pairing: kyungsoo/sehun, baekhyun/jongdae, bff!baekhyun/kyungsoo, brief mention of past!kyungsoo/jongin
genre: soulmate!au, romance
rating: pg
length: 4,244 words
summary: sometimes the best things in life happen when you least expect it.
notes: a gift fic to the wonderful addie! happy birthday!!! //smushes cake in your face. <33
 

“tired of searching for your soulmate? look no further, ‘eros’ will find your--”

kyungsoo turns off the television and rubs his temples. he’s been suffering from mind splitting migraines as of late, the pain so crippling, it renders him unable to move.

“just my luck,” he mutters to himself, pinching the bridge of his nose. he has dinner plans tonight with his best friend, byun baekhyun, that he cannot under any circumstances, reschedule, postpone, rain check, cancel, or implement any other actions to that effect. baekhyun’s words, not his. kyungsoo doesn’t blame him though, he’s pretty notorious for pulling the whole “i don’t think i can make it tonight” on his best friend nine out of the ten times they arrange to meet up.

he sinks into couch and closes his eyes. “half an hour and then i’ll go get ready,” he tells himself, “forty five minutes, tops.”




“excuse me! out of the way, please! sorry!” kyungsoo ducks and dives through the mass of pedestrians, trying to weave through the foot traffic as quickly as his small body can move. he had fallen asleep for much longer than intended, by over three hours in fact. and despite his penchant for flaking, his punctuality is something he prides himself in. he picks up the pace, he’s already running ten minutes late. but it doesn’t really count as late until it reaches past fifteen minutes. baekhyun’s words, not his.

kyungsoo checks his phone, he has three more minutes until-- “ooof!” kyungsoo runs into someone, literally, the wind knocked out of him as falls to the ground. picking himself up quickly, he bows his head ninety degrees and apologises profusely. “sorry! i wasn’t looking at where i was going, i’m so sorry!”

kyungsoo looks up and the first thing he notices are shoulders, big broad shoulders. then he realises he has to crane his neck to catch a glimpse of the person’s face. said person doesn’t respond, he just gawks at kyungsoo. or at least, kyungsoo assumes that’s what he’s doing. he can’t be too sure; the man is wearing sunglasses, concealing his eyes. kyungsoo finds himself staring back at the man.

they remain stationary, both frozen and neither saying a word until the sound of kyungsoo’s phone ringing startles them. kyungsoo looks at the lit up screen, it’s baekhyun. “baekhyun, shoot!” kyungsoo snaps out of his trance and slips past the stranger, breaking into an all out sprint. the short male turns his head and glances back, and sees the unknown man rooted in the same exact position, smiling as he watches kyungsoo rushing away.

why is he just standing there like that? the stranger plagues kyungsoo’s mind, even after arriving to the restaurant twenty minutes late with an irked baekhyun waiting for him. the image of the smiling stranger is burned into kyungsoo’s memory. who is he and will kyungsoo ever see him again?




“yah! earth to kyungsoo!” baekhyun snaps his fingers, jolting kyungsoo back to reality. “you’ve been spaced out this entire time. first, you’re late, and now you’re neglecting me, i gotta say, kyungsoo-yah, i’m not feeling the love right now.”

kyungsoo shakes his head, trying to gather his thoughts. “sorry, what?” he asks, still in a daze.

baekhyun sighs, and swings an arm over kyungsoo’s shoulder. “what’s going on, little man?”

kyungsoo growls at him, shrugging the other’s arm off his shoulder. “nothing. i’ve just been tired is all.”

“you still been getting those headaches?”

kyungsoo nods. “i think they’re getting worse. and i know what you’re going to say, byun baek. but don’t say it, i’m not in the mood to listen to your spiels about how it’s a sign that i’m going to meet my soulmate soon. you know i don’t believe in that nonsense.”

baekhyun opens his mouth to respond, but then closes it. he chews on his bottom lip and starts to whimper quietly like a kicked puppy.

