Virgil hated change. He liked having stability and responsibilities in his life to keep him grounded and stable. He didn't want to have to deal with any of the things he had to do to make a change, either. There were so many risks and things he couldn't predict. But this situation was arguably getting riskier by the day. He was sick of the cooperate grind, sick of putting up with heartless projects and self-righteous assholes just to fit in. He was ready to start over and he needed to do it now before it got even more problematic.
Virgil stared up at the tiled ceiling in his office and leaned back in his chair at his desk. It's all a grind, ultimately, since the world was terrible now. But this grind, in particular, he would probably have to pay penance for just for his own sanity's sake. The way things were going lately, he was surprised he hadn't snapped and killed half the floor, already. He sighed heavily and eyed the window in the door to his office to verify no one was coming.
Virgil loosened his black tie a little and unbuttoned the top button on his dress shirt and opened his blazer. He didn't feel like he was suffocating yet, but he sure needed to check out before something bad happened. He could feel the panic rising slowly as his mind traveled unintentionally to all the things he could do to make sure this particular company is dissolved and possibly even burned to the ground by the morning. And he knew he had to get out of here before things moved away from the realm of unwanted ideas to potential plans.
The answer to getting out of this predicament was obvious. Go back to college and pick something else to do with his life. Unfortunately, that was something he experienced a lot of trepidation about. His major would preferably something he could do on a contract basis from home or temporarily so he'd never have to deal with another stooge or middle manager for more than a few weeks in his new godforsaken life.
Virgil pulled up his computer browser and started researching potential majors. There wasn't a good selection of at-home or contract-basis jobs with high demand, but programming sounded good out of the few that did. He already had a leg up with computers. Maybe a minor in art. He needed to return quieter hobbies and his neighbors always hated when he played violin at 3 in the morning. He cringed at the memory of getting the cops called on him and worked on his resignation letter. He didn't particularly care if 'Samuel Fullerton' had trouble getting employed again, so he wrote what he really felt about this company, their predatory practices, and their environmental impact in his office.
Virgil was convinced he was soulless until he worked here for so long. Then he learned what soulless really meant. He no longer cared if the money was good, that the hours fit with his schedule, that his job was cushy with little needed interaction with other people on his part since it was mostly just finishing projects or handling resources and overhead. He didn't even care that his team was full of decent workers he might throw to the sharks by leaving like this. Today, if he managed to not try to cure his boss of idiocy through blood-letting, it would be a victory better than any 'goal met' at this damn job.
When Virgil had completed it, he had it released as a company-wide memo with an extremely satisfying click of the mouse. While it was being sent to the printer, he put on his coat and hat to be prepared to get the hell out of here. He grabbed the small succulent off his desk, which is an offensive thing to receive as an anniversary gift, but he still wasn't going to let it die. There was nothing else in here needed to be attended to, just other worthless things the company gave him or let him use. Virgil wasn't much one to mix his home and work life.
He slid the succulent on a desk that housed other plants as he walked to the meeting room his boss was in with the other upper-management this afternoon. Some closed-door hush-hush bull crap that was one of the many things he called out on his resignation letter. Virgil unceremoniously stomped right into the middle of the meeting, met with loud objections as he passed the other stooges around the meeting table. He slammed the resignation paper in front of his boss with a twisted grin. The kind that would have said 'I'm doing you a favor' if any of these people knew what he was really capable of, anyway.
"Fullerton, what is the meaning of this?" The old bastard cried, his face red with indigence and slamming his fist on the desk. Wow, what a stereotype. There's no way we wouldn't be first. The first-floor interns would cheer. Hecate, Virgil, get the fuck out of here.
"It means you suck, your heads are full of bullshit and hornets, and your green initiative is a joke. I'd say get fucked, but the hand up your ass making your mouth move is in the way," Virgil announced sourly and gave a sardonic salute. He turned and walked out the door while the old bastard screamed wildly about disrespect and never being employed in this field again, and his contemporaries accompanied him with some mindless rabble. He was confident he was doing the right thing as the upper-management's rambling shortened the fuse on his temper even more. Virgil stopped at the front desk and handed over his badge to the front-end Admin, the very patient lady who basically fielded everything that came into this company and probably already saw his memo.
