My Hero Drabbles

S:T Hawks

(My apologies for grammer, I'm writing this on my phone. Artist for chapter art is Kadeart on Twitter. For this story the reader is just slightly older than Hawks. Let me know if y'all would like a part 2 or from POV of Y/N)

~~Hawks POV~~

I remember my 16th birthday well. Not because I had a special celebration, or did anything memorable.  No, my 16th birthday was the day the words appeared.

The first words my soulmate would say to me, permanently etched into my skin.

While some people had words of poetry, or unique phrases that would stand out and make it so they could easily identify their soulmate, I wasn't so lucky.

Even now, at 22, I couldn't the self deprecated laugh that escaped me as I traced the raised, black letters.

Welcome to KFC, what can I get for you?

The first year or two, I'd gone to nearly every KFC I could find, hopeful that this time I would finally meet the worker that was meant to be with me, forever.

However, by now, I'd all but given up.
I would still go to KFC frequently for convenience after work, but I no longer bothered glancing at the forearms of the workers.

It hadn't even crossed my mind in months, but my birthday always dragged up that old hope up.

Maybe I'd stop at my usual KFC on my way home.

Once I entered the restaurant  my eyes locked onto the person at the counter.

It had been a while since this place had hired anyone new, but sure enough, the kid behind the counter was a new face.

Maybe 'kid' wasn't the right word. At first glance I would've assumed they were younger, but as I got closer I would actually guess them to be my age, or even slightly older.

The smile they gave me as I stepped up to the counter made a delightful shiver run up my spine.

So cute...

"Welcome to KFC, what can I get for you?"

Words I've heard hundreds of times, not anything new, but my heart leapt.
They raised their eyebrows and I realized I'd just been staring.

I mentally shook myself and plastered my characteristic smile on my lips. I leaned my elbow on the counter, "Heh, a new kid eh? Maybe YOU'RE my soulmate."

Their smile vanished and was replaced with a look of shock. Their eyes darted down their forearm.  My eyes couldn't help but follow. 

Time seemed to slow as they turned their arm over.

My heart slammed into overdrive and I forgot to breath as the words came into view.

There, sketched into the soft skin of their arm were words that made my world tilt.

Huh, a new kid eh? Maybe YOU'RE my soulmate.

I ripped my glove off and slid my hand across the counter, gripping their mark hand with mine.

We both jumped as the skin under the words became to sting. I felt tears prickle in my eyes as the bold, black letters faded to match their skin tone, while the words on their arm faded to match mine.

They blinked a few times as their other hand reached and traced my mark.

I swallowed thickly, "what time are you off work kid?"

They grinned at me, "in about ten minutes."

I raised their fingers to my lips and kissed them delicately, "I'll be waiting, then."

They giggled and nodded, "ok, but in the meantime, I really should take your order."