Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Tina had been anticipating her soulmate tattoo for years. Ever since Linda told her what it was like to get a soulmate tattoo, she couldn't wait to get her own. Sure, she had dated as teen beforehand, but now she would know who it was for sure- the man she was destined to be with.

She was pretty sure it would be a boy. She had never really been attracted to girls before, so she didn't think there was much of a chance of that happening. Then again, anything was possible.

The day before her 18th birthday was no help to her anxiety. She was still in high school, and pretty much everyone in the Senior class was getting their soulmate tattoos this year. It was a big deal for their class. Tammy even went as far as to keep a chart of all the seniors' birthdays, so everyone knew when someone got their soulmate tattoo.

It could be worse though. Tina's birthday was in the middle of the school year, so a lot of her classmates had already gotten their tattoos.

Jocelyn's birthday was in October, so she was one of the first to learn who her soulmate was. Tammy had been badgering her for weeks about it, but when her birthday rolled around Jocelyn refused to say anything. Unfortunately for Jocelyn, everyone was just itching to know who was the soulmate of one of the most popular girls in school. Eventually, Tammy had enough and snuck a peak under her sleeve in the middle of lunch, shouting out "Darryl, seriously Jocelyn?" to the entire school. It was news to everyone, but especially Darryl, who Jocelyn was waiting to tell until it was closer to his own 18th birthday.

Jocelyn and Darryl were taking things slow, but her friendship with Tammy had been on thin ice since then. Nobody blamed her. Soulmates are a private matter. Tammy had no right to reveal it.

Tina didn't want her soulmate reveal to be anything like that. She told herself that she'd give her soulmate a chance, no matter what name popped up. If she wasn't ashamed of it, no one could use it against her. She'd be out and proud.

She even went as far as to write down all the worst case scenarios that could happen with her soulmate. Him being too young was always a possibility; but Tina tried to convince herself that she handle waiting a few extra years. It was also possible that she did not know the person yet. No matter though- if they were destined to be, they'd find each other. Right?

To make herself feel better, she also wrote down all the best case scenarios. They could be tall. They could have a cute accent. They could have a stunning butt. She really hoped they had a stunning butt. Maybe it'd even be Jimmy Jr. His 18th birthday hadn't happened yet, so it was possible. Time had lessened the intensity of Tina's crush on the boy, but the idea of her soulmate also being her first kiss was definitely a sweet idea. Very romantic, to say the least. And it made Tina smile, so that had to be something.

Either way, Tina has mentally planned everything out, no matter what name appeared on her wrist tonight.

Now her time has come; the night before she turns 18. Tina has turned off her phone, took some nighttime medicine, and was falling asleep at an early 9 tonight. Waiting for those three hours to pass would be true agony for Tina. She needed to sleep the night away, and wake up to her soulmate's name in the morning. Her family all respected her wishes.

Tina eventually succumbed to the medicine and fell asleep as planned. When she woke up the next morning, she didn't feel any different. It took her a minute to process what day it was, and what it's supposed to mean to her. Once it hit her that it was her birthday, she wasted no time in looking at her wrist to learn her soulmate's name. It was written in a small text font, like one you'd see on a typewriter.

Ezekiel Anthony Smith

Tina frowned. She was kind of hoping that her soulmate would be someone she knew. It was just one more thing she had to stress about.

Still, it wasn't the worst thing in the world. After all, her parents didn't know each other when they first got their tattoos, and now they're the happiest couple she knows.

Just then, Gene and Louise burst through the door, dying to see Tina's reactions. Any preconceived notion of the importance of privacy on these matters were nonexistent between the siblings. They had no secrets, even about soulmates. No, especially with soulmates.

Either way, the two younger Belchers could read Tina like an open book, so she probably couldn't have kept the secret to herself anyway.

"Tina Tina Tina Tina!" Gene shouted. "What name is it? Do we know them? Are they hot? TELL US, the suspense is killing me!"

Tina was hesitant for a seconds "Uh, I don't think we know him. Oh, it's a guy, by the way- my soulmate, that is."

"Yeah, we got that." Louise said. "Come on Tina, do we get to at least see the name?"

"Uhhhh... Tina groans a little. She then stretches her arm out to show her siblings the name.

Gene and Louise grab her wrist and read it together. "Ezekiel Smith? Why do I feel like I've heard that name before?" Gene asks aloud.

"Yeah, me too." Louise agrees. She thinks for a minute before coming to a realization. "Wait... Tina, you have a copy of last year's yearbook, right?"

Tina nods. "Yeah, it's under by bed. I keep all the yearbooks."

Louise darted under the bed and grabbed the yearbook. She flips to the Junior Class page. One glance near the end of the class pictures confirms her suspicions.

"Oh crap." Louise says. Gene takes a peek at the page she's staring at. It takes him a little longer than his sister to process the picture, but when he does, he lets out an all-knowing "Ohhhhhh...".

"What, what is it?" Tina asks. Her siblings are beginning to make her more anxious.

Louise looks at her older sister. Not knowing how to tell her the news, she decides easing her into the was the best bet. "Tina, you know how nicknames work, right?"

Tina replies. "What? I mean, yeah, it's a shortened form of your name, why?"

Louise looks to Gene for some help. The boy just shrugs and gives a side glance to the yearbook in their hands.

Louise looks back to Tina and says "Well, we know who your soulmate is. You do too, you just don't call him his real name."

"What, we know him? Louise, who is it?!"

Louise and Gene show Tina her class yearbook. Gene points to the picture they'd been looking at. Tina looks at it and gasps.

Gene's finger is on Zeke's picture. Sure enough, the writing under his portrait reads "Ezekiel Smith".

"ZEKE?!" Tina yelled in disbelief. "My soulmate is Zeke? Why? What do we have in common? This makes no sense!"

"Soulmates don't always make sense at first, T." Gene says. "I mean, look at mom and dad. They still don't make sense."

"Seriously though, you and Zeke could be like mom and dad 2.0. That doesn't sound too depressing." Louise chimes in.

"Ughhhh..." Tina groans. "I don't know. This is just a lot to process right now. I thought I planned everything out, but I never saw this one coming."

"Well, maybe then it's a good thing he's your soulmate!" Gene suggests. "He'll throw the best surprise parties for you! And then you can pass some of that generosity over to us!"

Tina chuckles at her siblings support. "Thanks guys, this is kind of helpful... not really, but just a little bit."

Louise smiles. "Anytime T. By the way, did Zeke have his birthday yet?"

Tina thinks about it. "Um, no... I don't think so? I think his birthday's in the summer. And Tammy probably would have said something."

Louise let out a "tsk" at the mention of Tammy's name. "Yeah, miss blabber mouth does have a knack for putting her nose in other people's business. But at least you have some time."

Tina tilted her head in confusion. "Huh?"

"Well," Louise continued, "people may know it's your birthday, but they won't know who your soulmate is since Zeke doesn't know either. So that gives you some time to figure out how and when to tell him."

"Yeah, leave the boy wondering!" Gene adds in.

Tina groans again "I don't know. I doubt I'll be able to keep the secret for very long."

"Yeah, you do suck at that." Gene says. "Plus your class has better detective skills than the FBI."

"But after what happened with Jocelyn, everyone's going to pretend to be decent human beings for a least a little while." Louise suggests. "So why don't you put on your finest turtleneck sweater and keep to yourself today? You're already awkward so no one will be that surprised."

"Okay... Yeah, you know what? I'm gonna be brave!" Tina yells.

"That's the spirit!" Louise yells back.

"Why are we shouting? I want to be included!" Gene yells just as loud.

Tina pulled Louise and Gene into a tight hug. "I love you guys."

Gene pulls his sisters in tighter. "We love you too, T."

Louise, always uncomfortable with affection, is the first to pull out of the group hug. "Okay, okay, love you guys too. Now, save the love for Zeke, will ya?"

Tina laughs nervously. "Heh, yeah, I guess. I'm gonna get ready for school, I'll meet you guys in the kitchen."

Gene and Louise nodded and took their leave. Tina was slow in getting ready, slower than usual. She was mentally preparing herself for what today would bring her. She was gradually building up the confidence she'd need for school, and it seemed to work.

She built herself a mental checklist of who to avoid for the day. Zeke was obvious, and by proxy, Jimmy Jr., who still remained best friends with him after all these years. Tammy was another clear choice. She would definitely know that Tina had her soulmate tattoo, and would probably go to great lengths to see the name. The Jocelyn incident aside, Tammy really didn't change much in terms of her moral compass.

Speaking of Jocelyn, maybe she would be the right person to talk to about this? Maybe get some perspective? If anyone had experience in this area, it'd definitely be her.

