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Macau was nervous. He knew, Knew that today, is the day, he would get the mark that would signal his soul match. He turns 18 today, his mark already delayed by two years. The mark would help him to find the one being in the entire world that was meant for him. The one soul perfectly suited for him and only him.
He is terrified that his time is up.
It's supposed to be a blessing, to know the one who would complete you and stay with you through everything, but it felt more like a curse. Macau already knew who completed him. He already knew his perfect fit but in an instant that was going to be taken from him.
Marrying someone who was not your match was unheard of. It was considered a taboo because you were slighting the higher powers and spitting upon fate and no one wanted to do that. Those who ignored their mark, who discarded the gift, get cursed.
“You look worried.” Macau looked up from the training sword he’d been examining. Vegas towered over Macau where he sat, he looked at him with a hint of concern. “It's your birthday, Macau. Why are sitting here alone. Is something wrong.”
Macau swallowed and forced, what he hoped looked like, a smile. “ Nothing, Hia. Just thinking about the party. Later tonight. Don't worry.”
“Try not to drink too much on your first time, baby brother.” It was a light tease and Macau waved him away.
“You’re neglecting P'Pete. He's waiting for you to hand Kinn his ass.” He watched, his brother’s eyes brighten, the gleam of happiness and excitement more than noticeable, as he looked at his soulmate talking with their cousin and P'Porsche.
Vegas turned, took a step in their direction but turned back to look down at him. “Don't worry too much about the mark, Macau. It will show when it is time.” It was strangely insightful when lately he hadn't spoken to his brother about the topic. “ Your soul match will be everything you ever wanted. My baby brother deserves only the best.”
Can’t believe it.
He didn’t say that out loud. Instead Macau nodded, “I know, Hia. Thankyou.” He set the sword down and leaned back against the steps he was sitting on. As Vegas cast one last look at him, concerned but assuring look in his eyes, before he turned towards the training area.
Moments later, he halfheartedly watched his brother gleefully tearing through Kinn, when he felt something brush against his shoulder. Macau tilted his head back and met smirking grey eyes.
“Not interested in seeing Kinn fall of his stupid face?” Kim looked over at the boxing ring and rolled his eyes when Vegas sent Kinn sailing through the air to crash into the ropes. Cheers went up as more Porsche charged in to defend his fiance/soulmate. “I thought you would by your wonderful Hia's side screaming yourself hoarse.”
“I thought the great WIK absolutely hated gatherings and avoided them at all costs.” he snarked at his best friend.
It earned him a low laugh, “I could try and bear them for a day, for my favorite cousin.”
Something sharp flared inside of him at Kim’s words. He shoved it back, offered a grin and watched Kim’s eyes sharpen on him when he noticed something was off. Macau had never been able to hide from Kim but Kim was typically nice enough not to call him on it.
Not today it seemed.
Luck really was not on his side today.
He saw Kim’s reaching out, curious and concerned, brushing his shoulder against his own. Macau wanted to just give in and hold him tight and confess. Somehow, with Kim, it was far too easy to let him in and that was part of the problem.
How could he expect anyone else to compliment him so easily? How could anyone else match him as well as Kim did? He couldn’t imagine it and his heart was not helping him to hide the reason why he wasn’t doing well.
He had always been an open book, with anxiety and nerves over his soul match, it was even worse.
“Something's wrong.” It wasn’t a question. It was blunt and straight to the point. No skipping around or attempting to drag something out of him. Just a fact and stated plainly. “What is it?”
How could he possibly tell Kim? How could he possibly explain that if anyone’s mark but Kim’s appeared on him it would be proof the god hated him?
This is why it sucks to fall into love. It hurts too fucking much when it isn’t certain.
Macau opened his mouth and Kim gave him a look that had his mouth shutting. “Don’t tell me it is nothing. It's written all over your face.” He wondered if he’d ever be this aware of the other's feelings.
It's Kim. Kim has always understood him.
Dammit. If you keep thinking like that you’re just going to depress yourself even worse when your mark does come.
There was no point in lying. Kim would know in an instant and Macau wasn’t going to insult his best friend like that.
“My mark.”
