“Hyung,” Minhyuk calls, tossing his keys into the small bowl beside the door and his jacket onto the couch. He looks around for a sign that the older has eaten, but the kitchen is just as Minhyuk left it earlier. He shakes his head and sighs, already moving to give his friend an earful. 

He throws the door open, earning a surprised jolt from the older. Hoseok looks up at him with wide eyes, pupils shaking like a scared bunny.  

“Minhyuk-ah!” he says. “I thought you were going out to eat with the others?”  

“I did,” Minhyuk answers. He steps into the room, grabbing Hoseok by the sleeve of his shirt, and pulling him out of the room. “I’ve been gone for hours and you still haven’t eaten. What have you been doing?” 

“S-S-Sorry,” Hoseok apologizes, his nervous lisp coming out at seeing the younger aggravated at him. “I guess I just lost track of time. I got inspired and began to sketch, and—” 

“Hyung,” Minhyuk sighs, setting him down in a chair at the dining table, “you have got to stop obsessing over your soulmate situation. It’s getting to be ridiculous.” He grabs a cup of instant noodles, adding the water and throwing it into the microwave. “You had the chance to meet a great-looking, sweet guy tonight, but you threw it away to write lyrics about and sketch out your mystery man all night.” 

“I thought it was just going to be the usual group?” Hoseok asks, raising a skeptical brow. 

“Changkyun brought his new friend with him,” Minhyuk explains, waving off the other’s expression. “He’s actually really handsome, seems like he’d be your type.” 

“I’m not really interested, no offense,” Hoseok says frankly. “I know my soulmate is close, Minhyukkie, so I’m not going to start dating some random guy until my true love shows up. We’re given these words for a reason, to make finding those we’re meant to be with easily and to not have to trudge through years of heartbreak.” 

“It’s completely acceptable to date other people before you find your match,” Minhyuk insists exasperatedly. This is a conversation the two have had many times before, ever since Hoseok had begun to obsess much more than usual about his one and only. The microwave beeps, signifying the completion of the noodle preparation. 

“I know a lot of people do it,” Hoseok says, gratefully smiling at Minhyuk for fixing his dinner, “but that’s just not me. If it isn’t my soulmate, I don’t want to date them and get attached just to leave them in the end.” 

“It’s your life,” Minhyuk murmurs dejectedly, this being the typical outcome of the conversation. “Just don't die of starvation before you manage to meet this oh-so fantastic mate of yours.” He shakes his head, moving to leave the room. “I'm going to bed,” he says over his shoulder. “Make sure to get some sleep tonight, okay?” Hoseok smiles gratefully at his friend, slurping up noodles noisily. “Also, please try to keep from waking me up in the middle of the night in your sleep again,” he adds, snickering at Hoseok’s falling grin and growing blush. 

“It’s not like that, Minhyuk-ah!” Hoseok argues. He continues to explain how his dreams are nothing like what the younger implied, but it all comes out as a frazzled babble and Minhyuk can’t understand a word of it. He only chuckles, waving off his words as he goes to bed. Hoseok pouts, returning his attention to his soup. 

He returns to his room after quickly finishing off the meal. He hesitates for a moment, wondering if he should call it a night or finish up what he was doing. He shrugs, glancing down at his sketches. They're nearly finished anyway. He can go to bed in a few minutes. 

Hyungwon sighs as he snuggles into bed. He checks his phone one last time for any urgent notifications, nodding contentedly. He yawns widely, shutting his eyes against the darkness engulfing his room. Replaying the day's events, he can't help but smile. It had been fun to meet the rest of Changkyun's friends, even if one of them didn't come because of his obsession with his soulmate.  

He shakes his head, turning on his side and curling up underneath the covers. He doesn't understand the fascination with soulmates. You meet your soulmate when you meet your soulmate. Nothing can make it happen any sooner or later, so why think about it so much? You'll know when it happens, and that's enough. 

Apparently, his subconscious doesn't quite feel the same, for that night he dreams of someone who's been haunting the back of his mind for a few weeks now. 

Hyungwon approaches the bench, a familiar figure sitting there. He can't help but smile to himself at seeing the older, dutifully waiting for him. He silently sits beside him, and his head snapping over immediately to smile at him. His smile is always so beautiful, so breathtaking, that it takes Hyungwon a moment to process it.  

"Have you been waiting long, hyung?" Hyungwon asks softly. The young man chuckles under his breath, the exuberant tones echoing throughout the dream.  

"I'll wait for you forever, Hyungwonnie." He then pauses, his face falling. "But, I wonder sometimes if we'll ever find each other..." 

Hyungwon's mind fills with a sense of urgency. He grasps the other's hand tightly, his eyes taking on an earnest light as he peers into his mate's. 

"Of course we will," Hyungwon assures him. The older chuckles again, this time the sound being a bit softer. He leans over, pressing a kiss against Hyungwon's forehead. 

Hoseok's eyes flash open. He looks around for a moment, a bit disoriented. He sits up, a page sticking to his cheek. He groans in annoyance at having fallen asleep at his desk again, and stretches his arms high above his head. He sighs, shoving his bangs out of his face as he stares listlessly at his work. Bits and pieces of his dream float into his vision, though nothing helpful. He knows in the dream he'd said his soulmate's name, though he can't remember it now. Did it start with an H, or maybe a...? 

He shakes his head, knowing it won't do him any good to try and guess. He knows the other is taller than him, though, but that isn't exactly helpful. He also remembers that the other had referred to him as 'hyung,' but, again, that isn't the most specific detail to go off of.  

He sighs, wishing that he could remember the younger's face for just a moment as he stares at the vague sketches he'd done of his soulmate.  

Alas, he knows that to be impossible.  

Hyungwon awakens the next morning smiling. He stretches, but doesn't open his eyes quiet yet, not ready to begin the day. Fragments from his recurring dream come to the forefront of his mind, and his heart suddenly fills with an intense desperation to find the other man in that dream. He shakes his head, sitting up and opening his eyes. 

It'll happen when it happens, he reminds himself. Don't worry about it, don't try to make it happen. Just believe it will happen and it will. 

He slowly gets out of bed, mumbling out a list of all he has to do that day, doing his best to distract himself from the remaining ache within his heart.