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You hated your soulmate. You absolutely hated your soulmate, and you haven’t even met him yet.
You didn’t start feeling what he felt until recently. The very first thing you felt was a cut on your hand and you started to bleed. A memorable first impression, to say the least. Then you developed more cuts, some bruises, and even muscle soreness. You thought that maybe it was all completely normal. You thought that all of this pain came with the package of finding your soulmate. But when you asked around how long until the bruising disappears, your friends just looked at you like you were crazy.
It was then you realized that maybe your soulmate was either accident prone or a masochist.
Or maybe they were both.
You would go about your normal day being extremely cautious and prepared for all the pain you would have to endure. Sometimes you would wake up thinking that maybe today would be the day your soulmate wouldn’t hurt himself. Sometimes you even sympathized - or was it technically empathized? - because there were times you had to go see a doctor when the injuries were more severe, thinking to yourself honestly, fuck you for bringing me here, but I hope you’re all right, too.
The scarring and bruises weren’t even the worst part of all of this. No, the worst part about being able to feel what your soulmate feels was the random bursts of pleasure that made you go insane. It was fine when it was night time and you were in the comfort of your home - at least that way no one could see your blushing face. But when you felt it in the middle of the day while you were at work, getting lunch, or even just fucking grocery shopping, you had to run to the bathroom so your soulmate could finish.
This morning you had a, uh, pleasant start to your day. You woke up panting, sweating, and flustered, trying to come down from the euphoria your soulmate caused all too frequently.
“Is my soulmate a chronic sex addict? For God’s sake, it’s seven in the morning!” you muttered bitterly. A shower was necessary to wash away the shame you felt for your partner.
In the shower, you enjoyed the peace and serenity the warm water gave you. It was a peaceful ten minutes that you thoroughly enjoyed until it was ruined again only moments later.
“Ow! Fucking christ!” you screamed. You saw some redness forming on your hand from inflammation caused by something. From your previous knowledge, it looked like it was from a burn from cooking breakfast.
How incredibly annoying was it that you already knew the reason for the burn?
“I’ll show you a burn.” You turned the shower handle to the hot side of the spectrum and endured the 0.2 seconds of scalding water all over your body. The pain you felt was worth the satisfaction knowing your partner’s probably cursing you out right now.
Did that make you the sadist? Or did that make you both masochists?
It was a constant battle of stimulation between the two of you that you didn’t even know what was accidental and what was on purpose anymore other than the infinite shameless times he’s had sex. Maybe he thought the same about you, too. What if he thought you were the clumsy one and he was doing the exact same thing by hurting himself to get back at you?
Kind of fucked up, huh?
“Rough morning?” your roommate asks, raising her eyebrow at you. She probably guessed by the sour look on your face as you exited the bathroom.
“Woke up to my soulmate having sex again and a burn from when he was cooking. Who the fuck has the time and energy to fuck this early!?”
“You’d be surprised,” she smirks. “Maybe he’s not having sex, maybe he’s, you know.” She gestures to you a juvenile attempt at a hand job.
“Either way, it’s annoying and embarrassing, like does he not have any shame? I can’t remember a time where I’d go at least three days without having an orgasm because of him.”
“He’s just not embarrassed to touch himself like you are, obviously…”
“Shut up.”
She wasn’t wrong. You haven’t had sex nor have you touched yourself because honestly, you’d be thinking about your soulmate the entire time, and it was embarrassing.
“You need to relax and just do it, _____. You’ve been so irritable lately, it’s driving me insane.”
“I know, I’m sorry, ok. I’ve just been so preoccupied trying to find him for months, but I’ve had absolutely zero luck!”
“Maybe that’s why. You can’t just go out looking for someone with no leads. You have no idea what you’re looking for.”
“I don’t, and I’ve never felt so lost,” you pout. “But maybe I’ll find him after today.”
“Why, what do you have in mind?”
“He’s going to hate me so much after today that he’s bound to show up.”
The malicious smirk on your lips caused your roommate to take a step back from you. “You’re not gonna, like, fling yourself down the stairs so you’d go to the hospital, are you?”
“What, no,” you said. “I’m going to get a tattoo.”
“You’re a psychopath.”
“I am not! If anything, he’s the psychopath!”
“You two are meant for each other.”
“Honestly, that’s so sweet of you to say.”
—
“Ow, shit!” Namjoon curses. The oil from the pan pops and hits his hand, giving him a small burn.
Immediately, a running Jin snatches the chopsticks away and pushes him aside. “What did I say about cooking!?”
