#Emil would like Liam to stay

[izayoichan]

Vy: We’ll bring cakes and cookies, all the nice things! I’ll make sure everyone comes, well apart from one whom we can never guarantee, but I am sure he will find time to stop by. River: I’ll tell Flynn and Emil as well as my mom and Meadow. Lucas: Sounds good.

Vy smiled brightly at the two: And they will be a bright one. They already display empathy so they’ll develop well and quickly! Healthy and strong!

The rest of the day they spent just talking and caring for their little one, Lucas at first wondering if he was a copy of him after all, but as they looked closer they saw slight differences, although his sundragon side was clearly dominant. A few months later, they had both settled into parenthood, Liam thriving in his surroundings, loving all the animals spending almost all his awake time with pets. He also loves visiting Flynn and Emil, calling Flynn for Fynn and Emil for uncle Em. 

Emil had become his go to for dragon questions, and it made the bond between the two fairly strong. Emil loved whenever the little sunlight came over, knowing there would be a barrage of questions. The hardest thing, if he was honest, was to let him go home again, as a part wanted him to stay, so he could protect them. Keep the small burst of sunshine safe and sound.

Begining - Previous - Next

[houseofkirklands]

Without you (ScotFra fanfic)

Pairing: Scotland/France (ScotFra/Auld Alliance)

Other pairings: Mention of England/Japan (Asakiku), N.Ireland/Iceland, Wales/New Zealand involved (WalNZ)

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POV France

The touch of his moist lips that made him shiver, the caresses he gave him made his skin goosebumps, strands of his long golden hair were stuck to his forehead by sweat, the light that indicated the beginning of the day barely entered the room. Where they were, tangled between sheets, the heat he felt inside him only wanted to bring him closer to him, wanted more and it seemed that it was never enough.

He wanted him close, very close to him, he loved him, now and he always did. His whole body trembled under the body of the other, everything he was doing to him, he wanted to stop time, stay like this forever, although he himself knew that this was something that he was not within his reach.

He moaned again, he could not stand it, he felt that he could not control his body that was at the mercy of the other but he knew that it was something that he also felt, he could notice it, in his caresses, in his touches, in his kisses and in his look full of lust but the way he gave him a smile, the way he was touching him, he knew that behind those green eyes that cried out for more, there was love, a lot of love and Francis knew it and every gesture and detail he had with him, made the French fall more in love with him.

Words were not necessary, everything was obvious, they both knew it. Francis couldn't help but run his hand over the other's toned chest, a body of someone who was once a warrior. His hand continued to explore until he reached his red strands,

Red, that remarkable hair color, so different from what the vast majority of people have in a world full of blondes and brunettes.

You could highlight how it shone in the darkness of the room, that hair that he has always loved, the color of blood, related to evil but Francis, as a country of love, knows that red for him means love, passion and that was what his beloved Scotsman was doing to him, a burning passion that he felt in the depths of his heart and with tears in his eyes for all those conflicting emotions, he brought his other free hand closer to his neck to be able to kiss him on the lips while they consumed in the depths of love.

Francis opened his eyes feeling his wet cheeks, he looked at the white ceiling while he returned to the reality in which he was without being able to assimilate what he was feeling.

"Was it a dream?" he wondered as sadness washed over him but if so then

Why was his body trembling?

Why did he feel his touch on his skin?

He thought that maybe he could have been in his house and left before he woke up, he reluctantly tried to search his room for some evidence but failed. There was no chance that he had actually been there and it was all a dream, a dream that Francis never wanted to have because he would realize the reality.

-Alistair..., he said as he felt something break inside and he snuggled deeper into the bed trying to find that warmth again, to close his eyes and pretend that he was still there by his side, something that he didn't was able to achieve

.....

POV Scotland

It had been centuries since he last saw him and the little encounters they had weren't suitable for talking about their relationship, he just wasn't.

Arthur, his little brother, was the one who was in charge of UK affairs so he was the one who went to world meetings and gatherings and he was the one who talked to other countries.

Alistair, like the rest of his brothers, did not go to these meetings but if they were involved in a relationship, Dylan was with Chris and since he is also part of the Commonwealth, he was often at Arthur's house and both Dylan and Chris could enjoy the day together and Liam had a different "or special" treatment as if he were the spoiled one, that's why he could go out with Emil, Arthur could go out with whoever he wanted but Alistair was not allowed that, he couldn't love while he saw how his brothers did.

He would come home after a hard day and see how Arthur and Kiku were in their own little world in the kitchen, Liam and Emil snuggled up watching movies and Dylan and Chris in the bedroom doing... well, he didn't even want to know.

He felt it was unfair, why could they love and he couldn't? Well in truth if he loved, he did, he has loved the same man for 1000 years but he is someone that Arthur in his pirate days was not allowed under any circumstances to see, not even ask a question.

"How are you?" mostly because of Arthur's obsession that he had with him for years despite making it clear that he didn't want to. He was his rival and his enemy and would not allow his older brother to be with him.

Alistair according to him entered the house, he left, not that he cared what his brothers did, he was happy for them that they could love and be loved but knowing that he is not allowed, he cannot be at home.

In these cases he would go to his land, to the highlands, he knew magic so the journey was definitely shorter. He would stay on top of a hill looking at one of his many lakes, contemplating nature. If there were two things that were beautiful in his eyes, it was nature and Francis.

He just stood there wondering what he was doing, he was really worried if he had forgotten about him since it seemed that he and Ludwig were pretty close now despite everything.

Not even he himself could tell if the Frenchman was still a friend. Was he a friend? It's been so long, long enough that their relationship shattered into thousands of shards of glass.

A relationship that cost a lot to do and more on Alistair's side since he was never good with words and yet it seemed that Francis always understood him.

He thought about his blue eyes, his hair, his smile, he loved this man since they were kids without having a clue about the world and much less about love but since not everything is about knights and princesses, today he would be ashamed, he felt that he betrayed the man he loved the most in 1560 and the straw that broke the camel's back was in 1707 when he was united with his little brother. He felt that Francis could not forgive him, he still remembers his look when he mentioned the Treaty of Edinburgh, as from then on, his whole world, for both of them, was going to change drastically and he was not able to say anything to Francis as he watched as tears they came out of his eyes and he turned his back on what Francis considered more than a friend and a simple ally.

Scotland was much more than that

And Alistair was left with a bad taste in his mouth, he needed time but his desire to go to where the Frenchman was and tell him that it was not something that he personally wanted, he already knew. Francis knew that, he knew him well, only the news shocked him and he was not able to go back and try to talk to him, he could not see his face, for the first time in a long time he did not know what to say to him and they decided to keep quiet and see if time could bring them back together

Alistair came back from the thoughts of him. He couldn't deny that he had been happy with Francis but guilt surrounds him and even if Francis forgives him he won't be able to see his face although maybe, on a slim chance, if they do meet he can buy him a drink and talk and maybe finish what they started when they were younger

-We should never have been separated- And he was partially right but they both knew that something like this could happen, they are nations and their responsibilities are above anything else

-I miss you so much, he said, hoping that somehow his words could reach Francis.

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Hi there, I wanted to share my fanfics here too

In my AO3 account I have this fanfic with the Spanish version of it but I thought it would be nice to share those fics also here

I really thought I uploaded this one here but it seems that I haven't done, so more ScotFra here

Btw I'm currently writing other 3 ScotFra fanfics I just need to finish them

[kieraswriting]

Coffin Chapter Sixteen

Masterpost

There was a banging knock on the front door.

Virgil snapped awake, suddenly painfully aware of a strong stink.

“Patton?!” It was Patton’s dad.

Patton woke up, blinking and breathing hard. “Dad? What- how?” He shoved his glasses on.

Virgil turned the light on. Patton was startlingly pale, and all his freckles stood out. His eyes were wide and scared. But he shuffled toward the door. Virgil followed him as he went to the front door. There were a multitude of other faces peeking out from the other bedrooms, but only two tried to follow Patton.

“No, stay here. It’s my dad, I’ll deal with him.” Patton turned away. “But get ready in case we have to fight.”

Virgil followed him the last few steps.

“Go away, Virge, I’ll deal with it.”

Virgil bit his lip hard, but shook his head.

The door shook as the pounding resumed. “Open this door! I want to see Patton!”

Patton opened the door. “Hi, dad.”

His father looked furious. “What is going on here?! Where is this? What are you doing?! How is no one else in this massive house awake? Is it drugs? Patton, tell me you haven’t gotten into drugs.”

“No, it’s not drugs.”

“Then what?! What could you possibly be doing that you’d run away secretly for and take the vampire with you?” He gestured at Virgil.

“Let’s talk outside,” Patton said, his voice a good imitation of calm. “We don’t want to wake everyone up.”

“Patton, I don’t understand this!” His dad said, backing up a few steps.

Patton went outside, and tried to shut Virgil in, but Virgil followed him out anyway.

“Explain this to me, Pat.” Liam said, his voice dropping down to a normal volume, and a pleading note coming into it.

“No. This time I want you to let me do what I want without knowing about it or joining in. I’ve grown up, Dad, and I want to do this on my own.”

Liam blinked several times, a frown forming and then deepening. Then suddenly his eyes widened. “It’s that vampire, isn’t it? It’s not tame, it has you thralled.”

“What? No, Dad, that’s not even—“

“It’s ok, I’ll help you. Come on, Pat.”

“Dad, no!”

Virgil took a step back, but Liam pulled a gun out and pointed it at him. “Don’t move, vampire. Come on, both of you. We’re going home.”

“Dad, stop this!” Patton said, pulling on his arm.

“Patton, stop or I’ll shoot him.” His voice was deadly calm and commanding. “Get in the car. You’ll be driving.”

Patton slowly moved towards the car, not letting his eyes off of his dad.

Liam advanced towards Virgil, who didn’t dare move. A large part of him was absolutely terrified. But a smaller part was incredibly relieved. If Liam thought that it was just him and Patton, the others would be safe. And he shouldn’t have any reason to hurt Patton, if he thought he was thralled.

If Virgil cooperating would save the others he would do it.

So Virgil didn’t protest or try to get away as he was cuffed and muzzled. He was shoved into the backseat of the car, and Liam sat next to him, never moving the gun away from him.

“Patton, drive us home. I’ll be able to help you there.”

“I’m not thralled, Dad.”

“It’s alright, I’ll deal with this as soon as I can.”

•^*^••

Remy’s eyebrow raised. “Need something?”

The hunter glared and cocked his gun. Remy heard several more clicks as more guns were cocked, some he could see, and some he couldn’t.

He took a long sip of his drink, taking his glasses off and tucking them in his shirt before running a hand through his hair. “Look, Gurl, I can’t help you if you won’t tell me what you want.”

“Come quietly, vampire,” the hunter commanded.

“Not a vampire.”

The hunter frowned, “What?”

“Gurl, are you deaf? I said I’m not a vampire.” Remy put a hand on his hip and took another sip of his drink.

The hunter faltered, his gun dropping several inches.

“Are you all cops?” Remy asked.

“I am!” A voice from a hunter he couldn’t see said.

“Thank you,” Remy said, sarcasm dripping from his voice. “I’m assuming you have a warrant for my arrest then?”

“Oh… uh, no.”

“Then please put the guns down. What kind of example are you to all the good citizens? Pointing guns without a warrant, honestly.”

The hunters he could see all started lowering their guns, shame coating their faces.

“Now, I’m a very kind person, so I won’t put you all in citizens’ arrest, but you gotta give me your guns and badges. Come on. I’ll be speaking personally with your bosses, and you don’t wanna know what I’ll say if you don’t behave.”

Slowly, a full dozen hunters came to drop badges and guns at his feet.

“Now go home.”

Remy gathered the guns and badges, and then his stomach lurched.

“The price I pay for coffee,” he grumbled, packing up the weapons and making his way to a public bathroom.

•^*^••

“Sir! I think it’s working!”

“Well, of course it’s working. Now we just have to wait for it to go back to its nest.”

•^*^••

Patton and Virgil had been gone for all of two minutes before the house was in an uproar.

“We should have gone with them!” Roman insisted.

“This is Patton’s father, and he said he would handle it. I trust him.” Logan said, more calmly.

“This isn’t about trust! It’s about danger! His dad knows now!”

“I don’t think he does.” Dee interjected. “He said that he thought Virgil had thralled Patton.”

Roman’s face paled. “Don’t say that… y-you don’t know what he—“

“If he thinks that Patton is thralled, he wouldn’t do anything to Patton, and he can’t kill Virgil.” Thomas said.

“He’ll do everything but,” Roman said, his voice a hoarse whisper. “And if Virgil can’t actually release the thralldom…”

Logan seemed to understand. “We have to get them back. Now.”

“But we can’t let him find out what we’re doing!” Thomas protested. “We’d all be dead if that happened.”

“Then make it a secret rescue,” Emile suggested.

“No, no this is Liam Hart,” Roman said. “There’s no way.”

“I’m sure that there is a way, just not one we can see at the moment,” Logan said. “After all, there was a time we believed many things were impossible, which we have proven wrong in the past week.”

