Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Virgil reread his post and sighed through his nose. He edited, deleted, read, edited, delete delete delete, okay no, that should be fine… you know what? Just post.

Virgil clicked the post button and slammed his laptop lid shut. He blew a heavy sigh through his lips and stared up at his ceiling.

Today was the day.

Virgil contemplated sitting in his computer chair and pretending he was sick, but he reminded himself he promised Cassie by the new year he’d get a job. Cassie’s parents did enough for him. It was time he started paying them back. He knew Mr. and Mrs. Jones wouldn’t take his money, but at the very least, he and Cassie could work on moving out and lighten their burden. After all, Cassie and Virgil were in their late twenties. It was time they split from the parental nest, even if they were invited back for supper.

After sliding his computer chair back, Virgil slid on a clean shirt and changed into a presentable pair of pants. He stared into the mirror. Should he brush his hair out of his eyes? He grabbed the comb and gave a few swipes. A grimace tugged his lips down. He messed his hair back up and shrugged his shoulders.

No amount of tidy hair would hide this sorry excuse for a human being anyway.

Virgil slid on his favorite gray jacket, exited his room, and descended the stairs. The smell of fresh oatmeal greeted his nose, and he spotted Cassie's father on the couch. The elderly man leaned his head back and sent a puffy cheeked smile.

“Mornin Mr. Jones,” Virgil greeted.

Mr. Jones swallowed the oatmeal in his mouth and spoke, “Virgil, we talked about this. Call me Peter, please.”

“And we’ve been over this. No,” Virgil shot back. He quirked his lip up into a half smile, and Peter shook his head with a chuckle.

“Well, if you and Cassie keep this up, you’ll soon be calling me dad anyway.”

Virgil did curl his nose at that, and Peter laughed his famous contagious belly of a laugh that Virgil loved. It was one of the things he shared with his daughter, Cassie.

“Yeah, no thanks,” Virgil grumbled.

“Why don’t you grab a bite to eat before your interview?”

“Nah. I already feel like I’m going to throw up.”

“Okay, suit yourself,” he replied with a shrug.

Virgil thought he could leave in peace, but when he turned around, Cassie stood right in front of him. Virgil shrieked and clutched his chest. He calmed his breathing, and his face squished into a scowl.

“Don’t.”

Cassie laughed. “Oh, what’s wrong, Virge? Did I surprise you?”

“You know I hate when you sneak up on me.”

“I can’t help it if I’m light on my feet,” she said and gave a spin for emphasis. “You know, if this job goes well, I expect the family discount.”

“I don’t think you really count as a family discount,” Virgil remarked.

“But I took you in. Doesn’t that matter?” Cassie said and stuck out her lip. “I’m practically your adopted sister.”

“Please don’t make this weird. I’m not dating my sister.”

“Virgil, you wound me! I thought I mattered to you. I feel faint.” Cassie put a dramatic hand over her forehead and faked a sigh. She fell backward into Virgil’s chest. He caught her under the shoulder and rolled his eyes, a small smile perking from the corner of his lips.

“I’m going to be late.”

“Everything’s going dark, Virgil. I think I see the light.”

“I will drop you.”

Cassie tossed her head to the side, her face buried in black curls and flyaway strands sticking to her tongue, which extended with a “bleh” noise. Virgil sighed through his nose and shook his head. He raised her cheek up to his lips and gave a quick kiss. Cassie’s eyes snapped open, and she spit the hairs off her tongue.

Virgil snorted. “Serves you right.”

“Yeah, probably,” Cassie responded and picked the last hair off her tongue. She stood up and straightened out her light green sundress. Her eyes smiled with her soft brown lips. “Hey, happy 10 year anniversary.”

Virgil’s breath hitched. “I-is that today?”

Cassie laughed. “Yeah, but don’t worry about it. I thought we could stay inside, order your favorite pizza, and watch some trash TV until we pass out.”

“You know me so well,” Virgil said with a smile. Cassie leaned in and gave Virgil a proper kiss on the lips, her fingers trailing over his cheek and resting at his jaw.

“You’re going to do fine.”

Virgil sighed through his nose. “I sure hope so.”

“I know so. And if they’re crazy enough not to hire you, I’ll be here with pizza and cupcakes so we can ugly cry together.”

“Sounds like a date.”

Virgil gave a quick peck on her forehead before wishing her goodbye and stepping outside the door. He listened to the click of the latch before releasing all the air in his lungs.

What Cassie saw in someone like him he’d never know. She wasn’t even tied to him by fate, and yet here she was, giving him a home, giving him love he didn’t deserve, giving him a family that was way too nice for his liking. It was too perfect. What did he do to deserve any of this?

The sun barely peeked over the city skyline and mixed its red, gold, and pink pastel colors together like a painting. The silhouetted building still glowed with lights inside, along with streetlights that refused to rest for the day. Cars started to pass more frequently as daily commuters awoke and hastened to work. Birds chirped, and horns blared. The sour smells of fuel gas clouded the city in a sleepy daze.

Youtown may not have been the biggest city, but there was a certain charm to it that Virgil always admired.

People started to pass Virgil on his commute to the coffee shop, which should be about another ten minute walk from his current location. People chattered on cell phones and ignored his existence. Some tried to say hello, but Virgil shrugged them off. It’s not that he wanted to be rude; he couldn’t bring his voice box to make a noise. The words stuck to this uvula and made him almost throw up.

And here he thought he’d be suited for retail where he’d have to actually look people in the eye and talk to them. What. An. Idiot.

A woman bumped into his shoulder, and Virgil caught his balance against a building. She whirled around and met his eyes, her own wide with shock.

“Oh, I’m so sorry!” she spoke and held out a hand. “Are you okay?”

Virgil’s eyes caught the glowing pink soulmark on her cheeks, two hearts with swirls running down the side of her face. His eyes flickered over to the woman beside her, and he watched her cold eyes settle on Virgil, waiting for an answer. He could see the indigo swirls peeking out from her shirt sleeves and running down to her wrists.

“M’fine,” Virgil managed to hiss out.

The woman who bumped into him sighed in relief. “Oh, that’s good. I’d hate to start off Monday by accidentally hurting someone.”

The woman beside her wrapped an arm around her, and the two took off down the street. Virgil fussed his jacket back in place and shoved his hands in his pockets.

Stupid lovebird idiots probably weren’t even paying attention to where they were going. Virgil caught himself. No, who said they were dating? Just because they were soulmates didn’t mean they were in love. Stop bringing up prejudice thoughts you dull witted loser.

Virgil tried to ignore what happened, but his mind continued to replay the conversation over and over. Maybe he was the one who wasn’t watching where he was going. Maybe he was projecting his frustrations on the two of them, obviously hating how they could be so happy with their soulmate. They must’ve seen each other’s glow at first sight. Well, maybe the one with the cheek soulmark didn’t, but she could see her soulmate’s glow, and her soulmate could see her glow.

Virgil would never get to see his, and that wasn’t just him being poetic.

The sign for the Heart and Soul cafe shimmered in a spotlight cast between two buildings. Virgil shielded the sunshine with his hand and sighed through his nose. Now that he was here, his gut started to twist around in worse knots. He should just leave. What was he thinking? Why would anyone want to hire a nervous mess like him?

For a while, he stood outside of the cafe window and gripped his hands in his hair. He should go in. He should just get it over with. But what if they hated him? What if they laughed in his face when he said he wanted to work there? What if he never was able to find a job afterward? This was a mistake. How could he even-

“Hey, you okay?”

The voice pushed Virgil’s soul outside of his body. He jolted as it returned and snapped his head over to the left.

A gentle smile greeted him. A man leaned out of the doorway of the cafe and gave Virgil a sympathetic gaze he didn’t deserve.

“Sorry, didn't mean to scare you,” the man spoke. “It’s just, you’ve been standing out here for about 10 minutes, and I wanted to make sure you were okay.”

“Yeah, I’m fine,” Virgil replied. His eye drifted down to the nameplate on the man’s chest, with “Thomas” written above he/him pronouns, and back up to those warm brown eyes.

“Why don’t you come in for a cup of coffee. My treat.”

“No, I couldn’t- you don’t need to- I-”

“Hey, calm down. It’s okay. Listen, it’s cold out, and you look like you could use a pick-me-up, so I thought… you don’t have to if you don’t want to.”

Virgil fussed with the lint in his pocket. He could go in for a quick cup. Maybe then they’d just be nice and tell him to leave instead of him embarrassing himself. He swallowed his pride and nodded his head.

Thomas held the door open for him as Virgil stepped inside. The once sour smell of the city faded to the sweet smell of freshly baked donuts and roasting fresh coffee. Light classical music played in the background, mostly piano. Virgil heard the bell jingle closed as Thomas closed the door and muted the sounds of the city. He walked across the wooden floor, which echoed his footsteps, and stood behind the bar.

“Take your time and figure out what you want. I’ll be back as soon as I check on the donuts, okay?”

Virgil gave a slight nod, and Thomas disappeared behind the swinging door to the kitchen. He looked around the shop, which was about the size of his small apartment. Five bookshelves towered over in the corner, closing the reading world off from its coffee counterpart. Soft bean bag chairs sat by electrical sockets, and a few tables lined the left by the windows, allowing its patrons to spy on the outside world as they drank their cares away.

