Forever
Request: Could I request a tooth-achingly sweet soulmate!au for Zelo (B.A.P)? Like the kind where they have the tattoo of each other’s names? Also, I’m so so happy you’re back!! 💖💖
Pairing: BAP’s Zelo x Reader
Genre: Fluff
You grumbled to yourself as you scratched at the irritated patch of skin on your forearm. “Maybe I can just get it covered up.”
“Don’t you dare!” your best friend gasped, smacking you lightly on the shoulder. “That’s your destiny!”
“A person is not my destiny,” you argued. “I decide my own destiny.”
“Right, you just don’t decide the person you share your destiny with,” she chuckled, looking over the edge of her glasses.
Shooting her a glare, you looked back down to your coffee, eager to end this conversation and down the cup. “So where are you going on holiday?”
“Spain - what’s your tattoo say?” she asked, setting her own cup down with a smile.
You rolled your eyes before gingerly tucking the skin into your body and away from her. “Zel. He sounds like a Power Rangers villain.”
“I was thinking more Dragon Ball Z,” she nodded, her grin growing more ferocious by the moment. “But calm down, I’m certain it isn’t done yet.”
“Whoever decided one letter would appear at a time didn’t truly know the meaning of cruel and unusual punishment,” you muttered. “And how did you get so lucky?”
Your best friend giggled as she looked down at her tattoo, her soulmate’s name etched in it’s completion. Her attention then diverted to the fat engagement ring balanced on her finger. “Everyone in my family got their tattoos early. I guess it’s an inherited trait.”
Chewing on your lip, you tried to avoid eye contact. Not only were you privileged to live in a society that’s romantic policies seemed to operate based off of systematic genetic mutations, but those mutations also appeared at different times for different people.
Imagine your shock and horror when all of your friends had their soulmates names begin to show up at your twelfth birthday party.
But your skin remained untouched.
It wasn’t until recently that your own black scribble had begun to appear, and in recent days, had been picking up letters with speed.
“Where are you going on holiday?” your friend asked, noticing your silence.
You let out a sigh before giving a small nod. “South Korea.”
.
.
“But why does it hurt?” Zelo pouted, draping his arm over Yongguk’s leg.
“Because it’s a tattoo,” his older, former member chuckled, patting his arm in return.
“But it’s not like...a tattoo, tattoo,” he muttered, eying the letters on his arm. “It doesn’t feel the same.”
“You’re right,” Yongguk nodded. “It feels worse.”
“You know, there’s a flaw in the system,” Zelo groaned. “What if someone has the same name? Then what?”
“Then you hope you find the right one,” Yongguk chuckled. “I’ve never heard of that happening though. The universe has it’s ways.”
“It would be just my luck if I found the wrong someone with the right name,” Zelo groaned, glancing down to his tattoo. The words written so plainly in English eluded him. He wasn’t entirely certain of the pronunciation, but knew it was definitely someone who used English as one of their primary languages. That’s how the tattoos normally worked. They would appear as a native tongue, or at least in a language your soulmate spoke. It gave you the opportunity to learn it as well before meeting for the first time and becoming terribly confused.
“Think about it this way,” Yongguk sighed. “It’s not the wrong person, it’s just you taking a little control of the situation.”
“I feel like that was meant to be comforting,” Zelo grumbled. “Can’t you give me better wise words than that?”
“Trust the system,” Yongguk smiled. “That’s the only option we have.”
“Come on!” Zelo gasped. “Don’t you want to give me some speech about disregarding the system and finding your own true soul mate and falling in love your own way?”
“And then what?” Yongguk laughed. “Sure, you find someone you think you’re in love with, but then you bump into the person who is, in all actuality, the person who’s name is written on your arm. Talk about unnecessary complication.”
Zelo furrowed his brows before leaning back into the couch again. “You’ve grown soft in your old age.”
“Nope,” Yongguk hummed. “I’ve just grown more wise. Why create complication and heartache for yourself when you can just follow how things are meant to be?”
“But don’t you ever wonder about the what if?”
“When you meet your soul mate...” Yongguk nodded. “The what if won’t matter.”
.
.
