Chapter Text
Soulmates are difficult to find in this day and age. You didn't know who you were going to get. Everyone was accustomed to waiting. Your grandmother didn't find hers til she was fifty-two, but never in your life had you seen the woman so excited.
The way it was explained to you is that, someday, somehow, someone will find you. The first words, or a set of them, were settled neatly down the side of your ribs, and those were the words they'd speak to you, confirming they were your soulmate.
Everyone had a different set of words, and a different place where they were written. Some people didn't even have words, they had the names of the person or their coordinates and the date they'd be there, which was much more helpful than a set of words. Some had even less helpful things, like marks. Little slashes that their soulmate had, sometimes two or more people shared the same marks meaning they were all destined to be soulmates. Some marks were, of course, a little difficult to understand, but they still held meaning.
In school you'd been told it would take time, but when they were in your life, you'd know. Different things happened, your words would tingle, some said. Your brain would pause for a moment as your heart felt like it was on fire, the burning sensation to reach out and kiss them would be present. Others said you'd just feel it, you'd just know. But you were twenty-six and still soulmate-less.
Everytime you looked in the mirror you'd pull up your shirt and pray they'd find you. Hell, you prayed you would find them.
“That poor idiot is probably stuck in a tree.” Your friend said, dismissing your concerns. Maye had found her soulmate when she was ten. They were study partners and her first words to him were: “Hey, do you think I could shove this eraser up my nose?”
You sighed softly as you glanced at her, shaking your head. “But where is he – or she, for that matter? Or them, where are they?”
“I told you, stuck in a tree.”
“Maye, you're not helping.” You frowned, watching your friend turn her back to you, a chuckle escaping her lips. “I don't want to be my grandmother and find my soulmate when I'm past the age of childbearing, thank you.”
“You want kids?”
“Well, yeah.” You shrugged, honestly, you did but you needed your soulmate first. Maye already had two kids, she was twenty-six as well, though. Her husband, Finn, was born in Ireland and moved to New York when he was nine, so when she met him at age ten, his accent was a weird mix of a New York accent and an Irish one. She found it charming and extremely attractive, he still had the mix, although New York had gotten into the mix far more over the years.
“Honey, you'll find them.” She said easily, the reassurance in her voice causing you to sigh as she glanced over her shoulder.
“What if they're awkward?” You asked. “What if they don't talk to me, how will I know it's them?”
“You'll just know! ” Maye laughed, finding your worry slightly amusing. You two had been best friends since you were five, and twenty-one years later you managed to avoid killing each other every morning.
“Maye!” You whined, watching her back as she moved, pulling something out of the cabinet in front of her. You were about to say something when Finn walked down the stairs, his dark brown hair was ruffled and he had one child on each side of his shoulders.
“Hey there, strong man.” Maye grinned, kissing her husband quickly as her children protested, making noises of disgust. Maye kissed her children then, Lia first and then Matthew. Finn stated that he needed to get to work, gently removing his spawn from his shoulders before going to get his teacher I.D off the hook in his office. He came back, already having put it on before he grabbed his briefcase and kissed Maye, saying good-bye to you before stepping out the door.
“Is he taking a vow of silence?” You asked, hearing Maye snort.
“No, he hurt his throat yelling at the game last night, plus, if he even says hello to you, one minute you'll be talking about the morning and the next you'll be getting into floating stadiums and dudes who control metal.”
You grinned slightly, a flash of amusement in your eyes as Lia and Matthew made their way over to you. “Aunt (Y/N), are you coming with us to Times Square?”
Yes, you're their Aunt. You and Maye were as close as sisters, and acted like it anyway.
“Am I allowed to come with?” You asked Maye as she turned fully and nodded.
“Yes, you are.” Maye replied, watching her children buzz with excitement. The two ran off to go get their small bags, the ones that Maye had put stuff in for them to do if they got bored wandering around with the older females. Maye moved around the kitchen as you stepped out of her way to avoid the fast woman. She had snacks packed for her children in a minute, handing them to her kids as they came down the stairs.
