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harperonni · 5 years

Note

#9 on the soulmate au prompts with Felipe and Valeria. (And let's try to make this as angsty as possible >:) )

Last words

Prompt: 9. The one where your soulmate’s last words to you are written on your body.Pairing: Felipe X Valeria Rating: Teen and up. Mentions of death, and a few swears. Nothing major though. Mostly a bit of angst

Read on AO3 aaaa I’m not best with angst?? But I gave it a got anyway? Hope this is okay

Valeria remembered when the words began forming on her skin. She had somewhat been anticipating the arrival of the faint lettering, though she’d never say so aloud. It wasn’t even so much to do with the idea of having a soulmate, it was just because so many other had them, and there was a morbid curiosity to the whole thing. Even if you never met the person, you’d know their last words. Ones that would be directed toward you.

The letters could appear anytime, on mostly any part of the body. Maybe never even appear at all.“They just appear one day,” Her mother had told her, her hand subconsciously touching the two words printed on her other palm. “Do you know their significance?”Valeria shook her head, because no. She didn’t really.Her mother lift her chin a touch. “These words are your soulmate’s last words to you.”Ah. Straight to the point, of course. Valeria wasn’t sure why she didn’t expect less, but she still remembers the uncomfortable twist in her gut. “Okay.” She said slowly. “You may never meet your soulmate, bear in mind. Obviously, it’s a slim chance-” Valeria nodded, biting her lip to keep back any quips building in her throat. If it were anyone else trying to talk down to her like this she would’ve had some choice words for them. But mamá wasn’t anyone else, and Valeria could only listen as her mother spoke about how she shouldn’t focus on finding her soulmate based on whatever words she gets across her body, if she got any.She felt irritated, because a part of her knew her mamá was probably right.

“I, ah, got my soulmate’s last word on my ankle.” Leonor told her on a Saturday evening. Valeria was seventeen and Leonor had turned nineteen just a week ago. They were on Leonor’s bed, both had been sat in a comfortable quiet, various fabrics and textbooks spread across the sheets. Valeria scribbling down a few study notes when Leonor spoke, voice quiet, as she pulled her needle through her currant sewing project, fixing up her little sisters hand-me down doll.

“Oh, yeah? What does it say?” Valeria asked, propping herself up on her elbows. Leonor sat up a touch more, bouncing the mattress as she propped herself up further against the headboard. After placing her sewing over to her side she reached down and pushed up her dress to show her left ankle. Valeria shuffled closer and squint at the words.

‘Mi querida’

“Huh.” Valeria hummed. Leonor nod. “Sí.” “I don’t think mine’s come through yet.” “Maybe it’s on your butt and you just don’t know it.” Leonor grinned. Valeria rolled her eyes, exaggerating the movement for Leonor to watch.“Uh, I’ve checked, obviously.” She adopted a fake matter-of-fact tone, raising a brow at her friend.“Look, if I get my soulmate’s words on my ass, you’ll be the first to know.” Leonor’s cheeks flushed, but she nodded.“Gracias. I’m overjoyed to know that.” Valeria scoffed, returning to her notes.“I think they usually appear around the same place as, like, where your parents get them.Leonor nodded. “That seems to be the case, sí. My papá got them on his leg.”

When she was twenty-three, she woke up to find the faint print of letters against her skin. The sight of the unfamiliar pattern around her wrist fully woke her, and she pushed herself up in bed and held her right wrist in her other hand, fingers tracing over the words as she read them. She blinked, frowning down at her words:

'I wish I didn’t have to leave you’

…She stared, re-reading the sentence over and over as if something was missing. Her mind reeled over possible scenarios those words would be used. Words that were to be spoken to her by her soulmate. …A soulmate who was going to leave her at some point, by the looks of it. Would it be because of death? Was she going to have to watch her soulmate, her partner, die in front of her? Would he be leaving to go somewhere and never come back?Her papa had eyed the long sleeve top that was a much rarer clothing choice for her, but he said nothing. She showed Alejandro first, later in the day. Her twin raised his brow at the words and pulled up the sleeve on his left arm, exposing his wrist. Both quietly pressed their wrists together. “I suppose it makes sense we got our words on the same day.” “Yeah, it makes sense.” Alejandro agreed, still looking over the words on her wrist.Valeria frowned at her twin brother’s wrist.

