♦ Take My Hand (And My Heart Too)

jongin/kyungsoo

no scientific theory can explain on how the world is changing, of how names of started appearing on the skin of their palms all around the people of the world. it was absurd at first, the name scripted in flowing black ink that couldn’t be scrubbed off - it was like a permanent tattoo embedded into their skin.

and many years later, people have confirmed of the soulmate theory where two halves of one are declared by the fateful inking of their palms. bounded by the red strings of fate, two people are destined by the goddess of love to fall in love - with each other’s name printed on their hands. however with love comes luck. not everyone is blessed with the marking - some markings appear early, some late while the unfortunate ones, it takes them forever or never.

those who find their soulmate - they are truly lucky indeed.

kyungsoo dreams.

he dreams of prying open someone’s palm and sees his name on the creases of the skin there, written in dark cursive ink - do kyungsoo. his lips curl into a gracious smile as kyungsoo traces the alphabets of the name, his name, and flowers are blooming rapidly in his chest like a garden. love is more than what he feels now, he feels complete.

“i’ve been waiting for you since forever.” his soulmate says with a low velvety voice that dances into kyungsoo’s ears like harmonious musical tunes. “i’ve found you now.” he brushes his fingers across kyungsoo’s knuckles and a jolt of electricity sparks within him from the contact.

his heart swells and the heat runs up from kyungsoo’s neck to his face. he’s over the moon, he feels owned and loved. kyungsoo scoots closer, wanting more, needing to know. it takes him a burst of courage to lift his head, slowly but surely, curious to see who his soulmate is -

and everything goes black.

the dream is over.

with a choked scream, kyungsoo wakes up in cold sweat. it’s four in the morning and he’s fully awake. he switches his lamp on and sits up with great difficulty on the right side of his bed, panting heavily. kyungsoo clenches his hand, unfurls his fingers and stares.

nothing.

he keeps staring with his tired eyes.

a hand that is barren, empty.

somewhere deep inside, kyungsoo is screaming at the unfairness of it all.

“good morning - woah!” baekhyun puts both of his hands up and backtracks, the surprise barely hidden in his tone when he spots how unruly his friend’s appearance is. “you look ..” he inspects kyungsoo’s face closely and frowns at the dark eye bags underneath kyungsoo’s uncharacteristically small looking eyes. “zombiefied.”

kyungsoo slams his locker hard, the impact creating a loud bang and he secretly enjoys the wince on baekhyun’s face. “such a nice compliment.” the doe eyed male snorts at his friend’s statement. “good morning to you too, sunshine.” kyungsoo greets and slings his backpack over his shoulder, his feet leading him to their next class.

“didn’t sleep well?” baekhyun bounces up next to the sleepy male, still enthusiastic as ever.

kyungsoo doesn’t glance at his friend. all he offers is a one word reply. “nightmare.”

“oh.” baekhyun’s smile drops, a look of understanding dawning his face. he’s known kyungsoo since childhood; they share everything they know including secrets. baekhyun sweeps a concern gaze over the other and touches kyungsoo’s arm gently, almost afraid that kyungsoo would break down there in front of him. “there, there, it’s just a dream, kyungsoo. don’t let it affect you too much okay.”

kyungsoo has an urge to shake baekhyun’s hand off him but he doesn’t because he loves baekhyun. the boy has always been there for him through his ups and downs. “yeah, you’re right.” kyungsoo musters a weak smile that doesn’t reach his eyes at all.

curious, he glimpses at baekhyun’s hand latched onto his arm. it’s not the first time he sees the name of park chanyeol scrawled across baekhyun’s palm because chanyeol has a byun baekhyun on his hand too, but every time kyungsoo does, it causes his stomach to stir uncomfortably. it makes him sick with envy.

all the way to his class, kyungsoo clenches his hands until they turn white. he wonders when it will be his turn. he wants to experience love at first sight with his soulmate, wants to feel the butterflies in his stomach, wants his heart to beat fast -

kyungsoo sighs and tells his heart to be patient to love because when you are patient with love, love will be kind to you.

english literature is boring, kyungsoo tries to convince himself that he has to ace this subject in order to be top three again in his grade. he doesn’t hate literature but he doesn’t like literature either, so it must be somewhere in between. he could hardly pay attention to what his teacher is droning on and on about.

“so i’ll be pairing everyone off for this project!” miss tiffany chimes out and grabs a marker from her bag. “i’ll write down your names and your partners’ so you guys will know.” kyungsoo wishes that someone would’ve just told her to read the list out loud but knowing her, miss tiffany is just too headstrong. might as well let her indulge herself to what she likes to do.

kyungsoo drums his fingers boredly as his classmates chatter around him in hushed whispers and even from the back, he can hear chanyeol’s noisy guffaws in the second row as baekhyun giggles right next to him.

kyungsoo thinks those two are quite a match if you ask him. after all, baekhyun and chanyeol hit off quite well from the beginning even before they had their markings and the marking day only sealed their lives together for eternity.

