Ethel was getting real sick of this stupid hospital room.

The walls were a obnoxiously bright gray, and the curtains did little to block out the pale sun of winter. There was this stupid little picture across from his bed, with a cute silhouette couple holding hands, a small loopy string dangling from their fingers.

Ethel rolled over onto his side, picking at the slightly peeling paint. He'd been in here for days, and still had an hours wait before he was discharged.

His spine hurt from being in this position for so long, but he'd already explored the hospital five times now.

He didn't understand what was so important about him being here so long. They already told him the bad news. He'd already passed the mark for another soulmate. He had already come to terms wi-

A lump raised into Ethel's throat, but he swallowed it down. He hadn't cried yet. He wouldn't now.

Perhaps the hardest part about this whole ordeal was the pitying looks. The nurses telling him it was alright to cry. The therapist that had stopped by to tell him it wasn't healthy to act like everything was fine.

Everything was fine though, right? It wasn't like Ethel lost something important. He didn't lose his job, didn't lose his house. No, he lost someone he hadn't even met yet. Surely it wasn't that important.

Yeah, he'd be a bit lonely, but was that really important? No. It wasn't, not really.

His stomach twisted into knots. It didn't bother him, it didn't. The feeling of nothing he found didn't mean anything. The complete lack of movement from his fatestring meant nothing.

He ran a hand through his hair, and even after all this time, was a bit disappointed when he didn't feel the string pull against his finger.

With a sigh, he sat up, reaching for his phone. He had gotten a notification from Remy, five minutes ago. He opened it. They'd be here soon.

His phone buzzed in his hand as he got a message from Emile. Sometime this week they'd swapped numbers, the therapy student wanting to be nice and keep him some kind of company.

-Hey were heading there now u ready to leave

Ethel rolled his eyes.

-no, i really do enjoy it here

-Thought so see u soon

Ethel put his phone into his pocket as he stood. Stretching. He stretched out the soreness in his arms and headed out of his room. HE was given some paperwork, which he finished quick enough.

The hospital was on campus of the town university he attended. He would've normally just walked to his dorm, but Remy had insisted he drive Ethel.

He spotted Remy's car, recognizing the sunglasses clad male as he opened the side door.

"What, no Emile today?" Ethel asked as he buckled in.

"He had work. Where do you wanna go babes? We can go out to eat or-"

"I think I'd just like to go home. Today is just such a lovely day."

Remy looked out the window to see the thunder clouds rolling up over the hills in the distance. He rolled his eyes as he turned out of the parking lot.

"Yeah well, I'm not leaving you alone all evening, get that into that pretty little head of your's El. We're goin' to your apartment if you are, hon."

"Figured as much," Ethel said as he pulled his hat over his eyes and laid his head back against the head rest. That feeling of emptiness was present again. 'We' Remy had said. He was most likely bringing Emile along. It just reminded Ethel about how he wasn't going to get another soulmate. Another fatestring. Another chance. He didn't do anything wrong to deserve this, did he? Sure he took that pack of gum from the store without paying, but that was years ago. And yeah maybe he was a bit sarcastic and stand offish, but surely-

"Hon I can hear those gears turning in your head."

Ethel flushed. He looked at the frayed end of his fatestring again, messing with it with his other hand. Remy's eyes caught the movement as they pulled up to a stop light.

"You're looking at it again, aren't you."

"No."
Remy sighed, "Ethel, sweetheart, platonic love of my life," Ethel grumbled at that one, "It will be fine. The reassigning is just a little late is all. Perhaps its finding the perfect match to tag you onto right now. It's rare not to get reassigned babe, there's no way you won't be."

Ethel shrugged.

"Okay. That's it babes. We're getting some coffee. I ain't goin' into some sappy ass monologue just for you to shrug me off. I'm going to cheer you up with chocolate and sparkles. Buckle up."

"I am."

"Shuthu' fuck up."

Ethel hid a smirk as he lifted his hat from his eyes and looked up to see Remy's irritated driving. They pulled into the starbucks, and Ethel attempted to forget the whole soulmate thing for the time being.

Easier said than done.