Kim’s eyebrows rose, “Did you get it?” he looked at Macau as though he could see it. The interest and excitement were more than obvious in Kim’s far too expressive eyes. Macau’s fingers curled where he had rested them on his thighs. He shook his head.
“No...” he picked at his pants as a distraction that failed to actually distract, “How did you feel when you received yours?” it was a simple question. A way to misdirect that Macau knew would fail but he had to try anyway.
“Nervous. Excited. Happy” Something crossed Kim’s face and Macau failed to catch it before it was gone. “Jubilant.” A brief pause as Kim’s lips curled, “Overall, very pleased.” It was more than obvious in Kim’s tone and the emotion in his eyes.
Macau felt a lump settle in his throat. Oh. Kim knew who his mark matched. He’d never said a word and it hurt to know that whoever matched Kim was someone his cousin was interested in. Instead of answering, he nodded as though he understood the feeling. Macau doubted he ever would. He doubted he’d ever feel that kind of pleasure over his mark.
Falling in love with someone when the fates were the ones to choose matches was one of the stupidest things he could have possibly done.
He hoped whoever matched Kim actually deserved him. Kim was often overlooked in favor of Kinn. His two brothers didn't care for Kim like Hia did for him and Kim rarely received the proper kind of recognition he deserved.
Surely the fates wouldn’t match someone with Kim only for that person to fail to appreciate the gift they had been given.
It was a relief when Kim seemed to drop the conversation. Instead of pushing for more information Kim knocked their shoulders together, flicked his eyes towards the ring and offered a sly smile that had warmth filling Macau’s chest. It was familiar and Macau knew what followed. He looked over in time to see P'Porsche swing a shrieking P'Pete at Hia with a cackle.
Macau was laughing so hard, he fell against Kim’s side, body shaking, as his brother fell, narrowly catching P'Pete in his arms. P'Porsche jumped on them with a wild call and all hell broke loose as Kinn followed after his lover. Tankhun and his two moron guards ran around like headless chickens as four adults grappled on the ground like children.
“Idiots.” Kim breathed against his ear, voice full of amusement. Macau didn’t feel an ounce of guilt over choosing to stay by Kim's side to watch the show, than going over to help his brother.
Kim wrapped an arm around Macau, cradling him closer, moving them away from the training halls. They walked inside, towards his rooms. A glance around revealed there wasn’t a single soul around.
Macau was still laughing, his anxiety and doubts melting away watching his family be so carefree after everything. He was lost in his thoughts, feeling Kim pressed against him and smiling, that it took him several seconds to realize something was flaring inside of him. It was near impossible to miss. Macau swallowed at the feeling of something wrapping tightly around his wrist.
Next to him, Kim suddenly stilled but Macau didn't notice, lost in the sensation of feather light scratching on his wrist.
Macau knew what just happened to him. But he didn’t want to look. If he didn’t look then it wasn’t there and he didn’t have to accept it.
Out of sight and sure as fuck out of mind. Denial is my friend.
“Macau?” Kim’s voice was soft and cautious. Macau’s muscles tensed. He wanted to go back to a few minutes before when they were laughing and his mark hadn’t made itself known.
“I don’t...”
“You’ve wondered about your mark since you were young. We used to talk about what kind of mark the gods would bless us with.”
A symbol, a phrase, a description or, in some lucky cases, matches were blessed with a name to help guide them towards the one, whose soul fit theirs. Everyone had spoken at length about it, with giddy feelings, hoping for the day they would have their own marks.
“Aren’t you curious?” Kim asked gently, with an encouraging smile.
Kim probably wanted him to be just as excited, just as pleased, but Macau didn’t think that was possible. How could it be?
“Is it really that terrifying? Do you think the fates would give you someone unworthy?” Kim’s tone was soft, similar to the tone he used when he assured Macau that his brother will be back, safe from a rather dangerous mission.
He could do this.
He could do this and keep his broken heart hidden if only so Kim would stop giving him that look. He focused on the moment he’d been dreading.
Just…do it.
Macau glanced at his left wrist, hidden by his long sleeve and he pushed it up, mentally fortified himself and turned his wrist over to look at the mark the fates had gifted him with.