“We should get Remus in on this,” Dee said.

Several incredulous eyes were turned on him.

“He’s a born vampire! One of only two we have, and the other is off gallivanting.”

Emile’s face tightened in offense, but he didn’t say anything.

“Why don’t we just take out his whole place like we did the warehouse?” Thomas asked.

“He’s got way more security, probably trained vampires to fight for him, and if he goes missing we’ll have hundreds of hunters down our throats,” Roman said.

“There is also a high possibility that he has a way of quickly raising an alarm,” Logan added. “Whatever we do, it must be without his knowledge.”

•^*^••

Liam Hart was practically seething. But he kept it all under wraps. His son, his sweet boy, was under thrall. And probably had been for a while. How could he have been so blind?

But he had the cause of the problem, and he knew what to do about it.

Patton parked in the driveway, trying yet again to convince him that he wasn’t thralled. “Dad, really, I’m not. I’m perfectly fine right now.”

“It’s ok, Pat. Don’t worry. We just have to keep you two separated for a bit.”

“Dad, I don’t want to. I don’t know what’s going through your mind but I don’t like it!”

“It’s alright, honey, we’ll get this dealt with. Don’t worry, I won’t hurt the vampire. We’ll just keep you separate until the thralldom dissolves.”

The relief stood out plainly on Patton’s face. Proving that he really was thralled. Patton wouldn’t care this much for a vampire otherwise. He’d always been soft, but this was more than that.

Liam climbed out of the car with the vampire, careful to keep his movements gentle for the moment. One of his men walked up immediately.

“I’m glad to see you found your son, sir.”

“Take the vampire, I’ll be back shortly.”

Liam grabbed Patton’s arm, and pulled him towards the house. “Dad? Dad, what are you doing?”

Liam braced for his son to fight against him, a thing that should never be, because of that— that vampire. He would hold his anger for now. It could have its release later.

Liam pulled Patton into the house, and struggled with him to get him into his old room. Liam locked the door.

Patton pounded on the door. “Dad! Dad, stop! You can’t do this!”

“I’m sorry, Pat. I am. It’ll all be ok in a few days. I promise.”

“Let me out! Dad!”

Liam went back outside, taking the vampire back. He controlled himself until he was inside the barn, out of sight from Patton’s window.

[mirinda03]

CONVENTIONAL FAMILY? Who’s that?

<<<<Previous Next>>>>

Chapter 11: In which Remus is a secret softie and doesn’t want anyone to know

(This chapter took me long to write cause it’s a longer chapter 😬. Anyway, Enjoy XD)

“So what happened?” Janus asked impatiently. Remus, being remus, had taken a dramatic pause before starting. It had left everyone silently waiting for what the boy would say. Their attention was focused on Remus as he continued his dramatic silence.

Sometimes, Janus hated how many habits he had passed onto Remus.

Remus sighed, rolling his eyes at his dad for ruining his dramatic moment. It had been fun seeing everyone squirm in anticipation.

“I bumped into Remy’s candle, almost set fire to the school and yadda yadda yadda. Can we go now?”

A shocked silence

Then, an exasperated sigh came from Mrs Fletcher

“Remus, just tell the truth” she said, clearly annoyed

“Okay okay. I got into a fight with a kid, the kid fell in the candle and blah blah blah” Remus said again, this time with a bit more sincerity but still not being fully sincere.

Janus nodded. That seemed plausible. Of course, he knew Remus wasn’t telling the complete truth. But he did see Remus as the type to get into a fight. Janus was almost proud, if it weren’t for the almost arson the boy had caused.

“Remus..” Mrs Fletcher said in a warning tone.

“FINE!” Remus practically yelled. He averted his gaze from his dad, who was looking

“I...” Remus started before he was interrupted by a loud purr.

Turning with wide eyes, Remus smiled at the approaching calico kitten. The kitten went towards Remus and rubbed against his leg.

“Aww. Hey there Tiger” Remus said, patting the small kitten affectionately.

Janus, who was not used to his son showing blatant affection, stared.

Did an alien trade places with Remus?

(Janus noted that if that DID happen, he would likely not notice any odd behaviors and would chart it off as Remus Weirdness. He had to watch out for that)

“Remus, how do you know this cat?” Janus pressed

Remus turned sheepishly and looked Janus in the eye. Then, he finally confessed the truth

“This small monster” he scooped up the cat “was being throwed stones by some kid. I tried to stop him and i began fighting him and stuff. Not because i care about the cat or anything. I just wanted to fight”

The last part was a clear lie, but Janus didn’t comment on it.

Remus continued

“Anyway, the dumb kid bumped into the candle but ran away immediately. I stayed back to help him and that’s when Remy came in too and the teachers saw us and assumed the worst” Remus confessed, looking a bit ashamed.

“Why didn’t you say anything, Remy?” Emile asked his son, worry evident in his eyes

Remy glanced at the cat, before turning to his dad

“The kid that ran away, his name is Christon Johnly.”

“Johnly as in, the politician Liam Johnly?” Emile asked confused

“Yeah..” Remy trailed off “No one was going to believe us if we said anything with no proof. That kid has no bad record and it would be his word against ours! So.. yeah”

“Then WHY did you come clean now?” Janus asked Remy, althought his question was directed to Remus.

“We found proof that he was the one to bump into the candle” Remus answered “A kid nearby named Anton took some pictures with his camera.”

Mrs Fletcher continued for him

“I informed Antony’s parents and they sent me the camera roll, which was why we took so long inside the office.”

“It seems like this two were telling the truth” Mrs Fletcher said, turning to Remus and Remy “Which means, they won’t be getting any severe punishment”

Patton, who seemed to be okay now that he had taken some medicine for his cat allergies, sighed in relief.

He did so too soon, thought

“However” Mrs Fletcher continued “Remy DID light a candle in school property and Remus fought a student. So, the two will have a two days suspension. I’ll personally talk to the Johnly family”

Everyone nodded in understanding.

“Well then, I have to make some calls” Mrs Fletcher said abruptly. Then, she went to her office and closed the door.

“Well, we really should be going” Emile said, taking Remy’s hand and ushering him forward “It was nice to meet you Mr Hart and Mr Sanders. I hope we can meet again in some better circumstances..”

Patton chuckled lightly but nodded in agreement. Janus just rolled his eyes.

And with that, the Picani’s were gone. Leaving Janus, Remus, Patton, and the cat

Remus was about to begin begging Janus to not tell Virgil about the cat (he knew his older brother enough to know he’d be all smug and victorious about it (probably calling him a softie) As his younger brother, Remus did NOT want that.) but he was caught off from mentioning Virgil by Janus patting his shoulder.

“Come on Remus.. and company” he glanced at the cat briefly “Let’s go” Janus said.

The two were about to walk out when a sudden shout was heard

“WAIT!”

It came from Patton, the cat allergy guy.

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[oh-theatre]

Objection!: Chapter 29

Chapter title: Staring Into Hell

A/n: Ew EW EW EW I HATE THIS I HATE MY WORK I HATE EVERYTHING WHY ARE YOU STILL READ AAAA BLEH! ANyway heres a new chapter, hope you enjoy I guess anD PLEASE LEAVE ME COMMENTS

First | Previous | Next

words: 2224

summary: With Logans remaining anger, they all just try to get through the days

pairings: Eventual logicality, prinxiety, platonic demus, romantic remile

warnings: Murder mention, child murder, Law and Courtroom, swearing, blood, hospital, crime scene,  murder, gun mention, guns, swearing abuse, graphic descriptions, alcohol, shooting, crying

Ao3 Link  

“A wheelchair?” Logan baffles, he doesn't understand but Patton does. His mind already races quickly and goes over everything he’ll need to adjust for his lifestyle. He can hear Logan shooting questions towards the doctor but he can't focus on the deep set panic. How will he make his commute, take his children to school, oh my how may he present himself in court? “I simply do not understand doctor” Logan finishes

“I know its a difficult situation but it seems as though his injuries could worsen if we allow him to return to his normal life instantly it could have detrimental effects” He explains, Patton takes Logan's hand comfortingly, kissing it sweetly.”This is a precaution of the most vital need, he will attend physical therapy and we will make sure he is in top shape.” Logan huffs, a disappointed scowl. Patton gives an apologetic look to the doctor, he takes his cue. “Ill leave you two to discuss”

“Lo..” Patton ushers, Logan sits himself on the bed, in front of Patton. “I want to be able to hold my kids, I want to walk through the courtroom, I want to be able to…” He feels the ring around his finger, Logan had returned it almost as soon as Patton had awakened. “I want to be able to walk down the aisle” He smiles. Logan chuckles, though still restrained he understood.

“Alright...Alright” He nods, Patton gives him a grin. His hand places itself carefully on the lawyer's chest as Logan pulls him in for a kiss. “Now to more grim matters…” He proposes, Patton sighs averting his eyes. The room had been severely decorated by Emile. Who wanted nothing more than the father to feel at home. At his bedside table were three framed photos. The first was of Patton and the children on the day of their adoption, he held the twins with vibrant tears in his eyes. The second was of Patton and Logan, a photographer had taken it while the pair had danced at the gala. The third however, he wished for it to be taken away, Virgil and him smiling exhausted as their children climbed them happily. That used to be his most treasured photo….

Used to be

Now the sight of Virgil conjured the worst of stomachaches and the most confusion. He shook it out of his head allowing Logan to kiss him on his forehead but he kept facing away.

“We will discuss it at a later time” Logan allows, Patton nods feeling his eyes grow heavy with exhaustion, listening to Logan's farewell. “I'm going to go and get you some food”

“Jamahl!” Patton yells, he serves the children already sitting at the table, happily bouncing for breakfast. Terrance flaps excited as Remus and Valerie chow down quickly. Patton huffs rubbing his hands on his apron. “Jamahl breakfast! Lets go!” Patton attempts again, Logan chuckles coyly taking Patton in for a gentle kiss on his cheek.

“Good morning busy bees” Logan greets, a kiss to each of their foreheads. Patton cleans, finally the kitchen looks untouched. And yet as Logan reads his paper, the children discuss in chatters, one piece is missing. Patton taps annoyed, he checks his watch once more. “Something bothering you love?” Logan inquires, washing away his cup.

“I have to get the children to school, Terrence to daycare and I have a court case” Patton lists, he looks to the stairs that lead up. “Jamahl!” He calls again, Logan takes him from behind, leaning his head on his husband's shoulder. “What on earth is he up to?” The clock buzzes giving neither time to answer. “Crap I've gotta go”

“I'll get him to school, you take the three musketeers,” Logan promises, his hand moving down Patton's arm while his pinky interlaces itself with Pattons. A quick squeeze before a blushed Patton rushes to get the children on their way.

“Wakey wakey Patton” A cold voice shivered down Patton's already sweaty back. He yawns sitting up, rubbing his blurred vision as he reaches for his glasses. Soon enough his blinking pays and he wishes it had not. “Feeling better cupcake?”

“Feel like i'm going to vomit” Patton replies, a scowl returns to his face. Liam smirks taking a spot at the end of the bed. “Why are you here?” He asks for what seems the millionth time. Liam inches closer, and for a moment Patton can just seem himself return to his sinking self. Liam could take his cheeks right now and Patton fears his own control. Thank god for his fiancee

What a stranger idea

Fiancee

He couldn't help but blush

“Liam, I'm going to give a single millisecond to remove yourself from the premises” Logan announces, Patton bites his lower lip. Liam nods but stands. “Go on now, coward”

“Actually I dont think I want to” Liam chuckles, Patton swears things moved too quickly. Logan grabs his collar, delicately but hes pinned now on the wall. “What the hell! Get off of me!”

Huh

Weird

That was Patton's line

“Get out and leave Patton and his childr-”

“Our!” Patton corrects “Our children” he smiles, Logan refuses the intense urge to grin but nods.

”-Our children alone” He makes the change, proudly. Liam groans, finally getting the clearly superior man off of him. He gives Patton one more glare before disappearing. Logan wipes his hands, sanitizing. Patton falls back on his pillow laughing. “What? I don't like him” Logan sits.

“You and me both dearest” Patton sighs, he stretches his arms gladly taking Logans water. “Hey” His tone softens, he reaches for Logans more than ready hand. “I want kids” He admits, Logan retracts, sucking in.

“I hate to inform you but you already do” Logan teases “Two in fact” Patton turns to his shoulder laughing, Logan would never get tired of that. Patton tugged carefully, Logan takes his lay next to him. He wraps him up, they lounge comfortably.

