Free! x Reader [Oneshots]

Healing You [Soulmate!AU] [Sousuke x Reader]

Soulmate!AU where you experience the pain that your soulmate feels

It all started off when you felt an ache in your shoulder.

For no reason at all, as you were walking home, your shoulder started to hurt. It wasn't exactly painful – it was more of a discomfort; the kind of soreness that came with exercising too much.

The pain got worse as time passed. That discomfort in your shoulder slowly started to manifest into a constant ache that never went away. Initially, you thought the pain was caused by the strain on your shoulder when you studied, since you had the tendency to hunch forward while writing, which could possibly cause too much stress on the muscles if you studied for hours on end. When the ache in your shoulder started to make itself more and more apparent as the days passed, you decided to get it checked out.

"There's nothing wrong with your shoulder," the doctor said. "The scans look completely normal, and since you don't feel any extra pain when you performed the stretching exercises, the pain you're feeling shouldn't be from your side."

"That means..."

Upon seeing the frown on your features as you trailed off, the doctor gave you a small smile; looking unsure herself, if the news she was breaking to you was good or bad. "It means that someone out there is going through a lot of pain, and you are suffering through this together with them."

That revelation hit you hard.

Bonds between soulmates were one of those big mysteries that no one could explain. Romanticists loved the idea of being linked to another person on such an intimate level; but most people found it more of a pain – literally – to have to suffer together with someone they didn't even know. But what alarmed you the most was the fact that you were hurting so much because of your soulmate. Pain experienced through the bond was meant to be lesser than the person actually going through the pain.

For your shoulder to hurt that much... just how much pain was your soulmate going through?

"It's possible to block it out."

A voice brought you out of your reverie, and you looked up to see your doctor peering at you with a kind smile. "It takes a lot of willpower to mentally close the link, but many people have been successful; or at least partially successful in blocking off the pain. So... if you want to, I can show you how."

"I don't want to close off the bond," you muttered. "I don't want to feel this pain, but at the same time, I don't want to cut off the link with my soulmate. It feels... wrong... to sever a tie to someone I'm naturally bound to..."

This time, the smile that the doctor gave you was one of earnest understanding. After prescribing you some painkillers, she walked you out, and her parting words with you made you feel better, even if it was just a little.

"One day, if you ever find your soulmate; I'm sure you'll be someone who will be able to heal him."

~~

 

The pain continued to get worse as the months passed by. Often, you would get the urge to run back to the doctor, begging her to help you block the link. With your shoulder hurting like it did, you couldn't move it properly; it was hard to lift things with your right hand, and it was hard to write and type as well. The pain was impeding a lot of basic movements, and you were beginning to lose sight of why you were still holding on to this line of suffering.