Chapter Text
The college student’s shift was finally over and he was able to sit down at the rubber-looking city bench and sigh a bit, back hunched and long legs manspreading so they wouldn’t get in the way of the people walking on the sidewalk, but to also discourage others from sitting next to him. He watched the citizens, silent, before turning his attention to his phone, deciding to check the time. 10:21 pm. The bus should be here in 9 minutes. He sighs a bit more heavily and lets his eyes drift to the side. A vain attempt at ignoring the looks some of the people walking by were giving him.
Stereotypes are a fucking bitch. They come and go, change and expand, but are always there. From sexuality to race to stability… to soulmates. They are always there, resting in everyone’s minds, taking refuge. Virgil knew them so well, too well, some might say. From his dark hoodie to his skinny black jeans to his heavy eye shadow and pale skin. His piercings screamed that he was a delinquent to most. He doesn’t deserve a soulmate to most people.
He didn’t have a soulmate to most of them either.
Ugh, he could feel his eyes starting to blur and glaze over as he stares blankly at the board in front of him, some health care advertisement talking about discounts for those who are with their soulmate, romantic or not. His eyes narrow, his teeth gritting as he stared for a bit before looking away and checking down the street. Wishing these buses could be just a bit faster.
Soulmates…
Hate for this term burned within every fiber of his being, He wanted nothing to do with these complete strangers. He didn’t want the universe to make a decision for him, chain him to people that he’ll probably not only hate but will only be disappointed when they meet him. He didn’t want anything to do with that shit. Unfortunately for Virgil, the universe, fate, whomever the fuck didn’t agree. Instead, just to spite him. They give him four.
Four, Fate-damned soulmates.
Five people together were just one too many, which is another reason why he decided to have nothing to do with the bullshit.
You see... Everyone gets their first tell when they turn either 12 or 13. A tell is a sort of hint of who your soulmate(s) are. Everyone’s first tell is always the same, animals. Not like spirit animals, though many people hypothesized they’re the same thing. Virgil wouldn’t be able to tell you the difference if he’s being honest, it’s still bullshit either way. But no, soul animals. When everyone falls asleep, they enter the dreamscape, where all soulmates meet up for the first time and interact. It was supposed to be exciting, romantic, and all that horse shit.
When Virgil first entered the Dreamscape as a mouse at the age of 12, he… uh, well… he hid.
You can’t blame him though! He was so fucking annoyed, disappointed and his anxiety skyrocketed. He was so hopeful that he wouldn’t have a soulmate and instead he would be one of the few who weren’t born with one. The soul mouse didn’t want to know who was there, he didn’t want to see what was there either. He just wanted to close his eyes and sulk until his alarm woke him up for school.
So that’s what he did.
He proceeded with this practice each night as well, staying hidden with his eyes shut and trusting nobody came looking. Which they didn't, as far as he knows.
However, when he was around 13, his curiosity got the best of him and he decided to sneak a small peek, just to satiate the urge to know. Get all the weird twisty feeling in his gut and chest to fuck off. So, he weaved between the large trees of the Dreamscape, making sure to be as quiet as a-
-No, he refused to finish that thought-
As quiet as possible and to keep his head down. It was easy since he was a tiny Pilliga Mouse- he found out after a quick search. He could take cover in foliage and keep a low enough profile to not be noticed.
He won’t ever admit that he froze when he saw the first movement.
The small rodent watched with interest as Hawk sat perched on top of a hyper-looking Canine; Feathers so pretty, shiny and clean, long and majestic looking. The canine, one he couldn’t identify yet, was a beautiful deep brown with almost blond highlighting their fur, eyes bright, sparkling blue compared to the Hawks deep brown, maybe black.
Hah, one glance and he’s getting gushy over animals, Animals!
After a bit of watching like some sort of weirdo, he came to the conclusion that they were talking, but to Virgil, it was just a bunch of barking and squawking. He didn't care though! So what if when he woke up that morning, he looked up the types of animals they are?
A South Eastern Coyote and a Red-tailed Hawk.
From there forward, Virgil made sure to keep hiding again. Head down, eyes closed and trying not to think about how two soulmates have met already. Small, unnoticeable, curled into a hole in the ground that he made long ago. It’s what he’s good at, ask anyone! They’ll say “Who the fuck are you talking about?”
He was really thrown for a loop when he checked again and there was now an extra creature. A 3 foot, shimmering yellow, an almost gold snake that slithered about and nuzzled itself against the coyote and hawk. The snake's eyes were interesting, one being honey brown and the other poisonous green.
‘They must have not met yet,’ Virgil remembers thinking as he sees the snake generally minding its own business. You can’t understand the others until you’ve met them at least once. He wasn’t sure what counted as ‘met’, but he didn’t care enough to find out. He wasn’t going to meet this Hawk or Coyote or now this new soulmate. It was weird to have a group of four people anyways! Most people have one or two soulmates. There are only one or two people who had three!
