Chapter Text
Slaine shouldn’t have fallen in love with Inaho before kissing him. It was stupid. Debatably, the stupidest thing he’d ever done. But it’s not like he planned on it. It wasn’t like he just woke up one morning and decided that he would fall in love with Inaho. It’s not even like he woke up one morning and was suddenly in love with him.
It had happened too gradually, too slowly. Slaine didn’t even realize what was happening until it was too late. He had learned all of Inaho’s mannerisms, knew what Inaho liked and what he didn’t like, and he could tell when Inaho was mad or sad or happy.
After all, who would fall in love with someone like Inaho Kaizuka? He was emotionless, obsessed with his tablet, didn’t care about what he said to who, constantly disregarding orders, always thought he was right, only cared about logic, didn’t do anything for fun, insensitive…
The list would go on and on, but somewhere it would always stop being a list of why he shouldn’t love Inaho and turn into a list of why he does. The reasons were indistinguishable, all the ways he loved Inaho.
By all accounts, it was a normal day. They were sitting across from each other at the table. Slaine was leaning forward, red faced, yelling. Inaho was sitting back, relaxed, gazing at Slaine with that nonchalant glance.
“You don’t understand, Orange! Just because it is war, doesn’t mean we can do anything we want!”
“If we don’t do it, someone else will, Bat.”
“That doesn’t make it right!”
Inaho gave Slaine an intense look. “You wouldn’t do it to protect someone you love? If it was the only way to save them?”
That made Slaine stop in his tracks. Elbows still propped on the table in their defensive stance, his mouth hung open in unsaid argument.
It seemed that was all the confirmation Inaho needed. He looked back down at his tablet. “You would easily do it for Seylum, despite all your arguments. Therefore, I am correct.”
Slaine was frozen. His eyes were wide as he kept his stare on Inaho.
No.
Not Princess Asseylum.
Inaho.
He would do it for Inaho.
He would do all of those morally questionable things for Inaho.
He would wage the war himself for Inaho.
Inaho glanced back up, noting Slaine’s face. “What?”
Slaine tried to pretend he didn’t just have the worst revelation of his life. He shut his mouth and slumped back and crossed his arms. “Nothing. Shut up.”
“Your face is red,” Inaho said, with a small smile. Proving to Slaine once again that he wasn’t as emotionless as he appeared to be. That he enjoyed teasing Slaine. That there was a human someone inside Inaho.
Slaine loved that smile.
“Eggs,” Slaine muttered distastefully.
“What?”
“That’s what would make you do those things. If there was a threat of an egg embargo, or all the chickens being killed, or something.”
Inaho looked at Slaine seriously. “And egg shortage would be a serious event. It would affect almost the entire population, not to mention-“
Slaine laughed. “Ok, ok. You’re right it would be very serious. Probably another whole war would start. Led by you. An egg revolution.”
“I am not qualified to lead a-“
“Inaho!”
But Inaho was smiling at Slaine, and Slaine internally groaned.
He should have ran the moment he realized he was in love with Inaho. But he didn’t. Instead, he stayed and they talked and bickered and smiled for hours.
And even though Slaine realized he was, without a doubt, in love with Inaho, nothing felt any different. Inaho hadn’t done one thing to make Slaine fall in love with him. He had been falling for a long time. He had been in love for a long time.
Which made it worse.
There was a reason a lot of people kissed someone upon meeting them. They want to know right away whether or not someone is their soulmate.
But Slaine didn’t meet that many people. And he didn’t want to just kiss everyone he met. He had always figured that he would know his soulmate anyway, without having to kiss them.
And that was why the thought of kissing Inaho when they first met never even crossed Slaine’s mind.
But now every thought he’s ever had about soulmates have been running through his head for the past week.
He loves Inaho. So much. More than anything. More than he can ever love anything. He knows that. This week had only proven it further.
But what if they aren’t soulmates?
What if they aren’t really meant for each other?
And the thought that has plagued him for years: What if he doesn’t have a soulmate?
Soulmates are two people that are supposed to be together. That are made for each other. Their souls are connected, unbreakable.
And how could anyone ever love Slaine like that?
