$ INSERT STELLIN HERE ⇓

---

Thank you for your purchase~

• ~pronouns page~

• ~discord~

• ◫ao3◫

• ~pinterest~

• ♪spotify♪

• home○

Fanfics:

Tears of Themis:

• NXX Dancing (WIP)
• Finished Soulmate Oneshots (Vyn & Artem)
• Luke Soulmate AU: Lost In Time (WIP)

Tags:
no warnings, no tags, just read it lol (I'll update these later!)

Chapter 1
Rosa never thought this part of her past would resurface, especially not when around her colleagues and friends at NXX. Yet here she was, secrets laid fresh and bare on the table like a meal to be feasted upon. How did she get in this predicament? Let's rewind to about 30 minutes ago…It all started on a normal day out. Marius offered to take the whole NXX team out for lunch after the morning meeting, so the 5 of them sat waiting for their food at a nice restaurant in the CBD. Since it was a nice temperature and sunny out, the waiter had guided them to a table at the edge of their outdoor patio, with a lovely view of the district’s center square. For once, everyone enjoyed a nice conversation instead of relentless bickering. It was a perfect, peaceful moment.… Until the shrieks of a woman interrupted the group.“OMG ROSIE IS THAT YOU?!” A blonde lady in her late 20s squealed as she fumbled with her bag nearly dropping it in shock.“Goldie? How in the world-?” Rosa hastily stood and bounded over. The two embraced in a tight hug, talking quickly to each other.Vyn, Luke, Artem, and Marius looked between themselves and the ladies before them with mixed levels of confusion.Marius was the first to speak, “Hey Missy, who’s this friend of yours?”The two looked over, remembering they weren’t alone, and Rosa led the woman with her to join the others at the table. “Sorry guys, let me introduce you- Everyone, this is Maria Lostens, but she goes by Marygold, or just Goldie. She’s a college friend of mine.”The lady laughed a little. “Rose, hun, you know only you and the girls are allowed to call me Goldie, right?”“Whatever you say Mary. These are my colleagues.”“That dark-haired one in the suit is Artem Wing, senior attorney at Themis Law and my work partner.”Artem smiled and extended his hand to shake. “A pleasure to meet you, ma’am.”“That light-haired one is Dr. Vyn Richter, psychiatrist, co-owner and chief researcher of Giannovyn Mental Health Research Center. He’s also a professor at the School of Psychology of Stellis University.”Vyn gave a deep bow to kiss her knuckles as she blushed. “Good afternoon to you, Maria.”“This red-head is Luke Pearce, owner of Time Antiques and my childhood best friend. I’ve talked about him before, remember?”Luke grinned and shook her hand. “All good things, I hope!”“Finally, this one here is Marius Von Hagen, current heir of Pax Group. Don’t let those puppy eyes fool you, he’s really quite mischievous.”Marius pouted at Rosa before shaking Maria’s hand. “Missy, I think you’re the one being mean right now.”“Wow Rosie, you’ve really made it if you work with all these hot and talented guys, but don’t tell me you went off and switched to another dance company! Me and the girls miss you!” Their confused expressions returned to the guy’s faces, and Rosa blushed.“No, Goldie you have it all wrong! I got that job as an attorney, and we all met over different cases before becoming friends, I promise! I miss you and the rest of the Flowers too, but work is so hectic right now. I promise I’ll visit soon!”Vyn was the first to try for an explanation this time. “Rosa, what’s all this about dance companies and flowers? I think the rest of us are a little confused, too.” The other men nodded in affirmation.Maria was shocked. “You haven’t said anything about dance to them? Oh, here, I can pull up some of our videos to show them-”The color drained from Rosa’s face as Maria pulled out her phone. “Nonono, it’s fine, really- you don’t have to do that- it's really no big deal-”“No big deal?!?! 3 years of our lives together and it’s no big deal? You wound me, Rosie.” She dramatically wiped away an imaginary tear off her face in mock devastation.“No Goldie- I didn’t mean it like that-”“I know that silly! I’m just messin’, but I’m sure these guys would like to see you in action, wouldn’t y’all?”Marius nods enthusiastically while Vyn smiles softly. “It’s ok if you don’t want to, but I can’t deny the fact that I’m interested.”Artem adds, “I agree with Vyn. I’d like to see your dance, Rosa.”Luke can’t hide his enthusiasm or knowing smile. “Show us what you got, Watson!”Rosa’s cheeks heat up at their insistence. “Maybe I can look for some when I get home and show y’all the next time we get-”“Nonsense! Here I found one of our best videos from ‘25- I’ll put it on the holo table so everyone can see!” Maria sat in the empty chair, connected her phone, and pulled up the file before Rosa could protest. Reluctantly, Rosa sat down, covering her face as Maria messed around with the playback until she found their group a little over 2 and a half minutes into the compilation.“Please don’t judge me for this…” was all Rosa could mumble before the video played for the whole table to see.// 2:45 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D5qT1tRgLzE //Rosa featured front and center in a white long-sleeved shirt and black pants as the name Rose hovered in front of her. On her right was Marygold with her name in front of her, and to her left, a lady with bright purple hair under the name Violet. When the clip started, the boys could have caught flies with how their jaws dropped. Artem didn’t know if he wanted to look away out of his respect for his coworker, or to keep watching the well-done, fluid movements. Luke felt similar, having never seen his Watson move or even act like she did in the video. Marius wanted to make a comment that would immediately get him smacked, but was too blown away to say anything. Vyn, who’d never seen anything of this sort, had absolutely no thoughts in his brain.Maria giggled at their reactions when the video came to an end.“Well, I think my work here is done! It was lovely meeting you all, but I have to go now. Rosie, here’s my card, call me!” Maria gave the still frozen Rosa a quick hug, plopped the card on the table, and waved as she walked away.The 5 remaining at the table sat in dead silence, one in shame, four in embarrassment.Marius considered how to break the awkward silence before he spoke, “Wow Missy, you can really-”“Shut it Marius, before I break your hand.” Rosa scowled, looking ready to cry.“Well… Watson, you were really good! You must have gotten pretty wild at college while I was away” Luke’s cheeks were still red as his eyes, but he tried to cheer her up.Artem was also flushed, but he smiled and turned slightly towards Rosa. “You really did. You had such a smooth flow and good control over your body. How long had you been doing this style when the video was made?”Rosa finally smiled again before answering, “Well I started college in fall 2023. That's when I joined a local studio called Expressions. This was recorded in late 2025, so I would have been in the group for a little over 2 years at that point. You could probably have guessed, but I was on a team called Flowers and we all had flower-based stage names. And no, Marius, they were not stripper names.” Rosa stared accusingly at the man’s open mouth.“But Missy, I just wanted to say that you were really good, I promise.” Rosa sighed at the reappearance of the puppy eyes. “Well then… Thanks, I guess… To all of you, really. I never thought I’d show this part of my past to you guys, so thank you for not laughing or being weird.”Vyn sat unmoving, eyes blankly staring into space and mouth slightly agape. He was still processing the video, alongside all this new information.“Hey Missy, I could bring you back to my art studio if you ever wanted to dance like that for me someti-” “MARIUS. VON. HAGEN.”