“I want more” He finds Logans fingers, interlacing them carefully. “With you” He requests, Logan lets out a sweet breath, kissing gently on the nape of Patton's neck. “I know we have the twins, and I love them more than anything, but I want more kids...i want a-”

“Family” Logan completes

~~~

“Talk to me Logan!” Virgil grabs the lawyers arms, the fuming rage he faces terrifies him. “Please just let me explain”

“You dont get it do you? There is no explanation” Logan faces him. “Thats it, nothing is justifiable ok?”

“It was for Damian! I had just gotten him, I was young and stupid and wanted to make sure my kid was ok! I have never felt so much shame in my life but I needed it” Virgil rushes, Logan keeps his face cold but he knows in a heartbeat Patton would figure Virgil.

“And Remy?” But before Virgil can answer his face resolves “Emiles surgery…” Virgil nods, shuffling his feet on the ground. “Still, you shouldn't have taken the money, there were other ways...other solutions. You're just lucky that Patton was able to get out of that situation.” Logan tries his hardest to remain calm, his breath quivers but he musnt. “But what would have happened if Patton had not, if he had stayed?”

“I know that! Look, don't tell Patton, I need him to forgive me in his own time...I don't want him to know why...he's too forgiving and he has every right to be upset but I needed you to understand” Logan nods, he still has his duvidas. “But Logan....why do you care so much if we took the money?”

“Because I didn't Virgil” Logan reveals, the detective's heart drops. Of course it was a stupid question in the first place, it was Patton, it was a bribe. “I had a case, we had a case. We could have gotten him out of there. But then strangely two of my testimonies dropped out”  Logan shook his hand, grunting. “I don't want to talk about this, or talk to you, or anything” He takes his coffees disappearing behind Patton's room. “Hey”

“Hi!” Patton smiles, the twins giggle from their hiding spot. Logan keeps his eyes forward however, as if nothing was heard. “I can't seem to find the twins, would you care to help me my love?” Logan breaths, a cheeky smirk .

“I suppose I can, I wouldn't want our children to disappear” He laments, soon the door opens and they both rush into Logan's arms.

“No dada!” They cry, he kneels hugging them tight. Patton watches from his bed, his heart couldn't comprehend this. Was this real? Logan carries the kids to the bed, all four of them. A happy family...their happy family. His…

“You alright honeybee?” Logan whispers as the twins focus their energy on the tv. Patton nods, cradling himself into Logan's chest, the twins following into their fathers. “You look sad”

“No no...far from it” He promises, kissing Logan. “Are you? I heard some frustrated voices outside” Patton fiddles with Valerie's hair, braiding it gently. “Sounded like Virgil…”

“Not right now Pat” Logan assures “We are here, together and…” He falters, Patton turns him. He wipes away the newly freshened tears. “I apologize Patton, it seems I am overwhelmed at the moment” Logan admits, Patton purses his lip struggling to reach the tissues. “I love you”

“And I you”

~~~

“Alright shithead, fucker, pile of trash-”

“Virgil” Remy kicks him under the table, the detective glares. “Liam” Remy seethes. “You want to tell me where you were approximately an hour after the situation was diffused?”

“I was behind the barricade, the doctors were checking me” Liam concludes, Virgil kicks the chair. He knows as soon as he checks with the emergency response team, Liam would be on their record. He may be a flaming pile of trash but he isn't a killer.

“You're free to go” Virgil bites his lip, feeling his skin almost chew off.

“And I didnt even have to pay you this time” Liam snarls, Remy holds Virgil back while Liam makes his way out.

“Argh!” Virgil pounds, Remy signals for the rest of the team to leave from behind their one way mirror. “I'm so sick of him beating us! Always beating the goddamn system!” Virgil huffs, Remy's hand placed on his back for support. “I shouldnt have done it, we shouldnt have taken the fucking money Remy”

“I know...I know..I know I know-”

“Stop it!” Virgil slaps the table “Just...I have to go”  Virgil grunts.

“Patton?” Virgil knocks “Pat? Ready to-” Virgil pauses listening to the grunts

“Shut it or ill stuff-” The voice pauses “Whos there?” The detective recognizes the disgusting voice of the slimy intoxicating man. Liam.

“Its Virgil, Pat and I have a lunch date” He knocks once more, quiet but annoyed shuffling can be heard before the door opens up. Patton whimpers on the couch, his beagle Molly comforting him, the twins safely away at his sisters. “Are you ready to go?” He addresses. The lawyer coughs, clearly wiping something away from his face. He stands, plastering a fake smile. Virgil sees the bruise, he sees it and he goes towards Liam as Patton gets into his car. “WHat the hell did you do?” He accuses

“Now now detective, remember that information is not for you...not anymore” His sly smile turns Virgil's stomach. “If I do recall, a hundred grand being placed in yours and detective Nyx’s name sealed that”

