egobang oneshots // arin + dan au

carnival date - 1,013

soulmate au ~ you receive a text message when your soulmate is within 5 feet of you. 

It was Arin's 3rd day attending the carnival this week. 

Each year, around mid-October, the carnival comes to Arin's hometown, and he never fails to miss it. In his opinion, the carnival is the best place to be for a photographer, such as himself. Between all the glowing rides at night, the food, the booths, the animals, and so much more, there is nothing but photo opportunities at every turn. 

Despite the carnival being a beautiful time, a lot is lost because of the people. A crowded fair full of people having fun is an amazing sight, but very rare in these days. Of course, there are still loads of people, but so many of them just walk around staring at their phones. 

The carnival, similar to amusement parks, busy sidewalks, fast food chains, and concerts, has many people in very close proximity to each other. This is an opportunity that many people take to search for their soulmate. Everyone has their phone in their hand, ringtone at full volume, to ensure that they do not miss their soulmate. Everyone is just waiting for that one text. 

Your soulmate is within five feet of you. 

The text itself is very straight-forward and boring, if you ask Arin, but everyone seems to spend every second of every day waiting for it. 

Arin was one of the few who just left his phone in his pocket in places like these, and knew that if he was meant to find his soulmate, he would do so. Of course, his volume was up, but he wasn't going to stare at his phone watching for a text the whole time. There were too many gorgeous pictures to take. 

He wandered around the carnival, watching people stumble over each other without ever glancing up. But among this, he also saw groups of friends laughing with each other as they waited in line. He saw couples share funnel cake with each other, and he watched little kids cheer as they won a small goldfish at game booths. 

It was a wonderful time, and Arin wanted to capture every second of it. Whenever people ask Arin why he wants to be a photographer, it's simply that he wants to capture the best moments in life. Everyone should live in the moment, but everyone deserves to remember those moments. If Arin can make one amazing evening or one beautiful morning last a little longer, he will do so. 

Sunset was just around the corner, and he knew atop the ferris wheel would be the perfect place to capture it. A gorgeous sunset accompanied by the glowing lights and crowds of people below. 

He handed multiple tickets to the ride attendant, and explained that he would like to stay on for a while. Though Arin loves taking pictures, it is nice to sit back and look at life without a camera in between him and the world. 

The sky was slowly getting dimmer, and he knew it would be a bit before it would be the right moment. He would admire the fair each time around, wondering what it would be like to spend times like this with someone else. The attendant would let a single rider in with him every so often, and they would say their hello's, and that would be that. Some of the people would continue with the conversation, asking about Arin's camera, or about how his night was going (which was greatly appreciated, to see that effort made). 

Pinks and oranges and yellows glowed across the entire sky, while grey and blue-hued clouds sat accompanying the colors perfectly. This will be the most beautiful shot, he thought to himself as he reached the bottom once more. He prepared the settings on his camera, and watched out of the corner of his eye as the attendant let on another single rider. "Hi," the single rider stated as he took his seat, a smile on his face. "Oh hey! I'm just adjusting the settings on my ca-"

Arin was cut off by a message tone from his phone, and the other man was as well. They both laughed at the scenario, and excused themselves as they checked their phone. Arin looked in his notifications, only to see that he had received a text.

Your soulmate is within five feet of you. 

He had always found this message a bore and overrated, until this moment. He felt his stomach drop and his heart was racing. He looked over, only to meet the eyes of the other person. 

Without hesitation, the two leaned into each other, their lips meeting. Passion coursed through Arin, it was a feeling he had never felt before in his life. His hands were wrapped around the other man's neck, pulling him in closer. It was his first time kissing a guy, and frankly, his first time kissing anyone. He had pecked his friends on the lips before, but nothing like this. 

They parted, Arin's hands tangled in the other man's curly hair at this point. Both of them were still trying to catch their breath, in the midst of recovery from what just happened. 

"I... I'm Dan," the other man spoke. "I'm Arin. It's, uh, really nice to meet you," Arin responded.

This time, Dan pulled Arin into him, kissing him with more lust than the first time. Arin felt a sense of place, and he felt at home. He felt that this is where he needed to be, for the rest of his life and until the end of time. He took a minute to stop and admire his new-found soulmate. His gorgeous brown eyes, the way his face crinkled as he had the biggest smile on his face, the little scar above his right eyebrow, how strands of stray hair sat curled in front of his face, how the lights all around them reflected in Dan's eyes. He had never seen anything as beautiful. 

And suddenly, Arin forgot about the sunset.