“But I’m hungry…”
“Just ask next time! Look, you’re not even cooking it correctly - you’re supposed to scrape the ice off the dumpling before you put it in the pan so the oil doesn’t pop. You’re also not supposed to use olive oil for frying.”
“Ohhh…”
“I feel sorry for your soulmate. How are you even alive and functioning?”
“Yeah, how have they not tracked you down to kill you yet?” Hoseok teases, pushing Namjoon further away from the stove.
“She’s probably smart enough to know that doing so would kill her, too,” Yoongi scoffs.
“Shut up - HOLY FFFFFF -”
Namjoon couldn’t finish his sentence as he hunched over on the floor feeling like he was on fire. He struggled to turn on the faucet to run cold water on his minor burns. His inked skin was flushed a painful pink.
“What happened…?” Jin asked with wide eyes.
“I think my soulmate burned me on purpose!”
“That’s what you get for being so careless. I’m surprised they haven’t done so earlier.”
“They have! Every time I hurt myself, they hurt themselves back so I can feel it. Can you believe that!? Who hurts their soulmate on purpose!?”
“Oh, I definitely would if you were my soulmate,” Yoongi said. “I’d be pissed if my partner was chronically accident prone.”
“You guys are great friends, you know,” Namjoon said sarcastically as he dried himself off.
“Thanks!” Jungkook chimes.
“I’m going to the shop.”
“What about your dumplings!?”
“Fuck ‘em, you eat it.”
“Don’t hurt yourself too much today!” Jin calls as Namjoon walks out the door.
—
“Welcome!” the receptionist at the tattoo shop greeted you. “How can I help you?”
“Do you accept walk-ins?” you ask.
“Yes, Namjoon is available once he’s ready - speak of the devil.”
The door chimed as it swung open. A very tall, very good-looking man walks through the door with disheveled hair and a grumpy expression that was all too similar to yours, but somehow made him unbelievably handsome. His expression melts as he sees you and shoots you a quick wink with a dimple-y smile as he passes you.
“He’ll be your artist today. Now, because you’re alone, I assume you haven’t met your soulmate yet?”
“I haven’t. Why do you ask?”
“Those who have met or feel their soulmate need to have a cosigner that states they consent to the feeling of getting a tattoo.”
“Really!?” you said a little too loudly.
“Yes, it’s the law. So have you felt your soulmate at all?”
“Uh, n-no,” you lied. “Not yet, surprisingly.”
“Ok, well, then you need to sign these forms that state that if you’re caught lying, we have the right to report you to the authorities.”
“R-Right,” you stutter, reading the forms thoroughly before risking hundreds of dollars in fines and possinly jail time.
“All right, then you’re all set! Namjoon will call you when he’s ready.”
You sit in the waiting area impatiently tapping your feet. Your nails dig crescents into the palms of your hand unapologetically, with you not worrying about if your soulmate could feel it. To be honest, you were completely terrified about getting your first tattoo. You thought about the design in your car for like, ten minutes and thought up a bullshit reason in case they asked.
It’s not like you were going to tell them you were getting a tattoo out of spite. How crazy would that make you look?
I mean, of course you were crazy, but you didn’t want anyone to know that.
“_____?” The man named Namjoon asked.
His arms were now exposed as he settled into the shop, showing you nearly a dozen or so on his sleeve. Even from far away, you could tell how intricate they were, telling you that it must’ve taken hours to complete each one. Your eyes widened, sympathizing with his soulmate, that poor person…
“Are you ready?” he asked you.
“Yeah,” you sigh, hesitation evident in your voice.
“Scared?”
You take a seat and watch him prep his needles and ink. Why were there so many tools…
“Y-Yeah,” you stutter. “Does it hurt…?”
“Oh, yeah, like a bitch,” he chuckles. “No matter how many tattoos I get, they all hurt as much as the last, although the very first one is unforgettable.”
“Gee, thanks.”
“I’m just being honest! You’re here now, no use turning back, right?”
“I suppose… Has your soulmate ever felt any of those?”
Namjoon sits across from you and gives you another smile with his heart-stopping dimples. “No. I got these way before I even started to feel them. I haven’t gotten one since the day I started to feel.”
“How come?”
“Well, I haven’t met them yet. I’m also an extremely clumsy person, so they experience enough pain from me,” he chuckles. Man, did you definitely related to his soulmate all too well. “I could never ask them to go through with a tattoo if they’ve never had one yet.”
“That’s very considerate of you.”
“I suppose it is. It’s the least I can do.” Namjoon rolls his chair close enough for you to smell his intoxicating cologne. “So what am I drawing on you today?”
“Just an outline of a crescent moon.”
“Simple. I like it.”
