This was the prompt I submitted to Yankasmiles, and I kinda sorta promised her that I would write this... :'D
"Soul Meets Soul"
Countless white feathers slowly wafted upwards into the sky, umber eyes slowly grew wide, reflecting each as they passed by. It was the most amazing thing he's ever seen in his entire life.
That was the first time I saw him... my soulmate.
In this world, every person was born with purpose and providence. Along with that came, the other half of one's soul.
Everyone knows about soulmates, it was something parents taught at home and teachers discussed in schools. And on the very first meeting, both of you will experience the so-called "Soul Meeting," where you'll share a vision of being surrounded by white feathers as a telltale sign that the paired spiritual doves have finally found each other. [1]
Yamaguchi stared hard at the person he accidentally bumped into, picking himself up and dusting his pants. He grimaced.
But why is he a guy?
The person in question had a crown of short curly hair, glasses on the bridge of his nose, and a pale complexion matching his incredibly tall and sturdy figure. He glared at Yamaguchi and clicked his tongue, turning to walk away as if nothing happened.
"Hey, wait!" When Yamaguchi realized he was being left behind, he immediately gathered his bearings and ran after him, pulling on the taller boy's uniform as he reached him. "I'm sorry, but are you my soulmate?!"
The blond-haired guy turned to him and summoned the angriest most condescending glare he could put on his face, pulling on his gakuran to be released. "The hell are you asking me?"
"I saw white feathers when we bumped into each other, isn't that what they call Soul Meeting?" Yamaguchi suddenly felt the need to scratch his face.
"Oh, really? Are you sure you aren't just hallucinating?" The glasses guy asked in a deadpan.
"Didn't you see it? Didn't you feel time stopping?" Yamaguchi frowned, motioning in his hand about.
"Maybe you're just delusional, I didn't see nor feel anything." The boy sighed.
"But..."
"Besides, we're both guys, so what you're saying is impossible." The guy fixed the glasses on his face, turning again to leave.
Yamaguchi stopped at that, there was some kind of truth in those words. So he didn't stop him this time, and just watched him disappear in the re-emerging crowd. He belatedly realized that the boy he bumped into earlier was wearing the same uniform, he was probably going to meet him again, sooner or later.
When Yamaguchi got home, he went straight to the kitchen. His father won't be arriving until dinner, so he was sure he had enough time. He sat himself on the dining table, waiting for his mom to finish washing some vegetables for dinner. He wanted her to face him first before he asked anything, he knew she knows he's home since she answered "welcome back" when he arrived.
She finally turns around and was pleasantly surprised when she found her oldest son, watching her with his chin resting on his palm.
"Are you hungry?" Smiling as she sets aside the vegetables.
"No, I'm fine. I can wait for dinner," Yamaguchi waves off.
His mother leans down on the table using her elbows, and dips her head sideways, raising both eyebrows to wordlessly ask him if anything was wrong.
Yamaguchi looked away and grumbled, "I just wanted to ask you something, if it's okay."
"Ask away," his mother answered, straightening so she could continue preparing dinner.
Yamaguchi looked at her, and straightened up as well, placing both hands on his lap.
"What was father like?" He looked down, thinking twice about the rest. "My real father, I mean."
His mother just stared, dreading where this was likely going.
"I barely remember anything about him," Yamaguchi continued before she could answer. "You two had me, even though you weren't soulmates... Why?"
"A lot of people die without ever finding their soulmate, I thought I'd be one of them too." His mother took a knife and a chopping board, then started peeling some vegetables. "Your father was great guy, I fell in love with him even though we weren't soulmates. And I honestly believed that if I had him, I didn't need my soulmate anymore."
Yamaguchi slowly regretted ever asking his mother about him.
"But one day, he found his soulmate... and I eventually became dispensable."
"Mom, I'm sorry." Yamaguchi tried to put a stop to the conversation already, but his mother continued.
"I don't take it against him," his mother started chopping onions. "I found my soulmate too. Just a little late, but I did."
"But if you didn't, then he would've left you alone with no one to depend on." Yamaguchi unconsciously fisted his hands under the table.
"I wasn't alone, Yamaguchi." His mother smiled lovingly at him, "I had you."
"Mooom!" Yamaguchi whined, nearly moved to tears as he covered his reddening face.
His mother giggled with mirth, she knew how easy it was to embarrass her son. After having enough laughs, she heaved a deep breath and opened her eyes to get to the real deal. "So... what was this about?"