Virgil returned his gaze to the long list of coffee options above the counter. He skimmed over the names, each one longer and more confusing than the last. However, he supposed if he wanted to work here, he should learn all their names. They mixed together after a while and hurt his brain. Why were coffee names so weird?

“Did you figure it out?”

Virgil jumped for the second time, and Thomas offered another apologetic smile.  He swallowed as much air as he could and released it in the next breath.

“Uh, I guess just a small cup of coffee would be fine.”

“Any cream or sugar?”

“Milk, uh, just milk if you could.”

“What kind?”

Virgil grit his teeth and stopped breathing. He closed his eyes and chewed on his lip.

Thomas informed, “We have two percent, skim milk, almond milk, rice milk-”

“Rice milk. Rice milk would be fine.”

“Alright, one small cup of coffee with rice milk. Anything else?”

“No, no that’s it.”

“For here or to go?”

To go. To go. To go to go to go to go to gotogotogotogotogo

“For here is fine.”

“Okay, give me a minute and I’ll have that done for you in a second. Why don’t you have a seat at the bar while you wait?”

Virgil studied his surroundings once more. He was the only one crazy enough to be up at 6 am apparently, as no one else graced the store. A quick glance at the sign showed they didn’t open until 6:30. Oh, so Thomas invited him in before the store even opened. How lovely.

A mug of coffee rested on the counter in front of him, and Thomas handed him a stirrer. Virgil muttered thanks and began to swirl the milk around the black liquid, giving it a soft brown color.

“So, is everything okay?” Thomas asked. His smile dropped and he chewed his lip. “I mean, you don’t have to say anything if you don’t want to. Your life is your life. But you looked kinda upset outside, and I just-”

“It’s fine,” Virgil mumbled. He sighed. No going back now. “Actually, I… I uh-” spit it out- “I wanted toapplyforajob.”

Virgil drowned his gaze in his coffee. His lungs captured all the air he inhaled and refused to let anything in or out. They started to burn.  He grit his teeth as sweat lined his brow.

“Oh.”

Virgil resurfaced. Thomas’s smile was so warm and understanding that Virgil couldn’t help the sigh of relief that left his lips.

Thomas continued, “So you saw Logan’s ad in the paper. Good, ah, we’ve been really short staffed, and it’s been hard to keep the cafe going smoothly with just the two of us.”

“There’s only two of you?”

“Yeah. Logan’s only been in business for about 5 months now, and the few people who do apply for a job here usually only last a week.”

Virgil swallowed. “Why’s that?”

“Uh, well,” Thomas twisted his hands together. “You see, there’s something about Logan that- he’s just-”

“He’s a prick?”

“No! Well, kinda, but I mean, that’s usually not what gets people fired.”

“Fired?” Virgil’s heart stopped.

“Yeah, but don’t worry! It’s not like they don’t quit five seconds later, but they’re not, uh-”

“Thomas, who are you talking to?”

Virgil and Thomas’s heads snapped over to the spiral staircase by the bookshelves. A man dressed in a black button down shirt, a blue tie, tan slacks, and polished black shoes stepped down the stairs. His eyes locked on Virgil’s own, and Virgil swallowed the bile rising through his throat.

Logan’s eyes passed from Virgil to Thomas, and he pursed his lips. “You know we don’t open for another five minutes, right?”

“I let him in,” Thomas spoke up. “He was standing outside in the cold, and I just thought- he wants to apply for a job.”

Logan’s eyes sparkled with curiosity. Virgil tried his best to hold onto Logan’s gaze, but he ended up glancing down at the floor.

“Is that so?” Logan said and cleared his throat. “Well, I’m sure we could give him a chance.”

Something dark hid between those words, and Virgil drowned in his thoughts. He watched Logan start to walk toward him, and panic lit a fire in his chest. Escape. He had to escape.

“So, what makes you want to work here?” Logan asked.

Virgil opened his mouth to speak, but no words came out. He tried again, but something moved on Logan’s forehead and stole his breath away.

Like a drop in a pool of still water, a white light started to dance across Logan’s forehead. It started in the space between his eyebrows and swirled over his forehead, cradling his eyes and dropping onto his cheeks. The solid white light shined like a diamond.

Virgil blinked. He didn’t recall seeing a soulmark on Logan’s forehead.

A sharp breath caught Virgil’s attention, and he turned his head over toward Thomas. The man’s mouth was agape, staring at Logan like he was a ghost. His gaze then shifted to Virgil and started combing over his body.

“What?” Logan asked and furrowed his iridescent brow.

“Y-you-” Thomas stammered. He looked around the countertops and pulled out a drawer. Thomas fished around in the silverware until he pulled out a large metal spoon. He handed it over to Logan. “Look.”

Logan sent a confused expression before listening to Thomas’s instructions. His eyes studied the spoon before they widened in shock. He looked from the spoon to Virgil and back at the spoon once more. Shaking fingers rose to his forehead and traced the white glowing soulmark on his brow.

“I… it appears I have a soulmate,” Logan breathed out in a quiet voice. His ghost gray eyes flashed up in Virgil’s direction, and all the air left Virgil's lungs.

No. No that’s not right. He couldn’t be. He had Cassie. He didn’t need a soulmate-

“I-” Virgil’s voice caught in his throat. He jumped off the chair and started backing up toward the door.

“Wait,” Logan called out, but Virgil already bolted. He barely heard the bell's cry as he slammed his palms on the door and raced down the street. His heart pounded in his chest. Blood roared in his ears, and his feet pounded into the pavement. People barely dodged out of his path. He ran as fast as his feet could take him all the way home.

Virgil fished in his pocket for his apartment key, his fingers trembling and missing the lock several times, before opening the door and slamming it shut.

Silence.

Virgil swallowed air like water. His hands shook as they barricaded the door and closed him off from the fate life threw at him. Tears pricked his eyes as his jaw quivered.

“Virgil?” Cassie’s soft voice called from behind him. Still, his shoulders tensed and he froze. “Baby, what’s wrong? What happened?”

Virgil's body wanted to cry, but he couldn’t even do that. He rested his forehead on the door and continued to shake.

Cassie’s hand rested on his shoulder, and Virgil tensed. Her hands slid over his shoulder blades and massaged life back into his muscles.

“Hey, take some deep breaths for me, okay? Are you hurt?”

Virgil somehow managed to shake his head no, and he heard Cassie’s sigh of relief.

“Okay, good. Is this okay?”

Virgil nodded yes.

“Can you come over to the couch and sit with me?”

Virgil hesitated. His hands slid off the door and fell to his side. Cassie wrapped him in a one armed hug and pressed him up against her side. The two walked as one over to the couch, and they sat down onto the leather cushions.

Virgil stared down at the floor. How was he going to explain this? Would she understand? Would she leave him? He couldn’t bear to lose the only friend he had in this miserable world.

“Virgil, look at me,” Cassie’s voice guided Virgil over to her warm brown eyes. He drank them like hot chocolate, and every muscle in his body relaxed. How she had the power to chase his fears away with just a look baffled him. Her lips pulled into a gentle smile, and she brushed a few flyaway strands out of her face.

Cassie continued, “Can you tell me what happened?”

The dam on Virgil’s eyes finally broke, and tears dripped down his cheeks. Cassie rubbed soothing circles between Virgil’s shoulder blades as he trembled. She whispered calming noises and rested her head against his shoulder. Her hair stuck to Virgil’s cheeks, but he didn’t care. He’d cherish every last moment he had with her.

“I met him,” Virgil spoke.

Cassie’s head slid through her hair as she asked, “Met who?”

“My-” Virgil swallowed- “my soulmate.”

Silence greeted him. He was glad Cassie rested her head where he couldn’t see her. He couldn’t watch the light he loved so much disappear from her eyes. He couldn’t see how her smile dropped, how she realized that everyone was right, that she wasn’t destined to ever find love. He could only imagine the hurt in her heart as her world caved in on her. The circles on his back stopped. Virgil squeezed his eyes shut and held his breath.

“You did?” Cassie asked, her tone unreadable.

Virgil gave a nod of his head. He sucked in a breath, “Cassie, I-”

“So, when do I get to meet him?”

“I-what?”

“I expect to meet your soulmate, being your partner and all. I mean, anyone who is destined to be with you can’t be all that bad, right?”

“Cassie-”

“Hey, I have no problem sharing you.”

“Yeah, but what if he’s not okay with sharing me? And what if I don’t want to love him? I… I love you so much, Cassie, and I don’t want my soulmate to come between us. That’s why I ran. I can’t- I don’t want to leave my life behind again for someone I love. I can’t. I’m not… I’m not strong enough.”

Cassie quieted at that. She blew a heavy breath out of her nose and lifted her head from his shoulder. Virgil still continued to stare down at the floor. Her hand slid from his back to his shoulder.

“Well, we’re just going to have to cross that bridge when we get to it. For now, I think you owe it to him to at least tell him why you ran off.”

Virgil could’ve cried. How could Cassie be this understanding? How could she look at something that might separate them forever and laugh? He had no idea where she got the strength to be a better person than Virgil ever hoped to be, but he admired it so much.

