GENRE: soulmate au, fluff
WARNINGS: none
NOTES: in this, the reader/ johnny/ bobby are all soulmates. with the soulmate au concept having a resurgence on tik tok with 13 yr olds i remembered when they were legit all over the place,, and i wanted to do one of my own. it's not the most inspired or deep plot, but i thought it was fun anyways. short and sweet x

- b.

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"(Y/n), this is Jubilee," Storm introduced with a wide, welcoming smile that showed teeth just as white as her hair, "Could you show her around? and to her room?" She asked the girl, who nodded in return - - her raven pigtails bobbing slightly as she did so.

"Of course!" Jubilee remarked easily, taking your schedule and various forms from your hands before you could really look at them much yourself, "Oh, you're over on Bobby's side. This'll be great!" She seemed genuinely excited as she looked back up at you, her eyes glowing, "He's a great guy. I'll get him to keep an eye on ya."

Before you could reply to Professor Munroe much, Jubilee was ushering you toward the left side of the large building. You grabbed your bag (full of all the personal belongings you could squeeze in) and followed suit, waving at the teacher and shooting her a quick 'thank you' as you both disappeared down the hallway.

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As soon as you got to the second floor, you could already tell that it was louder than the first, because so many people were coming in and out on the first day of arrivals at school. Sneakers scuffed against the hardwood flooring, doors being thrown open and shut as people settled down in their rooms for the coming year, hollering greetings back and forth as they met their friends and roommates. You couldn't help but feel overwhelmed, but in a good way. It felt oddly normal, somehow.

"The first level is classrooms, and the rest are dorms. The seniors - that's us - and then it goes up by grades. You're lucky you only came now! I've been waiting for the right not to climb these stairs!" She laughed, her arm linked with yours as she took you down the line of doors that were indicated by a number and letter each, "Girls are even numbers, and boy are odd," Jubilee added, pointing at them in intervals with her finely manicured nails. You stopped at 4B. "This is yours! I can totally wait up while you unpack if you'd like," She offered, and you had to admit she seemed kind, and pretty. You wondered if she'd ever want to be friends with you. You'd forgotten how to make friends in the long while since you'd attended high school, but hoped it'd come back to you naturally in some way (especially given how nice everyone seemed so far).

"Thanks," You smiled sheepishly, "But I'll be okay. Maybe you could show me more later?" You queried, tucking as strand behind your ear slightly, getting ready to open the door with a stomach full of nervous but eager butterflies.

"Sure thing, honey!" Jubilee remarked easily with the tilt of her head, patting you on your shoulder as slight laugh erupted from her bubblegum pink lips, "Don't wait up?"

"I wont," You told her, managing out a slight grin as she backed away, waving at you as she made her way back to the front to help other newcomers.

When you finally pushed open the large oak door, it was empty. On either side of the room, were identical sets of furniture; a bed, desk, chair, closet and mirror. It wasn't much, but it seemed nice - - with lots of natural light that filtered through the tall sash windows, uncovered by their slightly sheer white curtains. You immediately discarded your bag by your new bed, crossing the room to pull the window open. It slid up with a satisfying thunk, and a late Summer breeze drifted in. You had a view of the garden below, where students mingled, greeting each other and sitting around the court yard as the afternoon came to its pique.

You felt warm, and for some reason, something was telling you that everything would be okay. No matter how difficult it had been in the past.

You'd always felt like an outsider in your own home - - in your whole life, even. Neither of your parents were mutants, and they definetly didn't know how to handle their only daughter, who they were sure was normal, being one.

Luckily, your mutation wasn't as destructive as some other people's - - and you were able to grapple with it on your own (for better, or for worse). There were lots of long nights, and difficult periods where you had to suffer alone, but you almost became accustomed to it. Your parents worked a lot, and although they weren't unhappy as a couple, or terrible people by any means - - you always felt like you didn't fit in with them. Nor did you really feel close to any of yours peers, given how inherently different you were. It had been years since you made any meaningful friends; all of your old ones had drifted away when you found out you held the mutant gene.

Your parents were soulmates like most peoples' that you met. Though the term felt normal to you by the time you attended Xaviers' School, you didn't fully get it when you were growing up. The science on it was barely understood, and it was one of the more unexplainable phenomena on Earth - - much like the mutated genes you had.

Some say it was an act of God, splitting two souls of a perfect pair, and letting them wander the Earth to find each other. The stories had been told throughout time, in so many different languages in so many different countries. So many poems, and books, and scientific papers dedicated to the concept.