“alright, i’m done!” miss tiffany announces, clapping her hands to get her students’ attention. “so the name written right next to yours will be your partner!” she makes a hand moving motion and continues speaking, “get moving now everybody. you can sit next to your partner and discuss about your project, i’ll give you all time you need until the next period comes.” with that she packs her things and sits back in the corner of her table.

the students nod and start moving, everyone except for kyungsoo who sat still on his place, his head still somewhere far up the clouds from all the day dreaming.

it isn’t until someone plops down onto the seat right in front of him that he breaks out of his reverie with a meek squeak.

“hey there.” the smooth tenor voice that greets kyungsoo has his heart ricocheting from his chest.

apparently, that someone is his partner for the project. kyungsoo doesn’t know if he should thank the heavens above or start digging a hole for his grave because his project partner is jongin. tall, dark and handsome kim jongin,  the infamous guitarist of their school band, EXO. also, tall, dark and handsome kim jongin, the one that kyungsoo has an undying crush on.

“h-hi.” kyungsoo splutters not so smartly. please kill me now. he’s very tempted to open the window next to his seat and dive right out of the classroom right now because jongin is staring at him so intensely like he has just declared kyungsoo as his new favourite person.

“i’m jongin, nice to meet you. are you kyungsoo?” jongin’s boyish grin is bright and his crinkled eyes are too mesmerising for kyungsoo. it makes him trip and fall harder for this gorgeous tan skinned male who has already stolen his heart since day one of high school. unfortunately, kyungsoo is one of those students who like to blend in with the crowd so he’s not surprised if jongin doesn’t recognise him.

he blinks twice before answering politely with a small smile. “yes, i am. do kyungsoo, pleased to meet you.” kyungsoo’s rather confused to why jongin is suddenly talking to him like they are close friends because jongin is popular, sweet and everybody loves him and kyungsoo, he’s just tiny awkward kyungsoo who hides in the library with every free period he has. jongin has never noticed him before this.

kyungsoo is too caught up with his thoughts that he misses the way that jongin’s eyes widen slightly and the way his mouth falls open in and jongin’s gaze turns from hi nice to meet you to where have you been all my life i’ve been waiting since forever.

“do kyungsoo, really, are you do kyungsoo?” jongin asks, his voice louder than before and a few students are looking at them. jongin blushes from the attention, ducking his head shyly and whispers instead. “i’m sorry, but are you really do kyungsoo?” jongin sounds like a lost puppy seeking for his owner and kyungsoo couldn’t resist from cooing a little (inside his head).

kyungsoo nods firmly. “yeah, i am. the one and only.” he raises an eyebrow at the red faced jongin who’s looking like a constipated giraffe at the moment. the apprehensiveness is seeping through him tidally from jongin’s strange behaviour towards him. “why?” he meets jongin’s flustered gaze rather boldly.

jongin doesn’t explain himself. no words are exchanged as he just holds out his right palm towards kyungsoo and uncurls his fingers slowly. jongin watches the way kyungsoo frowns adorably at him for the lack of response but proceeds to look down at jongin’s palm just to entertain him but the expression on kyungsoo’s face changes completely when he realises -

his name.

kyungsoo’s name is there.

on jongin’s palm.

kyungsoo stares, uncomprehending, at the beautiful flowing script embedded into jongin’s skin. he stares and stares, feeling his own head spin with it. it’s impossible, kyungsoo thinks as he keeps looking at the do kyungsoo printed on jongin’s palm like it belongs there naturally. the thumping of his heart is deafening in his own ears as kyungsoo looks back up at jongin who is still staring at him like he’s the sun, moon and stars and everything in between.

kyungsoo’s chest tightens, barely aware of how hot his own cheeks are. he feels sparks run up along his body and everything just feels right, this is how the way it should be. he could die from happiness.

“i’ve been waiting for you since forever.” jongin murmurs, soft words embracing kyungsoo’s heart akin to how his hand is softly caressing kyungsoo’s one. their faces are so close, jongin doesn’t even mind that the whole class has gone quiet and are watching them now. it’s their moment.

jongin links their fingers together and brushes his plush lips over kyungsoo’s knuckles, all the while his spellbounding gaze is set on kyungsoo. his heart feels complete and full, knowing that he has found what he has been looking for his entire life.

“i’ve found you now.”

we are soulmates.