Archive of Our Own ^beta

 The first of them to met were Jeno and Donghyuck.

 Back when they were both just seven, they happened to cross paths on a random weekend. With the park full of other kids, including their wholly unrelated group of friends, there was not much reason for them to pay any attention to each other. Still, that was all they were doing. Jeno marvelled at Donghyuck's seemingly endless energy. Donghyuck wondered about how a boy who he had seen on TV before could be so shy in real life. Most of all, both of them were curious about why getting closer to the other made their chests warm up.

So, Donghyuck decided to figure it out. In a move that blew little Jeno's mind, he approached the other with no hint of hesitation. "Do you feel it too?" He demanded, blunt.

"Feel what?" Jeno shrank into himself, already anxious.

"Your soul gem, dummy." Donghyuck put a hand on top of said object. "Is it warm too?"

"Oh!" Jeno's eyes got even wider, somehow. "It is." He leaned foward, all shyness gone in a second. "Do you know why?"

"Nope!" Donghyuck didn't seem even slightly bothered. "But I think-"

 Fifteen minutes later, after the topic got boring, they went back to playing. Twenty minutes later, they were calling themselves best friends. Half a hour later, they were crying to not get separated.

 Still, life was life. With vague promises of future playdates, they were conviced to go home. On the way back, both asked their parents about their soul gem's warmth. Jeno's dad dismissed the matter entirely, saying he probably got confused by the day's heat. Donghyuck's mom was more willing to entertain him, but still came to the same conclusion: one's soul gem heating up was part of finding a soulmate, yes, but it meant nothing if it didn't also shine.

 One week later, Donghyuck's family moved out of his birth city. At their teary begging, a last meeting was hurriedly planned. They played, they fought, they cried. As a farewell, Donghyuck promised to always be Actor Lee Jeno's biggest fan. In turn, Jeno promised to visit him as soon as he could. Despite the painful heat in their chests, no trace of light shined from their soul gems. With one last long hug, they parted ways.

 Despite the many years that followed, neither ever forgot about the other.

-

 Next, it was Jisung and Chenle.

 Both prodigies in their own areas at the age of eleven, they were called to represent their respective countries on an international event hosted in China. While not performing, they happened to be assigned to sit beside each other.

"Hello!" Chenle wasted no time to say, extroverted as always. "Are you the Korean Dancer Boy?"

"H-hello..." Jisung repeated the only word he recognized, already starting to panic. "I can't, uhm..." After several failed attempts to say anything else in Chinese, he resorted to gesturing rapidly with his hands and hoping for the best.

 Surprisingly, it was enough. "Oh, right!" For just a moment, Chenle was sheepish. "So, uhm..." He looked around, as if searching for something, until suddenly turning back to Jisung with a bright grin. Very emphatically, he raised a hand up and flexed his thumb. Then, in English, he said: "Play?"

 Surprised but pleased, Jisung accepted. They spent every free minute they had on the event playing and talking in gestures or random English words. Close to the end of the event, they stood next to each other for a photo. Only then, with both their pre- and post-performance anxiety gone, did they notice the strange warmth in their chests. But, when they hopefully checked, there was no light to be found in their soul gems. In the entire day, that was the only topic neither dared broach.

 After a unexpectedly gloomy goodbye, they separated - but it was not the end. Before breaking away, they exchanged numbers. They could not be soulmates, but there was nothing stopping them from being friends. Since then, even while in different countries, neither had ever been without the other.

-

 Then, when they were thirteen, Jaemin and Jeno met in a much simpler way.

 They had both recently moved to Seoul City, just in time to start Middle School, and were thus anxious about every single thing their teenager brains could think of. But then, on their first class of their first day of school, they happened be assigned to sit right beside one another.

"Hello." Jaemin had said politely, surprising Jeno (already a star in the making, at the time) a bit with his completely normal behavior. "I'm Na Jaemin, from Jeonju."

"Hello." Jeno repeated, just as polite. "I'm Lee Jeno, from Incheon."

 For the first several classes, that was all. Though their thoughts strayed to each other quite often, they didn't share any more words. Jaemin would not let himself be distracted by anything, while Jeno was too shy to initiate a conversation. As soon as their lunch hour started, however, that immediately changed.

"So," Jaemin walked up to Jeno, joining him on the way to the cafeteria. "is acting fun?"

"Uhm, yeah." Jeno answered after recovering from the startle, already a little wary. "It's tiring sometimes, but I love doing it."

"Hm, that's good." Jaemin's smile went from nonchalant to mischievous in a second. "Sorry, but I gotta admit: my favorite of your works is definitely the puppy you voiced on that one cartoon."

"Oh, no need to worry." Jeno sat down opposite to the other, smiling wrily. "At this point, I have already accepted that will always be my greatest role." He put a hand up, calling attention to the silver ring on it. "It's fate approved, after all." 

"Oh, cute!" Jaemin came close to shouting, remaining shameless despite the stares he attracted. "But, since you brought it up..." He took off his gold necklace, dragging Jeno's hand down to put them close. "Are we going to talk about whatever is going on with them?"

