Welcome this new tumblr AU prompt, which I just couldn't say no to. It's mainly Staubrey with a Bechloe side pairing, because why the hell not. Comes complete with Steca and Chaubrey friendships and enough snark and fluff to satisfy the angstiest teenager. (That's not actually true, don't hold me to that.)

Like Your Heart, it's going to be updated sporadically, so don't hold your breath for new chapters. Enjoy it and don't be afraid to comment!


you read your book, baby I'll float away
taking a nap on your lap in the shade,
i could hold your hand all day
if it gets any sweeter than this,
i don't wanna know

katie herzig "sweeter than this"

They first learn about soulmates in kindergarten. It's an exciting day, really, as most of the children in Stacie's class have no idea why they get mysterious, but usually colorful, marks on their arms. For Stacie, whose parents had to explain to her why the ugly shade of neon pink highlighter wouldn't wash off her arm, it's old news.

She knows nothing about her soulmate, of course. Only that in her very oldest baby pictures, there was usually a mark appearing somewhere on her skin. Sometimes the mark would only be a blip on the canvas of Stacie's body, other times they stayed for hours or even days. The times the marks stayed for days worried Stacie's parents endlessly – what kind of parent doesn't keep an eye on their child enough to wash them of the self-coloring they inevitably get into? Needless to say, throughout Stacie's short five-year-old life, she's gotten quite used to being a walking masterpiece.

"Now who here has ever had a mark from a marker on them somewhere that just wouldn't go away?" Her teacher asks, smiling brightly when most of the hands shoot into the air, Stacie's included. "Can anybody tell me why that is?"

Stacie's best friend speaks up before the teacher can call on another raised hand. "My mom says it's your other half trying to talk to you and let you know how much they love you by drawing pictures. But my dad says it's them being a de…de-link-went," she scrunches her face up around the word as if she doesn't like the taste of it.

The teacher, Mrs. Sanders, shakes her head. "Your mother is correct, Beca. It's your soulmate. The person who you are most connected to in the world."

At this, Stacie raises her hand. When her parents explained to her why the marks wouldn't go away, she wanted to do more research. And since learning how to read well in preschool, her parents gave her a book explaining the term and how it comes to fruition.

"Yes, Stacie?" The teacher asks, a little weariness seeping into her tone. It's not the first time Stacie has hijacked the class.

"Soulmates aren't only the people we're most connected to Mrs. Sanders," she says. Her honest tone and wide, genuine eyes wash away any resentment the teacher felt.

"Would you like to explain more then, Stacie?"

Stacie nods excitedly and stands up, moving to the front of the class next to her teacher and facing her peers. She sees bored expressions on most of the kids faces, some looking out the window, already lost from the conversations, and others fidgeting in their seats. One weird kid, Bumper, is picking in his bellybutton and flicking whatever goo is in there onto his desk. Beca, though, is looking at her with wide and excited eyes.

Like Stacie, Beca's had marks on her for as long as she can remember. From little drawings, to colorful squiggles. Unlike Stacie, however, hers never last long. But that doesn't mean that Beca never gets excited when she sees them.

She clears her throat and speaks up, her clear voice catching the attention of some of her classmates. "Soulmates originate from the beginning of the universe," Stacie recites, her eyes fixated at one point in the back of the room as she tries to internally summarize what she read. "They are the a-toms that you were closest with when space was created and all the stars went into the night sky." Now, most of the class is listening to her, each student loving space after a field trip to a conservatory the week before.

"When the a-toms return to the Earth, they go in search of their other half, but sometimes they're hard to find. The sun, seeing how sad the Toms were, decided to give them the gift of finding their other half by letting whatever they draw show up on their partner's body until they wash it off."

Stacie smiles proudly as the teacher applauds.

"That was very well-said, Stacie. Though, it's atoms dear, not a-toms."

"Oh," she looks down embarrassed. "I'm sorry, Mrs. Sanders."

"You did very well," her teacher gave her a sticker and nudged her back to her seat. "Now let me finish explaining."

Stacie gladly grabbed the sticker of a rainbow and skipped back to her seat, smiling at Beca as she sat down.

"Now Stacie was correct in saying that whatever you draw shows up on your soulmate's body until you wash it off. But you need to be careful," she warned, her eyes roaming over her students, making sure they were paying attention. "You don't know your soulmate yet and you don't know who they are. It's risky trying to talk to them, as they may not speak English or may get offended by something you say. So make sure that when you start talking to your soulmate, that you are ready."

One of the children, a quieter boy named Ryan raised his hand. "What if you don't got any marks?"

"Well," Mrs. Sanders said with a quiet sigh. "That could mean a few things. One, your soulmate isn't born or isn't capable of using a writing utensil yet."

"Oh, okay," he agrees easily, sated by his answer.

Stacie chances a glance at Beca, who is looking at Ryan like he's an idiot. They both know the other options of not having any marks appear. One, the death of a soulmate, and another the incapability of the soulmate to reply for any reason. Neither option Stacie likes thinking about and makes her rub the purple heart that showed up on the back of her hand earlier in the day thankfully.

She will meet them one day, she's sure of it. And she can't wait until that day happens.