Khimhant
His legs felt weak, his heart seized in his chest and his lungs froze as he stared at the name flashing in his favorite shade of blue in handwriting he had seen countless times. Macau’s fingers reached out and brushed over the letters, tracing them with reverence and wonder. It was the very last thing he’d ever expected; the kind of gift that he hadn’t wanted to hope for but had, somehow, been given to him anyway.
The bond wouldn’t snap into place, wouldn’t bind them together beyond even death, until the two of them touched together after they had both received their marks.
Macau pulled his eyes away from his mark and looked up at Kim, the one he’d been silently in love with, to see open affection and pleasure filling Kim’s grey eyes. “Yours?” he asked and hoped this wasn’t a dream or a trick of some kind. Kim was all too happy to show his own mark on his wrist in gorgeous red.
Macau.
It was his name in his handwriting and it was on Kim. Kim who had known for years and had waited until Macau received his own mark. Macau couldn’t imagine that wait. He would have gone crazy, keeping it to himself because he knew that Kim had shown no one. It was often considered bad luck to intentionally show someone else your mark before your soul match.
Pleasure and happiness burst inside of him. He felt light and free with the weight of fear no longer dragging him down. He leapt into Kim's arms, pressing close without hesitation and bringing the two of them together, Kim brought his hands up to happily wrap around him.
Kim grinned, leaned down and Macau was all too happy to surge up to meet him. Their touch, the one that sealed their bond and bound them together beyond even death, was the press of their lips together in a kiss.
His fingers curled into Kim’s chest and Kim’s hands curled against him, holding him in place, as their lips moved together and Macau relished the warm affection he could feel surging through their soul bond.
Macau could feel Kim’s emotions, all of them bursting and swelling through the bond, as his own responded with equal enthusiasm to let his soul match know just how happy he was with their match.
“My soul match.” Kim was happy, content and gleefully smug in a way Macau was pretty sure only Kim could pull off. Macau basked in the possessive undercurrent he could feel bubbling at Kim’s end of the bond. His cousin had always been rather possessive of Macau’s time. Since his childhood, often times he delighted in stealing him away. His brother had, fortunately, allowed him and didn’t seem to find anything suspicious in Macau’s, sometimes sudden, disappearances.
It seemed more than obvious that Kim’s possessiveness would be even greater now. Kim didn’t enjoy sharing, having Kinn as sibling probably only managed to intensify that, and Macau was more than content with it.
He was more than happy to be the object of Kim’s intense focus, his interest and obsession. It wasn’t as though he didn’t feel similarly. Macau could feel his own possessive tendencies, the ones that had been terrified at potentially losing Kim to someone else, responding to the knowledge that Kim was, against all odds, his.
Mine mine mine mine. All mine.
“Now you’re never going to be rid of me.” Macau grinned at Kim, far too happy and not caring to be embarrassed at revealing his true feelings. He could feel how Kim’s emotions continually brushed against his through the bond, practically buzzing with pleasure and wrapping around his own.
Macau thought of Kim in the years since his cousin had gotten his mark. Somehow he had been more present than before, more quick to touch and sooth him, even when compared to the easy camaraderie they had always shared. Over the past few years, Kim had always reached out and hovered near him, had wrapped an arm around him whenever they were near each other.
Somehow he’d missed all of the signs that were so obvious in hindsight.
Kim hadn’t said anything but his warm gaze, his attention and the increased possessiveness had done a fine job of saying everything his lips couldn’t say. Macau just hadn’t heard even though Kim had been practically screaming it.
He could stop the intense guilt that came over him at the realization. Tears sprung to his eyes and he held on to Kim tighter.
“ Kim, I am sorry, I made you wait for so long.” he cried, his heart aching for Kim.
Kim said nothing, except send his love, warmth through the bond. He held Macau closer, pressing kisses to his temple, his eyes, his nose and lips, conveying his feelings with actions rather than words. It's so like Kim, that Macau felt his heart expanding three sizes.
~
“We should announce our match to the family.” Macau said after a long while, finally calm. He was practically purring as Kim ran his fingers through his hair.
“Mmn. Will you move into my penthouse?” Kim asked with a quick kiss to his lips.
