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delimeful · 1 year ago

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the roots of something greener (1)

G/T July Day 9: Rainy Day

patreon prompt: kid logan trying to make a deal with fae janus for nyn! hope you enjoy :)

warnings: magical deals, threats, unwilling transformation, implied parental neglect, mentions of starvation and abandonment

The first time the child found him, Janus was already in a foul mood.

The day had started out with a light drizzle, and as the hours crept by, it had slowly grown into a far more irritating downpour.

This wouldn’t have been anything near a problem for most fae, and certainly a meager handful of years ago, Janus would have hardly spared it a fleeting thought. Even if he didn’t care to waste any magic on a simple repelling spell, he could have simply slipped between realms, abandoning that particular stretch of human land until the storm passed.

Now that he was banished and bound, however, his options were far more limited.

There would be no leaving the human realm, not until his time was served. His sentence wasn’t so harsh as to confine him to a single circle, but being able to jump between this and that ring of mushrooms didn’t help him much when the rainfall was present over the entire forest.

He grit his teeth as a stray drop managed to make it through the leaves above him, the thickest canopy he could find over one of his rings.

Though it was only a single raindrop, it drenched his head and shoulders with ease. His form in mortal realm was limited by the space he was allowed, and the only proper faery rings within these woods were barely large enough for a human to step a single foot into.

He wasn’t sure if only being able to manifest at the same size as a child’s doll was an intentional part of his punishment, or merely a bonus. Either way, it was certainly humiliating enough for him to resent it.

It was in this soaked, resentful mood that he heard the distinct pattern of human footsteps, leaves and other detritus crunching rhythmically underfoot.

“What curious timing,” he muttered irritatedly to himself, turning to face the intruder with a smile that was almost certainly a little too sharp for human tastes.

… And then promptly lowered his expectant gaze a foot or two, because the human approaching him was unquestionably a mere child.

Young, likely barely a decade old, and with the thickest, blockiest pair of spectacles Janus had seen in ages. While the child wasn’t dressed for the weather, he was carefully holding a deep blue umbrella over his head as he picked his way over the muddy forest floor.

The little thing froze for a moment at the sight of him, and for a moment Janus thought perhaps this was some unwise youth that had wandered off from his parents, with no idea what was before him.

Then, he straightened up formally, eyes glinting with excitement, and it became clear that the child knew exactly what Janus was, and likely thought he knew exactly what he was getting into, as well.

(Part of Janus was admittedly relieved. Being locked out of his home realm meant there was no easy defense against humans who stepped into the space of the ring, and he really wasn’t in the mood to dodge the grasping fingers of a toddler who thought him a toy.)

“Salutations,” the child greeted belatedly, quickly reaching up to adjust his rain-splattered glasses with his free hand. The umbrella drooped slightly without the support of both of those undersized arms. “I’m searching for the, um, the fair folk of this wood. I’d like to make a deal.”

How bold, to open with such an attention-grabbing phrase. Janus reclined back slightly, attempting to look regal even with his hair plastered in wet strands across his face. “Well, now. Isn’t it good manners to introduce yourself before making requests of strangers?”

The child’s face pinched slightly, but he’d clearly done at least some research. “You may call me Logic.”

Janus hummed. “Well met, Logic. I go by Deceit.”

“Deceit?” Logic echoed with a frown. “I thought fair folk weren’t able to lie.”

“They’re not,” Janus agreed pleasantly, some of his humor returning to him at the usage of a familiar bit.

For all his flaws, none of the humans he’d tricked over the years could claim they hadn’t been warned from the start.

“Then why,” Logic started, before shaking his head firmly, dismissing the line of questioning in favor of his original goal. Whatever had brought him here, it was clearly important to him.

It always was, when they were willing to make a deal for it.

“I’d like to make a deal,” he repeated, setting his shoulders and stiffening his posture. “I want to learn how to use magic.”

Janus refrained from letting the derisive edge sneak into his smile. “And what could you possibly have to offer in return for that?”

“I can offer you equal knowledge in exchange,” Logic responded, wearing a very serious expression that looked quite amusing on such a young face. “I may be young, but you’ll find that I’m very good at researching.”

The offer was exactly what he should have expected from a human child, especially one that had never dealt with the fae before. It was likely that his little research hobby was the only reason he’d learned enough to make it this far.

“My, you certainly have a lot of confidence in the value of knowledge, don’t you?” Janus mused, distantly glad that it was him that the child had chosen to annoy with this, rather than a more power-hungry sort. “Very well, I accept the terms of your deal.”

He held out a hand, and almost immediately regretted it. He’d forgotten how easily dwarfed he was, like this.

When Logic reached out, however, it was with a slow and careful hand, his face scrunched up intently as he used two fingers to emulate a handshake. There was no pinching pressure or crushing grip, only the distinct warmth of human contact and the slight electric spark of the deal being sealed.

It almost made Janus feel bad for what he was about to do.

“Your first lesson,” he announced, pulling his hand back and flexing his fingers absently, “is to never make such open-ended deals with fae.”

Logic recoiled slightly, looking slightly bewildered, and Janus forced his smile into something crueler as the sting of magic grew sharper.

“An offer of any knowledge I please, so long as it’s of equal value? You haven’t even clarified which kind of magic you’re so desperate to learn.” Janus leaned forward slightly, wrapping his hand around the invisible cord of the deal. “I could request your name, control over the very essence of your being, and all I would be required to do in exchange would be provide you with instruction on magic of suitable power. Your terms are exploitable, little one.”

He let the implied threat linger, watching as the implications sunk in and the child’s worry began to turn to fear. The sight of it was a sour curl in his gut, but this was a lesson better learned here and now, rather than later and with more permanent consequences.

“Of course, I have no particular desire to teach you any magic at all, let alone the complexities of magic strong enough to be equivalent to a name.” Janus slowly released all but the tiniest sliver of the potential the deal held. “Hm. I think a demonstration of simple magic will do, to satisfy both your curiosity and mine.”

Transformation spells were painful and slow when cast a certain way, a fact that many of his kin had taken advantage of when dealing with humans. Janus kept the magic brief and painless, because for all his flaws, enjoying the needless suffering of a child was not one of them.

With a snap of his fingers, the child’s form shifted to something more thematically appropriate.

The umbrella clattered to the ground, catching on the breeze and skittering a few feet away from the kitten that now sat on the ground before him, blinking in disorientation.

“Consider our bargain complete,” Janus informed the kid, finally able to speak to him at eye level. “As the last tidbit of magical knowledge I’ll impart, have this: recognition is the key to returning you to your true form.”

Looking as though he was composed of more fluff than flesh, Logic let out a tiny, confused meow. His eyes were surrounded by distinctive, blocky markings, the spitting image of the chunky square glasses that he wore as a human. It was the easiest possible condition Janus had ever set; it was near-impossible to look at the kitten and not see the resemblance.

With a flick of his hand, the kitten was whisked to the edge of the woods that he’d entered from, where there was surely a guardian nearby to find him and undo the minor curse before the sun had set.

With any luck, the experience would scare the kid off from any further attempts at playing with magic he didn’t understand.

Job done, Janus glanced at the abandoned umbrella, lying far out of reach of his undersized mushroom ring, and then turned away with a sigh.

What a waste.

–

Janus hadn’t been one to keep track of the time, before, but that may have simply been because time was much less linear in the faerie realm. The length between one moment and the next could be stretched or squashed, and so time tended to be more of a feeling than a fact.

In the human realm, things were much simpler. The sun rose and fell and rose again, and that was a day, every time without fail. He could hardly lose track of something like that.

As such, Janus knew that two full days had passed when he next saw Logic.

Logic, not the child, because he was still, inexplicably, in the form of that tiny, barely-weaned kitten.

It had been sheer luck that Janus spotted him; he’d been moving between one ring and the next throughout the day, absently looking for any stray detritus that had fallen close enough to his ring to be tugged fully inside. Any shelter made from such impermanent materials was destined to be temporary, but Janus was tired of the chill, and willing to take any reprieve from the elements he was offered.

Looking at the soggy little beast that was crouched a few meters away, Janus felt an odd sense of guilt crop up within him. Clearly, he wasn’t the only one who had been enduring the weather.

Fur matted and damp from the on and off rain that had plagued the area, body trembling from cold or hunger or a combination of the two, Logic looked like the definition of pitiful.

And why wouldn’t he? For all intents and purposes, the child apparently spent the last couple of days trapped in an unfamiliar body and stuck in a hostile environment, with no aid to be found.

… Why hadn’t someone recognized him? For that matter, why weren’t there humans traipsing about through the trees in search of a missing child?