Chapter 2
/SMACK/Luke and Artem had to suppress their snickers as a red welt blossomed on Marius’s face from the slap. The loud sound must have also broken Vyn from his stupor, as he softly shook his head, like a dog shaking off water, and returned to a natural gaze and soft smile, if slightly embarrassed.“She tried to warn you bro! But you wouldn’t drop it!” Luke showed off his canines with a smile as he lightly punched Marius in the shoulder. However, Luke’s version of a “light punch” is lucky to leave you with light bruising. Marius winced at the contact and tried to find sympathy by batting his eyes at Rosa, but she was intentionally looking away from him, still a little ticked off at his incessant comments.“Rosa.” She looked up from her sulking to see Artem staring at her. “Did you ever go compete for Expressions?” She gently shook her head.“I wanted to go compete, but they always seemed to align with the hardest units of my law courses or finals. I usually learned the dances, but I didn’t get the costumes and stage outfits. As you all saw, I did get to perform for the recordings occasionally, but usually just for the fun dances.” Rosa was secretly kind of happy she didn’t go to competitions, as the outfits the director picked for her group were… not professional to be seen wearing by a lawyer, even outside of work.“I understand now. You must have joined after the new director was appointed. When I was a student at Expressions, you had to compete if you were on the team. They must have joined the recreational and competition teams after I left.” Artem pulled out his phone nonchalantly, while everyone else at the table was stunned.“You’ve danced as well?” Vyn, finally joining back in the conversation, turned to the other man with his head slightly tilted, indicating his puzzlement.“Yes. I started when I was about 5 and kept dancing until I was 16. I believe it would have been from 2006-2018. My mom would send me to their after-school program when I first started school, but I quickly moved up and joined their more rigorous competition levels. I would have stayed, but I got accepted into a law school prep course that took up my afternoons towards the end of high school.”Artem continued as he pulled out and connected his phone. “Once my group was promoted to competition-tier, we started calling ourselves ‘Garage’ because we were all into cars at the time. I don’t remember everyone’s stage names off the top of my head, but mine was Camaro…” A blush returned to his cheeks and ears as he continued to look through his phone.Before Marius could open his mouth to make a stripper-related remark, Rosa gave him a glare and raised an open palm in a silent warning.“Now… this one would have been after about 2 years of me taking dance. This was my first competition in the junior group, so I would have been 7 or 8.” He moved the video to play on the screen.(The video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y3P0CxNM3O4)The video showcased 5 young boys as they danced to a medley of hip hop song clips. Rosa and the other boys all leaned closer to watch them dance across the stage. A young Artem was featured wearing the black cap, white tee, and black sweats with his other teammates.Rosa cooed, “Aww you were cute as a kid! And you were really good for being so new at it!”Artem cleared his throat, “Thank you, Rosa. I appreciate it.”Vyn, Marius, and Luke all nodded in approval.“Who would have known that our stuffy lawyer could bust a move! Bet you can’t do that nowadays or you’d bust a hip, huh?” Marius couldn’t help but make a playful jab at Artem.Artem rolled his eyes, “While my schedule is a lot more busy nowadays with work, I do still try to keep myself active and happy. I usually try to dance on the days I rest from my more strenuous workouts, to keep myself moving and such. The only difference is that I do it within the comfort of my own home and not with a team anymore.”Rosa smiled and looked over at the dark-haired man. “I’m glad you were able to keep up with it despite all the change in your lifestyle!”“Speaking of change…”

