this was half of a collab with phantom :)

ignore the title it's almost 3am and idk what to name it lmao

WC: 2.2k

Everyone knew what a soulmate was, and everyone had one. It was something that was normal for everyone. Some soulmates could be platonic, some could be romantic. It was common knowledge how a soulmate worked; if you wrote something on your body somewhere (typically your arm), then it would show up on the other person's body in the same place. Some used this to communicate with their soulmates, some used it as an opportunity for shenanigans. You'd be able to write to your soulmate at around age eighteen (soulmates were always around the same age), and the skill grew from there.

But Doc didn't know any of this.

Doc had had no clue what a soulmate was, until he joined Hermitcraft. He learned all about them from his fellow hermits. All about how they worked and felt and how fun they were.

But Doc...Doc had never experienced any of this.

He'd always just assumed that because he wasn't technically human, he didn't have a soulmate. But he never really thought about it much, because then he would second guess himself with things like, Jevin isn't human. Why does he have a soulmate? He'd always found soulmates annoying and confusing, so they were a very minuscule part of his life.

Bdubs, on the other hand, hated soulmates for another reason.

His whole life before he turned eighteen, he was ecstatic about getting his soulmate. The fact that someone out there in the world was destined by the universe to be his soulmate? It completely inspired him.

Until his eighteenth birthday.

He'd written to his soulmate all day. He filled his arm with Hello!s and How are you?s and I'm so excited to meet you!s.

And what did he get in response?

Nothing.

He'd been in tears by the end of the day, devastated by the fact that his soulmate didn't care enough to write anything back. His parents tried to comfort him, but it didn't work. Bdubs was heartbroken.

So he swore off ever writing to his soulmate again.

He never thought about his soulmate anymore. As far as he was concerned, his soulmate didn't exist to him. And the only thoughts he did have were angry ones.

Bdubs sighed and buried his head in his hands, ruffling his hair. He was thinking about it again. He wasn't supposed to do that. Whoever it is, they can go suck a lemon. They're dead to me. Considering I never even knew them in the first place. His fists clenched in anger, and he sighed as he got up. Walking outside of his castle, he looked out at the view over the ridge of the mountain. The sight cheered him up slightly; picturesque houses smattered across the rolling green grass, drenched in mid-afternoon sunlight and backed by a ridge of mountains.

He sat down on the ridge, letting his feet dangle over the edge. He normally would have never done that as high up as he was, but his mind wasn't in it right now. His thoughts were on his soulmate. But...who were they? Why did they ignore me?

Do they even...care that I exist?

Bdubs wilted a bit, placing his palms behind him and leaning back. He pushed his headband up, sighing. "DoubleO!" Bdubs' head snapped up as he heard a familiar German voice from above him. Bdubs' smile returned and he waved to Doc as the hybrid landed. "Hey, what'cha doing up here?" the hybrid asked, sitting down beside Bdubs. "Just thinking," Bdubs replied carefully. Doc smirked slightly. "That's never a good idea," he chuckled, and Bdubs sent him a mock-glare. "You don't know what my thoughts are!" he huffed, crossing his arms. "What if they're amazing epic thoughts! And you don't even know!" Doc snorted. "Whatever you say, DoubleO."

They sat in silence for a moment. "So, you ready for the meeting later tonight?" Doc asked, leaning back on his palms the same way Bdubs was. Bdubs looked over at Doc, confused. "Meeting?"

Doc snickered. "Sometimes I think you spend too much time up here building. There's a server meeting tonight, just a regular one. But we're holding it at Scar's magical village this time," he explained. Bdubs snapped back into reality when he realized that Doc had stopped talking. He...might have dazed off a bit, gazing into Doc's mismatched eyes. No, stop, he scolded himself, shaking his head slightly. Doc probably already has a soulmate. I can't keep...thinking like this.

You see, Bdubs had a small...tiny...minuscule...

Okay, it wasn't small at all. He had a fairly large crush on Doc. I feel like a lovesick teenager... But Doc has a soulmate. Bdubs didn't know why the hybrid never mentioned it, but he was sure that Doc had to have a soulmate. A soulmate that wasn't him. So his crush was pointless.