 On top of the table, Jeno's paw-shaped green and brown gem and Jaemin's heart-shaped reddish pink gem touched one another. Though they both hoped and waited for it, no light emerged from them. However, they were also definitely doing something they shouldn't be doing: heating up.

"Well, I'm... just not sure what to think." Jeno frowned, somewhere between disappointed and confused. "I mean, I haven't heard about anything like this before."

"Good thing I have, then." Jaemin's confidence slowly slipped into sheepishness. "I mean, maybe." He started fiddling with Jeno's ring, apparently not even noticing. "Reading about soul gems and soulmates is kind of a hobby for me. I'm pretty sure something I know could help us figure this out." With his head still bent down, he looked up at Jeno, somehow shy and daring at the same time. "If you want to, of course."

 With barely any consideration, Jeno accepted.

-

 Next, only weeks later, Jaemin and Donghyuck met for the first time.

 Equally new to the city they now lived in, the two were still taking every chance they had to go out and get to know their surroundings. On that specific day, both happened to be at the mall. After spending their parent-given money at different stores, they headed out and almost immediately stumbled right into each other. In a second, they were both on the ground.

"Oh, sorry." Jaemin quickly got up and offered a hand to Donghyuck. "Are you okay?"

"Apart from the slight annoyance, yes." Donghyuck accepted the help, all the while scanning Jaemin from top to bottom. "But you don't need to worry about that either, I guess. Even I'm not petty enough to argue with someone with a heart-shaped pink soul gem."

"I'm glad." After a few seconds blinking in surprise, Jaemin matched his attitude. "I'm not sure how well I would do against someone with a sun-shaped sun-colored soul gem."

"Considering our situation," Donghyuck put up his necklace, leaving no doubt about what he meant. "I'm sure you can handle a little heat."

"To be honest," Jaemin masked his inner panic with mischievousness. "I wish I didn't have to as much as I do."

With that, they fell into a charged silence for a few moments.

"Okay, then." Donghyuck said eventually, somewhere between nervous and exasperated. "So what are we supposed to do now?"

"Come with me." Jaemin answered instantly. "There's someone I need you to meet."

 Without waiting for a response, he grabbed Donghyuck and started to drag him away.

-

"Just as I expected." Donghyuck said as soon as they spotted Jeno, masked and hunched, before sighing dramatically. "Well, damn. I'm not sure we can deal with the sheer numbers of the competition."

"How do you know who he is?" Jaemin asked, surprised once again. "When he's covered up like this, even I can't tell sometimes."

"I'm a fan." Donghyuck shrugged, something in his behavior making Jaemin narrow his eyes in suspicion. "His biggest fan, actually."

 Before Jaemin could say anything about Donghyuck's weird tone, he got distracted by nothing less than the other's soul gem glinting. By Donghyuck's expression, it was clear he had seen it too. Without noticing, the two stopped walking entirely and just stared at one another. Somehow, they knew they were thinking the same thing: if them and Jeno really were a trio, as both had expected, why was the light so faint?

 When Jeno reached them, guided by his soul gem, they still had no answer to present to him.

 Even so, none of them spent that long worrying over that. Finding your soulmate was meant to be a happy affair, after all. Everything else could wait.

-

 One week later, Mark and Donghyuck found each other.

 Mark had been browsing through the record collection at a music store for longer than he should have, judging by the worker's pointed looks, when a sudden warmth coming from his soul gem caugh his attention. Close by, just one step into the building, Donghyuck felt the same. As one, they searched around until instinctively locking gazes.

"Well, hello." Donghyuck said after marching up to Mark, incredulous. "Do you know anything about this?"

 Mark was startled out of his stupor. "Huh?" He fixed his hair, awkward. "Sorry, I didn't really catch what you said."

"I said," Noticing the other's accent, Donghyuck slowed down his speech and showed off his necklace. "do you know anything about this?"

"I don't." Mark shook his head, growing concerned. "I've never heard about a soul gem heating up without shining before..." Suddenly, his eyes widened and mouth slacked in realization. "Hold on, are you-"

"Lee Donghyuck, one of your soulmates." Donghyuck bowed slightly, clearly not very serious about it. "You might want to follow me now, Mr..."

"Mark Lee." After a brief delay, caused by his shock, the other filled in. "Wait, does this mean-"

"Leave the questions for later, Mark." Donghyuck interrupted again, somewhere between frustrated and sympathetic. "Trust me, the little I have to tell you right now would only serve to make you crazy."

 Despite his slight chagrin, Mark didn't have the heart to argue.

-

 Half a hour later, they were sat across from Jeno and Jaemin on a nearby café.

 Outside the windows, people walked by in a calm pace only seen on weekends. Around them, couples (most of them soulmates) ate together while chatting. On their table, four drinks rested - ranging from Mark's banana milk latte to Jaemin's americano. On their chosen accessories, their soul gems hanged. From their soul gems, the brightest light any of them had ever seen they transmit before shone... but still didn't reach normality.