"Sorry Nance, I pissed him the hell off. Here's my badge, I heard them call ahead for it while I was walking out. You want an apology cheesecake or something?" Virgil said and wiggled his phone open to the delivery app at her.
"Sammy, did you really have to do it so dramatically?" Nancy moaned slightly in defeat, shaking her head. She slid his badge off the upper rim of her desk and dropped in her inbox with a sigh.
"You know how bad they are. They'll listen to my criticisms and make it a better place, or they won't. You, on the other hand, have been nothing but wonderful and I will literally buy you an entire fancy cheesecake this second," Virgil said with humor. It was the least he could do since she'd now have to help find his replacement. Nancy blushed at him and slightly rolled her eyes.
"I mean, I think I'd rather take a coffee gift card since you won't be buying it for me anymore," Nancy said, a little bittersweetly. Virgil laughed casually and slid a $200 gift card across the desk at her. He actually just bought those with cash to refill his coffee app, since he didn't prefer to leave paper trails. But she didn't need to know that this was an unplanned escape route to prevent either mass murder and/or burning down the building. It was only by pure serendipity that he hadn't entered the new card into the app yet.
"I mean, that was already the plan, this is free I-pissed-off-your-boss dessert," Virgil said with an eyebrow wiggle. Nancy's eyes grew wide and shot up at him from looking at the gift card.
"Are… are you sure?" She stammered out.
"Nance, they treat you like shit and I can't find you a better job. I can get you a fancy $50 cheesecake for rilling them up. Or e-mail you a gift card if you're too worried about eating so much cheesecake you get sick. That's always a risk," Virgil said with a somewhat humorless chuckle.
"Don't you need the money until you get a new job?" Nancy asked with concern, holding the coffee gift card reverently.
"I've already got something lined up in Seattle," Virgil lied dismissively while watching people walk in. "No time limit on the offer, just text me what you want," Virgil said, shaking his phone at her again and backing away, trying to escape any further contact with people and to let her get back to her job. Nancy was nice, he really liked her, and she deserved a better goodbye, but he was already exhausted from not locking upper-management in that meeting room and letting them really have it. He just needed to get out of here.
He'd probably miss her. She was so sweet to him when he barely made it through the interview. He thought he would have to use his voice, but she picked him, anyway. He didn't want to have to use it, but he needed the money to eat since he had run out of liquid funds at the time. But that was decades ago at this point before cryptocurrency got big and he could use that to get food. Virgil was just working there for the habit of working and he wouldn't freak out when he made big donations or purchases at this point. Virgil dug a pair of sunglasses and a disposable allergy face mask out of his peacoat pocket and put them on, sliding his hands into his pocket to prepare himself for the sun.
Virgil stepped outside into the hot summer afternoon and walked around the alley on the east side of the building, towards the parking garage. Once he was out of the sun and en route to his sport, he looked for Deceit's contact number. That was his code name for immortals who needed new paperwork, but he just really liked it over his first name.
Virgil knew him before he got into that business. His given name was Augustus Duran, a long time ago and across the sea. He abhorred using it now since he despised every bastardization of it. Virgil once saw him attack somebody who called him 'Auggie'. He really rather seemed to like Deceit over any other chosen name, and he'd been through a few at this point.
He was always dramatic a dramatic bitch. That thought made Virgil smile, at least he had an excuse to talk to him again even if Deceit and him weren't on amicable terms. Deceit cooked up papers for life restarts and identity changes when you fucked up. He also defended any immortals who landed in any legal trouble. Virgil needed the paperwork to reset so he wouldn't end up in the second category. Virgil unlocked his door and sat in his car, giving the steering wheel a loving pat before dialing Deceit's legal office.
"You've reached the legal offices of Allister Hunter, this is Charlotte, how can we help you?" The phone line came up and he assumed this was his administrative assistant that answered.