“Let's go!” You said, shuffling the kids to the door as Maye followed suit with her purse over her shoulder.
XxX
“We've been everywhere! ” Matthew complained. You and Maye had already gotten lunch, as did Lia and Matthew, but now you were currently wandering around looking at the electronic screens all over the towers. You pressed a hand to your head, there was a slight thumping in your ears.
“Hey, Maye, do you have any ibuprofen?” You asked your best friend, watching her shrug, dig around in her purse and present you will two capsules. You took them easily with your soda from McDonald's, sighing softly. After about ten minutes, your head still hurt and the thumping was getting louder. Maye, obviously concerned, had Lia and Matthew sit down on a bench before the two of you occupied it beside them.
“What's wrong?” Maye asked over the honking of horns and yelling.
“My head hurts.” You groaned, rubbing your temples. “And my ears are thumping like I'm at a fu-” You paused, stopping the swear from escaping your lips as you glanced at Matthew and Lia. “A freaking rave.” You corrected.
This caused a sly smile to form on Maye's face. “They're here.” She stated, watching you furrowed your eyebrows.
“Excuse me?”
She gripped your hand, pulling it from your temple quickly before pulling you to your feet. “Your soulmate is here, (Y/N)!”
“And you know this how, oh great seer of all things?” You mocked, watching her frown slightly.
“I got this way when I first met Finn!”
You swallowed nervously, looking around. “Really?”
“Yes!” She nodded furiously, waving her kids to stand up. “We've gotta go find him, or her, or them, (Y/N)!” Maye paused, watching your face contort to discomfort. “It'll go away once you find them, I promise. It's like a GPS.”
“Maye...”
“You've been waiting, complaining, crying and screaming about not finding your soulmate for your entire life, don't wuss out on me now!” Maye urged, motivating you as she shook your arm, her grip on your wrist a bit tighter.
“Okay, okay, Jesus Christ.” You hissed, pulling your wrist from her. You hadn't moved, but the thumping was getting louder and your head pain was getting worse, the words across your ribs felt like they were itching and your heart was doing some weird flippy shit. Your lips were tingling, you wanted to kiss him. Or at least your brain did. “Maye – Maye!” You stopped her as she began walking.
“What?”
“I don't think I need to find them.” You swallowed, looking amongst the faces in the fast moving crowd.
“Why not?”
“I think they're about to find me.” You whispered, watching the excitement on her face light up. “Oh shit, this pain!” You hissed, holding your head. Lia and Matthew were completely unobservant of what was happening to you. “Would they feel this too?”
“Totally, or at least from what I know... Finn's nose started bleeding the second I said the words.”
“I don't want all of Times Square to see blood leaking from my nose!” You whined, hearing the thumping set a pace.
“(Y/N).” Maye said, smacking your arm lightly. “Look.” She whispered, pointing to some dude in a black hoodie who was looking straight at you. The guy looked slightly confused but also a bit wary, in fact he looked like he was stuck between disbelief and relief. (He also looked weary, but that was a matter for another day.)
“He might just be a creeper.”
Maye shook her head, her kids behind each of her legs. “Honey, that's not a look a creeper gives someone.”
“What do I do?” You asked, holding your head. The guy seemed to be clenching and unclenching his jaw, his hands were fists in his pockets, you could see the outline of them from the outside of the black material. He was dealing with his pain in a different way, obviously.
“Go bump him.”
“He isn't drugs, Maye.”
“I mean, go walk into him! Say the first thing that comes to mind, it might be the words he has, you never know!”
“Maye, I can't.”
This caused an anger to stir up in your friend. “You have been dragging out your lack of a soulmate for years. Go. Talk. To. Him.” She said through clenched teeth, her motherly tone escaping her body. You looked behind you, then at Maye, then at Lia, then Matthew, and then at Mr. Black Hoodie Guy, and you made a split second decision.
You ran.
If only you could've seen the overwhelmingly sad, and angst stricken look upon his face when you did. It would've broke your heart.