Chapter Text
I am probably the unluckiest person in the world. Want to know why? Well, where do I start…
Everyone gets their soulmate’s initials on their wrist (right or left depending on which hand they use the most) on their eighteenth birthday. I know I know, it’s hard to find your soulmate with just their initials, but there’s a solution for that. You can go to your nearest Soulmate Finder building and they will give you a list of the people with those initials and the basic info like their name, gender, and phone number. The list is also organized by the likeliness of them being your soulmate, which can vary in accuracy at times, but it usually depends mainly on age, gender, and sexual orientation. There’s a whole process of taking a test or two beforehand, but it’s all pretty simple stuff.
On my eighteenth birthday, when I turned over and looked at my right wrist in the morning, I thought I was the luckiest person alive. My soulmate had a name that started with a Z! How could this be anything less than lucky. I didn’t know anyone with a name that started with Z at the time, so my parents took me to the nearest Soulmate Finder building and I was given probably the shortest list I’ve ever seen. The packet was around the size of a children’s picture book!
But, of course, I wanted to wait to contact any of them until later. Not until I was in college. Finding your soulmate and being with them is a very serious thing and I didn’t want that kind of commitment so soon.
A year later and I’m moving into my college dorm, carrying my boxes into my room with some struggle. This is my first time living on my own and I can barely pick up the box of kitchen utensils. Great.
“Need help with that?” A male behind the two boxes I’m holding asked with a chuckle, noticing my futile effort.
“Yes please,” I sigh in relief as he removes the top box, revealing himself. He is just an inch or two taller than I am with tan skin and a decent bone structure from what I could see. He has dark brown hair styled up with the sides shaved and has big, dark brown eyes with a bright, white-toothed smile that is amazingly contagious.
“This is your dorm? Or am I moving you into someone else’s place?” The male asks, his index finger pointing to the dorm with the door swung wide open. Boxes are strewn all over the counters and floor. I’m honestly glad I got a single dorm, though it is a bit more expensive than the shared dorms. I’m not ready to be roommates with a stranger.
“Yeah, my new home away from home,” I chuckled nervously, letting him go in first and place down the box he was holding. Then I go in and do the same. And that’s how it goes for the last few boxes I have.
“Oh my goodness, that was so exhausting,” I sigh, just relieved I got them all in. And I’m also grateful that the dorm came fully furnished as I gladly take a seat on the sofa. The male I met just minutes ago is leaning on the island in the kitchen, looking over at me with a polite smile. One thing I know already is that he’s a chatterbox. It’s like he can’t live in silence, but I really don’t mind. He mostly just seems to talk about gaming and such. Though he seems as awkward as I am, he’s pretty funny and chaotic in a fun way. “Thank you so much for the help. How much do you want me to pay you?”
“Oh no, it’s fine. I’m just glad to help out,” The stranger insists with a kind smile, “Especially since you're my new neighbor.”
“Oh really? Which dorm room?” I question excitedly, realizing I’m making my first new friend in college.
“Room 14,” He says, pointing to my left wall as it is the room right next door to my room, Room 13.
“Wow, what a cool coincidence,” I chuckle lightheartedly.
After a slight pause, the male says, “Well, I must get to my room now. I don’t wanna miss the tour tomorrow morning. I’m helping with it after all.”
“Oh, alright,” I hummed casually, walking him to the door of my dorm and watching him walk to his room. Then I realize something I never asked. We were just so distracted talking about video games that I completely forgot to ask him.
“Wait, I didn’t catch your name.”
The male turns to me, smiles, and says, “The name’s Zak, but most people call me Skeppy. It’s my gamertag. And yours is...?”
I can’t tell you the feeling I felt when I heard his name. It was too crazy of a coincidence, right? This isn’t fate or destiny. I shouldn’t just assume everyone with a name starting with ‘Z’ is my soulmate. But this guy is kinda cute...
“Darryl, but most people call me Bad. N-not because I’m bad or anything! It’s also b-because of my gamertag, Badboyhalo,” I sputter out nervously, my face pink from embarrassment. Why am I stuttering so much? These thoughts of soulmates are making me nervous.
