Footprint
Summary: Remy doesn't know whether to be concerned or impressed when his soulmate mark forms as a footprint on his neck. His soulmate however has been aiming to have an unusual first touch with his soulmate since first learning about them in schools.
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When children turn 10 they have a class, sometime in that year, dedicated to explaining soulmates. It covers what the marks are, and the types of connections they can have together as well as when they'll appear. Almost all of the children know about soulmates long before then, their parents or relatives explaining it to some degree. A lucky few even know about the platonic connections that form roughly 20% of bonds and haven't had those situations dismissed as torn connections.
For Roman and Remus however it was their first time being told about the phenomenon. Their parents had realised early on that informing their children of soulmates existing outside of Disney films was likely to encourage some thoughtless behaviours in each of them. They'd wanted the schools resources to support the twins understanding and discovery of it in the hopes they wouldn't respond with an over romanticised ideal or whatever bizarre reaction Remus might have.
“I'm gonna have a soulmate someday!” Roman explained the afternoon after getting that class. “How do Princes meet their soulmates? I'm sure, even in Snow White they'd already touched before true love's kiss.”
His mother looked over, smiling a little, “I believe that the most spoken about first meetings Princes in films have are dances, but interrupting someone's day with that seems discourteous, don't you think?”
“But then how should I be greeting mine? And is it something that will reveal easily if I'm fated for them?” Roman pouted, head tilting in thought.
“How about a kiss on the hand? It is a gentleman's greeting, after all.” She offered, trying to think of a gesture that wasn't likely to cause too much trouble. “And if it's a man you're meeting you can easily adjust it to a handshake if they seem the type to take offence.”
He looked at her before walking over and bending to kiss her hand without trying to take it first. “Like that?”
She smiled at her son, before moving to kneel, “No, like this.” She took his hand, pulling it up to meet her kiss, before starting to tickle him with her other hand, refusing to stop as giggles broke out.
“I'M GONNA BE A GYMNAST! LOOK I CAN DO A HANDSTAND!” Remus interrupted the game, barging into the room and throwing himself upside down.
“No, you need to be nice to your soulmate, Re! Stop that!” Roman protested, using the distraction to escape his mom's hands.
She blinked between the two, well used to connecting seemingly random responses together to learn what had been said between her boys. “I see no reason why I can't get you some gymnastics classes. Is it the flexibility you'd want to focus on or doing flips and such like?”
Remus looked at her, squinting for a moment before asking“Does flexibility mean I could tie myself in knots?”
“Yes.”
“Flexibility then.” He nodded.
That was that so far as both twin was concerned over learning about soulmates and how they might meet them in the future. Their parents took turns in taking Remus to his gymnastics classes and Roman to theatre practices and both tried to remind their boys that soulmates can have platonic relationships of different varieties as well.
…
Remy learnt about soulmates from his much older brother, Logan. He'd asked a million questions on the day Logan took his top off at the beach revealing a finger print sized dark mark on his side and had let that be the end of wondering about them. He didn't care if other people wanted specific marks or created ways to greet everyone in hopes of rapidly identifying them, so long as he got a mark once he turned 15.
That morning he called for Logan without leaving his room, stuck on the change in his reflection still. “Logarithm! I need you!”
“My name is Logan, Remy and what's so important it can't-” His brother's words broke off upon seeing just what had Remy sounding so confused.
“It's a footprint on my NECK!” Remy gestured wildly between the mirror and himself. “I don't know whether I should be concerned or impressed.”
Logan's jaw dropped before he marched over to tilt Remy's head back, “Concerned! You're literally going to be kicked in the neck by your soulmate for your first touch! How is that not concerning?”
“Maybe it's some total hottie and my introduction is gonna be 'step on me, Daddy.' I'm not gonna argue if they agree to it.” Remy countered, smirking.
“Is that supposed to be flirting? It makes no sense at all, and trust me, flirting needs to have some reason behind it to be understood.” Logan ranted already checking him over as if a kick had already hit Remy's neck and he needed medical care.
Remy batted the hands away. “To you it does. Not to me or my soulmate, I bet.”