Tags:
Luke/Reader, reader is rosa (TOT), soulmate au, soulmate-identifying marks, childhood friends, fluff, angst, hurt/comfort, mostly canon compliant, separation, reunion, luke is a dumbass (affectionately)
Warnings (Contains spoilers): major character death, (but not really), hospitals, drugging, canon-typical violence, implications of suicide (its not there i promise), depression

Luke: Lost In TimeYour parents had barely slipped out of view before you started sobbing. Having just turned three, you had never been away from your parents before, and the preschool was new and big and scary and full of strange people. So, there you stood by the doorway, clutching your little green backpack, bawling your eyes out.The nice lady from the front desk eventually came over and calmed you down, but you were still sniffly as you were led to your new teacher.The two whispered to each other before the desk lady waved goodbye, leaving the teacher as she took your hand and led you up to the front of the classroom.“Hey everyone! I have great news, we have a new student joining us today!” She turned back to face you. “Did you want to introduce yourself now, sweetie? Or do you want to wait until later? Option one or two?”You shakily look up at her and hold up two fingers.“Okay! Option number two it is, then. How about for now, I’ll take your backpack and put it in your cubby, and you can go sit down… Let’s see… Oh! You can sit beside this brown-haired boy right here!” She led you to a table, helping you into your seat. “His name is Luke. He’ll help you get used to it here. Now, I have to go back to the front of the room, so you can just sit here and get to know each other!”You nodded, rubbing your sore eyes before glancing over at the boy beside you. You hadn’t noticed, but he’d been staring at you since the moment you walked in. Even when you turned to face him, he was still staring at you. Giant, curious coral eyes met yours.“Your eyes are pretty, wanna be friends?” You blinked a couple of times, the boy with the pretty eyes said yours were pretty?“Your eyes are prettier, but sure!” You smiled for the first time since arriving.Maybe things wouldn’t be so bad now… As long as you had a friend.~Luke stared fondly at the picture on his dresser as he buttoned his shirt. It was of the two of you on your first day of kindergarten, holding hands and grinning at the camera. Both of your parents had tears in their eyes from sending the two of you off to school, but you were just happy to see each other every day.His trip down memory lane was abruptly cut short by his final alarm going off, reminding him that if he didn’t leave now, he’d miss his bus and be late for his interview— no way he could do that!!!
…Sitting in his seat on the bus, he scratched an itch on his arm and started to read through the electronic contract his recruiter had sent him. He couldn’t understand all the legalese, but he thought he got the gist of it, at least. Thankfully, he’d been appointed a lawyer from the NSB who would explain the confusing parts for him.He was recruited by the NSB Special Forces’ Commander after being observed in one of his Bioengineering courses. If he signs this contract, he’ll be put through their basic training program after his spring classes end. If he makes it through basic, his degree will be expedited so he can fulfill his 5-year contract working as a full-time agent for the agency. Then, he’ll have the option to either continue working full-time, or work part-time and go back to his semi-normal life.He was so excited to tell you the news when he was first approached by the recruiter, but there was a catch. He could never reveal his identity to anyone outside the agency.. This was the only thing holding him back from the opportunity.On the one hand, this would be an extremely dangerous job, and he’d have to start lying to you about big parts of his life, at least until the end of his first contract.But on the other hand, if something were to happen to him on the job, he could direct all of his salary and benefits to a chosen successor. And if everything went to plan, not only would he be guaranteed an income for the rest of his life, but he’d also be able to share his benefits with a spouse.That last thought made him blush. He did want to make it up to you and your family for taking care of him after all these years. Maybe… Maybe he could provide for you now……This is what led to him sitting in a comfy chair, back in a very familiar office. He had attended a couple meetings since first being recruited, but they had to wait for his 18th birthday, today, for him to legally sign all the paperwork. Of course, he could have signed it earlier, but since he’d been emancipated to attend school in the capital, he would have had to have an unaffiliated emancipation lawyer present, and the recruiter told him it wasn’t worth the wait.Everyone in the recruiter’s office had treated him very well. He knew most of them by name, especially after all the times he’d come in for a quiet place to study and unwind. They’d let him have snacks and tell stories about their experiences in the NSB, creating a great escape for the young college student. They treated him like he was already a part of the team, all making him want to come back more and more.The door creaked quietly as the recruiter and lawyer walked in, taking their seats across the desk. “Well, Pearce, today’s the day! Are you ready to sign?” The recruiter grinned as he reached out his hand to shake.Luke was nervous, but the only indicator he gave was a scratch of the itch on his forearm, which promptly stopped so he could shake the extended hand.