Chapter Text
One day, you will find that pairing soul. It will be a feeling beyond your imagination. You just can't help it but to adore them. You will feel your whole heart melt for this person. This beautiful soul will bring joy, laughter, calmness and so much inspiration, that you will finally see hope in front of you. For once, you can finally say I'm in love. I can see a future with this person. I can share my life with this person. Maybe this one is not a lesson. Maybe this one is what they actually call a soulmate.
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Fundy heard those words at the age of eleven, had read them in a book that had been gifted to him by his late mother. He didn't know a lot about her, all he knew was that she had died after he had been born and that Sally was the sweetest, loveliest person in the world and she cared deeply for him. All words that had been recalled fondly by Wilbur, his father. They had been sat on the carpet of his old house, Fundy reading through books with a bored huff, his tail having swished around in mild frustration, eying his father who's eyes held far too much wisdom for someone his age.
So, the father and son laid there together as he reminisced stories about Sally and how much she cared for Fundy that she would give him a story about soulmates. A concept that Fundy had originally laughed at as a child, was something that he had found oddly hilarious. He would later find out how wrong it was to laugh at such a concept. Even through his son's laughter, Fundy would always recall the knowing fond smile on Wilbur's face and pursued on, telling him more about soulmates that the book didn't have information on. Fundy still never fully understood it, not even when his hand placed a hand on the top of his fur and gently ruffled, saying that he will eventually understand, he still didn't.
It was when he grew older and joined the Dream smp that he started to understand the soulmate situation and how you were only meant for one person, something that he didn't understand until he had meant Dream. He was at a mysterious guy who seemed to adore his mask, he never took it off at any point of the day, always kept it on and hid his emotions from view but despite it he still laughed and wheezed like any normal teenager would at a joke, maybe.. That was when his heart fluttered for the man before him that only held trouble for him and his nation.
He didn't know what compelled but after a few months, he had asked the man to go on a date with him and he had surprisingly agreed, something that shocked Fundy to no end as he was sure that he was going to be rejected but he didn't. His heart felt light and fluttery towards the masked male all throughout the date. It was when all was said and done that it all went downhill.
He knelt down on his knee and pulled out a ring to the male, his heart hammered heavily in his chest while he did. He would never admit but he was absolutely terrified during this moment it was the make or break for everything and yet.. He agreed. He accepted the proposal and Fundy couldn't have helped himself as he threw himself into Dream, holding him closely while the blonde male went to brush through his fur but had paused at one section of fur.
"What's wrong?" Fundy questioned, voice trembling as the aura around them both had turned from sweet joy into a bitter choking sensation. Dream had simply shook it off and smiled, promising to see him tomorrow and walked off.
It wasn't until later.. When Fundy had checked the mirror within his room to have seen that some of his fur started to turn gray and at first he had felt elated, he was Dream's soulmate! They could be together for the rest of their lives!! But.. As he thought about it more he knew it wasn't meant to be. You see, foxes always had more keen senses than the ones humans had so he always noticed how Dream and George would always somehow attract one another to each other, he had always seen how the two would laugh around the other, would always notice how George's voice abruptly deepened one day or how the scar across his nose would take a normal human being months to fade, only took him a few weeks to fade. He realised a day before the wedding that he was born to be Dream's soulmate but Dream wasn't ever meant to be his.
His heart shattered the night after the wedding, he sobbed and shouted as he fell into a heap against the side of his wall, the heartbroken wails of a hybrid cried out into the night of a love unrequited. He knew that he shouldn't have expected anything less, it was obvious that Dream's heart belonged to someone else but he couldn't help thinking.. That maybe someone would finally love him again.. but maybe that's not possible anymore, he already lost the soulmate that he had been born to be with.. Anyone finding that out would just be disappointed with him..
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A day after the wedding, he knew that he couldn't stand staying within L'manburg anymore and constantly see the two being happy and laughing that fond laugh and so without any word to anyone within his old nation, he set off to travel and build a new nation for himself and any old friends of his that wished to stay.