Meh, she would decide at school.

By the time she was done getting ready, Tina felt a lot better about her predicament. Her soulmate tattoo may not be the "fairy tale" revelation that she had hoped for, but it wasn't horrible. She just needed some time to figure things out for herself.

All the confidence Tina spent the morning building up was brought to an end when she made her way to the kitchen and saw her family. Linda and Bob were fidgeting, clearly anxious to see what name had appeared on her wrist.

It made Tina think about her parents, and how happy they had been to find each other. Linda always made a show of her soulmate tattoo, and the happiness it brought her. Bob was less flamboyant about the whole ordeal, but anyone could see how much he brightened up when he read his tattoo.

Her parents were so lucky, so unbelievably lucky, to be still be this happy with their soulmate after all these years.

Would that ever be her and Zeke? Tina had no idea. She tried to imagine them like this; married, giddy as ever, and waiting to see the soulmate tattoo of their oldest child. It seemed nice, but was it realistic?

Again, Tina had no idea.

So when she looked at her parents, and saw on their faces how excited they were to hear who their first born's soulmate was, Tina did the most logical thing that came to mind.

She turned around and ran straight out the door of the Belcher house without so much as a "goodbye" to her family.

The four remaining Belchers sat in silence for a moment before Linda spoke up.

"Tina didn't like her soulmate?"

Louise replied with a mouth full of cereal. "She'll be fine, her hormones are just acting up right now."

Bob popped his head up from the paper he was reading. "Well, who's her soulmate?"

"Zeke." Gene said nonchalantly.

"Wait, really?" Bob replies. "Huh... that's not too far fetched. I mean, he's funny, right?"

Before Gene can reply, Louise shouts. "Gene! We can't tell people her soulmate!"

Gene just smiles and shrugs. "It's just Mom and Dad. In their old age, they'll forget who it is in no time!"

Bob grumbles "Gene..." under his breath.

When school time came, Tina avoided Zeke at all costs. She made no eye contact with anyone in her classes, and kept conversations to a minimum. She was quiet for most of the day, but it was painful. Everyone knew that it was her birthday today. Everyone knew that she knew who her soulmate was, but for some reason wasn't saying anything about it.

Tina was fully awards that it'd only be worse at lunch. At least in classes there were only a few people staring at her in silence. At lunch it'd be her entire grade.

To give herself some extra time, Tina went to use the bathroom right before lunch. What she didn't realize was that Jocelyn had come in at the same time as her to fix her makeup. When Tina made her way to the sinks, she was too entranced in her own thoughts to notice that her wrist tattoo was in full view as she was washing her hands.

But she did notice Jocelyn getting a peak at her wrist. Tina snatched her hands from her view, but it was too late. The way Jocelyn's eyes bulged made it clear that her secret was out.

Tina couldn't speak. Any pleas or scoldings that she had prepared for the blonde were caught in the back of her throat.

She didn't need to say anything though, because Jocelyn spoke first.

"I won't tell anyone." She said bluntly.

"Huh?" Tina replied.

"I won't tell anyone about it. You know..." Jocelyn whispers the last part as she glances down at her wrist.

"Oh. Um, thank you. Thank you so much. But Jocelyn, why are you doing this?"

Jocelyn showed off her wrist to Tina. Sure enough, Darryl's name was there in bold, black, all caps font. There was a little spaceship and alien drawn in sharpie around it. Tina smiled, knowing who probably drew them.

Jocelyn pulls her wrist back and speaks again. "You're not the only one that was confused about their soulmate. Darryl was the last person I thought I'd end up with. Like, everyone processes them differently and stuff. If Tammy didn't come up with that stupid list maybe we'd all have more privacy about it."

"Yeah, she's lucky her birthday's in April."

"Please, that's probably the only reason she made it. She knew she wouldn't have to deal with it herself until school was almost over."

And there was the gossip queen that everyone knew and love. Jocelyn had definitely been a lot nicer after Darryl learned he was her soulmate. Word is her grades improved a lot too. But still, underneath it all, Jocelyn would still be a popular girl who got screwed over by Tammy one too many times. Tina decided to just giggle a little and said back "Yeah, you're probably right. Thanks Jocelyn, I really needed this."

"No problem, Tina. But one more thing? Think about telling him sooner rather than later. It's your decision, but I think Z- your soulmate, will appreciate it. He's really a nice guy."

"I'll think about it."

"Please do." Jocelyn says. Before Tina can ask why she's so invested in this, the blonde exits the bathroom.

Tina decided that her birthday was not the best day to tell Zeke about her tattoo. Gene, Louise, and Jocelyn knowing was enough for today; Tina was mentally exhausted.

When she went to collect her books at the end of the day, a small bundle of roses and a card fell out of her locker. Tina went to pick both up. When she looked at the card's writing, her heart skipped a beat.

Tina,
Since today's your birthday, I'm guessing this means that you know I'm your soulmate. No, Jocelyn didn't tell me. I actually told her. I turned 18 last year; apparently everyone forgot that I was held back a year.

I know I may not have been your first choice of a soulmate, but I hope in time you can accept it. I'd like it give it a try though, if you are. Take all the time you need to girl, I'll wait for whenever you're ready to give me an answer.
~Zeke

P.S. When I saw your name on my wrist, it made me the happiest man in the world.

Tina must of reread the note a hundred times from the time she first got it to when she fell asleep at night.

The next morning, she stopped by the flower shop on the way to school and purchased a single rose. She stood by Zeke's locker, his note in one hand and the rose in the other.

When Zeke saw her there that morning, he flashed a big smile as he approached his soulmate.

When Tina saw that smile, she knew.

This was her fairy tale romance.

Chapter Text

Gene knew in his heart that once he knew who his soulmate was, they'd be a true power couple.

Unlike Tina's class, Gene's senior class was relatively quiet on the matter of soulmates. The one exception was Lenny DiStefano, who was keeping his soulmate a secret, despite his birthday having been three months ago. It didn't help Lenny's case that almost every girl in school was hoping it'd be her name on his wrist, and that he was just playing hard to get.

Gene figured Lenny's soulmate was probably someone who was like, 12 right now. He told his class this. At least his friends got a laugh out of it. Lenny, not so much.

Gene's birthday was in May, so it was almost the end of the school year when he found out. He was grateful for this. He got to watch all his friends find out who their soulmates were first, but he'd still be included in the fun.

Courtney had found out her soulmate was Regular-Sized Rudy in December. She told him after winter break. He responded with a poorly timed asthma attack. Gene was pretty sure they're fine now. Maybe. Meh, they'll work it out either way.

Gene was more curious about who his soulmate was than anything. Unlike his sister two years before him, Gene was relatively open-minded about who it could be. He didn't really have any expectations. He didn't even have his mind set on the person's gender. Then again, most of his class didn't. Tina knowing her soulmate would be a guy was relatively rare. Gene's open to pretty much anyone- at least, that's what he's telling people.

The thing is, Gene's scared that he and his soulmate won't get along. He wants then to be a power duo- the Jay-Z and Beyoncé of the Wharf (with him being Beyoncé, of course). He didn't want his soulmate to be some stick in the mud that didn't want to have any fun. Or worse, someone that tried to stop him from having fun.

He wished that he had some sort of idea, some inkling of who his soulmate could be. No one has approached him about getting his name. Comparing his upcoming soulmate experience to his sisters' soulmates was not making things any easier. Despite the initial surprise pairing of Tina and Zeke, they actually made a lot of sense. Now they are just another disgustingly sweet couple who were lucky enough to find their soulmates early in life.

Louise doesn't get her soulmate tattoo for another two years, but Gene already knows who it is. Apparently, her soulmate got their tattoo awhile ago, and is figuring out how to approach the situation. Although he has never personally seen the tattoo, it's been confirmed by Linda. Needless to say, Louise is in for quite a shock.

Naturally, Gene has been pondering about his soulmate a lot more recently. He wonders if his soulmate has been planning the perfect approach, like Louise's. He wonders if they will worship the ground he walks on, like Zeke does with Tina.

He wonders if they even know yet, or if they are still too young to get their tattoo.

He wonders if he knows who they are.

He wonders if they'll be happy to see his name.

And he worries that they'll be disappointed.

By enough of that, at least for today. It's the day before his 18th birthday, which means he has less than 24 hours before he gets his soulmate tattoo. And unlike Tina, Gene has no plans to lay low or keep quiet about his important birthday approaching.

That's much too plain for Gene's tastes.