"So, uhm," Mark broke the tense silence, too anxious to withstand even one more second of it. "what do we actually know about the... situation?"

"Enough." Though Donghyuck's seemed unbothered, all of the others could tell he was just as nervous deep down - and made sure to make him aware of that. Faced with their matching knowing gazes, Donghyuck quickly crumbled. "Fine, let's talk." He slumped in his seat, crossing his arms. "Jaemin, go."

"Am I a Pokémon now?" Jaemin raised an eyebrow, unimpressed. "If you think so, I gotta say you're wrong." In a second, a wide grin took over his face. "If anyone's a Pokémon here, it's Jeno."

"Why do I have to be involved?" Jeno grumbled, not very convincingly. "And I agree, by the way. You'd explain this way better than us."

"Fine." Despite his exaggerated sigh, Jaemin was obviously pleased. "Listen up, handsome."

 Like he was reading himself for an injecton, Mark clutched his spider-shaped red and green soul gem and and paid full attention.

-

 A year later, two countries over, Renjun and Chenle encountered each other.

 They had both travelled from home to Beijing to attend different events that just happened to be held on the same week. A few days before, Chenle had watched his basketball game and decided he wanted to be among the players one day. To not waste the trip, his family had chosen to enjoy the city a bit before going home. Later, Renjun had similarly visited an art exhibition and left determined to hold one of his own one day. To not spend more than needed, his family had chosen to go back home as soon as possible.

 One day before Renjun was set to leave, his breakfast with his parents was interrupted by Chenle walking into the restaurant dressed entirely in Shangai Sharks merchandise and for some reason immediately stealing all of his attention. When Renjun's parents noticed his eyes straying to Chenle sitting all by himself, they were quick to push him to talk to the other. In the end, though, it wasn't him who approached first.

"Hi!" Though Chenle said it brightly and loudly, Renjun was able to detect the nervousness underneath. "Can I please talk to you for a second?"

"Sure." Renjun surprised everyone, incluind himself, by agreeing before his parents had the chance. "Let's go back to your table."

 Despite their decisiveness, they ended up stalling. While thick tension hanged in the air, they talked about everything one would expect of an actual normal first meeting between unexpected friends: from introductions to hobbies to aspirations. Guided by Chenle's fast tongue, they quickly exhausted every superficial topic available... except for one. Unusually for anyone their age, neither of them mentioned soul gems once in the entire conversation.

 It took a string of exasperated texts from a best friend deeply involved in the situation for one of them to finally decide to stop pretending.

"Ok, so!" Chenle took advantage of a brief lull in the conversation, louder and abrupter than usual. "I actually had a reason for wanting to speak to you."

"I figured." Renjun said drily, trying hard to hide his own anxiousness. "It's about our soul gems, isn't it?"

 For a moment, all Chenle did was gape at him. It didn't take long, though, for him to recover. "Uhm, yeah." He leaned forward, showing off his bird-shaped blue and yellow soul gem. "Yours is warm as well, then?"

"It is." Renjun grabbed his own bracelet, clutching said butterfly-shaped red and yellow soul gem. "I'm guessing you know something about this?"

"Yes. Maybe. Possibly." At Renjun's impatient look, Chenle shook his head and waved away his words. "Right. So, two years ago, there was this one event I went to..."

-

"I can't believe I didn't recognize you." That was what Renjun chose to say first, after hearing everything Chenle had to say. "Though, with your current getup... I can't really say you look like a singer."

"Hey, dreams change!" Chenle instinctively argued before visibly doing a double take. "Hold on, that's your only takeaway from what I told you?"

"Well, no." Renjun's dry tone was ruined by his stressed expression. "Messed up soul gems. Multiple soulmates. An unconfirmed soulmate two countries away from here. Probably at least two other soulmates somewhere." He took a sip from his drink, movements strangely aggressive. "Did I get that right?"

"Well, yes." Chenle watched the other, concerned. "Are you, like, okay?"

"Of course I-" Faced with Chenle's attentive eyes, Renjun stopped himself with a long sigh. "Just give me a moment, please."

 Though that made him even more worried, Chenle was happy to oblige. While Renjun stared at nothing in particular, he brought out his phone to text Jisung and give the other privacy.

 Less than five minutes after, he was startled out of his detailed retelling of the meeting to Jisung by Renjun's voice.

"Okay, that's enough." He said with nothing but determination. "Let me talk to him."

"Wait, what?" Chenle almost dropped his phone in surprise. "How do you even plan to understand him?"

"Easily." Renjun switched to Korean, raising an impatient eyebrow. "Let me talk to him."

 Too stunned and excited for words, Chenle did just that.

-

 Months after, after countless texts and multiple three way calls, Jisung found the rest of them.

 After a boring first day of middle school, he had been bullied by Chenle into walking around to get to know his new neighbourhood. While video calling Chenle and Renjun to prove his task was being completed (though the latter was not paying any attention, too focused on painting), he had suddenly felt a familiar warmth coming from his bracelet. When he looked down to check, his star-shaped black and white soul gem was shining.