"Hello, Charlotte, I need to speak to Mr. Hunter," Virgil said, cringing at himself for having to compel her. But this was the only way to get through and the literal code of conduct. At least it was when he became Sam in the first place, anyway.
"I'll connect you right away," She monotonously said after a pause and the phone transferred to some terrible and pitchy saxophone serenade. Anybody would torture someone by putting a probably good song that has a lot of high-end through crap phone line qualities was secretly a sadist or had no ears. And he knew which one Deceit was.
"You've reached Mr. Hunter, how may I represent you?" He said in a crooning voice.
"D, It's me, V," Virgil said nervously and adjusted his collar carefully, eying the parking garage around.
"Oh, Virgil! GL. What a pleasure. Are you in town?" Deceit asked eagerly.
"Oh, good, I wasn't sure. No, but I can be later. I need a restart. 19 with exemplary high school GPA and some extracurriculars, so I can apply to colleges. Took a year off to work some retail garbage store they'll never bother checking. Um… Chess club and some computer club or something. And maybe track. They like you to be rounded these days, right?" Virgil asked nervously, realizing he was rambling but couldn't really stop himself.
"They do. What's the name?" Deceit asked. He could hear him typing away through the phone. Deceit didn't seem to mind Virgil's nervous pace, nor did he even sound annoyed with him. That was a relief.
"Eris Virgil Tempest," Virgil said. "It's been long enough, right? I kind of want to go by my name again. Just a middle name will not out me or anything right?"
"Feeling very gothic, today?" Deceit asked with the smirk clear in his voice. "It seems extremely unlikely. It's been ages, darling,"
"Those kinds of names are popular again," Virgil explained defensively. "I miss them. John and Sam and James and Sarah, ugh, enough of those names, I can't take them anymore, D. Any kind of European mutt history is fine. Fully vaccinated and clean medical other than a broken leg or something as a kid is okay, whatever you've got that doesn't make me need a physical or inoculations. Oh, and my car registration needs handling," God, Virgil forgot how easy he was to talk to.
"Send me the VIN. The same gender?" Deceit clarified, clacking away.
"Yeah. Though I'll take a driver's license of both. You know I like to switch it up. Make the female one 23," Virgil responded. He was getting excited at this point and thought maybe it wouldn't hurt to pick up the papers in person. Deceit didn't seem mad at all. "I'll probably make it out there a few hours if I leave as soon as the sunset. We can catch up while shit goes through. How much do I owe you?" Deceit chortled after he asked. Oh, like evil bells. It was a wonderful and nostalgic sound.
"Dancing, 'drinks', and a few nights in, darling," Deceit purred. Virgil chuckled at the response and felt so extremely relieved that Deceit wasn't mad at him anymore. It sounded like he was the opposite.
"Still between lovers, D?" Virgil asked with wry humor.
"Yes, there are so many kind gentlemen who aren't just trying to use me lining up at my doorstep," Deceit said, bitterly. "But even if I did, I would still proposition my sire any time," Deceit cooed. Virgil blushed with a little embarrassment and guilt.
"D, you know I'll just be with you while I apply to colleges, right?" He asked awkwardly. He wasn't sure he was ready for a full rekindling. He was just hoping for a friendly exchange.
"Virgil. I could just hack the university here, near me, and put you on this fall semester if you tell me your major," Virgil's eyes widened. He wasn't sure universities still did admissions interviews, but anytime he could skip them, he'd want to take the bypass. "It's a very reputable school, dear, and we could rendezvous instead of you being a surly loner who does nothing but studies all semester," Deceit offered.
"Maybe I enjoy being a surly loner," Virgil muttered. He feared making the same mistakes with Deceit over again. Deceit laughed good-naturedly, though. Maybe it was worth giving a shot again. He was pretty tired of being alone. It sounded a little like Deceit was, too. "Yeah, saves me the effort. I could grab an apartment early that way,"
"Oh, no, dear, they make all freshman stay on campus. New rules with colleges in this state. For safety, ironically," Deceit said with sass and a twinge of irony.