“don’t do that, byun baek. don’t guilt trip me. it’s not going to work,” kyungsoo says assertively. they both know that it will though, everyone gives into baekhyun eventually. conceding defeat, kyungsoo sighs in exasperation. “fine, you win.”

baekhyun shoots him a bright grin and scoots closer, pressing their bodies together. he reaches out for kyungsoo’s hand, and sandwiches them in between his own. “they say that if you’re experiencing headaches, it means your soulmate is closeby. and the more frequent and intense they are, the closer you are to meeting them.” baekhyun says, his face filled with glee. he’s always been the happiest when discussing the topic of soulmates.

kyungsoo forces a smile, encouraging the other to continue. kyungsoo really couldn’t care less about whether or not he finds his soulmate. but baekhyun however, his best friend has been fixated on the subject for as long as he can remember. and like kyungsoo, he’s yet to find the one he’s fated to spend the rest of his life with.

“can i tell you something?” baekhyun asks, his voice cracking slightly. “and promise not to laugh at me, or judge, or try to talk me out of it,” he adds.

kyungsoo brings his other hand and places it on top of baekhyun’s and squeezes firmly. “of course, you can tell me anything.”

baekhyun chuckles nervously. “i’ve actually, er, been thinking about joining that soulmate finding service, eros. i’ve read some pretty positive reviews and how if they can’t find your soulmate within the first year, they give you half your money back. i’m not really sure how it works but...” he trails off, his face blushing crimson.

kyungsoo slides his hands out of baekhyun’s grip and envelops the other in a tight embrace. “there’s no need to feel ashame, baekhyun-ah. if this is what you want, then it’s what i want,” he whispers into the other’s ear.

“thanks, soo. you’re the best.”

“and don’t you forget it.” kyungsoo gives baekhyun a squeeze before releasing him.

“hmm,” baekhyun replies despondently, the look of joy in his face completely vanished.

“say, baek. do you remember how we used to spend hours just staring into each other’s eyes when we were kids?” kyungsoo recalls the fond childhood memory.

“because we thought that if we looked into each other’s eyes long enough, we would somehow miraculously see our reflections.” baekhyun smiles fondly at the reminiscence.

“and then you cried when our mums told us we needed to stop doing it.”

“so did you!” baekhyun folds his arms indignantly.

kyungsoo can still vividly remember the day he found out about destined soulmates. he and baekhyun were twelve and he was over at baekhyun’s house when they’d heard baekhyun’s older brother arguing with his parents. it had gotten pretty heated and ended with baekbeom storming out of the house.

his curiosity relentless, baekhyun badgered his mum to explain why they’d been fighting. his mum revealed that baekbeom had just informed them that he intended to marry his girlfriend, a non soulmate.

“what’s a non-soulmate?” a twelve year old baekhyun asks his mum inquisitively.

“what do you see in kyungsoo’s eyes when you look at him?” his mum questions in return.

“nothing.”

“and kyungsoo, what do you see when you look into baekhyun’s eyes?”

“black.”

“that means that you two aren’t destined to be soulmates; you two are non-soulmates,” baekhyun’s mother explains.

“but i want kyungsoo to be my soulmate,” baekhyun wails, bursting into a sob. “why can’t kyungsoo be my soulmate?”

baekhyun’s mum smiles warmly and wipes baekhyun’s face with a damp towel. “you see, baekhyun-ah, there’s only one special person out there for you.”

“how do i know when i’ve found that one special person?” baekhyun asks, still sniffling.

“instead of seeing nothing or black in their eyes, you see your own reflection.”

baekhyun gasps. “like a mirror?”

his mother nods. “exactly, just like a mirror.”

“i still want kyungsoo to be my soulmate,” baekhyun whines stubbornly. “hey, kyungsoo. look at me, i wanna make sure i definitely don’t see anything.” he yanks the hem of kyungsoo’s shirt, forcing the boy to face him.