There were always theories, but the average person's opinion would differ. Some people didn't think it mattered to find their 'soul mate' at all - - that some words marked on your skin shouldn't define who was perfect for you. And then there were the others, the vast majorty: mainly being the ones that had the opportunity to really meet their perfect half - - that swore by the concept until their last days.

That didn't mean that soul mates didn't divorce, or were separated by ridiculous circumstances, or even the social climate during that time. It didn't stop people from falling head over heels for, and being with someone who wasn't their supposed perfect person. Really it was something that didn't have to affect you if you didn't want it to.

But your mother always told you stories. And you couldn't help but think about them more often than you cared to admit. How she met your dad, and he spoke the very sentence that was written on her skin, and she knew that he was the one for her. According to her, it was like a wave a sunshine washed over the both of them, and all she could see were his eyes.

You'd always pictured what it might be like for you. Where you would be, and what the words would say. Perhaps he'd be greeting you, or complimenting you (much like your mother's, which was displayed along the back of her calf proudly). Maybe he'd say something so effortlessly wonderful, and you'd fall in love quicker than you ever thought possible.

What you didn't expect, however, was a double whammy when you turned 13; to your relationship with your parents, and your growing perception of yourself. Your place in the family, and the world.

You usually only developed the marks at puberty - - the same with most mutations. That's what it was like for you: as straightforward as it gets.

Except for the fact that no one in your family had exhibited the mutant gene before.

And no one you'd ever met had more that one phrase on their skin.

Your parents tried to rationalize both of these things, and so did you - - but the truth was, there was nothing to get. No one understood the nature behind soul mates, and genealogists were only just starting to piece together the nature of 'homo superior'. The fact that you had two soul mates wasn't unheard of, but it wasn't exactly common, either.

Ever since then, you'd retreated in on yourself.

You never showed your tattoo, not when it was along your ribcage on the left side - - constantly covered by your clothing. You barely looked at it in the mirror, as it taunted you with the reminder that you'd never be like the people around you. You'd always be different.

You hoped that Xaviers' school would help you embrace that difference at the very least. To understand and control your mutation. To be around people like you for once (ones that might have felt alienated at one point, just like you). It felt like a fresh start in a way that you really never had before. Almost like a slight weight was lifted from you in a strange sense.

Turning from the gentle breeze, you decided that you wanted to unpack your things immediately, in the hopes that it'd help you settle in quicker. So far, your roommate hadn't arrived, so you had time to mentally prepare yourself to meet them. You were walking back over to the door to close it properly, hand perched on its brass knob as you noticed a strange commotion in the hallway.

Peaking your head out, you observed two boys across from you. The taller one clutched his head, groaning in pain as his wiley counterpart guiltily apologized for injuring him, a hand scratching at the nape of his neck sheepishly.

"I swear to God!" The slighted boy exclaimed, fingers rubbing against his temples, and then through his short brunette locks as he already felt a headache setting in - - glaring at his green haired friend, that only tried to hide a humored smile.

And your breath nearly left your lungs as you reacted, an ache in your ribs like you'd never felt, the familiar words tumbling from your lips in reply, "No need to yell!"

"I swear to God!"
"No need to yell!"

Those lines had played in your head on repeat from what felt like your entire life. You never understood what they could possibly mean when you were younger, or the context they'd be said in (you could drive yourself crazy thinking of the variations). And that reply, which you had used with so many people before, only seemed to glow with a golden timbre as you exhaled them in front of him. Your chest filled with a tender, light feeling.

What you almost didn't notice, however, was that someone spoke with you simultaneously. The words fell from his mouth in a harsher way that yours, annoyance drowned by the same warm feeling that yours inexplicably had.

For a second, all you could do was glance between them, taking in their features as your skin filled with goosebumps, and your vision seemed to be tunneled. Just like your mother had always said: it was like the rest of the world drowned out. No sounds, no images besides the two people you knew so inevitably would belong to you. Before, you just didn't know how, or if it would ever happen in your life time.

The tall boy across from you couldn't help but exchange glances with the two people in front of him, blinking away the same strange aura of hazy love that you all had begun to share once you'd spoken. Although confused, none of you could deny the quiet understanding of what had just occurred.