"Bdubs?" Said hermit looked up at the sound of his name, blinking. Doc was closer than he was before, his expression concerned. "Bdubs, are you okay? You looked like you were off in space," the hybrid chuckled as Bdubs met his eyes. Bdubs blushed a tiny bit. "No, I'm fine," he lied, hoping he sounded at least a bit convincing. "Just...thinking about plans for my castle." Bdubs saw the hesitation in Doc's eyes, before the hybrid nodded, smiling slightly. "You and your castle," he sighed jokingly, and Bdubs poked him. Doc snorted and got to his feet.

"Well, Bdubs, I'll be off then. I'll leave you to your castle," he said, smirking slightly. Bdubs rolled his eyes. "Yeah, yeah," he said dismissively. Doc snickered.

And then Bdubs noticed something that he hadn't before.

On Doc's ankle, just below the hem of his pants, was a flower. Not a real flower, a flower that looked as though it was drawn with a marker. Bdubs froze, gaping at the drawing. His eyes went wide, almost as wide as Keralis'. What...? But Doc was already equipping his elytra and waving goodbye to Bdubs. The shorter hermit was too shaken to wave back, his face white as a sheet.

He waited until Doc had disappeared over the ridge of mountains in the distance, and then he slowly reached and pulled his right foot around. His heart stopped. He was right. It was the same flower, a flower he'd absentmindedly doodled earlier with a marker. Is Doc... He tensed. No. Doc isn't...he isn't my soulmate! He wouldn't do what my soulmate did to me. He isn't that cruel. He maybe just...doodled a flower...in the exact same place...with the same colour? He shook his head, pressing his palms to his forehead. Deep down, he knew it was pointless trying to deny it. If Doc's my soulmate, then...

He ignored me?

===

Bdubs had to admit, he was mad. But he was more confused than angry. Why would Doc ignore me? Does he even know I'm his soulmate? As he flew towards the jungle, he reached into his pocket and felt the cold plastic of the marker he'd brought along. He had a plan. He was going to figure this out.

He arrived at Scar's magical village, and the beautiful detailing and terraforming didn't fail to bring a smile to his face, despite his current situation. He spotted the hermits gathered near the glowing crystal protruding from the centre of the village, and he swooped towards him. He backpedaled as he spotted Doc, though, his heart rate spiking. Rage sparked through him, but he took a second to compose himself before landing as far from Doc as he could manage. Tucking himself into the crowd of hermits, he acted like nothing was wrong as some of his friends greeted him. He flinched and his eyes went wide in terror as Doc's eyes met his from across the crowd. Doc smiled and gave him a little wave, albeit he looked a bit confused. Bdubs gave him a tiny smile in return, and then subtly stepped behind Impulse and Tango, who were too busy bantering with each other to notice him.

The meeting started at some point, but Bdubs barely even noticed. He was too buried in his thoughts, and he would occasionally sneak a glance at Doc (who looked as handsome as ever, Bdubs had to admit). His hand in his pocket, fidgeting with the marker, he decided that now was the time to do it. As quietly as he could, he pulled out the marker and uncapped it. He crouched down, pretending to tie his shoe as to not provoke suspicion from any of the other hermits. Steeling his nerves, he brought the marker to the skin of his ankle and added a stem to the flower sketch he'd drawn earlier. He shivered at the feeling of the cold tip of the marker trailing across his ankle. Capping the marker again, he stood up, trying to look casual despite the terror and anxiety that fueled his thoughts. He looked over at Doc, who's eyes were slightly wider than usual. Bdubs' breathing hitched as the hybrid glanced down at his ankle, jumped as if surprised, and then slipped away from the other hermits.

Bdubs could hardly believe it. He...he did it. He's my soulmate. He's the one who broke my heart. He tensed in anger, and slipped away as well to follow Doc into the jungle, where the hybrid had disappeared. As soon as he spotted Doc studying his ankle, looking confused, he charged towards the taller hermit and grabbed the collar of Doc's lab coat.

"You did it?! You're the one who didn't reply?!" he exploded, and Doc recoiled in surprise. "How could you do that to me?! I thought you were my friend!" he spat, tears pricking at the corners of his eyes.