You couldn’t tell your best friend that there was a very specific reason for your holiday in Korea. Granted, the food was mouth watering, the history and culture was mesmerizing, and the fashion scene was incredible, but you had another reason to go. Sure, you had mentioned that your tattoo said “Zel,” but that was the only portion of it that you could actually read.
The rest of it was in a very different language.
A very different language that you had determined was Hangul.
You were already in your second day of visiting Seoul when another letter appeared on your arm, an “o” following the “Zel” you were already familiar with.
“Zelo,” you murmured to yourself, shimmying down your shirt sleeve before picking up your coffee from the Starbucks counter. “If that’s his English name...what a strange one to choose.”
Lost in thought as you wandered out of the coffee shop and towards the street, you hardly noticed when a man passed by maybe a little too closely. You felt the pull before your legs could stop you. The uncomfortable feeling of falling took over as your unknowingly untied shoelace was caught under the stranger’s foot.
You let out a noise somewhere between a squawk and a shout, tumbling toward the ground before a pair of strong hands caught you. Spinning your body, and pouring your coffee haphazardly across his white, button down, he grabbed you just as you were about to slam into the concrete.
“Aish,” he groaned, standing you up on your own feet again. He winced as he looked down at you, struggling to find his words. “Are...you okay?”
You winced as you glanced at his shirt, which was very much not okay. “I am, but your shirt.”
“Shirt?” he laughed looking down. “It’s okay...just a shirt.”
You watched as he began to unbutton the fabric around his wrists and roll his shirt sleeves up, his tan skin becoming more and more unclothed by the moment.
You would have missed it if you weren’t watching, but just as you considered thanking him and turning away, a small, black scribble on his arm caught your attention.
“Why...why is my name...why is my name on your arm?” you whispered.
“Sorry,” the tall man said with a small bow. “My English...not so great.”
You took a deep breath and shut your eyes for a moment before opening them again. “H-hello,” you stuttered out in uncertain Korean. “My name is Y/N.”
“Y/N,” he said quietly, letting the words marinate on his lips. His eyes grew wide as he repeated it again, the understanding slowly coating his features. This time, he spoke in quiet, but clear english. “You are...?”
“I think so,” you nodded, your ability to speak his language shaky at best.
With slow fingers, he reached toward his sleeve, and began to fold the fabric further upwards towards his arm. Resting directly below the ditch of his elbow, sat your name in clear, block print. A small smile formed on his lips as he glanced shyly toward you. He was hesitant as he moved, stopping his hand several times before it finally met yours. As if static was waiting behind every touch, his fingertips shocked yours, but not enough to cause either of you to retreat.
You allowed him to move your hands slowly, only stopping once your palm was wrapped around his forearm and your thumb brushed against the moniker you had written for decades now.
“Soul mates...” Zelo said quietly.
You gave him an encouraging nod, noting his English, or at least his English pertaining to this situation, was pretty effective. Taking your hand from his arm, you pulled up your sleeve as well, glancing at it fondly for the first time in your life.
“My name?” he gasped, his eyes lighting up at the words. Without waiting he took your forearm in his grasp. As he eyed the lettering curiously, it gave you the opportunity to examine him more closely. He stood taller than you with short, dark hair, sticking out sharply from his forehead. His eyes were dark as well, so intensely brown that they were nearly black. A small stud sat in his perfect, button nose, adding another interesting facet to a face you could already stare at for hours. Your focus traced down his profile and toward his hand where his pointer finger trailed along your tattoo.
“Zelo,” he nodded. “My stage name. I am rap...I am a rapper. ” He tapped at the word proudly, only moving on once you nodded as well. He moved on to the next letters, written in tight Hangul. “Choi-”
“Junhong,” you finished with a smirk. “Choi Junhong.”
Zelo leaned back, hardly able to contain the happiness in his expression. “I feel...so amazing...right now.”
His hand slid down your arm, allowing himself the chance to let his fingers interlace with yours. “Mine,” he said quietly. “My soulmate.”
“Yours,” you echoed in Korean. “Forever.”
A small smile emerged on his lips before he looked up toward you. “Forever.”