'Te amo’

“It would be more helpful we had the first words your soulmate says to you.” Valeria huffed. “Then you know.”Alejandro shrugged. “But then I guess your looking. At least with these words, you’re just, I don’t know, living?”“But you could be with someone who’s not your soulmate.”“It probably doesn’t matter as long as your happy?” He shook his head. “I don’t know. I don’t like thinking about it.”Valeria nodded, and they continued through the rest of the day intending to ignore the conversation and not bring it up again. She was sure Leonor had noticed the words, but she never brought them up unless Valeria mentioned them.Valeria began wearing a wristband to cover the letters. The more she could forget they were there, the more she could just live her life.

In the various relationships she had, she refused to share the words, reclusive even if or when the men she dated shared their own words and sentences. “Look, it’s just not working out.” She remembered Roberto rubbing the back of his neck, as she stood across from him, the sun beating down against her back as she frowned up at him. She nodded, not sure about what to say.“No, that’s fair. This is probably for the best.” She shrugged. He looked her in the eyes, wincing with regret and disappointment. He opened his mouth, and Valeria felt a tight twist in her chest as he spoke.“I wish it hadn’t turned out like this.”Valeria swallowed, trying to push down the choking panic that had begun to build at the first few words. They weren’t the words, it was fine. It was fine. This was fine.Her shoulders loosened, some relief flooding through her as she gave him a melancholic smile.“Me too.”

“Date: May 20th, 2004. Ah, How old are you, senorita?” “Uh, 29. ” Valeria didn’t miss the slight wince on the man’s face opposite her. Well, the skeleton man. On his skull. How the hell did skulls move like that?“My birthday is April 4th, if you need that? 1975.”He nodded. “That’s perfect, thank you.”The sounds of the keys hitting the bulky keyboard filled the room.As Valeria sat, waiting to have the forms for her death written up she thought. Mostly about her death.Her death. She’d really died then, huh? Of course she had to fall from a tree, as well. She couldn’t have gotten something cooler sounding than ‘the branch broke’. Dios, what was she going to do now?She looked over her wrist, her wooden wristband clacking against the bleach white bone, clearly a little too big for her wrist now. She frowned, twisting her arm a touch and pulling the wristband off. Pure white. No words. No letters. Nothing.She blinked.“Final words don’t stay then?” She asked, not sure if she was expecting an answer or not. The clerk in front of her paused. She didn’t look up to see what kind of expression he was fixing her with, but she guessed it was pitying or sympathetic but the tone in his voice.“No, they don’t.”Valeria answered the rest of the questions in a somewhat distracted state. As she sat in a waiting room, her leg bounced. She was about to meet family she had only heard about, and family that had passed when she was just a girl. Alone in the room, her thoughts still occasionally went back to the blank space on her wrist bones. At some point, she slipped the wristband back on, hoping in vain it might banish the thoughts. Lock them away out of sight. She swore the wristband was heavier than it had even been when she were alive.

