#azaryawrites

psst. before you read this. It's like borderline crack and entirely optional! you don't have to read it, but it is my attempt at domestic Kalpas so read at your own risk (he's so ooc oh no)

“I don’t know, have you tried smiling?”

“Last time I smiled, it made Rin cry.”

“Well let’s not do that then.”

Kalpas sent a glare for your comment, but it vanished almost immediately after you pressed a kiss to his cheek. The two of you were sitting in your kitchen, slowly making your way through cooking a batch of waffles. You had made the batter, hoping to surprise your boyfriend, but you’d only finished cooking one set when he took over, sitting you on the counter nearby to ‘supervise.’ In the meantime, you were brainstorming.

Seele and Bronya were finally getting married. They had been matched for quite some time, but wanted to hold off on tying the knot. Why? No one knew. Bronya would give a different answer whenever someone asked and had the best poker face in the office. Kiana had even asked her three times in as many minutes and got a different response each time. Seele seemed like she would have been easier to crack but questioning her got you nowhere.

That’s not the point. The point is: Seele and Bronya are getting married, and they explicitly told you not to scare the guests.

After working with the two for years, it was no surprise that you were invited, and since you and Kalpas had spent well over a year together, he was expected to be your plus one. This was all fine and well, but the two girls had friends outside of your company who hadn’t met your partner and who probably wouldn’t react well to his clipped comments and brooding stare. Any other time, you know they wouldn’t have cared, and you wouldn’t have either, but this was the wedding they had waited so long for and everyone wanted it to be perfect, not just the girls.

“You could wear a mask,” you joked. Kalpas sent you a deadpan stare back and you immediately backpedaled. “Oh no. Nuh-uh. You are not wearing a mask to their wedding. That’s worse than just being grumpy the whole time.”

“I’m going to be grumpy anyway. The whole thing is a waste of time and—”

“I will give you so many kisses if you go with me.”

Kalpas was silent, staring at the waffle iron like it was the most important thing in the world.

“I already agreed to go.” You could practically hear him pouting.

“Oh so I don’t need to give you all those kisses then? That’s good to know.” You made a show of jumping off the counter and made it all of two steps away before Kalpas was spinning you around.

“No you still owe me those kisses. I don’t work for free.”

“Do I owe you for the waffles then too?”

Kalpas didn’t even bother responding, his lips meeting your own as you smiled into the kiss. He didn’t seem to be in any rush, but his hands were the only thing holding you up, the force behind every move he made nearly knocked you over.

“You’re going to burn the waffles,” you sighed, stealing another quick kiss. Kalpas probably rolled his eyes, but you couldn’t see because he threw you over his shoulder for the quick walk back to the counter. Once there, he planted you back in your spot and pressed another firm kiss on your lips as if to tell you not to move.

“I’m collecting my payment once these are finished,” he grumbled, sending a pointed look your way before going back to work.

Eventually, you gave up. The best you could do was promise Seele and Bronya that you or one of Kalpas’ friends (really just Sakura or Kallen) would try to clear up any misunderstandings and maybe leave the reception a little bit early. He complained about needing a chaperone, but was suspiciously silent about the leaving early part.

Before and during the ceremony, things went surprisingly well. Kalpas wasn’t thrilled to be wearing a suit, but he had gotten used to it from work, so you had no pushback there. You managed to avoid traffic and arrive on time, even chatting to Mei before taking your seats. Rin got a little excited and you worried she might distract from the vows, but no one even glanced your way. The biggest challenge was when she asked when you were getting married. Kalpas was no help at all, just shrugging and leaving you to scramble for an answer. 

At the reception, you were seated at a table with Sakura and Kallen (shocker) and the food was amazing. Since Seele and Bronya were both originally from Russia, the main course was more traditional food, but the desserts were mostly Japanese, almost everything was from their time in college rooming with Mei and Kiana. They shared their first dance and opened the floor for others, though you opted to stay where you were.

Rin had gone to sit with Pardofelis at the marketing table, and Raven had gone with her, leaving just you and Kalpas in your designated seats. Which was fine, until someone joined you.

Misteln was a friend of Seele’s, you learned, and worked with a few others at your company that you weren’t as close with. She was beautiful and moved with an unnerving amount of elegance, but she also had a smile that was not quite a smirk and it left you uneasy. When she introduced herself, she stated that she noticed Kalpas staring and that’s what brought her over.

And it was true, he had been looking out over the room the whole time you had been talking. He wasn’t ignoring you, you knew he was just scanning the area as a force of habit, but it was easy to see how someone else might mistake that as staring. Despite her calling him out on it, however, Misteln didn’t seem bothered. It didn’t matter that Kalpas had been looking at her before, and it didn’t matter that he was looking past her now. She easily dropped the subject and moved on to the next topic.

“I’m glad to see the two of them finally together. They deserve a happy ending, don’t you think?” Misteln was looking at Seele and Bronya as they sat that the front table leaning towards one another and sharing a smile.

“They’ve been together a while now, but I get what you mean,” you nodded, trying to keep the conversation light. “I know they took a while to plan all this and I’m excited to see all their hard work coming together.”

“I agree. You can see how much effort they put into everything.” She looked back to you now and you turned to meet her. “I can’t help but wonder why they waited so long. You wouldn’t happen to have some insider secrets since you work with them, would you?”

“No,” you laughed, “I probably know as much as you do. After a while I gave up, it’s really none of my business, but I know some others kept pestering them. You might have better luck asking Kiana or Mei?”

“Wouldn’t it make sense to marry sooner?” Misteln completely ignored you and continued, “If you know that person is your soulmate, you know you’re going to be together forever. Why bother waiting?” This had you frowning a little bit, but you weren’t necessarily upset just yet.

“Some people want time to get to know their soulmate before they take that step. Just because you’re ‘cosmically bound’ or whatever, doesn’t mean the relationship is guaranteed to work out.”

“Isn’t that the definition of a soulmate?” It almost felt like you were being questioned in a courtroom now with the way her questions kept coming.

“Not all soulmates are romantic, sometimes—”

“But they knew, and they still waited. Wouldn’t you want to marry your soulmate as soon as possible?”

Kalpas chose that moment to step in, and you weren’t sure whether you should be thankful or go start apologizing to the brides now.

“When they decide to get married is hardly your problem. They’re together now, and they’re happy. Let them have their day.” He was practically leaning over you to get at Misteln at this point and trying to push him back into his seat wasn’t going very well. “Don’t go around harassing their guests talking shit and gossiping, and don’t you ever come near my partner again—”

“Kalpas!” You tried to keep your voice down but trying to make yourself heard over his rant made your whisper come out a lot louder than intended. He didn’t move back an inch, his hand still resting on the back of your chair and his posture looking like he was ready to pounce. You glanced at the front table and were relieved not to see anyone looking your way. Glancing at Misteln, however, she looked ready to speak again and you panicked.