“baekhyun-ah, you see it the very first time you look into a person’s eyes and you keep seeing it for the rest of your life. so it doesn’t matter how long or hard you look at kyungsoo, it’s not going to change the fact that you two are non-soulmates,” baekhyun’s mum breaks the cold hard truth to her son.

kyungsoo will never forget the look of anguish cast on his best friend’s face, even if it had only been for a fleeting moment. baekhyun is a believer, a trait that kyungsoo admires most about him.

the past flooding his body with overwhelming emotions, kyungsoo peels one of baekhyun’s arms away from his body and clings to it. “can you imagine though, if we did see our reflection in each other’s eyes. it would make us--”

“--soulmates,” baekhyun finishes off kyungsoo’s sentence. “i’ve always wondered how it would feel to actually see your own reflection in someone’s eyes. i’m so used to seeing an empty void, a black abyss, that i can’t even begin to comprehend seeing anything, much less my own face. did you know that apparently only five percent of our generation have managed to locate their soulmate? the only person that i personally know who has actually experienced it is--” he yelps, covering his mouth with his hand.

kyungsoo takes a sharp inhale of air, wincing at the painful memory. jongin, kim jongin. kyungsoo’s former boyfriend and the only person he’s ever loved. they had met junior year of high school and kyungsoo had fallen head over heels with the dancer the moment he laid eyes on him. it didn’t matter to kyungsoo that he couldn’t see himself in jongin’s eyes and it didn’t detract from the love he’d felt. it hadn’t been important to jongin either, until… he’d found his reflection in the eyes of someone else.

“i’m sorry, kyungsoo. i didn’t mean to dredge up painful memories,” baekhyun apologises. “i know that it must have been…” baekhyun halts mid sentence.

“thanks for that half hearted apology,” kyungsoo remarks snarkily, rolling his eyes.

“wait a second, do you know that guy? the one wearing shades,” baekhyun points to the table on the other side of the restaurant.

“i can’t see, there’s a waiter in the way,” kyungsoo responds. he ducks his head to attain an obstructed view and gasps when he recognises the figure seated at the table.

“do you know him?” baekhyun queries. “he’s actually been staring at us for a while now and i don’t know if he’s looking at me or you but he’s definitely been watching us.”

what is the man with the sunglasses doing in the same restaurant as him? did he follow kyungsoo? is he a stalker? an onslaught of questions flood kyungsoo’s brain as he tries to determine the stranger’s agenda. what does he want? maybe he and kyungsoo are acquainted and kyungsoo just doesn’t recognise him?

“bollocks!”

baekhyun’s sudden outburst snaps kyungsoo out of his reverie. “what’s wrong?”

“sorry, kyungsoo. i’ve got to go. it’s baekbeom, he’s having troubles with his wife again,” baekhyun answers, pulling out his wallet and placing several bills on the table. “dinner is on me. least i can do for bailing on you like this.”

“t-thanks,” kyungsoo replies, his attention still focused on the mystery man.

baekhyun stands up and places a hand on kyungsoo’s shoulder. “you should go for it, you haven’t been with anyone since you know who. how long as it been?” he smiles at kyungsoo before putting on his jacket, making his way to the exit. he waves at kyungsoo one final time before he leaves.

kyungsoo glances over at the stranger’s table only to find the man is nowhere in sight. kyungsoo frowns, feeling disappointed for a reason unbeknownst to him. maybe he’s gone to the restroom? wait, why am i even thinking about him when i don’t even know who he--

“hi.”

kyungsoo looks up and his breath hitches when he notices mr. shoulders and sunglasses looming above him. he quickly averts his gaze, too shy to look directly at him.

“do you mind if i take a seat?”

kyungsoo can only nod, unable to form a coherent sentence. don’t freak out. keep it together, do kyungsoo. he peeks at the man sitting opposite him. even though his face is still obscured by his sunglasses, kyungsoo can tell that the man is strikingly handsome.

“was that your boyfriend?” the stranger asks outright.

talk about getting straight to the point without beating around the bush. kyungsoo shakes his head.