For damian

For damian

For me…

He felt sick

~~~

“You're not giving me much choice” Roman sighs,Logan smirks, rolling his eyes. The pair make their way from the cafeteria, holding three trays of food. Logans, Romans and of course Pattons. The breeze was chilly as the doors would swirl open every now and then. Roman enjoyed this moment, right now, everything was fine. Everything was ok.

“You alright?” Logan asks, turning the corner, he smiles politely to the nurses and doctors who rush by.

“I'm doing alright for myself specs” Roman catches himself in the bliss. James, Patton, his job, his friends...everything was alright. Pattons room was just up ahead, he could make out two figures. James must have beaten them to it. His phone buzzes in his coat, he holds them up for a moment. “Roman Reial!”

“Ro?” It was soft, almost a squeak but he knew who was on the other line. Virgil.

“What is it?” He felt commanding, a fierce tone as he demands an answer. He could hear the sniffles, the desperation and he softened. “Virge?” He whispered.

“I...I need to talk to you please” He begs, Roman could feel the heat rise. Logan furrows his brows but allows them to continue the conversation. “Just later? A-at some point?”

“Sure, yeah, of course” He rushes, the phone falls into his pocket. Had he hung up? Thank god he hadn't. They approach the door, swinging it open with charm. “Alright we hav-” His heart fell flat, the scene couldn't have played out like this. “James” Roman barely breathes

“That does appear to be my name” The judge says, Logans lips tremble angrily

“And you do appear to be pointing a gun at my fiance” Logan growls

“Well he just won't die” James claims, a quick click.

The safety's off

[floralege]

ship meme thing for allllllla our ships xoxo orumad

omg  the  whole  SQUAD  let’s  fuckin  DO  THIS  !!!   @orumad

who is the most affectionate ?

cilla  and  daisy  are  EXTREMELY  affectionate,  they  just  love  holding  hands,  kissing,  just  being  close.  mick  loves  having  his  arm  around  del’s  waist,  and  he  gets  progressively  more  affectionate  as  the  drinks  go  around.  pru  is  affectionate  with  bee  in  a  very  Horny  Girl  way  24  /  7  so  her  affection  actually  becomes  very  sweet  when  she’s  drunk  /  high.  we’re  not  at  all  surprised  that  caia  and  lauren  are  the  queens  of  affection,  but  mostly  to  each  other.

big spoon  /  little spoon ?

considering  that  she’s  a  vampire,  elliot  needs  SOMETHING  to  feel  like  a  Big  Man  (  ugh,  boys  )  so  he’s  def  got  big  spoon  energy.  liam’s  big  spoon,  but  he’s  always  poking  fern’s  back.  romy  is  big  spoon  for  molly,  but  that’s  probably  an  ego  thing  because  she  def  bottoms.  WHY  am  i  soft  about  duffy  platonically  cuddling  vee  their  whole  lives  until  one  day  it  doesn’t  feel  Very  Friendly  ?  big  soft.

favorite non - sexual activity ?

hunting  sport  (  re:  stupid  humans  )  for  gid  and  rome,  but  at  some  point,  that  turns  a  lil  sexual.  before  he  got  swept  up  into  work,  grady  loved  watching  tracy / hepburn  films  with  cecile.  liam  and  fern  genuinely  loving  jamming  and  shit  talking  together,  cilla  and  henry  love  spontaneous  date  nights,  emmy  and  dom  drink  and  plot  together  that’s  almost  foreplay.  emile  and  marilyn  taunt  each  other  mercilessly,  but  they  really  do  enjoy  getting  to know  one  another  without  that  pressure.  camille  and  emile  are  the  masters of  non  sexual  intimacy,  so  they’ll  just  stare  at  the  sky  or  make  more  awful  bets  with  one  another.

who is most likely to carry the other ?

Big  Ivor  carries  Little  Cecile  and  yes,  we  love  it  !  dusty  probably  carries  vee  and  lucas  around  constantly.  in  a  sad  way,  molly’s  probably  carried  romy  out  of  many  bars  :(  johnny  drags  cam’s  tiny  ass  out  of  clubs,  sadie  and  del  are  both  going  Through  It  so  they  carry  each  other  out  of  many  los  angeles  night  clubs  where  they’ve  started  shit  and  don’t  want  to  deal  with  it.

what is their favorite feature of their partner’s ?

gideon  fully  believes  that  rome  is  the  most  beautiful  creation  of  all  time,  though  he’d  fuck  himself  with  a  chainsaw  before  ever  acknowledging  it  aloud.  hannah  is  genuinely  attracted  to  freddie’s  inherent  goodness  and  idk,  probably  feels  some  connection  with  that  sort  of  brokenness,  too.   pru  loves  bee’s  nose  and  will  do  the  bradley  cooper  nose  touch  thing  from  a  star  is  born  when  she’s  drunk,  probs  to  bee’s  annoyance.  jack  literally  believes  is  kimber  is  SO  fucking  cute  and  wonderful,  it  aches  her.  mick  is  obvs  taken  with  the  eyes  AND  the  boobs.  call   it  fucked,  but  emmy  loves  when  dom  goes  ice  cold  on  someone  ---  just  not  HER.

what’s the first thing that changes when they realize they have feelings for the other ?

johnny  and  cameron  likely  bickered  more  often  and  tbh,  i  feel  like  one  mick  realized  he  had  legit  feelings  for  delphine,  he  acted  super  weird  and  the  whole  family  noticed.  fern  was  probably  very  gentle  about  it  but  liam  went  full  tf  is  up  with  you,  kid  ?  cameron  and  freddie  always  inherently  had  feelings  for  one  another,  so  it  was  just  there  from  the  get  go.  

nicknames  ?  and  if  so,  how  did  they  originate  ?

most  of  the  nicknames  are  just  ones  everyone  sort  of  had  growing  up  ?  pru,  bee,  vee,  mickey,  duffy,  del,  etc.  like,  i  don’t  know  if  any  nicknames  are  singular  to  any  particular  ship  tbh  they’re  free  for  everyone.

who worries the most ?

fern  worries  about  liam  more  than  she  lets  on  and  it’s  probably  her  inner  saboteur  that  has  her  cope  with  that  by  drinking  with  ethan.  gideon  worries  about  lauren  CONSTANTLY,  because  he’d  legit  die  if  anything  happened  to  her  or  caia.  he  doesn’t  worry  about  rome  necessarily,  but  he  gets  wind  of  her  endeavors  without  him  and  hopes  she’s  staying  safe.  jack  wonders  if  she’s  going  to  fall  into  old  habits  the  longer  she’s  around  pru,  del,  and  co.,  so  she’s  worried  about  disappointing  /  hurting  kimber  because  of  that.  arlo  knows  coco  has  her  shit  together,  but  he  can’t  help  but  worry  !!!  she  doesn’t  need  his  concern  and  he  knows  she  can  handle  herself  but  he  does  !!  want  to  help  !!

who remembers what the other one always orders at a restaurant ?

bee  probably  remembers  the  food  at  fancy  restaurants  that  don’t  make  pru gag,  so  she  always  reminds  her  what  to  get  ;  dom  can  be  upsettingly  charming  when  he  remembers  what  daisy’s  favorite  dessert  is,  and  she’s  never  convincing  when  she  pretends  to  be  annoyed  that  he’s  already  ordered  it.  on  the  flip  side,  emmy’s  known  dom’s  drink  order  since  they  were  sixteen.  grady  remembers  the  gist  of  cecile’s  favorite,  but  ivor’s  always  the  one  who  rushes  to  the  kitchen  to  let  the  chef  know  exactly  what  her  preference  is.  simon  has  em’s  thai  takeout  order  MEMORIZED.

who tops ?

shocked  to  learn  that  bee  wasn’t  kidding  about  the  occasional  topping  !  though  daphne  def  topped  her.  mick  physically  tops,  del  does  it  emotionally.  molly  tops  romy  which  is  amazing  for  their  height  difference,  and  olivia  and  esme  def  battle  it  out  every  time,  LOVE  that  for  them.

who initiates kisses ?

cilla  is  big  on  kissing  often,  so  henry  tends  to  arrive  at  parties  with  some  trace  of  her  lipstick  on  him  every  time.  with  everything  going  on  in  the  press,  dom  and  emmy  are  wise  to  play  up  their  affection,  but  behind  closed  doors,  he’s  definitely  the  one  to  initiate.  dusty  probably  drunk  kisses  lucas  every  time  and  it’s  just  never  mentioned  ever  again.  jack’s  horny  on  main,  so  she’s  always  all  over  kimber.  meg  initiates  kisses  often,  though  mostly  as  a  power play.

who reaches for the other’s hand first?

cameron,  always.  johnny,  freddie,  cecile,  etc  ---  doesn’t  matter,  she’s  holding  their  hand.  duffy  gets  VERY  excited  about  holding  vee’s  hand,  so  he  tries  it  often.  jimmy  probably  tried  to  hold  sadie’s  hand  once  and  she  elbowed  him,  but  caia  loves  all  form  of  affection,  so  she  got  very  flustered  when  he  first  grabbed  hers.  simon’s  learned  to  place  a  hand  at  the  small  of  em’s  back  when  they  attend  events  together.

who kisses the hardest ?

unless  she’s  drunk,  pru  has  no  idea  how  to  be  soft  so  she’s  always  kissing  with  a  bigger  plan  in  mind.  liam  probs  kisses  rough,  too.  simon’s  big  on  heady  kisses,  and  if  ivor  ever  gets  the  chance,  HELL  YEAH.

who wakes up first ?

cilla’s  only  an  early  riser  if  she  hasn’t  gone  to  bed,  so  henry’s  usually  the  one  trying  to  make  sure  she’s  up  before  noon.  dom’s  always  up  early,  and  while  daisy  was  the  type  to  mumble  sweetly  for  him  to  stay  longer,  emmy  usually  doesn’t  stir  unless  she  wakes  up  in   a  Mood  and  pulls  at  him  to  stay  behind.  bee’s  always  up  before  pru,  and  pru  thinks  that’s  a  complete  crime.

who wants to stay in bed just a little longer ?

gideon  obvs  doesn’t  sleep,  but  when  he  allows  himself  to  rest,  he  demands  WEEKS  of  going  undisturbed,  so  imagine  a  pale,  lonely  freak  vampire  sitting  in  the  woods  and  staring  at  the  sky  motionless  basically.  meg,  unlike  bee,  happily  sleeps  in  late  and  takes  her  sweet  fucking  time  to  do  it,  though  with  sid  she  always  skips  out  before  morning.  ivy  doesn’t  believe  in  anything  before  one  pm,  so  surprise  surprise  that  nora  started  suggesting  breakfast  dates  for  nik.

who says i love you first ?

since  they’re  all  stupid  soft,  gonna  go  out  on  a  limb  and  assume  it  was  mostly  mine  idiots  who  said  it  first.  except  for  obvious  ones  like  sadie,  who  ran  to  the  hills,  and  gideon,  who  believes  love  is  too  weak  to  encompass  it.

who tells their family/friends about their relationship first ?

listen  EVERY  CHARACTER  IN  EVERY  GENERATION  IS  TOO  CLOSE  so  nobody  needed  to  be  told.  someone  gets  together,  and  by  the  time  they  home,  the  information  has  fully  been  spread.  

what do their family/friends think of their relationship ?

each  ship  has  their  own pros  and  cons,  and  while  certain  people  have  LOUDER  opinions  (  fern  loves  bee,  doesn’t  understand  why  pru  let  her  go  ;  if  cameron  were  alive,  she’d  be  politely  and  quietly  apprehensive  about  camille’s  friendship  with  clem’s  son, the  same  with  daisy  and  henry  /  cilla,  etc.  )   but  it’s  usually  either  we  hate  this  (  meg  @  pru/bee,  sadie  @  mick/sadie  )  or  we  love  this   (  fern  @  pru/bee,  mick  @  jimmy/caia,  dusty  @  duffy/vee  )

who is more likely to start dancing with the other ?

lauren’s  always  the  one  who  gets  elliot  dancing,  grady  would’ve  sat  in  the  corner  at  his  own  wedding  if  not  for  cecile  while  simon  LOVES  to  dance  and  always  guides  em  and  asha  out  to  the  floor.  pearl  will  pull  ANYONE  out  to  dance  with  her.

who cooks more/who is better at cooking ?

cameron  is  a  horrible  cook  and  has  set  freddie  and  johnny’s  respective  kitchens  ablaze  many  times,  marilyn  has  specialty  dishes  but  she’s  too  lazy  to  cook  often.  ivor  knows  the  basic,  but  he  whips  them  up  for  cecile.  nora’s  excellent  at  cooking,  but  for  some  reason,  only  nik  and  coco  have  ever  tried  it.  

who comes up with cheesy pick up lines ?

simon  is  often  too  hetero  for  his  own  good.  clementine  is  guilty  of  this,  too,  but  she’s  cute  enough  to  get  away  with.

who whispers inappropriate things in the other’s ear during inappropriate times ?

BIG  ROME  AND  GIDEON  ENERGY.  also  big  dom  and  emmy /  daisy  energy.  jack  and  kimber  are  definitely  guilty  of  this,  too.  jules  probably  whispered  something  indecent  to  bella  at  cecile’s  wake  (  big  ow  typing  that  !  )  and  it  made  bella  feel  so  normal  for  five  seconds  that  she  was  sort  of  always  endeared  after  that.

who needs more assurance ?

given  their  history,  hannah  and  freddie  need  a  lot  of  reassurance  from  each  other.  that  was  obviously  a  problem  for  mick  and  look  how  THAT  turned  out.  immediately  post  rehab  romy  needed  a  lot  of  validation  from  molly,  which  became  messy.

what would be their theme song ?

MOST  OF  THEM  HAVE  SOUNDTRACKS  AND  SONGS  BUT  THERE  ARE  A  LIL  TOO  MANY !!!!!!

who would sing to their child back to sleep ?

cameron  could  NOT  sing,  but  did  it  all  the  time  for  daisy  and  henry,  so  bless  freddie’s  patience.  fern  walked  in  on  liam  softy  singing  one  of  his  inappropriate  songs  to  pru  once  and  loved  it,  a  la  baby  emma  and  baby  got  back.  duffy  does  this  constantly  for  his  daughter,  and  vee’s  definitely  caught  him  a  few  times.  emmy  would  never  sing,  but  she  def  played  medieval  choir  music  over  bastien’s  baby  monitor  and  dom  was  full  ????  over  this.

what do they do when they’re away from each other ?

most  of  the  time  they  literally  do  not  shut  up  about  the  other  person,  for  better  or  worse.  or  it’s  messy  and  they  don’t  consider  them  enough.  it’s  VERY  one  or  another,  which never  turns  out  well.

one headcanon about this otp that breaks your heart.

AGAIN  too  many  to  choose  from  but  the  way  we  wrote  charlie  out  and  put  johnny  in  as  daisy’s  father  ?  astounding,  10  /  10  because  that  works  a  little  TOO  well  for  the  dynamics  that  played  out  with  gen  two  and  makes  cam’s  death  hit  a  little  HARDER.  also  we’ve  been saying  this  for  years  but  ivor  /  dom  interaction  pls.  the  scandal  of  it  all.  

one headcanon about this otp that mends it.     

soft  concept  is  the scooby  gang  (  there’s  no  freddie,  just  gay  daphne,  a  shaggy  and  scooby,  and  velma  )  having  elaborate  halloween  plans  every  year,  even  if  it’s  just  to  have  a  movie  marathon.  costumes  are  often  required,  and  dusty  LOVES  some  good  riddles,  so  she’ll  get  every  stoned  and  hide  clues  around  the  apartment  that  lead  to  the  snacks.

[romansleftshoulderpad]

Loner (Until I Met You.)

Ships: Remile, background Analogical and Royality. (Because it’s Me. Of course there's royality.)

Warnings: Feelings of loneliness, swearing, caps, and some suggestiveness

Tags: @fandermom @my-analogical-romance @raiseafuckingglass

---

It wasn’t that Emile didn’t have friends- quite the opposite in fact! He just didn’t have many close friends. He could easily drift from group to group, feigning contentment in not understanding inside jokes, and being happy just in the moment. Though, he did also cherish his time alone. He liked being in the peace and quiet, and being alone seemed to make a good excuse for being lonely.

Then, he met Remy. Remus Liam Star was unlike anyone Emile Picani had ever met in his life. He was loud, boisterous, and sarcastic beyond belief. He held up a stoic façade and pretended to care only for himself, but as soon as one of his friends was in trouble, he showed that he was protective and that he cared with his whole heart.

So maybe that’s why, on this rainy March day, Emile invited Remy to be alone with him stargazing tonight. The grass smelled of that morning’s rain and there was nary a cloud in the sky to block their perfect view. “Do you believe in true love, Remus?”

