Chapter Text
"Congratulations, Will. You have a soulmate."
Will sighed.
You stopped being eligible for a (free) soulmate test after you reached the age of 18. Will didn't want one (a test or a soulmate) but his dad's (7th in 4 years) girlfriend insisted.
"That's wonderful Willie!" Gretchen squeaked with all the grandiose of some big epiphany.
The signs that he had a soulmate were franfully overwhelming - though if he could've he'd loved to ignore them.
He glanced at the (tiled) floor, disarmed with her excitement. He didn't hate gretchen. Well he did on an emotional level (for the nicknames alone) but intellectually he did realise she hadn't really done anything to warrant that reaction. She wasn't that much older than him really (half the age of his father).
She had that young naivete to her that led her to idealise love into fairytale romances which of course let her easily be convinced by the idea of soulmates, Taylor Swift songs and coercion into unhealthy age gap relationships.
Gretchen also seemed pretty adamant on the idea of being a "step-mother" figure to will. Not that she actually cared as she was only really doing it to please her father, but it led to a lot of uncomfortable situations for will nonetheless.
"Bill let's have some me-you bonding time!!" (Not my name)
"You mind if I call you William?" (Yes)
"Oh my god you, you have a soulmate Willie?" (Unfortunately)
He didn't have any interest in talking too or remembering the names of His dad's revolving door of girlfriends but she had other plans.
Given her love of soulmates and forcing will into situations he didn't want to be in, she was ecstatic.
To Gretchen, taking him out of one of his few days of free time and making him fill out an incredibly lengthy report and talk to strangers for over an hour for a soulmate he wanted to know as little as possible about sounded like a dream day out. Will? Not so much.
"So. What did we know about them!?"
Ugh. He couldn’t handle her excitement right now, he had the worst headache. (At the courtesy of his wonderful soulmate). It felt like his head had been bashed against a brick wall. He told Gretchen that before going but she said that sounded too specific to be the truth.
"While most of it is covered in the report-"
If it's already covered in the report you don't need to repeat it-
'We can go over some stuff now."
Will closed his eyes and relaxed for a second, Doctor was probably eagerly looking at him with curiosity and gretchen with excitement. She was probably using her hands while silently talking and mouthing 'he's like that, sorry' with the most hideous look on her face. The warm gold wall still clashed with her bleached blonde extensions. The potted plant was still dying in the corner. The paint was still peeling off the walls. Gretchen was probably still looking at him wondering when he'd stop acting like that. He opened his eyes.
Gretchen decided to break the silence, catching the hint.
"So?"
That was nice he supposed. Talking for him because she knew he didn't want too. Not that he ever wanted too.
Gretchen was "nice" he guessed. One of those caregiver personalities that felt entitled to random things for being so nice. The Cancers, Esfjs or 2w3. Or whatever bullshit personality test she believed in. It was probably good good had a caregiver personality, you needed one to date his dad.
Why did Gretchen care so much about this? She probably wanted a soulmate and eagerly awaited one despite showing no signs. She probably cried when it turned out she didn't have one. She shouldn't have raised her hopes up for something that showed no signs of happening. She probably felt so shattered at not getting her fairytale romance that her self esteem fell down that she felt like she could only date people like his dad.
And now Gretchen was vicariously living through him.
Keep the psychoanalysis to your own mind Will.
"Well let me get my notes on her."
Huh. "Her". Thar was an assumption and not fact (Like everything on this pointless report) with a very likely chance of being wrong.
"She's older."
Gretchen gave him a side-eye like she had any ground to stand on.
Will already knew that anyway. He'd been getting bruises, cuts and the worst hunger pains from his birth.
"Unusually older."
What did Freud say about age gap relationships? Probably said they were completely natural. He did have as bad a mother complex as Gretchen has daddy issues. Did he say that psychological issues could be passed down? Probably. Freud also said homosexuality could be cured through castration so he probably wasn't the the to listen too. Or was that his daughter? Will Never could keep up with crack psycho-analysts.
