May 29th, 2014 - Crash into Hello

AUTHOR: zeplerfer

May 29th, 2014 - Crash into Hello

"Mummy, what is 'holy shit'?" Arthur asked as he played with the bubbles in his bath.

She sighed, but continued rinsing the toddler's hair. "Who told you that?"

"Dad said it. Dad said it was how I'd know my soul…" Arthur frowned in confusion, trying to remember his father's exact words. "Soul cake?"

"Soulmate, dear. It's the person you're meant to be with and love most in the world."

"And that's what holy shit means?"

She smiled and brushed away the bubbles that covered Arthur's chest. Just above his heart were four tattooed words: 'Holy shit, watch out!'. She traced them gently. "These are the first words your soulmate will say to you. It's an expression of shock or surprise, but you shouldn't use the phrase because they're naughty words."

Arthur nodded. "Do you think I'll meet my soulmate soon?" he asked.

"Oh goodness, I hope not. Your soulmate would have to be much older than you to go around using this sort of language." She lifted him out of the bath and began drying him with a soft, fluffy towel. "Don't worry, sweetie, I'm sure you'll know it when the time is right."

For the next twenty years, Arthur kept his ears perked for swear words. College proved to be rather difficult, with his classmates cussing at every turn. They thought that Arthur was a goody-two-shoes for glaring at their swears, but really he just wanted them to shut up so he would know his soulmate's words when he heard them. Eventually he decided to take his mother's advice and just stop worrying. It would happen eventually.

'Eventually' turned out to be a sunny day when Arthur was late for class and pedaling furiously across campus. When he heard the shout, it took a moment to register.

"Holy shit, watch out!"

Arthur snapped his head to the side, hoping to catch a glimpse of his soulmate, but he didn't see anything before another bicycle slammed into his, sending him flying to the ground. The next thing he knew, he was staring up at the sky with his bicycle pinned on top of him, wondering what just happened. The painful metal wheel was lifted off him a moment later and a young man dropped to his side.

"Hey, are you okay?"

The face blurred in front of Arthur's eyes. The bump on his head hurt and everything seemed a little foggy. He kept thinking that he was going to be late for class, but it felt like there was something else that he needed to remember. Something important.

"Come on, say something. What's your name? How many fingers am I holding?"

"Arthur," he mumbled, trying to focus his eyes before wagering a guess on the number of swaying fingers. "Four?"

The other man's expression changed into a look of shock and then glee. "Arthur! Oh, man. I've been waiting forever to meet you."

"I think I hurt my head," Arthur replied, still feeling dazed and confused.

"Yeah, I think you did too. I was only holding up two fingers." The young man smiled as he helped Arthur to his feet, wrapping a steadying arm around the smaller man's waist. It all felt overly familiar, but Arthur was grateful for the support as another wave of dizziness threatened to send him reeling to the ground. It was worse than being drunk. And Arthur couldn't understand for the life of him why the other man seemed so happy about his injury. He kept smiling and even introduced himself: "I'm Alfred, by the way."

"Where's my bicycle? I need to go to class."

"Don't worry about the bike, I already stuck it in the rack. I can come get it later." Alfred gently pulled Arthur toward the student health center. "You've got a concussion, sweetie. You need to see the nurse. And afterwards, hey… maybe dinner and a movie?"

There was so much wrong in that sentence that Arthur didn't even know where to start. "Sweetie?" he sputtered indignantly.

"You don't like that one? Don't worry, I've got a whole list of pet names I've been saving! You can pick whichever one you like best." Alfred's grin finally faltered when he noticed Arthur's look of complete confusion. "You said… well, I was so sure… uh, what are your soulmate words?"

"Holy shit, watch out," Arthur said by rote memory. Then it finally clicked as he remembered the hazy moments before the bike accident. "Oh, oh."

Alfred's grin returned in full force, virtually rivaling the sun for brilliance. Arthur felt a pleasant warmth begin to pool in his stomach. It was a very nice smile. He could see himself getting used to that nice grin and the warm arm around his waist. There was really only one thing he had been waiting to say:

"My mum thinks you swear too much."