"I . . ." He started, and you almost felt bad for his friend that had been left by the wayside during that moment, completely ignored. "Both of you?" His eyebrows drew together in confusion, and you realized that his marks must have been different from yours in a way - - because he seemed confused by the concept of there being more than one of you at all. You noticed how blue his eyes were every time they managed to meet yours, noting how boyishly handsome he seemed despite the amount of shock he was clearly in. Wrapped in a dark blue sweater that seemed a size too large, and too warm for the weather. His injury was seemingly long forgotten.

The other, whom had spoken the same words as you - - he was much different. He wore a leather jacket over a long gret shirt, his dark hair pushed back, and a lighter clasped in his hand. It flickered open and shut where he stood immobilized; equally as stunned, but clearly trying to hide it as he tried his hardest (and desperately failed) not to catch either of your gazes with his darker one. He had sharper features than the other boy, and you could already tell, he was probably going to be a lot more to handle.

____________

You had invited them into your room with a stutter, and they agreed on account of the fact that you should probably talk about what had happened. Your hands were practically shaking as you let them through the threshold, feeling their stare on you.

"Um, I'm (Y/N), by the way," You introduced yourself, trying for a smile in the friendliest way possible, despite the way your arms subconsciously tucked across your chest. They stood across from you, both seemingly just as thrown off as you, but decidedly close.

The brown haired boy ducked his head, seemingly intimidated by the other (despite being taller than him by a good bit) as he flickered his icey gaze between the two of you, scratching the back of his neck as he spoke: "I'm Bobby." He didn't really consider himself to be a particularly shy guy; maybe a little introverted... but being in front of his soul mates so suddenly... and them both being so pretty; he couldn't held the way his heart pulsed. And for perhaps the first time, he felt a warmth spread its way through his chest, curling its way around his organs.

The other boy seemed to regard the two of you with a slight curiosity, but inherent cautiousness, tilting his head so that a strand of hair fell in his eyes, and he finally said: "Johnny." After a moment of recovery, he was now trying to keep his nervousness under wraps - - his lighter flickering open and closed as he watched the two of you. He wasn't usually the kind of person to wear his heart on his sleeve. He was a little more reserved than that. In fact, he barely spoke to other people; unless it was to fuck with them on occasion. But this was different. The way his heart fluttered wasn't something that someone like him could ever ignore, because it wasn't exactly often that it happened.

"I didn't really know that I, uh . . . could get more than one," Bobby admitted, and you and Johnny caught the way his cheeks turned pink, pushing up his sleeve to reveal the words that you both had uttered at the same time. His head was still catching up on the idea that he could have more than one person fulfill the phrase he always kept to himself. Whether it was good or bad, or if it even made sense. But then again, the way you looked at his mark with excitement, at him; and then Johnny smiling smally, subconsciously at the interaction from his peripheral - - Bobby thought that maybe it wouldn't be so bad after all. It couldn't be.

You, in the meanwhile, couldn't believe what you were seeing, fingers reaching out to graze his skin where the words lay. You never thought you'd really see those same curly letters on someone else, and you were drawn to it just like you felt nagnetized to either of them in their totality. When your hand met him, his body was cold to the touch, and goosebumps spread across his arm in your wake. You payed no mind to it, not even noticing in a way (too caught up in the way your head was reeling) - - while the boys certainly did.

You didn't really seem to realize that it was over-stepping slightly, and Johnny couldn't help but officially smile at you, partially convinced he was truly going to enjoy his time with the two of you if this was how endearing you were already. And he also didn't know why that thought felt so comfortable to him. Especially given how new it was.

Bobby cleared his throat when you pulled your hand away, blushing a darker shade of pink as he pulled his shirt sleeve down - - not meaning to get so flustered by your touch (but he didn't think he could really help it).

"Hmm, mine's a little different," Johnny remarked as he slipped his Zippo into his pant's pocket, an amused smile growing on his lips, and a certain twinkle in his brown eyes like he knew something you didn't. "I have to take this off, though," He remarked, shrugging his jacket down his shoulders so that he could place it down on the foot of your bed. Next, he reached up to pull his shirt off of his back, surprising an abashed Bobby and yourself. Before either of you could protest, however, he had turned in his spot to reveal his own markings, causing both of you to become wordless.