It was while he was travelling that he met a certain plant hybrid by the name of 5up. The plant hybrid had been starting to get dehydrated from the overheating temperatures of the badlands. Feeling bad for the male, Fundy let him into his home and helped him when he felt ill, it was when he felt better and less delirious that he finally introduced himself to the fox with a warm charming smile on his face. The first time he saw the smile, Fundy's heart had soared high, fluttering in shyness as his tail lightly wagged in happiness at how pure and trustworthy this stranger's smile was. No, he couldn't fall for this again, he might just be another of those in his life that would leave him as soon as he gets attached to them so he squashed down the lighthearted hope that had bloomed in his chest. He was just gonna leave, like they had.. Right..?
Turns out he had been very wrong. 5up had ended up staying with him even after he was feeling better, he just randomly offered to help Fundy build Dry Waters. If Fundy had to admit something, it would be that it's actually a lot of fun being with 5up, he couldn't begin to say the amount of times his heart had fluttered at the laughter of the person he was now proud to call his roommate, with the heart flutters came the devastation of knowing that he can't allow himself to attach to the male, he was pretty sure that he already had someone to love and that he was going to leave him someday for that one or even if he didn't have anyone to love, there's no way he could love someone like Fundy who always to tarnish his relationships without meaning to.
.
.
.
.
.
It was a couple months into 5up staying with Fundy that the plant hybrid had decided to do something with the fox, heart slightly constricting with nerves as he lightly giggled when he spotted the fox working on a new building near their home.
"Hey Fundy! Come over here for a second." He called out to the male, walking inside their home, letting out a breath before instantly smiling as their new cat trotted over to him happily, purring loudly as it rubbed it's head into his leg. "Woah, calm down little one, I'll feed you soon." He quietly said to the kitten with an exasperated laugh, taking off his coat and politely put it on a coat hanger, keeping some items in his inventory, heart lightly hammering in his chest now heading over to the kitchen to fill the kitten's bowl with food. Over the past few months, he had grown to like the fox hybrid and started to really value the boy's opinions over everything that he always asked anything he was allowed to but his heart always immediately broke whenever he saw him close off, he could tell that it must have been something from his past that is making him be this closed off and he always had a huge desire to ask him what happened but he always never did, because he deeply cared for the fox, cared so much that it was practically unbearable with how much he just wanted to hold him in his arms or whisper sweet compliments to him whenever he desired so but he couldn't, not when he didn't know how Fundy felt about him.
"5up! I missed you!" The said fox called out happily as he walked into the house, hanging up his coat before instantly heading over to him and instantly pulled the fox into a warm comforting hug. Time seemed to still around the two for a few minutes as they remained in the hug, two hearts beating fast but heavily in sync until they eventually pulled away with a flustered Fundy rubbing his neck but tail continued to sway happily behind him and quietly murmured that he had to go wash up which 5up instantly nodded to, heart still hammering within his chest. They broke away to do their own things.
5up's eyes remained locked on Fundy's retreating figure, his heart hammering within his chest as he came to a conclusion that honestly both scared and intrigued the plant hybrid. He was in love with Fundy, genuinely truly in love with him. He loved everything to do with the male, loved how he would always jump in excitement whenever he finished a project, loved when his eyes would sparkle the slightest whenever he ate something he loved.
Damn, he was truly in deep for him.
After a bit, Fundy eventually came downstairs with more comfortable clothing on and sat down on their seats, excitedly gesturing for 5up to sit next to him and with a happy giggle, he did. They talked about random useless things, every now and again laughing at something that sounded really dumb before 5up finally remembered something and opened his inventory. "Oh, um.. Fundy, I got you something."
His tail flicked in interest as he turned to sit sideways and face him properly. "You didn't have to, 5up!" He had said dismissively but couldn't hide the interest at what the something. "But I wanted to."
And so with a smile, he pulled out a box and allowed him to open it up. "Chocolates?!" His eyes lit up causing the plant to instantly giggle, explaining that it was for a movie night. He saw the impact before it happened, he moved the box onto the table just as Fundy crashed into him on the couch, a laugh heaved out from both of their throats as two hearts once again synced together in beats. The two sat back up straight and the film started to play, light comments were passed between the two as they watched, chocolates were shared, everything was perfect until.. "This feels like a date." It was nothing more than a spoken thought, something that should have been ignored, he knew that but it couldn't stop the next words from seeping out.
