#exo fuff

okay so in this soulmate au

it's the one where you have matching tattoosand some are on wrists and other are on hips or ankles

the important thing is that they all usually match

through time this has gotten more difficult bc some tattoos match up as pairs (two puppies, two apples, two clouds) while other match up as things that just go together (sun and moon, rose and dagger, anchor and rope)

so sometimes it's rlly hard to figure out who is your soulmate

you have a moon on your right hip just above where the waistband of your jeans would be

so anyway on your last birthday your friend bought you dance lessons, bc dancing is something you've always wanted to learn it's been nearly a year now and you're pretty good at choreography and coming up with stuff on your own

your teacher informs you that she wants you to help out one of her students, who is a great dancer, he just has a hard time loosening upyou agree bc you don't have anything better to do and you think it might also be fun

but you aren't expecting an extremely tall and handsome man to walk in, his puppy dog eyes and elf-like ears making you almost instantly fall for him

when the two of you make eye contact, something in the air crackles for a moment, like fire wanting to be released from its confidements, and you wonder if he feels it as wellhe doesn't seem to, due to his easygoing smile and the way he reaches to grab your hand, "hi, i'm chanyeol."

"y/n," you reply, your cheeks warm from the feeling of his palm against yours

and the two of you click almost instantly once you start dancing it's as if the two of you had been friends for ages

and chanyeol has this bright energy that really can't be matched but you try oh so hard to keep up with him anyway

every day you practice w him you feel warm tingles across your skin when he accidentally bumps into you, or holds your hand, or when you grab his waist to change his position

but as far as you can tell he doesn't feel anythingyou can't see through his pov thoyou don't know that your touch drives him absolutely insane and the way you smile at him can keep him up for days trying to decipher it

he adores your hardworking personality and they way you patiently help him learn his moves

he is absolutely mesmerized by your kind eyes and even kinder spirit

but you aren't his soulmate :(

chanyeol knows this bc he's already found his soulmate, a girl with a sun on her wrist, similar to the sun on his hip

they are different art styles, but they match

chanyeol has been dating her for over a year now and some days he wonders if being with his soulmate is supposed to feel it does with her... disappointing and filled with useless fighting,,, but those kinds of thoughts make him hate himself

they make him feel like a bad soulmatehaving a teensy crush on his dance tutor makes him feeling like a horrible soulmate

so he keeps his feelings for you locked up bc he's sure he can't let them out when they two of you don't match

it's cheating

it's wrongso he simply savors the feeling of your hands on his neck silently, for only him to think about

okay back to your pov

chanyeol has a big show coming up with a few of his mates, and there's a certain move he couldn't get down so he came to you for help

and he's dressed in a simple sweatpants and hoodie combination but you can't help but think of how cuddly he looks and how much you'd like to kiss him in this moment

"so i rlly want to get this move down bc there might be performance school scouts in the audience and also my soulmate will be there and she's pretty mad at me so i'd like to try and impress her enough to make her happy again"

your eyebrows furrow bc,,, well he's never mentioned a soulmate before and you always secretly hoped,,, nevermind it rlly doesn't matter now

except that your heart feels like it's breaking

"soulmate?" you almost choke on the words

"yeah" chanyeol replies, "we've got matching tattoos, see?"

he rolls up his shirt, and although your eyes want to linger on his toned abdomen, you force them to focus on the sun tattoo just along his hip joint

it's your tattoo

i mean, it's not a moon but it's the same art style and color shades and everything but when chanyeol pulls out his phone and shows you a girl w a sun tattoo of her wrist, more cartoon looking and less neutral in color, you find yourself discouraged

chanyeol is supposed to be w you,,, according to your tattoos,,,, but he thinks he's supposed to be w another

and it breaks your heart bc after all this your main priority is still chanyeol's happiness,, even if that means letting him go

"what's your tattoo?" he asks, reaching for the hem of your shirt

you swat him away and mutter something about not having a soulmate and something in chanyeol's expression falls

and you don't know why

but to him hearing those words feels like a million pieces of shattered glass have just pierced through his heart

and his tattoo is burning something fierce like he's close to falling onto the ground

you finally notice the way his body is shivering and the way his expression is falling "what's wrong?"

