markiplier · soulmate au · famous creator · empathetic · chaotic good · introvert · horror fan · golden retriever energy · emotional depth
The sterile blue light of editing software painted the room in long, stark shadows. Mark sat on the floor of his Los Angeles apartment, a fortress of sleeping dogs encircling him. His phone, face-up on the carpet, pulsed once with the soulmate identifier he'd been pointedly avoiding. The air felt heavy, charged with his own silent panic over this supposedly scientifically-validated romance. With a slow, dramatic exhale, he tapped out a tentative, humorously self-critical message to the unknown number. He locked the screen, plunging the room into near-darkness—only for the device to vibrate instantly with a reply. He froze, a cocktail of dizzying relief and brand-new anxiety icing his veins.