-

(Two Months Later)

"You are being ridiculous."

"Oh, am I? I'm being ridiculous? You, sir, are ridiculous. I am simply trying to get my work done, now if you'd simply leave me alone," Roman huffed, crossing his arms over his chest in indignation.

"Ro, honey, you were shouting lyrics to beauty and the beast at nine in the afternoon, people are sleepy."

Roman gave an outraged cry, he was being ganged up on by the glasses gays! He would not stand for this! "It was not shouting, I was belting! I was singing as loud as my heart desires, I simply wish to follow my heart!"

"More like belching them out," Virgil snickered into his hoodie sleeve from his seat on the counter. Roman gave a few offended noises that sounded suspiciously like squawking.

"How dare! I am simply trying to memorize my lyrics-"

"And why don't you," Logan came up behind him, placing his hands on his shoulders lightly, "Memorize them in your room, and not off the balcony."

"But there's no romanticism in that."

"Baby, I'm sure that nice imagination of yours can think of a nice audience to listen to you," Patton said, kissing Roman on the forehead as the redhead fell to the couch.

"A more willing audience then our neighbors," Virgil grumbled, "I don't want another sound complaint."

"Better yet," Patton said, pulling Roman right back to his feet, why don't we go to your room, and I'll listen to you.."

Roman perked up like a puppy, nodding and already pulling Patton into his room. Logan and Virgil watched them leave, both with love stricken looks.

"This happens every night," Logan said, walking to the coffee pot to poor him another cup.

"Yeah well, it's a routine at this point," Virgil said, eyeing the new cup in Logan's hands, "You're not planning on staying up all night with that, are you?"

Logan sighed, running a hand through his hair, "I do need to stay up late, yes. I have an essay that needs edited."

"Logan you are going to work yourself to death one of these days."

"And you plan on sleeping soon?"

Virgil grumbled some excuses, just as Logan thought he would. The bespectacled male smiled into his mug as he brought it to his lips to drink.

"Whatever idiot, I'm going to bed. And yes, whatever, by bed I mean I'm going to be on my phone for another hour or two. Sushi. I- I mean- damnit, sue me."

Logan laughed, setting his drink down and pulling Virgil into his arms and off the table. The emo grumbled but returned the embrace anyways. Logan gave him a peck to his lips, brushing the hair from his eyes.

"Goodnight Virgil, please attempt to get some sleep."

"Yeah, yeah," Virgil said, pushing away from Logan. He was sure his face was a deep red, but he didn't expect Logan to notice as he rushed away down the hall.

Logan smiled again. He wasn't normally the one to be all lovey-dovey, but it was late and he was in a good mood. A great mood actually. Life was good, stable, had a rhythm to it. Logan liked to keep things organized, liked to have a schedule, a routine.

There had been no outside factors messing up this schedule for a few years now, and he planned on keeping it that way.

He finished is coffee and work sometime in the early hours. He couldn't tell when, as he had immediately curled into the bed next to his soulmates minutes after. Sleep made his eyelids heavy as he drifted off to sleep, completely unaware of the faint numbing feeling in his fingers.

-

Morning came with a buzz of an alarm clock. It was annoying, and loud, but it did its job well.

Logan woke up the same way every day. He'd carefully untangle himself from his fiances, wincing as his bare feet hit the cold ground. He'd yawn as he exited their shared room and entered the bathroom. He'd brush his teeth, shower, and leave. He'd start the coffee and solve a word-cross puzzle. He'd make himself a Crofter's covered piece of toast, leave a small note for his partners, and depart for work.

This morning shouldn't have been any different. He woke up, untangled himself, stretched and yawned. He left the room and entered the one across the hall.
He was too tired to notice when he reached for his toothbrush. Didn't notice as he rinsed his mouth out. He noticed as he patted his mouth dry with a hand towel.

He dropped the cloth into the sink and shouted, stumbling back until he hit the wall. He shoved his hand into his pajama pockets, trembling all over. A feeling of dread filled him, the feeling he got when something major messed with his schedule. An unknown constant added to his perfectly mapped out life.