Saw-Scaled Viper
Virgil was about ready to throw himself out the fucking window when he entered the Dreamscape and saw a raccoon running in circles on top of a tree. He could tell by the look in the Hawk’s eyes, they’ve met. They’ve met and they know each other exists and they look so fond and loving, Fate-damn it! Virgil was tired of this shit, so he went back to hiding and ignoring. Because four soulmates were four too many and he didn’t want them! No one has four soulmates! It's weird and creepy and probably means you're... greedy or something? Fate clearly made a mistake here!
Salvadoran Raccoon
...
...So yeah, that’s the move Fate played in this game of life for Virgil. Four soulmates, and now, it was technically Virgil’s turn to make a move.
Yeah, so, fuck that. He’s gonna press pause on this soulmate crap, and then walk away from the table because fuck you fate.
Virgil’s eyes focus when he sees the bus drive up to the stop. He rises up from the seat he was perched on and strolls onto the transport, pushing the coins into the slot then moving to sit in the back, earbuds being shoved in his ears as he stared out the window. Panic! At the Disco starts blasting in his ears, threatening to deafen him, but he really didn't care right now. He desperately needs his thoughts to shut up and this was the best way to do it. He felt more eyes on him, some he recognized from a portion of the classes he was in and just around campus. Virgil overlooked them though, as usual.
Come on, He was proudly 19, nearly 20, getting back from his afternoon shift at the comic book store and ready to get into his dorm and most likely pull another all-nighter just to finish with a biology paper. He didn’t fucking need their judgment.
Additionally, It’s not like Virgil has anything better to do or something. In college, he hasn’t made any close friends, by choice. He tends to be an outcast, with his bad anxiety, snarky attitude, unlikable demeanor, terrible language, even how he dresses. As he said, stereotypes are a bitch. But... it... also helped him survive, he warded individuals off who could hurt him. He could zero in on school and work and he's always amazed that he is able to even be here. He scared people off. He got away from his hellish life at home, he had a future to look forward to and that’s all he needs…
Well, that’s what he’s telling himself. But, what’s a life without people in it?
...When his parents asked him that night when he just turned 12, he lied. He told them he didn’t have any special dreams about an animal in an ocean or in the mountains. There were no monkeys swinging around in a jungle, or forest and no camels in a desert, nothing. The dark-clothed male told them he dreamt of nothing, sometimes memories, sometimes odd nightmares of shadow figures and animals trying to rip out his heart. His parents wondered if maybe it was a cave but he told them no, he knew it wasn’t. They looked so… disappointed and angry but didn’t say anything. His stepmother started comforting him, as if not having a soulmate was why he was upset and in tears. She promised that he would probably get the dreams on his 13th birthday. He then pretended they didn’t appear and his stepmother consoled him again, saying he might be a late bloomer like this was some sort of growth spurt. She was desperate, his father wasn’t surprised. Everything mostly went back to normal. Mostly.
Virgil rang the bell when his stop came up, walking off and right to the dormitories of the grounds. It was quiet, no one outside with how late it was. The university was enormous and a spot for the imaginative. There were mostly artists here, musicians, writers, actors, chefs... Currently, most people are either in their dorms or partying somewhere else. The pale-skinned man paused for a minute to partake in the open air and peace before advancing up to his dorm.
He had splurged with the bit of money he had, getting one of those nice dorms with a kitchen and living room, though there was only one bedroom and the living space was shared with three other dorms, not that he minded too much, better than going all the way down to the second floor and using the community kitchen when there was a perfectly valid one on the 8th floor. He got the coffee maker started, then set his bag on his desk before checking around.
His roommate wasn’t in, thank Fate. Virgil didn’t feel like dealing with their soulmate right now, they’re attached at the hip most of the time. It got on his fucking nerves.
Remy was cool and all, but Virgil didn’t enjoy their soulmate’s need to psychoanalyze everything he does. Emile was honestly very kind and understanding too. It was thanks to the aspiring therapist that he learned how to get through his panic attack and quell his anxiety, even if it’s just the smallest bit. Anything is better than letting his head go on. But the cartoon fanatic had a bad habit of calling out everyone’s bad habits. Remy relished in their bunny soulmate’s straightforward nature. Virgil found it uncomfortable.
Remy, themself, was fine. They were unique. Sipping on something from Starbucks daily and working on some of their paintings when they weren’t sleeping, and they slept often. However, they were also the party type and Virgil often kept to himself in their shared bedroom while Remy had friends and Emile over. He was invited to join more than once, but the writer more often than not declined. After the tenth time, they stopped asking and there was an unsaid agreement that he would join when he felt like it.
