Heartrate One-Shots

Songs

Alix knew that getting songs stuck in your head was a sign that your soulmate had that song in their head, too. Sometimes it meant they were actually singing it.
Alix tried to ignore the impulse to sing those songs, except when she was alone.
Now, she had the house to herself. It was a couple hours before she had a class sleepover planned at her house, and her dad and brother were both at the museum, not wanting to be around when her class came over.
(Her brother had tried to kill Alya before, so that made things awkward, and her dad just really didn't like talking to people.)
Alix was excited. At nineteen, all of them were in college; scattered across the planet, and this sleepover over winter break was the first time since summer she would see any of her friends.
Today, Alix had a song that she actually liked stuck in her head.
She put it on and sang along.
(broken, by lovelytheband)
"I like that you're broken; broken like me. Maybe that makes me a fool. I like that you're lonely; lonely like me. I could be lonely with you.
I met you late night at a party. Some trust fund baby's Brooklyn loft. By the bathroom, you said let's talk. But my confidence is wearing off.
These aren't my people. These aren't my friends. She grabbed my face and that's what she said.
I like that you're broken; broken like me. Maybe that makes me a fool. I like that you're lonely; lonely like me. I could be lonely with you.
There's something tragic, but almost pure. I think I could love you, but I'm not sure. There's something wholesome, there's something sweet. Tucked in your eyes that I'd love to meet.
These aren't my people. These aren't my friends. She grabbed my face and that's when she said.
I like that you're broken; broken like me. Maybe that makes me a fool. I like that you're lonely; lonely like me. I could be lonely with you.
Life is not a love song, that we like. We're all broken pieces, floating by. Life is not a love song, we can try. To fix our broken pieces, one at a time.
I like that you're broken; broken like me. Maybe that makes me a fool. I like that you're lonely; lonely like me. I could be lonely with you. I like that you're broken; broken like me. Maybe that makes me a fool. I like that you're lonely; lonely like me. I could be lonely with you."
Alix stopped. She should probably start cleaning the downstairs before everyone got there.
...
Kim knocked on the door to Alix's house. He knew he was fifteen minutes early, but he was pretty sure her family wouldn't be home, and he wanted to challenge her to see who could slide down the railing of her staircase without falling. You know, without people who could potentially be fallen on in the mix.
"Alix?" He called. He resisted the urge to say something else, or rather, sing it.
He kind of hated his soulmate right now. They had gotten Little Do You Know by Alex and Sierra stuck in his head and it was making him depressed.
He tried the door handle and found that it was unlocked.
"I'm coming in!" He called.
Alix didn't answer, and he was starting to get worried someone had broken in and hurt her or something.
Kim walked into Alix's house, putting his bag down by the door and started looking around for her.
"Alix?" He called. He found her in her room, and was about to challenge her, but then he noticed what she was doing.
She had earbuds in and was singing along to the music in a beautiful, clear soprano.
And the song she was singing... no way.
Kim didn't know what to do, so he just stood there, kind of dumbfounded, listening.
"Underneath it all, I'm held captive by the hole inside. I've been holding back, for the fear that you'll change your mind. I'm ready to forgive you, but forgetting is a harder fight. Little do you know, I... I need a little more time."
It was probably dumb, but Kim started singing the guys' part in the song, startling the hell out of Alix.
"Away, away, I love you like you've never felt the pain, away. I promise you don't have to be afraid, away. The love you see right here stays so lay your head on me. Little do you know I know you're hurting while I'm sound asleep. Little do you know all my mistakes are solely drowning me. Little do you know I'm trying to make it better piece by piece. Little do you know I... I love you till the sun dies."
Kim had no idea how or why, but they sang the duet part together, neither of them seeming to have anything better to do.
"Away, just wait. I love you like you've never felt the pain, just wait. I love you like I've never been afraid, just wait. Our love we see right here stays so lay your head on me. Away, away. I love you like like you've never felt the pain, away. I promise you don't have to be afraid, away. The love you see right here stays, so lay your head on me. Lay your head on me. So lay your head on me. Cause little do you know I... I love you till the sun dies."
They were both silent for a second, processing what had just happened.
"How did you get in my house?" Alix asked finally.
"Door was unlocked. Um... did you have broken by lovelytheband stuck in your head earlier today?"
"How did you know?" Alix asked, "Wait... oh hell no."
"Looks like it," Kim muttered.
"Out," Alix said forcefully.