“Yes, I’m very excited.” His grip was firm, and soon, the hand in his was replaced by a fancy pen, and his papers were presented.“Now, before we start,” the lawyer began, “I am legally required to cover a couple things, but it’s nothing you haven’t heard before, Pearce.” A lazy grin spread across Luke’s face. The three of them had gone over all the official and required procedures over lunch and other meetings, all so there wouldn’t be any surprises when this day finally came.“You are aware that all information contained within these documents is confidential, along with all aspects of this job. You are not allowed to discuss it with anyone outside of the organization without NSB’s explicit permission, correct?”“I understand.”“Now, regarding the paperwork, since you’ve had access to it for a while, do you have any questions regarding the contents before signing?”“No, sir.” In actuality, there were a couple areas that Luke could have used some clarification on, but he thought he got most of it, and by now, the excitement was getting to him, and he was ready for everything to be finalized.“Perfect. I’ll leave it to you, then.” The lawyer nodded to the recruiter beside him.“Great! Well, Pearce, you’ve made it. Go ahead and sign it so I can pop some champagne already!” The recruiter laughed heartily, pushing the papers towards Luke.He sighed, letting out all of the tension building up inside him, staring down at the permanent decision. Finally, he put pen to paper, scratching out his signature on the dotted line.“Congratulations! Now I can finally call you Agent Pearce! Oh, and before I forget—” The recruiter grabs a bottle from the fridge next to his desk, pops and pours two glasses, handing one to Luke.“Happy 18th Birthday!”…Luke walked back into his dorm, giddy and buzzed from the alcohol and excitement running through his veins. The party the NSB office had thrown for him lasted for the entire afternoon, but, luckily, they let him go home early so he could celebrate for himself.He popped the rest of the cake they’d gifted him into the fridge and went to sit on his bed. He was ready to crash and rest the next day, before he’d throw himself back into his studies.He already took off his jacket, but when he went to unbutton his dress shirt’s cufflinks, he noticed that weird itch was back on his forearm. He prayed it was just a small bug bite as he ripped the shirt off, trying to remember if he had any anti-itch cream left in his first aid kit, before he saw what was actually on his arm.A small scribbled line of text.Oh shit.He’d completely forgotten to check for his soulmark, having gone to bed early so he could hastily prepare for his morning interview. Quickly, he jumped over to his desk and turned on the lamp so he could see what was actually written.‘Your eyes are prettier, but sure!’ In a pretty green scrawl.He’d know that handwriting anywhere, he’d remember that day anyday. He’d known, deep down, that you’d been only one for him since day one. Had he realized it? No.But now, he did.And the world around him stopped.All the noises of the busy capital, the shuffles of people in their dorms around him, his own breathing and heartbeat; all of it disappeared as he stared at his arm.This had only happened once before, when he saw his parents in their caskets at their funeral and realized they were actually dead. The breath had been knocked out of him when realization set in.10 years later, and it was happening again. Another death, not of a person, but of his dream future.At that moment, he knew. He knew that he couldn’t tell you now. He couldn’t come home to you for 5 years, at least. All the biggest chunks of his life will have to be censored into oblivion, if he can communicate with you at all. He just couldn’t put you through that.He looked at your messages, scrolling back to where he told you about his interview for “the government bioengineering job in Antarctica”. He smiled sadly and gently.Maybe he could roll with this. After all, he may have dug himself into this hole by signing the near future away, but he had the rest of his life after that, yeah? He could still have his future with you, he’d just have to be patient and wait out his contract. Then he could take the pension pay and go back to you. It wouldn’t be a big deal in the long run.His smile widened, more sure, as he texted you back.‘i got the job’‘YAY CONGRATS!!! ((o(^∇)o))
oh btw, did you get your soulmark yet? i think we both completely forgot about it Σ(-᷅_-᷄๑)’‘yeah’‘omg show me! do you know who it is? do you recognize it? we should call so you can show meeeeeee ψ(｀∇´)ψ’It was hard to type between his shaking hands and the tears clouding his eyes.‘i don’t think i’ve met them yet, but i’ll show you once i do ;)’His breathing grew rapid and heavy as he sent the message and watched you type out your reply.‘awww that’s no fun ( ；∀；) but ok, you better tell me when you do though! maybe you’ll meet them at your new job!’‘maybe… idk, i just want to sleep now, i think i partied too hard’‘okok, night night sherlock!╰(´︶*)╯♡’‘goodnight watson’He tossed his phone onto his bed, hiding under the blanket as he let sobs wrack his body.You may have always been the crybaby, but Luke would be the one crying himself to sleep for now.