“We really should head home. It’s been a lovely reception, but we both have work in the morning and don’t want to stay up too late.” As you spoke, you started standing, the hand you had on Kalpas’ chest to try and hold him back was now helping get him to move as well. Ignoring anything else that might have been said, you went to the front table, said your goodbyes, gave Rin a good night hug and left.

“I think that went well!”

Ignoring that horrible conversation and the guy who almost got his arm broken for standing too close to you, yeah. That went well. For a moment you wondered how the hell you were going to make it through your own wedding, but quickly decided to ignore that problem for now.

You had gone back to Kalpas’ apartment since it was closer, but he seemed to be following you around like it was your place and he’d never been there before. He wasn’t ignoring you, but he definitely wasn’t stomping around like he normally did. Once you had your jim jams on, he finally gave you a hint as to what was wrong.

“Do I get my kisses now, or do I have to fight you for them?”

“What!” You crossed your arms and pretended to be mad. “I gave you like twenty before we left!”

“Those don’t count.”

“Those don’t—are you kidding me? One of those kisses almost made us late!”

“Fighting it is.” Kalpas took one step towards you before you folded.

“Wait! No no no,” he took another step forward and your voice only got higher. “I’ll give you the kisses, no fighting required. If you tickle me again, I’m gonna end up breaking something!” Your threat was entirely valid. Last time he’d gotten you, the lamp on your nightstand hadn’t survived the attack. Kalpas took another step forward and you yelped as he reached for you, only to pick you up and drop you on the bed.

“I’ll let you go this time,” his voice made him seem annoyed, but his eyes were as close to a smile as he could get. “Tomorrow though…”

“Tomorrow what?” You watched as he pulled the covers up, almost rolling you over so he could get in before holding them up for you to join him.

“Tomorrow I’m kicking your ass in Tekken and there’s nothing you can do about it.”

“Mmm, I don’t know,” you grinned. “My soulmate’s gonna be there and get pretty good at fighting games when he’s around.”

“Yeah?” Kalpas turned out the light before rolling over to face you again. “My soulmate’s gonna be around too. And I don’t lose when they watch.” The confidence in his tone made you laugh.

“What about that time I beat you at every game in wii sports resort?”

“No I beat you at the sword one. The only reason you won the others was because you cheated.”

“I don’t think asking you how your day went counts as cheating, but I’ll be sure to keep that one I mind.”

“That’s not what I meant and you know it,” he gave your ribs a light poke as a warning.

“Well if you think me kissing my boyfriend is too distracting then I guess I just won’t be able to kiss you tomorrow,” you shrugged. “A shame, but I wouldn’t want the fight to be unfair.” Another jab had you shout before failing to smother a laugh.

“If you won’t pay up tomorrow, I’ll take my kisses now.”

“Okay okay. I promise you’ll get your kisses tomorrow!” You held your hands up in surrender, but when Kalpas narrowed his eyes you added, “and I won’t use them to distract you. Deal?”

“Deal.”

The two of you fell into a relaxed silence and you had nearly fallen asleep when a thought came to you.

“Hey Kalpas?”

“We are not renegotiating.”

“No this is a different question.” He only gave you a grunt, but you took that as a sign to go ahead. “When we get married, can Rin be the flower girl?”

Old Fashioned

Chapters 1-3 Chapters 4-6 Chapters 7-9

Beauty and Decimation

Chapter 1 Chapter 2 Chapter 3 Chapter 4 Chapter 5 Chapter 6

Batter Up

Working as a comms officer in Fire Moth was hardly your dream job. It was originally temp work. Your previous office had been blown up during a Fire Moth mission, so as compensation (and to keep your boss from blabbing) they had offered you all positions. When you took the job, it had only been because you needed a job for money, and this was all you could get. Now, it was one of the only jobs anyone could get, and it paid nicer than anything else on the market, so you put up with the weirdos you had to deal with on the daily in exchange for a nice paycheck.

One of these weirdos was your boyfriend, Kalpas. How you started dating was a mystery to nearly everyone, yourself included. You had been assigned as his comms for a mission, and from the safety of your desk, you had maybe gotten a little heated in telling him off. Other agents had stared at you in fear, but you were convinced it was fine. There was no way some random MANTIS would know who you were, or even care by the time he came back to base; and the fact that your yelling had saved the mission only made your more confident.

Oh you were so very mistaken.

Not only did Kalpas find out who you were, he marched straight into the comms office and right to your desk. The normally very loud room fell silent as everyone watched with morbid curiosity. You were dragged from the room, still shouting—you refused to go peacefully—much to the horror of all your new coworkers. None of them expected you to return, but the next day, there you were, sitting in your chair like nothing had happened with an especially warm cup of coffee. It became standard for the fiery MANTIS to visit you when he was bored, and everyone quickly learned not to stare to hard, lest they be on the receiving end of his glare.

All in all, working at Fire Moth wasn't that bad. Except for when the base was attacked and something broke. Which happened...once a week?

“You've been in the shower for an hour,” Kalpas called from your room. He had invited himself into your room—something that happened quite frequently—a while ago, and you had told him you'd be out in a minute.

“Hour and a half!” you called back.

“Get the fuck out!” was the response you chose to ignore. Or at least, you tried to ignore. After a minute, Kalpas grew impatient and walked into the bathroom to yell at you better. Unfortunately, telling you to “stop yelling and get out,” only made you throw water in his face and yell louder while holding the shower curtain closed.

“This is the most heat I've had all day!” you complained. The latest attack had knocked out heat to the base, and the backup generators couldn't produce enough energy to keep everyone warm. “Those stupid space heaters don't do any more than blow cold air on my feet.” Suddenly you froze and popped your head back around the curtain. “You're warm.”

“What?” Kalpas stood leaning against the wall beside your shower with his arms crossed so he could brood more efficiently. Without answering his question, you turned off the water and grabbed your towel from the hook nearby. As soon as you were dried off and the towel was secured around you, you stepped out of the shower and grabbed on to your boyfriend.

“What are you doing?” he growled.

Refusing to look up, you said, “It's cold and you're warm.” You said this like it was a fact—and it was—but Kalpas wasn't outwardly pleased by your words. Inwardly, however, he was undeniably happy to have you clinging to him. Of course, you couldn't tell with him growling at you, but you also didn't seem to care, because you didn't let go. In fact, you stepped onto his feet to keep your toes warm. It seemed as though you had no plans of moving any time soon, which was fine by Kalpas.