“Okay,” he said with a nod. He finally gained the courage to look at her, and he offered a half smile.

“I’ll even go with you,” she added.

“What did I do to deserve you?” Virgil asked.

Cassie tapped her chin. “Mmm, just looked at life how it should be looked at and became a better person because of it.”

Virgil gave a light laugh and stood from the couch. He grabbed onto Cassie’s hand, and she stared up into his eyes.

“One step at a time,” she spoke. Virgil gave a nod.

The second time he walked to the coffee shop, Virgil’s nerves practically disappeared. Cassie swung their arms slightly as they held hands. They walked as one past people who couldn’t care less about whether or not they were together. It was one thing about the city Virgil admired. No one cared about their neighbor enough to gossip while late for work.

However, once the shop came into view, Virgil’s legs started to drag. Cassie slowed her pace and pushed them toward the wall to encourage people to walk around them. She gave Virgil’s hand a gentle squeeze.

“You can do this. It’s going to be okay.”

“But what if it goes wrong?”

“And what if it doesn’t? You’ll never know if you don’t try, and you’ll worry yourself sick over not knowing.”

Virgil took a deep breath and released it. He nodded his head and followed Cassie inside the shop.

The noise of chattering people, clinking coffee cups, and gentle music followed the jingle of the door’s bell. Virgil noted several people inside the shop since it opened, some casually speaking to others, some reading, and some minding their own business while they sipped on their coffee. He noticed Thomas speaking to people, rushing around the back counter, and grabbing what they needed. Thomas practically ran from place to place. Virgil’s guilt welled up in his gut. They really were short staffed.

His eyes caught Logan, who spoke to those Thomas wasn’t tending to. Virgil realized he wasn’t imagining things. No soulmark stood on Logan’s brow. The guilt in Virgil’s stomach doubled. Did Logan go his whole life thinking he had no soulmate only to watch that very person run out of his life without even telling him his name?

Cassie caught Virgil staring at Logan, and a knowing smile slid onto her lips. She ushered him to a table and had him sit.

“I’ll go get us some coffee. Why don’t you wait here until the line goes down a bit? They look kinda busy.”

Virgil nodded his head and stared out the window. He played with the inside of his sleeve and chewed the skin off his lip. What if the coffee shop never slowed down? What if they sat here all day and never got the chance to talk to Logan? What if they wasted their entire day sitting here, and Cassie regretted ever bringing Virgil back to talk to his soulmate?

“Oh my god, is that you Abby Picani?” a loud voice called from the counter. The chatter in the cafe lowered as people turned their attention to the bar.

Logan’s back may have been turned to them, but Virgil didn’t miss the slight rise in his shoulders and the stiff posture.

“That’s Logan,” he corrected but never met the man’s gaze. He turned his attention instead to another guest to the left of the noisy man. Virgil focused his attention to listen in as chatter started to return to normal.

“Wow, never thought I’d see you being in business. I thought you were gonna be a scientist?”

“I was,” Logan answered. His answers were short, tone closed off, and trying desperately to close the conversation. Thomas approached the man and tried to take his attention off Logan by asking for his order, but the man’s attention stayed glued to Logan.

“What, they didn’t want someone like you? Told you you’d probably amount to nothing.”

Logan swallowed hard and ignored the comment. The elderly woman Logan was tending to sent the rowdy man a dirty look but didn’t say a word.

Virgil watched the twitch of irritation in the obnoxious man’s brow. Logan turned away to prepare the woman’s coffee.

“I’m just blown away that you would get rid of the only interesting part about you, Abby. Oh no, I'm sorry, you're pretending to be Logan now. You think getting rid of your boobs and name will change the fact that you’re Soulless?”

Everything stilled except for the rage in Virgil’s heart. He stood from his seat and marched over toward the bar.

Logan turned to address the man, his eyes cold and hands gripping a coffee cup so hard it should’ve shattered. His soulmark lit up, and the color drained from the bully’s face. Logan’s anger melted to mild confusion as he studied the annoying patron’s flabbergasted expression. All noise in the cafe deafened, making Virgil’s voice sound like a gunshot.

“Hey, If you’re not going to order coffee get out.”

The man turned to face Virgil, who stood a good six inches above him, then looked back at Logan. He finally snapped his jaw shut, muttered a curse word under his breath, and slipped out the coffee shop door. All the courage left Virgil’s body at once, and he gripped the counter of the coffee bar.

People whispered back and forth as they stood in line. Some looked at Virgil, but most were staring at the white soulmark adorning Logan’s forehead. Virgil’s eyes caught Cassie’s proud smile in the crowd, and his smile flickered toward her.

“Thank you,” Logan’s voice called from behind him.

Virgil turned, and Logan stared up at him with a quirked smile. He gave a swift nod, and Logan asked the elderly woman to have patience while he addressed Virgil.

Virgil’s heart began to pound, “Look, I don’t want to take you from work, because I know you’re busy and all, but-”

“The shop closes at nine tonight. I don’t have time now, but if you wait, I have something important to tell you tonight.”

“Oh,” Virgil replied and tried not to sound confused. He gave a nod, and Logan gave a word of thanks. Before he began his work again, he turned to Virgil and studied him. Virgil figured he was looking for some sort of soulmark on Virgil, but he wouldn’t find it. Not with how covered Virgil kept it.

“What’s your name?” Logan asked.

“Uh, it’s Virgil. Virgil Angstlich.”

“It’s nice to meet you, Virgil. I’m Logan Picani.”

And with that, the storm of work swept Logan away, leaving Virgil to deal with its aftermath.

Chapter Text

Virgil spent the rest of his day with Cassie, trying to leave the events from earlier out of his mind. If realizing he was old and having a ten year anniversary with a childhood friend wasn’t enough, he now had a soulmate to worry about. Virgil had so many questions, but none sounded good enough to get answers.

Why don’t you have a soulmark when it’s not glowing? What’s up with the hire/fire ratio? Who was that guy and where could he be directed to if the loser ever showed up again so he could punch him in the face?

Briefly from a nearby booth, he heard two girls giggling about some movie star that was going to be in town. He tried to ignore them, but with how loud they were, even he couldn’t tune them out. They kept saying how this actor was still mateless and hoped it was one of them. Stupid typical teenagers and their stupid crushes on people they didn’t know. How did they know this movie star wasn’t a complete dick?

Virgil sucked on the chocolate shake in his hands and watched people pass by the ice cream shop window. Cassie enjoyed her own vanilla peanut butter swirl milkshake across the table, careful not to get it anywhere near Virgil, and occasionally tried to ask him a question. He felt bad for giving such short answers, especially on their anniversary date, but Virgil couldn’t focus.

“Hey, I’m gonna start walking home,” Cassie’s voice split through his thoughts.

“No, shit, Cass, I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean-”

“Hey, now, none of that. You’ve had an exciting day,” Cassie said and let out a light laugh. “Besides, there’s already nine amazing anniversaries I’ve had to look back on. But, between you and me, I think this one was my favorite.”

Virgil blinked, and his cheeks tinted red. “Why? All we did was walk around.”

“Because you should’ve seen your face when you approached that bully. My god, Virgil, you even terrified me! I haven’t seen you that riled up since Belial stuck gum in my hair.”

“Hey, he had it coming for a long time, okay?”

“True, but it still reminded me how far you’re willing to go for the people you care about. It’s one of your more admirable traits, and it’s one reason why I love you.”

Virgil snorted. “Me? Admirable? I think that milkshake froze your brain.”

“Think all you want, sugar, but I know a decent person when I see one.” Cassie gave her milkshake a quick stir and slurped it until all the melted ice cream inside disappeared.

“At least let me walk you home.”

“You have a date with your soulmate in like thirty minutes. I can walk myself home. I’m a big girl.”

Virgil bristled at the thought. He played with the straw in his milkshake and chewed on his lip. He watched Cassie slip her house keys between her fingers and sent a wink Virgil’s way.

“I want to hear all about it when you get home, okay?”

Virgil nodded, and he watched the love of his life walk out the front door. Virgil sighed and ran his hands through his hair once again. What was he doing? How could he even attempt to mess up what he had with Cassie just because he had a soulmate? Of course, Cassie didn’t care. Cassie loved him enough to let Virgil be happy, and if he asked, she’d let him go without hesitation. She told him many times when they started dating, and every time, he picked her over his crappy life. So far, he never regretted it.

But... what if he loved this guy so much that he stopped having feelings with Cassie? What if this guy turned out to be possessive? What if he slowly started to pull Virgil away from everything he held dear and Cassie became just a flame from a long time ago and-

Easy, Virgil. Just be straight with the guy (hah) and say you’re already in a happy relationship. Hopefully, he’d understand.

Virgil sucked down the rest of his milkshake and checked his phone. There were a few nice messages waiting for him from the post he sent earlier, some calling him a snowflake (which honestly he laughed at and deleted), and some that were asking for advice. Those Virgil always hated getting the most, but that was a tangent for another day.