It took years before the thought of dating really came back to her. Felipe had been an unexpected appearance in her after life, but she was more than happy to welcome it. Maybe they’d been together for a year or two when she asked. When they were sat up on her roof with a few drinks and snacks. She leaned against his shoulder, playfully trying to pinch food out of his hands. “You have your own.” He whined, smiling at her as he held the treat above her arm length. She pout. “Yeah, but this is more fun.” “It’s unnecessary!”“Come oonn.” She drawled, pressing her cheekbones against his. “I’m your girlfriend. Doesn’t that give me some entitlement?” “To my food?”“Yes?”“No!”“Oh, you’re mean.”Felipe shook his head, finally lowering his arm. She eyed his food as he brought it close to his mouth. He paused, glancing at her.“Don’t.” He warned, fighting back a smile.Valeria leaned back, raising her arms defensively. “I’m not doing anything!” She insisted.Felipe stared her down as he ate, watching as Valeria grinned. He coughed, doubling over for a moment. Valeria rubbed his back with a frown.“You okay?”“Ah, sí, sí I’m fine.” As he sat back up with a final cough Valeria grinned. “That wouldn’t of happened if maybe,” She shrugged, “I dunno, you shared some of it with-?”Felipe circled his arms around her waist and pulled her in, pressing his mouth to her cheek and blowing loudly, causing Valeria to squeal and slapped her hand against his chest.“AH NO! Stop that!” She giggled helplessly, wriggling in his grasp. “You- AGH- you know i’m ticklish!” He paused, pulling away to blink at her. She would have believed his innocence if not for the proud smile spread on his skull“I don’t know what your talking about, cariño?”She squint at him, arms folded. She huffed and snuggled herself against him, head pressed to his shoulder again.“You’re lucky your cute.” She muttered. “Too cute. You need to stop. It’s illegal, i’ve decided.”Felipe chuckled, shifting to bury his face in her hair.They stayed there for a moment, the sound of the trolleys and bustling streets around them they only noise really filling the air. Valeria had always found the fake breaths skeletons took odd, but the familiarity of it carrying over from the living worlds was comforting in a way. She figured as she listened to Felipe’s steady breath. She was then thinking about life. Life before death. Felipe had obviously had a life before, well, he died. That much was obvious, but Valeria was only just really thinking about it a bit more at that moment. About a specific aspect.Then she asked.“Felipe?”“Hm?” Both of their voices were quiet.She swallowed (without a throat, but she was well past thinking about the logistics at this point in death.) and asked. “Did you… Ever get your soulmate’s last words?” Felipe shift a little. “I…” He started. “I dated a little but, I never met whoever was meant to say those last words to me.”Valeria nodded. “Ah.” She muttered.He was quiet for a moment. “…Did you ever…? I mean, do you know who…?” He trailed off.“Nah.” Valeria shrugged. “Never heard anyone say them to me.”“Oh.”“Mm-hm.”His fingers mindlessly stroked the back of her spine. She sighed, shifting her head on his shoulder.“It felt like more to worry about.” She admitted. “Being with someone. Dreading that they would say what you’ve got down as someone, maybe their, last words.”Felipe squeezed her gently.“What words did you-?” He began, but Valeria shook her head.“Please, I don’t…” She trailed off. “Oh, no, that’s okay. I didn’t- Lo siento.” She smiled, pulling back and reaching up to touch his cheekbones, watching as he blinked down at her through his large glasses.“It’s alright, don’t worry.” She leaned up and kissed him, a slight flutter of excitement swirling in her empty chest as he pressed back.

She pressed her hand against his, flinching at how white her bones were compared to his.He smiled at her, mouth not curving the whole way as though he didn’t even have the strength to do so. He was leaned up against the sofa, his limbs felt heavier than they ever had, as though he’d scatter if he dared move anymore. The last shudder through his bones had really hit it’s mark, and he could feel his bones trying to come apart.As much of the family was in the Rivera living room without crowding it, a solemn mood hung in the air. Felipe was more than grateful he had the time he had right now, the privilege to be surrounded by family and loved ones.Oscar wasn’t far off, both in space and, well, how forgotten they both were. It made sense to both of them that they’d go around the same time.

Even when they had first been courting, he’s certain part of them both knew this day would come. His bones were always a touch off in colour compared to hers, and even when hers had begun to fade in whiteness, he knew deep down there was a possibility he’d fade before her.His fingers twitched as he tried to close them around her smaller hand. Her other hand rest over his as she curled hers tight against his. “I love you. You know that, right?” He muttered. She smiled, eyes glossy as she nodded.“I know. I love you too, cariño.” His breath hitched a touch and he stared at her.She blinked back tears, wondering if he was hurting. He smiled again, this time wider. He pulled her hand close to mouth, and she leaned her forehead against his as he mumbled, the faintest hint of gold emerging at the edges of his skull patterns.

“I wish I didn’t have to leave you.”

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