One of his arms wrapped around your back to hold you closer to him, but before you could appreciate the warmth, he was stepping forward. Then he was stepping out of the warm steam in your bathroom, and bringing you into the chilly air of your room What had once been your personal heater was now a train leading you to a very cold death, and it seemed as though he had no intentions of letting you off. As much as you struggled, Kalpas held on, carrying you all the way to your bed.

For a second, you thought your attempts to get out of his hold had paid off; you were released, only to be pushed backwards onto the bed, and immediately followed by a very heavy blanket. After a lot of grumbling and shifting from both parties, you eventually found a comfortable position laying down half on top of Kalpas, with several blankets—that you made him go get—covering you. For about five hours, you were the happiest person on the base.

Then the heat came back on. And Kalpas refused to budge. And you were boiling for the rest of the night.

One of the biggest issues with having one coffee machine for about thirty people was that said coffee machine was almost always broken. Sometimes you could convince Emile to buy you a drink when he grabbed his own and Kalpas would be kind enough to deliver it with minimal complaining. Sometimes you would actually go to your desk at the time your meant to instead of being called in for an emergency, and you could make the coffee in your little apartment.

Today, however, you were called in early and since Kalpas had just come back from a mission and it was the middle of the night, you couldn't ask him to bring you anything. The poor agent you were working with got some very nasty comments thrown his way, and you were sure his report on your work would be less than kind, but you got the job done. Once he was on his way back to base, you took your headset off, and looked around the office.

It seemed like you were one of the only agents called in, which wasn't very surprising given the early hour. Only a handful of desks were occupied, and half the screens were turned off. The place looked a little eerie when it was so empty, but it was nice to have a little quiet for a minute. Like most of the comms officers, you were scheduled to come in to work in another hour, so you figured you may was well stay up and get some paperwork squared away before your normal duties started. In the meantime, there was no harm in trying the old coffee pot, right?

Everything seemed to go smoothly; you put in the grounds and the water, and the sweet sweet caffeine came out. The smile on your face was evident as you poured yourself a cup, and fixed it to your tastes. The scowl that immediately followed your first sip was evident as well. The coffee was cold. Not cold like iced coffee, but that horrible not-quite-iced, not-quite-hot temperature that made you gag. Before you could fix the issue by going to the microwave down the hall, the screen on your desk flashed, and you were called back over to lead another job. Whoever got assigned to you was about to have a very successful, very miserable mission.

Luckily, Elysia seemed to think your irritation was amusing and let it slide, but that still didn't fix your lack of coffee. Having another call come in right after only made you more frustrated, and poor Su didn't deserve to have you snapping at him. You finally got a break long after everyone else had come into work, and word had spread to leave you alone for the day. Word spread so far as to reach outside the office, and find your boyfriend.

Reaching for a data pad only to find someone sitting on it had you fuming, and looking up to find Kalpas glaring down at you didn't help your anger. Just as you opened your mouth to start shouting, your horrible, terrible, cruel, infuriating boyfriend reached over and grabbed the mug of extremely cold coffee you brewed this morning. Then, your wonderful, perfect, amazing, brilliant boyfriend placed the mug in your hand with the coffee now steaming and ready to be enjoyed.

Instantly, your scowl became a beaming smile sent his way, and Kalpas was chuckling as he stood from your desk. All he said was a gruff 'you're welcome,' and he was on his way. For about two hours, you thought you had the best partner in the world. Then you opened a mission briefing, only to find that it was his mission you were going to be working on, and really he just hadn't wanted to deal with you screaming at him because you were tired.

Oh well. At least you got your coffee.

Uhhhh here. Have something I wrote because I have my first quiz today and am stressed ahahahah throws glitter and runs away These are both scenarios I kinda mentioned in other stories, so it's nothing new, but it's here.

Not to be over-dramatic, but you were dying.

Cramps were always the worst, but this round was particularly bad, and there was absolutely nothing in the apartment for you to eat. Well—there was nothing in the apartment you could eat. All the food you’d bought yesterday (while blissfully unaware of the torture to come) made you feel like throwing up, and that was if you could even get to the kitchen in the first place. The small breakfast you’d had this morning was all you’d gotten in terms of food so far and you couldn’t be sure if the nausea you felt was due to hunger or pain.

For a short time after you’d woken up, you thought maybe it won’t be so bad this time. One Aleve and some orange juice and you would be fine, right? An hour later you could be found lying in bed, flat on your back and feeling like you were being stabbed by an invisible knife. Three hours after that, you hadn’t really moved, but the painkillers had finally kicked in and you were able to get some rest, though you still didn’t feel up to walking the ten feet to your kitchen. You really should have taken that second Aleve.

It was almost comical thinking about the massive Honkai beast you’d taken down two days ago, yet here you are taken down by cramps you should have seen coming. “Honestly,” you grumbled and rolled over, trying to find the singular position that would convince the pain to die down a little. “I’ve been doing this, how many years? And I still get blindsided.” You turned again. “This is some bullshit.”

The words were heard by no one else, but letting the frustration out at least made you feel a little better. Maybe that’s why Kalpas was yelling all the time? You’d have to try this more often--.

At the thought of your boyfriend, you let out yet another groan. It was nearly 1 in the afternoon, meaning you had officially missed lunch and as soon as he finished eating you would be on the receiving end of the aforementioned yelling. Truth be told, you had grown accustomed to tuning out his theatrics, but right now you felt like you were exactly one harsh word away from crying and you really had no clue why. And if you cried, Kalpas would feel bad; and even though you were the one that should be upset, you’d end up comforting him for the next several minutes.

Another few minutes passed before you were forced to peel yourself off the bed in search of blankets. Sleeping with what was essentially a furnace meant you kept the covers on the bed very minimal. Now, without that warmth, and with your body deciding to completely cease any function that might produce body heat, you were certain you would simply freeze to death if you didn’t pile every blanket in the apartment on top of yourself within the next thirty seconds.

Shuffling around, you managed to collect a grand total of three additional blankets before the door to your apartment opened and you stopped to glare at the visitor. Though technically, this was his apartment and you were the one stealing it. What can you say? You were a firm believer in ‘what’s mine is mine and what’s yours is ours.’

“Kalpas!” you dropped the blankets in favor of something much warmer, not caring if your outstretched arms made you look like a child asking to be picked up.

“No,” he closed the door with a slam and headed straight for the kitchen, only making a detour to get around you.

“I haven’t even said anything, all I want is a hug!”

“No.” At this point he’d pulled an orange out of the fridge and was slamming that door closed too. It was a miracle all of the doorframes in this apartment were still intact.