Logic sneezed miserably, interrupting what seemed to be an attempt to use his new, keener nose to track down a meal. His tiny ears angled back in a distinctly feline form of frustration, a gesture that would have undoubtedly been cuter if he hadn’t been so visibly on the brink of starving.

Well. Janus wouldn’t get his answers if he just left the child there, would he?

“I know you, child,” he said, voice carrying enough to make the kitten’s head snap around toward him. “I didn’t expect you to still be scurrying about like this. Why in the world would you not simply go home?”

Acknowledging his true form did the trick. The spell unraveled like he’d pulled on a loose thread in a knit blanket, the magic falling away with ease and leaving the child in his oversized spectacles sitting there in the dew-dappled grass.

For a moment, he remained like that, folded over on himself like a baby deer laying still and hoping that predators’ eyes would skip over him.

Janus met his gaze and raised a prompting eyebrow, waiting for an explanation on how such a simple curse had gone so wrong that the fae who laid it, of all people, had to be the one to free him from it.

In the next second, Logic had sprung to his feet and bolted. His steps were wobbly and likely fueled by panic alone, but adrenaline was undeniably effective in getting him very far away, very quickly.

“Rude,” Janus muttered to the empty air he’d left behind, and then followed the kid as far as he could manage through his rings, making certain this time that he’d actually left the forest behind.

There still wasn’t a single other human around, let alone one that appeared to be looking for something as valuable as lost offspring. Janus tried not to let the information grate against his scales, with only mild success.

In the end, he still wouldn’t get his answers. It didn’t matter. The child had clearly been scared off for good, so there was no use pursuing the issue further.

He shouldn’t dwell on things he couldn’t change, anyhow.

–

The third time Janus encountered Logic, the child found him first.

It was another overcast day, with a light sprinkling of rain that was certain to become something miserably damp within an hour or two.

He hadn’t expected any more visitors, and certainly not any that would make it to one of his rings and lurk there, so he’d been more puzzled by the relative dryness of the leaves beneath his feet. In fact, he hadn’t realized anyone was near, let alone guessed just who was sitting at the edge of the faerie circle until a tiny, presumptuous throat cleared.

(Such obliviousness was out of character for him. If the kid had been a snake, he could have bit Janus.

Good thing he’d picked a kitten before, instead.

Even if those, too, had fangs of their own.)

Logic waved a hand, showing no signs of his previous panicked flight– except there was a slightly harder set to his shoulders, Janus noticed, like he was preparing for a difficult fight.

He’d brought a bag with him this time. It was partially open, and Janus easily made the connection between the spare pieces spilling from it and the plastic canopy that had been painstakingly assembled over his mushroom ring. Large and durable, it was currently diverting the rain away from Janus’s circle with streamlined ease.

“Hello, Deceit,” the kid greeted. “I’m back for my next lesson.”

Between them, the deal rekindled, sparking dull embers back to life at Logic’s willful insistence. With a willingness to keep providing knowledge, he could theoretically continue to learn for as many lessons as he paid the dues for. It was one of the many loopholes that were applicable to such open-ended deals, but Janus certainly hadn’t anticipated the child using it against him.

How interesting. It seemed there were still things an ages-old fae couldn’t predict, after all.

From beneath the comfortable shelter of an oversized dollhouse gazebo, Janus tipped his head back and laughed.

#sanders sides fic #sanders sides g/t #g/t july #ts janus #ts logan #fae au #trosg #the roots of something greener #my writing #writing

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where-are-the-spooky-gays-2 · 8 months ago

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*materializes into existence*

Hey there :D

I haven't sent an ask in... I don't remember. This is very long.

Calling this the QPP Fae AU.

(cw/tw: mention of death & dead parent, implied/referenced mistreatment & alienation, possible grief and denial, disappearance/missing person, not being believed, abandonment issues, fear of being alone, fear of vulnerability & trusting others, massive anxiety mention, hunters, mention of questioning ones humanity)

Spooky Gays in a qpp. One is a human, the other is some fae creature in disguise. Not the ones ya think.

Fae Virgil not wanting to deal with most humans can they're really mean and weird and why did one of them just down chemicals for a media challenge, huh??

Human Remus being his feral, chaotic self & Virgil genuinely believing he's a fellow fae. No human does that shit, you have no shame, sir, and don't give a shit about human rules, ain't no way you're a human. Remus is very much not like his peers at all, but he loves himself for it. The weirder he is, the better. He rather be alienated from those strict jerks.

It's not like he wants genuine connection, haha, shut up

Remus tells Virgil that actually he's human, but he thinks being mistaken for fae is the best thing ever. Virgil does not believe him for a while before just accepting his human is just a massive feral weirdo.

Virgil and Remus end up in a qpp/partnership. They slowly show trust and vulnerability to each other & find out things about one another. Like Remus' fear of being alone or his abandonment issues that may or may not being related to his missing twin brother who's being missing for almost six months by now. Or like Virgil's massive anxiety bc of unfair shit from other fae & meanie humans/human hunters. Also his fear of trusting others bc he's so used to be betrayed and hurt. They help each other out w/ their things.

And maybe h/c qpp turns into a mystery and thriller as they search for Remus' missing brother, Roman, who disappeared right after a trip into the woods and hasn't been seen since. Remus believes he's still alive somewhere but no one believes him. The townsfolk held a memorial/funeral that Remus refused to attend bc "he's still alive, what are you doing, we have to find him, idiots". Virgil is the only one who kinda believes him bc lots of ppl disappear into the woods and end up in the fae world, it happens a lot, so maybe he's there? So, Virgil uses his fae connections to help look for him & he and Remus look in Roman's fave spots in the woods. As this happens, Remus tells stories of when the twins were younger and they'd go camping w/ each other & how they'd play pretend a lot & when they played make believe Re chose to be a Duke & Ro chose to be a Prince & their mom Rhea would pretend with them sometimes and pretend to be this epic Dragon-Witch or some badass queen. And yus, Rhea is named after the actual mother of Romulus and Remus from the myth.

On this goes, and they find Roman. Not how you'd think. Maybe he'd be dead, maybe he'd be in the fae world. It's neither, kinda. They discover that Roman is, in fact, fae himself and is a changeling with a human form. Which raises so many questions of how the fuck that happened, does that mean Re and Roman aren't actually biological twins, but he's still his brother right, you're still my twin brother, how did he figure that out, he's more human than Remus is, how in the hell? Ya see, all those questions are put off bc Remus found his lost brother and hugs him so tight that he could break him if he wanted. The twins hug each other tightly and Virgil watches fondly in support from the background.

Turns out, Roman started questioning his humanity and discovered he may be fae, so he staged a 'mysterious disappearance' and ran off to figure himself out. He discovered himself, who he really is, what he really is, and he has missed Remus so so much. Remus is like "you asshole why did you tell me they said you were dead pls never leave again I missed you you bastard" and yep, more brother hugs for these two. Virgil and Roman meet, and Ro of course teases Re over having a partner in the most sibling way possible and everything turns out okay! The most likely to be fae isn't fae, and the other "normal" ppl are actually fae and Remus has everyone he cares about again (excluding his Mom cause she's dead but eh).

Anyway, Roman made friends with a fae Logan and Patton & made rivals with a witch/sorceress transfemme Janus. Remus is the only full-on, not magical, human in this entire group. Which is the funniest shit ever.

Oh yeah, and Rhea was a single Mom when she was alive. Best Mom Award, fr. Took the twins camping & indulged them in their interests (to a healthy degree). One of the few who ever supported Remus for being himself.

So, a qpp Dukexiety idea that leads into a mystery about fae, brothers, and transfemme witches. About family and most Dukexiety being dorks together as they go on this journey.

Hope ya enjoy!

Heyo! :}D That literally sounds S O fucking cool I L O V E L O V E L O V E E V E R Y T H I N G about this oml!!! There's S O much I already adore it's got Mystery, Fantasy aspects, The Spooky Gays adventuring and being absolute dorks and trusting to each other, Hilarious concepts (Forever cackling at both the fact that Ree is chaotic and unhinged as shit to the point where Vee doesn't even believe him when he says he's human at first and that the poor Emo Fae's QPP is literally the only non magical person in the group don't worry the C H A O S makes up for it Bud XD) The perfect amount of A N G S T and F L U F F ratio, Wholesome Creativitwins moments (Rhea is forever a Queen for raising such wonderful sons <3) Twists, and just ahhhh I desperately N E E D this <3!!!