Of course he wasn’t Inaho’s soulmate.
But what if he was?
Every time he saw Inaho smile, and felt the perfect contentedness of love, the hope grew bit by bit.
-
They were both in Inaho’s room, like usual. Slaine was laying on the bed, reading a book, Inaho was sitting next to him, face illuminated by his tablet.
This felt natural, both on Inaho’s bed, doing their own thing in comfortable silence, happy just to be in the presence of the other.
“You’re going to go blind from that thing, Orange,” Slaine said lazily.
“Maybe then you can beat me in a game of chess. Or in a fight. Or in-“
“Maybe then I could push you off a cliff,” Slaine said.
“I love you, Bat,” Inaho said.
Slaine gaped at Inaho with his perfect uniform, his perfectly tied tie, his stupid perfect hair. First of all, who relaxes in bed in a tie?! Second of all, how could his face still look so expressionless after saying something like that?! Third of all, why can’t Slaine say anything, with Inaho’s red eyes looking at him like that?!
Inaho looked at Slaine a moment longer, before he turned back to his tablet, seemingly unconcerned with Slaine’s lack of coherent thought.
“I love you too!” Slaine blurted out, desperate to keep Inaho’s eyes on him.
Inaho smiled and turned back to his tablet.
Slaine gaped at him again. It’s been almost a year since he’s known the stupid idiot, and he shouldn’t have been surprised at anything Inaho does anymore. But somehow the idiot manages anyway.
“What?! You’re not going to say anything else?!” Slaine demanded.
“I just thought I should tell you, since you were obviously too slow to pick it up yourself.”
“What?! Are you calling me stupid?!”
Inaho shrugged. “Well, everyone else could tell.”
“Why didn’t you tell me?!”
“I just did.”
Slaine could barely process what was happening. “You’re just going to tell me and then go back to that stupid thing?! He said, gesturing to the tablet.
Inaho smirked.
“You did it on purpose!” Slaine accused. “Ugh! You’re the worst!”
“Maybe. But you said you loved me.”
“I take it back!”
“You can’t take it back.”
Slaine smiled at Inaho. They both knew he wouldn’t, couldn’t, take it back.
“Inaho,” Slaine said seriously. “We haven’t kissed…”
“You don’t need to tell me, Bat. I think I would have known if we kissed. Unless you did it when I was asleep.”
“You don’t sleep enough to give me the opportunity,” Slaine said lightly, turning to fully face Inaho on the bed. They both sat facing each other, legs folded beneath them. “…what if we’re not soulmates?” Slaine asked quietly.
Inaho shrugged.
“Inaho!”
Inaho smiled softly. “We can find out.”
Inaho slowly leaned forward, and Slaine’s heart began pounding in his ears. If they’re soulmates, when they have their first kiss, their last words to each other will appear on their wrists. It’s a bittersweet moment, when two soulmates find each other. Who wants to know what their last words to the other will be?
There are those with obviously heartbreaking ones, like ‘I love you’, ‘I’m sorry’, ‘don’t leave me’. There are also ones that seem so ordinary, which might make them even worse. ‘I’ll see you tonight’, ‘have a good day’, ‘don’t forget the eggs’.
And knowing your last words, it won’t change anything. If you go your whole life, never buying eggs, those will still be your last words to your soulmate. Knowing does nothing but bring pain.
Slaine didn’t want to know what his last words to Inaho will be. He really, really didn’t.
But he also really, really wanted to kiss the boy in front of him. He really, really wanted confirmation that the person he loved more than anything, loved with his whole being, was his soulmate. He needed to know that they were meant to be together.
Inaho’s lips hovered right in front of Slaine’s. They were so close that Slaine could practically feel them.
Inaho brought his hand up to touch Slaine’s cheek. “We don’t have to.” His thumb ran down Slaine’s face and lightly brushed his lips.
“Stupid,” Slaine whispered, and their lips connected.
Barely. They were barely touching.
Inaho gently raised his hand to touch the nape of Slaine’s neck, and all restraint snapped.
Inaho tugged at Slaine’s lips with his. Slaine wrapped his arms around Inaho’s waist, and they went tumbling down onto the bed.