By Huxley High's standards, Gene's birthday was an extravagant affair. Gene walked into his first class with a crown on his head and a sash that read "Bachelorette" (provided to him by Gretchen). At lunch, he announced to everyone that today was his last day as an "unclaimed man", because this time tomorrow he'd have his soulmate tattoo. He made sure to also let everyone know that they were invited to his family's restaurant to celebrate. His dad agreed to it as long as everyone knew they had to pay for their food.

When the school day ended, Gene walked back home with Courtney to get his makeup and outfit ready while his parents and Zeke set up for the event.

His sisters opted to the less physical activity and helped Gene get ready inside, despite their minimal knowledge on makeup or fashion.

"So Gene, you excited for tonight?" Courtney giggled as she applies his foundation.

Gene smiled internally, since he couldn't move his face while Courtney was doing his makeup. "Duh, of course. It's a party dedicated to me. How could we go wrong?"

Courtney lets out a tiny "tsk" in disappointment. "I'm talking about your soulmate tattoo."

"Oh, yeah... well I guess I'm excited for that too. Whosever name I get is one lucky bastard, that's for sure."

"Damn right they are!" Tina interjects. "Just remember to be open about it. I never would have thought that Zeke would have been my soulmate, but he makes me so happy."

Courtney smiles brightly and adds in, "Oh, or Rudy! He's just the sweetest thing, one time he said-"

"We get it, you're both in love." Louise rolls her eyes at the two other females in the room. She then looks her brother dead in the eye and says "Gene, no matter what happens, you're still Gene. Your soulmate doesn't change that. When midnight comes, you're still gonna be our flamboyant large brother that makes everything fabulous. Okay?"

If it wasn't for the mascara, Gene would've teared up at Louise's little monologue. Instead he pulled her into a big bear hug.

He couldn't help himself. With everyone gushing about how wonderful it was to have such a top-notch soulmate, he couldn't help but feel the pressure for his own tattoo.

It was nice to hear someone not care about it for once. In fact, it's exactly what he needed to hear right now. That the tattoo wouldn't change anything.

"Thank you Louise."

"No problem bro. Now, let Courtney finish so we can start pre-gaming."

After about half an hour of makeup and another half an hour of trying on clothes, the Belcher siblings and Courtney were ready for whatever tonight brought Gene.

Or, so he thought.

According to pretty much every professional "soulmate specialist" out there (Louise still can't believe that this is a real profession), there are certain steps that should be taken if one plans on staying up and waiting for the moment their soulmate tattoo appears. They say the most important thing to do is to keep a level head and remain calm throughout the evening.

Being alone is also recommended, since you have no idea what name will appear when midnight strikes. However, if people must be there, then the only ones present should be a few people that they absolutely trust.

Gene Belcher, however, decides to follow none of this expert advice. He instead opts to get belligerently drunk with his sisters and about thirty of his not-so-closest friends.

That's about how many teenagers came to Bob's Burgers that night to celebrate Gene. Most of them stayed for about two hours to hang out, but eventually left when it was made clear that Bob and Linda would certainly not be allowing 25 underage teenagers get drunk in their restaurant.

Linda did, however, allow Gene a few drinks himself to celebrate her "baby boy's" special night.

By the time 11:30 hit, only their closest friends remained. Almost all the older ones in their group were there with their soulmates. Tina and Zeke were there, as were Darryl and Jocelyn. Courtney and Rudy were there too, with the former talking the latter's ear off. Not that Rudy seemed to mind. Even Jimmy Jr. was with some fellow dancer he met at college. The only single ones there were Tammy, who had yet to meet her soulmate, and everyone besides Rudy who had yet to get their tattoo; which included Louise, Andy, Ollie, Peter, Harley, and Jessica.

Everyone was having a great time getting ready for midnight to hit. Tina herself was dozing off, but was determined to make it to 12:00. Zeke was under strict orders to pinch her if she fell asleep.

But soon they were in the middle of a truth or dare session that led everyone to lose track of time. Gene was clearly drunk by this point, and was in the process of popping a bottle of champagne to celebrate himself.

Everyone forgot to check for midnight. Gene didn't even feel his soulmate tattoo forming.

What he did notice, however, was Louise freaking out when she saw a shimmer of gold on his left wrist. She grabbed his wrist to get a better look, her brother far too gone to understand what she was doing. When Louise finally read the name, she couldn't contain her reaction.

"Holy shit, Gene!" Louise shouted. "Holy FUCKING shit!"

"What?"

"The girls at school are going to hate you."

"Why? Cause now they know the Gene-ster is off the market?"

"Gene, shut up and look at your wrist."

Gene, despite his current state of mind, actually obeyed his sister. He glance down to take a look the new name on his wrist. It was written in a beautiful calligraphy, and was in gold- yes, gold- writing.

Leonard Ryan DiStefano

Gene didn't have to be given the same "nicknames" talk that Tina received two years before. He knew exactly who his soulmate was.

"Holy crap, Lenny DiStefano is my soulmate?!"

Louise rolled her eyes at her brother's reaction. "Gene, listen, I know he's hot and all but-"

"THAT BASTARD!"

Now Louise is confused. "Huh?"

"He knows! Lenny Distefano's birthday was like, months ago! He knew all this time and didn't tell me? What the fuck, I should have had like, soooo many presents delivered to me by now! How does he not know how lucky he is?"

Louise cocks her head to the side to see the restaurant door open. "I think he does Gene, turn around."

Gene does as he's told, only to see Lenny DiStefano at the door, out of breath.

But drunk Gene doesn't see that as a sign that Lenny clearly ran to the restaurant to be there for midnight. All drunk Gene can see is someone that's been lying to him for 3 months.

So Gene stands up from the bar stool and stumbles his way to his soulmate.

"YOU!" He shouts, pointing a finger to Lenny to add dramatic effect.

"Gene!" Lenny says, clearly on edge. "I tried to get here for midnight, I'm... I'm guessing your tattoo says my name?"

"As a matter of fact, it does, Leonard! You lied to me! To everyone! Why?"

Lenny's face has shifted to an upsetting frown. "Gene, are you drunk?"

"You bet your ass I am! And I feel great, because I didn't lie to someone for 3 months!"

Lenny shakes his head. "It's not like that Gene, I promise. Can we talk somewhere private?"

Gene's about to tear up. "Why, so you can keep this a secret some more? Are you embarrassed that Gene Belcher is your soulmate? Fuck you Lenny, I'm a catch!"

Lenny would've chuckled at Gene's rantings if it wasn't clear that he was so mad at him. "I know you are, listen-"

"No, you listen, Lenny!" Gene stumbles when he points to him this time. "I should've been swept off my feet at this point, with like- I don't know, chocolates and flowers and crap like that! But apparently my soulmate doesn't realize-"

"Gene!" Louise grabs her brother from his spot. "It's time for you to go to bed now, you're drunk."

"Am not..." Gene attempts to say in a false reassurance. "I'm busy giving my soulmate a piece of my mind!"

"There's some bedtime French fries waiting for you upstairs." Louise smiles at this, knowing she's won the argument.

And win she did. Gene is already running to his room at the mention of bedtime fries. Now it's just Louise, Lenny, and Gene's remaining friends.

Lenny stumbles to find the right words, especially for Gene's firecracker of a younger sister.

He decides to just say "I hope you don't think I'm embarrassed by Gene."

"I know you're not." Louise says matter-of-factly. "It's my job to be embarrassed by Gene. And he is quite the handful. Just talk to him in the morning when he's sober."

"Okay." Lenny pauses for a second before continuing. "I'm sorry, I-"

Louise interjects before he can say anything else. This whole soulmate pity-party is not her style. "Don't apologize to me, I think the whole soulmate thing is stupid anyway. Honestly, you really didn't do anything wrong, but you probably should have given Gene some kind of hint of what to expect. You know how dramatic he is."

Lenny smiles a little bit. "Yeah, I probably should have. Thanks Louise."

"No problem dude." The youngest Belcher now turns to the rest of the people in the restaurant. "Now would you lazy fucks kindly get out of here so I can clean up? Some of us live here, ya know!"

In five minutes, everyone was gone. Well, almost everyone. Lenny decided to stay and help tidy up. Louise would never admit she was grateful for the help, and instead told him to save the ass-kissing for Gene. She did, however, make sure to give Lenny a thumbs up before he headed out himself.

The next morning, Gene woke up to his alarm clock buzzing. Curse his father for ever buying him that stupid thing. The pounding headache certainly didn't help.

He didn't get out of bed for a good half an hour in order to process that he actually had to go to school today. Slowly but surely, the memories of last night began to come back. The more he remembered, the more upset Gene became.

