Coffee, Pastries, And Honesty- A LAMP Sanders Fic

Chapter Three

The next year passed in a delightful blur for Virgil. More dates occurred, but both had agreed to take things a bit slow, though they began to date after seeing each other for a month.

He enjoyed Roman, he truly did. They'd done things like kiss and hold hands, but nothing that would show Virgil's lack of mark. He honestly had never felt so alive, as cliche as it sounded.

He realized it was time to have a conversation. It was getting serious, and he felt guilty for delaying it so long. He was just afraid.

Yes, the soulmark conversation, one Virgil wasn't looking forward to. He was scared that Roman would see the lack of mark, realize Virgil wasn't meant to be his, and call the whole thing off.

This hurt, as he had really grown to like Roman, to a point that he thought that he could be truly happy with him. But he figured that it probably wasn't meant to be, and the dates were fun while they lasted.

Virgil called Roman over, saying that they need to talk. Roman got over about 15 minutes later, obviously worried about what Virgil was going to say to him, so Virge shot him a smile to try to calm him down.

It seemed to work as Ro smiled back and the two sat on the couch together.

"I wanted to talk to you because there is something important I want to tell you and it really affects our relationship," Virgil said quietly but a bit quickly. Roman nodded for him to continue.

"I...I don't have a soulmark, meaning that I'm probably not your soulmate-"

"Virgil..."

"-and I'm sorry I got you into this mess-"

"Virge, listen..."

"-and I really hope that maybe after we heal-"

"Virgil, my dear..."

"-we can still be friends, as you're a real cool dude and-"

He got cut off by Roman kissing him. Virgil was shocked at first but kissed back happily. They pulled apart when they ran out of breath, and Roman grabbed his hand. After catching their breath, Roman spoke.

"I don't care you don't have a mark, because I don't have one either. I think you're a great guy, Virge, and I would love to continue this romance we have. You are amazing as well. If you don't want to continue, this I understand, but please don't think that I don't want you, because it's quite the opposite."

Virgil smiled one of the biggest smiles he'd ever given. Roman smiled back and Virgil kissed him once again, but this one was a bit shorter.

Roman chuckled after they pulled apart. "I take that as you want to continue this?"

Virgil smirked again and the two talked for the rest of the night. Sharing stories of their pasts, well, at least ones that weren't too sad, and bonding over the experiences they had as someone with no soulmark

"It's relieving you know," Virgil said as the night drew to a close, "to find someone who gets it. I've always felt so alone in my lack of soulmark. I knew there were others like me, there had to be, but yet it felt so isolating. Like they existed in theory but not in practice. Especially growing up in a pretty closed minded small town where at best you were pitied and at worst you were called an MM."

Roman shuddered at that word, recalling the times he was called that.

It was one of the worse terms someone with no mark could be called and was commonly avoided nowadays unless being used to insult people like Roman and Virge.

It stood for "Minus Marcam", which was latin and roughly translated to "Mark Less." MM was commonly used when referring to the word, but you still shouldn't call someone that either.

While it used to be used scientifically, it became a derogatory term over time, and it brought back painful memories in Virgil (mostly back when he was in school), and, sadly, it appeared that Roman had been called that too.

"I agree, it's so refreshing to speak to someone who at least has an actual first hand experience, even though yours is different. I grew up in a big city so only so many knew about my marklessness. Yet, there was more hatred to the markless nearby and rallies against them, some close to my house. And, that word was commonly used, which stung a good bit. It's interesting to actually get to share this and hear another experience in person. I'm..." He paused for a second, "glad I met you Virgil." He smiled sweetly at him. Virgil smiled back.

"I'm glad I met you too, Roman."

---

The relationship progressed as time moved on. Two years from the day they started dating and they were celebrating in a way that some wouldn't call romantic but was perfect for them.

They were sitting on the couch, the stress of moving having finally passed. They were cuddling with each other, eating pizza, having a Disney Movie Marathon in order to celebrate.

The two were smiling at each other. Content with the point they were at.

And it may have been a surprise, but neither of them had ever said "I love you".

It's not that they didn't. They really did. It was just that those words almost seemed forbidden. Like, the fate of loneliness that they had expected before meeting each other had almost just disappeared into thin air, and that was hard to accept sometimes.

And Virgil was scared, scared that it wasn't going to last, scared that one of these days a soulmark would appear on one of them, and the life he expected would be completely torn up again, this time for the worst, as he didn't want a life without Roman. He didn't care if they weren't soulmates, he was happy with Roman. Roman made him want to be better, made him want to deal with the things that trouble him so he could be better, and he knew that Roman felt the same.

But it was their two year anniversary, and Virgil was going to say it. He took a deep breath and-

"I love you."

Roman said, uncharacteristically nervous.

Virgil blushed and smiled. "I...I love you too."

Roman smiled at that and they made eye contact when it hit him.

This was where he was meant to be. Who he was meant to be with. Roman was his soulmate, he didn't need any proof of that.

Roman had been there through thick and thin, and he would do the same for Roman. When people were jerks about the soulmarkless, Roman stood by him and fought with him. When Roman got frustrated with his students, Virgil was there to listen as Roman ranted and calmed him when his words had run out. When Virgil's anxiety became too much for even him to handle, Roman learned the things to do, and not to do, to calm Virgil down. The two were in love and there was no way about it.

Together they were stronger. Together they could have a lovely and stable future. Together they could have a life where they were both content.

Together, the void that had been in his life had been filled, and he loved it.

"You're my soulmate. I'm in love with you and I want a future you." Virgil smiled as he said that, almost sounding amazed as he spoke.

"I feel that way about you too."

That was when he felt a burning on his wrist. It wasn't painful though, no, it almost felt nice.

He looked down and what once was his barren wrist, now had a mark on it.

On his right wrist, there was a heart with a thick black outline and a filling of equal parts of the purple of Virgil's jacket and the bright red that was Roman's favorite shade to wear.

They looked at each other with a mixture of confusion and wonder in their eyes. Both were speechless, happy though.

Virgil kissed him, trying to convey the love he felt through that, and he only got met with the same intensity.

There were many questions of course. Why now? Why hadn't the mark shown prior? What did this mean for them?

But they could save those questions for later because this was one of the happiest moments in Virgil's life so far.

Because he was satisfied.

Well, at least for now.