"And they almost definitely have your name, you won't be getting that in your head anytime soon kid."
As if I wanted to know.
The Doctor said it with a chuckle in his voice and the eyes of an adult looking down at a child like they didn't know what they were talking about. It gave him the same feeling as he used to get when he would say something and adults would burst out laughing.
He'd been trying to ignore the Doctor (as his masterful efforts to forget his name showed) so he could keep his own psycho analysis to just his own mind and not start thinking about how he thinks of this as the Highlight of his day and finds Will's lack of eye contact amusing.
Ah.
"It's usually the boys that have the names."
She remarked with the same suprise as the side eye she gave him earlier.
Will could make a joke about traditional gender roles here and how the doctors smile grew wider after she said that or even about how gretchen's projection of a fairytale romance onto himself was leaving her disappointed (why would you get your hopes up for something that won't happen)
But Wills' mind already had jumped five levels onto how this room's decorator clearly didn't understand color theory and was congratulating himself for doing his best to ignore his empathy. He fidgeted and readjusted his (broken) glasses.
"Usually."
Will sighed. It was going to be a long 20-60 minutes.
The potted plant in the corner was dying, the paint was peeling off, the Doctor finally broke the silence.
"We also couldn't really pinpoint a location but that basically implies they don't live nearby anyway."
Hallelujah to that.
He spoke it in the same authoritative tone he always spoke in. Another sigh. Will hadn't seen him before. That was just another assumption from his empathy. Just as credible as the ones on this goddamn report
"Willie, isn't it amazing that they can tell so much from just a blood test!"
She tried to sound excited even though she clearly was disappointed by every one of his results so far. Also she was trying to include him in the conversation. He supposed that the "nice" quality was only temperamental.
He might as well bite
"They can't actually tell anything from a blood test. Just a lot of probablys, could be's, would be's. Most of the information Is from statistics charts anyway. This turns out to be false at least 50% of the tim-"
"Don't be rude, Will."
She snapped.
Oops.
His mind put on the same plastic filter it always did when someone raised their voice. Comfortably numb and he didn't even flinch. His own fault really.
"Didn't mean to offend." He offered but Gretchen's disapproving gaze stayed.
"It's alright lad. Anyway, here's the full report. Judging from your symptoms the bond you two share is quite strong."
He pointed it out like it was a revelation and as if Will didn't already know. He supposed maybe to all the people who went in here common sense was a big revelation. Likely, everyone who romanticised a perfect future with someone they didn't know was probably a bit airheaded.
"Yeah. I uh. Receive tele-. My soulmates mind sometimes creeps into mine. Not often." Will didn't let it happen often. "And I thought I had dreams about them too but that was just Nightmares."
"But that's not the biggest sign is it?"
"Shared pain slash taste." Will tried to sound as bitter as possible in 4 words.
Will wouldn't stop crying as a baby. Always hungry. Always bruises. Not that stopped. He got less hungry over the years but the cuts and bruises stayed and got worse over the years. His soulmate didn't have the easiest life. Maybe they were a member of the mafia, He joked to himself.
"Old Willie here as always had problems with that."
You've known me for 3 months and still tried to sound like she was there from the beginning. She was like ten when he was born anyway.
"And there are other signs-"
"They're on the report i gave you sir, no need for me or you to repeat them. Anyway any predictions you make with them will be on the report you give me."
That was rude. Ugh. Gretchen was probably giving him a look again. He wished he could bring himself to care.
"Your soulmate might already have your name."
Will thought of the implications of that. If his soulmate tried to find him, what would he do? Reject them? If they already had it and didn't want him… Will bit his lip. What was worse? Wanting him or not?
"That would be the end of the session."
He was offended by that. Just like his first psychiatrist was when he pulled a similar move at the age of 8.
Gretchen was disappointed, her attempts to live vicariously through him must've failed. He had warned her that she wouldn't enjoy this (and that he wouldn't either.)
Will didn't want anything to do with his soulmate.