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brahkest-fr · 1 year ago

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some FR comms from patreon for @spyzario ✨ all chars are mine except top right is theirs~

#first one is janus' mom then an adult ace and finally echo #very happy with echo she's so cute #flight rising #dragon #fae #gaoler/ridgeback #banescale #snapper

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edupunkn00b · 1 month ago

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Just Like Magic, Chapter 12: Home

Prev - Home - Masterpost - [ AO3 ]

From Chapter 11: Heal Janus gripped his shoulder. “And you knew.” “And I knew,” Logan nodded, a bit of pride spilling into his voice. After a moment, he cleared his throat and turned to face each of them. “Janus…” A blush dusted his cheeks as he gestured to the twin fae still working in the kitchen. “I’d like you to meet Remus and Roman.”

Patton fussed over Janus as they all sat together by the fire, tucking extra blankets around him and refreshing his tea. Logan caught the twin's knowing gaze and he imagined he heard their earlier assurance, "Padre takes good care of him."

Finally, Patton settled close by his side and they listened to him and the twins recount how Logan found his mahoe bough.

“Neither of them spotted me,” Roman bragged, shoulders back and smile gleaming.

Remus rolled his eyes and stretched past Logan to reach the kettle. “I knew you were there.”

Arms crossed over his chest, Roman shook his head. “That is not the same thing and you can’t—”

“Ro?” Logan prompted, giving Remus’ hand a squeeze even as he nodded encouragingly at Roman. “Why did you sneak the bough onto the path?”

The twins exchanged a look, neither saying a word, so Logan pushed.

“I understand why you made yourselves appear young…” Recalling his terror when they’d first revealed their true selves, their explanation hadn’t actually been necessary. “But why didn’t you simply come along with Re?”

Again, there was another silent conversation between the brothers. Finally, Roman shrugged. “Well…”

“He got to meet you first… first,” Remus explained, full lips curled up in that crooked smile. “When we were kids? Remember?”

And Logan did. It had taken more than a week for him to realize his new friend was two new friends and not simply one mercurial boy whose temperament seemed to shift day to day. When Logan had figured it out, spending hours playing with both of them outside their house, he’d gone running back home, calling for his mother before he’d gotten to the path to his own house.

But even Logan hadn’t been excited enough—or young enough—to miss the worried pinch in his mother’s face and her furtive protective blessing at the mention of twins.

“You should know, Logan,” Janus murmured from the fireplace. “Not all identical twins are fae. It’s only a Southern myth that says they are.” His sharp expression left Logan wondering whether mind-reading was one of those specialties Patton had said his teacher might someday share with him. “In fact most of what is ‘known’ about the fae in the South is pure fantasy and fear mongering.”

“To tell you the truth,” he said more to the floor than to the twins. “I thought the fae themselves were a myth…” Forcing the courage to meet their eyes, Logan sighed in relief at their matching grins. He bumped Remus’ shoulder and squeezed Roman’s hand. “You’re nothing like the stories say.”

“Are you sure?” Remus teased. “We might just be hoping to drag you back to our hidden castle through a fairy circle. Make you ours forever.”

“He is ours forever,” Roman muttered, shaking his head.

Logan’s eyes widened. Roman’s lips hadn’t moved when he spoke, but Logan had heard his voice as clear as anything. “What did you—” Shaking his head to free it of his hallucination, he glanced back at Remus. Had he heard it, as well?

Remus grinned back at him before sticking out his tongue at his brother. “I told he’d pick it up today.”

“No-one likes to hear ‘I-told-you-so,’ Re,” Roman retorted silently.

“Boys?” Patton said aloud from the fire. “Remember your manners, please. Use your voices.”

Remus rolled his eyes, but he nodded. “We will, Padre,” he said aloud, offering the first tea to Janus with a little bow of apology. “Mostly,” he said silently to Logan and Roman.

Eyes narrowed even as he chuckled, Janus sipped his tea. “These two must’ve been a handful when they were young.”

“You don’t know the half of it,” Patton laughed, ruffling Roman’s hair as he set down a tray laden with stew and still-warm bread. Roman smiled, not only accepting the gesture but leaning into it for a moment before heading back to the kitchen for mugs for everyone else.

Patton continued. “I think the day they tried to transform into moose to get out of chores was the day I got half of these,” he said, tugging cheerfully at the silver in his hair.

Logan found a place at the table and Roman and Remus settled on either side of him. “Did they transform inside?” Patton’s home was much larger than his own but even this space would become… dangerous with two full-size moose inside.

Laughing, the twins exchanged a guilty glance. “That wasn’t the worst of it.”

Seemingly in on the joke, Janus shook his head with a barely suppressed grin. “Transforming into an animus is the easy part,” he explained. “It’s getting out of it that requires… planning.”

“Yeah, I still haven’t gotten all this,” Remus tugged at the soft silver tuft in his own bangs, “Back to my real color.”

Roman laughed. “Are you sure you’re not just going grey like Padre?”

“Ah! The gall!” he scoffed, hand pressed over his heart. “You’re one to—” But before Remus could finish—and before Logan could stop himself—he reached over and twirled a silver lock around his finger. Remus froze mid-sentence.

“You wear the silver well,” he said, then let his hand fall back to his plate and busied himself breaking off a bit of bread to dip in the stew.

Nothing Roman said through their entire dinner could dim Remus’ grin.

Washing up went quickly with the five of them—well, four and a half of them: At his first yawn, Patton ushered Janus into a nest of cushions next to the fire. “You know I could get used to this,” he teased from behind one of his endless cups of tea, then looked away as though he’d said something out of turn.

Logan continued to dry the dishes the twins had scrubbed and rinsed, watching his teacher carefully. He hadn’t sounded… ill-mannered but perhaps Janus better understood the unspoken rules. Logan glanced at Roman, who nodded knowingly.

It was easy to understand everything going on when you literally had seen it all before.

But Patton didn’t seem put out in the least. Instead, he took the long way past Janus’ seat to reset a fresh kettle over the fire. He patted Janus’ knee as he passed and nodded. “I hope you do,” he murmured, nearly too quiet for Logan to hear.

Remus handed him another dish. “Do you want to know?” he asked silently.

Logan glanced again at Janus, watching his eyes follow Patton back to the shelves lining the wall next to the wood stove. Janus looked… Logan searched for a word other than ‘afraid.’ He’d watched Janus face down a dozen armed me. Why did he look afraid of Patton?

He turned to Remus and nodded. “Please,” he whispered.

“Hey, Padre,” Remus grinned and bounced over to Patton’s side. “Would you make Logan a cup of tea?”

“Oh, thank you, but that is unnecessary,” Logan shook his head. “I can prepare tea, I—”

Those kind eyes found him then and, like they had in the forest, seemed to look right into him. It only lasted a moment and a smile soon bloomed on his face. “Well, sure thing, Kiddo.” He peeked into the sink at the three remaining dishes and nodded at the already scrubbed table. “By the time it’s done steeping, we’ll be done here.”

“You heard him, Logie,” Remus danced back, rinsing the next dish with fresh energy. “Let’s keep going.” He winked over his shoulder after passing him another clean, dripping bowl. “Reading leaves works better if someone else makes the tea for you,” he added silently.

“Oh,” Logan breathed. His vision of Janus seized him. His teacher falling, a blade sticking from him as he… Janus had made him the tea that had given him that shimmer of the future. And it had… well, his vision hadn’t come to full fruition but if it hadn’t been for Patton’s ministrations it might have.

Roman turned then and wiped his soapy hands clean before putting away the dry dish Logan clung to with one hand. He kept a grip on Logan’s hands with the other. “Do you trust us?”

Busy with the dishes, the turn of Remus’ head showed he paid more attention to their conversation than it might have appeared to Patton and Janus. Logan nodded and rolled all of his hope and fear into a ball and pushed out the silent word, “Yes.”

The twins sat next to him, long legs folded and tucked against his as he drained most of his cup. It was likely obvious to both Patton and Janus what they were doing, but the older pair gave them as much privacy as the close space would allow, murmuring quietly to each other over their own cups of milky tea.

Shifting the dregs of his tea back and forth, Logan peered down into his cup and saw… He saw the room they were in. Fireplace blazing, bread rising on the table. Different herbs sprouted in the windowsill and three new shelves were packed into the corner, piled with books. The books he’d saved from his home, including his spellbook, were stacked neatly among them.

Patton and Janus sat close to one another, a large book balanced on their laps. The twins sat with Logan, his head resting on Remus’ shoulder, Roman’s pillowed Logan’s own lap. Roman’s hand was intertwined with his while Remus’ fingers gently carded through the hair falling over the back of his neck.