He heard Remy take a deep breath as if his words were waiting to be ingested as they float among the cold air. “I think I’m starting to.”

Emile took a sharp inhale as his heart rate picked up in his chest. “Me too,” he whispered. He knew very well the magical feeling in his chest and the sickly feeling in his gut. He was getting his hopes up atop the highest skyscraper while his heart sank deep, deeper, and deeply into a dark abyss for the man sitting laying next to him.

“Bet he’s a lucky guy,” Remy said.

“I guess,” Emile said.

“Hey, Em, listen to me.” Remy was sitting up, his face hovering inches above Emile’s. “You are so fucking wonderful, okay? Don’t you doubt that for a damn second.” His eyes were fiery and intense, but it was his lips that Emile’s gaze was glued to. “Any guy would be lucky to have even two seconds of your time or a fraction of your love and- oh shit! Are you crying? Did I say something wrong?”

Emile shook his head with a smile, tugging on Remy’s jacket as he sat up and pulled the other into a hug. “Thank you, Remus. That means a lot.”

Remy melted under the touch but would never admit it outside of that moment. It was awkward at first, but when his hands finally found their places on Emile’s upper back, they were both content to just exist in the starlight against the score of crickets and streetlights.

The next few weeks passed wordlessly and Emile couldn’t stop his heart from sinking deeper and deeper, faster and faster, until there was no hope of it coming back to the light. Remy fazed in and out of relationships- none of them serious, but it broke Emile’s heart anyway. It was a rainy day in mid-April the next time they were alone together. There were alone together in what was lazily called a ‘Sun Room’ as the wind gently splashed their legs. Emile pulled his legs close to his chest in an effort to stay dry on the old wicker couch.

“So, Em,” Remy said, stretching out his arms in front of him. “Why haven’t you dated anyone this year?”

Emile shrugged, exhaling into his mug as he took a sip, hoping that the fog on his glasses would hide the panic in his eyes. “Haven’t been asked,” he said, “haven’t asked anyone else.”

“What about that guy from March?” Remy asked. “Oh, let me guess, he’s actually a total asshole and you’ve moved on.”

“Remus,” Emile said with a laugh, his words dying on his tongue, “no. He, uh, he’s not an asshole.”

Remy looked to Emile with a raised eyebrow and curiosity in his eyes. “Why don’t you ask him out, then?”

Emile kept his eyes on his knees. “The timing is never right.”

“Timing is a sorry excuse,” he teased. “Sometimes you have to take risks.”

If Emile were any braver, he would have made a move right then and there. He would have put down his mug, pulled Remy by the jacket, and he would have kissed him absolutely senseless. They’d break for air and Emile would spill out everything he had been hiding for the past two months. If he were lucky, Remy would have confessed that none of his past relationships worked because he was too hung up on Emile and no one else could ever suffice. However, Emile was not lucky, not brave, and failing to keep to the hem of his pants dry. He tucked his legs under his knees and took one final sip of his drink. “Can we change the subject, please?”

“Em,” Remy said quietly, trying to figuring out what he said wrong.

“Remus, please. Just change the subject.”

Remy turned his head away from Emile as his eyes grew focused on a dying porch light. “I’m gonna be single next Saturday.”

“You finally got bored with him?” Emile teased.

Remy was silent for a beat and now Emile was worried he had spoken out of turn. “Among other things, yeah. We just... didn’t click well. It’s just not gonna work out. Why delay the inevitable?”

“If the breakup is inevitable, why start the relationship in the first place?”

“Because it’s worth it to try,” he said, the air between them was cold and began to still. The storm was finally about to end. “Starting a relationship is, well, it’s a test of compatibility, I guess.”

“Roman always seems to say the opposite,” Emile said. “He says that... if you’re compatible as friends, and you both share the same feelings, a relationship is just... a change in boundaries.”

Remy let out a sign and chuckled. “That’s because Roman actually likes the guys he dates.”

Emile spent the rest of the night trying to figure out what that statement meant. He never got an answer. He tried to brush it off but it always stayed quizzically in the back of his mind.

“I am SO DONE with artists,” Remy announced, slamming his head against the old picnic table as he sat down. The group stayed in touch by taking turns organizing little get-togethers- usually a brunch, or dinner party when Logan was feeling particularly bold- and talking about life. Of course, they all had moments where they hung out as fractions and fragments of their group, but the get-togethers were tradition and none of them would trade them for the world.

“Excuse you,” Roman said with a rather offended gasp.

“Not you kind of artists but,” Remy fumbled with his hands as he tried to think of the words before just digging his hands through his hair, “UGH!”

“Tough breakup?” Virgil asked.

“Percy is such a picky asshole.”

“Remus-“

“Remy.” There was a beat of silence. “Only Em gets to call me ‘Remus’,” he muttered under his breath.

Logan cleared his throat. “Remy,” he said, “perhaps it would be best to take more time before entering these, uh, flings head first. I’d even go so far as to recommend advice from Roman.”

“Well that’s definitely a first,” Virgil teased, poking his boyfriend’s side.

“I’m not sure I’m equipped at the moment.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

Roman sighed, keeping his eyes low on the ground. “I uh,” mumbled an embarrassed (but would never admit it) Roman, “I’m having problems trying to confess to my own crush.”

“Aww, Roman,” Patton said. “I’m sure you’ll be fine.”

“He’d be a fool not to at least give you a chance,” Emile said with an encouraging smile. From the side of his eye, he could see Remy give him a glance that was nearly impossible to read through his dark sunglasses.

“Uh, yeah, you’ll do fine, Roman,” Remy said. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, Babes, I got an iced green tea that’s just calling my name from the nearest Starbucks.”

“Tired of us already?” Virgil teased.

Remy rolled his eyes with a laugh. “Without caffeine? Yes.”

Roman sighed, clicking his tongue disapprovingly as he shook his head. “I doubt he’ll ever change.”

“You never know,” Virgil said with a shrug, his voice low as everyone looked to him. No one pressed him for an explanation. No one needed to.

It was a bit of a shock when, later that night, Emile had received a phone call from Roman rather out of the blue. “Hey, is it okay if I come over?” Roman asked before either had a chance to say hello.

“Oh, uh, yeah, sure,” Emile said. “I’m just cleaning some things up.”

“Perfect! Because I’m in your driveway.” Three beeps signaled that Roman had hung up already.

Emile sighed, putting his phone in his pocket and trying to speed-walk across the house to open the door. “Roman, is there ever a time when you’ll give me more than a five-minute warning before your arrival?”

“Emile, darling, would I be here on such short notice if it weren’t absolutely necessary?”

“Yes, Roman, yes you would be.”

Roman rolled his eyes and leaned his hip against the doorframe. “I need your help. Can I come in or not?”

“Yeah, come in, come in,” Emile said. “What did you need help with?”

“Patton,” Roman mumbled, falling dramatically across Emile’s couch.

“What about Patton?”

Roman rolled his eyes. “Oh wipe that smug little grin off of your face; you’ve been spending far too much time with Remy.”

“Answer the question, Roman.”

“He’s too wonderful!” Roman exclaimed, throwing his hands into the air. “His smile could light all of Times Square! His freckles are tiny kisses that the sun has left upon his face! And his body-”

“I’m gonna stop you right there,” Emile said. “Stop. Go to jail. Do not pass ‘Go’ and do not collect two hundred dollars.”

Roman smirked as he sat up. “Emile, my dear and wonderful friend, you must help me in winning over Patton’s affections! Wait- who the hell are you calling?”

“Virgil. I am definitely not equipped to help with this alone.”

A couple of phone calls, a few minutes of waiting, and one brewed pot of coffee later, Roman, Virgil, Remy, and Emile were all scheming on the living room floor with all the furniture pushed away towards the walls as they sit on a macrame rug.

“Hey, why don’t you just, I don’t fucking know, ask him in a date? Like a normal person?” Virgil asked. “With no fireworks or ostriches!”

“Oh, please, like that would ever work.”

Virgil’s face fell into his hands with a groan. “Of course it would work! It’s fucking Patton!”

“Exactly! And Patton deserves the absolute greatest and most spectacular extravaganza that anyone could ask for!”

“Holy shit,” Virgil groaned before retaliating with a more solid argument.

Remy nudged his shoulder against Emile’s and brought his lips dangerously close to Emile’s ear; his breath against the other’s neck caused Emile to fight back a chill. “Why don’t we make another pot of coffee and let these two settle their bitch fight?”

Emile silently nodded and let Remy lead him into the kitchen by the hand. He tightened his grip around Remy’s fingers as that feeling came back to him. His hopes were as high, higher, and highest as they could be, and his heart stayed warm through the ice of the deep, dark, blackened, and lifeless sea. He was being torn apart, and he needed wanted Remy to keep him stable in the middle ground. He wanted Remy to grab him by the tie and kiss him but, no, that would never happen. He needed to come back to reality. He hadn’t even noticed when Remy let go of his hand.

Remy hoisted himself onto the counter, swinging his legs back and forth. Roman and Virgil’s bickering had become muffled background noise, but it showed no sign of stopping. “It’s always a party with those two, huh?”

Emile forced out an awkward laugh. “It is, isn’t it?”

“If you ask me,” Remy said, “Roman doesn’t even need some extravagant speech. Just catch him alone under the moonlight and kiss him senseless, ya know?”

“Maybe if this were a fanfic,” Emile teased. “But this is real life. You can’t just kiss people without asking.”

“Fair point.”

The bickering had quieted down and, for a few moments, everything was completely silent. Remy and Emile were caught staring in each other’s eyes. It was quiet enough to hear a pin drop. Seconds felt like minutes felt like hours felt like years. It was late April.

“We should, uh, we should check on the others.”

“Yeah. You’re right.”

It was the middle of May. Roman was having the gang- and a few other friends- over for an End of Spring Pool Party. Roman had promised to tell Patton how he felt before the end of the night. Virgil had bet Remy five bucks that he would bail.

Emile has never been one for swimming- at least not around strangers- so he had confessed that he’d be content to sit by the pool and watch. It was perhaps the most casual any of them had seen him- khaki shorts with a flowery button down and a regular pair of brown boat shoes.

“Wow, Em, you dress down nice,” Remy said with a wink. There were a few hours to sunset. Really, the party was only starting.

“Thank you, Remus,” Emile said with a smile and flushed cheeks.

“Quit flirting and ask Roman where he keeps the spare firewood!” Virgil yelled from the other end of the pool, poking at an unlit fireplace.

“Keep flirting, I’ll talk to Roman,” Logan teased as he passed by them and Emile was sure that his blush would give him away as he looked only to the ground. If he were to look up he would have noticed Remy looking to the sky with a face that was red from embarrassment.

“I should, uh, probably go get changed,” Remy said, patting a drawstring bag on his side. “Keep an eye on Roman while I’m gone. I’m really looking forward to those five bucks that Virge is gonna owe me.”

“Whatever you say, Remus,” Emile said with a laugh. He looked towards the sun as Remy headed inside. The orange sky had melted into pinks, purples, blues, and a lightless black littered with stars before his very eyes. The party was loud and alive with music blasting, conversation from everywhere in the yard, and any type of outdoor lighting that Roman could buy for under five dollars a piece. Emile was content to sip on fruit punch and watch from a distance.

“Hey, Emile,” Virgil said, swimming up to the side of the pool. “Have you seen Logan?”

“I think he went inside to go get some snacks.”

“Damnit, would you wind going inside and getting him for me? I need him to help me kick Seth and Toby’s asses in a chicken fight.”

“Sure thing!” Emile said. He put his drink down on the table next to him before snaking his way through crowds of people. As he got closer to the kitchen he felt himself gasping for air. He didn’t even know these many people could fit in one house!

“Em!” Remy whispered, gesturing for Emile to come closer. “You gotta see this.”

The two peaked behind a wall that leads to the dining room, where Roman had Patton pinned against the dining room table as they both kissed roughly as if nothing else mattered. “Eww,” Emile said under his breath as he turned away from the wall to give them their privacy, as well as to try to remove the image from his brain. 

“I know right?” Remy laughed as he snapped a picture and texted it to whom Emile could only assume was Virgil. “I can’t wait to get those five bucks.”

It was the first real look that Emile had gotten of Remy that night. His sunglasses were pushed on top of his head, holding back his hair, and he still wore his black jacket (open) over his bare chest. With his plain black swim trunks, it all somehow looked like an actual outfit, as ridiculous as that sounds. “I should probably find Logan,” Emile admitted. “Virgil sent me in here to find him.”

“That nerd? I sent him out a bit ago to go entertain his boyfriend. I’m sure they’ve found each other already.”

Emile let out a relieved sigh and smiled at Remy. “Thanks then.”

“Anything for you, Em,” he replied with a wink. Emile was lost beyond belief but he finally felt stable, level, and found all at once. “Why don’t we go get some fresh air?”

“I’d like that,” Emile confessed, lightly wrapping his fingers around Remy’s. They walked to the pool deck together, taking in the cool spring air and enjoying the laughter of their friends and acquaintances. Emile had let go of Remy’s hand in preparation to retrieve the drink that he had previously left unattended. However, with the dim lights and his lack of focus, it was rather impossible for Emile to see the upcoming events to unfold in front of him. He lost his footing as he walked closer to the pool. He slipped, falling backwards in what would play in his memories as slow motion.

“EMILE!” Remy yelled as he quickly threw off his jacket and sunglasses, diving into the pool after him. He wrapped an arm around Emile and swam to the surface, the older of the two coughing and spitting up pool water.

“Remus, you,-”

“Shh, you’re okay,” Remy said.

“My glasses,” Emile mumbled, his voice too strained and weak to properly talk. “I need my glasses.”

“Can you keep yourself afloat while I get them for you?” Emile bit his lip and nodded, kicking his legs back and forth as Remy let go of him. Remy’s vision swept across the pool floor until he saw the tortoiseshell frames laying a few feet away. He took a big gulp of air before diving down towards them, opening his eyes once he was beneath the surface.

His vision was foggy under the chlorine and his eyes felt instantly weaker. The glasses now looked more like a brown blob and he tried to grab them as quickly as bubbles of his own air tickled his face. He grabbed one of the sides of the frame and swam to the surface just before running out of air. “Guess you really leave me breathless, huh?” Remy teased as he swam up to Emile, who was sitting on the concrete by the side of the pool, soaking wet and looking lost. Remy pulled himself up and carefully slid the glasses onto Emile’s face. “Are you okay?” he asked quietly.

