A memory.

It was always a memory.

Sometimes more specific, sometimes less- For some, it was a feeling, like the warmth of a home, the intertwining of fingers, for others, it was kind eyes or a smile, it could be nothing but a name, other times it was a voice, a cry, a lullaby.

And for those who were especially lucky, they had an entire memory, not just a fragment, but a voice, a face, a feeling, all matched up perfectly into a glowing image.

Sadly, for Wil, he didn't get the latter, but one of the vaguest things you could go by-

A laugh.

Not that it was a bad thing, of course! The laugh itself was, in his mind, pretty much the nicest, most sincere laugh he'd ever heard anyone let out, even though it might've sounded ridiculous to any other person, with how loud it was and the unattractive snorts punctuating it in odd intervals.

But hell, the person who was laughing in his memory was supposedly his soulmate, so who was he to blame? He'd fallen in love with that laugh the more often he played it over in his mind, with how genuine it was. He was absolutely and utterly smitten, even though he probably hadn't even met the person yet, and it was just so romantic- Scratch that, if was just sad and kinda pathetic, really.

But, coming back to why the fact his only clue was a laugh wasn't really great?

People just don't laugh like that, not around a random person they just met. It was the kind of laugh shared between friends, at a genuinely funny (or bad) joke, over a memory- One filled with genuine mirth and happiness, one that seemed to ring out of heart and soul and was contagious enough to send others into peals of laughter and fits of giggles as well. One a person couldn't just coax out with a snap of the fingers.

And if his chances of finding his soulmate were already slim, the chances of ever hearing that laugh in person would be even slimmer. Linking the two appeared to be an impossibility- There were just too many people out there, and he was just one- Just one single Wil.

But that didn't mean that he was just going to give up! He was no quitter, but he guessed his hopes leaked into his personality too, with the happy-go-lucky attitude he wore on a daily basis, the occasional jokes he cracked in hopes of hearing laughter, no matter if familiar or not. Because even if he wouldn't be able to hear that snort-laughter in the voices surrounding him, the smiles would still be enough to lift his spirits.

It was just the way he became over time.

Wil, resident optimist, ray of sunshine, and massive dork. He guessed that he'd be okay with this, even if he went on like this for the rest of his life, if he doesn't manage to find that laugh. After all, he had Rebecca, Dart, Sain, Kent, Florina, Lyndis and all the others too, right? He'd be fine without finding his soulmate for now, let the time come when it does.

At least, that's what he thought until he let the voice play over in his head again, like a favorite song one couldn't possibly forget the tune of-

And the poor boy felt himself fall again.

"Wil."

"… Wil?"

"Earth to Wil!"

"… WIL."

The brunet snapped to attention, coming out of his daze, looking less like he'd awoken from a daydream and more like he'd just been doused in ice cold water. Rebecca was frowning at him at him, hands palms-down on the table, before she moved to cross her arms. "You were spacing out again- Is it the memory?" Wil laughed sheepishly, scratching the back of his head, and that was the only answer the girl needed as she shook her head with a little laugh.

"Gosh Wil, you really have to get over this."

"That's easy for you to say." He immediately countered, bottom lip poking out in a light pout as he idly drummed his fingers against the wood. "You've already found Lowen! Honestly, you had it so easy with your memory, I can't believe it-"

The girl cut him off before he could start on a long-winded but playful complaint with a shush and a finger almost jabbed into his face.

"Shhh. It was more or less pure luck that I actually saw his eyes-" Wil briefly interjected something about wondering if he had eyes at all- "-so I guess the time'll come when the time comes? You've been pining over this mystery soulmate since- Oh, I don't know, as long as I can remember? That's a really long time, y'know."

Wil whined, putting his head into his hands in defeat, as the greenet kicked him under the table lightly.

"Be patient, you nerd. You're not even through half your life yet. You've got time." She snickered.

"I'm trying." He groaned.

Another kick against his shin. "You're hopeless, you sap."

It didn't take the two long to settle back into their usual playful banter, though, adding Dart into their little lunch group a little later when he approached their table about halfway through a very interesting conversation about goldfish, which later deviated into how cool octopi were, then going on various tangents until the bell rang, signaling the end of their break.

The soulmate memories were all but forgotten now, and the day went on as any other- Being late for class because he got lost again, the horror of their maths professor dumping a surprise pop quiz on the course, the walk home, chattering with Sain almost nonstop as Kent groaned in frustration and a study session with said duo, which inevitably morphed into a videogame session, fingers clicking away at controller buttons as the three faced off against space aliens and giant mechas threatening to destroy various solar systems- After finishing drafts of their papers on the redhead's insistence, of course.

All in all, it was as normal as a day could get.

At least, it would have been normal if he hadn't looked out of his window at the wrong moment to see Sain pressing his lips to the back of a rather unimpressed, but nonetheless smiling Kent's hand. Wil nearly knocked over his desk lamp right then and there, stumbling backwards with a strangled yelp.

And the familiar laughter came crashing back into the forefront of his mind again as he peeked out into the street once more, watching as the redhead pulled the other in for a quick, almost-but-not-quite-awkward hug, and the duo parted ways, returning to their respective homes. The brunet couldn't help but suddenly wonder how much he's been missing out on.

A lot more than he thought, apparently, but then again, that sight might've not been meant for his eyes. It was like someone just shoved an open folder with the word "CLASSIFIED" in big, bold, red lettering in his face for a bit too long, and he now knew more than he was supposed to. Or wanted to for that matter. Though he wasn't really sure about that last part.

After taking a few minutes to recover from the shock, Wil groaned, slumping into the chair in front of his desk and letting his head thud against the surface, once for the realization, once more for not noticing in the first place, and finally thrice for remembering that he's probably still a long way from finding his own soulmate, even though two of his best friends have found theirs in eachother, if his assumption was correct. And it probably was. Kent's personal bubble was notoriously huge, so there was pretty much no other explanation.

Come to think of it, he never even knew what their soulmate memories were in the first place, and on the flip side of things, basically everyone in his friend group knew about the laugh that plagued his every other waking moment. In fact, he could probably only name Rebecca, Lowen and Florina's, and everything Sain's fabricated was quite obviously void now.

He thunked his head against the table one last time, and hard.

Boy, was he gonna have a word with those two tomorrow.