Macau would have done that years ago but he didn’t say that. It was probably obvious considering the way the bond practically exploded with his happiness at Kim’s question.
“Are you sure you want me cluttering up your home?” he teased knowing how much Kim hated the chaos that made up Macau’s room.
“Macau…your things have been slowly cluttering my home for years.” Kim’s lips quirked, “There are hoodies in my closet that I have never bought, homework mixed with my music notes and countless other stuff you brought along to my place only to be left behind.” Amusement filled his eyes, “Your helmet is in a chair in my bedroom. I almost tripped over one of your gameboy this morning.”
Macau flushed. “You have your stuff in my room too.” he thought about all of the little things of Kim’s that had been left in his rooms. Blades, records, music sheets and his red guitar. Kim had even his favorite pillow for when he slept over.
“I love you.” Kim’s fingers brushed against his name on Macau’s wrist sending bolts of warmth flaring through Macau and twisting warmly in his heart. He wanted to shove his face against Kim and just breathe. “I couldn’t have found a more perfect match.”
The tone was pleased and smug.
Macau grinned, stepped close and reached up to pull Kim down into another kiss because now he could and he didn’t want to stop.
Kim’s hand curled at the back of his neck, fingers brushing through his hair, as he bent over to kiss Macau back. Their soul bond sung between the two of them, their feelings happily flowing together, as Macau moaned into the kiss and went to his tip-toes trying to deepen it.
“I knew it.”
They broke apart and turned to see Tankhun beaming at the two of them. Macau was pretty sure his face was burning but he didn’t move an inch from where he was pressed up against his soul match.
“We should have a grand party to announce your match.”
Listening to the easy way Tankhun talked about their match it almost seemed ridiculous that he had been dreading this day for so long. Before there had not been a single scenario in his mind, which ended with him being the one standing here with Kim kissing him, all the while bearing his mark.
His brother right, its a happy day indeed.
He had not allowed himself to hope for this moment to be his but, somehow, the gods had seen fit to bless him with Kim and Macau was certainly not going to question that good fortune.
It would be foolish to do so.
“Can we wait a few days before announcing anything?” Kim suddenly asked. “I’m not quite ready to share Macau with anyone after waiting for so long.” He titled his chin just a bit, “I have been silent for years, waiting for Macau to grow up, and now that we have recieved our marks I want to be selfish.”
Macau could feel Kim’s love curling possessively around him through the bond. His heart radiated happiness and contentment.
In a rare show of understanding, Tankhun’s lips curled into a warm smile. “Yes...yes, little brother.” he looked between the two of them, the excitement calming down a bit. “I will give you a week to yourselves, no more. And then we will have the party.”
He hugged them both, congratulated them and left them alone.
“Don't forget to use condoms.” Tankhun's voice floated through the corridors along with his cackles.
Macau spluttered, swearing at the mad man. He turned to Kim to complain about his brother and noticed there was a slight flush to Kim’s cheeks. Macau found himself fascinated at the sight. He heard Kim mumble something and the temptation to tease had him grinning. The nervousness from earlier was gone, replaced with a kind of giddy pleasure that kept bursting inside of him.
“What was that, Kim?”
Kim flicked a glance down at him, caught the expression on his face and gave him a narrowed eye look that lacked even an ounce of heat. There was mostly fond exasperation flowing through their bond.
It was also very obvious through the bond and in those grey eyes.
“Say it louder?” he changed his voice into something soft and cajoling.
“We should skip the party.”
Macau’s mouth fell open in a surprised little ‘o’ as the flush seemed to deepen. The surprise gave way to happy pleasure, warm affection and awe. He yanked at his hair, pulled him down into a kiss that made his soul match moan.
When they pulled apart, cheeks flushed and arousal burning, Kim’s expression went dark.
“ We should go to your rooms, before someone else catches us.”His tone had dipped low into something sensual and practically leering.
Delight and pleasure filled Macau as he pressed their lips together, and dragged his soul match to his rooms.
~
Somewhere a little far away, Vegas's older brother instincts go tingling and he is off to find his baby brother, and protect him from his lecherous older cousin.