"Chenle! Renjun-hyung!" He shouted, louder than even him knew he could. "My soul gem is glowing!" He turned his phone around to film it, almost dropping it in the process. "I really wish you two were with me to see it, but here!" He gave a big smile, missing the strain on their reactions. "See how bright it is?"

"Yeah, it sure is bright..." Renjun mumbled, his head down and shoulders tense. "Almost like..."

"Park Jisung, you idiot!" Chenle cut in with no subtlety, actually screaming. "Don't you know what this means?" When Jisung simply blinked at him, he rolled his eyes and pointed a finger to a random direction on the screen. "Go find your soulmates, stupid!"

 For once, instead of complying, Jisung stood still. Ignoring his elation as much as he even could for a second, he studied the other two carefully. In the end, though, he only managed to be sure something was wrong with them but not figure out what. So, he opened his mouth to ask-

 And got interrupted by four boys coming fast and loudly into view.

"It's them, right?" Somehow, Renjun managed to sound even less enthusiastic than before. Still, he offered a little smile. Not that it mattered, though, since Jisung missed all of it. With a small sigh, Renjun got up from the chair he had been sitting on for hours and approached his propped up phone. "Have fun, Jiji."

 When Jisung snapped back into focus, he had already left the call.

"I'll talk to him, don't worry." Chenle said before he could react, strangely guilty. "Have fun, Jisungie."

 Without managing to utter a single word of protest, Jisung was left alone. The loud steps of his soulmates grew closer at a fast pace, but he didn't move. All he did was keep staring at his phone, lost and desperate.

"Well," After seconds that felt as long as a hour each, a high-pitched voice caught some of his attention. "can't say I have ever seen someone this miserable about meeting their soulmate."

"It's because there's four of us, so more to be miserable about." Now with his head up, Jisung was able to watch as Jeno went from proud of his joke to pouty about the reactions to it. "What? Can only Donghyuck make jokes?"

"This is not the time for jokes, both of you." Mark intervened, uncharacteristically strict. "There's plenty of reasons for someone to not be enthusiastic about their soulmate at first and-"

"Like a previous relationship!" Jaemin cut in, gasping dramatically (but also sincerely). Faster than Mark's attempt to rein him in, he pretty much jumped closer to Jisung and took the younger's hands in a gentle hold. "Poor baby, did you just break up with someone?" Finding no resistance to his acts from Jisung, he carefully enveloped the other in a hug. "Don't worry, it'll work out! You're young, there's plenty of time to fix things... however you want to, of course. Really, sometimes a little distance can do good-"

 As if distance was a punch instead of a word, Jisung got out of his stupor with an expansive jerk. Roughly freeing himself from Jaemin's arms, he put some space between him and the four before sending them the most serious look he had ever mustered in his life.

"Hello. I'm Park Jisung, your soulmate." While the others introduced themselves, he took the moment to breathe deeply and prepare for what he was about to do. As it involved his best friends and possible soulmates, it was easier than usual to reach calm determination. "And we might have a problem. Listen to me, please."

-

 Close to two months after, later than they would've liked but sooner than they thought they would be able to, the five of them went after the missing two.

 First of all, they had reunited all of their parents to make their case. After long hours of explaining and pleading, they had gotten all of them to hesitantly support (and fund, except in Jeno's case) their plans. The next step was their studies, which they had less success with. No matter how desperate they felt and appeared, it was impossible to get time away from school when most of them were about to graduate from middle school into high school. So, they were forced to delay. The days passed quicker than expected, though, and soon it was time to actually act.

 With one last struck of luck in the form of Chenle announcing he was set to visit Renjun, they departed straight to Jilin. After dealing with the long flight, some better than others, they were forced by the few parents present to rest instead of going straight to... well, somewhere. The initial plan had been calling the other two when they arrived and scheduling a meet up, but during the late-night talk they sneaked off to have instead of sleeping, a new idea was brought up. With their combined efforts, Mark and Jaemin had convinced Jeno and Jisung the situation called for something more special than that and therefore beaten Donghyuck by majority vote. As the only one of them fluent in Chinese, Jisung had been the one responsible for calling Renjun's mom work number and persuading her to give him the Huangs' home adress.

 After a few hours of fitful sleep, unable to hold themselves for even a second longer, they set off to complete their mission.

"Okay!" Donghyuck said as soon as they reached Renjun's house, fakely cheerful. "I propose rock paper scissors to decide who does it!"

"I helped before," All traces of fiery determination had left Jisung, leaving him an anxious mess. "so I'm not doing it."

"No need for any of that." Despite the tremble in his voice, Mark firmly started to actually approach the house. "I can take care of this, at least."

 Nervous as they all were, nobody called him out on his words. Mark knocked on the door. Everyone stopped breathing. Time ticked by. Finally, after what could've been either seconds or hours, steps were heard getting closer to the entrance. Unceremoniously, the door was thrust open.