Virgil returned his phone to his pocket and left a tip for their waiter. The brisk autumn air pulled Virgil’s jacket closer to his body, and he shivered. With winter coming, he looked forward to warm nights in front of his electric heater and toasting marshmallows over the stove. Not only that, but nights would get longer, meaning he had more reason to lay in bed and do absolutely nothing because “the sun went to sleep so I can too.”

The squeak of the sign hanging above the door for the Heart and Soul cafe beckoned him forward, and for the third time today, Virgil gathered up all his courage. He hesitated outside the large window.

A man wiped the counter down behind the bar, someone he didn’t recognize. Hey, Thomas said it was only two of them, so who was this? Virgil watched the man in the tan sweater vest and red tie work for a few moments before opening the door and stepping inside. The toasty air heated his cheeks.

The man turned as the bell jingled above Virgil’s head, and he flopped the towel against his shoulder.

“I’m sorry, but we’re closing in five minutes,” he spoke.

“Oh, I know. That’s why I’m here,” Virgil answered. He watched the man’s face twist in confusion, and Virgil cleared his throat. “Logan told me to come back later for a job interview.”

“Oh, so you’re Virgil! It’s nice to meet you.”

The man stepped out from behind the counter, and Virgil stiffened as he approached. Virgil's eyes kept darting down to one spot in particular, but he tried not to look suspicious. It was rude to stare after all.

The man stopped and stood in front of Virgil, maybe an arm’s length away. Virgil tried to maintain eye contact, but his eye kept slipping down. The man gave a dark laugh, and Virgil stiffened.

“Gotta hand it to you, you’re observant. Of course, I’d give an arm to stop getting stared at like that if I had one.”

“Oh, no, I’m sorry! I didn’t mean-”

“It’s fine, Virgil. I’m only joking. You’re not the first person who has stared at my missing forearm and regretted it.”

Virgil’s voice squeaked as he tried to reply.

The man offered his hand out for Virgil to shake. He introduced, “I’m Emile. I started the cafe up with Logan.”

“Uh, nice to meet you,” Virgil said as Emile gave a gentle squeeze to his hand. Virgil didn’t return the grip and looked down at the floor. Emile’s eyebrows rose.

“So, Virgil, what makes you want to work here? You don’t seem like the social type.”

Virgil blinked. “Huh? How did you-”

“The handshake. You have a weak grip, which means you’re usually passive in conversations, and you didn’t keep eye contact, which could mean several things, but the fact that you took my hand to begin with shows you're willing to try things that make you uncomfortable.”

Virgil would’ve swallowed the spit in his mouth if it wasn’t dry as a desert. How did Emile guess all that just by shaking his hand? Was he some sort of psychic? He opened his mouth to speak, but he closed it soon after.

“Emile, don’t scare him off,” Logan’s voice called from upstairs.

Emile gave a light laugh and shook his head. He let go of Virgil’s hand and turned toward the stairs.

Logan descended the spiral staircase and walked toward them. For the second time, Virgil watched Logan’s soulmark dance across his head and bring out its white glow. Emile gave a low whistle and put his hand on his hip.

“Wow, Logan, you weren’t kidding.”

“I never kid,” Logan replied. “Now, if you don’t mind, Virgil and I have some important business to discuss.”

Emile gave a knowing hum and sent a wink to Virgil. Whatever that meant, Virgil didn’t know, but he didn’t want to find out.”

“Okay, I’ll be upstairs if you need me. Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do.”

“If you mean watching cartoons while we have a serious conversation, I don’t think you’ll have to worry.”

“I told you, Lo, it helps the kids open up.”

Logan rolled his eyes, and Emile sent one last smile to Virgil before climbing up the stairs to the top floor.

“Please excuse him. He was dropped on his head when he was an infant.”

Virgil returned his attention back to Logan. Logan either had a dry sense of humor or hated the guy, because there was no indication of humor on his lips.

“Oh,” was all Virgil could comment.

“Shall we have a seat?” Logan asked and held his hand out toward a booth. Virgil nodded his head and sat opposite to Logan. He played with the sleeves of his jacket and stared at his reflection on the table. Logan’s soulmark illuminated the water and made the table shimmer like ice.

Before Virgil could open his mouth, Logan continued, “I must say, I was just as surprised as you if not more to find out we were soulmates. I have lived my whole life not knowing I had one nor desiring to find love in any shape or form. I am what you call an aromantic asexual, someone who is neither romantically nor sexually attracted to anyone, and if that upsets you, I’m afraid our partnership is not going to go well-”

“Whoa hold on a minute,” Virgil spoke and held his hands up to pause the conversation. He took a deep breath and added, “You don’t want to be romantic with me?”

“Yes, isn’t that what I just said?”

Virgil let out a light laugh and ran a hand through his hair. “Figures I worried myself over nothing all day.”

“Excuse me?”

“I’m, uh, I’m already in a happy relationship-”

“Congratulations.”

“-and I was worried you were going to mess that up on me.”

“First off, Virgil, I’m not a soulwrecker.”

“She’s not-” Virgil blew air through his lips, “We’re not soulmates.”

“Oh,” Logan replied as his glasses slipped down his nose a little. He pushed them back up. “I see. Well, I hope you know that your out of bond relationship will not deter me from hiring you.”

“I- wait what?”

“Surely you don’t think someone who has thought they were Soulless their whole life would discriminate against someone who is not in a soulbound relationship.”

“No, I get that, but you’re hiring me? We haven’t even had an interview.”

“You don’t wish to be hired any longer?”

“That’s not what I said, but I mean… won’t it look kind of suspicious if you hire your soulmate? I mean, with the hiring ratio in this place-”

“What has Thomas told you?”

Shit, no, he didn’t want to get Thomas in trouble. “Nothing! He just mentioned that a lot of people who get hired here are fired, and I don’t- I just don’t want to- I-”

“Virgil, take calming breaths.” Logan paused. “The reason people are fired is not because of what they are. It’s because of who they are.”

Virgil furrowed his brow. “Oh… kay?”

Logan folded his fingers together and placed them on the table. “I am a… a social abomination I believe I’ve been told.”

Virgil chuckled. “A what?”

“Not only am I someone who was born without a visible soulmark, but I am also transgender, which I’m sure you know by now is something society frowns upon. Body altercation is to go against the great spirit’s wishes and all that nonsense that comes with it. Usually, those who are fired have made a negative remark against others or have treated a customer below the social expectancy of this establishment.”

“You mean like discrimination?”

“Yes, exactly.”

“Good riddance then.”

“My sentiment exactly.

“So, as long as I act like a decent human being, I should be fine?”

“Naturally. In fact, had I not known about your out of bond relationship, I may have been less adamant about hiring you, but seeing as you conduct yourself in line with this establishments policy, I needed no further interview.”

“Policy?”

“To treat every human being with dignity, respect, and equity, regardless of gender, disability, race, mark, or relationship.”

“Yeah, I guess I could do that.” Virgil folded his arms and rested them against the table.

“So, when would you like to start?”

Virgil blinked. He had to have fallen asleep at the ice cream shop table with Cassie. There was no way getting a job was this easy, not with all the garbage he had to deal with in other places. Logan’s eyes kept contact with his for the most part, but every once and a while, he noticed them shift somewhere on Virgil’s body, only to spring back up to his face. Was he checking Virgil out? No, he was probably looking for Virgil’s soulmark to make sure his glow wasn’t unrequited.

“I guess as soon as possible.”

“Good. I require a two week training session before you begin if that’s okay with you. I’ve been told some of the orders can confuse staff.”

“That’s fine. I honestly have no idea how you guys keep anything straight.”

“It’s an acquired talent. For now, get some rest. I expect to see you in the morning around 6:00 am for uniform fitting.”

“Alright, cool, thanks.” Virgil slid out of the booth and adjusted his jacket once more. He sent one last look at Logan before flashing two fingers up. “Later Logan.”

“Good evening, Virgil. I hope your sleep is kind to you.”

Virgil snorted through his nose and shoved his hands in his pocket. He stepped out of the coffee shop, leaving Logan alone with only the tiny bell’s chime to keep him company.

Logan watched the soulmark on his forehead fade out of existence on the table’s reflection. His fingers brushed his bare skin and wondered why all his life it chose to hide. Not that Logan minded much, as it kept suitors away, but it would’ve been nice to not be teased about his markless skin while growing up.

Logan sighed and pushed his glasses up his nose. From their brief interaction, he could tell Virgil was going to be a special case. Granted, he acted the same way Thomas did when he was first hired, but Thomas did well under pressure and mingled easily with others. Virgil held a stiff air about him that Logan was sure would cause him trouble.

Not with Logan, but with the customers.

Still, Logan couldn’t wait to see where Virgil’s employment ended up. For all he knew, he could be a permanent member of the team if he didn’t quit under pressure. Hopefully, all Virgil required was a chance.

Logan slid out from under the booth’s table and locked the front door to the shop. The outside world started to wind down for the evening. Street lights had long ago illuminated once dark streets, and leaves skittered down the sidewalks in the light breeze. The moon glowed above a starless sky. Lights flickered out in buildings one as their owners retired for the night.

With a sigh, Logan turned around and climbed the stairs to the top floor. It was days like today he was thankful he lived right above work. All day, he could only think about Virgil. Not that he loved him, but he was infatuated by the fact that he had a soulmate.

