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Everyone on the planet had a soul mark. They connected you to someone out there that understood you, on a fundamental level. The other half of your soul bond is almost always someone of great importance in your life, sometimes romantically, but just as often not.
Andrew and Neil shared soul marks, matching little spiral patterns on their thighs. Kevin would watch from the other side of the dorm room as they effortlessly lived in each other's space, seemingly communicating without even speaking.
That was what a soul bond was. Two halves of one whole, that didn't need anyone else.
"Are we meeting at the library later?" Neil asked, leaning across Kevin's shoulder.
"Yeah, we should have an hour or so before practice."
"Sounds great." Neil pressed his lips to the side of Kevin's head, so casual it made his heart leap. Neil left to go to his classes, leaving Kevin staring after him like an idiot.
Kevin didn't share his soul mark with either Neil or Andrew. He loved them even so, completely and stupidly. They didn't need Kevin, but somehow they said they loved him back. In their own ways, anyway.
Sometimes, when they were walking to practice together, or sitting at a table, hands tangled underneath it, Kevin felt like he was where he should be. The rest of the time, he felt like an imposter. On TV people always said that soul bonds were unique, sacred, not like any other relationship you could imagine. Who was Kevin to get between Andrew and Neil?
It wasn't like he didn't have his own soul mark. Your mark connected you to your other half, and the feather on Kevin's shoulder marked him as Riko's.
Once, that had been a reliable comfort to Kevin. When he'd been seperated from his mother forever, at least he could cling to Riko, his friend who had to care about him. That was how soul bonds worked.
Even when he bruised and bled under Riko's hands, he knew that it wasn't born of hatred.
"I was just angry," Riko sat next to Kevin, watching him press bandages against his wounds. "You forgive me, right?"
"Of course I do."
Kevin never held it against him, because they were soul bonded and that was special. You're meant to forgive your other half. That's what Riko always said.
That knowledge had carried Kevin through many years at his side, until his hand and his entire life shattered from Riko's anger, and without exy there would be no Kevin to forgive anyone. He couldn't just let that go.
One night after dinner, before night practice, they put a movie on to watch. Kevin sat next to Neil, pressing up against him, running his fingers over the back of his hand. Andrew sat on Neil's other side, half-watching the screen and half-watching Neil devour their bowl of popcorn.
"You're gonna get a stitch at practice after eating that." Kevin pointed out.
"Popcorn isn't food. It doesn't count."
"Tell that to your body..."
The movie was a romcom from two decades ago, a bit dated in its visuals but funny at times, with some scenes Kevin would never admit he found cute. The two leads were soul bonded, fighting to hold each other's hands even as the world conspired to keep them apart.
"Our only chance is to leave here, Jay. But I could never ask you to leave your brothers behind..."
"Its not even a choice, Nancy. I don't need them, not if I have you."
"Oh Jay... I so hoped you would say that. We'll be okay, us two. We even have the universe on our side." They held their wrists together, sporting matching love hearts.
As it ended, Neil got up to use the bathroom, gently pushing Andrew's leg out of the way as he went. Kevin watched the credits roll, maybe a little too closely.
"That was a dumb movie." Andrew moved closer to Kevin as he spoke. "Who'd abandon literally everyone else in their life for someone with a matching tattoo?"
"It wasn't just anyone. Nancy's his other half. Why would he need anyone else?"
Andrew rolled his eyes. "Maybe because people are capable of loving more than one person."
"Yeah, but..." Kevin stared at the ground. "Soul bonds are special. Its like the universe telling you that they're the only one you need."
"Then Jay's pretty dumb for listening to the- Actually, forget that fucking nonsense. Have you ever known Neil to listen to anyone, ever, let alone 'the universe', whatever that's supposed to mean."
Kevin's chest burned, unable to look Andrew in the eyes. "No, I think he's physically incapable... But-"
"No buts." And then Andrew was in his face, forcing their eyes to meet. "Neither of us give a single shit what our soul marks or anyone else say we should do. Neither should you. Got it?"
"...Got it."
If Kevin's eyes were unexplainably damp when Neil returned, neither of them said anything. And if Kevin started occasionally sitting between them when they were together, well. Kevin Day didn't like to do as he was told either.