"What the hell." Chenle stared at them, messy haired and bleary eyed. "Am I still dreaming?"

"Awn, you dream about us?" Jaemin teased by instinct, immediatelly being jabbed from three different directions. "Sorry. I mean, uhm, of course you're not!"

"We're real, Chenle." Jisung intervened before anything else could be said, despite it all smiling happily. "Just look at your soul gem."

 Suddenly wide awake, Chenle did just that. From his soul gem, just as in everyone else's, came a strong light... no, not just strong. It was brighter than any light they had seen a soul gem emit before. It was radiant, it was resplendent, it was blinding.

 But, most importantly, it was unquestionable proof they belonged together.

"Hello." They were eventually broken out of their daze by a shy voice, turning around to see Renjun hesitantly joining Chenle on the door's threshold. "I'm Huang Renjun, your last soulmate."

 As one, still speechless, the other six shared meaningful looks. They had the rest of their lives to clear up any misunderstanding that came up. At the moment, they just wanted to celebrate their true first meeting. Everything else could wait. All that mattered was their shared happiness.

 Just a second after Renjun caught up to their intentions, they launched themselves at each other. Hugs were given, fond insults exchanged, kisses attempted, bonds forever solidified. It was only at the end of it all, still wrapped in a mess of limbs, that they dared broach the future.

"So, what now?" Jeno, encouraged by Donghyuck's pointed look, questioned. "What comes next for an all-teen multinational group of soulmates?"

"We move, of course." Chenle said, like it was simple and easy. "There's no way I'm letting go of you now."

"But..." For just a moment, Mark's face was dominated by something akin to grief. "Won't you miss China?"

"We will." Despite his words, Renjun was smiling easily. "But, if we weren't ready to leave it, fate wouldn't have let us meet you now."

 Chenle made sure to look at each of them in the eye, like he was daring them to argue more. "We want to go."

 Wisely, no one said anything else.

 They knew some parent would come soon to make them get up and actually enter the house, but they permitted themselves to ignore it. For just one more moment, they stayed just like they were and enjoyed each other's presence.

 Even after they had to separate, the overwhelming love inside them never once wavered.

-

 Eight years later, tired of fighting the need without actual reason, they decided to do the only thing they still hadn't done to show that love.

 To reach that sureness, they had to go through a lot. As expected, growing up had been the first of them. Despite their wants, staying together had not been as easy as they thought it would. Chenle and Renjun did move to Korea, yes, and they all enjoyed two whole years of seeing each other daily. But then, Mark graduated from high school.

 He didn't go far, just moving a district over for easier access to his music college, but it set a precedent. Renjun went back to China to study at his life-long dream art college. Encouraged by his manager and mom, Jeno went overseas to try his hand at international cinema while still young. After some months in the same college as Mark, Donghyuck (or Haechan, as everyone took to calling him) made an abrupt change to a gastronomy course in another city. After some months studying medicine overseas, Jaemin also switched his course to pedagogy but stayed right where he was. Later than he could've had, Chenle joined a foreign basketball team with higher notoriety than the one he had been playing for. Jisung was the only one who stayed, joining a nearby college's dance course.

 For a few years, their lives were bittersweet. While they rejoiced in accomplishing their dreams, each day they were apart was worse than the previous one. Soon, video calls and sporadic visits were not enough to keep them even slightly satisfied. In the end, though, they were glad for it. Really knowing what they could and couldn't sacrifice made planning the future much easier, after all.

 One by one, all of them came back to each other. Like he somehow knew, Jisung saved all the money he got from choreographing dances until he could afford to move out of his parents' house to a way worse but much bigger one. Mark, already established as an recognized songwriter, soon joined him. Jeno, now aware he didn't even care about international fame, was next. To the chagrin of his teammates and audience, Chenle switched to a weaker local basketball team so he could live with the others. After graduating and depleting every bit of inspiration the city had to offer, Renjun also left to go home. Having travelled nonstop since he graduated, Haechan slowed down his restaurant rating journey enough to be able to settle down with them. Finally, Jaemin completed their group by coming home and immediately bagging a position at the biggest school in the district.

 Though not perfect, life was great - and kept getting better. Their careers flourished, steadily growing more successful. Their relationship, now that they were all living together, turned even deeper and sturdier. After a rather short wait, they moved to a truly huge house. All in all, they were as happy as they could be... except for one significant issue.

 Through all of these events, they had always had some sort of matching item to feel closer to each other. At first, clothing had been enough to satisfy them. When that started to fail, they all moved their soul gems to the same place. When even that proved to not be enough, they took a few steps back and bought expensive matching bracelets. Finally, encouraged by how their previous attempt was almost a success, they bought expensive matching rings meant to be worn as wedding rings. A whole unofficial and unserious ceremony was held right in their living room, causing more tears than any of them would ever admit. Then, of course, came the celebration. Committing to the bit a little too much, as was their usual, they invited every single one of their close friends to party. When they all feel sleep together (a rare occurrence, considering the variety of schedules) on the floor around their "wedding altar", they were convinced they would never experience a happier day. At last, they truly felt like one.

