Beautiful Man

Virgil didn't exactly believe in fate or prophecy, but there was a part of him that felt it must've meant something when the same beautiful man appeared in his sleep so many times. He knew he had yet to actually meet this man if he actually existed, but he still felt safe around him, like he was an angel and was the only reason he was becoming less of an insomniac than usual. Even when he was awake, though, he still managed to think about the man from his dreams every once in a while and, eventually, it showed.

You see, Virgil was an apprentice of a baker. Why did a Hot Topic addict choose baking as a career choice? Well, his therapist suggested going for a career path that would help him to not only kneed his stress into something productive, but also enjoy the sweet aroma of success. Of course, they were being figurative, but it stuck to Virgil. He didn't want to rush into the occupation without experience, so he figured the next best thing would be an apprenticeship. He couldn't complain too much about the hourly pay and the baker was understanding of the fact that Virgil had to find ways to work around and with his anxiety. Every now and then, Virgil would spend his breaks practicing the skills the baker taught him at his own pace. Usually, the "practice trials" were small in contrast to the multitudes of treats that had to go to the glass counter, so Virgil didn't waste time or ingredients.

Virgil wanted to make a gingerbread cookie from scratch one day, and didn't think too much of his actions as they were becoming second nature to him. Eventually, the baker, Kathleen, came in while making sure she didn't startle Virgil.

"So, what are you working o-" she started to ask, but then stopped when she saw the cookie Virgil was tinkering with.

It wasn't until she stopped talking that Virgil took notice of the cookie. The gingerbread man he worked on had a light blue icing shirt, gray icing strands that almost looked like the man slapped a scarf on backwards, chocolate icing for hair, teeny freckles, and eyes, a red smile, khaki pants, and black glasses. He also took notice of glitter on his fingers and acknowledged some of it was on the cookie.

"Oh, uh, sorry, I guess I was daydreaming," Virgil excused while blushing.

Kathleen chuckled from the product and her apprentice's clear embarrassment.

"So, you've got the hots for a good looking fellow?" she asked and Virgil was looking away, thus giving her an answer.

"You're definitely learning well, Virgil. Do you have a non-decorated cookie for me to try?" she asked.

Virgil gave her a cookie that was baked alongside the one he decorated and she gave her combination of compliments and suggestions for the future. At the end of the day, before everyone clocked out, Kathleen took out a plastic container and put the cookie in it before giving it to Virgil. He, as a response, showed himself being grateful and embarrassed before heading home with his essentials and the container. Virgil kept the container in the fridge for safekeeping and actually looked at the cookie after days that were rough for him. Kathleen sometimes asked if the gingerbread man had a name, and Virgil would retort that he wasn't sure.

As the winter holidays were approaching, Virgil received an email from his neighbor, Elliott, asking if he was cool with joining them to a holiday party. From what they heard, not too many people were going to clog up the party and it was just going to involve some talking, eating, and watching Christmas movies. Virgil agreed with it since it wouldn't be as crowded as a night club and he trusted Elliott.

On the evening of the party, Virgil brought his container with him since he expected to freak out in the middle of the gathering. He recognized a few more faces than just Elliott's such as the nonbinary Timpani and Blumiere of his old high school, Talyn and Joan, his old high school's student counsel president, Roman DelGuapo, and Logan Tesla, his college classmate that he got along with. After a few greetings, he found that Roman was less conceited than he was in high school and was actually taking a break after a college program where he would be working at one of the Disney parks. He also heard tales of Roman witnessing one half of a gay couple backstage dressing in one of the Disney princess dresses (with the cast member's consent and offer to be on lookout duty) before sharing a glorious kiss. Virgil was starting to feel good about the party, but he was stopped by something he wouldn't expect: a beautiful man with glasses and a puffy coat walked in and set his coat down as if it wrapped up around something and revealed the same outfit as the man in Virgil's dreams. The man saw Virgil and he froze while making eye contact.

One guest, whom Virgil heard was named Terrence, nudged the man gently in an attempt to get him to walk. The man walked over to Virgil and both their faces turned red.

"Um... hi, I'm Truffle Patton, I mean Patton Truffle," the man introduced himself.

"Virgil Nimbus. Have we... met before?" the emo responded.

"I... I'm not sure, but I think there's something I need to show you."

Patton walked back to his coat and Virgil followed him absentmindedly. He half-paid attention to Roman whispering about it being "straight out of a gay fairytale" as he watched Patton mess with his coat. After a while, he revealed a stuffed cat with a purple and black jacket and two different colored eyes. The emo looked surprised at the stuffed animal and used the nearby mirror to remove his brown contacts to reveal his heterochromia. Patton was surprised that he even got the eye color right.

"I, umm... had dreams of this cute emo that always made me want to hug and kiss him even though he acted like a tough guy. I make stuffed animals for a living, so I made this for myself as an alternative," Patton explained hesitantly.

Virgil pulled the container out from his jacket and opened the lid to reveal the gingerbread man to its human counterpart. Patton gasped and used a wipe to wipe makeup off his face to reveal freckles.

"I'm a baker's apprentice and made it without thinking after dreaming of this beautiful angel of a man," he explained.

They looked down at their creations before exchanging them. They looked at each other and it seemed as though whatever brought them together also made sure they knew of each other's abnormalities. They hugged each other since it was their first encounter and proceeded to enjoy the party while everyone else made jokes about the origins of the blossoming romance.