“How come,” you huffed, “every time you want to cuddle with me, I have no say in the matter. But the one time I want to cuddle with you, I’m shot down?” Kalpas merely shrugged as if to say, ‘not my fault’ and continued peeling the orange, tossing the rind in the trash. “Fine!” The word sounded harsh, but it was clear you had very little malice behind the meaning. “Next time you’re on your own!” Now your boyfriend turned to face you, but it was only to send you a look that said ‘really?’ and you were starting to get fed up with his Kosma impression.

Letting out another huff, you hefted the blankets up from the floor and stomped back into your bedroom with the haul. It took a minute to lay them all flat, and you swore under your breath for every second spent out in the cold of your usually warm apartment. Once satisfied with the new layers that made your bed look like a stack of pancakes, you dove in and gave a happy hum. Kalpas on the other hand, had finished his snack and was now watching your antics from the doorway. His heavy footsteps forced you to look up from your phone that leaned against a pillow next to you in the bed. Unfortunately, the setup didn’t stay in place very long because he was tossing the pillow back to its original spot and pulling up the covers allowing the heat you’d scrounged up to escape.

“Hey!” you immediately grabbed the edge of the blankets and tried to force them back down, but they didn’t budge. “You said no cuddles! No takesies-backsies! Out! Out!” The shooing motions you made had very little effect, even when you began slapping Kalpas’ arms to keep him away. He slipped in, closing the gap he’d created (which was good) and instantly warming up the bed (also good), but you were still feeling a little petty about his initial refusal, so you gave him a scowl and turned away with an overdramatic sigh. A little irritation didn’t seem to bother him, however, as shortly after you’d settled in, arms were wrapped around you, and you ended up cuddling anyway.

For a few seconds, there wasn’t any noise in the apartment. Both of you had gotten comfortable, and any minute now you would fall asleep, Kalpas’ body heat keeping you toasty and his warm hand relieving some of the pain in your stomach. That relaxed silence was broken when your brain decided to grace you with the realization:

“You’re still in your battlesuit. Aren’t you.”

The sound you received barely even counted as a grunt.

“You brought Honkai guts into the bed. Didn’t you.”

Now you got a full grumble.

“Kalpas, I SWEAR—”

So much for your restful afternoon.

Sakura, you’re convinced, is an absolute angel. Without even asking, she knew exactly what you needed, even if you hadn’t come to realize you needed it yet. Granted, she had helped you through enough cycles that she probably had it all memorized, but you still appreciated the attention. What you did not appreciate was your boyfriend spilling the beans to half the MOTH base about why you hadn’t left your room.

This wasn’t the first time it had happened, and you highly doubted it would be the last, but it was still irritating—not to mention embarrassing—to have everyone ask if you were feeling better when you finally were able to crawl out of bed. He did this every time; and every time, you would demand cuddles as punishment. Either Kalpas wanted to be your personal hot water bottle, or he genuinely didn’t care enough to remember how much it bothered you. At this point you were fifty-fifty about which one it was.

Regardless of his reasoning, Kalpas told everyone you were dying and everyone included Sakura and Sakura—possibly your favorite flame chaser at the moment—was here to save you from the pain and your boredom. She brought snacks, more painkillers, food that was filling but not so heavy it would upset your stomach, and movies that were entertaining enough without being so emotional you started crying. How she knew exactly what to bring made no sense (if one ignores the months of practice like you are) but most importantly, she brought Kalpas along with her.

You felt a little bad, forcing Sakura to be a third wheel, but she didn’t seem to mind, and you were more than content with the way things are at this moment. Kalpas had you seated on his lap with your back pressed against his chest and his arms wrapped around you, ensuring every square inch of you was warm. For how bland it was, the movie was still enjoyable, mostly because the three of you found plenty of times you could poke fun at the characters, or the horribly obvious product placement.

When night rolled around, Sakura headed home while you and Kalpas headed to bed. Despite having done very little all day, being in constant pain—even if you couldn’t feel it—was rather draining, and you were ready to pass out. Between the movie and the heat coming from Kalpas, you had nearly fallen asleep four times already. Once under the covers, the position you were in only differed from how you had been sitting on the couch in one way, and that was because you were now lying down. There was still a firm grip around your waist, and an unmistakable heat surrounding you.

Kalpas had been surprisingly quiet today. Not so much because he hadn’t been speaking—he was by no means shy when it came to talking with you—but there had been a lot less shouting. Your boyfriend wasn’t exactly known for his volume control, and if he wanted to be loud, he would do so unashamedly. A small voice in your mind tried to argue he was annoyed you had forced him to stay inside all day, but the advantage to dating someone as blunt as Kalpas was that you knew he would have gotten up and left if he was that bored. No, there had to be some other reason.

“You haven’t been yelling,” your words broke the silence that had blanketed the room as soon as you’d gotten settled into bed. His response was a grunt that sounded almost like you’d woken him up from the verge of slumber. “Are you going to tell me why or…” Both of you knew the second option you’d trailed off on didn’t exist, and either Kalpas would tell you or he wouldn’t, there wasn’t much in between.

“Learned.”

Well maybe there was an in between. Him giving a response that didn’t help you in any way, shape, or form.

“Learned from?” you trailed off again, this time his grunt sounding more like a huff.

“Last time.” This was at least slightly more helpful, though you did still have to dig back quite a ways to the previous month to replay the events in your head.

He had in fact been a bit too loud a bit too often last time, and you remembered kicking him out of your room. You say you kicked him out, but really he had a mission he was supposed to be preparing for and you’d just sent him off to where he needed to be. Apparently, the exchange had stuck with him, and you felt a little bad now; especially considering the fact that the whole exchange had nearly slipped your mind.

“Last time I had a migraine,” you defended. “I’m sorry for being mean.” Kalpas let out a snort that told you he didn’t care, even if the hand squeezing your said he did.

“Mean?”

“Well how would you describe what happened?” Your comment sounded a bit accusatory, but you didn’t mean it that way, and when you rolled over and saw a hint of a smirk, you knew he didn’t take it to heart.

“Inconsiderate.”

“How was I incon—where did you even learn that word?” Kalpas gave you a blank look that showed just how amused he was with your joke but answered anyway.

“Emile put it on my report.” Figures. “You didn’t say goodbye.”

The room fell silent again, your eyes wide as any snarky comment died on your tongue. 

“I’m sorry.” You pressed a quick kiss to his lips. “I can’t believe I forgot.” And another to his nose. “Won’t happen again.” The last peck fell on his forehead, and even if Kalpas didn’t appear to appreciate it, the contact made you feel a bit better.