"It can be if you want."
The next few moments were a blur, the two had stiffened in place before awkwardly meeting gazes but it was too late, it broke the fragile soft aura of the movie night. Fundy had gone to stand up but 5up followed and held his wrist, gentle but firm, not wanting the male to leave when he knew that something was very obviously bothering him, turns out he had been right as Fundy turned to face him with tears in his eyes, filled with sadness of past memories with glints of hope shining through. They continued to stand there as the movie played on in the background but neither could focus on that, their focus was on each other, hidden feelings struggling to breach through the abyss of a fragile trust.
"5up.. Please.. I can't.. I don't want to lose you too.. Please don't let me get attached..."
Those were the first words spoken by Fundy since the tension began and fragility of the male shone through with those words alone and 5up's heart tore as the words settled in his mind and a conclusion was drawn.
"Fundy.. Did.. Did you lose someone you loved before?"
Fundy's mouth opened but 5up beat him to it.
"Actually I don't want to know, I want you to tell me whenever you're comfortable with it."
The look on Fundy's face, tore through his heart again.
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5up took a step closer but Fundy immediately held him back with a trembling hand on his shoulder.
Fundy's heart clenched in.. He didn't know what the feeling was but it startled him and kicked in his fight or flight instincts. Despite it.. He remained rooted in place, staring into 5up's gentle warm eyes that desperately made Fundy want to get pulled in. He knew it before he apparently said it out loud, it really had seemed like a date, a private intimate movie night that Fundy was pretty sure he fucked up, he hadn't meant to say it out loud, he truly didn't. But then 5up said that and now Fundy's heart was entangled in a mass of trying to find the roots between which one leads to love or run away, he was sure that the mal was going to leave him with the same mess he was found in. However, instead was the plant hybrid that had made Fundy start to love again, a love that felt so cherished, soft and so wholeheartedly pure, trying to lead Fundy out of the entangled mess he was stuck in. A gentle caring smile on his face as he led him out.
"Fundy, I know that you don't want to hear this but please let me explain how I feel for you." 5up spoke and cut through Fundy's thoughts with gentle words that held no hidden intentions but instead held genuine care, something so intense and vulnerable that caused Fundy to shudder as he weakly nodded. A brief sigh of relief was heard but neither paid no mind, eyes still locked onto each other.
They were within the safety of their home but the next words held so much vulnerability, care and love within it that hearing them being said out loud felt like a crime with how fragile it was but also.. How trusting they were to each other.
"To put it most simply.. Even though there's so many things I want to say.. I love you Fundy. I love you so very much. Nothing will ever change that, not even if we aren't soulmates." Fundy's eyes widened and teared up as a gentle but sad smile crossed the other's face, a silent understanding was shared, Fundy almost choking up at this sudden revelation. "I've been thinking about it.. And even if neither of us are each other's first born soulmate or we found someone else that we could grow old with, I'd still choose you Fundy. I would give up the whole world if it meant that I could see the warm glow of your smile every morning, the slight twinkle in your eyes whenever we do something that you love." 5up's hand slowly moved to Fundy's hand, gently intertwining their fingers, a touch that had startled Fundy at first but eventually relaxed into and gently squeezed back.
"But despite all of this, if you aren't ready for this or for any type of relationship, I will wait for you Fundy." His mouth opened, a retort trying to come out but 5up intercepted with firm but soft hearted words. "No, Fundy, you aren't selfish. It's okay to feel like this.. I'll wait for you, even if a million years pass by, I'll always wait for you, whether we live forever or die together, I care deeply for you Fundy."
Fundy immediately broke and threw himself into the others arms, both falling hard into the floor but 5up took the injury and hugged him back. The fox hybrid sobbed quietly into his shoulder as the other gently hummed a song, rubbing his back with ease.
It was at this point, Fundy knew he had found the one that the poem had spoken about. 5up wasn't his born soulmate but he was his soulmate that he had chosen and deeply cared for, more than the other knew.
If at any point during this conversation, a small section of Fundy's fur had turned grey or that 5up had grown a very small wrinkle on his cheek then it was no one else's business but there's. A future for the two had opened.