 Close to four years later, without reason or warning, that feeling too began to falter. This time, however, they were not willing to start over again. Now older and maturer, they acknowledged that there was no valid reason to keep running from their real desires. It was, after years of delay, time to actually talk about it.

"Gather up, everyone!" Mark shouted on a rare afternoon with all of them home, receiving multiple indiscernible noise in response. "Come on, guys, it's important!" Somehow, his voice lost strength without losing volume. "I think we should talk about our rings!"

 In the blink of an eye, everyone had joined him in the living room.

"Man, I wanted to just ignore it this time." Chenle spoke before anyone else could, genuinely disappointed. "I really don't wanna have to start over with something else."

"You said it, baby." Haechan pulled him over, throwing a loose arm around his waist. "It just would feel like a waste, you know?"

"Besides, what would we even try next?" Jeno backed them up, promptly being added to their almost hug. "If wedding rings didn't work, nothing will."

"Unless..." Looking a little pale, Renjun said carefully. "it's something better."

 It took no time for the rest of them to understand.

"Are you serious?" Jisung asked, simultaneously scared and hopeful. "Do you really want to- to-"

"Yes, I do." Renjun took a deep breath, expression growing more intense with each second. "I want to give my soul gem to you. All of you."

 As would be expected, a group hug with him in the middle was the answer they chose to give.

"Wait, wait, wait." Not long after, Jisung fought hard to free himself from the limbs holding him down. "We're talking about cutting our gems in six to gift them to each other, right?" The more he talked, the more he paced. "Doesn't that, like, hurt tremendously?"

"Well, yeah!" Jaemin answered cheerily, without a hint of the momentaneous fear the others showed. "But the real question is..." Still grinning, he directed a heavy stare at the younger. "Do you want to do it, Jisungie?"

 At once, Jisung stood still. Without thinking, filled with absolute certainty, he said simply: "I do."

"Then I'll be right there by your side, maknae." Chenle butted in, smirking mischievously. "I'll even let you hold my hand and everything."

 Miraculously (and predictably), that was enough to break the tension. In no time, they were discussing casually about their soul gems trade like the topic had not spent years stressing them out daily. In fact, they even laughed about their hesitation to bring it up before. Eventually, though, they managed to reach something close to seriousness.

"Alright, guys." Mark activated his leader mode, successfully catching the others' attention. "We need to, like, actually plan this out."

"Oh, right." Jeno sighed, resting even more weight upon the bodies below him and ignoring the complaints. "How exactly are we going to find someone willing to cut seven soul gems in six pieces?"

"Oh, don't worry about that." Jaemin dismissed, with a familiar glint in his eyes that no one liked. "I know a guy."

-

 The guy he knew, it turned out, was actually four guys all of them knew.

 Though that didn't help them at all in understanding the situation.

 Johnny Suh was a DJ Mark and Jisung had both stumbled into during work at different times, being charmed enough by his funny personality to keep contact after. Lee Taeyong was some sort of one-sided rival to Haechan, who loved to complain about how the chef had no rights being that good at his secondary job right to his face. Nakamoto Yuta was the vocalist of a famous rock band which, with certain frequency, hired Renjun to do some artwork for their stuff and paid him in both cash and fun. Kim Dongyoung (stage name: Doyoung) was an actor Jeno had starred with back in teenagehood, since then becoming something like a mentor figure. They were also, of course, soulmates.

 Still, that didn't explain why Jaemin had led them to the four's house instead of anything resembling a professional lapidary.

"Sorry to ask, Jaeminnie," Haechan said as soon as they were inside, not sounding sorry at all. "but did you hit your head?"

"I did not." Jaemin smiled, unphased. "My head is completely fine in the physical and aesthetical sense."

"It sure is." From his voice, it was impossible to tell if Renjun meant to be sincere or sarcastic. "But, seriously, what are we doing here?"

"Like, I know they carry around cut gems and stuff, but that doesn't mean they can help us actually cut ours!" Chenle gesticulated animatedly, his tone following without him noticing. "Learning how to do it takes years of effort! We need a professional, not a bunch of random people who have only-"

"Okay, enough!" A shout from Yuta, filled with all of his experience as a rock star, immediately made everyone shut up. "Just listen, kids."

"Thank you, Yuta." Taeyong patted his head, making him incline it like a cat. "You are right about all of this, Chenle," His face showed a trace of mischievousness, very rarely directed at anyone younger than him who wasn't Doyoung. "except for the fact that we do know how to do it."

 For a moment, all of the seven soulmates just stared at him in pure astonishment. Then, like usually, they descended into chaos. This time, though, the older men did nothing but watch in amusement while they tired themselves out.

"Please, explain quickly." Jeno said as soon as things quieted down, covering Jisung's ears with his hands while the other did the same for him. "I don't think I can handle another round of this."