“friend?”

kyungsoo nods. he catches the stranger smiling in his peripheral and feels his heart pounding in his chest. he looks down at the table to avoid locking eye contact with the other and starts to twiddle his thumb, a behaviour he displays when he’s feeling anxious or nervous. seemingly satisfied with the answers, the mystery man doesn’t ask any further questions.

five minutes pass when kyungsoo finally ends the silence. “w-why are you wearing sunglasses?” kyungsoo squeaks, his voice several octaves higher than usual.

kyungsoo hears the man laugh. “you haven’t found your soulmate yet, am i right?”

kyungsoo nods, still refusing to look up at the male.

“then you must know how it feels. everyone always trying to look into your eyes, checking to see if you’re their soulmate. it grew so tiresome, all the strangers approaching me left, right, and centre. grabbing me and manhandling me, only to push me away in disgust when they realise that i’m not the one they’ve been searching for. but when i wear shades, they can’t look into my eyes so i don’t get pestered as much.”

kyungsoo’s fingers grip onto the table as he listens to the stranger. the words are all too relatable. he’s also tired of all the strangers approaching him but it never dawned on him to wear sunglasses to hide his eyes. why didn’t he think of that? it’s an ingenious idea, really. he makes a mental note to pick up some shades when he next visits the mall.

“but i don’t think i’ll be needing them anymore.”

“wait, what? why not?” surprised, kyungsoo raises his head and looks directly at the stranger. it’s the first time he’s looked at the man properly, up close.

“do you see it?” the man asks, leaning in closer to kyungsoo’s face.

kyungsoo can see his mirrored face on the reflective surface of sehun’s sunglasses but there’s something different in the way he looks. it appears as if there’s something in the reflection of his eyes, something he’s unable to recognise.

before he can discern what it is, the man removes his sunglasses, revealing his eyes for the first time. kyungsoo expects to be greeted with empty black orbs, but he isn’t. his eyes widen in shock when he finds himself looking at his own reflection.

despite not knowing a single thing about the man seated opposite him, not even his name, kyungsoo feels a deep binding connection running through his body. kyungsoo wants to learn more about this man, discover every single morsel of his being.

“k-kyungsoo. do kyungsoo,” he starts off by introducing himself.

“sehun. oh sehun. i look forward to spending the rest of my life with you, do kyungsoo.”

oh sehun. what a beautiful name. kyungsoo beams at him, his eyes transforming into crescents. “sehun, sehun, sehun,” he repeats over and over. it’s strangely familiar, as if he’s been saying it all his life.

“kyungsoo,” sehun breathes, his face slowly inching closer to kyungsoo’s.

kyungsoo closes his eyes and feels a soft pair of lips brushing gently against his own. “i’ve finally found you,” he whispers into sehun’s mouth, tears beginning to stream down his face. “my soulmate.”






“ewwww, get a room!”

kyungsoo pulls away from his boyfriend and glares at his best friend. “no one asked you to join us, baek.”

“i thought it’d be fun to hang out,” baekhyun pouts, gently tapping the tops of his thighs. “i didn’t think i’d be watching you make disgusting kissy kissy faces at your boyfriend slash soulmate. no offense, sehun.”

sehun restrains both of kyungsoo’s hands before they wrap around baekhyun’s neck and gives him a quick peck on the cheek to pacify him. “don’t listen to him, he’s just jealous, baby.”

kyungsoo’s face flushes with a light hue of pink and smiles shyly at his boyfriend, who in turn, beams back at him.

“oh my god. did do kyungsoo just blush?! are my eyes deceiving me?!” baekhyun teases, pinching his cheek before hastily retreating.

kyungsoo lunges at his best friend, but sehun’s reflexes are quicker. the latter grabs him by the waist before he reaches (and inflicts grievous bodily harm to) baekhyun and pulls him back onto his lap. “you know he’s just doing this on purpose to get a rise out of you, soo hyung.” he rests his head on kyungsoo’s shoulder and peppers light kisses on kyungsoo’s neck.

baekhyun begins retching, pretending to vomit at sehun’s display of affection. ignoring the annoying pest, kyungsoo rotates his small body so he’s straddling his boyfriend, and plants a wet kiss on sehun’s lips.