Logan’s hair was longer in the vision, well past his shoulders. He blinked lazily as he drowsed with them, warm and ensconced in softness. And love. His eyes finally closed and that was when Remus drew him back more fully against his chest and pressed a soft kiss against his forehead. Vision Logan’s eyes opened then and he tilted up his face, smiling when Remus kissed his lips.

Laughing, Roman turned and craned his neck, only laying back down when Logan gave him his kiss, as well.

Logan gasped and the cup slipped from his grip. Right into Roman’s waiting hands.

“Is…” Back in the real world, in the now, the vision wouldn’t fade, and Logan’s eyes were drawn to each of their mouths. “Is it real? Will—will it be real?” he whispered, falling into the same sort of tense confusion the twins had earlier.

“It can be,” Roman said carefully.

Remus gripped his hand, biting his lower lip. “If you want it to be.”

Logan shivered, mouth dry as he fought to make sense of his vision. This wasn’t at all what he'd expected to see. He'd expected to see some explanation for the odd, careful way Janus and Patton moved around each other. He'd expected to see whether he would master all the spells he needed to become a full mage. He'd expected to see nearly anything but…

Still smiling, Roman pulled a soft blanket from the basket next to them and laid it across their laps. “You’re cold,” he whispered, smoothing it over their legs. “And Re’s practically asleep.”

“Wha—” The candles in front of them were noticeably lower than last he’d looked. Janus and Patton sat across from them, backs straight and attention on him. Eyes closed, Remus was curled against him, still holding his hand. The other loosely tangled in his sleeve.

Janus made no effort to hide what he knew. “Would it help to talk about your vision?” he asked. “Was it… concerning?”

Logan’s cheeks warmed and he shook his head, looking down at the blanket Roman had laid in his lap. It was the same one from his vision. “No,” he finally said. “Not concerning a—at all. It was…” He smiled when Roman took his other hand and leaned close. “It was rather nice, actually.”

Not pretending to understand, Janus nodded. After a long moment, he returned to his quiet conversation with Patton, leaving the rest of the questions swimming in his eyes for another time.

Logan settled back against the cushions and Roman moved with him, his own sleepy eyes drooping. They’d helped him carry Janus on the day's hike back to their home. And stayed up with him the night before while he’d waited for Janus to wake.

It seemed, though, even fae needed sleep. Head heavy on Logan’s shoulder, Roman, too, was soon asleep.

Before long, Logan felt sleep’s embrace pulling him down to join them. As he was about to drift off, Remus curled closer, one long arm wrapped tightly around his middle. “You never do choose,” he mumbled close to his ear. Uncertain if he was even awake, Logan craned his neck and was met by bright green eyes smiling back at him. “And you won’t ever have to.”

Patton and Janus’ conversation quieted as they watched the trio fall asleep. Whatever Logan had seen lost its bite under the twins’ gentle care. The phantom ache in his side reminded Janus that Logan’s visions were accurate to the point of pain. Learning to cope with the knowledge of what was to come could be… challenging. Especially if he tried to bear the burden alone. He hoped that between all of them gathered in Patton’s home, Logan would decide to confide in one of them when he needed.

Though Janus couldn’t quite allow himself to hope that they would be there for long.

“So when you left our school to study in Kalgree, you went South instead?” He wanted to sound stern or perhaps even a little angry as they returned to their earlier discussion. The catch in his voice betrayed him.

“I was called,” Patton shrugged with a little wince, and stood to drew a thick knitted blanket over the three of them. “The boys were children. Barely more than five when the village exiled them. If they’d been human they…” He shook his head, dark clouds hiding his ordinarily sunny smile. “They wouldn’t’ve survived, Jan.”

“Like the miller’s child,” Janus frowned into his cup.

Surprise flashed over Patton’s face but it didn't last. Two decades raising precognitive fae seemed to have made it unnecessary to ask how Janus knew about the third child the town had banished. “Like the miller’s child,” he nodded. Patton settled on the cushion next to him, thigh to thigh. “After I’d found them, the boys wouldn’t leave the woods. Not without Logan, they said.”

“You said they called you?” Janus tilted his head at his student, face slack and smooth in sleep. How many of his luminaria had been going to these fae?

“Their powers called me. Drew me here. I couldn’t’ve resisted if I’d tried.” His little smile told Janus he was glad for it, too. “Their powers run through this whole forest. I don’t think they’ve even discovered the full extent of what they can do yet.” He watched them sleep, face softening into that fond little smile.

“They’re of the forest,” Janus murmured, the magic he’d seen swirling through the woods suddenly making more sense.

Patton nodded. “It’s what drew them to Logan when they were children. I…” He shrugged and finished Janus’ neglected cup. “I don’t know how much they consciously understood then.”

In sleep, the trio piled together in a tangle of limbs and interlaced hands, pups snuggled close. Patton refreshed both their teas, watching him watching them.

Janus murmured a thanks and blew at the hot brew before taking a careful sip. “Will they leave the woods now that he’s with them?”

Carefully resting one arm over the cushion at Janus’ back, Patton drank his own tea. “They’ve told me for years they go wherever he goes.”

Janus sipped his tea, swallowing back the question fighting its way to his lips. The fireplace crackled across the room as he counted his breaths, waiting for Patton to say something—to say anything that might draw the conversation down a different path.

He never did. Eventually, Janus’ cup emptied and he whispered into it, “And what about you?” The question sat between them as he turned the cup in his hands.

Patton finished his tea and had set down the empty cup, butter yellow curls shining in the afternoon sun. “Thank you, Jan,” he grinned, meeting Janus’ eyes. “Just what I needed for the road ahead.”

Janus’ tea had grown cold and he stared down into the pale brew. Don’t leave. They don’t need you in Kalgree as much as I need you. Please just stay here. Stay with me. Stay—

“Stay safe,” Janus said instead, passing him his travel satchel.

“You’ve enchanted it,” he’d smiled, hefting the loaded bag easily with just two fingers. “Always looking out for me, aren’t you, Jan?”

Eyes wet, Janus had ducked his head as he cleared away the cups. “Always, Pat.”

Patton was smiling when at last Janus looked up. He took Janus’ empty cup and set it next to his own, then he held his hands, calloused thumbs rubbing circles into the backs of them. “Let’s find out together,” he whispered, raising Janus’ hands to his lips. “If you’ll have me back, that is.”

“Just go to your own room before you get all ‘reacquainted,’” Remus rumbled from his spot curled against Logan’s left side. He winked at them over the blankets then settled back with a sleepy sigh.

Stifling a laugh, Janus nodded, allowing Patton to help him to his feet. “Always, Pat.”

Epilogue

“Very good,” Janus nodded, hefting another stone as Logan readied himself for the next attack. “Keep your staff high until you’re prepared to…”

“To take ‘em out!” Remus cheered from the doorway. He tugged at the satchel looped over his shoulders and skipped down the steps to meet them.

“Re!” Roman called after him. “You left me with the heavy one!”

Remus rolled his eyes and sat cross-legged a few feet from where Janus was drilling Logan's defensive charms one last time. “They’re enchanted, Ro Bro! They're all the same!”

“It’s the principle,” he muttered, pout melting when Patton gave him a side hug.

"Perhaps we can trade bags for the trek back home?" Logan suggested with a soft smile.

Roman preened, nodding as he blew a kiss back. "Thank you, Lo," he said before shooting his brother a frown. "Someone understands."

"I understand, I'm just saying—“ he silently shot back.

“Okay, Kiddos, let's let Logan get in one more round, please,” Patton said, shaking his head. He sat next to Remus and smiled up at the dueling pair. “Show him how it’s done!”

“Precisely which one of us are you cheering, Pat?” Janus asked, smiling too much to sound annoyed.

Patton simply shrugged and beckoned Roman closer to watch with them.

“You've got this,” the twins’ voice filled Logan’s mind and he shot each of them a quick smile before raising his staff just in time to block the fiery stone Janus lobbed in his direction.

Janus laughed as the twins leapt to their feet and swept Logan up in a hug. “Well done, Logan!” he said, moving closer to squeeze his shoulder. “You’re ready.”

Nodding, Logan stood a little taller as his teacher adjusted the clasp on his new blue cloak. “And you know who to look for,” he said for at least the tenth time that day. Janus raised a single finger when Remus inhaled, ready to speak. “Do not speak his name until someone speaks it first. No matter the inroads we’ve made, two fae and a Mage traipsing into the village and asking to meet a toddler named Virgil will not end well.”

“I was going to say 'doesn’t Logie look good in blue,'” Remus said in mock offense.

“No you weren’t,” Roman muttered.

“Yeah, no, I wasn’t.” Remus shrugged and winked at Logan. “Doesn’t make it any less true.”