Doc POV

Doc's mind swam with confusion and shock as Bdubs yelled at him, the short hermit brimming with rage. "Bdubs, what..." The shorter hermit silenced him with a furious glare, his eyes gleaming with hatred. "I wrote on my arm all day, hoping you'd reply. And you- you ignorant slimeball, YOU IGNORED ME! You're supposed to be my soulmate!" Doc froze at that, his breathing seizing up. He gaped at the shorter hermit, who was still glaring at him in fury, chest rising and falling with his fast, uneven breathing. He's my...what? Bdubs is my soulmate?

I...I have a soulmate...?

"I loved you, Doc! I never thought you'd do something like that to me," Bdubs continued, tears streaming down his face. He let go of Doc's lab coat, stepping back. Doc flushed at Bdubs' words, opening his mouth to say something, anything.

And then it clicked.

Just as Bdubs was walking away, Doc grabbed Bdubs' arm. The shorter hermit whirled around, seemingly taking the action as a sign of aggression. Doc didn't pay any mind to this. "Which arm?" Doc insisted, and Bdubs regarded him like he was crazy. "What are you talking about?" Bdubs exclaimed. "What do you mean, 'what arm'?!" Doc shook his head; Bdubs didn't understand. "Bdubs, what arm did you write on, the day you got your soulmate?" he asked, his heart beating faster with anticipation. Bdubs' expression shifted from one of fury to more of one of confusion as he took in Doc's words. "My...my left arm," he replied, and Doc's face split into a relieved grin.

Bdubs POV

Bdubs recoiled in confusion as Doc suddenly smiled. "Why are you smiling?!" he snapped, exasperated. "Bdubs, I don't have a left arm," Doc laughed breathlessly. He held up his robotic arm as he said, "I have this instead."

Bdubs stiffened, his eyes going wide. "Whatever you wrote on my arm, I didn't see, because I don't have flesh on that arm," Doc continued. Bdubs' mind reeled as he took a step forwards. "Y-you didn't...ignore me?" he whispered, his hand resting on Doc's robotic arm. Doc shook his head quickly. "I would never ignore you, Bdubs," the hybrid promised, and Bdubs beamed, relief shooting through him and warming his heart. "I love you, so, so much," Doc murmured. "I wouldn't want anybody else as my soulmate." Bdubs smiled wider, mischief flashing in his eyes. "Likewise," he chuckled, and then pulled Doc down to his level by the hybrid's collar. As their lips met, Bdubs felt any anger he'd ever felt for Doc melt away.

As they broke apart, Bdubs' face fell. "Doc, I'm so sorry for...for yelling at you like that," he said, his eyes lowering to his shoes. "I shouldn't have been so angry before I knew the whole story..." Doc shook his head, which shocked Bdubs slightly. "Don't worry," he said dismissively. "I would have reacted the same way in your situation." Bdubs smiled slightly. Doc winced, as if remembering something. "Oh man, Beef and Etho are going to flip their lids..." he chuckled nervously. Bdubs buried his face in his hands, groaning. "We are not telling them," he grumbled, and Doc laughed. "I agree," he snorted. "Give them thirty minutes, and the whole server will know." Bdubs chuckled, nodding in agreement.

A silence fell over the two, but it was a comfortable silence, as if a warm blanket had been draped over them. Bdubs felt warmth blossom in his heart as Doc wrapped his arms around the shorter hermit, holding him tightly. Bdubs returned the gesture, smiling. No words were exchanged; no words were needed.

"We should get back to the meeting," Doc murmured after a moment. Bdubs sighed, stepping back reluctantly. "I guess we should." Doc smiled reassuringly. Bdubs smiled back and held his hand out to the hybrid, who took it gently. And hand in hand, they went back to the meeting, not knowing that the hermits would all figure out their relationship within ten minutes.

Because Bdubs and Doc were obvious.

I have salt and vinegar chips wooo

also quick little thing I actually have a beeduo fanfic I've been working on for weeks now and I think it has around 50k words? I've written it in an odd order lol but the first two chapters are done and ready to be published if you guys want to see it :]

remember to drink your water and that'll be all from me! :]

(Update: I have eaten too many salt and vinegar chips and my tongue hates me for it :') )