Yamaguchi slowly pulled his hands away from his face. He was still blushing, but neither of them were sure if it was still due to the previous teasing.
"I think I found my soulmate."
His mother gasped dramatically, holding both hands to her mouth. "Oh, my God~ My baby's finally grown up."
"MOOOM!"
"Sorry, sweetie... just getting carried away," she giggled a few again. "So, when are you taking her home?"
"Errr... about that," Yamaguchi scratched uncomfortably at his nape. "Actually, it was a guy."
He watched his mother's eyebrows slowly rise at that. "Did you see white feathers?"
Yamaguchi bit his lower lip and looked down. "Yes."
"Did time feel like stopping?"
"Yes."
"Did the people around you disappear?"
"Yes."
...
...
"Well, there's absolutely nothing wrong with that! It's perfectly fine~" She tried to assure him, but it was obvious her smile was a little strained.
"Mom, I'm not gay." Maybe...
"I know, I didn't say you were," his mother wasn't looking straight at him anymore.
Yamaguchi slumped on the table, letting out the most exasperated sigh he could ever pull out of his lungs. "I'm doomed."
"Tadashi, it's okay even if you're both guys." She started rubbing small circles down his back. "Soulmates is about paired souls finding each other, it's not called boymate or girlmate for a reason. Gender has absolutely nothing to do with it."
"Are you sure?" Yamaguchi looked up frowning at her.
"Of course, sweetie. The only thing that matters is whether you love him or not."
"Mom, I don't even know him."
"Well, then why don't you start there? Get to know him first," she shrugged good-naturedly. "You may never see those white feathers again, you know."
The next time Yamaguchi saw the guy was on the volleyball tryouts. He was sitting on the far corner, and leaning on the gym's wall padding while playing a game on his phone. He would make it for sure, that was a no-brainer with his height. The matches and exercises were already over, they were all just resting up and waiting for the results. He had been debating about approaching him since he got there, since before the tryouts started, but he just couldn't make up his mind. The guy blew him off the first time, he'll probably do it again. But hey, they were both trying out for the volleyball team, right? If they both make it, they'll be teammates. And thanks to this whole event, he now knows the guy's name.
The blond glasses guy in question suddenly caught his gaze, he casually stood up from his position and started making his way for the doors.
Yamaguchi bolted, running after him until he got outside. "Wait! Uhm, Tsuki-"
"I don't want to talk about the same soulmate crap again, can't you understand that?" Tsukishima cut him off, turning to look back at him with a glare.
"Look..." Yamaguchi started, vaguely aware that he might just piss the guy off again, but he'd risk it. This was important. "I just want to know why you even deny seeing those feathers, okay?"
"Because I really didn't see them, and even if I did I'm not interested in you." Tsukishima turned to his back, walking away as he shoved both hands down his pockets.
"But we're still soulmates." Yamaguchi followed after him, walking two steps behind.
"Are you saying that it's okay even if we're both guys?" Tsukishima stopped and turned to look at him, crossing his arms.
"I'm not asking for a relationship or anything, I just wanna get to know you because you're the partner of my soul. We can just be like friends or something."
"What if I say I don't want to?"
"But why? Doesn't it mean anything to you that we're soulmates?" Yamaguchi was already frowning.
"No, it doesn't mean anything to me. I don't care about things like that," Tsukishima turned to leave again, Yamaguchi didn't follow.
"My parents weren't soulmates... that's why even though they already had a child they still divorced in the end." Yamaguchi was looking down on his shoes, fingers toying with the hem of his shirt. "When I was six, my Mom found her soulmate and re-married. My Dad also has a new family now." The brunet sighed. "Since I was a kid, I always thought I wouldn't be happy if I don't end up with my soulmate someday... This is important for me, I waited my whole life for you!" Yamaguchi suddenly shouted, but when Tsukishima didn't turn to even look at him, he continued. "I'll admit that you weren't what I was expecting, but I'm happy I was able to meet you. And I don't wanna waste this chance that probably won't come again."
...
...
"My parents were soulmates, that's why they got married... but you know, they didn't really love each other, ever." Tsukishima pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed. "That's why I don't believe in soulmates, and frankly, I don't care about you. If you want to go through all this drama and stuff, you do it by yourself. Leave me out of it, this has nothing to do with me."
Tsukishima continued on his way, and Yamaguchi couldn't find it in himself to go after him anymore.