"What, I have to deal with a dorm a year?" Virgil groaned and rubbed his face under his sunglasses.
"I could fake a disability for special dispensation," Deceit replied coolly.
"I, of all people, don't need to take disability resources," Virgil replied with a groan. "That would be maximum levels of fucked up. I just need my regular anxiety paperwork for testing. A year isn't that long. I'll get an apartment, anyway. You can't really be caught running around with a college kid. What are you supposed to be now, 50-something?" Virgil said with a dark laugh.
"I have an apartment for rendezvous, dear, you can keep your stuff there until you can move off-campus," Deceit said sweetly. That would be amazing. Not struggle with lining up off-the-radar storage while he got rid of the Sam identity.
"D, is there a reason you keep sweetening the deal for me?" Virgil asked suspiciously, though he was pretty certain he already knew why he was. Deceit's subtext was pretty clear. Virgil was just scared of taking that chance again and hoped he was wrong.
"Oh, is it not enough to miss you deeply? Is it not enough to want to be someone like me who isn't an idiot making a mistake so bad that they got caught? I can let bygones be bygones if you'll let me," Deceit asked, the strain evident in his voice. Damnit, Virgil wasn't wrong. But Deceit seemed like he might want this too. If Deceit was willing to try then so could he.
"Sorry, love," Virgil murmured, feeling ashamed all over again. Virgil sighed. "Listen, how about I arrange for moving soon and we spend the rest of the summer together? I've missed you, too. We'll… uh, figure out the whole… situation with me returning," Virgil offered guiltily. "Maybe we can work something out together,"
"Wonderful! What's your major, dear? As soon as the servers reset and update, I'd like to get you registered. That way you can get better housing arrangements. The older ones have dreadfully thin walls," Deceit said, the cheer ringing in his voice.
"Programming with a minor in art," Virgil said. "If I have to look at another projection spreadsheet I may snap," Virgil added bitterly. "Wait, can I play in your apartment?"
"Perhaps during certain hours, but some people perform in parks and such these days," Deceit said, placating, but the humor was evident. He knew Virgil wouldn't do that and was just picking on him.
"You know I don't want an audience!" Virgil said and ran his hand through his hair on the back of his head. He was a little flustered that Deceit had already fallen back into their routine. Maybe this was something Deceit had been thinking about before Virgil called. Maybe he was even hoping for this. That would have warmed Virgil's heart if he had one.
"You won't be able to play your babies in the dorms at all," Deceit said with a little ringing laugh. Virgil groaned and squeezed the steering wheel. He cursed his own musical proclivities.
"I get it, life is suffering. Is there a supplier out there at the school you know of?" Virgil said and nervously scanned the alleyway again to make sure he was alone again.
"The supplier is spotty, but yes," Deceit said, sounding very displeased. They might have had some history from Deceit's tone.
"All of those pricks are either spotty or sketchy," Virgil said with disappointment. He'll get one of those giant super coolers and buy as much as he can before leaving. "I'll leave tomorrow instead so I can line up some extra, just in case," Virgil said.
"Love you," Deceit cooed with a musical hum of pleasure.
"Love you too," Virgil returned his affection. "And, um, sorry I left for so long," He mumbled and hung up. He pocketed his phone and pulled out his car keys. He needed to drive to the nearest packing store to ransack for any high-grade packing material before he went home. This part was all old hat at this point. But seeing Deceit again was something worth looking forward to.
After a few hours of packing, Virgil had loaded everything he could into boxes and shut them into his bedroom. He would have some internet weirdos come to take any furniture or things he didn't want, and then he'd just pay someone to haul the rest off to some consignment store or something. He wouldn't be needing a TV or a couch and they were very replaceable. His antiques, first editions, collector's items, his instruments? All very hard to replace. The artisans who made them were long dead. The techniques sometimes even lost. He wasn't letting a soul even look at them. Before the first free online listing weirdo said they would arrive, Virgil called up his connection, sitting on the floor of his apartment living room near the front doorway to keep an ear out for visitors.