~Tonight was the night. The night you turned 18 and got your soulmark!You just got off a video call with your parents, since they were away on a business trip. In their timezone, it was already your birthday, but back at home, you still had to wait another hour for the clock to strike 12.You stretched out before getting off the couch, jogging up the stairs to your bedroom. You took a glance at the room across the hall, coming to a pause. Usually, the two of you would be together in the room of whoever’s birthday it was, playing games as you counted down until midnight. That way, you’d always be the first ones to tell each other Happy Birthday. However, since Luke was accepted into university so early, your birthday wishes switched to video calls lasting long into the night. Not quite the same, but good enough for you.Now that Luke was abroad on his fancy work-study job, you weren’t sure what to expect for your birthday. Whatever lab he’d been shipped off to either had terrible signal, blocked outcoming messages, or a combination of the two. You were lucky to receive a text from him once a week, if that. He said before he left the country that he would try to send physical letters in the mail, but the post from Antartica must be terribly slow, as you hadn’t received a single one yet.You knew he would never forget your birthday, especially not one as important as your 18th. He knew how excited you were to find out who your soulmate was. He’d listen to you go on tangents for hours imagining what life would be like once you found them. You always found the idea so romantic, often guessing at what characteristics your perfect match would have.Luke would always say that he didn’t need a soulmate as long as he had you, but you’d always tell him he’s crazy and that he’d change his mind once he met them.What Luke didn’t know was that you always shared the sentiment. Every time you’d talk about what you wanted in your soulmate, you’d describe him to a T. (Sans his appearance. It was said to be bad luck to talk about your soulmate’s appearance before you met them, after all.) Every single time, he’d miss the painfully obvious hints.There were so many moments like this, especially since his 18th, where you worried for Luke’s soulmate. Not only would they be faced with Luke’s overprotectiveness of you… but they’d also have to deal with your jealousy—An alarm ringing out from your room interrupts your train of thought, and you quickly jog to your bedside dresser to turn it off.Shoot, that's your 11:58 alarm. It's almost time!You jump into your bed, rolling over onto your stomach to stare at your phone, waiting and watching for the numbers to change.Time slowed down to a crawl. You were acutely aware of every second ticking by. You roughly pushed up your sleeve, revealing your forearm, waiting for the second anything changed.Ding Di-Ding!As soon as your clock struck 12:00, you got a text with a ringtone you’d know anywhere. You glanced away from your tingling arm to grab your phone and open Luke’s message.‘Happy 18th Birthday, my Watson! I’m sorry I couldn’t call like usual, but the signal here is sooo bad, I had to schedule this to send like a week ago. :/ Don’t worry, you’ll still get your presents from me! The first half should be delivered tomorrow morning, and the second… will come back with me when I return for a week’s vacation in 2 months!!! :D I can’t wait to see you again. Hope you have a good night and day. Love, your Sherlock <3’A grin filled your face and your cheeks warmed right up. He usually didn’t sign things off with ‘Love,’ so he must have known how much it’d mean to you. But best of all, HE’S COMING HOME!!!!!You clutched your phone to your chest, kicked your feet, and maybe squealed a little in celebration. You hadn’t seen him since he left for college, but in two months, you’d be able to have him in your arms again!A flash of light and tingling prick signaled completion, bringing your attention back to your forearm. You covered your eyes with your other hand in anticipation, having waited for this moment for so long, it was a little scary to finally face it.As you peeked through your fingers, you were met with a soft, neat, pinky-coral message.“Your eyes are pretty, wanna be friends?”Oh.Time stood still. You couldn’t hear the cicadas outside or your heartbeat; couldn’t breathe or think.You’d know that handwriting anywhere, you’ll remember that day for the rest of your life. You’d known, deep down, that he was the only one for you, just never truly realized it.But now, you do.Your dream has finally come true.A sob of relief and joy rips from your chest. That explains him signing off the text with ‘Love,’ then.You pick up your phone once more, calming your racing heart as you think of how to reply to his message.‘awww thank you sherlock! now we’re both adults!!! Ｏ(≧▽≦)Ｏ i am excited for my presents… but more excited to see you tbh. (*´∀) i hope you can survive 2 more months without the amazing me though! i truly do miss you. (ˊ̥̥̥̥̥ ³ ˋ̥̥̥̥̥) i’ll be counting down the days! love, your watson ( ˘ ³˘)♥’You figured that since Luke didn’t mention the two of you being soulmates in his text, he wanted to wait and have that moment in person. While you were usually very impatient, you didn’t seem to mind this time. After all, what’s two months in comparison to spending the rest of your life with your lover? The two of you would spend so many days together after all of this, yeah? It wouldn’t be a big deal in the long run.