Now in a more sober state, Gene is fully aware that he overreacted to Lenny last night. Sure, the Belcher teen is known for the dramatics, but he should have at least waited for Lenny to say his piece before reacting.

Still, he can't help but be pretty upset at the fact that Lenny didn't give him some small indication about his soulmate. Sure, he's never been the talkative type; and yes, pretty much everyone wants to know Lenny's business- but what other reason could he have to keep it a secret other than him being unhappy with it?

He wishes his soulmate experience was more like Tina's, she had it way easier than him.

Okay yeah, Zeke waited almost a year for Tina's birthday so she could figure it herself, but that was different. Zeke was head over heels for Tina since middle school, where as Tina had feelings for, well... lots of other people.

Zeke waiting all this time makes sense. Lenny not saying anything doesn't add up. While Tina and Zeke had been friends for a long time, Gene and Lenny had minimal contact. They hung out in big groups, and ran into each other at parties, but that was it. They were more acquaintances than anything.

Gene began to wonder if him and Lenny being together even made sense. Lenny had attention naturally drawn to him. Most of the time it didn't even seem like he wanted it, but rather it was thrust upon him. Gene, on the other hand, craved attention. He thrived on it. He was drawn to glitz and glamor like a moth to a flame.

Maybe that's why Lenny didn't want Gene to be his soulmate. He saw Gene as everything he wasn't. Lenny would probably prefer someone like himself, someone that made sense.

Gene couldn't bare to keep analyzing his soulmate any longer. He decided to lead for school early for the first time in his life, hoping the walk would clear his head. He didn't even bother talking to his family before he left.

He texted Louise to let her know he was walking to school alone, and that she could fill their parents in on his soulmate situation. He figured he would let her have the fun in dishing on all the drama. After all, Louise was going to deal with her soulmate tattoo in two years, and she was not going to be a happy camper.

When he finally arrived to school. Gene walks in with a smile on his face, despite the feeling of devastation he had inside.

But he had to keep the smile going, because by all accounts, he should be happy. Not only does he know his soulmate, but he's the most coveted guy in school.

But Gene managed to mess it all up by drunkenly yelling at Lenny before the poor man even had a chance to say anything. Knowing this, his heart feels like it's been hollowed out.

Now the beautiful writing that shines in a rare gold color mocks him, as if to say "You have the most beautiful soulmate tattoo a person could ask for. It's just too bad your soulmate will never want you."

The self-deprecating thoughts keep running through his head as Courtney cautiously approaches her best friend, who was currently moping at his locker.

She can tell Gene is moping, because he's struggling to get the lock combination right on his locker. Part of her is giddy that Gene's soulmate has the ability to make him this flustered. Gene was always so upbeat and carefree that sometimes he seemed incapable of being flustered. That had to be a good sign, right?

Eventually she can't bare the sight of him struggling any longer and grabs the lock herself. In about two seconds the lock is undone.

"Thanks, Court." Gene mumbles.

Courtney just shrugs. "What are best friends for?"

"Making me feel better about being a garbage person last night."

Courtney snorts out a laugh. "No can do Gene. My advice is to actually go talk to Lenny like a reasonable human being."

"Yeah... no. I figured I'd give him the space he needs, like 100 yards of it."

"That'll be hard, since you have like, three classes together."

Gene lets out an overdramatic sigh. "Ughhh, do I need to graduate?"

"Yes, Gene. Just talk to him, I think he'll be more understanding than you're giving him credit for."

"Not this morning. Maybe at lunch... maybe. If there isn't chicken nuggets today."

"There's chicken nuggets everyday." Courtney says with an eye roll.

"Oh boo, well I guess I'll have to try again tomorrow."

"Gene, if you don't talk to him by the end of the day, I'm going to start overstepping my boundaries like you did with Rudy."

Gene gasps in faux-offense. "Oh god Courtney, that's just cruel."

"I know, but you're being impossible right now. Oh by the way, stay clear of Lenny's usual admirers."

Gene lifts an eyebrow in confusion. "And why would I need to do that?"

Courtney starts to look rather sheepish. "If I tell you, you can't overreact."

Gene looks at Courtney like she has three heads. "You know I can't make that promise, but you'll tell me anyway."

Now Courtney just looks defeated, and decides blurring it all out is the best way to go. "Everyone knows you and Lenny are soulmates."

Without missing a beat, Gene lets out a yell."WHAT?! Courtney you told everyone?! What the hell?!"

"I didn't tell anyone!" Courtney retorts, genuinely hurt by her best friend's accusations.

"Then who did?"

"Apparently Tammy has a lot of friends on Snapchat."

Gene leans his back against his locker "Oh my god, my life is over."

Courtney grips her hands on Gene's shoulders and looks him directly in the eye. "No it's not, Gene. Listen, just calm down, go to class, and think about what you're gonna say to Lenny. Okay?"

Gene just nods. "Okay."

The morning classes were the hardest part of the day. Sure enough, he shared the first two classes with Lenny. He didn't dare even look in the DiStefano boy's direction during the first period, but he did see some girls running up to him once the class ended.

Lenny gave them all the usual nods and charming smiles. Gene swore he heard Lenny say calmly that "everything's fine".

Gene wanted to say "no it isn't" so that Lenny had to finally acknowledge his presence. Instead he ran out the door to his next class.

In second period he decided to finally look at Lenny, but the boy was buried in his planner. It looked like he was looking through his calendar. Probably scheduling more dates, Gene thought.

The Belcher boy didn't even look Lenny's way when the class ended. He just left.

Third and fourth period didn't have Lenny DiStefano's piercing eyes. Rather, they had the cold, unforgiving glares of Lenny's female suitors who had yet to get soulmate tattoos.

Gene's not sure which was worse.

At lunch Louise and Courtney went outside with him to eat once it was made clear that he wasn't ready to talk to Lenny. The rest of the day was pretty much a pattern of Gene either avoiding the glares of girls in his class or preventing himself from looking at his soulmate.

It would've been easier if he didn't have a gold tattoo constantly shining in his face. Or if his mind wasn't playing tricks on him. He could've sworn seeing Lenny staring at him in gym, but he knew that couldn't be right.

At lunch Louise told her brother to wait for her by his locker at the end of the day so they could walk home together.

Gene was fine with that. No one would bother him with his temperamental sister around.

But when the agonizingly long school day finally ended, Gene did not see Louise waiting for him at his locker. Instead he found one Lenny DiStefano.

Gene sighed. He knew he'd have to talk to Lenny at some point. Might as well be now.

When he reached Lenny, he took a deep breath and let out all his feelings at once.

"Look Lenny I'm really sorry about last night and I know I fucked this up but I hope you can forgive me and we can at least be okay with being soulmates and-"

"Gene!" Lenny interrupts.

Now Gene is really scared. "What?"

"I forgive you. I mean, I was never really mad at you in the first place, but yeah. I'm sorry your feelings were hurt by me not telling you anything." Lenny gives the Belcher a soft smile, one that instantly makes Gene's heart melt.

So that's why everyone likes Lenny so much.

"I, um... well, I-" For one of the first times in his life, Gene is at a loss for words.

But Lenny isn't. "96."

"Huh?"

"My birthday was 96 days ago. That's how many days I went without telling you that you were my soulmate. I counted them in History. Tomorrow will be 97, so I will have 97 roses for you tomorrow to make up for lost time. I promise."

Gene sniffled a little bit. "Thats so generic, Lenny. Tina got roses from Zeke after she got her tattoo."

"Well, do you like tulips? I can get you tulips."

"I do like tulips, but you don't have to get me anything. I don't need 97 of any flower."

"But you said-"

"What I really want is to just know why you didn't say anything before my birthday. I thought... I thought you were ashamed of me."

"Gene, I wasn't ashamed of you. Never, I swear it."

"Then why wait so long?"

"Honestly... I was nervous, really nervous. I know that's so cliché, but I was seriously terrified to tell you. I kind of assumed my soulmate would be one of the girls at school that threw herself at me all the time. That would've been so easy. But instead, I get your name. You're always so loud and confident. If I got rejected, everyone would know."

Gene scoffs. "You worry about your image too much."

Lenny replies with a lighthearted "tsk. "This is coming from the guy who freaked out when Rudy stepped on his shoes."

"Did you see those shoes? They were perfection! Rudy almost scuffed up perfection."

Lenny laughed at that- a real, genuine laugh. Gene couldn't think of the last time he saw Lenny laugh like that. All he knew was that he wanted to see that laugh again.

"Well, now that the secret's out, would you mind if I take perfection out for a date?" Lenny asks, the smile never leaving his face.

"Somewhere with complimentary breadsticks is preferred- no, scratch that- required."

