Fandom: Blue Exorcist/Ao No Exorcist
Pairing: Bon/Rin
Soulmate Au: Shared dreams until you actually get to meet.
Part: One, Two, Three, Four, Five, Six, Seven, Eight , Nine , Ten, Eleven, Twelve, Thirteen, Fourteen
"I'm gonna sound crazy." There was a resignation in Rin's eyes that had Bon's gut unclenching the slightest bit. Rin was going to tell him the truth.
Bon shifted onto his side, but left one hand on Rin's chest in case he tried to get away. He used the other arm to prop himself up and peered down at Rin's different, but still achingly similar face. The freckles were still there, even the scar he'd gotten from the fight when he'd first been called a demon was there, though it had shifted with his slightly different features. It was higher on his cheek now, and closer to his ear.
Leaning a little closer to his soulmate, he whispered, "Try me."
With darting eyes, intent on scanning Bon's face, Rin swallowed and nodded. "Ok...”
He didn't start right away, choosing instead to grab Bon's hand and weave their fingers together. Aside from being warmer, it still felt the same as it always had, and it still made his heart flutter and his stomach fill with a mass of fluttery and wild things.
"Do you… uh… do you know anything about demons?"
There were so many ways he could answer that. His entire life had been shaped by demons. Most of his goals were because of demons. They had robbed him of the people he should have had, robbed him of friends, robbed the people he loved of their family, and they plagued the world with their terror.
He simply nodded because right now he needed Rin to talk. There'd be time to explain his history with demons later.
The real question was why Rin suddenly knew about them. Rin had never seen them before. Bon had dropped hundreds of hints when he was younger, and he knew Rin didn’t believe in anything supernatural.
What had they done to him? What had those monsters done to his soulmate?
Rin’s eyes went wide. "You know that they're real?" he rushed, hands reaching out to grab hold of Bon’s arms. His nails dug in through the thin layer of Bon’s shirt, and he seemed even warmer than before.
Bon nodded and took Rin’s hand in his own. "All my life. That's why I chose this school."
Rin’s tail shot up in the air as he rolled onto his side. There was barely a breath between them now. "What?"
He shook his head. It didn’t matter how he could see them. “I'll explain that later. What about them? Did they hurt you?”
“Explain now,” Rin growled, and for a weird moment, he looked dangerous enough that a shiver of fear shot down Bon’s spine. Goosebumps broke across his arms— something that had never happened here.
It was an uncomfortable feeling, but not enough to stop him from getting annoyed. “Not until you do. I won the tickle fight, and you made those rules.”
Rin blinked, and suddenly he was reaching up, brushing his hand through Bon’s new blond streak. “I like this,” he murmured, “makes you look tough.” The hand continued, tucking a few loose strands behind his ear and pausing to tease at his new earrings. “I like all the punk—”
Bon’s entire face felt too warm, and his heart was fluttering so hard it was almost painful, but he still caught the hand and pulled it away. His soulmate was attractive, kind, funny, and extremely gifted at distracting. This… whatever they were becoming, it could wait. Rin, and whatever had happened, mattered right now.
“Thanks,” he pulled the captured hand towards his chest, “now please, tell me.”
Rin sat up uncomfortably. Bon followed, and decided he was done with the almost guilty way Rin was holding himself. He draped his arm over Rin’s shoulder and tugged him until his soulmate was curled against his chest. He kept hold of Rin’s hand and managed not to jump when Rin’s tail looped around his hip.
It was a strange sensation, but… not bad.
“I don’t know a lot. I was cutting through the park when I saw Reji hurting some birds.”
Reji was a jackass, and if Bon ever found out where Rin actually lived, Reji was one of the first people getting punched. There were a lot of people around Rin who deserved a punched, but none more than Reji.
“I got angry, but… Reji… he grew horns? And his teeth… He tried to hurt me.”
Rin quietly relayed the tale, slowly, stuttering on occasion, swallowing back a few tears, and explaining the half described terrors he’d told Bon yesterday.