“To be honest, I thought of the design in the car,” you said, scratching your arm nervously. “I just want to get the feeling out of the way before I meet - feel my soulmate.”
“That’s cute,” he chuckles again. “All right, this shouldn’t take longer than five minutes.”
He put on some nylon gloves and shaves the part of your arm where you want the tattoo. His hands are warm and comforting, easing your nervousness, although it quickly came back when he buzzes the needle.
“Oh, shit,” you whisper. Were you making a big mistake? Were you taking your pettiness too far?
No, you had every right to…
“Ready?” he asked.
“No.”
“Good enough. It’ll only hurt for a few minutes.”
When the needle touched your skin, you nearly blacked out.
“Jesus fucking Christ!” you screamed.
“Ow, fucking hell!” Namjoon screamed, too.
You both swung your heads to look at each other with wide eyes. At first you were extremely confused. The only reason Namjoon would be screaming in pain is if his soulmate was doing something reckless. Was it a coincidence that he felt pain as you were getting a tattoo? But then it clicked in your head that it was, in fact, you who was being the reckless soulmate.
“You!” you both said, pointing to each other accusingly.
“You’re my soulmate!? Are you fucking kidding me?” you sigh. “Boy, do I have a lot to say to you.”
“You have a lot to say to me!?” You look at him with a blank expression and your glad to see that he nods his head understandingly. “Ok, yeah, I probably do deserve a mouthful…”
“Yeah, you do.”
“But ~ you did just lie about not feeling your soulmate! I could report you!” You silently slump in your seat with a pout on your face. “But you’re really cute, so I won’t.”
“Normally, I’d be flattered, but I’m a bit angry at you at the moment.”
“All right, let me hear what you have to say about my clumsiness.”
You sighed, collecting all of your thoughts. “First of all, how?”
“It’s an innate gift I’ve been given.”
“Do you see all of my bruises?” You rolled up your pants to expose your purple shins. “And this cut?” You point to a healing scar on your cheek. “And this burn on my hand from this morning? What were you even making?”
“The, uh, dumplings had ice on them, so the oil sparked.”
“Frying ice, of course my soulmate would do that.”
“I’m not good in the kitchen, ok,” he frowns.
“Second question, do you have a girlfriend or significant other or enjoy frequent nights out in the town?”
He raises a curious brow at you and you try to suppress any current thoughts about his handsomeness that distract you from seeing him as anything other than irritating at the moment. “Are you making sure that I’m all yours?”
“No, I’m asking you why you have sex almost every day at the worst times.”
“Oh, that!” he said, bursting into a fit of laughter. How he was not even at least a little embarrassed amazed you. “Well, to make things clear, I don’t have a girlfriend, or significant other, or enjoy midnight reandezvous.”
“Then what the fuck are you doing - Oh…” You paused. If he didn’t do any of those, then that meant… The growing smirk on Namjoon’s face only confirms your assumption. “Really? You masturbate every day!?”
“Relax, it’s not every day. As you said, I do so almost every day.”
“Do you know how embarrassingly frustrating and also hilariously ironic it is when I’m picking up an eggplant at a grocery store and I can feel you doing your business?”
“But you like it, don’t you?” Namjoon leans his face close to yours. Close enough that you could feel his breath tickle your cheek. “Doesn’t it feel good?”
“Of course it feels good, it always does, but I like to plan my orgasms, thank you.”
“But that was the beauty of it, my dear. Knowing that as I’m touching myself, somewhere out there, you were enjoying it as much as I was. It’s intoxicating.” He licks his lips and suddenly your mind became hazy. “Didn’t you enjoy it this morning?”
“Yes,” you stated plainly, though blushing deeply.
“Of course you did. In fact, I can already feel that you’re aroused just by the mere thought of it,” he teased. “Imagine the euphoria we could feel together. It’d be twice as ecstatic, wouldn’t it?”
“If you’re that curious, let’s find out.”
“Wait, Really!?”
“After this tattoo.”
“I’ve been meaning to give you a mouthful about that, too,” he said. “How dare you hurt yourself on purpose just so I could feel it. Does that make you the sadist between the two of us?”
“You know, I’ve thought about it before, and I think me getting a tattoo done by you confirms it.”
“After all the pinching, shower burns, and nail-digging,” he paused, showing you the indented crescents on his palm. “I think so, too. Though of course, I will admit to being the fuel to the fire.”
“So long as you acknowledge it.”
“Let’s get this tattoo over with so we can get to the real fun, shall we?” he smirked.
“Can I get some lunch or dinner before that, at least? Where’s the chivalry?”
“How rude of me. I’ll need the energy, anyways, I skipped breakfast this morning.”