now kiss

[misheard]

The Soulmate? Jamjar?? Meme

So whatever you were doing - sleeping, eating, dying - you've been whisked away to a strange place. Well, no, actually it's a pretty cozy-looking apartment, it has an entire fridge and everything - but it definitely is not where you were. You should not have woken up in this apartment's only bed, along with somebody you've never seen before.

After you stop having hilarious misunderstandings with your bedmate, you may make your way outside only to find: it's pretty nice out here? Very 21st century suburbia. Some of the buildings seem a little out of place, like someone requested a jousting arena and a virtual reality room and the Angel did their best to fit them in-

Wait, back up a second.

The giant angel flying by (white wings, halo, radiance, the works), upon seeing you gawking, will happily inform you that this is your new home, and they brought you here because your soulmate was tragically born in another world. But now you're here together, living peacefully with nothing to stop your love from blossoming!

And no, they won't send you back. You'll be much happier here once you get used to it. Living side by side with your soulmate and being encouraged to get to know them, or get to know them, what else do you need?

Options, because we like options:
1. Soulmates are a known thing. Apply all the soulmate tropes you wish - not seeing color until you meet your soulmate, having your soulmate's name written on your body, etc. You can tell that at least the Angel's claims about this person being your soulmate are true. It doesn't necessarily make things less awkward.

2. Soulmates, what hogwash! Soulmates aren't a thing that everyone knows about and everyone has where you're from. You might believe in them, but you also believed in Santa when you were younger. Or you might think this whole thing is stupid, and your growing attachment to your 'soulmate' is just a coincidence.

(Post with character name/canon name/shipping preference. Due to the nature of this meme, cross-canon CR is encouraged and almost essential unless you have some alternate universe shenanigans in your canon.)

Comments

V/V | Angel Notes | OTA

[heavenscorpse]

[she has a soul?? :O]

Suga Koutarou | Forest of Drizzling Rain | OTA

[gemuinemanagement]

[If he gets embarrassed literally every time romance gets brought up he's not going to survive this place.]

[ghostfromthemachine]

[ so, this is complete garbage!

soulmates were a known thing where she was from... for humans. at least, that'd been the easy conclusion to draw when she'd tentatively traced marks and later words onto her own skin and never seen any reply. it only made sense— of course something artificial, something soulless wouldn't have a soulmate to write to her in return. and later, when she'd found out that she did have something resembling a soul— well, she still wasn't human, so. it was fine, anyway; she'd gotten used to the idea, and it wasn't as if she wanted anyone after that person had—

anyway. garbage. absolute garbage. taking her away from her family and the life she'd finally pieced together is not the way to fix a mistake, and particularly one she no longer felt the damage of. which is why right now she's upside down on the couch, back on the seat cushions and legs draped over the back of it as she sulks magnificently. ]

[gemuinemanagement]

[Suga doesn't know much about soulmates. There were some stories about them, but even if they had some basis in fact, stories tend to warp over the generations. That, he knows very well.

His soul- roommate is sulking, and Suga can't say he blames her at all. This situation leaves him antsy over responsibilities he'd left behind that no one else could pick up for him, and who knows how bad it is for her.

Still, he should at least try to 'say' something. He rummages in his pocket for his memo pad, but all he comes up with is a pen.

Well. It'll have to do. He writes on his palm, then shows it to her.]

Hello
I'm sorry you ended up here
I don't know how to leave

[ghostfromthemachine]

[ for whatever reason, when he pulls out the pen she nearly startles herself off of the sofa and then blushes, faint pink dusting her cheeks that only deepens when he actually starts writing.

(it takes an enormous act of will not to glance down at her own hand. what if, despite the situation, his writing isn't there? what if it is?) ]

It's... mm. It isn't fine, but it isn't your fault, either. I'm not upset with you.

[gemuinemanagement]

[What a strange reaction. He keeps his eyes either on her face or his hand, no other body parts.]

Still
I'd like to be more useful

[ghostfromthemachine]

I think we're both excused from being useful for the moment, considering the situation.

[gemuinemanagement]

[That makes sense, but he doesn't like it.]

My name is Suga
Thanks for being understanding

[ghostfromthemachine]

...I don't know that I'm being "understanding" so much as... mm. I try not to aim my temper where it isn't deserved.

[ glancing away and then back ]

I'm Kaiko.

[gemuinemanagement]

That's close

Nice to meet you

[Even if the circumstances are... awkward.]

[ghostfromthemachine]

[ blinking at him... ]

Likewise.

[ after another moment, she lifts her legs off of the back of the sofa so she can roll over and sit up— both to make room for him and so she can make non-upside-down eye contact. ]

...Sorry. This probably isn't the best situation for you, either.

[glowingpromise]

[The concept of having a soulmate wasn't so unusual. When she was in high school it had been a much more exciting topic, the first blushes of puberty and romantic attraction making every girl and guy she knew view missing objects in a much brighter light. Instead of annoyance over losing a hair clip or a pen or even a favorite CD, there was gushing over how "it must be with my soulmate!".

That's how it was said to work. Now and then an object you really liked would just vanish into seemingly thin air and poof, it would end up in your soulmate's possession. It had been confirmed often enough that Shiori assumed there had to be some merit to it. And in spite of that she had never bothered to write her name on anything she owned in spite of her friend's insistence. Nothing ever seemed to go missing for her anyhow.