Logan stopped at the top of the stairs, and Emile sent a sly smile as he walked from the bathroom to his bedroom.

“I guarantee you nothing happened,” Logan announced and walked into his room.

“Oh, come on, Wolverine. What happened?” Emile asked as he followed Logan in.

“A conversation. Nothing more.”

“Okay, so you two talked. About what?”

“His initial reasoning for coming here was to be hired, and I gave him what he required.”

“Did you mean for that to rhyme or-”

“Nuance.”

“Okay, so you hired your soulmate.”

Emile sat down cross-legged on Logan’s bed as Logan retrieved his pajamas from his drawer. He rubbed his hand against the silk star covers and turned away to give Logan some privacy.

“I did.”

“Are you unrequited, because I didn’t see a soulmark on him at all.”

Logan adjusted his glasses after he slid his nightshirt over his head. “I didn’t ask to see his soulmark, because it doesn’t matter. We both only want a platonic partnership, and I fail to see the point in making Virgil expose his mark if he’s unwilling.”

Emile hummed. “Okay, that’s fair.”

“Still,” Logan slipped on his pants and caught his reflection in the mirror. His bare skin, once lit by the presence of another person, showed no sign of ever belonging to anyone else. “I cannot help but wonder if Virgil has no soulmark at all. He’s in a relationship with someone who is not a soulmate.”

“People date out of bond all the time, Lo. It’s just not talked about much.”

“I know, but the way he defended staying in his relationship makes me wonder if he...” Logan cut himself off. He sighed and walked over to his bed. He grabbed the corner of the comforter and started to pull it until it snagged under Emile’s weight.

“From what I saw, he doesn’t seem the type to open up right away. Maybe something happened to his soulmark and he’s embarrassed, or maybe he really doesn’t care if he glows around you or not, since you said he is in a happy relationship.”

Logan gave two annoyed tugs on his comforter, silently asking Emile to move. “I don’t care either way. I don’t want love, so it doesn’t matter if Virgil is interested in a relationship with me. He respects my choice and I’m fine with that.”

“And maybe he won’t change that, but,” Emile watched Logan tug on the blanket, “maybe he’s exactly what you need.”

Logan stopped pulling and quirked an eyebrow. “What I need is for you to get off my bed.”

“I’m serious, Lo! You have never once shown interest in anyone. I mean, not in a love kind of way, but a friend kind of way.”

“I have friends.”

“Besides me.”

“I have... Thomas.”

“Okay, so two friends. But what about Virgil? Maybe you two both need each other to open up. Maybe he’ll finally get you out of your shell and get you to loosen up.”

Logan picked up his pillow and smacked Emile in the face. Emile gave a light cry as he fell backward onto the mattress, giggling.

“If you’re done lecturing me on the importance of healthy relationships, I’d very much like to retire for the evening.”

Emile tossed the pillow off his face and adjusted his glasses. He used his arm to sit up on his elbow and leaned against the mattress.

“Alright, I’ll leave you alone.” Emile stood up and straightened out his shirt. “But Logan, think about this. At least give him a chance.”

“I will. Now good night, Emile.”

Emile gave Logan a quick kiss on the forehead before walking out of his room. Logan watched his brother leave and sighed. He flopped down onto his bed, grabbed his pillow, and shoved his face into it. The soft feathers hugged his cheeks and eased his headache.

As far as he was concerned, Virgil was just another person. There was no such thing as fate binding together two people with the guarantee that they’ll make something of themselves. Emile discredited romantic ties to soulmarks all the time.

Virgil already stated he was not interested in love, but what if he slowly started to develop feelings for Logan? What if he grew discontent with being platonic soulmates? Would he force Logan into a relationship or try to make him see that his aromanticism was just a phase?

Extremely judgemental, since he just met Virgil, but the thought of having a soulmate still set a sour taste in Logan’s mouth.

Still, logic told him that even if Virgil had feelings, it was not his duty to return them. Virgil’s emotions weren't his problem, and if Logan chose not to love him, that was his choice and should be respected. He didn’t need to be “fixed” in order to live a happy life, no matter what his grandmother said.

Logan rolled onto his back and burrowed under his blankets. The lamp next to him clicked off, and he settled onto his back. The glow in the dark stars stared back at him, and Logan let out a long sigh.

Of all the unexplainable things that he learned, why was the idea of having a soulmate, something that every generation has had for the past two thousand years, the most difficult fact to process?

Chapter Text

The next morning went too slow and too fast at the same time. Virgil showed up at the shop three minutes before six, and Thomas greeted him with a friendly smile. Logan, however, looked annoyed with his presence. Okay, maybe that was just Virgil projecting annoyance onto Logan, but he had to admit, Logan was about as cuddly as a cactus.

“I trust you hadn’t slept,” Logan said as he glanced over Virgil’s appearance.

“I did,” Virgil replied. He might have stayed up until 2 am worrying then woke up to the worst stomachache he’d had in a century, but he did sleep.

“Emile is going to take your measurements so I can get you fitted for a uniform. I never expected to hire someone with such vertical virtue.”

Virgil couldn’t help the snort that escaped his nose. “Vertical virtue?”

“Welcome to the team,” Thomas added before Logan could go off on a long winded tangent. Virgil sent Thomas a grateful smile, and he looked around for Emile.

“So, where is he anyway?” Virgil asked.

“Probably upstairs tying his tie,” Logan responded. “Fashionably late as always.”

Virgil had to admit, he was curious as to how Emile tied his own tie with one hand, but he figured that was a question for another day. He asked instead, “After he fits me for a uniform, then what?”

“You get to observe Thomas and I in the field. I’ll try to point out as many regular customers as I can. Then, tomorrow, I will put you in charge of a few select orders, or at least the orders of people I know won’t throw a tantrum if you get their order wrong.”

Virgil’s stomach dropped, “Oh, okay.”

Nothing wrong with getting screamed at by soccer moms because he forgot an extra spoonful of sugar. Why did he think working in retail was a good idea again?

Heavy footsteps descended the spiral staircase, and Emile emerged. His hand stroked over his hair several times to make sure it was in place.

“Good morning starshine,” he greeted.

Virgil watched a slight smile slip onto Logan’s lips. It could've been a trick of the light though because it didn't last long. Logan walked around the counter and retrieved a covered mug with several Disney characters on it. He handed it off to Emile, who sent a grateful smile. Emile brought the mug to his lips and whined about how hot it was.

“I’m going to start leaving the paper towel off so you stop burning your tongue,” Logan mumbled.

“No, it’s fine,” Emile said and stuck his tongue out to cool. He caught Virgil's studying stare. and sent a half perked smile.

Logan sighed and shook his head. He adjusted his glasses before folding his arms over his chest. “Get Virgil measured up before opening, please. I want to order his uniform as soon as possible.”

“Got a thing against gray?” Virgil asked.

Logan quirked a brow, and Virgil cleared his throat. He answered, “I do not. I do, however, require all personnel to wear a white button down shirt, either a pink or purple apron, and tan slacks-”

“Wow, okay, I get it,” Virgil grumbled and turned to Emile. “It was just a joke.”

Emile bit his lip, set his mug on the counter, and put a hand to Virgil’s back. “Come on, stormcloud, I’ll get you into my office so we can measure you, okay?”  He led Virgil away from Logan before Virgil's sarcasm said anything else damaging.

Emile fished in his pocket for his key and unlocked the door to his office. He stepped aside after opening the door.

“Make yourself at home,” Emile said as Virgil stepped inside. He followed Virgil in and crossed the room to the tall metal cage beside his desk. It must’ve stood at least six feet tall with various bridges, hammocks, and other items linking multiple levels together.

Virgil inhaled. The light smell of lavender inside the air relaxed Virgil’s muscles, and he blew a sigh of relief. The walls were a light blue color, about the color of a robin’s egg, and the two couches in the center of the room were a gray color with white speckles. Between them stood a glass coffee table which housed white coasters if the occupants wanted a drink. A stone pillar stood tall in the corner. Water cascaded down the rocks and pooled at the bottom. Two of the other corners housed Parlour Palm trees, and the other one had a small television. Emile's desk and a filing cabinet sat against the opposite wall, and white lace curtains sheltered the faux wooden blinds behind it.

Emile sighed and put his hand on his hip. He mumbled, “Oh, Padraic wants to play hide and seek this morning. Don’t sit on any of the furniture until I find him.”

Virgil’s blood chilled. Who and what the heck was Padraic? He looked around on the floor and bit his lip.

Emile leaned down and searched under the first couch. He popped up and asked, “Virgil, do you have a nut allergy?”

“Y-yes,” he squeaked.

“Okay, you mind if I walk out and get some blueberries? They’re his favorite.”

“Um-”

“Don’t worry, he’s completely friendly. In fact, he might crawl up your pants leg to say hello.”

“Huh?”

Emile sighed and scratched his head. “Padraic is my pet rat. He’s super sweet.” Emile paused. “Okay, if it makes you nervous to be in here, can you go out and ask Logan for a crate of blueberries for me?”

Virgil weighed his options. Logan already seemed irritated this morning, but he wasn’t sure how well he’d do enclosed with an animal he knew nothing about.