Gene got to see Lenny's laugh again at that remark. His heart felt full in that moment. It was then he decided that he'd spend every date from here on out getting Lenny DiStefano to be this happy.

"Of course, nothing but the best for my soulmate."

Gene smiled. This, he could get used to.

What he didn't know was that Lenny was thinking the same thing too.

The next morning, Gene meets Lenny DiStefano outside the school entrance. Lenny has a wagon in tow, filled to the brim with flowers. Tulips, to be exact.

There are 97 of them in total. Gene counted them all.

Chapter Text

Louise was so grateful that her birthday was in July.

After seeing all the crap that her class went through their Senior year, she was glad she'd learn who her soulmate was after she graduated. None of her idiot classmates could interfere or whine to her about it. She could deal with whatever name showed up on her wrist in total solitude.

Louise could honestly care less about who her soulmate was. If anything, the presence of a soulmate would just mess with her head. Imagine if she actually knew the person? They might expect her to change her future plans around them. Wouldn't they be disappointed.

She had a plan, a very solid plan, for what she would do after graduation. She was going to a community college for two years, and then get a degree in business at a four-year college nearby. Then she'd work at her family's restaurant with her newly acquired business skills until her parents decided to retire. Then the beloved Bob's Burgers was all hers.

It was a rather boring plan, but nonetheless it was hers, and that alone made it perfect. Nowhere in said plan was a soulmate involved. And she refused to change it around for anyone; unlike her siblings, whose whole futures were dependent on their soulmates.

Tina and Zeke looked at colleges together; ones that had culinary arts for Zeke and Creative Writing for Tina. They settled on one about two hours away from the Wharf, where they spent the next four years together drowning in debt and their annoying love for each other. Zeke proposed to the eldest Belcher daughter at their graduation ceremony as he received his diploma. It was disgustingly sweet, and oh, so perfect for Tina.

Gene and Lenny were even worse. Louise doubts the pair has left each other's sides since Lenny grew a pair and asked Gene out. Once they graduated, Gene and Lenny cashed in on the DiStefano family fortune and traveled for a good year and a half. Now they're more local, with Gene working music venues at Wonder Wharf and Lenny doing some family business bullshit that Louise never cared to ask about.

While she was happy that her siblings were happy, Louise never understood how a soulmate could possibly benefit her like it did for Gene and Tina. She's always known who she was and what she wanted.

And she doesn't want a soulmate. They'd just slow her down.

Louise kept this attitude about soulmates all her life, but especially during in the months before her 18th birthday. High school came and went, and the youngest Belcher was enrolled in Wagstaff Community College.

Currently she was sitting at the counter at Bob's Burgers, going through her course catalogue. She wanted to pick her classes soon before they filled up, because there was no way in Hell she was taking a morning class. Fuck that. Her willingly signing up for more school was already a miracle in itself.

Louise was finishing up her class list choices when a voice interrupted her concentration. "Whatcha looking at, Four Ears?"

Louise rolled her eyes. Of course her parents scheduled him tonight.

"Goddamnit Logan, I'm busy."

Logan chuckled as he tied his apron around his waist. "Too busy to pal around with your favorite coworker?"

Louise rolled her eyes. She wanted to laugh, but refused to do so within ten feet of Logan Barry Bush and all his idiocy."You're my only non-relative coworker. And while we're on the subject, go get a grown-up job."

Logan scoffed in faux-offense. "Hey, I'm working on it! This is just to pay the bills."

Yes, Logan and Louise were once again coworkers, and had been for about a year. And no, no one had been killed yet, though Louise had made some idle threats in the beginning.

Looking back on it, Logan's new place in Louise's life was all her mother's fault. Linda Belcher decided somewhere around three years ago to miraculously bury the hatchet with Logan's mother Cynthia. Apparently they get along just peachy now, especially when wine and common enemies are involved. So when Logan graduated from college and was in need of a job, Linda was the first to offer a serving gig at the family restaurant.

If Louise was honest with herself, they had needed the help, what with Tina in college full-time and Gene still gallivanting around the world with Lenny.

Working with Logan again wasn't easy at first. Hell, there were still times where the two wanted nothing more than to tear the other's head off. Still, somewhere along the way the two former enemies were able to bond over their similar senses of humor and tendency to piss others off.

When Logan got an internship with the Fishoeder brothers, Louise thought they'd go back to being the strangers that they had been for the four years Logan was away in college. Dare she say she was even a little sad at the thought. But seeing as it was only a small internship, Logan still worked at Bob's part time to help him get by.

Louise will take it to her grave that she was relieved she'd still have her co-worker in crime. She isn't sure if she'd call what they had a friendship, but it was definitely something.

"You closing tonight?" Logan asked, pulling Louise out of her thoughts.

"Huh? Oh, yeah, you too?"

Logan smirked. "Yeah. Better clock in before I tell the boss."

"Shut up you narc."

The night shift was pretty uneventful. In hindsight, Louise doubted they needed both her and Logan working, but her parents insisted.

Conversations were light and customers came and went quickly. It wasn't until the two were closing up that things took a turn.

"Say," Logan asked Louise out of the blue, "your birthday is coming up, right?"

Louise groaned at the question, but answered nonetheless. "Yup. Two weeks."

Logan's next question came out more quietly. "It's the big one, isn't it?"

"If you mean am I turning 18, then yes Logan, it is the 'big one'."

"Any plans for the grand reveal?"

Louise looked at him in confusion. "What is this, 20 Questions? No, I plan on staying the fuck away from everyone. Then in the morning, I'll continue living my life as I did when I was 17, because I'm a sane human being."

Logan chuckled. That plan sounded like Louise in a nutshell. "Kind of a dreary plan, wouldn't you say? Also, I wouldn't categorize you as a 'sane human being'."

"Shut up, I'm the sanest person you know. I won't be planning my whole life, much less my birthday, around a tattoo."

"Aw, come on Four Ears. You never know what'll happen. Your wildest fantasies could come true."

Louise has no idea why Logan, of all people, is so damn optimistic about soulmates, seeing as whatever situation he was involved in didn't work out. She knows something had to have happened, since he wasn't making a show of his soulmate's name; unlike most people who haven't met their soulmates yet. He always keeps his wrist covered by this thick, black leather bracelet. When Louise asked about it, he just grumbled out "it's complicated". She hasn't brought it up since.

Nonetheless, she wasn't backing up from her stance, much less to the hopeless Logan Barry Bush. "I don't have any "wildest fantasies" to come true, so there's no need to get hyped up for something that doesn't exist."

Logan's looking at her like he thinks she's full of shit. "You never had a soulmate fantasy? Not in your entire life?"

Louise shakes her head. "Nope."

"You never wanted your soulmate to do some grand romantic gesture? Reveal them self to you by dropping down from a helicopter or a flash mob or something?"

"I don't even want a soulmate. Why would I want a grand romantic gesture with it?"

There's a moment of silence. Louise thinks the conversation is over until Logan asks, "Well, what about a small romantic gesture? What about flowers or chocolate?"

"No Logan, that's dumb. Besides, they'd be a copy cat. Gene and Tina both got flowers from their soulmates."

Logan chuckles. "Wait, really?"

"Yeah, Tina got roses from Zeke like, the day of her birthday. Then Lenny was going to get Gene roses when he was mad at him. But Gene was like, "No, Tina got roses," so Lenny got Gene like, almost 100 tulips. The rich bastard."

Logan's chuckles turned into full on laughter. He couldn't help it, Louise was just too cute when she rambled. He decides not to tell Louise this.

By this time the restaurant was all closed up. Logan and Louise said their goodbyes and went their separate ways for the night.

Louise didn't see him again for almost a week, when they were scheduled to work together again. Bob and Linda were finishing up the morning side work when Logan came in. Louise was at the bar eating.

One look at the blond and Louise was worried. Logan's usual cocky demeanor was replaced with a sad, slightly nervous expression. He didn't even say hi to her when he entered. He went straight to the kitchen to talk to Bob and Linda.

They were back there for ten minutes before they emerged again. Her parents didn't say anything about their conversation and Louise didn't ask.

When Bob and Linda finally left for the night, there was an awkward air between Louise and Logan; and Louise didn't like it, not one bit.

"What's wrong with you?" Louise asked him bluntly.

Logan looked at Louise for awhile before answering. The silence was worrying her a bit. Finally he opened his mouth.

"I'm not going to be working here anymore."

Okay, that was not what she expected. "What?"

Logan sighed. "I said I-"

"I know what you said, I'm asking why are you saying it?" Louise interjected.