"i don't know," he says, and he truly doesn't know.

all he knows is that your words triggered something awful inside of him.

he marks it down as sympathy

you offer him your hand and when he takes it, the pain against his hip is too much and he falls to the floor, feeling this desperate and distant longing towards you

but he doesn't know what it is

"i h-have to go," he says quickly, and darts out of the practice room too fast for your liking.

and you feel a similar pain in your heart, this urge to follow him and hold him close

you know it's the soulmate link talking,,,, but he's made his decision,,,, so you ignore it

however, as the days go by, you wish you had followed after him

bc he left for good,,,, and the pain in your heart and your tattoo has you aching to see him again,,, if just for a fleeting second

maybe to clear everything up

and it's as if chanyeol knows when you're thinking of him bc suddenly the door to the studio opens

and you had just finished a dance routine and are now sitting on the ground struggling to catch your breath

but chanyeol's presence has you nearly choking on your water

"what're you doing here?"

he doesn't know rlly,, how is he supposed to tell you that he left his soulmate to be with you?

and he's never been good with words so he just sits beside you and places his hand on his heart like "it hurts"

perhaps you know what he's saying bc your heart is hurting too

it's a pain that pounds in your ears until the urge to reach forward and close the gap with your soulmate consumes you

"chanyeol, I have to tell you something."

"me first," he says, and without your answer he grabs your hand and places it against his heart. "i know you don't have a soulmate, and i know i already have one,,,, but i've never felt this feelings that i feel when i'm with you,,, and i've never felt pain like i've felt without you"

as says this he leans in, until his lips are grazing over yours, "y/n, i think i love you."

he kisses you, and when your palm runs down his abdomen to rest against his tattoo, he feels a rush of calm and safety in your fingertips

as much as you want to keep kissing him forever, you pull back and lift your shirt slightly, showing him the moon inked into your skin.

he stops and stares, and your breath hitches as he reaches forward to trace the design against your skin "you... you're my... so she and i were never — why didn't you tell me before?"

you bite your lip nervously, "you were so happy with her and,,,, that's all i wanted,,, was for you to be happy"

"i wasn't happy," he rushes to confess, peppering kisses all across your face and then your lips "i thought" kiss "I couldn't be" kiss "with you" kiss "bc i thought you" kiss "weren't my soulmate"

he pulls back enough to smile at you "but you are, so everything can be okay."

that's soulmate!chanyeol

and y'all live happily ever after pretty much!!!

He stayed late after everyone left, practicing because he was the only one lacking in this dance. What was wrong with him? He was usually one of the strongest dancers and now somethign was holding him back. Why was he letting Jiyoon hold him back?

“Jongin, just go home.” Junmyeon stood against the frame of the door.

“No,” he sighed, “I have to get this down.”

“Go home, Jongin.” The second voice stopped him in his tracks. He stopped and looked over, seeing not only Junmyeon, but Jiyoon. He couldn’t even move. Her hands were in her jean pockets and he felt like his world was caving in.

“I told her everything, but she doesn’t remember everything. Be careful, I’ll see you here tomorrow.” Junmyeon threw his jacket over his shoulder and walked away. Jiyoon still leaned against the door frame, running her fingers through her hair.

“Jongin…” She looked at him. “I want you to go home.”

He was speechless. What could he say? There was nothing coming to his blank mind and he had to refrain from running to her and hugging her. She didn’t remember him.

“I can’t do that.” He shook his head. “I have to practice.”

“Show me.” She shrugged. “Show me the dance and I’ll tell you if you can go home or if you need more practice.” He blinked a couple of times before he nodded. Jiyoon hadn’t seen him dance in years. She didn’t remember him dancing.

He nodded slowly before he moved to start the music. She sat down on one of their chairs and watched him. Even without remembering anything, she could tell he'd been dancing for years. Even his worst was sharp and precise and she loved it.

"Jiyoon, let's dance." He grabbed her hand, pulling her with him. The campfire crackled and all she could think about was how her heart hurt being so close to him.

She could barely understand what was happening until her back was against his chest. He was just tall enough to rest his head on her's. His arms were wrapped around her and she awkwardly placed her's over his.

She allowed herself to lean back into him.