Hands softly moved everywhere, tracing lines of the bodies that they had only seen.
Inaho’s mouth fit perfectly against Slaine’s, and their bodies aligned together. All his anxiety faded away, he never felt safer, more complete, than he did in that moment. Slaine never wanted it to stop.
He pulled back. They both laid there, breathing hard, hearts thumping in sync. Slaine closed his eyes and rest his forehead against Inaho’s. He gripped Inaho as tightly as he could. He was afraid of what would happen when he opened his eyes. If he never opened them, he would never have to find out. They could just keep this moment forever.
He just wanted, needed, a little more time.
He kept his eyes closed, kept his mind focused on Inaho’s breathing, for as long as he could, it had to have been at least 20 minutes. But the anxiety was building again, and he couldn’t freeze time.
He squeezed his eyes tight and then opened them, to see Inaho’s already looking back at him.
By now, Slaine was trembling. He was shaking so badly in Inaho’s arms. Inaho had the same calm expression as always.
Slaine unwrapped his arms from around Inaho’s back. Inaho’s eyes never left Slaine’s face.
Slaine slowly brought his right wrist down to look at it.
Nothing. There was nothing there.
Panic began building. Slaine’s breaths were coming out in pants. He frantically looked at his other wrist. Nothing there either.
Slaine bolted up, and grabbed both of Inaho’s hands.
Both wrists were empty.
By now the tears had started flowing. They weren’t body-wrenching sobs, just silent tears streaming down Slaine’s face.
The man who cooked eggs religiously every morning, the man who couldn’t converse like a normal human being, the man who argued with Slaine, the man who listened with undivided attention to Slaine talk about his favorite topics, the man who seemed to have an answer to everything, the man who thought he was always right, the man who didn’t care what insulting thing he said, the man he just shared the perfect kiss with… the man Slaine loved.
Was not his soul mate.
Despite all of Slaine’s doubts, all of his fears, deep down, he really thought that they were soulmates. And an hour ago, when Inaho told Slaine he loved him, when Inaho kissed him, for the first time all of Slaine’s worries and insecurities went away. With Inaho’s lips against his, there was no way in the world that they weren’t meant to be together.
But all four wrists remained stubbornly blank.
“Slaine.” Inaho sat in front of Slaine intertwined their fingers.
Slaine ripped his hands away, hating the pale skin he glimpsed. “We’re not soulmates.”
“I don’t care.”
“What do you mean you don’t care?!”
“It doesn’t matter that nothing happened. It doesn’t change the fact that I love you.”
Slaine struggled to find words. “But I’m not your soulmate! There’s someone else out there… someone else is your soulmate.”
Inaho gave him a very condescending look. “No there’s not. There’s only you.”
“Inaho! I’m not-!”
“The universe doesn’t get to decide who I love. There is not even any logic behind the whole soulmates phenomenon. A person who we would effortlessly have a perfect relationship doesn’t exist. The concept of soulmates doesn’t matter, no matter who it is, there will be fights and hard times. So why does it matter who we choose to fight with? Why would we let it dictate what we do? It doesn’t decide my future.”
“Inaho…”
“And my future is you.”
Slaine looked at Inaho’s completely serious face. He had never heard someone so callously dismiss the notion of soulmates before. It is just understood that if someone isn’t your soulmate, you forget them and keep looking.
But Inaho really didn’t care.
And Slaine realized that he didn’t care either.
If Inaho wasn’t his soulmate, then he didn’t want to meet them. He won’t stop loving Inaho just because the universe might have predesignated someone else for him.
Slaine would choose Inaho. Slaine would choose to wake up to red eyes, and disobedient brown hair. He would choose to make fun of Inaho’s egg obsession, he would choose to have in depth technical discussions about new technology, he would choose to argue over which movie to watch, and he would choose to endure fights and less-than-perfect moments with Inaho.
He would choose Inaho.
Slaine buried his face in Inaho’s chest. He listened to the heartbeat that was not supposed to be his to hear, and felt the warmth that he was not supposed to share, and breathed in time with the breaths that were not supposed to be his to take.
“I love you, Inaho.”
But they were not soulmates.