Skeppy just smiles more and laughs lightly, amused with my awkwardness. Then he replies, “Well, I’ll be going now.” He opens his door to go into his room, but I quickly stop him again by grabbing lightly at his sleeve. I have to know if this is some crazy coincidence or not.
“W-wait. Sorry to bother, b-but I was just wondering if I could know what your full name is?” I stutter out, letting go of his sleeve. Smooth Bad. Smooth.
Skeppy looks at me confused and a bit uncomfortable. I couldn’t blame him. Sharing full names is a bit personal if you’re unaware of the context. “Zak Arthur Perez. Why?”
Nope, this has to be a crazy coincidence. Some fantastical dream I’m having after passing out from carrying all the moving boxes. He has the same initials as my soulmate. Could he be…? No, he couldn’t be...could he?
I can see Skeppy process what is happening after my long silence. He looks down at his right wrist, eyes widening ever so slightly. “And your full name is..?” Skeppy interrogates in return, hesitantly looking up at me with the same slightly wide-eyed expression.
“Darryl Brian Noveschosch,” I answer just as hesitantly. To anyone else we probably looked insane just staring at our wrists and each other wide-eyed. Or maybe others would understand, looking down at their marked wrists longingly or their blank wrists proudly. Who knows. All I know is that I might have found my soulmate on the first day of college life.
Skeppy pauses for a moment and I see him trying to take everything in. “My initials are on your wrist, aren’t they?”
I nod silently, just hoping and praying he wasn’t trolling me or something. He turns his wrist to me and I see DBN printed in bold, black letters. I can’t believe it. I feel like I can scream, but I keep quiet, still in shock.
“Are we soul-” Skeppy starts to ask the question that is on both of our minds but is suddenly cut off by someone approaching behind me.
“Skeppy, are you harassing the freshies again?” A male coos teasingly to Skeppy, and before I can turn to see who the voice belongs to, the mystery man drapes his arm lazily over my shoulders, leaning on me slightly. I see Skeppy tense a bit and his smile fades slightly, but not make a move to stop his friend.
The male is an inch or two taller than Skeppy, towering above me. He is probably 6”1’ or 6”2’ from what I can tell. He has fair skin and amazing bone structure which isn’t too rough nor too soft. He has a cute button nose to top his perfectly structured face off. He has raven black hair that is roughly two inches long all around with a freshly shaved undercut. The most stunning feature of him by far though is his piercing, dark blue eyes.
“No Zane, I was just helping him unpack,” Skeppy huffs insistently, folding his arms childishly.
Zane looks at me as I am staring at him. He looks me up and down, making me look away and flush a bright pink.
“He’s cute. Let’s have a look-see, shall we?” Zane hums in a deep but smooth tone, grabbing my arms and putting them out like I’m holding a cookie tray. His eyes catch the black print on my right wrist and he smirks. Skeppy shifts in place, tip-toeing a bit to look at the initials written on my wrist again.
“Do you think I can ask him for his initials? He looks a bit out of it,” The male ponders with a light chuckle as I’m in a bit of a flustered daze. His casual teasing just makes me blush like crazy. It’s so blatant and forward. I’m not used to it at all.
“It’s DBN and his first name is Darryl if you wanna know so badly, but I would back off if I were you. I just checked. He’s my soulmate,” Skeppy huffs defensively, standing with his arms crossed in front of his still-open door. In his eyes though, I see some form of worry. Like he knows some key detail I don’t. And he does.
“I wouldn’t be too sure,” Zane hums as he shows off his left wrist with his soulmate’s initials printed on it. My initials. “The full name’s Zane Akira Palen. Crazy coincidence, huh? This will be fun.”
And with a wink from Zane, he walks off and into his room. Room 12 to be exact.
Skeppy looks odd. Irritated maybe? Jealous? Worried? I, however, am in complete and utter shock. One thought crosses my mind the most at this moment, staring at the green-painted door of Room 12: I am the unluckiest person in the world.