“I know,” he said it so matter-of-factly that you were a bit taken aback. “Because next time I’m not leaving until you say it.”

“I’ll hold you to that.”

“Dr. Mei better keep her promise and give us next week off. I’m wiped,” you stretched your arms above your head and yawned while your computer finished shutting down.

“I think we’ve all agreed not to come in anyway. She can’t really say much at this point, even Kevin is taking some time off.” Raven had already packed up for the day and was leaning on the wall to your cubicle waiting for you.

Technically, your team had finished the crunch on Tuesday, but you had spent the remainder of the week cleaning up. Today, you were all going to a bar to celebrate the end of the project. Sakura came over to your desk while you were grabbing the last of your things and the three of you headed for Raven’s. Bringing all your work material to a bar wasn’t the best idea, so you were dropping some things off at her apartment since it was on the way.

“I overheard Dr. Mei the other day,” Raven waited until you were outside the building to talk, not wanting anyone else to listen in. “She was trying to get us more time to work on the next project. Seems like it’ll have a huge paycheck at the end but they want three years’ worth of work done in one.”

“Ouch,” you winced. “I really hope she gets them to give us a bit more time than that, there’s no way we finish on time, even if we sprint the whole way.”

“Last time a project like this came up, we put it to a vote,” Sakura brought up the first job you had been on. Coming from being an overworked intern, you thought that every project would be that intense. It wasn’t until you got some more experience under your belt that you realized how hard you all had been pushed. That was also the last project that was taken on by Dr. Mei’s predecessor, so you had a feeling he was trying to go out with a bang.

“At least that one was somewhat reasonable,” Raven argued, “This one just isn’t happening unless we’re given more time.”

“They’ll probably reduce the pay if they agree to more time though.” You hated pointing out the obvious, but someone had to. “And if the pay is the only reason to take the job in the first place, why bother.”

“We don’t have any other work to do in the meantime. It could be a while before something else pops up and Dr. Mei isn’t known to sit back and wait.” Sakura stopped talking when her phone went off, pulling it out so she could read the message she’d gotten. “Kallen’s going to pick up Rin from daycare and wait for the babysitter. Says she’ll meet us at the bar in an hour.”

“Rin still needs a babysitter?” Raven looked over to your coworker who didn’t look at all bothered by the question.

“I doubt she’d get into any trouble, but better safe than sorry.” Her explanation made sense, but you knew it wasn’t the full picture. Kallen’s job was dangerous, and she’d made her fair share of enemies. The two were taking no chances when it came to Rin, and you could understand why.

Inside the bar, Rita waved your group over to the table she shared with Durandal. There was only space for five people in the booth, but there were a few chairs around the other side, and you could see that other tables nearby had been reserved for the rest of your coworkers.

After you all ordered some drinks, the conversation flowed easily. At first the topics mostly centered around work; what the next big project would be, how much sleep you all had lost from overtime, and when the next game would be. After some time though, the conversations split. You and Sakura started talking about how Rin was doing, but when she brought up the fact that she and her family had been thinking about getting a cat, Rita joined your group, giving some advice from her own experience.

It was nice to finally have some time to relax, even if drinking wasn’t your favorite pastime, these were some of your favorite people and being in their company was enough to make you smile. Your friend wasn’t so easily destressed, she kept checking her phone for updates from Kallen, though she tried to be subtle about it. It had only been thirty minutes, but she did eventually get a message and said that you should expect Kallen to be there within the next couple of minutes.

She did not tell you to expect to see Kalpas, but there he was, dutifully following behind Kallen like a guard dog. The drinks must have gotten to you more than you thought because the pout that you thought was hidden well was clearly caught by Kallen and she raised an eyebrow in response. With a huff, you turned back around and looked down into your cup. You weren’t mad at her, but the idea of Kalpas caring so much about someone else when he wouldn’t even give you the time of day hurt more than you wanted to admit.

 Sakura slid over so that there was just enough space for her wife to sit on the edge of the booth with her. When they exchanged a short kiss, Raven pretended to gag making you laugh a little at her theatrics. She sent you a wink at the joke you’d shared but then her eyes flicked up to something behind you. A second later, a chair was dropped next to you with a rattle that made you worry it might break

Looking over your shoulder, you saw Kalpas taking the seat, already looking your way. Part of you wanted to keep staring and not let him intimidate you, but a louder part of you got nervous under his gaze and you turned away. Kira, who had been sitting at the advertising table with Kiana, gave you a smirk that meant nothing but trouble and you looked up at the ceiling, just wanting a moment of peace.

“Everything okay?” Kallen and Sakura both were looking at you now, though you couldn’t tell if their concern was teasing or genuine.

“Yeah,” you sighed. “Just been a long week. I’m happy to get some time to myself.”

“You know, with all that free time, you could probably find your soulmate.” Kallen’s teasing earned her a glare and you downed the last of your drink to hide your blush.

“I’m gonna go get a refill, do you want anything?” You stood, happy to have an excise to get away from the table, and more importantly Kalpas.

Kallen shook her head no; she planned on staying sober so she could make fun of Sakura (though you had never even seen your coworker buzzed, let alone drunk). Before you had even taken a step away from the table, however, Kalpas was standing from his chair, the motion placing him a little closer than you expected. Looking up at him, he just nodded towards the bar and raised an eyebrow when you didn’t move.

Why did the one person you wanted to avoid have to thwart your escape? Actually, Kallen following you probably would have been worse, you weren’t sure you could take much more of her taunting. The feeling of a hand pressing against your lower back had you taking a step forward to get away, but the pressure didn’t move. Glancing back, Kalpas kept looking straight ahead, almost herding you across the floor.

It was nerve wracking, having him right there, but at the same time you felt a sort of confidence from having him so close and held your head high across the bar. When you reached your destination, the bartender gave you a bit of a side-eye but took your order without any complaints.

“You don’t need to find your soulmate.” Kalpas was leaning against the bar while you waited, looking you dead in the eyes with his arms crossed over his chest. It almost felt like he was interrogating you, but you didn’t look away this time. Maybe it was the alcohol or maybe you were just tired of avoiding him, but you kept your eyes locked on him while you spoke.

“I know. I’ve got a pretty good idea of who it is.” You paused, but when Kalpas didn’t say anything, you kept going. “Honestly, I’m more concerned that they aren’t interested.” His glare narrowed and your confidence wavered from the intensity of his stare.

“Why don’t you try asking then. This song and dance is getting old.”

“Nerves,” you answered without fully thinking it through. “It’d be pretty embarrassing if my soulmate rejected me, you know?” Unsurprisingly, the joke fell flat, and you finally looked away while giving a half-hearted chuckle. “You’re not exactly the most approachable. I thought you hated my guts when we first met.”

