egobang oneshots // arin + dan au

man of my dreams - 1,333

soulmate au where you dream about the person you fall in love with your entire life. whether it be just a passing glance, a background character, or the main focal point, your soulmate is always in your dreams. 

Many people didn't analyze their dreams. Everyone thought they knew everything they needed to know about dreams - that they were simply an outlet to help you find your soulmate. 

Arin knew they were much more than that. He knew that every dream had so much more meaning behind it. The settings, the activities, every word that was shared and every interaction you made, it all meant something more. 

Arin was in college, studying psychology and spending his free time learning about oneirology and everything he could about dreams. He had never been able to find someone to analyze his dreams around where he lived, so he figured if something doesn't get done, you just have to do it yourself. 

He now analyzes his dreams, as well as his friends, and encourages his friends to learn more. He knew that analyzing your own dreams had bias, so he always asked his friends what they thought.

"Dude, for the last 3 nights you've been in my dream, and I think you might be my soulmate," Ross told Arin, staring directly into his eyes. After a few seconds, they both busted out laughing, with Barry and Vernon doing the same thing. They were sat at a small round table in the campus Starbucks, as they did most off mornings. 

"Okay, but for real, this chick in my dreams keeps changing her hair color and I honestly can't keep up with her. Whenever I think I see her, I always second guess myself! One night her hair was pink, another night it was green, and last night it was black. I am not sure if she changes her hair this frequently in real life, but she still looks pretty either way." 

Ross' last comment earned a chorus of "Aw's" from around the table. "Either she's going through some major changes in her life, or you're going through some emotional shifts in your own," Arin responded. No one was truly sure if your soulmate represented in your dreams was how your soulmate was in real life, or it was how they saw themselves in their own dreams. 

"Well, incase you want to know, last night's dream included my mystery man, as usual. This time, though, I saw him a few feet away from me while we were at a concert, and we made eye contact and smiled at each other. We turned away shortly after, and continued to enjoy the concert separately," Arin told the group. "Well, from what I remember, you said being at a concert may mean a new and exciting experience is heading your way," Barry replied, taking a sip of his iced coffee. 

"He's right, I think you have something to look forward to," Vernon added, "What if it's meeting your soulmate?" "That would be crazy. I've seen this man for years and years now, but I know nothing about him, I don't even know his name." 

Arin's heart was beating incredibly fast at the though of meeting his soulmate. He had been waiting for this day for 6 years and 213 days. Yes, he kept count, but not on purpose. After two weeks of him seeing the same man over, it just became habit to count and see how many days he saw the same person. The 6 years plus didn't include the odd days where he couldn't remember his dream, though.

He felt like he had grown up with the man in his dreams. He was there, every night Arin dreamt, from when he was 16 to now - 21, with 22 slowly approaching. He had many nights where he would hold hands and talk to the man in his dreams, and many nights where they would just smile at each other, and go on with their lives. He knew this man like the back of his hand, but at the same time, he was a complete stranger. 

"What about you guys?" Ross asked, breaking Arin from his thoughts. "Oh, I can't remember my dream from last night," Vernon responded. "Same old, same old for me," Barry took another sip of his iced coffee to keep from speaking anymore. 

Arin knew what Barry said was a lie. "Same old, same old" implied he had yet another dream where he couldn't find anyone he had seen before, but this wasn't the case.

Barry always dreamt about Ross, but he would never say anything to Ross directly. He would always text Arin his dream, and where he saw Ross at. They spent over a month analyzing Barry's dreams, just to make sure that it wasn't just coincidence Ross kept showing up, but it was true. It stung Barry every day to hear Ross share his dream about his soulmate, and it hurt Arin to know there wasn't anything he could do about it. 

"I'm going to the courtyard, smell ya later!" Arin yelled to Ross as he closed the door behind him. The thought that maybe the concert did represent an exciting new change, that maybe he would meet his soulmate, swarmed through his brain. He couldn't focus on any school work, or any task. He was so tired of waiting. 

He waltzed across the empty courtyard, gazing at the stars. Maybe I need to take a trip somewhere, he thought. It was Friday night, and he only had a few pages of notes to take for his classes. 

He left campus, and found himself walking around the city of Chicago, with his hair in a bun and his body following behind his feet. 

After what could've been hours, could've been minutes (Arin couldn't tell you), he took a well needed seat at a bus stop. He put his head in his hands, and he knew a headache was coming onto him. 

"Long night?" a voice asked, startling Arin. He was scared out of his wits, and kept his head down. "I guess," he mumbled. He wasn't in the mood to talk to anyone, and he was starting to regret walking this far, not knowing where exactly he was or how to get back. 

"You can talk to me if you need to," the guy sounded sympathetic, but Arin didn't want to deal with the nightlife of Chicago at this point. "Listen dude," he began, aggravation in his voice. He looked up, ready to tell this guy to leave him alone, but he was absolutely dumbfounded by what he saw. 

Through the shadows and dimly lit street lights, he met the eyes of the man only a few feet beside him. He immediately recognized the man; his big hair, his nose, his lanky figure. 

He assumed the man recognized him as well, as without any say they stood up to hug one another. Arin engulfed him into his arms, a sense of homeliness washing over him. 

"I never, ever thought I would find you." The other man's words were muffled, but Arin was no better. Tears were streaming down his face, wetting the shoulder of the other man's jacket. 

They pulled away, still holding onto one another. "Dude, are you crying? No, its okay! You're gonna make me cry!" The other man pulled the sleeve of his jacket down so that he could wipe off Arin's tears. They were both giggling, Arin holding back more tears, with the other man now doing the same. "I guess I should let you know, I'm Danny. I'm beyond thrilled to spend the rest of my life with you," Danny told Arin, cupping Arin's face with his sleeve-covered hands. Arin took a deep breath in to calm himself. "I'm Arin. You are everything I have ever dreamed of." 

They let out breathless giggles, smiling at one another and spending these moments to take in every ounce of their new-found reality.