It wasn't a surprise they'd both make it, and Tsukishima would be lying if he said he didn't expect that Yamaguchi guy, he later found out, to relentlessly pester him about it. So, he was pleasantly surprised when the brunet didn't approach him anymore, that or he was just a tad disappointed. They've been attending practice for a good two weeks now and the guy has not once tried to strike a conversation, not with him at least. But he gets it, the guy's reasonable and he made himself pretty clear already.
Tsukishima was glad he was able to rid himself of such a troublesome matter sooner than later, and now that he knows who his soulmate is, all he has to do is avoid him, right? After all, he didn't need a soulmate, he didn't need a boyfriend, and he most certainly didn't need Yamaguchi. He already has too many complications with the people around him that he didn't need to add on another problem. He was good like this, he was fine by himself. He didn't need anyone, he never did.
So, what was he doing here, sneaking glances at the brunet when he wasn't looking? Nothing, really. He was just wondering why out of all the people in the world, he would get this Yamaguchi guy as a soulmate. Why would heaven and all of earth conspire to pair the two of them together? There was absolutely nothing special about Yamaguchi. Or is that already the best suit for him?
His parents didn't love each other, but still they got married, because they were soulmates. Did they seriously think they'd be happy together because of that basis alone? Even without any kind of love? Even without trying? As if the whole universe came together to assure that everything will fall perfectly into place just because you're soulmates? Did anyone honestly believed that? Did his parents believe that?
Well, if the world was working magic for you and your soulmate, and it still didn't work out, then maybe you were really doomed from and maybe even before the beginning. And in all honestly, he didn't think his parents could ever be happy. God, destiny, the entire outer space and beyond can't do anything to help them. They didn't deserve to be happy after all, they were horrible people and the only consolation that he ever got out of all this is that those two aren't happy.
But did they want to be? Is that why they got married?
For the life of him, Tsukishima didn't know. He couldn't tell. His parents were still civil with each other, but that's only on the outside he was sure. Still, what were they hoping to get out of it? In the end, nothing can change the fact that those two got married. And even went ahead and birthed, not one but two sons, as if giving it a second chance, all because of a stupid hallucination that they saw floating white feathers when they first met. What the hell.
And now it was his turn. What is he trying to do? Did he want to give it a shot? He didn't need it… but did he want to be happy? If he went along with it, was he going to be happy with his soulmate? That didn't work for his parents, why should it work for him?
"I waited my whole life for you!"
Meeting his soulmate had never crossed his mind before, and now there he was, playing referee for the idiot duo, as if his help would actually help. The guy started out shy, meek and gloomy. But now he was slowly easing up, slowly opening up and even being more of a teammate than Tsukishima will ever try to be. He was an average player, but tall enough. He got along with almost everyone, and definitely a hard worker. How stupid, and bothersome. They were opposites, not completely but enough to clash he bet.
Still they were soulmates. So, does that make any difference? Or does that make all the difference?
He didn't know. Should he find out?
"Okay, everyone gather 'round! We'll play a three-on-three match for now, we'll see how well Kageyama and Hinata could pull off their quick!" Sawamura all but shouted, he was the Captain. "Tanaka, Nishinoya and Tsukishima will be the opponents. Don't let Hinata and Kageyama score, no matter what!" Then he turned to the brunet Tsukishima's been staring at the whole time. "Yamaguchi, you'll be their support."
They were already on the second set when it happened. Kageyama and Hinata were trying to block, but hit each other in the process. Yamaguchi wasn't able to catch the ball, and they lost their second set. Their play was sloppy, Kageyama and Hinata weren't in-sync at all. And it even looks as if they were either avoiding each other, or trying to piss each other off. Hinata couldn't hit any of Kageyama's balls and Kageyama looks like he's doing everything to keep the ball from Hinata.
In turn, of course, this infuriates their Captain. "What the hell do you two think you're doing?!"
"I can't do this anymore! Can't I have Suga-sempai as my setter instead?" Hinata whined, almost crying with all the sweat and panting. "Or better yet, transfer Kageyama to the other side!"
Kageyama didn't say anything, he just seethed and glared on the floor while heaving heavy breaths.
"Hinata, the reason you two are on the same team is because we want to see how you two work together," Sugawara explained in a reprimanding tone, but he wasn't mad.
"But I can't anymore!" Hinata pulled on his hair, while lying on his back on the floor. "Stupid feathers kept popping up!"
Feathers?
"You'll get used to it, just give it more time," Nishinoya said while stretching.
"But it's so distracting!" Hinata continued to whine, wriggling his legs and not getting up from his position.