"Wonder Wharf's accountant is retiring. Fishoeder thinks I'd be a good fit."

"Oh."

"Yeah... it pays really well. It's the grown-up job that I needed to get."

Louise doesn't even acknowledge his attempt at a joke. "When's your last day?"

There's another moment of silence before Logan finally answers. "The day before your birthday."

Louise doesn't know why, but this new information made her inexplicably angry. "Of course it fucking is."

She almost regrets the comment when she sees how upset Logan looks. Almost. But he's still the one leaving, so she doesn't feel too guilty.

Logan leans over the counter to look her directly in the eye.

"Four Ears..." he whispers to her.

The affection that he said her nickname with just made her even angrier. "Shut up, stop calling me that. I don't even wear the hat anymore. Haven't in years, so there's no reason to call me that."

"Come on Louise, I've always called you Four Ears." Logan says earnestly.

Louise turns away from Logan to throw away the remains of her meal. "Not when you left for college and were gone for four years. And now you're going to leave again."

Louise knows she's being unreasonable. There was no reason for her to be mad at Logan for going to college. She had still hated Logan at that time. She treated his absence like a godsend, and was the worst critic of Linda's decision to reintroduce him into her life through her friendship with Cynthia.

But that was years ago, before everything started to change. Everyone she had cared for had changed after they had gotten their soulmate tattoos. Her brother and sister had found their better halves immediately. And now their infamous trio of Tina, Gene, and Louise had turned into Tina, Gene, Zeke, Lenny, and fifth-wheeler Louise to round it all out.

But it didn't stop with her siblings. Even her friends, who had once been just as dedicated to carefree teenage antics as she was, had redirected their future plans after they got their tattoos. Andy and Ollie's soulmates were another set of twins because of course they were. They met at some Twin Convention (Louise still can't believe that's a thing), and they had all been inseparable ever since. Rudy had never been quite the same after Courtney got her tattoo, even though the blonde girl had been shockingly reasonable about not expecting too much of him right away. Her worst luck of all came when Harley and Jessica, quite possibly the only two female friends she had in her grade, turned out to be each other's soulmates. The three still hung out, but now there was a connection between the two that Louise herself could never compete with.

Louise hated soulmate tattoos because they changed people, especially if they already knew their soulmate. No one ever thought to let things just stay the same for awhile, or to just continue on with their lives. After all, a good soulmate would make it work, right?

No, apparently Louise was the only one on town that thought that way. And now Logan, the one person she knew that wasn't constantly making a fuss about their soulmate, was leaving her routine. It definitely hurt. Yet another change she was going to have get used to.

As the thoughts came rushing in, Louise didn't even realize that she was tearing up. But Logan did, and now he was running to the other side of the counter to pull her into a hug.

"I'm just leaving the job, Four Ea- Louise, sorry. I'm not leaving you. I'll just be down at Wonder Wharf. Gene works there, right? And I'll still need a good burger every now and then."

As he waits for Louise's response, Logan realizes that she hasn't pulled away from the hug yet, which is very surprising. He kind of wanted to play with her hair, but decided to not push his luck.

Finally, Louise speaks. "You can still call me Four Ears."

Logan looks down at the tiny Belcher. "What's that?"

"I said, you can still call me Four Ears."

It's not lost on Logan that Louise didn't comment on any of his reassurances. "Oh. Okay."

Louise takes a deep breath and pulls herself out of the hug. "I'm sorry, I dont know what came over me. Let's get ready for the dinner rush please."

With that, the two get to work. After about an hour, Louise was back to her snarky self like nothing had happened. But Logan can still sense that something is different, that their short moment has changed both of them, hopefully for the better.

He doesn't say anything about it. He knows how much Louise hates change.

The next few days have a bittersweet vibe to them. Logan works almost every shift she does, claiming he wants to have some extra cash before his first paycheck at the Wharf goes through.

Logan's been on his best behavior, much to Louise's dismay. It only makes their last week as coworkers all the more difficult for her.

And on top of everything, its almost her birthday. As much as she's trying to avoid the inevitable, she knows that soon enough she'll have her soulmate tattoo. Whether she likes the idea or not, she's going to be connected to someone else for the rest of her life.

Logan isn't the only one being careful around Louise. Her whole family is treading carefully during her last week of being 17. Bob and Linda only mentioned her birthday once, and that was to ask what kind of cake she wanted. Louise, the cultured woman that she is, went for the obvious choice of ice cream cake. Tina texted Louise a few days on advance saying that she and Zeke would be there to celebrate the day of her birthday. Gene told her that he and Lenny would be at the Wonder Wharf the night before if she wanted to meet up.

No one was teasing her about upcoming soulmate tattoo; they wouldn't dare to. In fact, the topic of soulmates wasn't even discussed. Anyone that didn't know the Belcher's would have assumed that this was just a normal birthday for Louise, and not, as Logan so eloquently put it, "the big one".

But as much as Louise was praying to freeze time, to go back and relive her high school years before turning 18, time was not on her side. Before she knew it, the night before her birthday arrived.

Bob and Linda were working the closing shift tonight, despite that usually being Louise's job. They all decided it'd be best for Louise to be free to do as she pleases that night, since she was already having a tough time dealing with the inevitable. She did, however, ask to take the lunch shift in order to make the day go by faster.

Logan was also scheduled to work with her. Louise knew it would be the last time the pair worked together, though she'd never let on just how sad that made her. She had to keep reminding herself that she would overcome the change, just like she overcame all the other ones.

"Yo, Four Ears! Any plans tonight?" Logan asked, breaking Louise out of her trance.

"One, never say "Yo" again in your life." Louise replies, "And two, I told you already. I'm staying away from everybody."

Logan groaned. "That's so boring! What are you gonna do, stay in your room all night?"

"No. I might go meet up with Gene and Lenny at Wonder Wharf."

"And how, exactly, is that 'staying away from everyone'?"

Louise rolled her eyes and replied, "Fuck off, it's the eve of my birthday. I can do whatever I want."

Logan chuckled at this. "Of course... hey, do you... um, want any company to Wonder Wharf?"

Louise shakes her head in defiance. "No."

"Come on, Four Ears. You can't just be walking around late at night by yourself, it's dangerous."

"Aw, Logan Barry Bush is worried for my safety?"

"Psh, no... but it is my last shift here, and your birthday's tomorrow. Why not celebrate both?"

Louise thought about this for a moment. The idea of her being alone on the night before her birthday was no longer as appealing as it once seemed. Being by herself meant she would have nothing to do but think about her upcoming tattoo. Being around Gene and Lenny, two soulmates, probably wouldn't help much either. Logan didn't have a soulmate to nag about, and he would certainly make the time go faster. He was useful for things like that.

While Louise was pondering whether to change her plans or not, Logan began to worry. Perhaps he shouldn't have said anything about it being his last day, or that her birthday was tomorrow. Louise hated change in her routine, and both those things were going to be pretty big changes.

"Okay, fine." Louise finally says, pulling Logan out of his thoughts.

"Huh?" He asks her.

"Let's hang out. But if I get sick of Gene and Lenny's love fest you better help me leave quickly. Got it?"

Logan smirks and nods his head in agreement. "Of course."

The rest of the lunch shift came and went rather quickly, as the lunch rush wasn't anything crazy. Bob and Linda came in around 5:00 and allowed the pair to leave shortly after. Logan and Louise both agreed to meet at Wonder Wharf around 9:00, as both wanted to relax and get the 'work smell' off of them.

Logan made it to the Wonder Wharf at 8:50 after overestimating how long it would take him to get there. When 9:05 came around and Louise still wasn't there, he was seriously considering the idea that he was going to be stood up. His worries were diminished when Louise finally showed, 10 minutes later.

"You're late." Logan says playfully.

Louise brushes him off. "Psh, no I'm not."

"Yes you are, it's 9:15."

"It's my birthday eve. I'm not late, you were just early."

Logan snickered at her retort. He didn't bother to let her know how early he actually was. Instead he just said "Sure, Four Ears," in an almost loving tone.

Louise decides to ignore the manner in which Logan spoke to her, as she really wasn't in the mood to overanalyze things; not tonight of all nights.

After a moment of complete silence, she takes a deep breath before speaking again. "Gene and Lenny said they'd be by the bumper cars. Let's go find them."

Rather than wait for a reply, Louise just grabs Logan's hand and runs in the direction of the bumper cars. Logan is happy that they run there, because now he has an excuse for the blush that's forming on his face.

Sure enough, Gene and Lenny are waiting at the bumper cars as promised. Louise is happy they aren't in "full couple-mode" yet, a.k.a. holding hands and kissing each other at random times. If there's anything those two know how to do, it's how to make the single people feel awkward with all their affection.