"What? Don't you want to talk about it or whatever?"
"Just get out of my house, Kim! Now!"
Kim decided it was probably best to do what she said, and he ran out, grabbing his bag on the way out. He heard the door lock behind him.
"What about the sleepover?" He called.
"Just go away!"
Kim waited by the door until Nathaniel came.
"She didn't leave the door unlocked?" Nathaniel asked.
"Um... no," Kim said, deciding not to mention the whole 'singing' incident.
"Weird," Nathaniel said, knocking on the door, "Hey Alix! People are starting to get here!"
"Go away!" Alix yelled.
"Why?" Nathaniel asked, seeming kind of shocked.
"None of your tomato business!"
Nathaniel put his bag down, but only to sit on it. He wasn't going anywhere.
"What'd you do?" He asked.
"I didn't do anything?" Kim said.
"If that were true, she'd be letting people in. Something you did scared her. What was it?"
Kim shrugged, "I don't know."
Nathaniel stared him down, "If you don't want to tell me, fine. You're a lot like Alix; you usually speak your mind. If you don't want to tell me, it's probably for the best."
"You have no idea," Kim muttered.
As it got darker, more people got there, and Alix still wouldn't let anyone in.
"It's getting dark," Rose squeaked, "I don't want to wait out here in the dark."
"Don't worry," Juleka said, "I'll protect you."
"How cute," Chloe muttered offhandedly, "How long are we going to wait before we go do this at someone else's house?"
"I have an idea, but it might backfire on us," Kim said.
Marinette shrugged, "It's better than waiting out here in the cold, right? What did you have in mind?"
"Well... if I tell you, you'll all try to stop me. Stay here."
Kim went around to the side of the house and climbed up to Alix's window.
...
Alix was still processing things. Kim was her soulmate. God, she should have known. Still... how the hell did that make sense? They were rivals. Sometimes they were friends, sometimes not. And the 'not' was more common.
Suddenly, Alix heard someone knocking on her window, and pulled back the curtains to see Kim.
Alix immediately yanked the curtains shut, "Go away! And you can tell the peanut gallery to go home, too!"
"Peanut gallery? Where'd you even get that?"
Alix wasn't really sure how Kim had climbed up onto the room outside her window. She didn't really care. She just wanted him to go away. Things were too complicated now. She had known him for how many years? Fourteen? She'd never noticed that he just happened to be her... soulmate?
"Alix, please, just hear me out."
Alix stood against the windowsill, leaning her head back until the curtain touched the glass. She was unaware that Kim was sitting in the same position on the other side.
Part of her wanted to let him in. But the other parts... were way too confused.
"Alix, I'm sorry if I crossed a line, but... you're a really good singer, if that makes you feel any better."
Alix didn't sing in public for a reason. People would always comment on her voice. She hated that. And as much as she hated to admit it...Kim had a good voice, too.
"I didn't want to scare you or anything. I just did what came to mind. I... gah! I really shouldn't have done anything! I should have just said 'hi' or something. I should have known that singing a duet with you would make things really awkward."
Alix was tempted to open the window, but she didn't.
"And honestly... I thought we sounded good. I liked it."
That was it. Alix pulled back the curtains and opened the window.
"It's not that I didn't like singing with you Kim, it's just that... I need some time to process it. I mean, you haven't seen your friends for four months, and then suddenly one of them comes back saying they're your soulmate? How was I supposed to react to that?"
"I don't know," Kim admitted, "But locking the door and letting your thirteen best friends freeze out in the snow seems a little extreme."
Alix chuckled, "Yeah, probably. Get down from there and I'll let everyone in."
...
As Kim returned to the ground, everyone looked at him kind of weird.
Kim sighed, "You all just heard all of that, didn't you?"
"What? No..." but Marinette was a terrible liar.
Alix opened the door.
"Finally!" Chloe exclaimed, "It's freezing out here!"
Alix laughed, "Sorry, guys. There's hot chocolate inside. I had some things to process."
"Like how Kim's your soulmate?" Rose asked.
Alix gave Kim a stink-eye.
Kim put his hands up, "I swear I didn't tell them. They're all eavesdroppers. You know this."
Alix shrugged, "Well, I guess as payback, you'll all just have to tell the class who your soulmates are, for those of you who the rest of us don't already know. Get in here."
Everyone came in, and karaoke was a game that was played, with many couples using their connection to sing in perfect harmony.