“Um, sure,” Virgil finally decided. He opened the door and closed it quickly behind him. With a harsh blow from his lips, he crossed the floor to the coffee bar, where Thomas and Logan were nowhere to be seen.

“Um,” Virgil mumbled and looked around. The cafe was cozily quiet, and Virgil put his hands into his pockets. The smell of fresh baked cookies enticed his nose, and he rounded the counter until he stood behind the cash register. From this side, he heard faint voices coming from the kitchen. Virgil swung the kitchen door open.

Inside were at least three ovens, two large refrigerators, and shelves upon shelves covered in ingredients needed to make various pastries and coffees. Thomas stood in front of one oven and pulled out fresh cookies while Logan moved some from a tray onto a cooling rack.

“Um,” Virgil called out. Logan glanced up and quirked a brow, and the hair on Virgil’s neck bristled. “Emile needs blueberries for his escaped rat.”

Logan sighed. “I told him to check the latch before he leaves his office every night.”

Virgil stayed silent and studied Logan as he opened one of the fridges. Logan pulled out a small plastic container of blueberries and handed them off to Virgil. The soulmark brought life to Logan’s otherwise lifeless expression.

“Thanks,” Virgil mumbled. Logan nodded and returned to his work. Virgil shivered, and he hastened back to Emile’s office. He opened the door and found Emile doing paperwork at his desk.

A brown and white colored rat scurried across his desk. It picked up a small orange ball and brought it back. Emile would bat the ball away with the top of his pencil, and the rat would chase after it. This went on three times before Virgil broke the trance.

“I got the blueberries,” he announced.

Emile’s head popped up, and he sent a smile. “Oh, good! Thank you.”

Virgil crossed the room, keeping an eye on the rat the whole time. The rat seemed too fascinated with its game of fetch to even care that Virgil was in the room. However, as soon as he put the container down, the rat abandoned the ball and scurried over to the blueberries. Virgil jumped back. The rat sniffed the plastic and tried to open it, but to no avail.

“Give me a minute,” Emile spoke, but the rat continued to try and find a way in. Emile finished up the line he wrote then opened the container. The rat jumped inside and held berry after berry between its paws. Emile smiled and turned his attention to Virgil. “Thank you.”

“Em, no problem.”

“Just hang tight. I’m almost finished.”

“Kay.” Virgil eyed up one of the couches and walked over to it. Hopefully, there’d be no more surprises-

“Wait!” Emile cried out, and Virgil jumped away from the couch. “Don’t sit down. I haven’t found Padraic yet.”

“W-what?” Virgil’s voice squeaked. He cleared his throat. “Then who’s that?”

“This is Basil. Padraic is still somewhere in the office.”

“Oh. Great,” Virgil replied and checked to make sure he wasn’t standing on anything fuzzy.

Emile started making two kissing noises with his lips. He’d pause for a few seconds, then he’d start again.

“Padraic, I have blueberries. You love blueberries. Don’t leave me out here feeling blue.”

Virgil snorted. Is this what he sounded like when he talked to Salem?

Something brushed Virgil’s ankle, and Virgil stiffened as a black rat popped out from under the couch. It scurried across the room and jumped three feet onto Emile’s desk. The rat then eyed Emile over and joined the other at the container of blueberries.

“There you are, Professor,” Emile cooed. He put his pencil down and rubbed his fingers over Padraic’s back. The rat didn’t pay much attention to the scratches, but it didn’t seem particularly annoyed either.

“You have two rats,” Virgil stated.

“Yes. Rats are social creatures, and they have a habit of developing depression if you only have one,” Emile commented.

“Then where was the other one when Padraic was off running around?”

“Basil was burrowed in the paper shreds when we came in. He’s the calmer of the two brothers.”

“Oh,” was all Virgil could say to that. He checked the couch for any other surprise rats and sat down on the cushions.

Emile’s elbow bumped one of the pencils on his desk, and it rolled across the empty space. He tried to grab it, but it slipped over the side before he could. Padraic perked up, dropped the blueberry he munched on, and hopped off the desk. He grabbed the pencil in his mouth and leaped from the floor to Emile’s desk.

“Thanks, Professor,” Emile spoke and took the pencil from Padriac’s mouth. The rat rolled around as Emile rubbed its back. Berry juice pawprints crossed Emile’s paper, but he didn’t seem bothered by it. Either that, or he hadn’t noticed.  Soon, the rat scampered off and returned to the crate of blueberries.

Virgil observed how the rats chewed on the berries with their front paws, and every once and a while, Basil would sit up and smell the air and Padraic would tap Basil’s neck with his nose. This went on for a few minutes. Virgil watched the two huddle and interact together with fascination. He never saw a rat he wasn’t trying to get out of his apartment before. It was almost cute. Almost. When you woke up to a rat on your head and a lazy ass cat at your feet just watching it, you tended to get sour attitudes toward certain critters.

“So, Virgil,” Emile turned his attention to him. “What size shirt do you take?”

“Um, usually a… double extra large,” Virgil mumbled. Emile rose a brow, and Virgil sucked in a deep breath.

“No wonder you look like you’re drowning in your clothes.”

“I don't like being constricted.”

Emile hummed. “I know that feeling. You and I are about the same height, give or take an inch, right?”

“Uh, yeah, I guess.”

“Do you think you could take off your sweatshirt for a minute so I can get a measurement on your chest and waist?”

Virgil swallowed hard. He gripped the fabric of his jeans in his hands and calmed his breathing. His shirt was black. It’d be okay.

“Yeah.”

“Yeah, you’d mind?”

“Uh, no, I can- yeah I’ll just-” Virgil took off his jacket and balled it up in his hands before setting it on the couch beside him. He stood up, Emile watching him with a critical eye the whole time, and rubbed the goosebumps off his arm. “What?”

Emile shrugged, leaned down, and opened a drawer from his desk. He pulled out a measuring roll and walked over toward Virgil. The latter grit his teeth and tried not to shy away.

“Would you rather measure yourself single handedly instead?” Emile asked and handed the roll out in the palm of his hand. Virgil looked down at it and back up to Emile’s eyes.

“I never did before.”

“It’s easy. I’ll tell you what to do,” Emile said with a smile. “Then you don’t have to look like you’re sizing me up for a fight.”

“I’m not- okay fine,” Virgil growled and balled his fists up. “Just… do it quick okay?”

Emile’s eyes warily searched Virgil’s own, and he sighed through his nose. “Okay, if you’re sure. I might need a hand though.”

Virgil blinked and pursed his lips. Emile smiled and handed the tape out to Virgil.

“Okay, first, I’ll need your neck measurements. If you could hold it to the base of your neck right at your Adam's apple, I’d appreciate it.”

Virgil did as he was told, and Emile got to work. Virgil tried his hardest not to hyperventilate with someone this close to him. Sometimes he found himself holding his breath. Emile measured around the base of his neck, around the chest, around his waist, and several other places around his arms.

“Perfect. You’re doing great,” Emile encouraged. The longer Emile was around him, the more relaxed Virgil became. Something about his presence calmed Virgil’s soul bit by bit. Perhaps it was the nonjudgemental way Emile looked at his way too thin body, or maybe it was because Emile always waited for Virgil’s permission to wrap the tape around him. Whichever it was, Virgil was grateful for it.

“Okay, now I need you to turn around until your back faces me so I can measure your arm length.”

Virgil’s heart rate spiked. “Um, I can do that one myself.”

Emile rose a brow and chuckled. “I mean, you could, but it’s going to be difficult-”

“It’s okay. I got this.”

Emile blinked, and he handed the tape over to Virgil. “Okay, if you’re sure. I need you to hold the tape at the back of your neck and run it along the top of your shoulder down to your hand.”

Virgil nodded his head. He stretched his arm back and dug the end of the tape into his skin. The other hand wiggled around until he finally got it on top of his shoulder. Emile eyed him over, his lips seconds away from asking if Virgil wanted help, but he never criticized Virgil for his behavior.

After Virgil finally got the tape to his hand, Emile pulled the tape taut to Virgil’s wrist and studied the number. He hummed and stood up.

“Okay, Virgil, that should be it,” he said with a smile. Virgil released all the air from his lungs. He watched Emile take the tape from him and set it on his desk. Never mind how he was going to wrap it up, Virgil was just grateful it was over with.

“You can leave anytime you want to now,” Emile told him. “Let Logan know you’re done.”

Virgil gave a nod. After grabbing his jacket from the couch, he walked over toward the door. His hand hovered above the handle. Virgil cast a glance over his shoulder, and he watched Emile finish writing up the information on the paper. After a second or two, Emile’s head popped back up.

“Something wrong?”

Virgil stiffened. “Um, no, I just… does Logan hate me?”

Emile blinked. “What?”

Virgil’s neck bristled. “Nevermind. It was a stupid question-”

“No, Virgil, there is no such thing as stupid questions. It just surprised me is all.” Emile sent a gentle smile. “No, I don’t think he hates you. He’s just… he’s not exactly a morning person.”

Virgil snorted. Perhaps they were soulmates after all.