"Since it's you who's asking, we'll hurry things up." Doyoung ignored the accusations of favoritism coming from all sides, smiling serenely at Jeno only. "Go on then, Johnny."

"Since it's you who's asking, fine." Johnny mimicked, making everyone but the two men being attacked laugh. "Alright, alright. Let's stop before Doyoungie gets sulky." For once, the victim of his teasing didn't react at all, only watching him expectantly. Pouting a little, Johnny wiped the smirk off his face and cleared his throat. "Right, so: back in high school, after we all met, I started thinking about if we would end up cutting our soul gems and how we would do it if so. Somehow, this lead me to decide I should be the one to cut the gems so they could be even more special. So, I joined a class focused on exactly that." Noticing the incredulous looks he was receiving, he did nothing but shrug. "What? I was a teenager."

"Anyway," Taeyong took over, amused and smug at the same time like he only ever was while talking about one specific person. "after snooping around for a bit, our Doyoungie here found out about the lessons. As you should expect, he felt really threatened by them. To prove he was the better soulmate, he joined the class too."

"Then," After a brief scowl, Doyoung said in the exact same tone. "after finding out both of us were doing it, Taeyongie hyung here got jealous. He didn't even have the guts to actually do it after, but he still joined the class just to not leave us alone."

 While the two bickered, the seven (except for Jaemin) took the time to process what they had just heard.

"I think you're all insane." Haechan said, appreciatively. "Actually, wait. What about Yuta hyung?"

"Me?" Clearly not having been paying any attention, Yuta startled a little before recomposing himself. "Oh, I didn't learn anything like that. I just went to their classes to appreciate Johnny's muscles and Doyoung and Taeyong's lack of them."

"So... they took one class... a decade ago." Jisung said to his soulmates, barely audible over their hyungs arguing. "Are we sure this is a good idea?"

"Oh, that's not all we've done." Johnny reassured, elbowing both Doyoung and Taeyong to make them shut up. "We never stopped practicing with normal gems. And me and Doyoung have cut actual soul gems a few times."

"It was all people who couldn't afford to pay a true lapidarist." Doyoung explained before they could ask, shrugging. "They were desperate and we happy to help, so it happened."

"I guess that's it, then." Mark chimed in, catching everyone's attention. "We have someone capable of cutting our soul gems right here. The only thing we need to do is ask ourselves one last time:" He stared at each of his soulmates in turn, dead serious for once. "do we all really want to do it, here and now?"

 For a moment, a charged silence fell over the room. Prompted by his demeanor, the other six took his question just as seriously. In the end, though, there was only one reply they could possibly give.

"We've been ready for years." Renjun spoke for all of them, absolutely certain of his words. "There's no reason to delay it any more."

"Yeah!" Chenle immediately screamed his support, causing more than one wince of pain. "Let's do it already, you bunch of cowards!"

 As all the other parts of their soulmate group simultaneously (and loudly) protested, their hyungs shared fond amused looks before disappearing deeper into the house to get everything ready.

-

"I think I'm gonna have a heart attack." Jisung said some twenty minutes later, completely serious. "Don't start, Mark hyung, I'm 100% certain I want to do it.  It's just that I'm pretty sure I'm gonna die first."

"Here, you big baby." Chenle rolled his eyes, fulfilling his promise of holding the younger's hand (and ignoring how his own was just as shaky). "Please hurry up, Johnny hyung and Doyoung hyung, before anyone quits!"

"Okay, boss." Despite the sass in his voice, the expression Johnny directed at them was nothing but reassuring... until he continued, of course. "Don't worry, Jisungie. If you're scared of the pain, just remember it'll go away quickly together with everything else!"

"How is that meant to be comforting!?" Also clearly afraid, Mark shouted in outrage. "The second part is the one where there's possible irreversible damage!"

"Alright, boys, the time for arguing has passed." Taeyong interrupted before they could even begin, putting his rarely used authoritative tone to work. "Kids, it's your last chance to stop or wait. Are you ready?"

 As an answer, the seven simply clutched each other tighter and nodded. After carefully analyzing them one by one, Taeyong gave Johnny and Doyoung permission to continue. A little hesitant despite their earlier behavior, the duo slowly picked up their tools...

 In just one second, the seven were hit by pain unlike any other they had ever experienced. It felt like getting stabbed, crushed, drowned and burnt all at once. Though none of them would admit it later, the only reason why they didn't beg to stop was the fact they simply couldn't move a single muscle. The only choice they had was to endure the excruciating torture until, finally, it came to a stop.

 Unfortunately, their relief didn't last for long. Even after all of their pain was gone, the strange numbness that had chased it away didn't stop working. One by one, their feelings and thoughts were muffled. At the most critical moment, they couldn't conjure a single memory. They became nothing but blank slates, immobile and unthinking.

 But then, like a series of bullet hits, everything they had lost came back quickly and painfully. Not too long after, they had already recovered enough to turn to each other with elated expressions.

"I can't believe it..." Jeno whispered in awe, for once visibly teary. "We actually did it..." With barely any warning, he suddenly jumped up and grabbed Jisung (the closest to him) to spin him around. "We did it, guys!"