She wanted this to be all the time. She wanted Jongin to hold her like he had throughout the summer all the time, but she knew she had to leave after this time ended. The feeling made her heart sink into her stomach.

She loved him so much that it made her want to stay. She wanted to give up everything for him and that terrified her. Jongin terrified her, but not because she thought she would get hurt. She knew he would take care of her.

He was the only one who made her feel that way.

He was the only one that could make her feel that way.

“Jiyoon?” He whispered.

“Hm?”

“Would...would being in love with me be a bad thing?” He asked her, quiet enough so nobody else could hear him. “Did you think my reaction meant that I wouldn’t be okay with that?”

“Of course it wouldn’t be a bad thing, Jongin.” She told him. “It’d be a bad idea to fall in love with you now.” She heard him sigh and she felt horrible. Why couldn’t he see how much she loved him?

She was about to say something when he started to move away from her.

“I’m...I’m really tired.” He said quietly. “I’m gonna go to bed.”

“Do you want me to come too?” She asked.

“No,” he shrugged, releasing her from his grip, “wouldn’t want them to think we’re in love or anything.” Her heart broke in her chest as she watched him walk away. She wanted to follow him so badly but she knew it wasn’t a good idea.

She loved him, and she was losing him.

Could she handle losing him?

He walked up the steps of the porch and the looked over his shoulder. They made eye contact and she felt her eyes sting from the air and the water slowly welling up in them. The two families didn’t seem to be noticing this.

Was he saying goodbye?

Was that her last chance?

She sat back down on her chair for a while, her knees up to her chest as she had Jongin’s sweatshirt covering her legs as well. She couldn’t take her mind off of him but that was okay. As long as she always remembered him, she’d be okay.

She eventually went inside, walking into their shared bedroom. She looked at him, fast asleep in his bed. She couldn’t help herself - her instincts were to climb into his bed next to him and be as close to him as she possibly could be. She gently put her arm over him and buried her head into his back.

She had to be awake another few hours before she fell asleep.

The song finished and she watched him fondly. He turned to her and she stood to hand him the water bottle, which he took gratefully. He must’ve downed half of it before he looked at her.

“Do you really not…?” He trailed off. She nodded slowly.

“I started remembering a little.” She told him. “Junmyeon told me everything and then I said we should come here. It was my turn to find you.”

“I’ve missed you,” he said, surprisingly calm. He looked as if he was in shock. He knew she couldn’t say it back, but he didn’t want her to. He wanted her to know that she as all he held onto the past four years.

He walked closer to her, not bothering to say anything as he pulled her close to him. His head rested on top of her’s as she wrapped her arms around him. She was confused when he reached for her hand until she realized what he had seen.

Her heart broke once she felt his fingers trace over her wedding ring. She’d worn it for so long that she didn’t even realize it was there anymore. He slowly moved away from her and although he knew it wasn’t her fault, he couldn’t help but feel heartbroken.

“Jongin, I-”

“You don’t have to explain anything.” He attempted a small smile. “I should’ve been there for you. I should’ve taken better care of you.”

“That’s not...that’s not all.” She looked down at her feet, letting out a deep breath.

“What is it?” He asked softly, almost like he didn’t want to know.

“I have a daughter.” She watched as he turned away from her, running his fingers through his hair. She was one hundred percent certain at this point that Jisoo was Jongin’s daughter. There was no doubt, seeing his face now and comparing it to her daughter made her realize even more of the similarities.

She watched while he buried his head in his hands, shaking it slowly as he came to terms with what he just heard.

“I’d always wondered where she got her lips from, her nose, even her eyes.” She told him. “Considering Jaeseok doesn’t have those qualities, nor do I.”

Jongin tensed, and he turned back around slowly.

“And then I saw the article, about the two of us. I knew something was wrong with the story my parents and Jaeseok told me because there was no way I would ever cheat on someone, but there I was, with you, looking more in love than I ever thought possible.” She shook her head, a scoff leaving her lips. “I can’t believe that after everything that Jaeseok had done, that they still let me think I loved him my whole life. I’ve never loved him, Jongin. I guess I didn’t know that was because my heart still wanted you, whether I remembered it or not.”

Before he could say anything else, she pulled the rings off her finger and walked over to the trashcan, letting them fall from her hand.