After about two hours had passed, Louise was surprised at how smoothly the night had been going so far. She hung out with Gene and Lenny before on multiple occasions, but never with Logan also. The dynamic felt natural, almost like Logan was meant to be apart of it.

No, Louise shook that thought out of her head immediately. Louise did not believe in stuff like that. Logan was useful for making Louise not feel like the third wheel, but in a few hours that would change. Louise would learn who her soulmate was, and a whole new dynamic would be thrown into her life. Logan wasn't going to be working at the restaurant anymore, so they'd be seeing less of each other.

Maybe seeing him less frequently would make all these stupid feelings go away.

For now, Louise reminded herself that Logan already had a soulmate, and seemed about as pessimistic about the situation as Louise was. While she secretly hoped they would still see each other regularly, she knew to remain realistic about it. No one went out of their way that much for her, besides her family. That was just how it was.

As the group was walking around, Gene asks "So Logan, this will all be yours soon, huh?" He twirls as he extends his arms out, referring to the Wharf.

Louise slaps her hand against her forehead in annoyance. Yep, this seems like the right time for Gene to start being embarrassing.

Logan just laughs. "Nah, just the Accounting Department."

Gene raises his eyebrow in interest. "Accounting, eh? Well then, make sure you slide some funds my way to the Entertainment Department. After all, I am the brother of your-"

"GENE!" Logan interrupts, a little too loudly to be called an accident. "Um, wanna grab a corndog with me? Now?"

Gene looks to Logan, and then to Louise, and then back to Logan. "Sure, bro. I'm assuming you're buying?"

Louise rolls her eyes. "Gene, your boyfriend's rich as fuck. How can you possibly still be a freeloader on other people?"

Logan raises his hand to interrupt before Gene can respond. "No, it's okay Louise, I got it."

Gene and Logan go to the corndog stand before Louise or Lenny can object. The latter two just look at each other in confusion, though Louise suspects that Lenny knows more than he's letting on.

"What's your boyfriend up to?" She asks the DiStefano man.

Lenny shakes his head in disbelief, though he has a smile on his face the whole time. "Not a clue. What's your boyfriend up to with my boyfriend?"

Louise immediately retorts back, "Logan is not my boyfriend."

Lenny chuckles. "Sure."

Contrary to what was expected, Gene and Logan's conversation was much more serious.

"You haven't told her yet, have you?" Gene asks the blond.

"Um... no." Logan says. He looks disappointed with himself when he says it.

"Okay... you know you're kind of running out of time, right?"

"Obviously I know that. Your sister is not the easiest person to talk to about these things."

Gene lets out a sigh of defeat as he grabs his corndog. "You're hopeless, both of you."

Logan looks to the ground when he speaks next. "Yeah, I know."

With his corndog in hand, Gene goes running back to Lenny and Louise, with Logan trailing behind. He hopes that he doesn't look too smug to his sister, she can sniff that out from a mile away.

Gene didn't want to intervene, he really didn't. Okay, maybe part of him did, but most of him wanted to let Louise figure things out herself. But, seeing as how things were looking at the moment, it was clear something had to be done.

"FERRIS WHEEL!" He shouts to the group, tucking his hand into Lenny's as he says it.

"Ugh, why?" Louise groans. Logan would have agreed with her, but decided it was best to not go against anything Gene said right now

Gene gives his sister a light pat on the back. "Aw, come on sis! I saw Mickey working over there earlier, lets go say hi!"

Louise rolls her eyes at this, but agrees nonetheless.

The group walks over to the large Ferris wheel. None other than Mickey is operating it, just as Gene said.

"Heyyyy, Belcher babies! And... friends and/or partners of the Belcher babies!" Mickey exclaimed to the group.

Louise and Gene smile and give the ex-con a light hug.

"Hey Mickey, two carts for the Ferris wheel please." Louise says. Mickey nods, and opens the gate for Louise and Logan to slide into the first cart. Once they're settled in, he moves the large wheel for the second cart for Gene and Lenny. To everyone's surprise, Gene shakes his head no.

"Nope, sorry, I just ate." Gene says bluntly.

"What the Hell, Gene?" Louise yells behind her. "This was literally your idea. And you ate one corndog. And it's a fucking Ferris wheel."

Gene shrugs. "Sorry sis, better safe than sorry. And Lenny has to supervise to make sure I don't do anything reckless." Lenny nods at Gene's remarks.

Louise groans at this, but is too annoyed to push further. "Fine, whatever, let's get this over with."

Mickey nods and starts the Ferris wheel. When Louise and Logan are out of ear shot, Lenny hands Mickey a $50 bill.

"Huh? What's this for?" Mickey asks the pair.

Gene looks Mickey dead in the eyes. "Mickey, if you believe in true love, you'll shut down the Ferris wheel until midnight."

Mickey looks at his watch to check the time. It reads 11:30. "But uh, your sister is on there."

Gene nods. "We know, that's the point! Come on, Mickey... $50 for like, 30 minutes. Louise and Logan are the only ones on there."

Mickey slyly takes the $50 bill and tucks it in his jean pocket. "Alright... for true love I guess."

Louise and Logan haven't said anything since they've been on the Ferris wheel. Louise is kind of nervous, because she knows Gene is up to something. She just doesn't know what yet, and that's scarier than anything.

Suddenly there's a loud jerk, bringing the whole Ferris wheel to a stop. Louise lets out a little gasp at the sudden movement, and holds onto Logan's arm.

Logan speaks for the first time since the ride starts. "Four Ears, you okay?"

Louise shakes her head yes. "I'll be better when I know what the fuck just happened."

Mickey's voice comes on the intercom. "Hey, Baby Belcher, and... friend of Baby Belcher. There are some, uh... technical difficulties that we will resolve ASAP. But until then... just keep doing what you're doing, I guess."

Logan groans at this. Louise tries to get a good look at the other carts on the Ferris wheel. From what she can see, they're the only two on the ride. Suddenly things start to piece together.

"GENE!" Louise shouts. Logan thinks he's lost his hearing for a moment.

"Heyyyy sis." Gene waves to them from below. There's a faux innocent tone to this words. Lenny's right next to them, clearly amused.

"Cut the shit Gene, I know this is your fault!" Louise shouts to her brother. Now things start making sense to Logan. He leans over to cover his face with his hands, as if that will somehow make him invisible to the Belcher siblings.

Gene yells again from the ground. "Maybe it is, maybe it isn't. But since you are stuck up there, maybe you and Logan can uh, I don't know... get your shit together?!"

Okay, now Louise is starting to get confused again. "Gene, what are you talking about?"

Gene screams back, "Ask Logan! But also, it's your fault too! Neither of you are good at hiding your feelings! Either way, we're not letting you down here until you've talked things through!"

"I thought this was just until midnight?' Mickey whispers to Lenny.

Lenny whispers back calmly, "Eh, we'll see. I kinda wanna see where this goes."

Mickey nods enthusiastically. "Oh, me too. This is better than cable."

Back on the Ferris wheel, Louise turns to Logan, who has been uncharacteristically silent this whole ordeal. Louise had first believed that Gene had just wanted to prank her. Now she knew there's something deeper going on.

She nudges her Ferris wheel partner. "Logan... what's going on?"

Logan takes his head out of his hands, but remains quiet. Louise is about to ask again, until he mumbles quietly, "I need to tell you something."

Louise nods, despite her annoyance at Logan stating the obvious. "Spill, Bush."

Another extended period of quiet occurs, only Louise doesn't rush him to say anything. Finally he says the words he didn't think he could piece together.

"I know who your soulmate is going to be. And I've spent the past year trying to make you not hate the idea. But I think you will, and for that I'm sorry."

Louise is internally freaking out at this point, too much so for her to make sense of what he's saying. "What? Logan, what the fuck are you talking about?"

Logan turns to face Louise. He grabs both of her hands and stares directly in her eyes. He looks absolutely devastated. Louise thinks she can even see tears forming.

"Four Ears." Logan says, barely holding it together. "I am so sorry."

Louise, uncomfortable with the direct eye contact, looks down at their clasped hands. She thinks she knows what he's implying, but it's all confirmed when she sees his hand. For the first time since Logan came back to the Wharf, he's not wearing the leather strap around his wrist. She pulls down his sleeve, and reads the name. Unlike the normal black tattoos, this one is in a dark pink.

Louise Ann Belcher

She feels like she's been hit by a train. There was no way, no fucking way that she was Logan's soulmate. There had to be another explanation for this. She looked at the clock that overlooked the Wharf. It read 11:42. There was still some time for her to process this before she got her own tattoo. She could figure this out.