“You literally called me up here for help.” Logan stated.
“Yeah, cause Dad's gonna try wrapping me up in cotton wool and refuse to let me see the world if he sees this mark and we both know it. You got any scarves in amongst your tie collection?” Remy glanced into the hallway before hurrying over to Logan's room, thankful that it wasn't until next week that his brother moved out.
Logan followed, rolling his eyes. “Yes, I have a scarf and you should too given it's winter.”
“Left it at school, besides this is 5 scarves, not just one.” Remy plucked out the brown one, wrapping it around his neck and heading down for breakfast before any reply or agreement to let him have it could be given.
…
“I CAN'T FIND IT!” Remus's yelled made Roman jump where he'd been twisting his hand from side to side admiring his soulmate mark. He wandered through to the living room with a sigh, just as another cry came from his brother. “My gymnastics classes worked!”
He looked down at the tangle of limbs called his sibling and shook his head. “Nobody, literally nobody, should sound that excited about being unable to find a soulmate mark. Even the people who realise as the grow older that they're happier without generally want to find a soulmate mark when they're fifteen.”
“They're boooorrrrring and so are you! I bet yours is just on your hand or something equally dull.” Remus retorted, shifting his head as if trying to look at the back of his thighs while remaining the twist.
“With a kiss to their hand, my soulmate shall be revealed.” Roman gave a small bow as he repeated his preferred way to greet everyone, noticing Remus's mark as he did so. “And if instead of whatever you're doing, you had just sat cross legged, you'd see that your footprint is your soulmate mark.”
That at least got Remus to unfold from his pose, now poking at his feet. “So no more shoes for me! I need to greet everyone upside-down.”
“You are not doing that!” The protest came on instinct almost, as Roman scrambled for something that wouldn't have his brother actually trying to do that. “Perhaps it's someone trying to do a lift with you?”
“BOOOORRRRRRINNNNNNNNNNNGGGG!” The yell was loud enough their entire family assumed they shouldn't suggest more societally acceptable ways for Remus's foot to be the first place to touch his soulmate.
…
Since meeting Remus, Janus had learnt to be careful what they said, especially if their words could ever be misunderstood in such a way for Remus to flip upside-down. They'd still use those phrases but always ensure they couldn't be connected with Remus too easily should he take the opportunity.
They were the reason that Remus was in a handstand, trying to pick up his plate with his toes. They'd make a sarcastic remark about wait staff being able to balance plates no matter what position they have to be in to lean around customers in smaller restaurants.
Given they'd been having a picnic and frankly more people should get to enjoy the contortionist performance that Remus could start any second, Janus wasn't too worried about being noticed this time.
They were watching the passers by at least, and tried to pull Remus out of his stand when someone paying more attention to their phone passed quite closely. Unfortunately that destabilised Remus enough that his wobble fell towards the stranger, foot landing on their neck for a second before he registered enough to flip out of it.
“Sorry, didn't see you there. Jan-jan said I needed to pick the plate up with my toes.” Remus cheerfully explained, now holding a hand out to the person.
Remy slowly raised his hand to his neck, frowning between the fool who'd been waving his legs in the air moments before and his friend sat at the table. “This mark better be lit up like a Christmas tree now, or I'm going to start screaming at you for carelessness and nonsense.”
The man flipped himself over again, back bending enough he could look up and see his feet. “Well my foot is, but if I refuse to mention your neck, can I still be screamed at?”
“I'm Remy, he/him and are you going to be upside-down for the entire time we get to know each other?” He reached out to pull the foot up enough to see the evidence there.
“Remus, he/him and that's Janus, they/them, unless they've used meeting you as an excuse to run for their car.” He raised the foot in Remy's hands up and down a couple times as if they were shaking hands. “And if you want me to stay upside-down I'm happy to oblige.”
Remy looked his head to toe and back down, before snickering, “Gurl, I don't care, but you are going to drive my brother insane if you ever meet him. I'm going to get coffee. You coming?”
“Only when you say I can.” Remus followed as he set off, still walking on his hands, and his leer audible.