Logan heard his fiances start to stir and get up. He took his hands out of his pockets. They trembled violently, bringing them in front of him, praying that he was wrong, he hadn't seen what he thought he did.

With a shaky intake of breath, he confirmed the impossible.

There was a thin yellow string attached to his pinky finger where there hadn't been last night.

"Logan?! Logan are you alright?" Patton was the first to round the corner. He had shot up when he heard the scream and thump. His breath caught in his throat.
Roman and Virgil were next, damn near getting wedged in the door with how fast they both rammed into it. Logan was shaking his head in disbelief, staring at his hands, at the four strings that were connected to each finger. The others looked down as well, at the string that had connected itself to their pinky fingers.

"How is that possible?" Roman asked in disbelief, messing with the string. Logan just shrugged, exhaling shakily.

"It shouldn't be- you are born with strings, you shouldn't be able to gain them."

"Who are they?" Patton asked as they all looked up at each other. They had five soulmates. Five. That was a ridiculous number, absolutely unheard of.

"I guess," Virgil swallowed, "I guess we'll find out when we find them."

-

Ethel woke up with the feeling that he'd been hit by a truck. Everything was sore, and his hand hurt to move. Maybe he slept on it weird.

He sat up, rubbing the sleep from his eyes, wincing as his fingers tugged weirdly. They felt like the circulation had been cut off, they were all sleepy and heavy.
He got up, shivering as his toes touched the freezing floor of his apartment. He could see his breath in front of him.

He really needed to fix that heater.

Walking into his kitchen, he made himself a cup of coffee, his eyes barely open. His fingers gave another uncomfortable tug. Weird.

Slugging into the bathroom, he took a shower, running his hands of his face. Perhaps it was a good thing he was never reassigned a soulmate. The ugly scar on half his face would scare them off.

He dried off afterwards, brushing his teeth. He looked at himself long and hard in the mirror, scrutinizing every inch. He had school and practice today, enough people would see him to need makeup, and he applied the simple face he wore with practiced ease.

It didn't do much to cover up the scars, but it was something.

He left the house with his coffee in hand and backpack slung over his shoulder, wearing a black long coat and a scarf. It was beginning to feel a lot like winter, and Ethel wasn't one to like the cold.

The walk to campus wasn't horribly long. Just a walk through the park and up the block. He was pretty fit and in shape, both from the walk and practice, so it no longer bothered him any.

Ethel ignored the few looks he got from passerby. There seemed to be a lot of them today. Odd. He had lived here for a while now, surely most these people who were routinely out at this time had gotten over their staring phase.

He spotted Remy waiting at the fence as always, speeding up slightly to catch up with him. The glasses clad male waved without looking up from his phone.

"Hey hot stuff, how's your morning been?" Remy asked, still texting. Probably Emile if one was going off the fond look on his face.

"Dreadful," Ethel grumbled, leaning against the fence, "I must have pulled a muscle in my arm or something, it hurts something awful."

"Uh huh. Well, I wish the best for you babes. Maybe take some meds or somethin' before class?" Remy looked up at him over his glasses. Ethel nodded, running a hand through his hair, missing how Remy followed them movement.

"Yes well that's a giv-"

"Holy shit babe," Remy exclaimed suddenly, grabbing a hold of Ethel's wrist.

He moved out of the way of the street light, holding Ethel's wrist out, staring at the shadows on the ground in absolute disbelief.

"You have four and you didn't tell me?!" He have shrieked in excitement, looking up at Ethel in surprised. Ethel raised a concerned eyebrow.

"Four wh-" His throat closed in on itself, and the world around him seemed to melt away as he stared at his hand. Four- four strings. There were four fatestrings connected to his fingers. Four-

Four soulmates?

-

(A/N: Note- If you happen to see Ethel's name written as "Damian" it's because the version on Tumblr has his name as Damian. Why? Because I'm an idiot who thought it would be cool to have it Damian on Tumblr and Ethel on Ao3. Big mistake. If I were to make it different on here tho, it would probably be Dante or Dmitri lol.

If you leave a comment you can have my first born. If you see a typo, roast me)