... Well, not until she had gone back to school after her tumultuous summer break in Azakawa Village. And then things had begun to disappear into rapid fire succession as if they were all making up for the years of staying put. One day it was a textbook she had spent a fair bit of money on, the next it was a CD of her favorite singer. Even clothing just popped out of existence and she was beginning to completely lose her patience by the time winter break rolled around.

She wasn't going to let these vanishings dampen her trip though. She had promised Suga she would come back and she was going to do it whether she had to buy a completely new wardrobe or not. The days she was set to arrive in Azakawa approached and she actually managed to make it mostly intact! Her mood is bright when she steps off the train.]

[gemuinemanagement]

[Objects appearing in Suga's home were a surprise.

At some point, Suga must have assumed that he didn't have a soulmate, that he was meant to live alone and not drag anyone else into his dangerous existence. And he was fine with that, more or less.

But after the Kotori Obake was put to rest, he started finding things. A textbook, a CD of a singer he'd never listened to, clothing that definitely would not fit him. It was embarrassing to think of who these items might belong to, but for now he put them in one room and tried not to think about them too much.

That this was the guest room slipped his mind all the way up to Shiori's arrival.

Of course, he was waiting for her. When he finally saw her step off the train-]

Shii-chan!

[His voice has gotten a little stronger, enough that he can call out to her. Not that there's a crowd he needs to speak over or anything. It just deserves some volume.]

Kurai Yonaka | Mogeko Castle | OTA

[chasescenes]

[As sketchy as this is, it's still better than her canon.]

Edgar Allan Poe | Bungou Stray Dogs | OTA

[kingpest]

[Please don't tell him he actually has to sleep in the same bed as someone and interact with them all the time...]

Hori Tatsuo | Bungou to Alchemist | OTA

[diaryofmayfly]

[They know he was married when he was alive, right?]

TIMESKIP FOR FILTH,

[ghostfromthemachine]

[ "they won't send you back?" "what else do you need?" well— trust a ghost to get fed up and build a compelling (and loud) argument pointing out what having permanently unfinished business can do to a person's long-term happiness, regardless of having a soulmate present. still, dealing with the kotori obake after that, while an adventure, is almost welcome in its relative ease... for Kaiko, anyway. Suga probably suffers at least one heart attack. sorry, Suga.

in the aftermath, Kaiko... doesn't quite move in; she's still got her old apartment and her old part-time job, and she's reluctant to give either up. however, this doesn't even slightly stop her from dropping half of her things at Suga's museum and spending most of her free time with him. that sort of thing is what being able to basically fast-travel to places that are important enough to her is for, after all!

it's after dinner one night—during which she'd been oddly fidgety—that she clears her throat. ]

Umm. ...Koutarou...?

filth! filth!

[gemuinemanagement]

[Suga definitely had a heart attack or two, and also about a week of guilt after finding out what really happened to make the Kotori Obake like this before Kaiko reminded him that 1. he had no way of knowing that she was a victim of his predecessor and 2. it was actually not the responsibility of her victims to empathize with her.

But it is nice, the forest being settled and quiet. And having his voice back is a good thing, even if he's still not used to it. Like now, when he automatically reaches for his memos before stopping himself.]

Kaiko?

[ghostfromthemachine]

[ having his voice back is a very good thing. ...even if it has embarrassingly apparently awoken something in her, which unfortunately means hearing him talk when she's already vibrating at a low frequency has her blush picking up faster than it already would be. ]

I'm sorry if the timing's bad, but I was thinking... um. There was something I heard about that might be worth trying...

[ ...maybe try being a little less vague before dumping the details on him? ]

In. In bed, I mean.

[gemuinemanagement]

[Oh. Now that makes two of them who are blushing.]

The... the timing's fine. If you want to do something new.

[ghostfromthemachine]

[ sidling up to him to wedge herself under one of his arms. hello, ]

Only if you're all right with it, but. Mm. ...You like it when I take charge, right?

[gemuinemanagement]

[The blush is spreading. It's a reflex to play with Kaiko's hair as he talks, now that he can have his hands free.]

V-very much.

[ghostfromthemachine]

[ oh no, what a terrible reflex that she is in no possible way opposed to. she is at maximum fluff levels, however, so static prickles lightly at his fingers as she tilts her head up to look at him from under her eyelashes. ]

...I thought, because of that...

[ ...she hesitates, then starts to continue only to pause again, going steadily redder in the face...



finally she gives up, grabs his hand, and puts her phone in it. ...it's got the browser open, and a more or less tasteful wiki-style page on pegging pulled up. ]

[gemuinemanagement]

[Oh.

Oh.

This isn't something he's familiar with. He scrolls down partway through the page before handing her the phone back and just - nodding.

Yes. Yes please.]

[ghostfromthemachine]

[ time to mash her face into the side of his chest and giggle unsteadily as she pockets the phone. it's too bad she can't successfully fake shamelessness about this sort of thing, too, but. at least she can get over herself enough to sort of talk about it, which is what's important? ]

...I didn't get all the, um. Supplies. Yet, since I wanted to make sure it was all right with you first, but. I could—

[ starts to hold up one hand, realizes she's about to make a lewd gesture, and latches back onto his shirt instead. ]

...fingers?