Hiroto never cared for the idea of having a soulmate. Never wanted to meet his. Never dreamt of the life they could have. Never put too much thought into it.

Not after watching first hand as his mother lost everything, lost herself after his father's death.

They had been soulmates, fated to be together, highschool sweethearts even and the loss of his father destroyed his mother.

Hiroto had watched from the sidelines as his mom fell into depression and turned to drinking.

He'd been forced to listen to her drunk ramblings as she grieved over the loss of her other half.

Hiroto, unable to truly help his mother, was swept up in a deep hatred. He was frustrated, angry at the world for taking his dad, for punishing them. He began to hate the very thought of soulmates.

It didn't matter how good, amazing, finding and being with your soulmate was.

It wasn't worth the pain, the grief, the loss.

It took awhile but eventually Hiroto managed to get through to his mom. He did everything he could to wake her up, make her realize there was still something worth living for in a world without her soulmate.

That he was worth living for.

With the help of a few of his mother's friends, Hiroto helped his mom to stand on her own two feet again. There wasn't a sudden huge turn around, it didn't suddenly make everything okay again, some things just slowly improved even as others declined.

As time passes, his mom stops drinking so much, starts smiling more.

Later Hiroto is introduced to a man roughly the same age as his mom, who becomes his new stepfather. He knows that despite how his mom appears to be happy, she is only remarrying because of him. His mom had always been upfront about it, honest with him always.

It only made his anger worse, now ridden with guilt at the thought of making his mom be with someone other than her soulmate.

He doesn't know how to control his frustration, anger, grief and takes it out on the people around him.

Hiroto had started getting into fights even before his mom remarried into a stranger's family but now the fights become ever increasingly more frequent and more dangerous.

His mom taught him years ago that soulmates share pain, share wounds if they are bad enough. He remembers watching as bruises and marks from his dad clumsily bumping into things appeared on his mom's skin and vice versa.

Now as he gets into more and more fights with upperclassmen, Hiroto watches as bruises and black and blue marks form on his skin after each blow. He can't help but think of his soulmate. His soulmate, who must constantly feel his pain, watches each day as more and more skin turns ugly shades of blue, purple, yellow and brown. Thinking of his soulmate only makes it worse, makes his anger increase, makes him more reckless as he throws himself at people three to four times his size.

Part of him hopes his soulmate hates him.

Another, smaller part, hopes they will forgive him.

He buries that part deep down where it can never see the light. He pointedly ignores any and all evidence of his soulmate's pain and equates all of his more random bruises to his fights.

Hiroto hadn't known what to make of his now stepbrothers, both older than him. At first he doesn't like either of them, hates that he has to live with them and share his space, never mind that it's their space. He chooses to keep his distance from them, only trying to be civil for his mother's sake.

He doesn't know what to do the first time Masaki interrupts one of his fights. He can't understand why his brother would do that. Hiroto doesn't bother asking, simply deciding it must be his mother's influence. His suspicions are confirmed when Takeru steps in as well.

Takeru is…easier to get along with, easier for Hiroto to accept as a brother.

Masaki will never be his brother.

That concept is one Hiroto doesn't understand. It's like a part of his brain subconsciously decided that Masaki wasn't his brother, couldn't be. He is more. More in what way for what reason remains to be unseen for many years.

When their parents die, Hiroto is devastated. His mom had been doing so much better, especially after she saw all three of them finally getting along like family. It doesn't make sense. His mom had survived the loss of her soulmate for him, how…how could she give up now?

It's just them now, just Takeru and Masaki and him. Everything changes.

The three find themselves caught up in training, in jobs, in struggling to survive.

Takeru becomes their lifeline, Hiroto their driving force and Masaki the glue that holds them together even in the darkest of times.

Somewhere along the line, Masaki becomes more without Hiroto even noticing. Masaki is the one he goes to for comfort, for laughter, for teasing pranks and bursts of joy that Hiroto comes to live for. He finds himself actively seeking Masaki out over Takeru for nearly everything, not wanting to bother Aniki with the small things. Masaki welcomes him with open arms.