Virgil took off his patchwork hoodie and set it on the bed, glancing at the calendar above the desk. In twenty days was his birthday. In twenty days, he’ll have a 86% likelihood of getting a second tell since he hasn’t met any of his soulmates. He didn’t know what the second tell would be, but it’s basically the universe’s way to tell him to hurry the fuck up.
‘ No ’, he wanted to tell fate as they sat at the table that controlled his existence, ‘ I don’t want to. Just quit .’
Aaaand he’s talking to an invisible, probably nonexistent godly being again.
With a sigh and turn, he takes a seat at the wooden work area close to the dormitory window and opens up his dark PC. He boots it up before going to get himself some coffee. Fate knows he’s going to need it.
When Virgil finally falls asleep that night, his small mouse body hides again and he risks the chance to watch his soulmates interact, just this once. It’s been years, it’ll probably be fine.
The Raccoon and Lion...
Wait.
Pause.
Back it up.
Lion.
Okay, yes, that is what he saw. Good, had to check.
Now playing panic attack.
There’s a lion now!? Since when was there a Lion? Since when did four become five? It.. had been years…
That means that including him, there were six... too many... Way too many… No one had five freaking soulmates!!
Virgil shook his head and peered again. The Lion and Raccoon were bickering with each other, having a more platonic, sibling vibe compared to everyone else. The snake was wrapped, placid, around the coyote’s neck, and the hawk was parked on top of them as usual. The energy was chaotic, yet so comforting and happy. Sappy, sappy bullshit in the forest dreamscape they sat in. The tiny mouse couldn’t help rolling its eyes when the raccoon attempted to tackle the snake and the lion let out an indignant noise. They were having a grand old time with each other.
...There was someone staring at him…
Virgil blinks and tenses up when he feels eyes on him. There was a chance that he could be making it up, there have been multiple occasions when he would get himself worked up over his own stupid imagination, but there was an itch at the back of his small round ears. His gut twisted again. He took a gander at the lion then the raccoon, the two of them were watching the snake, who was focused on hissing at them. The Coyote seems to speak up as if attempting to calm them down… The Hawk…
Was staring directly at him.
Virgil’s eyes widened and he froze, hoping, praying even, that the Hawk’s gaze was just spaced out. But then he cawed and the others paused and looked in Virgil’s direction.
No… no! Nononononono!
The mouse backed up then took off as fast as possible. He could hear the others call out behind him, confused noises and a loud thundering roar followed by footsteps much heavier than his own. Fight or flight was screaming at him to go faster and faster, get out of there before they catch him.
Wake up!
It’s a dream
Wake up
It’s not real
Wake up
They can’t touch you if you wake up!!
Wake up wake up wake up-
“Virgil?!”
He jumped awake, heaving and shaking as he gazed wide-eyed at the desk in front of him. Tears started to pool in his eyes, and a delicate hand was set on his shoulder.
Did he wake up? There were no trees or bushes or-
“Hey, it’s okay. Listen to me. In four, hold seven, out eight. Come on, babe. You gotta breath. Breath.” Remy’s face came into his view, the roommate helping him calm his breathing and relax the distressed college student. Virgil couldn't stop the choked sob from escaping him in gasps, his body leaning forward and pressing against his roommate as he sobbed thickly. His back was being rubbed and his curly hair was combed through just as he liked it. It took longer than what was probably needed, but he finally could calm himself down enough to even his breaths and reduce the crying to just small hiccups and tear trails.
Remy pulled back and looked down at Virgil. “Feeling better, girl?”
No, no he wasn’t. His soulmates saw him. They know he exists. Fucking Fate-damn it! They can’t live in ignorant bliss. They’ll want to interact with him, find him. Oh Fate, they’ll want to find him. They’ll want to get to know him. They’ll push and ask questions. He can’t… He can't!
“Yeah, I'm fine… just a really bad nightmare..” Virgil lies and swallows, shaky and scared. Remy nods slowly, venturing back. The benefit of people thinking he didn’t have any soulmates, they didn’t question his odd sleeping habits and nightmares. They felt pity more than anything. No one cared enough to ask or pay attention.
“Kay, need anything? I can grab you some water?” The artist pushed their sunglasses up, head tilted. Virgil never knew why they wore sunglasses inside like that. How can they see? Well.. it might be the same reason why Virgil is perfectly fine writing in the dark. The emo nods his head, watching Remy walk to their mini fridge and pull out a bottle of water. The fair-skinned man chugs it down and this appeases the narcoleptic enough for them to finally relax.
“Damn girl, don’t choke.” Chuckled the dorm mate before moving to their own bed and sitting down on it. Virgil stared down at the water bottle, shaking his head.
He was so screwed.
He could feel Fate being all giggly, knowing he never left the table, just dancing right into the imaginary being’s nosy manipulative hands.
He didn’t sleep for the rest of the night.