Touch #1
summary: soulmate au where whenever your soulmate touches you it leaves a temporary imprint on your skin. (aka the soulmate au nobody asked for)
janine/ava/melissa. (platonic work wives mentioned)
ps: chapter updated dec/3/2025.
can also be read at AO3
The first time Janine touches someone at work, it’s Jacob. They are friends and he’s gay so there’s no fear, no awkwardness between them. Janine has always been hyper aware of the way she used to touch people. Of how that seemed to be her first reaction, how she craved it. It was not well received and usually only brought trouble to Janine. So she learned not to do it. It was easy for people to judge her, think she’s a fool girl searching for a soulmate.
Soulmate marks aren’t exactly rare. One day Jacob goes on a rant about how 30% of people are not exactly rare, but it’s still a small amount that makes it so it’s difficult to find your soulmate. Or soulmates (Jacob added, and then went onto another rant about clusters or whatever). Janine didn’t listen to it.
Janine liked touching, and being touched. But she was not looking for a soulmate. It was just how she showed love. And going from having Tariq to nothing was affecting her in a way she wasn’t exactly comfortable sharing.
The second time she touches someone at work, it’s Ava. It is an accident, obviously. Ava is sitting down in Jacob’s place by Janine’s side, and she’s playfully talking to them. Well, she’s talking to Melissa and Barbara, and joking. Janine is laughing at the three of them, and Ava doesn’t mock her when she gets the chance, instead saying something funny and Janine laughs and touches her arm without even thinking about it. Ava is ready to dismiss it, but then they both look at Ava’s arm and there’s an imprint of Janine’s hand.
A golden handprint on Ava’s arm. It glows softly.
Janine feels her heart beating in her throat. She doesn’t really hear a thing. Ava says something and goes away so fast Janine can’t barely process it. In a second, though, Melissa is by her side, urging her to get up.
Janine follows Melissa. Her mind is a mess of non-stop thoughts and she doesn’t register if Melissa talks to her as they walk through the school until they find Melissa’s room. By the time Melissa’s voice puts her out of her mind she’s sitting down and Melissa is squatting in front of her, holding her hand.
“Talk to me Janine, what’s going on in your head?” Janine looks up, her eyes impossibly big. There are tears she’s holding back. Melissa looks worried. It is rare, and Janine doesn't really understand why Melissa - of all people - would be.
“She just left?” Janine says it like a question, she’s not sure what she’s trying to say exactly.
“I think she got scared” Melissa comments, Janine scoffs. Tears fall down her face. Melissa moves one of her hands from Janine’s to clean up her tears, but before she does it, she sees it. “Oh, Fuck”
Janine looks confused at Melissa, until she follows Melissa’s eyes to her arm. The imprint was starting to fade but it was impossible not to see it. Golden imprint on her skin, just like it had been on Ava's.
Janine is speechless, which is not something that usually happens to her. Not knowing what to say, having no words. And here she is, a second time during this day where she's rendered completely shocked.
"Is that possible?" Janine asks, her voice is low. Almost a whisper. Of course she knows about it, it's not unheard off. But to someone who grew up hearing that she wouldn't have a soulmate it seemed almost impossible to even engage in the idea of having more than one.
"I've never seen it either, to be honest." Melissa said, "but it makes sense." She says, more to herself than to Janine. Janine moves her hand to touch Melissa's arm. They both watch, mesmerized, by the sight of the imprint on Melissa's arm.
It seems insane, Janine knows, but it feels so good to see the mark there. But soon enough she starts to think of what it all means. There are so many stories about finding a soulmate and being happy ever after. This didn't seem like this, though. Janine knew at least this. She also knew she had no experience whatsoever.
"I, hm, I'm not sure what we're supposed to do." Janine admits it. Melissa needs to suppress a smile and a comment, because this version of Janine that whispers and voices insecurities it's not something she has ever seen.
"I think we should talk, after school. I'll make dinner, and I'll see if I can get Ava to go, ok?" Melissa says. She's a bit taken aback, but she seems confident about it all (well, she's always confident about everything) so Janine agrees with the plan. "It's going to be ok, hun, don't worry too much about it." Melissa says, and Janine tries to follow the advice. She tries not to think about the butterflies in her stomach about being called "hun". She tries not to think about Ava and Melissa. She also tries not to think about what that conversation later will be about.
Janine fails. She teaches, and she helps her students. But her focus is somewhere else. Jacob runs inside her class as soon as he can during recess.
She tells him all about it. It's easy to talk to him, she's not afraid of being judged.
"Wow, Ava AND Melissa," Jacob says, "You know, I've read articles about poly soulmates. I can send you some, here," In seconds he has his phone in his hand and the links keep coming. "So what are you going to do?" he asks, as he sends his links.
"Melissa will cook dinner, and we'll talk, I guess. Don't know if Ava will show up." Janine explains.
"Do you know how you want to do this? Are Ava and Melissa also soulmates? They must be, right?!" Jacob asks. And Janine is thankful for him, but those are the questions she's been asking herself and she hasn't come to any conclusions yet.
"I don't know." Janine answers, Jacob looks at her seriously.
"You should really think about it. I think the articles will help, though." Jacob says. "Still can't believe Melissa and Ava... Could you not choose less scary people?" Jacob asked. Janine blushed.
"They're not scary... They're just... confident." Janine tried to defend.
"They're also very hot." Jacob said, with a smile. "What? I'm gay not blind." He explained himself.
"They're both so hot." Janine admitted, and they both laughed.
Recess was over too soon, Jacob left Janine's room urging her to tell him afterwards about her "date", and telling her to read the articles. Janine tried to focus on her work for the most part. And the day was soon ending.
Janine went home. Her mind was running all the possibilities and the what-ifs. She hadn't actually considered reading before, but Jacob's articles were interesting. And at least it gave her some options to think about.
If work passed fast. Now time was going incredibly slowly. Janine found herself pacing in her apartment, ready to leave, but being too early for it.
She wondered if Ava was going to show up, and how it would be all three of them. Janine thought back on being at Melissa's, when she was teaching Janine how to cook. And how it had been surprisingly easy between them.
Deciding that she didn't want to wait anymore, Janine left her apartment, knowing she would be early but hoping she could help Melissa.