“I don’t.”

“Oh what a relief,” you looked back at him, your sarcasm giving you a bit of courage.

“If I hated your guts, you would know.” You sincerely doubted that you could tell the difference between angry Kalpas and regular Kalpas but it’s probably best not to say that to his face. “I’m not the kind of person to waste time on pointless things. If I didn’t want to see you, I wouldn’t have gone to the games and if it weren’t for Sakura, we would have had this conversation already.”

“What do you mean ‘if it weren’t for Sakura’?”

“She told me to wait.” He uncrossed his arms, and placed one hand on the bar beside you as he leaned in. “She told me to ‘let you process,’” Kalpas mocked your friend and it almost seemed like he was truly mad at her. “I’ve known that we’re soulmates for months and I’m sick and fucking tired of sitting around doing nothing.”

“Maybe if you were a little more obvious about not hating me—”

“How the hell am I supposed to do that when I’m not allowed anywhere near you?”

He makes a good point…

“Okay well. Now that you’re allowed near me could you be a little more obvious about not hating me?”

Kalpas didn’t waste a second before pressing his lips to yours. His arm wrapped around to keep you close and you had to hold onto his shoulders to keep your balance. Kissing your soulmate physically felt the same as kissing anyone else, but deep down, some part of you that had been tense for so long, finally relaxed. It was soothing in a way you didn’t know you needed, and you couldn’t imagine ever pulling away.

Unfortunately, the bartender didn’t seem to agree, and you were forced apart when he angrily cleared his throat and nearly spilled your drinks when he slammed them down. If you hadn’t looked so embarrassed, Kalpas likely would have ignored the silent reprimand, but you both settled with keeping your fingers locked together for the walk back to the table.

Before you even sat down, you just knew your friends had the smuggest look all ready for when you looked their way. Not wanting to give them the pleasure of saying ‘I told you so,’ you kept your eyes focused on your new boyfriend and Bronya, who was kind enough to spare your feelings. When you glanced at Raven, though, it was all over.

“Couldn’t find any desks to hide behind this time?” Immediately the floodgates opened, and everyone was asking questions or making a witty remark about your new relationship. Even Kira stopped by to visit, and she only left after saying that Kalpas would make a good model and you had to physically shoo her away (her sake as well as your own).

At the end of the night, he walked with you and your friends back to Raven’s and rode the subway back to your stop. On the way you talked about anything and everything. From work, to how you both had met Sakura, to that first baseball game and how annoying your coworkers could be. More importantly, you both decided to take advantage of your time off and planned to go on a proper date sooner rather than later. Sakura and Kallen threatened to crash it, but you weren’t worried. Whether or not they were there didn’t matter. So long as you got to spend time with your soulmate, you would be happy.

When Friday rolled around again, you weren’t nearly as excited as usual. Even before you thought you had found your soulmate, there was a bit of underlying anticipation. Now you just felt anxious. It didn’t seem likely that your match would come back to watch since they missed the last game.

Sakura seemed sympathetic when she spotted you dragging your feet to the field, but there wasn’t much she could do. Either your soulmate was there, or they weren’t. It was out of her control. She convinced Dr. Mei to at least put you both on the same team, but that was the best she could do.

As though your mood wasn’t ruined enough, halfway through the game, Rin showed up with tall, dark, and grumpy in tow. Of course you were happy to see her—it’s nearly impossible to not like Rin, she’s too nice—but the constant angry glare, you could do without. On top of that, you’d started making catches that you never would have made under normal circumstances. That could only mean your soulmate was back.

In between plays you would scan the crowd at the fence, but you knew almost all of them had already matched with your coworkers. The only one who stood out had left when you weren’t looking, and your point streak continued long after. So, either your soulmate was a ninja, or you were just having a really great night. In terms of the game that is. The rest of the night sucked.

“I just don’t know who it could be,” you groaned. Hua placed a comforting hand on your shoulder that almost made you feel worse. She and Kallen worked together as partners in the police department, so she regularly joined you Kallen and Sakura for a Sunday brunch (though it usually ended up just being lunch).

“I’m sure you’ll find them.” If you didn’t know her so well, Hua’s lack of enthusiasm would have made you think she was being sarcastic, but she genuinely meant well.

“Yeah, and you can always ask the city’s best to take on the case,” Kallen sent a wink that just made you roll your eyes.

“I’ve actually been thinking about it,” Sakura started as she finished taking a sip of her tea. “Out of everyone there watching, you spoke to all but two of them.” You nodded to show you were following along, even if you were a bit skeptical. “Those two haven’t been back since.”

“How can you remember that. It’s been over a month since that first game!”

Sakura shrugged. “Computer crashed in the middle of work one too many times.” Kallen laughed but you just sat there, stunned (and maybe a little jealous). “The one person who’s been there both times was actually Kalpas.”

“Oh you’ve got to be joking.”

There was no way. No way that Sakura and Kallen’s friend, the guy that showed no expression other than boredom or annoyance was your soulmate. You doubted he could even smile, let alone be interested in a romantic relationship.

“No, he’s really the only one.” Sakura was doing a good job of holding back her smile, but Kallen was nearly in tears from laughing so hard.

“This is the worst prank—”

“I’m being honest.”

“Well either you or the universe messed up because I cannot believe he…we’re—that,” you couldn’t even say the words out loud.

“Kalpas is your soulmate.”

Unfortunately, Sakura had no issue saying exactly what you didn’t want to hear. With a groan, your head hit the table, rattling the dishes. Once again, you felt a hand resting on your shoulder in an attempt to console you.

In the same voice she would use if a relative died, Hua said, “congratulations.”

Kallen absolutely lost it.

You weren’t completely sure how to feel about the new information. Some part of you had decided that Kalpas was your enemy because he kept giving you that stare, but rationally, you couldn’t think of any reason to hate him. He hadn’t done anything to slight you, but you couldn’t be sure if that was because he was a decent human being or if the fact that you two hadn’t spent more than a couple minutes near each other played a role.

Trying to sort though your thoughts, you made a list of pros and cons for having Kalpas as a partner. Immediately on the ‘pro’ side you put ‘hot.’ And…that was about it.

Moving to the ‘con’ side however. You almost ran out of paper. He’s part of the police force, and while you don’t know what exactly he does, you had seen how rough things could be for Sakura and Kallen. If there was a strong push for a case to be solved, the detective could disappear for weeks at a time, and that’s not even considering the constant risk of her getting hurt in the field.

