Trigger Warning: Dysfunctional family, multi person ship, mention of p*nic attacks, infidelity in marriage, etc.

Note: Once again. Credit to completekeefitztrash (sorry I'm tagging you so much aaa, but your book really did inspire me!). Firstly, credit to them for introducing me to the ship, and secondly because after reading their KeeFitz soulmates oneshot I had THIS idea for a soulmate oneshot.

So for this Soulmate AU, everyone is numb to every emotion until they touch their soulmate. So beforehand every smile is fake, every tear is purely for physical pain, etc. and you only feel happy, sad, /literally any other emotion once you touch your soulmate. And then you decide what to do after finding your soulmate.

Also, if you touch your soulmate being twelve years old or younger, it doesn't count. Only once you're thirteen and older could you find your soulmate. And if you're say, thirteen, and your soulmate is still twelve or under, it won't register then either. Both people have to be over twelve years old for it to work.

Some people decide to marry despite not being soulmates, and I'ma say that's what happened with Cassius and Gisela. And then after becoming pregnant with Keefe, Gisela found her soulmate, Gethen, and has been cheating on Cassius ever since, something that recently came to light and Cassius, being a control freak who likes to have everything put together, has no idea how to navigate this situation. He has also touched his soulmate (a new-ish family doctor, Elwin) so he has his emotions, BUT he has no idea who his soulmate is (obviously he doesn't think "oh yeah, must be that ridiculous looking doctor dude"). So he feels angry and jealous mostly, and all of these blowout fights are happening in Keefe's home and he has no idea what to do with it.

Fitz recently found his soulmate, a mysterious miss that he has so far refused to let Keefe meet, and we'll start this oneshot with Fitz trying to comfort a numb overthinker who is numbly upset about his parents fighting.

And. They are human. Again. Fitz is seventeen, Keefe is sixteen and a half (we'll say he just got his drivers license), and Sophie just turned sixteen. And this maybe turned out to be a bit more KeeFitz then SoKeefe or SoKeeFitz so I might try to rewrite this sometime in the future but eh, good enough for now.

Also, the part where Fitz and Keefe exchange pictures and heart emojis while saying goodnight is based on a old tradition that me and one of my then best friends did. We did it because we never wanted to be the one to get off, so we'd send a picture, count down from three, and say bye with three hearts in a color of our choice.

Aight les go!

. . .

The booming voices from the kitchen shook the whole house, or maybe that was Keefe's trembling.

He wished that he had his emotions. Because his body reacted to his parents arguments, but he had no idea exactly what the reaction meant. Would he feel happy right now? Happy, like...glad that his parents didn't love each other? He always knew that they weren't soulmates, and they were both awful people, but maybe if they had their soulmates...maybe they'd be better, and that could be a reason for gladness.

Although. Keefe had met Gethen like, once. He was sitting outside and drinking some of his dad's chocolate almond milk (no fair that his dad got to keep that stuff for himself!) when Gethen pulled up to drop his mom off back at the house. That was about a week ago, and Gethen wasn't the kindest looking. He had a bit of a snarky mean personality, and his nose was crooked, and his cold blue eyes felt sorta malicious..

Yeah, actually it would probably be awful to have him as a stepdad.

But maybe his dad's soulmate would be a great person (although Keefe doubted it)? If he managed to find them again. It was probably a stranger that his dad rubbed elbows with in some stuffy room full of sweaty people in stiff business suits. Or in other words, another totally awful person.

So, basically, the logic didn't add up to him trembling for some sort of numb joy. Maybe he was trembling in fear, but he wasn't AFRAID of his mom, dad, Gethen, or his dad's mystery soulmate.

Keefe cringed when glass shattered and his mother's voice rose to a shrill shriek. He almost missed his phone's ding, but thankfully didn't, glad for the distraction that came in the form of his best friend Fitz Vacker.

They were online friends and had been since they were eleven, though they had known each other before that and were only a couple towns apart. But they never saw each other in real life becaaause...neither of them had really brought it up or anything. But they knew basically everything about each other anyway.

| Yeah, sounds tough buddy... |

Keefe watched the "Fitz is typing" dot dot dots go up and down, tapping his fingers on his sketchbook until the next message appeared.

| I don't really know how to help.
Would you wanna maybe meet up tomorrow or something? |

| idk man. I mean thatd be great, but y? whats the point? |

| Maybe I'll invite my girlfriend and you can meet her. |

| I know you've been dying to know who the mysterious miss is.
(Definitely didn't forget how to spell "mysterious" for a minute there, nope definitely not) |

| nahhh, you being serious now? :O
Ill get to meet THE MYSTERIOUS ONE?????? |

| Yeah, but only if you come to visit tomorrow.
One time offer here. |

| IM SO THERE |

| Okay, but you gotta sleep. Will that be possible with the parents right now? |

Keefe heard the front door slam at that exact moment and sat up to part his drapes just in time to watch his mom enter the garage door, no doubt getting her car to go spend the night at Gethen's.