“They’re ready, Jan,” Patton murmured, hooking his arm through Janus’. “We’ll see you tomorrow if all goes well?”

Janus thrummed his fingers against his staff. “And tonight if it doesn’t.”

“It’ll go well,” Roman and Remus said in unison, laughing as they headed toward the creek and the village beyond the edge of the woods.

Logan lingered, and waved one more time at Patton and Janus. Patton held Janus’ hand close to his own heart, the only sign his teacher was more anxious than he was willing to admit to his student.

But Logan didn’t need that morning’s vision to know the twins spoke the truth. “It will go well,” he said, smiling. “See you both tomorrow,” he added over his shoulder as he hurried to join his old friends and his new future.

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candle-cloud · 1 year ago

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Here’s Remus, Patton, & Janus as Fae!! Click on the image to improve quality.

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Here’s Virgil, Roman, & Logan!

#sanders sides #janus sanders #remus sanders #patton sanders #fae #faeries #and dragon? Janus #I don’t know how to link things #sorry lol

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scarletstoriesblog · 6 months ago

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Headshots of some characters

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ashs-random-writing · 2 years ago

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To Fly with Glass Wings

One-shot

Ao3

REBLOG>LIKE

Roman, a teenage fairy, was curious about the human that kept showing up in his forest. And, more importantly, he was curious about their devices. Perhaps going into their bag on an impulse wasn’t the best idea...

Deep in the forest, where most didn’t go, there was a magical town, filled with fairies. It was hidden from human eyes using magic, and it was usually bustling with activity

Roman walked around the small town. He was bored. He was so bored. He had done everything there was to do anywhere nearby a million times already.

He groaned, sitting on the very edge of the town border, careful not to go past the runes that protected them all from non-magical eyes. Perhaps just watching the wildlife would help?

He watched animals skitter along the tree roots and fidgeted with the cuffs of his sleeves. He heard heavier footfalls, and immediately became more alert. A human made themselves known less than a minute later, completely oblivious to the town right next to them

Roman just watched them.

Humans were... interesting, though he’d never admit as much to anyone else.

Humans were, above all else, dangerous

But this one, with their strange clothes and weird make-up and purple hair (he didn’t think humans could have purple hair; usually they only had boring colours like brown and blond) was just sitting on the forest floor, strange wires in their ears that almost sounded like they were producing a song

Roman wondered how humans worked without magic.

How did they cook, clean, keep predators away, travel- do basically anything- without magic? Like sure, they were phenomenally large, and that would probably help with predators and maybe travel, but the rest was confusing to him.

He flew upwards to sit on a branch, still within the town boundaries. He kicked his feet, and fluttered his wings, quietly watching the human scroll on one of their strange devices.

He could hear some of the music, and he danced slightly from his branch

The human came back every day for a week.

Roman concluded that they had used some sort of artificial colouring on their hair. It was starting to fade into a more brown-ish colour

He wanted to know more about the small device they always had. It seemed to show the human things, and let them communicate through it and let them read, and Roman figured that something like that would probably cure his permanent boredom.

He watched the human more and more. The human, he was gonna try figure out their name, seemed to never notice the town just to the side of them, which meant that the magic was working exactly as it was supposed to

Though, Roman was told by some elders that he needed to tell people when a human was nearby, even though the human literally just sat there and did nothing

Either way, he did alert them and then went to ‘keep watch’.

Roman had seen very few humans in his time; most didn’t come this far into the forest.

He watched as the human got ready to leave like they always did, and he couldn’t help the disappointment he felt. The strange giant was the most interesting part of his day, and now he’d have to be bored for the rest of the day

He watched them put their small device in the bag they usually carried, and he lamented his inability to try it out. Except, the human’s focus drifted elsewhere, towards where a twig snapped as a rabbit had hopped onto it, before they distractedly left.

They left without their bag.

Roman slowly left the safety of the town, making sure no one was watching him, before flying into the bag. He knew that he would need to leave before the human inevitably came back for their belongings, but this was likely the only chance he would get. Never let it be said that he didn’t evaluate risk, he just did the risky thing anyway

He tapped the screen on the device like he had seen the human do, and it lit up. Roman grinned, trying to make it go onto the other screen

All the human had to do was look at it and it would change, what was he doing wrong? Was it because he wasn’t human? Because that was discriminatory, thank you very much

He huffed, trying again and again, and, in his distracted state, he didn’t notice human footsteps until the bag was moving. He stumbled, falling over as the bag moved. He tried to move into a position where his wings would be safe, but the constant shifting of the bag and the bags contents were making it impossible

Horror slowly found it’s way into his feelings. The human was going to see him. The human was fascinating, but Roman was made of magic. The human would not be able to understand him, and what humans don’t understand, they get rid of

That had been drilled into his mind longer than he could talk.

Curse his own impulsivity and curiosity.

The human walked for a while, with Roman trying not to get hit by various objects, and feeling something hit into his back. Eventually, they must’ve arrived at their destination, because the bag was set down, and Roman tumbled out

The human stared at him, and Roman got up from sitting on the ground, and moved backwards, trying his hardest not to tremble.

He surveyed his surroundings. He was pretty sure he was in a human house.

A hand started reaching for him, and he conjured a clear magical dome around himself as protection. The human had retracted their hand, but didn’t stop staring

“... I’m Virgil. What’s your name?” Their voice was softer when talking to him than it was when they talked through their device

Roman said his name, wary of the obvious trap, and forgetting that humans couldn’t understand him.

The human (’Virgil’) stared blankly, and Roman kept as far away as possible from them.

“I’m sorry, I can’t understand you”

Roman knew that, he wasn’t dumb.

“Can you understand me?”

Roman nodded, looking at a window out of the corner of his eye. Virgil seemed to be looking at something behind him. Roman followed their gaze to his wings, which were looking different than usual. He felt the, now jagged, edges lightly and winced

Now that his panic had mostly subsided, he could feel pain. He mustn’t have noticed, because he was too busy worrying about what Virgil was gonna do to him, but it turned out Virgil wouldn’t even need to do anything to keep him there.

His wings would heal, but it would take months at best, years at worst. He couldn’t help the tears that were welling up in his eyes, and he couldn’t stop them from falling.

Great, he looked even more weak in front of a potentially bad human.

Roman messily wiped his eyes, and glared at the giant. Virgil put their hands up

“Hey, I didn’t do that to your wings! I haven’t even touched you!”

Roman sat down, bringing his knees to his chest, and half-heartedly observing the human

Virgil sighed

“Okay, I’m sorry for accidentally kidnapping you, but I didn’t know you were in my bag, and I’m sorry that you broke your wings in the process. I would have been more careful if I knew you were there. But, you can stay here with me until your wings heal, and I’ll help you with anything you need, yeah?”

‘Can’. Like Roman would want to stay in a human house for however long. Roman glared again.

Virgil looked a little lost at his reaction

“I know it probably won’t make up for breaking your wings, but I am really sorry”

Roman turned away, and noticed that his shield had fallen at some point whilst he was distracted. He got up and looked around at the house. He knew Virgil was watching him, but he understood the curiosity aspect.

That was what had gotten him into this whole predicament after all. He was curious about everything in this house as well. He wanted to explore

-----

Virgil was having a major freak out.

He had found a nice clearing in the woods, where he could just escape reality and be on his own. There was no one watching him, no one judging and no one to tell him what to do.

So of course, it only took a week for things to go to shit. He had left his bag in the clearing, and somehow a fairy had managed to find their way into it. He hadn’t even known that fairies existed previously

He didn’t know if they had willingly got in, or if they had fallen in or something, but from the way they seemed terrified of him when they fell out, the second one was more likely

Their skin was a pale reddish-pink, with large, wide eyes and red hair. They had (comparatively) large wings that almost looked like they were made of glass.

They seemed to put up some kind of forcefield to protect themselves from him, and he tried to diffuse the tension by introducing himself. The fairy seemed to introduce themselves as well, though whatever language they spoke sounded more like a melody than it did words

He noticed something was wrong with their wings after a few seconds of staring; they were an odd shape, almost reminding him of a broken window.

They followed his gaze, and stared at their own wings, and reaching a hand out to touch the edges, all but cementing in his mind that they were broken. They turned to glare at him, with glowing eyes and tears running down their cheeks

Virgil had a feeling they blamed him for the damage caused, and honestly, he didn’t blame them for thinking that. But he didn’t mean to.

They sat down, crying for a while, before doing something that he figured was probably a way to distract themselves

They started looking around, seemingly inspecting things. Virgil figured they probably didn’t have a lot of the things he had. He had no doubt they had substitutes that worked just as well, or probably better, considering they had magic and based on the exceptionally high quality of their clothes, they obviously had some sort of tools

He let them explore the countertop for a while, discreetly videoing them. He wouldn’t show the video to anyone without their permission, of course, but... just having the videos wouldn’t hurt.