Louise says the first thing that comes to her mind- which in hindsight, probably wasn't the best choice. "Well, we won't know for sure that it's me for about another 20 minutes."

Logan calmly whispers over her rambles. "Louise-"

"I mean, let's be honest, there's probably a ton of "Louise Ann Belcher's" in the world, none of those names are uncommon-"

"Louise-"

"I mean, how funny would that be? You spent your entire college career thinking it was me, and then turns out there's another Louise Ann Belcher that's perfect for you. That's like, pure romantic-comedy gold right there. Gene and Tina would eat that shit up."

Logan shouts it this time. "LOUISE!"

The youngest Belcher child stops her babbling to look at Logan, really look at him. Any attempts she had to lighten the mood were futile. He looked dead serious right now. Louise couldn't shake the bubbling feeing in the pit of her stomach.

The clock now read 11:45.

Louise takes a deep breath before speaking again. "Okay, so let's say, hypothetically speaking, that we are in fact soulmates."

"We are soulmates." Logan bluntly retorts.

"So, hypothetically, you're telling me that you had my name on your wrist for five fucking years and never said anything to me? Who the fuck does that?!"

Logan looks away for a moment before turning back to Louise. He knew he would have to have this conversation with her at some point. Still, that doesn't make it any more difficult to form the right words to explain himself. All he could do was tell the truth and hope Louise would understand.

"Louise, you were 13 on my 18th birthday. When I saw your name on my wrist, I went through a lot of emotions. I was angry and annoyed, and in disbelief. All my friends were pairing up with their soulmates and I had to wait five years for mine to even get their tattoo. To top it all off, we still weren't on the best of terms. Honestly Louise, how would 13 year old you have reacted if they knew I had their name on my wrist?"

Louise says nothing, so Logan continues on. "Exactly. I decided that because of the age difference, I could use my four years of college to figure things out for myself and get my shit together. Then when I came back to the Wharf, I'd still have time to... ease us both into the idea of being each other's soulmates."

Louise isn't sure if this information makes her feel better or worse. It seems like Logan really thought this plan out, but part of her was still upset that she didn't have a say in the matter. "So you went and had the time of you life only to come back and sweep me off my feet and... what, play housewife? What kind of crap is that?"

Logan is trying his best to be patient with her, because he remembers what it was like when he first got his tattoo. Still, it doesn't make this conversation any less difficult for him. "Louise, would you please just listen? I never said any of that. I didn't think it'd be fair for you to plan out your teen years around your soulmate."

That part certainly got Louise's attention. As mad as she wanted to be at Logan for keeping this secret from her, she has said repeatedly that she didn't want her life to be planned around her soulmate. Logan seemed to understand that, even before she told him herself.

She doesn't tell him any of that. At least not yet. Instead, she just says. "That's... surprisingly unselfish."

She glanced at the clock again. 11:51.

"...Not entirely." Logan mutters out.

Louise looks questionably at Logan. "Huh?"

"I tried... getting over the shock of my tattoo by hooking up with people that hadn't met their soulmates yet."

Louise rolled eyes. "I'm shocked."

"You mad?" Logan says, genuinely worried that he messed up what little progress he made.

Louise thought about it for a second. "Na... I would've probably done the same thing. Plus, it's not like I'm a virgin or anything either."

"Well, I stopped doing it my junior year in college."

"Why?" Louise asks, curious about the possible answer.

"I stopped being in denial about you being my soulmate." Logan says it as if that was the answer to all her questions.

Louise rolls her eye for what was probably the hundredth time tonight. "Hey Yoda, can you stop being cryptic as fuck and actually tell me the reason?"

Logan smiles at this. "I guess I'm crazy enough that I missed you when I was away. I started gaining a better understanding of what kind of person I wanted to be with, and that's when it all started click. I can't say I was attracted to you when you were that young, cause gross, but I knew I wanted to be with someone like you. When I realized that, the soulmate tattoo made more sense."

Louise smirks at this, despite her best attempts not to. "You think we make sense as soulmates?"

Logan nods. "I really do."

Louise looks at the clock again. 11:58. She tucks her hand into his and whispers, "Well, I guess we'll find out shortly."

When the clock finally strikes midnight, Louise felt a burning sensation in her left wrist. She had no idea it would feel like this. Then again, she had nothing to compare it to. Tina went to bed early enough that she was asleep when her soulmate tattoo formed. Gene was so drunk when he got his, he didn't even notice it until Louise herself pointed it out.

Logan held her hand when he saw her wince in pain. Not once did he look down. Even though he knew what her wrist would read, he was still nervous to finally see it.

When the burning subsided, Louise took her time to read the name. Logan didn't push her to hurry it up. After she saw the name, there'd be no more questions, no more denial... just the truth. Finally, she looked down and read it.

Logan Barry Bush

Like Logan's tattoo, hers was also a dark pink color. The writing was jagged and rough. Louise thought she'd hate it more, but she couldn't find it in her to. All she felt right now was a sense of relief, a feeling she never imagined she'd associate with a soulmate.

She let a small, very small, smile leave her face. Just above a whisper, she says "Damn, I almost forgot how badly your parents fucked up on your name."

Logan looked down at her new tattoo. He rubbed the pad of this thumb over his name. "Yep, and you're the one that has to live with it for the rest of your life. How lucky are you?"

Louise rolled her eyes. "Oh, the luckiest."

Logan breaks his contact from Louise's wrist to look into her eyes. "Hey, Four Ears?"

Louise replies just as quietly. "Yeah?"

"Can I kiss you?"

Rather than say anything, Louise just shakes her head 'yes'. Logan leans forward slowly to give his soulmate a long-awaited kiss.

The kiss was everything that Louise and Logan weren't. It was soft, gentle, and carefully thought out. Somewhere along the line, Louise and Logan became all those things to each other. Everything she thought a soulmate would take from her life- freedom, a voice, a sense of who she was- Logan had given her. Louise doesn't know how she got to this point, but it feels so right.

Louise and Logan didn't pull away from the kiss themselves. Rather, it was the jolt of the Ferris wheel that brought them back to reality.

As they made their way down the ride, Louise temporarily forgot about how she was going to kill Gene when Logan tucked his hand into hers.

"I could definitely get used to this." He whispered in her ear.

Louise gripped onto his hand tighter and replied, "You know Logan, this wasn't the worst idea you've ever come up with."

Louise can't help but roll her eyes at the sight before her.

Not even a week after getting her soulmate tattoo, and Logan Barry Bush has already converted into a romantic sap that shows up to her work with flowers.

Granted, they're nothing like the flowers that Tina and Gene got before her. They're not wrapped in pretty paper and the roots haven't been trimmed. Considering the fact that there's still dirt on some of them, Louise highly doubts that Logan actually bought them.

"Logan, what the fuck is this?"

"I thought I'd be a good soulmate and surprise you with flowers."

Louise gives him a playful glare. "I said I didn't want flowers."

"I know, but hear me out. Linda told me I had to continue the tradition."

Louise raises an eyebrow at this. "What tradition?"

"The tradition where the Belcher kids' get flowers from their soulmates after their 18th birthday. Zeke gave Tina roses, Lenny gave Gene tulips, and I got you daisies."

To be clear, there were a grand total of four daisies in the bundle that Logan was holding. The rest were dandelions. In other words, Louise's soulmate got her a bouquet of weeds.

She figured she'd tell him as much. "Bush, I see a total of four actual daisies in the batch of weeds you're holding. You suck at romance." She laughed lightheartedly at his attempt.

Logan smiled at this. "Hey, don't diss the bouquet. Besides, the four daisies are fitting, because they're for my Four Ears."

Louise chuckles. "There is no way you thought it out that much."

Logan's smile grew wider. "I so did. And you wanna know the best part about your present?"

"What?"

"I stole them from Mr. Frond's yard."

With that, Louise reaches across the counter to give Logan a big kiss on the lips. "God, I love you so much."

Louise's eyes went wide at her revelation. She hadn't even thought about saying the "L" word to Logan anytime in the near future. It just slipped out without warning.

When she saw Logan's eyes also grow wide, she tries to recover. "Fuck, Logan, I'm sorry, I didn't-"

Logan interrupts her rambling by giving her an intense kiss in return. This was nothing like the gentle kiss they shared on the Ferris wheel, or the absent minded kisses they gave each other when they were walking back from the Wharf. No, this was pure passion.

Logan pulls away from the kiss and tucks a piece of Louise's hair behind her ear. Finally he speaks, just below room volume.

"I love you too Four Ears. More than you will ever know."