He could hear the car engine come to life as he sat back to reply to Fitz.

| I think so. Mommy Dearest just left for Boyfriend Dearests place |

| And what is Cassius doing? |

| Uhhh, Daddy Dearest is...idk. Quiet rn so probably...I rlly dk. Smthn. |

| oh I know. prolly looking over his list of possible soulmates. or stabing a pic of Gethen. or fixing his hair for bed. or whatever else Daddy Dearests do while trying to get back at their crappy wives. |

| Yeah...as long as he's quiet though. Try to sleep and we'll see you tomorrow. Good? |

Keefe took a picture of himself doing two thumb ups, sending that to Fitz.

Fitz sent one back of himself laying on his stomach, resting his face on one of his palms, his thick comforter over his head and pillow sandwiched between himself and the bed, his other hand doing a peace sign. The flash from Fitz's camera lit up his teal eyes, and even just by the picture, Keefe could tell that Fitz looked tired.

| 3 |

| 2 |

| 1 |

| Bye!! 💙💙💙 |

| BYE!!! 💛💛💛 |

Fitz went offline and Keefe grabbed his earbuds from the foot of his bed, gently dropped his sketchbook to the ground, and settled into his pillows, starting his sleeping playlist. Never Too Late, Three Days Grace; In My Blood, Shawn Mendes; and by the time he was halfway through Hallelujah, Jeff Buckley, he was asleep.

. . .

Keefe pulled up to the Vacker's driveway in his dad's car. Yeah, he'd basically stolen the keys, but his dad was working on his computer at home today and shouldn't need to go into the office anyway.

He pocketed the keys, got out and locked the car before going up to the house. Before he could knock on the door, it opened and a beautiful girl with lovely blonde hair and a addictive bright smile was giving him a hug. It lasted barely a second, but it was enough to overwhelm Keefe Sencen with emotion.

Wait, emotion? This is Fitz's soulmate-not mine! he thought, snapping himself out of his thoughts.

"Hello!" the girl said as she backed away, letting Fitz comfortably wrap his arms around her from behind, "I'm Sophie Foster, she /her. Fitz's girlfriend. pleased to meet you! Keefe, right?"

"Ah, no, I'm the delivery guy, here with a package for a mister Alden Vacker." Keefe joked.

Fitz laughed. "Oh, Keefe. Always with the jokes."

"And you, always with the mysterious miss! Foster, huh? I guess that makes you the mysterious miss F now."

Sophie looked up at Fitz for a explanation to the nickname.

"When Keefe found out I had found my soulmate, he asked a bunch of questions. Only thing I told him was that you were female, and we started referring to you as the "Mysterious miss.""

"Oh. Well, I'm not THAT mysterious, I don't think."

"I'll be the judge of that." Keefe declared. Puffing out his chest, then collapsing in on himself, coughing due to choking on air. Something washed over him-shame? embarrassment? regret?-making him wonder again what him getting his emotions from Sophie might mean.

It's a glitch, obviously! I mean I've never heard of glitches...in this...thing...but it must be. Look at Fitz and Sophie. They clearly have their emotions. Because they are soulmates. Sophie is NOT my soulmate. I don't even know her.

"Hey, you okay man?" Fitz asked, patting Keefe's back. Keefe felt guilty for even indirectly wondering within himself if Sophie could be his soulmate.

"Yeah, fine. Stupid air. Make me choke when I'm breathing, but without it I'd still be choking. Air is just the choke master. Who needs to wear a choker when you have AIR?" he asked, waving at nothing.

Sophie laughed into her hand and Keefe felt pride in making her laugh, then guilt again.

Nevermind his earlier wishing that he had emotions. He decided that that was immature and dumb. He didn't want emotions. They were too confusing. Dumb emotions.

"Alright...want a glass of water?" Fitz asked.

"That'd be awesome."