Emile opened his mouth to speak, and Virgil prepared himself for more. Wait, no, Emile’s lips were parted, his eyes widened in shock. Virgil furrowed a brow and formed a question on his tongue.

The door handle to the office twisted. Virgil stiffened. It opened, and the white glow of Logan’s mark stared back at him.

“I’d appreciate it if you two would wrap up your meeting. The cafe opens in five minutes,” Logan informed. Virgil pressed his back against the wall, his cheeks going red. Logan watched his movements with a raised brow. “Is everything satisfactory, Virgil?”

Virgil opened his mouth to speak, but no words came out. He instead nodded his head and turned his attention to the floor.

Logan glanced over at Emile, who switched his gaze from Logan to Virgil and back again.

“Don’t look at me. Patient confidentiality,” Emile said and sent a wide smile.

Logan rolled his eyes and shook his head. “Of course. I’ll be waiting for you outside when you’re ready, Virgil, though I urge you to hurry. We tend to get a plethora of people within the first ten minutes.”

“Kay,” Virgil gathered the nerve to say.

Logan closed the door, there was a pregnant pause, and Emile opened his mouth.

“Don’t tell him,” Virgil cut him off.

“What? Why?”

“I-” Virgil swallowed hard. “I don’t- just not yet, okay? I’ll show him eventually. Just when I’m ready, okay?”

Emile swallowed hard, and Virgil refused to meet his eyes. If looks could burn holes in the floor, there’d be a campfire for them to sing songs around.

“Alright, but if there’s anything you need to talk to me about, Virgil, I’m here to listen.”

Virgil nodded his head, and he slid his jacket back on. The gray wool smothered his goosebumps, and he breathed in its comforting scent of home. Without saying another word, Virgil returned to the shop.

A part of him wanted to show Logan. A part of him wanted to know what color his glow was, and what it looked like standing next to his soulmate. Did it glow one color? Did it glow two? Was it Logan’s favorite color?

So many questions, but Virgil was too scared to know the answer. Living up to his name as always. He hated not knowing, but a deeper fear kept his back covered at all times around Logan. Acknowledging the glow would make this too real, and Virgil was still in a dream state where only Cassie was his. That’s all he wanted.

Maybe when he started to trust Logan more, when he knew his mannerisms, his tolerance, his feelings toward Virgil, he’d open up and allow the glow to show through. Virgil was sure the white shirt he’d wear as a uniform would out him anyway before he got the chance, but for right now, he wanted to keep this secret. He wanted to feel in control. Eventually, he’d show Logan his mark, glowing and resting.

Eventually, but not now.

Chapter Text

Logan wasn’t kidding.

For such a small coffee shop, it sure gathered a decent business. By seven in the morning, there was a line of ten people waiting for coffee, pastries or both, several people reading, one on their computer in the corner, and a handful sitting at the tables and enjoying a cup of coffee with a friend.

Virgil stood in the corner between the back wall and the bar, well out of Thomas and Logan’s way. He watched the two baristas buzz about as they filled various orders long and short. Several people they greeted by name. Virgil did his best to pay attention to the names and orders, but after a while, it overwhelmed him and he stopped.

Most people commented on Logan’s soulmark, which was lit bright for everyone to see. Virgil considered stepping away, but Logan seemed perfectly happy to explain it to them. A few people turned Virgil’s way, obviously looking for a soulmark, but no one asked him to show it. At least his privacy would be respected. They’d find out eventually, but it was nice to know that he wouldn't be expected to show his soulmark unlike other places he worked at.

Virgil noticed certain people showed up in Thomas’s line, and certain people went to Logan’s line. Those in Thomas’s line usually struck up some sort of conversation. They greeted Thomas like an old friend, or at least, he spoke to them like an old friend. Thomas’s smile never disappeared. His eyes twinkled with delight every time someone new came to the counter. The people he served would then go on to enjoy the company of their friends.

Logan’s line, however, ordered their coffee in as few words as possible. They would come to the counter, give their order, and maybe ask Logan how he was this morning, but little conversation occurred between them. Still, they offered polite smiles, or at least as polite as seven am would let them, and then returned to solitude in a corner of the shop or left.

It appeared Thomas attracted the morning people while Logan served those who still had a foot in bed. Was this common? Was Virgil imagining things? If that’s how it worked, what kind of line would he attract?

Probably the grumpy asshole ones.

Virgil recognized the elderly woman who Logan waited on the other morning. He’d remember those blood red lips anywhere. Her dulled green eyes sparkled as she approached Logan, and she broke the vow of silence his line developed.

“Did you eat this morning?” she asked with a wide smile.

Logan pulled the right side of his mouth into a quick smile. He replied, “I have not.”

“Oh,” she said and dug around her purse. She pulled out a granola bar and a peppermint.  Logan held out his hand and took the gift, his smile widening on his face to a gentle expression.

“Thank you,” he said. He asked her for her order, and she took a single small black coffee with no cream but two spoons of sugar. Logan readied her order and handed it off. Virgil noticed that the woman never offered money for her order, and Logan never asked. Logan put the granola bar and peppermint in a drawer under his spot, which had several other uneaten granola bars and peppermints inside, and thanked the woman before she left.

Someone laughed loudly in Thomas’s line, and Thomas followed suit. Virgil turned his attention over to someone with red hair, more freckles than Virgil could count, and a bright green fausmark covering the right side of their neck. They ordered a cup full of cream and sugar with bonus coffee, and they paid in mostly quarters, dimes, and nickels. A grimace covered their face.

“Oh, I’m short fifty-three cents,” they mumbled.

“Don’t worry about it,” Thomas answered.

“But- no, I did this to you last Thursday too. I’m so sorry-”

“It’s fine, really. Don’t worry about it.”

“I’m getting paid tomorrow. I’ll pay you back-”

“Jack, please, don’t worry about it.”

A middle-aged woman in a beautiful pink and purple hijab behind Jack stepped up and pulled the missing change from her purse. She spoke, “I have you covered, sweetheart.”

Jack, with tears in their eyes, gave a nod, and they thanked both of them before slipping over to the corner and plugging in their phone, which Virgil noticed was at 2%.

“Living up to your name as always, Puteri,” Thomas said with a smile.

“Of course,” she said and returned the gesture. Her eyes drifted over to Virgil. His neck hair bristled. She sent a smile, and he gave an awkward tug of his lips before dropping it soon after.

“Your usual?” Thomas asked.

Puteri nodded her head, and Logan stepped into the back kitchen. Her eyes returned to Virgil, and she widened her smile.

“Hello,” she greeted, “You seem rather lonesome back there all by yourself.”

“I’m fine,” Virgil replied a little harsher than he intended. He swallowed the dryness in his throat away and continued, “But, uh, good morning.”

“Learning to become the new barista?” she asked.

“Yeah,” Virgil replied.

“Well, it’s nice to have you on board. I’m Puteri, and you’ll probably see me a lot,” she spoke.

Virgil didn’t relax, but he found his mouth working better, “I’m Virgil. I’m uh… I’m just new I guess.”

“Well if you ever need help with orders or anything, let me know. I worked here for about a month but had to take a break for a bit.”

Thomas returned before Virgil could ask why, and Logan turned his attention over to Puteri as soon as he finished waiting on a rather quiet man.

“Good morning, Puteri,” he greeted.

“Oh, hello Logan,” she said with a smile.

“Everything is going well?”

“Yes. It’s stressful at times, but I’ve managed worse.”

“If you need any help-”

“Logan, you’ve done enough for me. Really,” she said with a smile. Tears lined her eyes, and Virgil watched her brush them away quickly. “I just can’t wait to get back to normal.”

“You take all the time you need,” Logan spoke, “and say hello to Nor for me.”

“In a few weeks, you can tell her yourself.” Puteri took her coffee and three donuts in a small brown bag. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”

“Bright and early,” Logan finished.

Puteri sent one last look over her shoulder at Virgil and hurried out of the shop. Virgil watched her go with curiosity. Thomas and Logan went back to serving those in line, and Virgil started to notice more things these people had in common than whose line they stood in.

Some people came in with clothes covering their whole body instead of proudly showing off their mark. Some had black soulmarks. Quite a few had a fausmark in some way, shape, or form. Some had no soulmark at all. Some people had soulmarks, but they were definitely a minority.

It appeared Logan’s shop attracted a certain breed of clientele. Of course, that’s what happened when you offered a safe space to those that society openly shunned and you greeted with open arms. True safe places were few and far between in this world.

The line calmed down, and a comfortable chatter mixed with the light piano music in the shop. Logan wiped his hands off on his apron and turned to Virgil.

“Were you paying attention?”

Virgil blinked. “Wait, you expect me to remember all those orders?”

“No, but the people that we served this morning were normal patrons. You’ll learn their names and orders quickly.”

Virgil chewed on the skin of his lip. “So, who were they then?”

Thomas spoke up, “Well, you already met Puteri. She worked here for a month then had to leave. Her… um, well her soulmate-”

“Her soulmate, unfortunately, passed away in a car crash, leaving her four-month-old infant without care during the day. I told her to take as long as she needed to recover from the shock.”

Virgil’s jaw dropped. “That’s horrible.”

