A Story of Magic and Miscommunication

Prologue

TW Bullying Mention, talk of death

Virgil walks down the streets of  London, his breath clouding the chilly air. He saw an ethereal figure turn the corner towards him, and Virgil dropped his head to stare at his feet. Don't engage. His father's voice rang through Virgil's head.

As he looked intently at his feet, he noticed that one of his worn, black combat boots was untied. He knelt down to fix the laces. The ghostly figure drew closer, humming a song as they pretended to kick at rocks on the road.

"Damnit, that's going to be stuck in my head all day," Virgil grumbled, not loud enough for them to hear. Or so he thought. The ghost stopped short in their tracks, and Virgil hazarded a glance up to see the figure staring at him with wide eyes. Virgil quickly averted his gaze, but the damage was done.

"You can see me!" They squealed, hopping up and down.

Don't engage. Virgil finished tying his shoes, and stood up, brushing the non-existent dirt from his steampunk jeans. Avoiding eye contact, he kept walking towards the ghost, who was currently jumping with glee.

"Why won't you talk to me? I know you can see me," the asked, crossing their arms over the steven universe shirt they were wearing.

Virgil worried his lip ring with his teeth, continuing on as if he hadn't heard them. He casually drifted to one side of the sidewalk so he didn't walk through them. They sidestepped to block Virgil's path, and he skidded to a stop instinctually.

"I knew it!" Virgil sighed, knowing he'd been caught, and made eye contact with the ghost.

"Listen, I have to get home. I don't care whether or not you come, just don't bother me." Virgil stepped around the ghost and started walking home.

They squealed, and skipped along to follow Virgil. "This so so cool! I haven't met anyone who could see me before! It's been so boring. How can you see me? What's your name? I'm Thomas, he/him." Virgil sighed, knowing it was going to be a long walk.

"Virgil, he/him." Thomas grinned.

"Virgil, that's a unique name. I like it! So, where do you live?"

"Dude, I look like a crazy person talking to nobody right now. If you have questions, can you wait 'till I get home?" He nodded eagerly.

"That's fine." They walked in silence, the only sounds being Virgil's boots scraping the concrete.

...................................................................................................

Virgil pulled his keys out of his pocket, fumbling for a moment before grabbing the right one. "Why are you pulling your keys out now?" Thomas looked around. "We aren't at your apartment yet." Virgil huffed out a laugh.

"You've clearly never lived in a bad neighborhood. You don't want to be standing around fumbling for your keys. You're practically asking to be mugged." Thomas let out a low whistle.

"That's not good." Virgil shook his head no in agreement. He stopped in front of a door that was peeling. He turned the key in the lock and pushed the door open.

"Mum, I'm home!" He shouted, closing the door behind him after Thomas walked in.

"Hi, sweetie! I'm making dinner right now! Why don't you start on your homework?"

Thomas followed Virgil as he walked to what was presumably his room. Virgil closed the door behind him and flopped onto his bed.

Thomas looked around the room. The walls were painted black, and My Chemical Romance posters as well as P!ATD posters adorned the walls. A few photos hung on the wall, all of Virgil and an older man. A bookshelf filled to the brim with books was pressed against the far wall, and a vanity sat next to the bed, makeup scattered across the surface. His bed had black sheets and black and purple pillows. The only splash of color in the room came from a small pride flag hung on the wall next to a closet.