"Well, feel free to take a seat in the living room. I'll be right back." Fitz said, pointing to the Vacker's family room. Sophie and Keefe both took a seat, Sophie sitting on the couch opposite to Keefe.

"So, you're Fitz's best friend?" she asked, tugging on a eyelash.

"Uh-I think so. We talk every day, but this is the first time we're seeing each other in real life since we were eleven."

"Oh. How long have you been friends?"

"I really don't know. Definitely not seventeen years-I wasn't even born seventeen years ago."

Sophie smiled at his weak joke.

"What about you?" he asked, "How long have you known Wonderboy?"

"About, what, three months now, Sophie?" Fitz asked, joining them and tossing Keefe a water bottle as he eased himself into a seat by Sophie.

Sophie thought for a moment before nodding. "I think so, yeah."

"And HOW did you meet?"

"We were headed to our classes and she tripped over her shoelaces. I caught her, and I guess we both were immediately swept over by lots of emotions, put two and two together, and...that was that." Fitz shrugged.

"Really?" Keefe asked.

"Y-Yeah. I'm sorta clumsy." Sophie mumbled, embarrassed.

"Don't feel bad, Foster. Not everyone can have my perfect sense of balance!"

"You mean like how perfectly you 'balance' your intake of fruits and veggies versus junk food?" Fitz asked.

"Wooow, I think someone is jealous of how I manage to stay in perfect shape without even trying. But don't worry Fitzy. You're not the only one. My dad gets super jealous too."

"I am NOTHING like mister Sencen."

"Not exactly what I said, is it?" Keefe teased, smirking.

Fitz rolled his eyes.

There was a moment of awkward silence in which Sophie tugged out a couple more eyelashes.

"Bad habit?" Keefe asked, trying to get conversation going again.

"Uh-yeah. My mom hates it. I tend to do it when I feel anxious or upset." she explained.

"It's kinda cute." Keefe teased with a wink, then felt ashamed to be flirting with Fitz's girl while he was literally in the room, but Fitz didn't seem to think much of it thankfully.

"Isn't it?" Fitz said, pulling her closer to him, "I think it's simply adorable."

Jealousy flared up within Keefe's chest, catching him off guard. And also making him decide that that was the last straw.

And thankfully, his dad seemed to notice his missing car at just that minute.

| Keefe, might you happen to know where my car went? |

| yea took it. y? |

| Use proper sentences, capitalization and spelling. Don't type like a imbecile.
Bring my car back home right this minute. |

"Sorry Fitzy, Foster-dad says I gotta go now." Keefe said, giving a hopefully apologetic shrug as he stood up.

"Oh, alright." Sophie said, her and Fitz following Keefe out.

"I'm gonna guess he wasn't too happy to see his car missing." Fitz guessed.

"I'll probably get a earful when I get home," Keefe shrugged, "Oh well."

"Seriously, man. Your dad is the worst."

"Yeah, I'd totally be up to trade dads but I don't think you'd-"

"Yeah, nah. My dad is awesome."

"Alden is super supportive," Sophie agreed, "Cya sometime later, Keefe. Maybe Fitz will create us a group chat?"

"Of course, that's a great idea." Fitz said.

"Yeah, sounds like fun. Talk to you later, Fitz. See ya around, Foster."

"Later!" Fitz said as Keefe opened the door. When Keefe was in the driver's seat, he rolled down the window.

"Three,"

Fitz chuckled. "Two,"

"One. BYE!" Keefe shouted, pulling out of the driveway.

Both Fitz and Sophie were waving as he left.

. . .

"So, that was kinda short." Sophie noted as she walked back inside with Fitz.

"It really was." Fitz agreed.

He was replaying the whole meeting in his head. There had been something off about the way Keefe had acted. From the way he'd stumbled back ever-so-slightly when Sophie had hugged him, to his flushed cheeks when he'd broken out coughing, to the way his eyes had watched when Fitz had wrapped his arm around Sophie. Keefe had been trying to hide something. And Fitz had a guess as to what.

"I think he really liked you," Fitz told Sophie lightly.

"Well, I liked him too. He was sorta funny."

"No, I mean in a soulmate way."

"What do you mean?" Sophie asked, looking up at Fitz with a million conflicting emotions crossing her face, "We are soulmates. You and me. Not me and Keefe. And love is a emotion. And he doesn't know his soulmate, does he?"

"I think he might have two soulmates. And he might have just seen them both without even realizing it."