Rin was a nephilim, and apparently a powerful one. Powerful enough that they’d had to seal part of him away so he didn’t draw attention. It was a strange sort of parody to Kurikara and his own temple.
Shirou had been possessed by a demon, and killed for defending Rin. Bon had never had the chance to meet the man, and he’d saved Rin’s life.
They lapsed into silence. He kept his arm around Rin, and let him compose himself while Bon worked through everything he’d just been told.
Who were Rin’s parents? How had they managed to seal his power? Why had the demons chosen now to go after him? What kind of demon was he?
Rin could have died. By the sound of it, Rin had been seconds away from death. Shirou had died because of whatever demons were after Rin, and Bon still had no idea where his soulmate was. He couldn’t get to him and keep him safe, and even this, just sleeping, was dangerous. Demons got stronger in the dark. Where was Rin? Was he safe? What if they were trying to get him right now?
Bon blinked and realized Rin was staring up at him nervously.
"Your father… he tried to kill you?"
Rin fidgeted uncomfortably. "I guess?"
What could he say to that? To any of this?
"When did you learn demons are real?" Rin asked slowly. His eyes were on their joined hands and he almost didn't seem to want to know the answer.
“I’ve… I’ve known about them all my life. I never saw them. Demons? They’re the reason my, uh, temple…” He couldn’t tell him the full story. Not now. Not when Rin had lost so much.
Rin had never called him cursed, and it hurt so much to even imagine him looking at Bon like the others did. If he knew the full tale, he’d call Bon crazy or cursed. He wouldn’t understand why Bon was determined to go after Satan himself. Rin would just think he was crazy and reckless without understanding everything Satan had taken from him.
However, it wasn’t just his people and temple, they’d hurt Rin now too. He’d destroy them all for this. For every tear, every scream, every heart-broken second, he’d make them pay.
Bon was apparently quiet for too long. Rin growled again. “What’d they do? Did they hurt you?”
The shiver of fright shot up his spine. “That’s something I’d rather tell you in person.” He dropped his eyes to the blanket and tried to swallow back the uncomfortable feeling twisting through his gut. He didn’t need to be scared of Rin.
Rin was his soulmate. Ryuuji Suguro, heir of the Myōō Dharani was the soulmate to a nephilim.
The boy he loved was a nephilim. Part of Rin… it didn’t seem possible that this goofy, earnest, energetic boy could be part demon. Nephilim were all but extinct. Demon blood might be around, but it wasn’t like they were really common, or that anyone even had much demon in their blood. Rin had enough demon blood in him to change the way he looked. Rin had enough for demons to go after him.
“Do you know who your demonic parent is?” He asked softly. Rin swallowed, squeezed Bon’s hand, and mouthed a word that made no sound.
Rin growled in frustration. “Are you fucking kidding me? How is that not allowed?!”
Bon pulled Rin’s hand to his lips and kissed his knuckles. It didn’t matter what name Rin had tried to say. Rin was alive despite whoever the bastard was.
“I don’t know?” he murmured, “maybe they think I could identify you by it.” He lifted his eyes and met Rin’s gaze again. Blue eyes stared at him, beautiful, a little bit red, and familiar. Rin’s eyes were his favorite, even if they looked a bit wilder now.
Bon had promised it wouldn’t change, and it hadn’t. He could still feel his heart in his eyes as he stared at Rin.
The dream shattered in the way it always did when Rin was woken abruptly. Bon shot upright in his bed and stared at the unfamiliar walls, disoriented for a long and terrible moment by the strangeness of everything around him.
He dropped back when he realized it was his new dorm, and curled up on his side so he could see the window to the grassy park.
He couldn’t do anything but murmur a prayer that Rin would be okay. That he hadn’t woken from some sort of attack. That the demons looking for him hadn’t found him, and that he was still safe. That he’d show up tomorrow, and Bon could hug him properly.
Either way, next time Bon saw Rin, he was telling him how he felt.