They refused to go near him. They seemed to be feigning stubbornness, but Virgil could see the way they trembled when he spoke, or moved too fast or got too close. He could tell they were scared. They were scared of getting hurt again.

Virgil didn’t know how to feel about that. He understood the fear, but he would never hurt them on purpose.

They wouldn’t let him take them somewhere else to sleep, since he’d have to carry them, and just sat down when he asked, stubbornly glaring at him.

Virgil just sighed and brought them a blanket. They were still there in the morning, wrapped up in the almost comically large blanket, and still asleep. Virgil wondered what they would eat, and simply waited for them to awake (maybe snapping a few pictures here and there)

They eventually woke up, though visibly deflated when they saw him. He offered to get them some food, and they (after a while of what seemed like mental debating) nodded. They didn’t let him take the blanket away.

Virgil figured he couldn’t let anyone else know about the little guy, seeing as they seemed scared of people, and he wondered what he was going to tell his friends as for why they suddenly couldn’t come over anymore

He felt so wrong, next to the fairy. Virgil was usually short, and now... now, he was tall enough to accidentally kill someone. He could trip and crush them. And they knew it.

The next few days were tense, but the fairy had started letting him a bit closer, though they wouldn’t stop glaring. He had dubbed them Little Red, as a sort of nickname until they could communicate their actual name.

Little Red didn’t mind the nickname too much, he didn’t think so, anyway. They had been interested in his phone when they saw it, and Virgil had shown them different apps, pretending not to notice their tense, trembling posture when he moved too suddenly.

They played games on his phone every day, and they had started letting Virgil help them get to other places in the house than the countertop. They were still undoubtedly somewhat scared, and they still very obviously held a grudge of some kind against him, but they were getting somewhere.

They were very vocal, even though Virgil couldn’t understand them.

Virgil was careful every time he carried them into the living room or into the blanket nest they’d claimed as their own. He didn’t want to cause another accident at their expense

They were curious about a lot of things, he noticed.

It made him a little calmer, to know that Little Red seemed just as clueless about humans, as he was about fairies.

He noticed what they liked and disliked in terms of movies and tv shows.

They didn’t seem to like horror movies, but they were fine with things like The Addams Family. They liked animated films quite a bit, particularly disney, and would watch with rapt attention. Virgil didn’t usually watch animated movies, but he was willing if it kept Little Red a little happier

He waited for a while for them to wake up as he made food. Surprisingly, they didn’t seem to have a very big sweet tooth.

Their blanket nest was in a corner of the spare bedroom, and Little Red had decided to claim the entire room as their own, despite being far too small to need all of that space. Not to mention only being able to use part of it with their broken wings. Either way, they didn’t need an entire room, but Virgil certainly wasn’t using it, and he kind of owed it to them, after kidnapping them and breaking their wings.

Virgil’s only problem with them claiming the room, was that now he’d have no where to hang out with his friends

Virgil brought them breakfast and carefully avoided getting too close. They seemed to notice his phone in his other hand and stared at it. Virgil chuckled

“Sorry, not right now, Little Red, I have to go somewhere, maybe when I get back”

Little Red pouted at him, but ate their food. Virgil left them alone, leaving the door open in case they wanted to traverse the house, though he wasn’t too comfortable with that idea.

He didn’t want to think about how easy it would be to crush them underfoot. They knew where to and not to go, so there wasn’t that much risk, but any risk was too much, in Virgil’s eyes

Their wings hadn’t made any progress, as far as he could see, but then again, it had only been a few days.

He got ready to go out and meet his friends

Remus and Janus were already at the movie theatre before him, annoyingly.

“How’d we get here before you? You’ve never relaxed on the idea that you might be late, and yet, here you are, a whole-” Remus checked his watch gleefully “- two minutes late!”

The movie lasted a while, and Virgil almost forgot the fact that he had an injured fairy to take care of back home. He hung with his friends, talking about everything and nothing, carefully avoiding any mention of what he had been doing the last few days

He wondered what Little Red was doing.

-----

Roman wanted to go home.

Virgil wasn’t bad, per se, but he didn’t like that he needed to be carried places because everything was too big and his wings were broken. And, he missed his friends.

He looked around at the room he was in. It was too big, it was too expansive. He looked around at the blankets he had nested in. They were too thick.

He finally got to try out the strange device, however, and he had found so many things to do. The ‘phone’ had games and it played ‘videos’ and ‘movies’

The movies that Virgil had showed him were interesting, but he only liked some of them. The ones that looked not-real, they were really cool, despite their inaccurate depiction of fairies and magic in general.

They did get one key aspect of fairy culture correct, though; the blessings and gifts bestowed on children. Roman was gifted with an adventurous spirit and, like with most gifts, it came with an unfortunate downside

His sense of fear was rather dulled, whereas his impulsivity skyrocketed when there was some sort adventure to be found. Which explained why he was sat on the floor of a human house with broken wings.

His friends’ gifts were also a bit of a mixed bag.

His friend Patton for example! He was gifted with a kind and pure spirit. This also meant that he trusted far too easily and got himself hurt by people with not-so-kind intentions in the past.

His friend Logan was gifted with a logical mind. It made him great at a lot of things, including stopping Roman from getting killed due to impulsivities. But it made it harder for him to understand his own feelings, and harder to make friends when viewing it through a logical lens

Great, now Roman missed his friends even more. He sighed, looking out of the window. He knew this situation was his fault, but, he really wished it wasn’t. He wished he could completely blame it on someone else, but, Virgil hadn’t done anything really wrong other than not letting him go. Roman was the one who flew into their bag on impulse

He groaned, pushing his head into his hands, and trying not to cry. Virgil was out of the house at that moment in time, and Roman knew he should be trying to escape

But a voice in his head reminded him that he had no way home when he didn’t know which way home was. Besides, he’d probably just get found by a different human, he noted bitterly

When Virgil eventually returned, what had to be hours later, Roman had not gotten any better at dealing with boredom. It would’ve been better if he had someone to talk to

Except, no. It wouldn’t. His sense of fear might’ve been dulled enough that he felt pretty much none after only a few days, but others didn’t have that. They’d still be scared

Roman scowled at the blanket that made up half of the nest. He wanted his bed, he wanted his house, he wanted his blanket.

There was a knock on his door. His stupidly oversized door that he couldn’t even open himself. He supposed that was probably why it was almost always left ajar.

Roman sighed

“Come in” He shouted. The door opened, scraping against the carpet with a uncomfortable sound

Virgil was bringing him food, he realised. He almost didn’t want to eat. He hadn’t been outside in days. He hadn’t seen his friends in days. He hadn’t properly held a conversation in days. He just wanted to go home...

He didn’t care how boring it was, at least he had friends back there

Virgil placed the food down in front of him, seemingly watching him. Roman gave a half-hearted glare and started eating. Human food wasn’t as nice as the food back home, nor was it very flavourful.

He noticed that Virgil was staying in Roman’s room more than they usually did. Roman looked at them quizzically, wondering why they weren’t in their own, strangely decorated, room.

He verbalised his thought, and Virgil looked at him

“Hm? Oh, sorry.. Uh, I was gonna watch a movie in the living room, do you wanna come?”

They always guessed what he was trying to say.

Virgil was awkward most of the time. Perhaps that’s why they kept going into the woods for hours at a time every day, instead of partaking in social activities with other humans.

Roman knew that Virgil did have friends, having seen pictures of them, but also...

Actually, no he wasn’t going to finish that train of thought, it was rude. It didn’t matter how much he personally thought the human was strange, anyone could have friends

Roman wordlessly nodded to the offer and Virgil placed their hand on the ground next to him. Roman walked onto it, sitting on the palm, and drawing his knees up to his chest

He hated being carried. He hated feeling helpless. He was supposed to be an adventurer, he was supposed to be strong. Virgil placed him on the arm of the couch and started looking through movies on their tv

Roman wondered how the tv worked. Logan would probably be able to figure it out.

He watched the tv with full attention as it showed him a story of a princess who fell in love with a thief, and it was full of genies and tigers and magic.

It was horribly inaccurate, but with how separated human and magical societies were, it was almost a miracle that they got any of it right. He yawned, but he didn’t want to leave to sleep before the movie ended. He had to see how it would end

He carried on watching, though he could feel himself begin to lose focus as he yawned again

“Are you sure you don’t want me to turn this off for now, and you can watch it tomorrow?”