You put your phone on its charger and laid back on your bed. The tears rushed down your face, but their salty warmth was welcome as they slid past your smile.The two of you shared the night in silent, long-distanced tears. Ones of happiness and ones of anguish. Separated by the fate that brought them together.~~~It was hard, running between your classes, your part time job, and study sessions. They all rushed together in a blur.Nine days. All you had left to wait until he came home. Every waking moment for the past two days was filled with thoughts of him coming home and how sweet your reunion would be. Knowing the two of you, there’d be lots of tears and hugging. You kept making more and more plans for the days after his return since he told you his vacation would be extended to two weeks. You decided to leave the first two days free for the two of you to just catch up, talk about the future together, and enjoy each other.Today was a rare day off. Without anything to prepare for in the upcoming hours, you decided to bake some treats and have a lazy movie day.You just pulled the cookies out of the oven when you felt the first prick on your forearm. Jumping a little, you hurriedly set the tray down onto the counter.Shoot, did I burn myself?
The cool running water on your arm did nothing to ease the pain. You took it out to dry after a minute or two so you could examine the area, grimacing as you realize it’s right on the edge of your soulmark. Luckily, there weren’t any visual indications of an injury, but you sat and watched it, waiting to see if anything would show up.After a moment, another prick joined the first in its torment, this time on the other side of the words.Ow. What’s going on?!You’d felt the mark itch before, a pleasant reminder that Luke missed you, according to the old wives’ tale. It was never anything like this.Another round of cold water, but this time the pain only intensified when you dried it off.And then, it started.Burning erupted from every letter. The pain was excruciating.But you couldn’t really feel it.Everything stopped.The ringing in your ears blocked out all outside noise. Your breathing, heartbeat, the sound of tears running down your face; all of it disappearing as you stared down at your arm.No physical pain would ever compare.Not as you watched those bright coral letters fade and blur together.No-You sat on your bed in that painful silence for an eternity, only accompanied by your sobs. Just watching the last connection you had to him dissolve away.Luckily for you, it eventually stopped. What was left of the mark was near illegible, retaining barely a hint of its original color. You could only make out what it had said because you were reading it mere minutes ago. The remaining ache exploded ten-fold as your fingers gently traced over the area.The searing pain was a welcome distraction for the freezing numbness left in your body.You knew what happened. There was only one explanation for a mark to suddenly fade like that.Only 18, barely an adult, and yet your future was gone.Dead, from the moment you realized that Luke was too.…Your fear was confirmed when a man in a fancy suit showed up on the doorstep of your home the next morning. It took a minute to get your joints unstuck from the position you’d passed out in. He didn’t even know if you were home until you opened the door, but his stoic face betrayed no emotion, mirroring yours.After confirming your identity, he invited himself into your foyer, as you closed the door behind him.“Do you have a chair? You’ll want to be seated for what I’m about to tell you.”You nod and bring him into the living room, taking your favorite spot on the couch and curling up under a blanket, as the man sat rigidly in your father’s favorite armchair. If you had the energy, you would’ve brought in one of the dining room chairs for him to sit as well, but all you wanted was for him to leave.“As I mentioned, I am an Agent with the NSB. Do you know why I’m here?”You shook your head no. But both of you knew you were lying.“I am sorry to inform you of this, but as of 2:47pm our time yesterday, Lucas T. Pearce was confirmed to be one of three dead in an incident at his research facility.”Oh.You really were alone now.Somehow, it hurt less after hearing it confirmed, even as the tears rushed down your cheeks.“How… How did it… What happened?” You hadn’t spoken in hours. It took a minute for the words to come out.“Pearce, another engineer, and their mentor were working in one of our engine rooms when something combusted inside the hydrogen pipes, setting the room ablaze. Luckily, our fire-detection system caught it quick and sealed off the room, preventing the spread, but since hydrogen burns at such high temperatures, we couldn’t stop it in time. Please, don’t worry. It happened so fast that he couldn’t have suffered for long.”A small relief, to know that he didn’t have to endure so much pain. The thought of him in pain made you want to throw up.“Now, since Pearce has listed you as his next of kin, we’ll need you to fill out and sign a couple of papers. The Government will send you his pay until his original contract runs out. Then the sum will be matched to his pension. You will also receive benefits such as…”The man continued to talk, but you zoned out. He couldn’t seem to comprehend that this was the last thing you wanted to be doing.“You are prohibited from discussing any of this, especially how Mr. Pearce perished. The only ones allowed to know this confidential information are your parents, as they are listed as his in-laws.”“I’m sorry? How am I not supposed to tell anyone that he’s… He’s dead!”“Oh, you can still say he’s no longer with us. Just find another explanation as for why. Right now, we’re still investigating the incident, and we do not wish for this to be leaked to the general public. We will help you plan a memorial service and deliver his personal effects as soon as the ship lands-”“What about his body? Will I… Will I get to see him again?”The man sighed, dipping his head and looking away. “Everything inside the room was reduced to ashes. Even if we were allowed to release such evidence, I’m afraid we’re unable to separate his ashes from the rest of the debris.”“I see…” Anything left of your heart was crushed. Still, maybe it was for the better… You were barely keeping together as-is, you couldn’t imagine how you’d react after seeing him… Seeing him dead. At least you could remember your Sherlock hugging you and waving goodbye, leaving you for the last time.“I’m afraid I must be leaving soon, so if you’d just sign these, I’ll be more than happy to put an end to this visit.” The man, barely masking his impatience, slid the paperwork across the coffee table once more.“Of course.” You quickly signed and filled out everything he pointed to, perhaps just as impatient as he was.Ushering the man out the door, you lock it and slide down to the floor, releasing all the sobs that had been held back to save face. Through blurry eyes, you fumbled out your phone, dialing your mom’s number. The last thing you needed right now was to be alone.~Bright lights burned eyes, air whirred through a machine as it pumped into lungs.Luke wasn’t all there. Awake, but really not. Everything was fuzzy, even his own body. He tried to sit up, but exhaustion and weight held him down.He took a moment to compose himself, blinking away as much of the fog as he could. This was obviously a hospital room, but he had no clue as to why he was here. Plastic glared bright in the bottom of his vision, but the pressure on his face and air pumping into his chest told him he had some sort of breathing mask on. Every breath ached— no, every inch of him ached. Had he been run over by a truck?He tried to think of what he was doing that could have put him in a hospital when suddenly, two men— one in a white coat, the other in blue scrubs— walked into his room.He almost sat up to greet them, but again, couldn’t quite manage.