Other than that, he was never happy (at least that you had seen) and it felt weird to be dating your best friend’s other best friend. Even if Sakura had seemed fine with it at the time and had been the one to bring the relationship to your attention, it felt like you were crossing some unwritten line. Kalpas had also managed to be intimidating all the way from the other side of the diamond that first night, though you guessed that could be a pro. You added it to both columns just to be safe.

He couldn’t be that bad if Sakura and Kallen trusted him to pick Rin up from school, but that didn’t bring you much comfort. You wanted to believe their judgement of Kalpas, but at the same time, you had seen the type of people your friends hung out with. The night of their bachelorette party, your group had been banned from nearly every bar downtown and at least one of them still had your picture up by the door.

In the end, you decided to wait until the next baseball night. Sakura had offered to try and set something up, but you declined, wanting more time to mull things over. It didn’t help that your team had reached crunch time, and you wanted every spare moment to catch up on sleep. Everyone on your team seemed to agree with that sentiment because the next game was cancelled.

As soon as you got the email (that you debated printing because Kevin signed it with a frowny face at the end) you thought that you would have the next month free of seeing Kalpas.

You thought wrong.

The first time he showed up, you had been on your way to brew another cup of coffee when you saw him standing by Sakura’s desk, a to-go bag in hand. Almost on instinct, you ducked down behind the cubicle you were passing. Even though his back was to you, it was a risk you didn’t want to take.

“I know you need that report. I’m almost finished, you didn’t have to come all the way over here to harass me.” Looking up, you saw that you had accidentally crouched down and were now eye level with Raven.

“No no no no,” you whispered. “I’m not here for that, I promise. I’m just hiding.”

“From what?” She narrowed her eyes at you and for a moment you thought she was about to give away your hiding spot. You wouldn’t put it past her to stand up in the middle of the office and loudly get Kalpas’ attention.

“There’s a guy—” her eyes sharpened and suddenly you were more worried about Raven stabbing Kalpas instead of just yelling at him. “He’s my soulmate! But uh we haven’t really spoken yet so…”

“Ah,” Raven nodded as though this was something that happened on a regular basis. “In that case, go away. I have a report that someone is on my back about.” With that, she turned her chair back towards her monitors and went back to typing.

Feeling somewhat betrayed, you peeked over the cubicle wall to check on your target only to find him looking straight back. The office was almost completely silent now that you think about it. Kalpas definitely heard your conversation. When Raven gave you a little jab to the side, you let out a nervous laugh and booked it to the restrooms.

Once inside, you gave a sigh of relief. Leaning on the counter, you looked yourself in the eyes in the mirror. That wasn’t so bad. You’re just being a big baby about this whole situation. Were you going to go back out there? Absolutely not. This bathroom was going to be your safe haven for at least the next thirty minutes but who’s counting?

Sakura laughed at you when you came out, and you’re sure she won’t ever let you live it down, but that encounter was nothing compared to the second one.

It was less than a week later, and you were sitting at Sakura’s desk with her, helping go through some code she’d just edited. You didn’t even notice when Kalpas showed up, all you saw was food being placed on the desk that Sakura was sliding over to you. Almost instantly you gasped and forgot what you’d been working on.

“Oh my gosh thank you so—” When you turned to look at your hero, that’s when you found out Kalpas was in the building. Fight or flight failed you, and you froze in place, neck straining to look up at your sudden visitor.

“Kallen made you rice balls again.”

He wasn’t even looking at you. Kalpas spoke directly to Sakura, and you weren’t sure if you should be glad to have his attention off of you, or hurt for that very same reason.

“Oh, where are they?” Sakura didn’t look too excited, but you could hear in her voice how much she looked forward to her wife’s cooking (even if she still struggled with the basics).

“She burnt them.”

You tried. You tried so hard not to laugh but the hand you held to cover your smile gave you away. Sakura just sighed.

“If anyone can figure out how to burn something you don’t even cook, it would be her.” There were equal amounts of defeat and affection in her tone, and you nodded sympathetically, still biting your lip to hold in the smile.

“You.” Kalpas suddenly turned to you and managed to make his scowl even more terrifying. In a second the smile was wiped from your face, and you were more than a little concerned. “I better not hear about you skipping meals again.” He narrowed his eyes, and you knew better than to test his threat.

“How did you hear about it in the first place?” You regretted asking as soon as the words came out of your mouth, but surprisingly, Kalpas responded.

“Kallen.”

“Oh really?” you turned to Sakura, now sending a scowl of your own. “And I wonder who she heard that from.”

“We really should get back to work,” your friend pulled the top off your share of the food and handed you some chopsticks that probably came from the food you ordered last week. “Thank you Kalpas!”  You took the chopsticks but didn’t stop glaring.

 “Thank you Kalpas.” When he didn’t move for a moment, you looked back at him and for a second you thought you saw that permanent frown soften just a little bit, making you send a smile of your own. With that, he turned and headed straight for the stairs.

As soon as he was out of eyesight, you were turning to Sakura and hissing “why was he here?”

“He’s in charge of the SWAT team so—”

“He’s what.”

“He’s on call a lot but most times he’s not doing much so Kallen will ask him to send some things over.”

“Why am I not surprised that your wife has made the scariest guy in the precinct her errand boy?”

“Because she’s my wife?” Sakura gave you a proud grin that made you roll your eyes.

“Of course, that explains everything.”

You loved playing baseball with your coworkers, but making the teams could be such a pain in the ass. Because half of the office knew who their soulmate was, but it was never even. If it didn’t give you such an advantage, no one would care, but you all knew how much of an impact having your soulmate watch made. Professional sports teams wouldn’t even consider players who hadn’t met their partner. Sure, there were a few couples in the office that could just be put on opposite teams like Seele and Bronya, but not everyone was so lucky.

Some were like Sakura who had met her soulmate, but Kallen wasn’t always available to watch. Her job as a detective meant she had a sporadic schedule and missed games even if she originally said she could make it. The majority of the office, however, was in the same boat as you.

Your soulmate was still out there somewhere, and this was your chance to find them. All around the city, there were open areas that could be used to play different sports. Rather than fencing them off from the public, however, the space was easily visible, that way, passing pedestrians might catch a glimpse of a future partner.

Every other week, your office would reserve the field to play baseball (for ‘team building’) and every other week, you’d be out there hoping to suddenly start playing better. As much as you valued this opportunity, setting up with a n uneven number of soulmates really made you question if all this aggravation was worth it.

“Why can’t we just send one person with a match home?”

“We’d have an uneven number of players,” Dr. Mei closed her eyes and sighed. This wasn’t the first time she’d had to explain, and she doubted it would be the last.

“Look, each team has more than enough players, we can survive with one less,” you suggested. You just wanted to get this show on the road, even if it was an unfair contest.