“Remus, you saved me,” Emile mumbled.

“Oh, I, uh, anyone else would have done the same thing. I just, you know, did it first.”

“Well, thank you,” Emile said with a gentle smile that took Remy’s breath away.

“We should get you over to the fire. You’ll dry off a lot faster.” He was able to grab his towel and wrap it around Emile’s shoulders as they walked towards the fire, though with Emile’s blush, the elder was sure that he’d be dry way before they even came near the fireplace.

It was a cool night in May and no one else mattered. The warmth and light of the crackling fire felt wonderful against cold and soaking skin. Remy sat back against the bench, his knee and thigh resting against Emile’s.

“So,” Emile said quietly, “you’ve been single since April. Must be a new record.”

“Heh, uh, yeah,” Remy said through a forced laugh. “I finally took some advice from Roman.”

“Oh yeah?”

“Yeah. I decided that I actually want to like the guy I date.” His words were spoken carefully and backed by tension, but his body relaxed, letting his arms and shoulders fall against Emile. “And I uh, really like this guy. Guess the next step is to date him.”

“He must be a lucky guy,” Emile said.

“I’d consider myself the lucky one,” Remy said, his words slow and barely above a whisper, “if you’ll have me.”

Emile turned towards Remy, gazing at him silently with awestruck eyes. He placed his hands on Remy’s face and neck, pulling him forwards and locking their lips in the middle. It was soft and sweet as Remy melted into it. He pulled Emile closer by the hips and began to kiss more roughly, devouring the other as if he needed him the way someone atop Mount Everest needs oxygen.  

They broke apart to the sound of Virgil wolf whistling. He laughed as Roman grumpily handed him crumpled up dollar bills, before handing half of them over to Remy. “Luck be a lady tonight,” Virgil yelled, pocketing the rest of the money.

“Yeah, well I still won the bet on Roman!” Remy retaliated, unsure of how to react with all of their friends watching them.

“Which was exactly why I charged Roman extra on the bet on you,” Virgil said with a smirk. “I had my doubts on him ‘fessing up, but you two? It had to happen sooner or later.”

“Girl, you are the worst,” Remy said with a glare.

“So I’ve been told,” Virgil said with a smirk.

Remy rolled his eyes. “Yeah, yeah, yeah, we can do this with or without an audience.” Without a second of hesitation, he took Emile’s jaw in his hand and pulled him forward, resuming their previous kiss.

Emile’s face was bright red with embarrassment from his friends teasingly clapping and howling, but he returned the gesture with one of his own before melting into the kiss as if the rest of the world had melted with him. He finally had people who cared for him- actually, genuinely cared for him. He had a place in the world, and above all, he had Remy. He smiled into the kiss as he finally reached his happy ending.

[csrgood]

Tata Consultancy Services and Discovery Education Announce “Ignite Innovation Student Challenge” Winners

Tata Consultancy Services, (TCS), (BSE: 532540, NSE: TCS) a leading global IT services, consulting and business solutions organization, and Discovery Education, the leading provider of standards-aligned digital curriculum resources, engaging content, and professional learning for K-12 classrooms, announced the winners of the TCS Ignite Innovation Student Challenge. Eleven-year-old Ryan H. from The Pegasus School in Huntington Beach, Calif., will receive a $10,000 Grand Prize and virtual mentorship from TCS technology experts. Ryan’s invention, titled Early Wildfire Detection Network enables firefighters to activate an app on their cellphone using a low-cost wireless field module.

“Creativity and curiosity are two of the community values at Pegasus. Ryan embodies both of these traits. We saw this in him at an early age and are thrilled that he has put his knowledge and his values to good use in envisioning such an impactful idea,” said Jen Green, Pegasus Lower School Director.

Pegasus Science Teacher Nadeane Cooper continued, “I am proud of Ryan's passion for science and technology and for his innovative thinking. His success is an example of what Pegasus teachers love to see in students. He took a spark from what he learned in class and grew it into something larger and impactful.”

The TCS Ignite Innovation Student Challenge encouraged students ages 11-14 to use computational thinking to create digital solutions that solve problems and improve the world. Utilizing TCS’ social responsibility pillars of ‘Planet, Health and Education,’ middle school students from across the country, in teams up to four, were invited to craft a digital concept and submit entries by creating a written description or a one to two-minute video.

In addition to the Grand Prize, nine other student winners have been selected to receive prizes.  Winners of the Ignite Innovation Student Challenge Pillar Prizes, for ‘Planet, Health and Education,’ will receive $7,500, and six $1,000 Winner Circle Prizes will be awarded to the remaining students. Submissions were judged based on creativity, content, persuasiveness and overall presentation.

“TCS is dedicated to preparing a new generation of young leaders whose innovations will one day transform society. We are extremely proud of the challenge winners for applying their computational thinking skills to solve some of the most pressing challenges facing our communities,” said Head of Workforce Effectiveness for TCS Balaji Ganapathy. “These students exemplify the pioneering spirit, skillset and mindset essential to thrive in a Business 4.0™ world.”

TCS Ignite Innovation Student Challenge Winners, include:

Ignite Innovation Student Challenge Top ‘Planet, Health and Education’ Pillar Winners:

Award: $7,500 and virtual mentorship from a team of TCS technology experts.

Shraman K., a twelve-year-old from Meyzeek Middle School in Louisville, Ky. has been named the Top Our Planet Pillar Winner for his invention titled Mobile App Foodle. Shraman created a software platform to provide accessible food to homeless people.

Gitanjali R., an eleven-year-old from STEM School Highland Ranch in Highlands Ranch, Colo. has been named the Top Health Pillar Winner for the invention titled Early Diagnosis of Opioid Addiction. Gitanjali created a kit that would arm physicians with an easy diagnostic tool to identify patients who are on the verge of addiction.

Alexandria C., a thirteen-year-old from Charles P. Murray Middle School in Wilmington, N.C., has been named the Top Education Pillar Winner for her invention titled Sign Buddy. Alexandria created a cube that translates sign language into spoken English and also translates spoken English into ASL and ESL.

“Discovery Education is proud to join forces with TCS to help students and educators revolutionize their learning experiences and prepare them with the tools needed to reimagine learning in classrooms,” said Senior Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer at Discovery Education Lori McFarling. “Together, we are strengthening computational thinking skills and challenging students to think of STEM as a way to help education, health and our environment. We extend our congratulations to the 2019 ‘Ignite Innovation Student Challenge’ winners.”

Ignite Innovation Student Challenge Winner’s Circle:

Award: $1,000 in grants and prizes.

Maura B., a twelve-year old from Plainfield Community Middle School in Plainfield, Ind. has been named a Winner’s Circle Awardee for her project titled Mission Recycle. Maura created an app that encourages recycling by rewarding people with earn gift cards or donations to non-profit organizations.

Liam B., a thirteen-year-old from Emil A. Cavallini Middle School in Upper Saddle River, N.J. has been named a Winner’s Circle Awardee for his PillSafe project. Liam created a pill bottle with a lock and timer to monitor opioid use.

Wyatt K., a twelve-year-old from Kiski Area Intermediate School in Vandergrift, Pa. has been named a Winner’s Circle Awardee for his project titled 9-1:1. Wyatt created a 9-1:1 app designed to connect someone in need with the fastest and most helpful medical response.

Krish L., a thirteen-year-old from Emil A. Cavallini Middle School in Upper Saddle River, N.J. has been named a Winner’s Circle Awardee for her project titled SafeSpaceVR. Krish used Virtual Reality (VR) to treat anxiety in teenagers with fun, low cost and easy methods.

Michaelina H., Paulina D. and Tiffany T., thirteen-year-olds from Randolph Community Middle School in Randolph, Mass. have been named Winner’s Circle Awardees for their Responsive Community Mechanics System project. Together, they created a responsive community mechanics system that will improve the way we view and handle education and health safety schools.

Nasr M. and Nikhil J., fourteen-year-olds from Vista Del Sur Traditional School in Laveen, Ariz. has been named a Winner’s Circle Awardee for his Trash Coin project. Nasr and Nikhil created a way for people to earn money while helping the environment.

Launched in 2017, Ignite My Future in School is an initiative that combines the best of digital content, lesson plans, career vignettes, and professional learning to help teachers prepare their students for careers of the future. The initiative offers educators instructional resources and year-round curriculum support to ensure that computational thinking is embedded into core subjects such as math, sciences, arts and social studies. This interdisciplinary approach helps students to obtain the necessary skills required for 21st century careers across all industries.

On a national level, Ignite My Future in School has a goal of engaging 20,000 teachers and one million US students by 2021. Since the program’s launch in 2017, more than 8,000 teachers and 467,000 students, in 81 school districts across all 50 states have benefited from the program. Ignite My Future resources are available at no-cost at ignitemyfutureinschool.org

###

About Tata Consultancy Services Ltd (TCS):

Tata Consultancy Services is an IT services, consulting and business solutions organization that has been partnering with many of the world’s largest businesses in their transformation journeys for the last fifty years. TCS offers a consulting-led, cognitive powered, integrated portfolio of business, technology and engineering services and solutions. This is delivered through its unique Location Independent Agile delivery model, recognized as a benchmark of excellence in software development.

A part of the Tata group, India's largest multinational business group, TCS has over 424,000 of the world’s best-trained consultants in 46 countries. The company generated consolidated revenues of US $20.9 billion in the fiscal year ended March 31, 2019 and is listed on the BSE (formerly Bombay Stock Exchange) and the NSE (National Stock Exchange) in India. TCS' proactive stance on climate change and award-winning work with communities across the world have earned it a place in leading sustainability indices such as the Dow Jones Sustainability Index (DJSI), MSCI Global Sustainability Index and the FTSE4Good Emerging Index. For more information, visit us at tcs.com. To stay up-to-date on TCS news in North America, follow @TCS_NA. For TCS global news, follow @TCS_News.

About Discovery Education:

Discovery Education is the global leader in standards-aligned digital curriculum resources, engaging content, and professional learning for K-12 classrooms. Through its award-winning digital textbooks, multimedia resources, and the largest professional learning network of its kind, Discovery Education is transforming teaching and learning and improving academic achievement around the globe. Discovery Education’s services are available in approximately half of U.S. classrooms and primary schools in the U.K., and reach over 5 million educators and 51 million students in more than 90 countries. Inspired by the global media company Discovery, Inc., Discovery Education partners with districts, states, and like-minded organizations to empower teachers with customized solutions that support the success of all learners. Explore the future of education at discoveryeducation.com.

source: https://www.csrwire.com/press_releases/42000-Tata-Consultancy-Services-and-Discovery-Education-Announce-Ignite-Innovation-Student-Challenge-Winners?tracking_source=rss

[izayoichan]

Emil: Still a lot left? Flynn: Sadly yes.. Arlene and grandma have Hayle, Devan and El helping with a couple of horses, the rest we have stabled here. They don’t need surgery, just care and food. -he sighed, taking Emil’s hand in his.- I don’t understand how people can do this.. River: And people like us, never will. 

They had been called by the local police who had been tipped about a puppy farm, but when they came there, they found much more than just puppies. The people there had been taken into custody, so now it was “just” handling all the animals. Part of the job was taking pictures, documenting, both the pets that made it, and those that did not. In short, it was not a very nice part of the job they both had, but they hoped that somehow it would make a difference. At least they were sure it would make a difference for those that made it. 

Rylan: We have to go?

It was about an hour later, Emil sitting with the three little ones with the puppies and kittens again as they had asked to be allowed to give some more cuddles before they went back home. 

Emil: Yes, it’s bedtime. Tyvan: We sleep here? Emil: No, sleep at home, remember, you promised dad? Tyvan: Okay…

None of the three really wanted too, and it was harder because neither Flynn nor River had the time right now to come and give a goodbye hug to them, so Emil took them, protests and all back to their house, and then after a quick change and teeth being brushed, all three found themselves in theirs and Flynn’s bed. 

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[izayoichan]

Amuary chuckled telling them goodbye for now before they headed off. While the rest were joined by Rylan and Ye-Min who they had invited to come along. Her mother was a patient of Vy’s and they were very happy that their daughter had some time away from her illness.

Vy: Before you ask, she is fine, the treatment is working, which as you know means she feels awful.  Ye-Min: Thank you, I know she is in the best of hands, and thank you for letting me come to dinner. Rylan: You're always welcome, you know. Emil: Very much so. -they smiled, it was good to see both their kids have their best friend, but Amuary still worried them slightly. Yet they seemed to make Tyvan very happy- and if you want, you can sleep over at our place today. Ye-Min: I would love to, so I'll call my dad and ask. 

Emil smiled, Min was always a happy girl, but with a sick mom, a dad who tried to handle work, a sick wife, and a child, she often seemed a little lonely, so after talking to Flynn and her parents, they often invited her to stay with them. It took a weight off her parent's shoulders in many ways as well as the simple fact that she and Rylan loved spending more time together. 

The day before Liam’s 14’th birthday and with that him stepping into teenage years, River found him sitting with Teddy waiting for him after school. 

River: Ready then? Liam: Yeah, like we practiced right? River: Yep.

He smiled softly at his son, knowing Lucas couldn’t be home in time, but that they wanted to do this before Liam started high school, and Morgyn had said that both were ready. They had discovered that Teddy had some symptoms of an illness, so, with Morgyn’s help and guidance, they had prepared the relatively young mage and dog to turn him into Liam’s familiar. That way, it would be freed from their illness, and Liam would keep his friend with him forever which he was already happy about.

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[izayoichan]