In a matter of a few years Hiroto's feelings for Masaki change from I'm actively avoiding you, to I'm actively seeking you out every five seconds I'm away from you, to fuck he's so cute, how am I supposed to control myself when he looks like that?

Those feelings he always sets to the side, they are brothers. He won't do anything to jeopardize what they have.

Takeru dies without ever having met his soulmate and Hiroto's heart aches for him even as he hates the idea of them altogether.

Losing Aniki hurts more than anything he's ever felt.

Before he realizes it, it's become just him and Masaki.

Masaki, who Hiroto's been forced to admit he likes way more than anyone should like their brother. Masaki, who he slowly begins to realize is hiding something from him.

Hiroto starts paying more attention. He's always been too scared to look too closely at Masaki, afraid that others would see and know he's fallen in love with his brother. Now that it's just them, now that they aren't constantly worried about and looking for Takeru, Hiroto allows himself to look freely.

It's a complete mystery at first, Masaki is surprisingly good at keeping secrets, Hiroto hates it. He can't help but stress over it, worry and dare he say be…jealous of whatever is taking up all of Masaki's attention that is not him.

Masaki's secret ends up being revealed not too long after the mess with Kuryu is finally over. It's a complete accident, really, in the way that it wasn't supposed to happen.

They'd been on a job, a simple job, when it happened. One second everything was fine, the next they were being rather sloppily attacked, the next Masaki was on the ground and Hiroto felt like he'd been hit in the gut with a bowling ball.

It didn't make any sense, Hiroto hadn't even been hit. He shoved the pain to the side, struggling to catch his breath even as his brother shot towards him. Masaki grabbed his hand, dragging him through a back alleyway. He quickly drew up beside his brother, running next to him even as pain began to flare up white hot along his side. They ran through several streets, taking shortcuts before Masaki came to an abrupt halt.

His brother was breathing heavily, more so than normal, his face a deathly pale. Hiroto felt fear grip his heart but didn't even get the chance to ask him anything before he was lunging forward to catch Masaki before he fell to the ground.

"Masaki, what…!"

How the hell he had missed the gaping red spot gushing blood on his brother's side, he didn't know. He'll forever blame himself for it though.

How had he missed a gunshot!?

Hiroto picked Masaki up and made a run for a nearby underground doctor he knew would help them. Hiroto watches from the side as the doctor patches his brother up.

Luckily the bullet missed his vital organs and ribs, promising a full recovery for Masaki as long as he rests enough.

As he waits for Masaki to wake up, Hiroto gives himself enough time to fully process what the fuck just happened. It's undeniable. The mark on his side matches where Masaki got shot.

They're soulmates.

Soulmates.

Hiroto spends a lot of time looking back at their childhood, analyzing every detail he can remember for evidence of what he missed. What he finds is damning and Hiroto finds himself in a predicament.

He hates soulmates. Has for a long time.

Due to the fear of finding his soulmate just to lose them.

Now whether he wanted to or not, he found his soulmate.

He'd been there the entire time, right in front of him, someone he'd already fallen in love with.

Hiroto knows in his gut that Masaki already knew.

This is what his brother's been hiding from him for Kami only knows how long. Undoubtedly hiding it due to Hiroto's reaction, due to his hatred for the very idea of a fated love.

He wants to smack himself for not realizing sooner, feels guilty for unknowingly hurting Masaki, feels stupid for being jealous.

He's still a mess when Masaki wakes up but seeing him okay and nervous and vulnerable in a way his brother never has been before solidifies Hiroto's choice.

He takes his brother, his soulmate, home to rest per the doctor's orders.

They talk a little that night, nothing too serious since he can tell how exhausted his soulmate is.

They'd have plenty of time for them to talk things out, to figure out where they want to go, in the future. For now, Hiroto just wants to be close to Masaki, to make sure he's okay.

In the morning he wakes Masaki up slowly with a million gentle kisses, promising to leave a few bruises of his own on Masaki's skin when he's healed.