Chapter Text
Ashton didn't know how he felt about the whole “the universe will brand you with a tattoo that will represent your soul mate” thing. It’s not that he didn't believe in soul mates, because he did with all of his heart. He knew that the mark on his arm meant that somewhere in the world, the person who he would love for the rest of his life was waiting for him. Sure, he was fairly upset that he had not met his soul mate yet in his eighteen years of life, but he believed that he or she was out there.
The issue Ashton does seem to have with the whole soul mate thing is that he is completely and utterly confused by the mark on his skin. He was not born with his tattoo. Some people are born with it, but most have it randomly appear on their skin one day. There is no age limit on when you can get the tattoo, but everyone seems to get theirs by the time they turn sixteen. When ashton was about 11 years old he was woken up one night by a warm tingling sensation against his skin. When he lifted his shirt and observed the area, he realized that his soul mate tattoo appeared and it resembled a little animal with a music note inside. Looking at it closer, Ashton realized that he had a little penguin tattoo. He stared at his tattoo and desperately tried to think of someone he knew who matched the new mark on his arm, but after an hour or so of trying to remember every person he had ever seen in his life, he became frustrated by the fact that he didn't know anyone who could be represented by his tattoo.
Seven years later and Ashton still has not met his soul mate. It wasn't that big of a deal, though. He told himself that he was still fairly young and that he had plenty of time to meet his soul mate. Ashton thoroughly believed that the universe had a master plan and he decided that he would meet his soul mate when the universe decided the time was right. So he wasn't too worried, not yet anyway. He knew that his soul mate was out there in the world and Ashton being so free-spirited and loving, knew that whoever he was destined to spend eternity with was most likely an amazing, beautiful, and caring soul. So Ashton wasn't too worried about not meeting his soul mate. He knew that it was all in due time that he would meet the one person who would cause his heart to swell and feel as if it was about to burst. So he waited patiently and hopefully, more ready with each passing day to find a love that would last a lifetime.
*
Luke Hemmings woke up to the annoying sound of his alarm clock buzzing close to his ear. Without opening his eyes, he swung one long arm across the bed in the general direction of the noise. He successfully managed to hit the clock, but as it crashed against the dresser and fell onto the floor, the obnoxious ringing continued to sound throughout Luke's room. Cursing under his breath, Luke finally found the motivation to get up and turn the clock off before he chucked it against the nearest wall.
Luke hated waking up in the morning. Luke hated having to get up and get ready for school. Luke hated everything. And most of all he hated the stupid soul mate thing that the universe just had to conjure up. Luke hated it because he didn't have a soul mate. And he secretly cursed himself for not being good enough for a lifetime partner. Some people were born without a soul mate. It was rare, but it did happen. It happened enough for Luke to know that people without soul mates usually end up severely unhappy with their lives. Soul mateless people normally married each other, not that they were necessarily in love, but they just didn't want to spend their lives alone. So instead of throwing themselves a one man or woman pity party, they married each other and doubled up the number of party guests. But they were never truly happy. In this world, it seemed that having a soul mate was crucial if you wished to be happy. The whole idea of the stupid soul mate thing is that your other half, your one true love, is handpicked for you by the universe. The concept sounds simple enough, but not for poor Luke. Most people seem to get their soul mate tattoo by their sixteenth birthday and if you don't have one by then, then you probably don't have a soul mate. Unfortunately for Luke, he turned sixteen a year ago and he never received his tattoo.
He waited patiently for it, or as patiently as someone possibly could wait for a life changing event like this. He wanted so desperately to have a soul mate, to feel whole for once in his life. But the closer it got to Luke's sweet sixteen, the more anxious he became. He also noticed the sympathetic glances from family members and friends. He didn't want to be pitied though. He just wanted to be loved. But when his birthday rolled around and there was no sign of his soul mate tattoo, Luke knew that would never happen. He knew now that he would have to spend his life alone without anyone to love him effortlessly and unconditionally. He knew that there was no one out there for him to love this way, no one he could call his own. And so Luke Hemmings slowly made his way out of bed and unenthusiastically prepared himself to face the day.