Ephemeral to Fate
Synopsis: Running into your soulmate at your local grocery store sounds realistic. Does running into them at your death scene normal too? Wooyoung being pulled into a death experience brings him closer to the one he wished to meet for the longest.
Pairing: wooyoung x san
Genre : Angst (?), fluff | soulmate!au
Word count : 1.1k words
WARNING : touches a topic you’ll probably tear up at but it’s ok because it’s all fictional remember
The acrid smell of burning rubber and black smoke clings to the air. With an everlasting fire blazing through the dark night, time feels stalled. For it wasn’t the sound of the leaves swaying then the unfiltered wind brushing against his bare legs you couldn’t tell that indeed the earth still moved. A heartbeat could faintly be heard if you strained your ears. Slowly but surely, the organ began to stop beating. With his head tucked between his legs, his fertile body shook. The passing event was an unexpected one of course. Yet he found himself asking someone--’’Why?’’
‘’I wish I knew the answer.’’
As if god himself had heard his thoughts, someone responded. He lifts his head quickly and with sunken eyes he makes contact with the stranger. The stranger smirks, standing above the smaller boy’s body. He takes an empty spot on the rough road mirroring his position. Being taken aback by the stranger’s action, he scoots aside.
‘’Incase you’re curious, I'm San.’’
‘’Huh?’’
‘’My name.’’
‘’Oh.’’
The boy looks ahead of himself taking in the unappealing view. San stares at him with curiosity on his mind. He was indeed a quite one it seemed. Although San was the exact opposite for exchange. With a tilt of the head San hums.
‘’And your name?’’
‘’Wooyoung.’’
‘’Well,’’ San brings his right hand to clap around Wooyoungs shoulder-which gives him a shock-and says ‘’It’s nice to meet you.’’
‘’Why?’’
‘’Hm?’’
Wooyoung turns his head to look at San and he’s met with teary eyes.
‘’Did I do something wrong?’’
‘’I’m sorry I don’t think I underst-’’
‘’Why did I die?’’
There’s a quick silence that passes between the two and San removes his hand from the stricken male. He thinks for a moment with a thumb pressed under his chin.
‘’I feel like the answer isn’t simple.’’
‘’You know I was on the way to pick up my cousin because she’s been having relationship problems and needed someone to comfort her.’’
Wooyoung chuckles followed by a sniffle.
‘’She called me on the phone at 11 wailing. It broke my heart to hear her like that that I wasted no time grabbing my keys and shrugging on a jacket.’’
San did nothing but listen carefully to Wooyoung. There was something about his soft voice that lulled him in. He could probably listen to him all day if it was possible. He smiled to the stories he told of his cousin. The way he spoke of her made it obvious that he was found of the girl.
‘’But then something shifted in the road, my fingers slipped and...’’
Wooyoung sighs and San gives him a look of empathy as he hands him a sad smile.
‘’I’m dead.’’
Another moment of silence fills the air before Wooyoung speaks.
‘’What about you? How’d you die?’’
“Well what gave you the notion I'm not alive?’’
San gives a hearty laugh when he sees Wooyoungs cheeks burn a bright red. You could only see as much as the nearby fire and moonlight could provide.
‘’O-oh I didn’t mean you look dead or anything ahaha. It’s just that I figured you were dead too because what person in their mind would casually talk to a ghost. Not that I'm calling you a crazy person either hah.’’
He sputters out in a panicked tone and when he notices San isn’t mad he takes a breath of air to calm himself down.
‘’I can assure you I am dead although how I died isn’t very interesting in the slightest so don’t worry about it.’’
San places his hand where his heart should palpitate and shakes his head. Unlike wooyoung, he was aware of his death coming.
‘’It’s saddening really. I never even got to meet my soulmate.’’
Upon hearing the word San looks over to Wooyoung. Wooyoung starts to feel nervous at the unreadable expression he wears.
‘’You probably think its childish to believe in that stuff huh.’’
San had been quiet ever since Wooyoung brought the subject up and he starts to think that he runs his mouth a little too much. But what kept the stranger quiet was the thin red string tied tightly around his pinky finger. He then remembers why he even come up to the small boy. After he died, he was teleported in an unfamiliar era. It wasn’t the ocean he’d fallen under the golden bridge. Instead it was in the middle of nowhere on an ascending road. When he notices a tiny red light glimmer in his peripheral he traces the line to see it connected to Wooyoung. He then gasps covering his mouth. That explained a lot. No wonder he felt a strong pull towards the boy.
‘’Wooyoung.’’
‘’Hm.’’
Wooyoung had been watching the fire disperse slowly and didn’t take notice of San’s change in demeanor. So to grab his attention, he tugs his arm and lifts his hand into view. The sudden act makes wooyoung choke.
‘’Uh what are you-’’
‘’When soulmates are in the same vicinity a red string is tied to their pinkies. It can’t be seen with the naked eye unless you are the pair. If the string is tied loosely then that means you’re near a relative of your partner but when it’s tied tightly...’’
When San bends his pinkie he feels a strain and smiles.
‘’Well I didn’t know that much haha. I’m guessing you believe in them too?’’
‘’Look.’’
San glances at Wooyoungs pinkie and he looks at his digit. He hadn’t felt the piece of yarn clinging to his skin. As his eyes slowly follow it he begins to realize what’s going on.
‘’Oh...’’
San pulls Wooyoung forward and travels his hand towards the back of his neck. With a shaky breath wooyoung speaks up.
‘’So you’re my soulmate.’’
Leaning in, san closes the distance between the two and lands his lips softly on the boy. Wooyoungs hair stands on end and he feels a warm sensation spread throughout his body. Melting into the kiss, his hands move to cup san’s face. They bask into the new found connection and share warmth for a few seconds.
‘’B-but I don’t understand. Why all of a sudden? I thought you meet your soulmate when you’re alive.’’
‘’I don’t understand it either but it’s better now than never.’’
San chuckles and wooyoung takes a moment to think. He doesn’t know all the details to how a soulmate meets but he’s never heard of anything like this happening. Or maybe he’s never heard about it because he’s never been dead before.
‘’You live ephemeral because some people are chanced to far to meet in the living so sometimes we have to bring together the dead.’’
The boys look up at the sudden unfamiliar voice. A white light hovers above them and they get rendered speechless.
‘’Welcome to Utopia my darlings, the land of euphoria. Where soulmates find good fortune.’’