"Eh? What?" Yamaguchi picked up the ball from where it rolled over, before turning back to them. "Hinata and Kageyama are soulmates?"
"WE'RE NOT SOULMATES!" Hinata and Kageyama yelled in chorus, both visibly furious, and glaring at each other as they realized they said the same thing at the same time.
"Aww, come on, don't be so shy~" Nishinoya teased. "It's perfectly natural to be excited when you're on the same team as your soulmate~"
"WE'RE NOT EXCITED!" The idiot duo yelled together again, they were more in-sync like this to be honest.
"Seriously, it's okay, you two." Nishinoya walked over to Asahi on the side. "Asahi and I turned out okay~ Later on, you two wouldn't be bothered by the feathers anymore, it'll be comfortable even~"
"Eh? Noya-sempai and Asahi-sempai too?" Yamaguchi noted in surprise.
"Not just us~" Nishinoya leered towards the two people standing on Asahi's other side. "Even Captain and Vice-Captain~" He wriggled his eyebrows suggestively.
"EHHH?! So, half of Karasuno's Volleyball team are gay?!" Hinata sat up at this, gawking at the four of them.
"Excuse you, Hinata. You're part of that half," Sugawara crossed his arms, a nerve throbbing on his forehead.
"Nooooo!" Hinata dramatically held his hands up, cursing the skies.
"But... uhm," they suddenly heard Yamaguchi stutter, he slowly raised his eyes to meekly ask a question. "If- if you're soulmate is a guy, does that automatically make you gay?"
Sugawara raised both eyebrows at this. "No, Yamaguchi. Of course not. Being with your soulmate means you're getting the highest chance of being you're happiest with this person, the peak of happiness that you can't reach with anyone else. You don't have to end up together, or be in a relationship. It just means you'll be happy together, even if you're just friends."
"Oh... but then that also means you can't be happy with the person you're marrying if they're not your soulmate, right?" Yamaguchi was looking down on the ball in his hands.
"Well, it just wouldn't be the same happiness, I guess." Sugawara gave him a sad smile as if trying to comfort him over something he doesn't even realize yet.
"Ehhh?! But what about my hopes and dreams of getting married to a cute girl?!" Hinata pouted for a while before turning to Kageyama to glare. "Stupid Kageyama, this is all your fault! You're ruining my dreams!"
"HAH?! If anything, you're the one ruining my dreams!" Kageyama glared back, and they proceeded in a glaring match that probably wouldn't have ended if their Captain didn't get in their way.
"All right, enough already!" Sawamura glared at the two of them, glancing at the scoreboard before yelling again. There was one set left. "Kageyama, switch places with Tsukishima."
Well, shit.
Yamaguchi could feel his knees shaking, he was at the back, and Tsukishima was upfront nearest to the net, while Hinata was in between them only closer to one side. Tanaka was serving for the other side, and he prayed almost desperately to any Gods who could hear him, please don't let him and Tsukishima touch. He wasn't sure if he was prepared to include himself in that other half of the team, and it's not gonna do them any good anyway since Tsukishima practically hates him.
The ball was going somewhere in their direction, Hinata was on the other side. He didn't go after it.
"Yamaguchi, that was your ball! Why didn't you go after it?!" He heard their Captain yell at him.
"Ah! I'm so sorry!" Yamaguchi decided to just pick up the ball.
"He was doing good earlier, what happened?" He heard Sugawara ask no one in particular.
Yamaguchi bit his lower lip, he wants to do his best, he really does. He heaved a deep breath and decided to concentrate on the game instead. Screw it all! I'll just have to ignore the feathers when they come out!
For the moment he played well, Tsukishima was good at blocking and Hinata covered their spots, almost as good as Nishinoya does. They actually had a chance of winning, of course the other side has a two-set advantage, but that's okay. And again, another ball managed to find its way towards him and Tsukishima, he goes after it this time. But so does Tsukishima, and he was faster.
Tsukishima managed to hit the ball, just when Yamaguchi was also on it, the blond accidentally elbowing him on his nose as a result.
Yamaguchi fell flat on his face, and everyone stopped. The impact was so quick and hard, he didn't even catch a glimpse of the white feathers he was so worried of seeing.
"Yamaguchi!" A chorus of his name erupted.
"I'm okay..." Yamaguchi shakily lifted himself up, and they saw a few drops of blood hit the floor. "Just bleeding."
Hinata, Sugawara, and Yachi were on his side in an instant, helping him up and directing him to the side of the court.
Sawamura sighed, and waved his hand in a dismissive motion. "Let's stop for today."