 As expected, Chenle took the chance to repeat him in an even louder tone. And, like that was some kind of signal, everyone else immediately joined the celebration. They even allowed their hyungs to participate in the group hug for a bit, before Renjun politely kicked them out and made it into a true cuddle pile. Eventually, though, they realized they still hadn't really paid attention to their soul gems and separated to do just that.

"They look..." Jisung frowned, deep in thought. "unremarkable."

"Don't say that about your own soul, Jisungie." Jaemin was quick to scold... and only slightly slower to concede. "But they're definitely not as pretty as they used to be."

"Having second thoughts, boys?" Though his tone was teasing, Taeyong's eyes showed genuine concern. "I'm afraid it's not easy to go back, now."

"Good thing we don't want to, then." Just as flippant, Haechan reassured. "And, even if anyone did want to, I simply wouldn't let them."

"Good, good." Johnny smiled approvingly, distributing headpats to everyone in reach. "So, I guess that leaves just one last thing to solve."

 For a few seconds, the younger boys just stared at him uncomprehendingly. Then, after processing his words, groaned in perfect syncrony.

"Man, I can't believe we forgot about that." Chenle slumped against Jeno and Jaemin (the nearest bodies), sighing dramatically. "But fine. Just tell us, chief: how long are we gonna have to wait?"

"Sorry, but I fear it'll be a while. Probably around..." Doyoung's pitying expression slowly morphed into a smirk. "thirty minutes."

"Okay..." While his soulmates either fired rapid questions or simply sputtered, Renjun narrowed his eyes at their hyung. "Are you going to explain?"

"Nah." Yuta answered in place of his soulmate, nonchalant, before pointing straight at Jaemin. "He is."

"Hi!" Jaemin waved at the many people who turned to him, clearly proud of himself. "Do you like my surprise?"

"Uhm, how would we know?" Haechan rolled his eyes. "Maybe try asking after explaining?"

"Oh, sure!" Jaemin didn't bat an eye at the sass. "It's simple, really. Remember our bracelets? I kept them." Vague sounds of recognition were uttered. "Then, like two weeks ago when I came to finally settle a date for this meeting, I brought them and left them here." While understanding started to appear on his soulmates' faces, his smile only got bigger. "Then, using them as a way to get our measurements, the hyungs finished our new bracelets days ago."

"We did it, specifically." Yuta pointed at himself and Taeyong, smug. "We couldn't just let Doyoungie and Johnny get all the credit, could we?"

 This time, when another group hug was formed, the two were right in the middle of it.

"Okay, okay." Taeyong said eventually, very reluctantly pulling away from the rest of them. "If you really want to thank us, I have something for you to do."

 More obedient than they would've been on any other day, they (excluding Yuta) followed behind him with the objective of actually helping instead of causing chaos.

-

 Hours later, after a feast (made almost entirely by Taeyong, Chenle, Jaemin and Doyoung) and multiple games, the seven soulmates went home.

 Though they had enjoyed the day more than any other, it was still a relief. One by one, everyone showered and collapsed somewhere on the living room. When the last of them joined, they rearranged themselves to lay together on the fluffy rug acquired precisely for such needs. During all of that, their soul gem-encrusted bracelets steadily transmitted the general contentment everyone was feeling. It was no wonder they were soon ready to sleep right there, too lazy to go to their comically long bed (which was, in fact, two already big beds pushed together).

"Wait, wait, wait." Jisung interrupted the calm atmosphere, squirming around and causing a lot of groans. "Is this really it?"

"What are you talking about, maknae?" Mark, at the moment the only one willing to, questioned back.

"I mean, it's just-" With his limbs being held still, Jisung's stress went all to his face. "We just took a huge step for soulmates, right? The last step, even. So, isn't this too... normal?"

"You worry too much, idiot." Without turning around, Chenle somehow managed to flick Jisung's forehead. "We're the ones who decide how to live our lives." He paused for a moment to yawn. "And I know you're just as happy with this as we are, so why worry?"

"Besides," Haechan chimed in, sly. "I'm sure at least three people here have a secret commemoration event planned."

"Jeno, Mark and Jaemin, right?" Renjun asked, focused. "I'm still trying to figure out this whole emotional connection thing, but I'm pretty sure the spike of panic just now came from them."

"You're no fun." Instead of fruitlessly trying to deny it, Jeno just pouted. "But at least we can coordinate now, I guess."

"Only if I'm the one in charge." Jaemin made the effort to maneuver around just so Jeno and Mark could see how serious he was about it. "Sorry, but I doubt either of your ideas could compare to mine."

 Not the kind of people to miss a opportunity, even while half-asleep, the trio started to bicker lightheartedly with Haechan and Renjun egging them on. It wasn't long, though, before they were interrupted by the realization that their two youngest had managed to fall asleep despite the noise. After ending the conversation so they didn't wake them up, they were quick to follow their example.

 Even in their dreams, they were still together.