“oh, for the love of god. i do not need to see this.” baekhyun mimes slitting his throat, his index finger emulating a sharp knife. he includes the theatrical choking on his blood sound effects to emphasise his distaste. unfortunately for baekhyun, his performance only spurs kyungsoo further.

kyungsoo moans loudly into sehun’s mouth, making sure that baekhyun hears the smacking and slurping as the kiss grows more intense and passionate. he purrs, “oh, sehun, you make me so horn--”

“--or hear it!” baekhyun cuts kyungsoo off. he shuts his eyes firmly shut and sticks his two index fingers into each ear. “i’m actually traumatised. please send me money to get counselling. are you even listening to me?! oh, forget it. i’m outta here!” he screams at the smooching pair.

no longer wanting to participate in ‘the third wheel adventures: level 9999’, baekhyun searches for his jacket. he almosts sheds a tear when he remembers he’d tossed it on the couch upon arrival. he prays that luck is on his side and that sehun had moved the jacket before parking his bouncy behind on the seat, but nope, he can see the material peeking out from underneath the male’s arse.

with no intention of approaching sehun (with a kyungsoo still attached to his face), baekhyun deems his jacket a lost cause. he’ll just text kyungsoo later to burn it. he doesn’t want it returned to him with… stains. he makes a swift exit and banishes the sounds of his friends' torrid lipsmacking from his memory.

he’s halfway through composing a text message with colourful language to his former best friend when his phone rings, causing him to drop the phone. he curses himself (and kyungsoo) as it clatters when it hits the ground.

squatting to pick the ringing device, his heart skips a beat when he sees the caller id on the screen and quickly answers the call. “hi, yes! i’m here!”

“hello, this is chanyeol calling from b’shert, the leading soulmate locating service in the industry. may i speak with a mr. byun, please?” the caller has an extremely sensual low voice. it sends shivers down baekhyun’s spine and directly to his loins.

“s-speaking,” baekhyun fumbles over his words.

“hi, i’m mr. kim’s secretary. i can see here that you have an appointment scheduled with him next week, is that correct?”

baekhyun nods. he had signed up to the new soulmate finding service, after the last one turned out to be a bust. he had literally bumped into b’shert’s ad after walking straight into a lamp post. it had happened when he was in the midst of leaving a scathing review about eros’ lousy service and considered it an act of fate. not one to ignore destiny, or the one month’s free trial offer, baekhyun had registered immediately.

“hello, mr. byun? are you still there?”

“oh right, sorry! i nodded but you couldn’t see me because we’re on the phone. d’uh,” baekhyun babbles nervously.

baekhyun hears the man cough and clear his throat. “right. well, unfortunately mr. kim has to reschedule the appointment that you were scheduled for next week. however, he does have an opening today at 3pm if you’re available. if not, the next available appointment is in three weeks time. mr. kim sends his sincere apologies and would also like to offer you an extra two month’s subscription, free of charge.”

baekhyun had planned on spending the day with kyungsoo and sehun but considering how that was now out the window, or down each other’s throats, he sees no reason why he couldn’t make it. not only is the search for his soulmate starting a week earlier than planned, he’s also scored two additional complementary months. things are looking up.

“yes, i’ll be there!” he exclaims enthusiastically into the receiver.

“passion, that’s what we like to hear here at b’shert, the leading soulmate locating service in the industry. i’ve updated mr. kim’s planner so i guess we’ll see you later on this afternoon then.”

“yes, i’ll be there!” baekhyun repeats again.

there’s an awkward pause before the secretary speaks. “alrighty then. b’shert, the leading soulmate locating service in the industry, bids you a good day.”

“yes, i’ll be th--” the call is ended before baekhyun finishes his sentence and embarrasses himself for the third time.




