Veracity's Kiss | SakuAtsu

Chapter 1.

Sakusa watched quietly as the words appeared on Atsumu's skin.

The letters, bold and black against his lover's skin, looked exactly like a tattoo. Luckily, the words weren't permanent. Instead, they would disappear in a few hours, returning to a blank slate, which made it easier for Sakusa to pretend like Atsumu didn't have a soulmate out there.

That he was Atsumu's soulmate. And not some random person.

He knows it's selfish. In fact, it's so selfish. But he loves Atsumu; he can't just let him go.

With a gentle hand, Sakusa brushed over the newly stated lie on Atsumu's forearm.

"Yeah, I don't like him."

Whatever that means, Sakusa thought. He sighed and pulled back his hand. Atsumu shifted slightly, still in a deep sleep.

When they first began dating, he always felt a bit bitter every time Atsumu's skin was covered in lies. He knows his sweet lover can't do anything about it, but every time those words appeared, he would get this feeling in his gut. A dropping sensation that made his stomach twist into knots. His heart would beat faster, and beads of sweat would appear as he gritted his teeth and clenched his fists. His mind would scream to tell his heart to calm down, but he just couldn't.

It was the source of many of their arguments and fights. Sakusa would lose all sense of rationale for a bit and make petty comments. Atsumu, one who's not willing to take such ridiculous words, would bite back just as hard. Screaming, shouting, throwing—one time they used their fists—until finally, finally, Sakusa would come back to his senses and apologize.

Eventually, he became numb to his feelings. His heart stopped panicking when he saw the lies, and his stomach stopped knotting. It took a few months, but their petty arguments decreased as the two of them settled into the routine of dating without fate.

Still, the bitterness remained.