“Good afternoon, Mr. Pearce. Please, don’t try to sit up or speak just yet. I will address why in a moment.” The man in white pulled up a stool beside his bed and sat down while the nurse busied himself with some nearby screen. “My name is Dr. Aaron Yishmir, and this is Nurse Martin Rogers; we’ll be the ones taking care of you for a while. Right now, you’re in a hospital run by the NSB in a secure location. I know you must have a million questions, but I’m gonna let you lay back while I explain everything I can. Blink twice if you understand.”Luke blinked.“Good, good. Being able to respond indicates little to no severe brain damage and that your anesthetics are wearing off. Now, I have no clue what the last thing you remember was, but you were on a mission to infiltrate M.A.C.E. Inc.’s warehouse. We received a tip that Elias Williamson, the owner, was embezzling money to fund research on new, illegal drugs. Your job was to get into the lab’s server room and retrieve as much evidence as possible before we got the warrant we needed to bust them.“You were successful, thank goodness. However, on your way out, you got caught in the same room as an employee who tried to make a run for it with drug samples. That idiot tripped an alarm and the entire room filled with toxic gas, causing your lungs to shut down. When their people entered the room and found you, they gave you a large dose of some drug cocktail to keep your lungs from giving out, probably just to keep you alive enough for interrogation.“We extracted you quickly, but not quick enough, it seems. Something in that injection must have been a neurotoxin, since it really screwed up your temporal lobes. We rushed you into surgery, and basically put steroids directly into your brain while we filtered out what we could from the bloodstream. You have been in a medically induced coma for roughly 48 hours now.“That brings us up to the present. You’re on a ventilator system to give your lungs some time to heal, but we’ll let you off in a couple minutes to see how much progress you’ve made. Sorry about those bindings, by the way. I mean, unless you’re into that… If that's the case, I’m sorry for not establishing a safeword first!” He laughed. “I’m just kidding, I’ve got a girlfriend for that. You were secured down to prevent movement in your sleep, so we’ll take those off of you now. We’ll also do some quick checks for brain damage, but from what we’ve seen on your biometrics, you might be susceptible to seizures. We’ll have to wait and see.”Dr. Yishmir scoots closer to the bed. “Now, I’m going to adjust your bed, take off these straps, and take off your breathing mask for a minute to see how you feel about talking. Blink twice if that’s okay.”Luke blinked again. As the bed moved, he watched the doctor and nurse unhook the straps on his legs. They were long, padded, and soft on the inside, but the cool air felt nice once they were off. The belt around his waist was similar, but with extra buckles.They moved up towards his arms, and Luke could only stare expectantly at his left wrist. He loved to look at and run his fingers over his soulmark whenever he was stressed. Sometimes, on missions, he wasn't allowed to wear his key necklace, so his mark would be his last tangible connection to you. He had its image burned into his memory, but seeing it always calmed his nerves.But as the band covering the area was taken off,It wasn’t there.Dark, green blurs were the only indication of anything ever being there.Luke blinked, hoping— no, praying that his eyes were playing tricks on him. They weren’t fully adjusted after being asleep for so long, so surely if he looked long enough, his mark would return.Nothing changed.Luke blinked again.Nothing changed.“Where—” Luke’s throat burned as he barely whispered out, “Where is it?”“I’m sorry, what was that?” Dr. Yishmir scooted closer.Luke raised his right hand to shakily touch his arm. “Where’s my mark?” His voice cracked, tears welled up in his eyes, betraying his horror.“Oh, your soulmark…” The doctor grimaced. He whispered something to the nurse, sending him out of the room. “Well… You have to understand. During your surgery, while you were out… We lost you a couple of times. We honestly didn’t think you’d wake up so soon, if… If at all. We sent an agent to inform your soulmate of your condition, and from what I was told… They didn’t take it so well.”Luke sat in disbelief.You would never…Would you?A pat on his shoulder. Sorrowful, grieving eyes met sympathetic ones.“I am so sorry for your loss.”And that's when everything broke.Luke barely remembered screaming, throwing the blankets and grabbing blindly at the tubes near him as the doctor yelled out. Then a small prick made it all disappear into nothingness.…When he woke up, the first thing Luke noticed was that his straps had returned.The second thing he noticed was the weight on his chest.Memories and emotions flooded his mind as he fully awoke.Alone. He was alone now. You were gone.…Luke stared at the open box in his lap. The doctor seemed to think that giving him his belongings would make him feel better. Every item tied to a memory, they only filled him with bittersweet nostalgia.There were two new additions, however. A personal project he’d been working on since boot camp. He took them out of their case, admiring his handiwork. Not quite matching, but complimentary. Sherlock and Watson. Red and gold always looked good on the two of you.With a sigh, your half was put away, while he kept his out. The case went back into the box, and he closed the lid, calling for a nurse, “Tell Dr. Yishmir to have this shipped back home. I’d like it to be buried with them. He’ll know what I mean.” The nurse nodded, taking it from him and walking back out into the hall. Luke said a silent goodbye.Alone yet again, he looked down upon the object in his hand.He kissed the ring and slid it onto his finger, mourning a marriage he'd never be able to have.~You were thankful that the memorial service was small and quick. Every minute that ticked by only wore you down. Yet, returning to your now empty house barely helped, either. Your parents hadn’t been home, unable to take any time away from whatever important job they were on now, even for Luke’s funeral. They left after the procession to his gravestone, promising to return as soon as his ashes were available to properly lay to rest.You plopped down onto the couch, staring at the objects in your lap. The man from before all but cornered you on the way back to your car, handing you the box, file, and folded flag with a curt thank you for your service before disappearing into the crowd. Thankfully, you had the mind to buckle these into your passenger seat before departing.Now that you were alone again, you looked them over. First the national flag, folded into a neat triangle. Traditionally given to the family of deceased armed service members. You wondered if it was tradition to give these out to the families of government researchers, but put the thought aside. Setting the flag and file down, your breath hitched in your throat and your hand fondled the key around your neck as you examined the box. You’ve traced the Sherlock Holmes motif on this lid many times before. Ever since you and your parents gave it to him for his 5th birthday, Luke always kept his most treasured belongings inside. There were only two keys in the world that could open this lock; the one around your neck, and the one around Luke’s… until now.You blinked back tears as you clicked open the box, met with the familiar objects inside. Drawings and photos from your childhood were folded neatly together on top of the many paper awards and certificates he’d won in school. A small trophy, unable to fit on the shelf in his room, lay beside his favorite childhood toys, a plush myna bird and a fire truck.