“She wants to return, but I’m urging her to at least take a few more weeks off, if not for her sake for her daughter Nor’s sake.” Logan sighed through his nose.

Virgil nodded his head in agreement. He turned his attention over to the red-haired freckled kid in the corner, and Thomas started to explain.

“That’s Jack. They’re a senior in high school who stocks shelves in a local grocery store at night. Their dad’s sick in the hospital right now, so they’re doing their best to help their mom support their two sisters.”

“I’ve offered them a job several times for the afternoon hours since I would pay them better than the grocery store and give them a good night’s sleep, but they won’t take it,” Logan added.

Virgil hummed and nodded his head. Working odd hours was something he related to, and if Jack was anything like him, he knew the prideful reaction that came from handouts. Even if he could’ve used the money, Virgil disliked people giving him work just because they felt bad.

“The old woman you saw me tending to was Madame Toombs, who owned this building before I bought it off of her. She comes in every morning and offers me a granola bar and a peppermint for her coffee, not because she can’t afford it, but because I won’t take payment from her. After all, without her granting me entry to her previous home, I would not have a place to run my business.”

Thomas nodded.

“She lives with her son across the street now. Sometimes he comes in with her on bad days.”

“Bad days?” Virgil asked.

“Madame Toombs suffers from arthritis in her hips, spine, and knees. The reason she sold this place to me is because it was too hard for her to get around on her own some days, so she was moving in with her son and daughter-in-law.” Logan explained.

“Oh,” was all Virgil could say. It sounded like everyone who came in here had some sort of problem.

Logan adjusted his glasses and looked up at the clock. “We have had most of our everyday morning crowd here, so things tend to calm down around 8 am. There are two more people you will probably meet, at least one of them, that are regulars, but most of the people who arrive here in the morning have come and passed.”

“Huh.” Virgil expected more people, honestly. If it was just a rush in the morning, he could handle a few people. Perhaps working here wouldn’t be so bad after all.

The front door burst open, the poor bell crying out in surprise, and Virgil jumped at least six inches into the air.

“What’s uuuuup?” a loud man in ridiculously big sunglasses called through the shop. He put his hands in his black leather jacket and strolled up to the counter like he owned the place. Thomas’s face lit up, and he leaned in on his elbows over the counter.

“Good morning,” he greeted.

“Yo, babe.” Remy leaned in and gave Thomas a kiss on the lips. “You would not believe the crazy night me and Pat had.”

“Oh I bet I could,” Thomas answered.

Remy turned his head over toward Virgil, and he pushed his sunglasses up further on his nose. “Fresh meat?”

“Remy, this is Virgil,” Thomas introduced. “He’s gonna start working here soon.”

“Well,” Remy sent a wide grin, “I guess I’m gonna have to break you in then. I want a large mocha cappuccino with a triple shot of espresso, light ice, whipped cream, and make sure you use almond milk and not 2%, m’kay? Oh, and a shot of vanilla and caramel would be nice too.”

If Virgil wasn’t pale already, he was now. How the heck was he supposed to remember all that?

“Now, you be nice,” a voice called from the doorway. Virgil watched as a freckled face man entered the door much quieter than Remy and followed him over to the counter.

Remy turned around and leaned back on the counter, his elbows keeping him propped up as he folded one leg over the other. “You’re no fun.”

“Yes, I would appreciate it if you wouldn’t scare off my new help,” Logan spoke.

Remy turned his attention to Logan and whistled. “Wow, Lo, didn’t know you had a soulmate. Who’s the lucky bitch?”

“The new help,” Virgil grumbled.

Remy threw his head back and laughed, “I’m not even going to comment on how kinky that is.”

“Please,” Thomas replied, “It’s bad enough you joke about me taking your order every day.”

“That’s because you’re my lucky bitch.” Remy leaned his head back, and Thomas rolled his eyes. He planted another kiss on Remy’s forehead.

The man who came in with Remy turned his eyes to Virgil, and for once, Virgil didn’t feel intimidated. Maybe it was because he was almost the same height as Virgil, or maybe it was how he wouldn’t look directly into Virgil’s eyes, but for some reason, he felt like he could trust the man with his life.

That scared him in a whole different way.

“Hello there, I’m Patton,” he greeted, his cheeks puffing up as he smiled. It should’ve been illegal to have cheeks that cute.

“Hi,” Virgil mumbled and shrunk in on himself a bit, “Um, Virgil.”

“Well, nice to meet you, Virgil. Though you look like you’re on the Virge-l of a heart attack. Isn’t this place your cup of coffee?”

The corner of Virgil’s lips quirked.

No. Bad. No crushing on the patrons.

That didn’t seem to stop Thomas though, who played with the top of Remy’s hair.

But that was different, okay? They were soulmates. At least, Virgil assumed they were soulmates.

He shouldn’t do that.

“So, Patton, one vanilla milkshake with oreo cookie crumbs?” Logan asked.

“And a shot of espresso,” Remy added. “He’s been falling asleep more than usual.”

Patton’s nose wrinkled as he narrowed his eyes at Remy.

Even his angry face was cute- NO!

Patton had a soulmark on his neck. It wasn’t glowing, which meant he wouldn’t be interested in Virgil anyway… right?

Virgil rubbed his hands over his face.

It didn’t matter anyway. Virgil would never have the courage to advance on those feelings. Besides, he had Cassie, and he loved Cassie and Cassie loved him. It was bad enough he was dating out of bond with one person, but two? That was just selfish. He was selfish-

Virgil shook his head. He had to stop thinking like that.

He instead focused on Remy and Thomas, who were currently reenacting the Spiderman upside-down kiss, only horizontally. Virgil spotted red stars glowing on Remy’s cheeks through the crack of Remy’s sunglasses. They must be soulmates, or at least, Remy was Thomas’s soulmate. Virgil couldn’t find Thomas’s soulmark, and he didn’t want to ask.

Logan cleared his throat and pressed Remy’s drink into his arm.

“Please release Thomas so he can get back to work,” Logan grumbled.

Remy cracked an eye open at Logan, took a nip at Thomas’s lip, then slipped out from under him.

“Way to kill my buzz,” Remy grumbled.

“Buzz or not, Thomas is working, and you two should get to work as well.”

“I’m self-employed. I can show up whenever the eff I want,” Remy growled.

“Remy,” Patton warned and took his oreo milkshake,” don’t be mean to Logan. He’s right. Besides, Molly needs her medicine in twenty minutes, and I don’t want to be late.”

Remy sighed dramatically. “Ugh, fine. I hate when you use animals against me.”

“It’s one of your three weaknesses,” Patton said with a smile.

“Four,” Remy said and leaned in to kiss Thomas’s cheek one more time. “Oh, babe! Come straight home tonight. I have a special surprise for you.”

Thomas’s eyes drifted over to Patton, who cleared his throat and looked away with red cheeks.

“Is it going to make Patton sleep at Logan’s tonight?” Thomas asked.

“Possibly,” Remy purred with a grin.

Logan rolled his eyes and straightened his tie.

“Allosexuals,” he grumbled.

“Hey, I don’t comment on your sexless life,” Remy snapped.

Patton put a hand on Remy’s back and began guiding him out of the shop.

“We’ll see you tomorrow, Logan. Bye, Thomas! See you tonight! Oh, and bye Virgil. It was nice to meet you!”

“Bye Patton,” Logan and Thomas said almost in complete unison.

Virgil watched the strange pair of tol and smol exit the shop and let out a long sigh of relief.

Logan looked at the clock behind him, which almost reached ten in the morning.

“I’m going to take some headache medication. Virgil, would you assist Thomas at the registers while I’m gone. It should only take about five minutes.”

Virgil’s stomach twisted into knots as he squeaked out, “Uh, sure, yeah okay.”

Logan thanked him with a nod of his head and snuck into the back.

Virgil took small steps up to the register, his movements almost robotic. He’d have to do this eventually anyway. He could do this. He could do this.

Thomas watched him out of the corner of his eye and smiled.

“Virge, there’s no one here. Relax. If anyone comes, I’ll take care of them, okay? You only need to worry if we get more than one, which I doubt, because it’s too late for a lot of people to show up. Everything will be okay.”

Virgil sucked in a breath and released it. He did so another time. And another.

“Okay, okay,” he said through his panic. “It’ll be okay.”

Thomas smiled, and Virgil played with his fingers. He had so many thoughts racing through his head.

“Can I talk to you?” Thomas asked.

Virgil’s panic spiked further.

“Uh. Uh- I- uh-”

“It’s nothing bad. I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you. That was the exact opposite of what I wanted to do.”

Virgil growled deep in his throat. He wanted to hide.

“No, just… just leave me alone,” Virgil snapped.

Thomas flinched as if hit.

“Okay, I’m sorry.”

Virgil sighed.

“No, I don’t mean- I’m sorry- sometimes when I get too anxious-”

“It’s okay, Virgil, you don’t need to apologize. I know you’re scared.”

Somehow Thomas affirming it didn’t make him feel any better.

How in the world was he going to survive working in public service? What made him think this was a good idea? Was it too late to quit and pretend he didn’t exist?

Virgil tapped his fingernails on the counter.

This was going to be a long five minutes.