Roman shook his head, still watching the screen intently. Virgil sounded like they were supressing a laugh next to him, but Roman didn’t care. He could feel his eyes drooping, and he laid on his stomach, watching the screen still

He didn’t exactly know when he fell asleep, but Virgil wasn’t in the room anymore when he woke up. Roman groggily stood up, to peer out of the window

…Sunrise. Huh. Usually if he woke up this early, he’d go to sit somewhere high up to watch the sunrise and see the way the hills and trees would be dusted pinks, purples, oranges and reds.

What if his wings never healed? Would he be stuck with Virgil forever and not ever be able to sit on a hill or tree branch and watch the sunset, or ever fly around? Would he be cursed to forever live a life of pain and longing?

This was the part that Logan would usually tell him he was being overdramatic. But Logan wasn’t here, and Roman wasn’t even sure if he was being overdramatic anymore

He really didn’t know if he’d ever be able to go home

Virgil had told him that he could go when his wings were healed, but when would that be?

Roman just sat on the arm of the couch and thought about his friends until Virgil came into the living room, about an hour later. They looked exactly how he would expect them to look after just waking up

“Mornin’, Little Red,” They yawned “Sorry I didn’t take you to your room last night, it felt rude to pick you up when you were sleeping”

Roman considered the apology for a few moments, before giving them a thumbs up. He wouldn’t want to be picked up when he was sleeping, honestly. He was most vulnerable when he was asleep, especially since he was a deep sleeper

They watched the end of the movie together.

-----

Virgil felt bad for Little Red. He had seen them staring out of windows, and he knew they probably wanted to go home.

But...

He was so worried that they’d get hurt even more, or found by someone not as kind as him, or- or something else even worse, that he couldn’t let them go. Not until they could fly at least

He could at least be more certain of their survival chances if they could fly out of reach of predators.

He watched them with almost as much attention as they watched Aladdin. They seemed completely enamoured by the film’s story, reacting quite dramatically with every twist and turn of it.

Virgil had to admit, their dramatic tendencies reminded him of Remus, although Remus openly hated wearing red unless it was fake (or sometimes real) blood

Little Red kept yawning, still watching the movie, but very obviously starting to drift off

“Are you sure you don’t want me to turn this off for now, and you can watch it tomorrow?” He asked, trying to hide the amusement in his voice

They immediately shook their head, eyes still locked firmly on the screen. Virgil stifled a laugh, watching as they slowly succumbed to sleep.

He turned the tv off, and turned towards them.

How was he gonna get them to their room? He carefully reached a hand out, but retracted it. He would probably lose any type of trust they had in him if he grabbed them whilst they were sleeping

Besides, they looked so adorably peaceful, in a way that he hadn’t seen them be very often. They had fallen asleep in front of him before, but this was the first time they seemed completely relaxed.

He stared at them a few moments, before deciding to leave them be until morning

He left them for a while, letting them sleep, and went to his own bedroom

He laid in bed with his thoughts, as he stared up at his ceiling.

Why did he feel so guilty about this? He was protecting them!

They might’ve seemed upset, but it was better than letting them get eaten by a bird or something. As far as he knew, they had fallen into his bag. If they were clumsy enough to fall into his bag, then he didn’t trust their survival skills without their wings

After about a month and a half, he didn’t feel as guilty. He knew he was protecting them.

Their wings had started to slowly heal, the edges slightly bigger and smoother than the jagged edges they were when they had first tumbled out of his bag.

And that was because Virgil was keeping them safe. Lord knows they weren’t the best at keeping themself safe, Virgil thought, remembering the time he found them trying to fight a house spider.

He had started keeping a more careful watch over them after that, deciding not to let them out of their room without his supervision. Who knew what danger they would idiotically get themselves into without him there? Besides, they had more than enough space in there, even with the door closed

He knew that they didn’t see it that way, but Virgil was fine with playing the villain if it meant keeping Little Red safer.

They weren’t as vocal anymore, and Virgil missed the melodic tones of their voice. They ignored him a lot. They still watched movies, but they declined more often than not.

It was fine. He was fine with that. They’d thank him eventually, he told himself. They always watched his every move when he was nearby, as if they were scared he’d hurt them. But he wouldn’t. He would never.

There was a camera in their room now, so he could help them if they got hurt without him there.

He knocked on their door, though didn’t wait on a response before opening it and closing it just as fast. They had tried to run out of their room quite a few times before, hiding from him. And as much as it was amusing the first few times, it had become annoying quickly. Besides, it was dangerous for them

They stared up at him with those wide eyes, and he crouched down and gave them their food. Little Red didn’t speak, and just grabbed a few pieces of food and started eating.

Virgil stayed crouched there for a moment. What could help them see he wasn’t a bad guy?

“I’m going to go watch a movie in the living room, if you wanna come,” He asked, before adding “Aladdin, your favourite”

They thought for only a moment before shaking their head

Virgil bit back his annoyance at the refusal, and just sighed. Why were they being so difficult recently?

He left, making sure to close the door behind him. He sighed, they needed to see that he was helping. They were sure to get hurt if he let them go, what was he going to do? Let them walk straight to their death whilst doing nothing to help?

He groaned, giving the door a glare.

-----

Roman wasn’t sure what had changed. Virgil had become more paranoid, more protective. Roman was well and truly trapped now.

They wouldn’t let him out of his room now, and Roman supposed it was only a matter of time before he was in a cage for maximum security. He looked at the door, now closed and wondered when it would next open. He suppressed a sob and curled up on the blanket

Nothing he could do would ever sway Virgil's protectiveness. They wouldn’t let him out of his room, or out of their sight. Roman glared at the camera in his room. He hadn’t even known what a camera was, until Virgil. Now the knowledge of what it was just hurt him even more

He would never get a moments privacy.

The lack of anything to do was genuinely hurting him, a lot worse than back home. At least then, he could climb to the top of the tree tops and dive down, only catching himself at the last moment. The lack of adventure was hurting him worse than his wings were

Roman curled up more. He had the spirit of adventure, he needed to be doing something mildly dangerous! He wasn’t even allowed to sit on the couch when they watched a movie anymore. Virgil would just hold him the entire time, so they’d ‘know for sure where he was’.

And they wondered why he didn’t like them anymore. Sometimes they’d come into his room whilst he was sleeping, and he’d wake up in their hands. He missed when they were concerned with being rude. Now they told him how simply adorable he was

He glared at the camera again, knowing that the lens probably couldn’t get an accurate reading on his face. Roman had thought about doing some magic, to destroy the camera, but he could already picture the condescending ‘this is for your own good’ disappointed stare, and stopped.

Nothing was going right for him.

He sighed, letting the tears fall. There was a knock on his door, but he didn’t get a chance to respond before the door was opened. He supposed that was because of his escape attempts. If you could call them that, anyway

All he did was run out of his room and try to hide. Anywhere was better than being trapped in his room forever. His attempts annoyed the human. They would sigh, telling him that the ‘game’ would have to stop. But it wasn’t a game.

None of this was a game. This was Roman’s real life, this was his nightmare, this was all too serious.

Roman wondered what they wanted now. They had already given him his food, he’d already declined to watch a movie, what could they possibly want? He weakly glared at them, as they crouched down

“Hey, Little Red. I know you already said no to watching a movie, but there’s a movie you haven’t seen, that I think you’ll like”

Roman ignored that they were using the same tone people would to entice a child, or dog, to do something and thought on the offer.

There was no point disagreeing. He nodded his head.

Virgil didn’t set their hand down anymore and let him climb on. Now, they just grabbed him. He didn’t like it. He wondered what the movie was.

They took him to the living room, where the movie was already set up. Tangled, it was called.

Roman attempted to get slightly more comfortable in their grip, but the hand tightened around him just enough that he wouldn’t dare

The movie was interesting he supposed, but he kept being distracted, as Virgil kept fidgeting with him during the movie. He tried to stop them, but they didn’t notice. He didn’t even know if they realised they were fidgeting

They kept gently grabbing his arms, moving them around slightly, rolling his torso between two hands, not enough that he couldn’t see the screen, but enough that it was completely distracting. When scenes got intense, the fidgeting increased.

He could barely concentrate when the ending was happening. He quietly grumbled about Virgil’s rude behaviour, and attempted to watch the screen. He was lucky that the fidgeting didn’t hurt.

The only thing he could properly remember about the movie was that Mother Gothel was trapping Rapunzel under the guise of keeping her safe, but it was actually a ploy to use her magic for herself.

Roman looked up at Virgil’s face from where he was in their hands. He wondered where he had heard that story before. Oh wait.