Emil watched his two little ones with Liam, they could understand so well the comfort they felt having found their place in their class, having their two best friends and their family, perhaps it was best to keep it that way. On the other hand, he saw a very smart child, both intellectually and emotionally, so the teacher in him wanted to challenge them. Perhaps that was the solution, they could challenge them, while they stayed in their class at school.

Liam: Can’t you give me harder tasks maybe? That way I could stay in my class, yet still get a challenge. Emil: Hmh, are you sure you are not a mind reader, little sunlight? Liam: Pretty sure? Emil: I was just thinking that, would that be something you would like, more challenge from me, stay in the same class in school? Liam: Yeah, I’d like that. Tyvan: Maybe me too? Emil: I already made yours harder, and you did not even notice. -they chuckle- but I shall try harder. Rylan: -focuses on the puzzle, feeling a little left out- Flynn: Didn’t you make Rylan’s a touch harder as well? Emil: I did. Rylan: You did? Emil: Not quite as much as Tyvan, but you are not stupid if that was what you thought. Besides, you have a talent of your own, your skating. Rylan: Really? Emil: Really. I saw you train this weekend, and like your coach says, you my little one, you have so much talent.

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[izayoichan]

Walking over, River puts an arm around his son's shoulder. 

River: Now, as sunlight is recording late… Rylan: You can stay! Flynn: Well you heard the boss.-they chuckle- You can stay. Liam: Hey dad, we have cookies! Flynn: That we do.

River just chuckled, being pulled in by his grandson, to where his other grandson and son were sitting on the sofa, putting together a quite large puzzle.

River: I do hope that doesn’t have to be finished today? Liam: Nah, we roll it up and then roll it back out the next time I visit, pretty neat right? River: Very. -they smile as Emil comes over with a coffee cup for each of them.- Ah, thanks. Emil: You know, your son is very bright, you two might have to think about advancing him. River: You mean skip ahead? Emil: Yes, he has very little challenge with what he has at school, he is done in a fraction of the time of the others when we do our lessons and then helps everyone else. Liam: Do I have to? River: No, but we can talk about it, with Mom? Liam: Okay, I like my class now, I am happy there, and being put ahead.. Then I would have to be in a new class, right? River: True, nothing we need to decide now.

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[izayoichan]

Liam: Daddy!

Seconds later River finds himself with his son hugging him tightly, happy that the worst was now over and that he could have his son at home. Just standing there with the little sunlight in his arms, noticing Rylan and Tyvan now in their dad’s arms. River: Thanks for taking care of this one Emil, it’s been a rough few days, and knowing he has been well taken care of, it means the world to me, to both me and Lucas. Emil: You are very welcome. -they smile- They can come with me to the library tomorrow, then we can come help with socializing pets after? River: Sounds like a plan. I’ll come with him tomorrow. Tyvan: Us too? River: Yes, you too.

He smiles ruffling both the little ones hair, before he ruffled his sons hair, and stepped back outside, heading home. He had for a while wondered if Liam should stay until Lucas returned in a couple of days, but he decided he would like Liam to be home with him for the evening, a little father and son time was just what he needed.

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[kieraswriting]

Coffin Chapter Twenty-Seven

Masterpost

Remus had wandered off, for once having the tact to leave Thomas and Dee to have their conversation alone.

Dee didn't like the look Thomas was fixing him with, but it was even worse that he was silent. Leaving Dee to say something first.

"I can't say I'm sorry," Dee said, his voice already a touch unsteady.

"You can't? You thralled me, when I trusted you, and it's been, what, twelve hours? More?"

Dee swallowed. "It's been fourteen."

Thomas frowned. "And you can't say you're sorry? You know, I've told you, I wanted us to keep practicing until we had to leave. At this point, we ought to have moved on already."

Dee shook his head. He wanted to stick to his decision, but why did it have to feel so awful ?

"Then what can you say? Surely you wouldn't do something like that and have nothing to say."

"I can't just let you do this to yourself. I can't, Thomas!"

"But I chose it. I chose this myself, and you took my choice away from me." Thomas didn't even seem mad, just upset. Almost betrayed. And that hurt.

Dee couldn't answer that. It was true.

"And you know why I'm doing it," Thomas continued. "You know it's to help you get better at--"

"I can't possibly focus on getting better at thralling if I'm scared for you!" Dee exploded. "I-It's not nearly as important to me as it is to you. I do want to be able to protect you. I do. But I can't go hurting you to do it! It's-It's wrong!"

"It's not about me!" Thomas yelled back. "If we get caught, they aren't going to do anything more to me than jail. You have to be able to protect yourself!"

Dee wrapped his arms around himself. "I won't hurt you to help myself."

Thomas finally softened. "Dee, you haven't hurt me. You've always been very careful."

"I have!" Dee said, shutting his eyes tight. "You're exhausting yourself. And it's because I'm thralling you. Even being careful, it tires you, sometimes even hurts you, and I can't keep doing it. I-- I don't want to do it anymore."

Thomas set a hand on his shoulder, and Dee gripped his fingers into his arms.

"I'm sorry," Thomas said.

Dee opened his eyes and looked up.

Thomas looked away a bit. "I-- I thought I was only driving myself. But I haven't been. I'm sorry for scaring you, and for pushing you. I would very much like it if you'd keep trying, but it'll be your decision, and if we do it, we'll take it slower. Ok?"

Tears welled up in Dee's eyes. "That- yeah, it sounds way better. Thank you."

"Can I hug you?"

Dee immediately leaned in to Thomas. He was safe. He'd always been safe. Thomas hugged him close, and his fears faded away.

"I'm sorry," Dee said. "I won't thrall you-- er, not for me. I mean, I won't make you do things you don't want to. I promise."

Thomas rubbed a hand over his back. "I know you wouldn't. But thank you for the promise."

•^*^••

Logan waited impatiently at the door for Remy and Emile to come back. He’d already packed up the essentials, and was now just trying, and failing, to believe the best.

Finally they drove up, and got out of the car, immediately noticing his stance.

“What happened?” Logan demanded.

“Why, what’s wrong?” Emile asked.

“The hunters know we’re, or at least that you’re in this town. Emile, there’s a shoot on sight order for us!”

Emile paled, and Remy bristled, stepping in front of him. “Look, if we’ve got to leave, just say so. You don’t get to yell at Emile.”

Logan clenched his jaw. “Yes. We have to leave.”

Remy nodded, picking up the bags and loading them into the back of the car.

They all got in, and drove away, in a rather tense silence.

“So what did happen?” Logan asked, trying to keep his tone even and non-accusatory.

“I don’t really know. Nothing was odd, except…. oh.”

“Oh? What oh?”

“I did tell a hunter my name yesterday.”

“You did what?” Both Logan and Remy said in sync.

“If you had told me, I would’ve done more than knock him out!” Remy said.

“Wait, what happened with a hunter?” Logan asked.

“Well, he was hurting a vampire, and humiliating them. I just couldn’t leave them alone like that!”

“But why would you give the hunter your name?!” Logan yelled, forgetting his forced calm.

If Remy hadn’t been driving he surely would’ve gotten back at Logan, but as it was, he growled out a ‘watch it, Logan.’

Logan took in a breath. “I apologize for my tone. Why would you give a hunter your name?”

Emile shrugged. “It’s what I always do, introduce myself. I was hoping to distract him, and it worked. I just didn’t consider that he was a hunter.”

Logan nodded. It wasn’t a good reason, but it was at least understandable.

“I just hope we get far enough away soon enough to be safe,” Logan said.

Emile wilted, and Remy glared at him through the rear view mirror.

•^*^••

“Hello?” Thomas said.

“Hello, Thomas.” Logan replied. “Hunters have discovered our location, and we are moving. I do not believe that they know where you are, but as a precaution please be more careful for the next few days.”

“Oh. Yeah, of course I will. Thanks. Keep me updated, ok?”

“Certainly. I will be in contact sometime this evening.”

“Yeah, ok. Be safe.”

Logan hung up the phone.

“What was that?” Dee asked.

“Hunters found where Logan and them were staying. They’re moving, but I don’t think they’re being followed or anything. Logan seemed pretty calm.”

Dee hummed thoughtfully. “Should we move on from here?”

Thomas looked around the campsite. “Eh, I don’t think there’s anyone even near here. I think we’re safer here than in the car.”

•^*^••

“They found you?!” Patton suddenly said, very loudly.

Virgil frowned in concern. It was Logan calling. That couldn’t mean anything good.

Patton talked for a while longer before calming down. Finally he hung up.

“What happened?” Virgil asked.

“Hunters found out where they were staying, so they have to move. He said we should be extra careful for a while.”

Virgil nodded. “Does that mean we’re postponing the bonfire again?”

“Nah,” Roman said. “We keep this little stove cooking half the time anyway, we don’t have to worry about smoke. Anyone watching knows that somebody’s up here. We just have to act natural.”

Virgil nodded. He was glad that they didn’t have to postpone it again. Just before they’d been ready to start yesterday, it had started raining. Things were still damp, but he was hoping they’d be able to start the fire tonight.

•^*^••

Liam looked at the leads he had, spread out in front of him. He touched the first paper.

“My son is traveling with vampires, and other humans, including his friends. He’s likely being kept either trapped or thralled at all times, since I haven’t had any contact from him. His friends? Hopefully thralled. If somehow they’re doing this of their free will? Well, let’s just say they’d better not be.”

Liam pushed one of the papers aside. “So there’s Pat, two friends, possibly two more humans, and a load of vampires.”

He frowned at a map. “But there’s no way they’re all in a group. We’ve been too careful for a group that large to get anywhere. It’s also possible that they’ve left the state, possibly in different directions.”

He picked up a folder, but didn’t open it. “There’s an old one with them, called Remy, who’s given us no end of trouble in the past. One of our men tried to track it with trackers in the guns, badges, and other supplies of the men he sent out to confront him. Remy took several of the trackers with it, but when examined, the places they were left did not appear to be his home. Im going to count this as a dead end.”

Liam sighed. “And Patton’s phone was left behind, so I can’t track him with that.”

He turned to his laptop, where a little dot was moving along a map. “Emile, one of the humans with them, has been reported to be in this town. I sent some men, but the town is far out of my jurisdiction, and judging on their previous actions, these vampires are too smart to stay in one place long.”

Liam groaned. “I need another lead! How can there be so few?! Come on, Pat. Find a way to call me. You’re a smart kid. Easily smarter than these vampires.”

[kieraswriting]

Coffin Chapter Fourteen

Masterpost

It was almost as if the world froze when the phone rang. It was Patton’s phone. The instant it started chiming out the song Patton froze, his face paling. Logan and Roman both had horrified looks on their faces. Virgil was standing near Patton, and looked at the screen, before also going pale.

“What is it?” Thomas asked.

“It’s my dad,” Patton said in a hushed whisper.

The phone continued to ring. No one moved.

“Just let it ring, tell him later it went dead or something,” Roman suggested.

“Patton has never failed to answer the phone for his dad in the whole time I’ve known him.” Logan countered. “It wouldn’t be believable.”

The phone was still ringing.

Patton reached for it where it was sitting on the table. His hand was trembling. He picked it up.

“Hi, dad!” He said, but his voice was strained.

“No, I’m doing better. Not quite. I’ve just had to spend a lot of time in bed.” There was a brief silence, and Patton’s face turned bright red. “I-I’m a friend’s house. You probably haven’t met him. No, it’s because they thought I might have gotten sick partially because of my location, like an allergy. I didn’t want to tell you, cause I was worried it would hurt your feelings.” There was another pause. “Y-yeah,” Patton squeaked. “I can. Maybe tomorrow? Ok. I love you too.”

Patton dropped the phone, burying his head in his arms and letting out a long groan.

“His dad came to their house,” Virgil said. “He wants Patton to see him tomorrow.”

“It’s worse than that!” Patton whined into his hands. “He doesn’t believe me. I just know he doesn’t. I can’t—I don’t know what I’m supposed to do about this!”

Roman scooped Patton up in a bridal carry. “First of all, you’re going to calm down. After that we‘ll plan.”

Virgil hovered awkwardly, like he wanted to help but didn’t know how. Roman carried Patton to the living room and sat down with him on the couch, starting a movie.

“Hey, if you need, I could be the friend,” Thomas offered to Logan. “He’s been around my house before, I’m a hunter, it would be reasonable.”

Logan nodded. “Thank you. That may be very useful.”

Logan also went into the living room, offering Patton comfort by his presence.

•^*^••

Thomas was going with Patton. He was driving, and Patton was chewing his fingernails to the quick in the passenger seat.

Patton let out a squeak as Thomas turned. “We’re close now. I haven’t been scared of my dad in years. What if I can’t do it?”

“Patton, you’ll do fine. And if not, there’s two of us, and only one of him.”

Patton shook his head, but Thomas was now pulling into the driveway. Patton squeezed his eyes shut, his whole face going tight. When the car stopped he opened his eyes, and plastered a smile over his face.

“Ok! I’m ready!” His voice was a good imitation of happy, so good Thomas wondered how many times he’d been taken in by it himself.

The door opened before they’d reached it, and a man came out, smiling and with his arms open wide. “Pat!”

“Hi, Dad!”

Patton was swept up in a bear hug.

“Who’s this?” Patton’s dad asked.

“This is Thomas, he’s my friend. He’s been letting me stay with him. Thomas, this is my dad.”

He stuck out his hand. “Liam Hart. Nice to meet you, Thomas.”

Thomas shook his hand, slightly stumbling over the ‘nice to meet you too.’ Patton’s dad looked so— normal. He was stronger than most people his age Thomas had seen, but his face was just as round as Patton’s, though without the freckles, and his smile appeared just as genuine. His hair was kept shorter than Patton’s, but it was clear that Patton got his curls from his dad.

“Well, come inside! I’ve got coffee, and I’m sure we can work out something for lunch in a little bit.”

Soon they were sitting in a cozy living room, cups of coffee in hand, with Patton and his dad both smiling  and Thomas feeling rather uncomfortable.

“So what’s been going on?” Liam asked. “Last I knew, you were headed to the hospital, and since then I’ve heard nothing from you.”

“Yeah…” Patton gave an embarrassed smile. “I was told that it’s some kind of allergy in the area, that because I had that virus a while ago it affected me more strongly, and maybe it was brought on by the cold snap. I didn’t want you to feel bad, since you gave us the house, and it would probably be here too.”

“Well, are you ok to be here then?”