You pulled out a package of your shared favorite candy, finding a note on top. You remembered the last time you’d seen this box open. The night before he left for college, you placed this candy in the box, promising to share it once he got his degree and came back home. A tear fell from your face and landed on the shiny wrapper, and here you thought you had tired of crying.As you moved out all the items you knew were in the box, a smaller case nestled in the corner caught your eye. Picking it up, you studied the soft black velvet and shiny gold hinge before gently opening it to reveal…A ring?A paper slip drifted out and landed in your palm.‘May our eyes that introduced us never lose sight of this promise between souls.’A… A promise ring?Though there were two slots in the box, only one was filled. As you slowly picked up the ring, emotions flooded your chest.It was a golden band with a simple ruby in the center. With its many small imperfections, it was obviously handmade. Made with love. Putting it on, it was a perfect fit. There was no denying how it was made for you. As you slid it off, you noticed a small mark on the inside of the band. Upon closer inspection, you could make out a shakily carved ‘-W’ and started to cry again, slipping the ring back on. Of course he’d remember your favorite sign off when you’d play detective together. You were always ‘-W’ and he was ‘-S’, for Watson and Sherlock.In that moment, everything caught up to you, all at once. Slumping forward, you’d never felt so alone and useless.After all… what's a Watson without their Sherlock?