“I can go,” Kiana raised her hand. “I need to buy some groceries for dinner anyway.”

“If you leave, we’ll just be back where we stared, you’d have to stay for Mei or we’re still not even on soulmates.” (Having two ‘Mei’s in the office was not at all confusing)

“I’ll go,” Durandal raised her hand this time. Normally Rita would be on the field as well, but she decided to sit out to finish up some work.

It had taken twenty minutes, but finally, you all got on your teams and sorted out everyone’s position. Since your team had the extra player, Sakura offered to bat, but not play in the field. She had hit more homeruns than anyone else in the office, but couldn’t throw to save her life, so there were no objections.

At first, the teams were even, though it was clear those with their partners watching were carrying most of the weight. Around the third inning, you saw Sakura jog over to the fence while you were getting set up at first base. Her sister, Rin, was there, fingers curling through the chain-links while she practically bounced up and down. Next to her was probably the most intimidating man you had ever seen.

His arms were crossed to show just how thrilled he was to be there. He wore black slacks and a blazer, similar to what you’d seen Kallen wear to work, but her muscles weren’t nearly as obvious through the fabric as this guys. It didn’t help that the net behind the batter was casting a shadow over his face to cover what you were certain was a permanent glare.

Raven, your pitcher, whistled sharply to get your attention and gave a smug grin when your head whipped back around. Giving a sheepish smile, you adjusted your glove and got ready for the next inning.

And that would have been that. Sakura talking to her weirdly creepy friend (or was he Rin’s friend?) at the baseball game between rounds. Except you started playing better. Like. Way better. Only an inning later your team had pulled ahead a noticeable amount, almost entirely because of you. At first, there was a bit of grumbling from the other side, but once it became clear what was happening, everyone just seemed excited to finish the game. Some because they were sore losers, but most of your coworkers wanted you to go find your soulmate.

As soon as the game was over, you ran to the fence to ask for your soulmate. Of the five or six people who had been watching, two had left before you even got over to them. The third told you she had been to a couple of your group’s games now. If she was your soulmate, you would have known by now. The rest were happy to give you their number, but it wasn’t apparent that one was your match. With a sigh, you walked back to the dugout to pack up before heading home. On the way out, you stopped to talk to Sakura for a minute.

“Any luck?” Your coworker turned to face you, still holding onto Rin’s hand.

“I got a few numbers but none of them really stand out you know?” you shrugged. “I’ll try talking to them and hopefully next time we play I’ll get a definite answer.”

“It wasn’t obvious for me and Kallen at first. Give it some time,” Sakura sent you a smile. “This is Kalpas, by the way,” she waved to the man who showed up with Rin. He still looked angry; the only difference was that you were up close now instead of far away. “He actually works with Kallen, but we were friends long before they met.”

With a polite smile you held out your hand in greeting. “It’s nice to meet you.” Kalpas grunted and looked down at your hand but made no move to return the gesture. After a few seconds of awkwardly standing there, you were about to pull your hand back when Rin reached up and took hold of it.

“You’re supposed to shake hands!” she said. “Like this!” The girl shook your hand harshly up and down way too many times, but you appreciated her enthusiasm. When she finally stopped, you gave a small laugh and pulled your hand back to rest on the strap between your shoulder and your bag.

“Well, I gotta get going,” you nodded your head in the direction of your car. “I’ll see you on Monday!” The three of you waved as you walked off and Kalpas remained still as a statue, brooding as always.

“I don’t think it’s me,” Derek shook his head. He had invited you over to play some video games on the weekend after the two of you had spent the week prior texting. It was meant to be a relaxed date, but you both knew you were testing your soulmate bond. The fact that you both were struggling with a game as simple as Mario made it apparent that the bond simply wasn’t there.

Turning to look at him, the grimace on Derek’s face matched yours. “That’s what I was afraid of.” You sighed. “I really have enjoyed talking with you though.”

“Oh same here!” he was quick to agree, bringing back a bit of your smile. “And you don’t have to go, we can keep hanging out. I just don’t want to act like there’s something going on between us when there’s not.”

“Right, no I get it. I actually have some errands to run so I’m gonna head out, but we should keep in touch!”

“Yeah of course!”

You stood from the couch with Derek following as you grabbed your things and stood by the door. Both of you were clearly uncomfortable and you couldn’t wait to get out of this apartment. The smile you gave as you left was forced, but so was his. You both knew there weren’t any errands, you just needed some space for now. Derek might make a good friend in a few weeks but the disappointment of not finding your soulmate was hard to ignore.

On the bright side, you only had the rest of this week before your next baseball game, and you’d already scheduled with Nick for him to be there. Given that Derek wasn’t your partner, and you only had two choices to begin with, it seemed likely Nick was your soulmate, but you wanted to be sure.

Over the past week you had felt like you got along better with Derek, but you may have just been too focused on one person; or maybe you and Nick just hadn’t found the right topic to talk about. Regardless, you were excited for this Friday.

“Your soulmate gonna be there tonight?”

“I hope so!” The workday seemed to drag on forever. It felt like your computer knew you wanted time to go faster, and it was intentionally freezing on every document you tried to open.

Even though you potentially had your soulmate waiting for you, the teams were balanced out like you still weren’t matched. That way, if Nick is your soulmate, you would be able to tell.

He was right on time, giving you a wave and a huge smile that you returned. As soon as the game started, your eyes were practically glued to the scoreboard, waiting for your team to pull ahead. But it never happened.

You ended up losing so badly that your team forfeited after the seventh inning.

“So…”

“Yeah.”

Your voice was quiet, the disappointment clear. Nick for his part at least seemed to be putting on a brave face.

“This isn’t my first rodeo,” he said. “I keep going to games and thinking I’ve found my soulmate only to come up with nothin.”

You winced, feeling bad for adding to his list of not-soulmates. “I hope you find them soon?”

“Same goes for you!”

The walk to the dugout was too long and you could feel the pitying eyes of your coworkers on you the whole way.

“No luck?” Kallen looked up from where she had squatted to fuss over Rin’s hair.

“Nope,” you popped the ‘p,’ frustration evident. “I wouldn’t be so bummed but that was my last lead. That means my soulmate walked off before I even saw them and who knows when I’ll see them again.”

“Want me to pull up the surveillance footage?” Kallen joked and almost fell over when Sakura nudged her.

You gave a nervous laugh, “while I’m sure you have cameras everywhere, I think I’m all set.” That would be a fun conversation to have. ‘Yeah, I think we might be soulmates so I had my coworker’s wife pull up some secret police cameras to find out who you are and where you live. Wanna get food this Saturday?’