“For a little bit. I shouldn’t stay much longer than an hour. I did take the medicine though, so I should be fine for a little bit.”

Liam nodded, rubbing at his chin. “Well, I understand, but really, Pat, I’m not upset at you. You can’t control an allergy.” He chuckled. “Cats, at least, prove that one.”

Patton laughed.

“But you could still call me to say hi. There’s no reason you couldn’t call.”

Patton nodded. “Yeah, I’m sorry. I just didn’t want it to slip out on accident. I just didn’t want you to feel bad about it.”

Liam nodded. “That’s very kind of you, Pat. But it’s also a lie.”

Patton paled.

Thomas gripped the arm of his chair tightly, ready to jump up and grab Patton if needed.

“And who is this?” Liam asked, gesturing towards Thomas. “I haven’t heard a word about him, and now you’re living in his house secretly? And he comes with you to talk to me? Did you get a secret boyfriend?”

Patton flushed bright red. “What? No! Dad!”

“Then who is he?”

“He’s a friend, I met him a few weeks ago.”

“You’re staying in someone’s house that you only met a few weeks ago? Pat, I can get you somewhere to stay.”

“I offered,” Thomas spoke up.

Patton’s dad turned to him. Not angry exactly, but with a kind of intensity that was hard to argue with. “Look, Thomas, thank you for letting Patton stay with you, and for driving him here. But I would like to speak with my son now, alone.”

Thomas looked at Patton, who gave him a slight nod, though he was pale again.

Patton’s dad stood up, and Thomas scrambled out of the chair and let himself be escorted out of the house.

He couldn’t help but feel as if he should have stayed.

•^*^••

Emile hung up the phone. “He won’t be back for a few days.”

Roman groaned. “Then what are we supposed to do about the guard? We should’ve dealt with him first.”

“For the moment, I suggest we take him lunch.”

Roman sighed. “Yeah. I just feel terrible about keeping him locked up like this.”

Emile raised an eyebrow, and Roman could see the question written all over his face. ‘And what about all the vampires you’ve kept captive or killed?’

Roman walked away, ignoring the unspoken question. He made a sandwich and grabbed a bottle of Gatorade, and went downstairs.

There was a quick shuffling as Roman opened the door, and the man tried to hide his cuffed hand behind him.

The room they were keeping him in had no windows, and they had cuffed one of his hands to the bedpost and kept the door locked. Roman’s eyes narrowed, and he put on a stiff exterior.

“What are you doing?”

The man glared.

Roman glared right back. “I’ve got a dozen vampires out there. Even if you make it out of the room, you won’t get out of the house alive.”

The man paled, but his glare didn’t fade in the slightest. “You may think you’re smarter than the hunters, but you aren’t! There’s more hunters in high places than you could ever imagine! Your pitiful operation will be crushed.”

Roman rolled his eyes and set the food down within reach. “I know more about hunters than you’d guess.”

The man sneered. “Whatever you think you know, I promise it’s so much more than that.”

Roman sighed. “I’ll warn you again, you don’t want to find out what happens if you don’t stay put.”

Roman left, ignoring the thump as the bottle was thrown at the door.

•^*^••

It was much later in the evening when Roman heard a cry, and then a scream. He ran back to the room the guard was in, and saw Emile, clutching his head, and a plate of spilled food on the ground. Virgil had the guard pinned to the ground, and was hissing with bared teeth.

“Dude, I just warned you.” Roman said, exasperated. “Hold him, Virgil, I’ll go get new cuffs.”

“Don’t leave me with a vampire!” The man yelled, half aggressive and half terrified.

Roman just walked out. He got some cuffs and came back.

The man had shifted fully to scared, and was trembling under Virgil, who still hissed at any movement. Roman easily cuffed his hands together and used a second pair of cuffs to connect him to the bedpost yet again.

“Alright, you can let him go now.”

Virgil backed off, still glaring intensely.

Emile walked back into the room, holding an ice pack to his head. He set a hand on Virgil, who visibly calmed.

“I’m fine. Why don’t we go get him another plate of dinner.”

Virgil bristled, but a soft squeeze of Emile’s hand made his protests die before they were spoken.

Roman started cleaning up the spilled plate. “You’re lucky he’s here, you know.” He scooped the majority of the food onto the plate. “But you’re really, really unlucky that you chose him to hit. Virgil might not kill you, but if Remy gets back and there’s still a mark, you’re going to wish he had.”

The man was pale and trembling. He hadn’t moved except to curl in on himself at the threat.

Roman dumped the food and came back with a rag to wipe up the floor. “I would advise that you behave when they come back.”

The man nodded.

Roman slumped on the couch in the living room. He didn’t like this. He wished that they were better organized. That they had a leader. He didn’t like keeping the guy captive, much less scaring the wits out of him, but if they let him go they’d be hours away from annihilation.

•^*^••

It was fully dark when Patton emerged from the house. He was kind of slumped over. Thomas cranked the car and waited for him to get in.

“Are you alright?”

Patton nodded. “I didn’t tell him anything.”

“Patton, while I do appreciate that, it’s not at all what I’m worried about right now.”

Patton’s face twitched with a hint of a smile, before going back to profound tiredness. “I will be alright. Just not right now.”

Thomas nodded, concerned, but not knowing what to do about it. He drove along in silence for a minute, and then a sign caught his eye.

“Would ice cream make things better?”

Patton gave a huff that didn’t really resemble a laugh, but he had a tiny crooked smile. “Ice cream always makes things better.”

•^*^••

Roman had looked depressed ever since they’d given the guard dinner. Virgil was sitting on the couch, sandwiched between him and Emile, and they were watching cartoons again.

The door opened. “Hi,” Thomas said tiredly.

Dee appeared suddenly to stand next to Thomas, and lead him away.

“I need a hug,” Patton said, and Roman was happy to oblige, scooping him up and carrying him to the couch.

Virgil moved closer to Emile to make room, and Emile tucked him under his arm.

Virgil didn’t realize he’d fallen asleep until he was woken by Emile trying to get up.

“Sorry, sorry.”

“Come on, Virge, Patton’s going to bed now too.” Roman was successfully standing with a sleeping Patton in his arms.

Virgil blearily followed, laying down on the far end of the bed from where Roman had put Patton.

By the time he woke the next morning, Patton was using him as a teddy bear again, and Virgil found that he didn’t mind at all.

[kieraswriting]

Coffin Chapter Twenty-Four

Masterpost

“You know who I bet has tons of practice with thralls?” Patton said, after coming out of the third one that day, and Virgil saying that he hadn’t figured out any better how to change it.

Virgil sighed. He’d gotten to where he could start the thrall with barely any blood, so he wasn’t worried about taking so much, but he hated biting them so many times in a day, even if they didn’t remember it. Maybe especially since they didn’t remember it. “Please don’t say Remus. I can’t handle another conversation with him about thralls.”

Patton’s nose wrinkled. “Oh. No, I wasn’t thinking of him. I was thinking Remy. We haven’t called Logan in a few days anyway.”

•^*^••

Thomas was just waking up again, exhausted. Trying to resist was hard.

“You know, I could maybe show you how it’s done,” Remus offered, still at a distance that Dee had insisted upon.

Dee bristled as Remus took a step forward. He stood up and between Remus and Thomas. “You touch him and I will rip your throat out. ”

“Still touchy about your human, huh? And here I thought we were getting to be friends.” Remus took another step forward, clearly teasing, but Thomas had no idea how far he would go and still be ‘just teasing’.

Dee hissed, crouching slightly, but this only seemed to encourage Remus, as he kept coming closer. “Stay away from him!”

Remus grinned. “Oh, I’ll leave your little human alone. But I’m getting really, really bored sitting around for you two to not figure things out.”

Remus was now only a couple feet away from Dee, and Thomas could feel the threat radiating off of both of them. He wanted to shout at them, to stop this before it became a fight, but it was as if every cell in his body was telling him that one movement or sound and he would end up dead.

“Don’t take another step,” Dee hissed.

“Didn’t you know, snakey?” Remus said, still walking forward. “Humans aren’t the only ones that can be thralled.”

“Of course I know,” Dee spat. “Doesn’t mean I want to try.”

“Not even if it means you figure it out?”

“No.”

“What a shame, I guess I’ll have to try Tho-“

Dee let out a growl and Remus was cut off by a swift gut punch. But instead of pressing the advantage, Dee hesitated, probably hoping that it would be enough.

Remus also growled, though his was clearly far more playful, and he jumped at Dee. Dee was too fast to tackle, but the two of them were soon caught in a full-fledged fight.

•^*^••

The fight was over the moment Remus got his teeth into Dee.

Dee dropped almost immediately to his knees, inwardly snarling and fighting against the hold, but unable to move.

“Whoa there, snakey, calm down,” Remus said, much of the teasing gone already.

Dee found his mind calming despite himself. And when it was calm enough, he finally felt a slight curiousity.

“There you have it, made a breakthrough!” Remus said happily. “Wanna tell the class?”

Dee regained control of his head. He glared at Remus. “I hate you.”

“Aw, you don’t hate me, you’re just spitting mad. Wanna know why?”

Dee glared harder, but he actually was curious. Thomas, and the thralls Remus had taken at the prison, heck, even the other vampires back when they were all together, had all seemed to adore the person thralling them.

“Stay here, Dee Dee, I’ll be right back. I need to show you this one.”

Remus left, but not far, searching for something.

“Dee, are you alright?” Thomas asked.

Dee couldn’t turn to look at him, but he could hear the fear in his voice. “I’m fine. Stay away from Remus.”

Then Remus came back, carrying a brown lump. Dee really hoped that it wasn’t what he thought it was.

“Alright! Teaching materials have been acquired!” Remus said loudly, sitting on the ground beside Dee.

Dee found himself moving to a sitting position without wanting to.

“Okay, look here.” Remus had the lump, which now looked more like clay, thank goodness, and was molding it into a snake. He stuck a twig through the head and the end of the tail. “So, this twig is me,” he said, pointing to the one in the tail. “And the other one is you.”

Dee let go of his anger. Remus was an idiot, and infuriating, but it seemed he was genuinely trying to teach, in his own absurd way. “Ok.”

Remus smiled brightly. “And this is the link,” he said, pointing to the clay. “Now it can go two ways, up, or sideways.” He pinched the snake so it flattened out horizontally. “This is more what it looks like in my head right now. It’s sideways, so I can make your body do anything I want. A suuuper long time ago I had to say it all out loud, but I can just do it now.”

Dee found himself clapping.

“Now the other way is up. You can’t just twist it though, you have to pinch it all the way up.” Remus said, demonstrating with his snake. “And up is feelings and thoughts and junk. Mostly making you fall in love with me.”

Remus batted his eyelashes, and Dee rolled his eyes. “But I haven’t been able to make the link change either up or sideways.”

“Oh…” Remus said disappointedly. “Well, anyway, you have a nice round little snake when you start, so you’re controlling his body and his feelings. You just have to figure out how to run a steamroller over your snake.”

“Do you really think of it as a snake?” Dee asked. Snakes weren’t exactly moldable.

“Oh, no, mine’s a d*ck. I just figured a snake would make it easier for you.”

Dee cringed, and was suddenly able to, his body back under his control.

“And when you’re done you just lop it right off!” Remus said cheerfully.

“Please stop.”

“But I haven’t even talked about when you have more than one—“

“Stoooop…. please, Remus, I understand what you tried to say.”

“But then what does resisting do?” Thomas asked.

“Oh! That’s like when—“

Dee shoved a hand over Remus’s mouth. “I get it. I’ll explain to Thomas. Later.”

•^*^••

After Patton and Roman had talked to Logan for a while, Virgil was handed the phone.

“ Hey there, babycakes, heard you wanted to talk to me? ”

“Um… yeah, I guess.” Virgil stood up, pacing around the room.

“What, now you’re leaving the conversation on me?”

“No, no I didn’t mean to, I— well, we called because I’m trying to learn how to do a thrall.”

“A thrall,” Remy gave a low whistle. “That’s easy to try and hard to get good at.”

“Yeah, that’s what I’m figuring out. They… adore me, and forget as soon as they wake up.”

“Yepper, that sounds like a baby vampire.”

“How do I stop it?”

“You could try not thralling your friends.”

Virgil heard a bit of a hushed conversation from the other end, mostly Emile fussing at Remy.

“Ok, fine, what does your link look like? Describe it to me.”

“It’s like a rubber band. One end is looped around me and the other one around the other person.”

“Hmmm.”

“Remus told me how to start. He said I have to change its shape to control it.”

“Not necessarily. It’s typically better to work with what you know. Have you tried stretching it, like you would a normal rubber band?”

“I thought about it, but I can’t figure out how.”

“Try that. Or no. You’ve been trying to make it have less of an influence, right?”

“Yeah.”

“Try more influence first. Fold it in half, or loop it around a second time. Don’t worry so much about changing things the way you want, just change things and see what happens.”

“Ok. I guess I can try that.”

“There’s a kid. Don’t worry too much, nobody learned a thrall in a week.”

“Alright. Thanks, Remy.”

“ Eh, I owed Em a favo-oof. You’re welcome, kid. Call again if you have more issues.”

Virgil laughed slightly, and Remy hung up. He looked up and saw Patton watching him expectantly.

“What’d he say?”

Virgil handed Patton his phone back. “It’ll take a while. He gave me a few ideas, but mostly I have to just keep playing with it.”

“Well, we could practice now if you want,” Patton offered.

Virgil sat down on the couch. “Why do you care so much? You’re taking hours and hours that you can’t even remember and giving them to me.”

“Well, I have to admit, I have some selfish reasons,” Patton said, sitting across from him. “I do care about you, and want to help you, but a lot of my reason is just that I’m really, really bored. I don’t have anything to do, or anywhere to go, and this helps me be not bored! And also you get really cuddly afterwards, and I’m always down for cuddles!”

Virgil flushed. It felt strange, being so well-fed that he could blush when he was embarrassed.

“But I don’t want to push you,” Patton said. “Not for my own reasons, anyway. If you don’t want to do more today, we can try to watch another movie.”

“Maybe… a movie first, and then we can try again?”

“Sounds like a deal to me! I’ll go get Roman, I think I’d break the whole thing if I tried touching it.”

•^*^••

Liam sat up with a sigh of relief. That was much better. Even non lethal, a gunshot wound was wildly painful.

The vampire was trembling slightly, eyes going between Liam’s face and his gun. Not for the first time, Liam wished that they’d figured out how to make a thrall go the other way. He’d certainly appreciate a small army of obedient vampires.

He could, of course, bend nearly any vampire to his will, given enough time and a few supplies, but a thrall seemed much more efficient. And he needed that army soon.

Vampires had his son, and he was not going to let them stay hidden much longer.