"Fitz, stop talking in riddles." she begged, both of them sinking back into the couch.

"Alright. So, I think that when you hugged him, he might have received his emotions." Fitz said, waiting for her to respond.

"But based on what information?"

"Trust me, I know my best friend, and I know when he's acting weird."

"Okay.." she trailed off, waiting for him to continue.

"And I think he was trying to hide it. Because having multiple soulmates is very rare. It's usually just two people, right?"

"I thought it was always just two.." Sophie mumbled, tugging on another eyelash.

"My brother, Alvar, has found four soulmates so far. Three girlfriends and one boyfriend. So my family knows quite a bit about the multi-soulmates thing."

"You have a brother?" Sophie asked.

"Uh-yeah. He's twenty eight years old and lives in another state at the moment."

"Oh."

"But that's not the point. The point is...if I asked Keefe about this and he said yes, would you be alright having two boyfriends? Keefe can be a bit much sometimes and he makes a ton of jokes, but they're his way of coping with everything that he has going on, and now that he has his emotions it could potentially be ten times worse and he might start having full blown panic attacks, and I'm kinda worried about him-sorry. I'm rambling. Anyway, uh-"

"Yes."

"Yes?"

"Yes, you can ask Keefe if he got his emotions because of me. And if he says yes, YES we can all three be a thing. I know he's your best friend and that's all I need to know. And if he's my soulmate, he's our soulmate."

Fitz swooped in to kiss her on the lips. "I love you."

"I love you too."

. . .

Keefe threw himself on his bed. He'd managed to talk his way out of getting grounded, but wasn't too happy about having his emotions.

He had imagined that having his emotions would ALSO come with his soulmate, someone to be there, kinda like Fitz had been, but they'd actually fix everything, and his emotions would help everything make sense.

Instead, it was just confusing, depressing, horrible, and more confusing. And he couldn't even tell Fitz, because what if Fitz wouldn't want to be his friend anymore?

His phone dinged.

| Hey bud, you okay? |

| yea, maneged to not get in trouble, so. |

| Awesome! |

| So what did you think of Sophie? |

| mysterious miss F is great. glad that you found her |

| Me too |

| So buddy, you know about Alvar, right? |

| uh idk, what about him? |

| That he has many soulmates |

| oh yea ik that |

He DID know that, but he'd kinda forgotten.

| Well, I was wondering if something happened today with Sophie that you'd want to maybe talk about.. |

And here Keefe realized that Fitz knew. He'd somehow guessed, or SOMETHING, and Keefe panicked for a second.

| would u get angry? |

| Of course not. You can tell me anything. |

Keefe took a steadying breath, forcing himself to believe Fitz.

| ok. uh, I maybe got my emotions or whatever when Sophie hugged me .. |

| Awesome :3 |

| Now I guess I can call you my other other half ;) |

| ur not mad? |

| Of course not. It's not your fault. And, Keefe, there's more then enough love for you AND Sophie. You both mean everything to me.
Well, everything besides my parents and siblings I mean. But y'know. |

| you'd rlly wanna eventually marry into my awful family?? |

| I mean, I'm not terribly stoked about Cassius potentially being one of my in laws, and same about Gisela. But it doesn't matter much to me whatsoever. As much as they've screwed up, at least they somehow managed to raise a wonderful son anyway. |

| u dont rlly mean that... |

| Of course I mean it. |

| no. u and me and Foster are really like, a thing, now? no way. |

| Yes way :D
I love you, Keefe Sencen. |

Fitz sent a picture of himself and Sophie both on their knees as though proposing.

| Will you do us the tremendous honor of being our meant to be, written in the cards, forever soulmate? |

| ur so cheesy |

| And that's a..? |

| yes, u dorks |

| We're off to a great start already XD |

Keefe just laughed and cried at the same time. But right now his emotions, though annoying, felt like a good thing.

. . .

Sophie and Fitz were his soulmates. And they wanted him. They three went on to grow up and join together into one single marriage. They raised five kids together who all grew up into amazing people who each found their perfect soulmates without first going through what Keefe's parents had gone through. They had many adventures-fun times, dates, dinners and long conversations, and those not-so-fun marital arguments, but they always ended up being resolved, with many kiss-and-make-ups through the years.

And they grew old together.

Their whole lives, they were inseparable. And always, always, ALWAYS, they were best friends first and foremost before they were husbands or wife.

In love, perfectly completing each other, until death did they part.