Yamaguchi was then escorted to the clinic as the rest of the team cleaned up, and by the time he was allowed to go home, everyone had left. That was okay, he didn't want Hinata or Yachi waiting up on him because they weren't close yet. Sure they were friends, but they were all still getting to know one another, all of them new recruits. He took his bad and things from the club room, and locked up, he had already changed clothes earlier before going to the Nurse's office so he was good to go.
Upon reaching the school gates however, he was stunned to stop. Tsukishima was there, leaning on the side with his headphones covering his ears.
"Took you long enough," the blond turned to him, removing the noise-cancelling device.
"You were waiting for me?" Yamaguchi resumed walking, falling into step with each other as they made their way.
"Obviously," Tsukishima kept his face forward, deadpan ever present.
"Why?" Yamaguchi watched him, but when the silence that followed after seemed to stretch for much longer he turned his head in front of him.
...
...
"Sorry about earlier," it was low and barely audible, but he heard it.
"Eh? Oh, it's okay. It was also my fault," Yamaguchi chuckled sheepishly, one of his hands rubbing at the side of his other arm. He knew their houses were in the same direction, but this was the first time one of them initiated to walk together.
And it had been Tsukishima.
They started hanging out after that, preferring each other's company over all the others. If they need something, they would call out. No hesitation, never awkward. Everything just felt natural, as if they'd known each other their whole lives. They would eat lunch together, wait for each other when changing, talk about the idiot duo and snicker to themselves. It was so wonderfully surprising when they realized how much in-sync they really were, just effortless. And they got to know each other, slowly, surely and instinctively. They both got so comfortable that Dinosaurs, stars, strawberry shortcake and sloppy french fries made the world go round, even volleyball became more fun.
But they never talked about being soulmates again.
Whether it became a taboo, or they just didn't feel the need to anymore, they didn't know. Not yet. They had the rest of their lives to figure it out, and that was fine. All was good.
They were sitting side-by-side on the sandy ground, panting heavily after finishing ten or so laps around the field, the rest of the team in the same breathless state. Yachi and Kiyoko were passing around towels and water bottles, Yamaguchi took two of each and passed the extras to Tsukishima.
"I'm dying... I can't do this anymore," he heard Hinata whine while laying flat on his back.
Kageyama approached him and kicked him not too gently on the side, "get up already, I wanna go home."
It had only been a good month, but the change was noticeable. If it had been a few weeks ago, the two would've been at each other's neck in an instant. But now Kageyama was helping Hinata up, and then dragging him away by the wrist, as if they weren't seeing anything. Sawamura and Sugawara were already leading the walk back to the club room, Asahi right after them carrying Nishinoya on his back. And the scene made Yamaguchi wonder a bit, if it was just an initial phase kind of thing, something that wears off as time passes. But he didn't need to know the answer, not right away.
"Let's go," Tsukishima moved to stand and suddenly, they felt their knees brushing accidentally.
Yamaguchi jolted and looked up to Tsukishima to apologize, when a stray white feather made it into his view. He stopped and started looking around them frantically, but their surrounding was normal, the empty field with their teammates walking away in the distance. The brunet silently released a soft sigh, a sort of heavy disappointment sinking into the depths of his gut.
Tsukishima just watched him, he knew what Yamaguchi was looking for. He saw it too, brief and fleeting, but it was there. It happened again, that vision of white feathers.
Yamaguchi turned to him and stared, before slowly lifting a hand to rub at his nape, chuckling sheepishly to himself. Then he stands up and walks ahead as if nothing happened, as if he didn't see anything, because they both know confronting each other about it would be dangerous. They were already sort of friends, they were good just like that. Neither was going to push it, they didn't need to rush.
Tsukishima knew that, heck, he was the one who started it, and yet...
He didn't even notice when he had started moving again, running up to Yamaguchi and taking hold of his hand.
Yamaguchi's brows rose up, turned to him in slow motion and stared. The tip of Tsukishima's ears were red, but he didn't say anything, just stared straight ahead. Yamaguchi didn't say anything either, he slowly turned his head forward, and his eyes went even wider.
It was raining white feathers.
And they walked hand-in-hand.
Sticking to each other and touching, with the white feathers around them, they felt like flying.
The End
This is originally just a one-shot, but I might continue this if I get good ideas, you can leave suggestions if you want.^^
Fic Facts:
1.) The "Soul Meeting" phenomenon was inspired by Twelve's synesthesia from Zankyou no Terror. ;D
— Lynx
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