“welcome to b’shert, the leading--”

“soulmate locating service in the industry,” baekhyun joins in. “do you have to say that every time you say ‘b’shert’?”

the man nods. “every. single. blasted. time.” he exhales heavily before grinning a toothy smile. “hi, i’m chanyeol, mr. kim’s secretary. you must be mr. byun?”

“please, call me baekhyun. mr. byun’s my father’,” baekhyun jokes and earns a hearty laugh from chanyeol. the secretary is actually quite handsome. he has a youthful face, big bright eyes and a dazzling smile. baekhyun is already deliberating whether or not he should ask for his number before he leaves.

“mr. kim is already waiting for you in his office, just go on through,” chanyeol says, extending his arms to direct baekhyun to his destination.

baekhyun strolls down the hallway, looking at the photo frames adorning the walls. all the happy soulmates b’shert have located, baekhyun assumes. he arrives at a door with a ‘mr. kim jongdae’ plaque affixed to it.

“well, this must be it,” he mutters himself, wiping his sweaty palms on his trousers. he knocks twice before opening the door and entering.

the office is small, but tidy. not exactly what baekhyun was expecting from “b’shert, the leading soulmate locating service in the industry”. he’d envisioned a big office with windows stretching from the floor to the ceiling, glass tables and white chairs. the biggest surprise is the numerous filing cabinets lined up against the walls. how old school, baekhyun comments to himself.

baekhyun sees a man around his height, standing in front of one of the drawers with his back turned to him. “please take a seat. i’m just pulling up your file, i won’t be second.”

baekhyun complies and makes his way to the vacant chair. the consultant turns to face baekhyun, just as he strides past him. gasping at the sight he’s just witnessed, his body slackens and the documents in his hand fall to the ground, littering the floor. they both drop to their knees to collect the papers, butting heads as they descend.

“oops! i’m sorr--” baekhyun voice falters as he fixes on the eyes staring back at him. his stomach is doing backflips and somersaults, and his heart is pounding so hard, his ears are starting to ring. “i see… me,” he whispers, his eyes welling up.

“baekhyun?” he places a hand on baekhyun’s shoulder, his voice alarmed.

“h-how is this possible? i haven’t had any headaches, this doesn’t make any sense.” baekhyun shakes his head in disbelief. kim jongdae, the man who was going to help him find his soulmate, is his soulmate? is this really happening? the wave of emotions leaves baekhyun in a daze. it’s ironic how unprepared baekhyun is despite having been fixated on this very moment for the past several years.

jongdae smiles. “you know that’s just a silly old wive’s tale. a beacon of hope to those who are soulmateless. there’s no actual scientific correlation between headaches and the impending location of a soulmate.”

“but kyungsoo had headaches right before he met his.”

“trust me, baekhyun.” jongdae takes one of baekhyun’s hand into his own, sending an electric current rippling through his entire body. “i’ve been doing this a long time.”

baekhyun chews on his lower lip. “i guess this means i won’t be needing your services any longer?”

“perhaps not b’shert’s services, but how about the exclusive kim jongdae services instead? in exchange for exclusive byun baekhyun services, of course.”

before baekhyun has a chance to accept his soulmate’s offer, jongdae crashes their mouths together, parting baekhyun’s lips and slipping in his tongue. breaking the kiss, baekhyun pulls away slightly to examine jongdae’s face properly and notes his handsome features.

baekhyun smiles warmly at the thought of waking up to jongdae’s face every morning. “i gotta say, b’shert really are the leading soulmate locating services in the industry,” he quips before drawing jongdae in for another kiss.

notes
1. eros - greek god of love
2. b'shert - "destiny"; referring to seeking of a person who will complement you and whome you will complement perfectly (taken from poietes.wordpress.com)
3. i had no intention of writing baek's story but krys made me do it.
4. thank you for reading!! ^^
5. i do not like the number four.

additional a/n:
so.... idrk what this is.. my (failed) attempt at a soulmate!au. i hope it wasn't a complete waste of time to read? //sobs.
i hope you have/had an amazing birthday, addie.
//shoots you hearteus.
//throws more cake at you.