Much like yours, his mark contained both of the sentences. One underneath the other, and decidedly seperate as it lay beneath his shoulder blades. Seeing something just like yours, almost made you want to cry tears of relief, and Bobby caught a glimpse of it on your face. Johnny, on the other hand, couldn't help but feel somewhat jealous that you hadn't reach out to touch him, too. Perhaps the only thing stopping you was that you learnt your lesson the first time. His back muscles were suitably distracting, flickering under your stares until the moment had passed, and he was pulling his shirt back down.

It took a moment for you to register that soon afterwards, they had both turned to you. You could feel the way your cheeks warmed almost instantly, and your lips parted without a word. Avoiding their expectant gazes as much as possible, because you'd been putting this moment of for what felt like your entire life.

Bobby seemed to catch on to your nervousness quicker than the other boy, "It's okay... if you don't want to show us." His tone was assuring, his eyes met yours with an empathetic glimmer, and it calmed you slightly. Though, it certainly didn't stop the butterflies that ebbed at your insides, thinking about revealing something you had kept hidden for so long. And having to pull up your shirt in front of two strangers, no less. Even if they were your soul mates, that's not something you ever felt like you would just do.

You shook your head at Bobby's words, wanting both of them to know that it wasn't because you didn't want to show them. "I-It's not that..." You trailed, too embarrassed to say it outright as your nervous demeanour seemed to give it away. Despite your anxiety, both of the boys found you to be endlessly beautiful anyways; particularly when your rosy cheeks were because of them.

Johnny seemed to pick up on what you meant (whether you intentionallygave it away or not), a particularly devilish smile growing on his lips. "It's somewhere you can't show us yet, huh?" He asked, and there was something about his tone that was so teasing, it almost set all of your nerves on fire.

The way he'd so confidently said 'yet' had your thoughts racing, knowing that Johnny wanted to be closer to you. For both of them to see you in your totality. It was all very sudden, and being overwhelmed wasn't exactly unexpected.

You looked up at Bobby first, peering through eyelashes, perhaps in search for some help against what appeared to be an already relentless tease. But he was no help, embarrassingly weak at the knees with the way you were peering up at him. His lips parted, but he couldn't seem to say anything.

Johnny, however, was openly enjoying the way your cheeks heated in reaction to Bobby's clear enamour. When he caught a glimpse of how you looked at the other boy, he knew he'd be falling down the rabbit hole with him sooner or later.

That was only confirmed when your attention fell on him, and he practically had to hold back from bursting into flames. You were so damn beautiful, and having you gaze up at him, shy but searching for something. You'd definetly be the death of him. And he didn't think he'd be too mad about it at all.

Both of them watched as you flustered in explanation, you hand subconsciously flittering down to touch the material over your ribcage,"Y-Yeah, um, it is." You knew without a doubt that they could see how nervous you were, but it didn't dampen the burst of confidence you had as you felt your shirt between your fingers: "You'll have to wait to see."

Johnny raised an eyebrow at your response, seemingly not expecting it, but emboldened by your subtle flirting nonetheless. "How do we know you're telling the truth, hm?" He rebutted, his lips still curved with a smug smile that you knew would be difficult to keep off of him in the future. Despite this all, you knew he was playing around.

"Quit it," Bobby told the other boy with a slanted look, crossing his arms across his chest, "She has no reason to lie to us."

His immediate defense of you made you grateful, though you knew Johnny was only joking. You didn't know how you'd keep up being the medium between them - - but you supposed that you'd just have to find a way.

Johnny shifted slightly, eyes drifting over Bobby in a fashion that seemed half to be half lavish attraction, and half to size him up. "Hmm, and I suppose you're a good boy, aren't you? You always stick up for the pretty girls?" He queried, challenging the other boy as he subconsciously licked his lips.

You and Bobby were both absolutely flushed, bursting with butterflies, while you wondered how he could simultaneously flirt like he did. You exchanged a glance in understanding, before he decided to speak despite his flusterment.

"Maybe I do. And besides: we don't need to see her marks. You felt it, too - - right?" His head was stooped, and he could barely make eye-contact with either of you. When he did, they were wide and filled with a genuine tenderness that neither Johnny, or you could shake.

"Yeah, I felt it. With both of you," Johnny admitted with a nod, subconsciously reaching out to feel for his lighter again. He wasn't the type of person that liked to talk about his feelings, but if he was going to do it, it would have to be with his soul mates. It would take a little time until he felt less awkward about it, but he was willing to try. Because the way he felt when he first saw the two of you was something that he'd never forget.

"Me too," You admitted smally, looking around your room for a few moments, "So. . . um, what do we do now?"