Hangster + 36 "living in a society where their love is taboo au", please? Thanks 💖
[send me a ship and a number and I'll write an au]
36. Living in a society where their love is taboo au (This turned into a soulmates have matching marks and they don't match situation)
A finger traced over the mark on his lower back, barely above his hip, taking its time to run over every little small imperfection that kept it from being a perfect circle, pulling a soft sigh from Jake as he shifted so his head was turned towards Bradley, a soft smile on his face. It wasn't often that he got like this, devoting his time to the mark that seemed to only exist to remind them that no matter how good they were together they weren't soulmates. Jake moved slowly, careful to not dislodge his boyfriend's hand, shifting until he could snuggle closer, wanting to have as much contact as he could with Bradley laying on his side, his arm propping his head up so he could look at what he was doing.
"Why wouldn't I be? You're naked in my bed, sweetheart."
Jake snorted a laugh at that answer, tilting his head to press a kiss to Bradley's chest before he spoke again. "You only focus on it when you're in your head about our … mismatch."
The mark on Bradley's arm was a jagged line that could almost be passed off as a scar if someone wasn't looking closely. The fact they didn't match had held them back from starting something before they'd decided they would figure it out later. Now it was years later and they never did get around to figuring out what to do about it.
"Just thinking about how much shit we'd get if we just …"
A curious hum was let out as Jake propped himself up so he could look at Bradley. "If we what, baby?"
"... Just stayed together."
It was fine and normal to have flings, even relationships, with people who weren't one's soulmate but the importance of settling down with The One, The Soulmate, had been pushed since well before either of them were born.
"Stayed together like we are now or are you thinking about making an honest man outta me, Bradshaw?"
He'd meant to tease but it came out fond and hopeful, the depth of his feelings for Bradley coming through without him meaning to.
"...Is that something you'd want?"
Jake inhaled slowly, trying to keep from blurting out an answer, not wanting to give the impression that it was a reflex instead of what he really wanted. "Honestly?" He paused as he considered how he wanted to phrase his answer, long enough for Bradley to give an encouraging nod. "I stopped caring if I found my soulmate a long time ago. It's enough that I'm yours and you're mine but if you wanna do the whole making it legal thing, I'm okay with that too. …Do you wanna deal with the shit we're gonna get?"
Those three words made Jake grin as he leaned in to press a kiss to his boyfriend's lips, feeling incredibly loved. He'd sooner give up flying than give up this, no matter what society said about their mismatching marks and how it would doom them to unhappiness.