"Hey, Dave, bud, how much you got on hand and how much are you willing to part with?" Virgil asked as nonchalantly as possible, trying not to piss him off since he knew he hated it when Virgil tried to buy more than is usual.
"What are you talking about?" Dave asked in mild annoyance.
"I'm moving and I need as much as you'll give me," Virgil replied evenly.
"You can't just up and move on me!" Dave cried in indignation.
"You'll find I can. Do you want the sale or not? I don't have to order with you at all, you know," Virgil said with agitation, giving up the pretense of niceties and growing tense.
"God! Fine, I can get you 12 units with plasma, but there's a bulk fee," He said briskly.
"Oh, funny, I seem to have found Armitage's number," Virgil threatened him off-handedly with his competition in the area. He brushed his brown bangs out of his eyes and straightened up against the wall.
"You're such a fucking prick, Sam," He said angrily. "I do really have a bulk fee for transportation costs!"
"I can pick it up," Virgil said. "Leave the back window unlocked," Virgil said, the humor evident in his voice.
"How the fuck do you know where I live?" Dave asked quickly, sounding even more enraged.
"I suspect I'm not the only one, and you really shouldn't try to fuck over people who know where you live, just a tip," Virgil said. "I'll pay your regular rates and transport it myself. I'll throw in the cost of a few extra units for buying you out of plasma units. Less skin off your back and now you know that you should probably consider moving and not driving straight back home after a delivery." Virgil warned bitterly, rolling his eyes. "Not all of your clients are sick people but we're happy to fight for them not getting overcharged for stupid reasons like a fee for using a bigger cooler you already own, in the van you already use," Virgil said with annoyance.
"I'm so fucking glad you're moving," He groaned. "3 AM, back window unlocked. I will be home so don't try anything,"
"Funny, you'd think that's something I would tell you," Virgil said with a little growl.
"I mean it, I found silver bullets," Dave tried to threaten him, but Virgil wasn't having that.
"You know, business tip, most customers don't come back when you threaten them," Virgil said with a louder groan. "I have to go," He said and hung up without waiting for what was sure to be an impending insult. Virgil loosened his tie further and rolled up his sleeves. He sat on his floor near the entrance of his apartment and scrolled Tumblr on his phone while he waited for people to come to ransack his stuff for free.
Virgil was en route to Deceit's apartment with a rental moving truck early the next morning. He had a giant cooler of dry ice with the A/C on blast next to him in the cab and his car towed behind him. He hated driving long distances; it made him a little disoriented about his location. But he also always hated people touching his antiques and genuinely didn't want to let people know he even had them. So he opted to haul it all himself, rather than someone scratching his baby grand or dropping a box with delicates. But driving this long was dull. He could enjoy music, at least. His gloved hands tapped the wheel to the beat of the song, humming a harmony along with the tune.
He was really looking forward to seeing Deceit again, even if he hated all these sudden upheavals in his life. It was like trading one constant for another. Deceit was a constant he relished. But there were struggles with being near him. Things that would be completely circumvented if he didn't have to be his sire along with his lover. Virgil wished idly that he could have just been born mortal with his boyfriend and lived a human life with him instead of this immortal blood-sucking monster bull shit.
Virgil hoped the drive time would pass with little incident, but all the same couldn't stop his brain from thinking all the ways that this venture could go mildly, terribly, or horribly, wrong. Like his antiques getting damaged somehow in the move. Or Deceit changes his mind about putting up with him and suddenly need needs to move everything all over again. Or worse, he hurts Deceit again. Deceit's hacking connection gets caught and they expel him. Virgil can't handle the humans on campus. The hook up could run out of blood. Virgil ends up being terrible at programming. Virgil ends up hating programming. Virgil gets outed and attacked. Another vampire on campus is territorial and attacks. If Virgil's had a heart, it would be pounding hard right now. Maybe this wasn't such a great idea. But it was too late, now.