have one at least once a month) which means that he will be condemned to no skating time after work. Which was extremely annoying, since skating is his one way off letting off the steam and frustrations of the day. Which he'll need after dealing with incompetent, rude customers the whole day. But the rink closes far before he gets off work. Sighing, Otabek unlocks the door and flips the sign hanging on the door so it says 'We're Open!' with a little cartoon smiley face. He stood behind the counter and turned on the machine. It's gonna be a long day.
It was at times like this that Otabek wished he could have a lunch break at the normal time of day. But of course that was impossible, since the usual 2 hours where people usually ate was the busiest time of the day. He had to eat ridiculously early or ridiculously late. Otabek groaned as the customer left the shop, leaning back. He really needed to ask the boss o either stop putting him on the all day shift, or to stop selling the snacks that Otabek couldn't see. Like seriously. One of his co-workers casually pointed out from behind him one day, that a kid was making off with a bag of chips. One that Otabek COULDN'T SEE. Yet another reason to dislike his soulmate (If Otabek was told to make a list on every reason he hated his soulmate, it would stretch way into the millions by now).
The door chimed, and Otabek sat up from where he was slumped, ready to greet the customer.
There was no one there.
But then a voice suddenly spoke up in front of him
"Can I please have a black coffee please?"
Oh sugar.
Otabek had dreaded this happening for years.
This person (who was an old man by the sound of his voice), knows his soulmate. Is loved by them (not necessarily in a romantic sense- it can be family love or friend love or something like that).
His soulmate could be nearby.
Otabek was in trouble.
He made the coffee as quickly as he could, and placed it on the counter. If this guy noticed anything out of the ordinary, he would be in trouble. He picked up the money the customer put on the counter, and smiled the best way he could as door opened and closed, meaning the man had left the shop.
Then, and only then, did he sink down behind the counter, hiding.
His worst nightmare was coming to life. There was a chance of him meeting the person who had made his life difficult for the last few years.
Otabek shook his head violently and stood up, leaving the shop after calling to his co-worker that he was taking a break. He strode down the street, not sure of where he was going. Otabek rubbed his head, and paused, taking a seat on a bench. He was overreacting. Just because someone his soulmate knows is here, does not necessarily mean his soulmate is. He's overreacting. Otabek was just about to stand up, when someone flopped down dramatically next to him, flipping blond hair out of his eyes and glaring at his phone.
After a minute, he turned to Otabek, and asked him
"You! Can I use your phone?"
"What?" Otabek asked, turning to look at them
Then the world exploded.
Otabek could see a creature that looked suspiciously like what his friend had described to him as a cat, a leopard print jacket in a clothing store that Otabek previously hadn't been able to see, and the whole world seemed to glow brighter.
Otabek could only assume his 'soulmate' had gone through the same experience, since he was now staring at Otabek with an unreadable expression. But just as Otabek was opening his mouth to scream at the bane of his life, the bane of his life beat him to it.
"YOU Мудак! I CAN'T EVEN SEE THE ICE WHEN I SKATE! DO YOU KNOW HOW MANY TIMES I'VE ACCIDENTALLY CUT MYSELF ON AN ICE SKATE! AND I'VE WALKED INTO ABOUT A TRILLION MOTORCYCLES! I CAN'T BELIEVE YOU!"
Well, apparently the feeling of dislike was mutual. But instead of voicing his own concerns, Otabek just found himself blinking and saying
"You have the eyes of a soldier"
Yeah, well done brain.
But now his soulmate was here, Otabek was finding it hard to actually…. Hate him. Otabek has caused him just as much trouble as he's caused Otabek.
His soulmate, who seemed to be hesitating, held out a hand and told him
"I'm Yuri."
"Otabek" Otabek told him, smiling slightly
"Do you want to get a coffee?"
"Sure"
By the end of the day, they've established their similarities, and differences, and Otabek has fallen in love with Yuri's rough-tiger-hiding-the-kitten personality.
He's also found out that Yuri's hand fits very well in his own.
18 MONTHS LATER
"Why…The…Heck…Is..Your..Stuff..So…Heavy" Otabek groaned, as he carried one of the final boxes up to his apartment.
Yuri placed the last box on the floor, and grinned.
"I have a ton of things that I used to get into to annoy my soulmate"
"YOU DID THAT ON PURPOSE? MY TV DISAPPEARED FOR A WHILE!"
Yuri just grinned more
"I got really into American TV over the off season"
"Remind me why I'm letting you move in to my house again?"
"Because you looooooveeeeee me."
Otabek rolled his eyes, and Yuri continued
"Anyway, I've been nearly hit by motorcycles! At least twice a week!"
Otabek laughed, as Yuri and him left the apartment.
"Fiiineee. I'm sorry"
"I'm not, it was hilarious."
"Yuri!"
"Fine. Sorry about that too."
They walked up to the rink, and strapped their skates on, Otabek kissing Yuri on the lips as they skated towards the middle of the ice. Yuri kissed him back, and took Otabek's hand in his.
Otabek smiled.
Seeing the ice again was great, but what was even better was having Yuri to share it with.