He (very stupidly, may the narrator add) tapped the giant hand to get Virgil’s attention, before pointing at the picture of Mother Gothel on the title screen, and back to Virgil with a stubborn glare on his face.

They looked down at him for a few moments in which Roman had just enough time to evaluate the idiotic decision before they actually reacted

His heart stopped for a single beat as they shifted their grip on him with an annoyed expression on their face

“I am keeping you safe. You should be grateful, not comparing me to fictional villains” They grumbled.

Roman, still feeling mutinous apparently, tried to move in the grip, and muttered his counter argument

“Well, maybe if you weren’t acting so villainous..”

They didn’t justify him with a response. Though, whether it was due to the language barrier, or their annoyance, was hard to say.

Roman did notice that their grip was now uncomfortably tight, almost bruising. So much for safety, he thought, before the grip tightened even more

He let out a pained gasp, as the pressure increased on his wings for a few seconds. He could hear them breaking even more. The grip loosened, and Roman watched a few shards of wing fall onto the floor

He could hear frantic apologies from Virgil, but it was soon drowned out by the blood rushing in his ears. He stared at the shards, until Virgil touched his shoulder, dragging him out of his thoughts.

Roman flinched back, shaking, almost instinctively raising his forcefield, like he hadn’t since that first day. It hurt, and- and he was still shaking, and Virgil was still there, still holding him

His forcefield had pushed away their fingers a bit, but he was still in their hand. He ran his hands through his hair. He was crying, he realised hysterically.

He almost started laughing, no matter how much he knew this wasn’t a joke. You know, for how much danger he was in, it still wasn’t an adventure. It was just a bad situation. A really fucking bad situation, that was entirely his fault, and the reason he’d probably never see his friends again

He tried to steady his breathing for a simple moment, but nothing was helping.

Virgil was still talking, still too big. Of course they were, humans couldn’t shrink (could they?)

Eventually, though Roman didn’t realise it as it was happening, he was left back in his room, alone. He never thought that he’d be so relieved to be trapped again, but it was better than being in Virgil’s hands.

Roman gingerly touched his wings, wincing.

What were his friends doing, he wondered. Why couldn’t he go see them? Why did Virgil get to decide what Roman could and couldn’t do? Why did Roman have to be so stupid as to go into their bag? Why did any of this stupid situation have to happen?

He sobbed, pulling his knees up to his chest. Everything hurt, and- and he was still trapped and nothing he could do would ever be able to fix it.

-----

Logan had been searching for his friend for almost two months. Roman didn’t seem to be anywhere.

Logan knew that there was somewhere he could be, though he sincerely hoped not. It was the logical conclusion, however, to assume that Roman was taken by the human that he had been watching. The only reason they hadn’t already assumed so was that they wanted to make sure that Roman hadn’t just gotten lost before rushing into potential danger

The human never came back after Roman disappeared, after all. Perhaps they only came to steal a fairy and leave. Perhaps their peaceful demeanour had been a ploy to get trusted. Or perhaps Roman had done something impulsive and gotten himself captured.

No matter why the human had him, it was a very unideal situation. Especially given the nature of Roman’s wings. As much as a human could harm any type of fairy, very easily, they could harm fairies with crystal wings much, much easier.

Crystal fairies’ wings were fragile, thin, and almost glass-like. Easy to break, easy to make the fairy in question much more trapped.

It was a miracle that Roman’s wings had never been broken before, with the reckless stunts he pulled. Not that Logan could completely blame him, of course, no more than he could blame Patton for being too trusting. But it was incredibly unlucky for Roman’s gift to directly contrast his wing type

Logan was a stone fairy, so his wings were, as the name suggested, stone. The stone spread across his entire body the more he aged. At the moment, he was stone across his entire back, and down to his forearms. It was hard to fly with stone wings, so he could only keep low, and he could only really glide. It was hard to walk with the heavy weight on his back, so he, like the majority of stone fairies, used a walking stick so he would be able to balance. His own walking stick doubled as a staff to do complicated spells

There were accommodations for fairies who couldn’t fly well, but not as many as there should have been. With most buildings strung up in trees, only a few had ladders, and even less had ladders that were easy to climb with stone wings; a problem he had complained about many a time.

Roman was helping him figure out a plan of better accessibility to present to the council, before he disappeared. Roman was helping with the design and aesthetics, and the visual appeal, and Logan was helping with the accessibility, having experienced the issues first-hand, and having an idea of it should work logically.

Roman was the youngest of their little trio, about one and a half years younger than Patton, and two years younger than Logan. He was kind, he wanted everyone to be safe, he wanted to protect people, he had wanted to be a knight when he was a little older. Roman wanted everyone to be happy.

And now, for the past few months, there had been no Roman. Logan and Patton were very worried. Logan tried to figure out how to find the human that he was certain had his friend, but was coming up short. There were hundreds of human homes outside of the woods, and not to mention, humans had those devices. Logan believed they were called cars? With a car, they could go pretty much anywhere. Roman could be anywhere

He sighed, looking for a spell that could help track his friend. Patton was looking as well, and they weren’t having very much luck.

Patton was a butterfly fairy, and so was able to fly a lot easier than Roman and Logan, not having to worry about fragility, or weight. Though he was eager to help wherever he could.

Now, that eager, cheerful face with creased with worry, and tear streaks. Logan knew that Roman’s unfortunate disappearance was the cause. Logan was never the best at comforting people, usually Roman would help him.

Logan gently patted Patton’s back, and weakly tried to comfort

“There, there. We’ll find him,”

His words were clunky, he wasn’t used to comforting people, and that’s not to mention the lie he told. He had no idea if they would find him or not, and statistically, it was improbable, given how many human houses there were in the area alone. Logan attempted to remember how the particular human looked, from the few glimpses he had gotten

Purple hair, he could remember, but that wasn’t definite. Besides, there had been an increase in numbers of humans with coloured hair in recent years. Dark clothes, purple patches on them. That might have been a bigger lead. Not many humans wore patched clothing. What else could he remember?

They were pale, he remembered, and they had strange makeup under their eyes. He was pretty sure that was unusual for humans.

And now, if he could simply find a way to figure out where this human lived, he could be reunited with his his friend. Roman would’ve figured an out-of-the-box, crazy idea that would’ve worked perfectly by now.

Logan couldn’t do that.

He sighed, closing the book he had been reading for hours, and resting his head on the library table. There was nothing that could help. They could potentially track Roman, if they had an object that belonged to Roman and Roman been near recently.

And there lied the problem. They had only found the spell after a month and a half of the disappearance. He hadn’t been near anything recently enough.

He groaned, prompting Patton to gently pat his back. Logan knew that, logically, the chances of finding Roman were low, but he forced those thoughts out of his mind. He would find his friend, dead or alive (though preferably alive), whether or not it took months or years.

He carried on reading.

This routine carried on for weeks more, until they finally figured out a way of tracking. Logan looked at the glowing blue trail on the ground, and started walking, his staff in one hand, Patton’s hand in the other. Like Logan had hypothesised, it led into the human town.

Only he could see the trail, so that wouldn’t raise suspicion, however, two fairies walking into human territory probably would raise a fair bit of suspicion.

He waved his staff and casted the invisibility spell, before starting to walk. Patton let him lead him. The walk was slow, and they had to avoid several humans, so as to not get hurt. But, after several hours, they had found the human house where their friend was being kept

Logan looked at the window that the trail led up to. He couldn’t get up there, but Patton could.

“He’s in there, but so’s the human,” Patton whispered down. Logan was glad that they both still were invisible

Patton reported back to him, when the human finally left. Patton looked upset at whatever he could see, and Logan was glad that he couldn’t see the state that Roman was in.

Patton used a quick unlocking charm to help with the opening of the window. Logan used a little magic from his staff to make it lighter, and he watched Patton go in to the room

He couldn’t hear most of the conversation

-----

Roman had been right. Everything got worse. With his newly re-broken wings, he absolutely refused to let Virgil touch him, at all.

Virgil didn’t argue as much as Roman thought they would. He could see the guilt on their face when they looked at his wings, but he didn’t feel any sympathy for them.

The first time, it truly had been an accident, but this time, they had been squeezing him, as a warning. That wasn’t as much of an accident as they claimed it was. He made sure not to speak anymore, not wanting them to hurt him again. He still had the bruises from where they squeezed him.

He was starting to get ill, he thought. He was starting to grow ill from captivity, and Virgil didn’t even notice. His wings were still in the early stages of healing, and he had no chance of getting home on his own. His magic was weakening as he sat here, as he stayed in the corner, never moving

Everything that happened after the second breaking was a blur, he thought. All it was was a blur of scaredness, anger, and exhaustion. He hadn’t stood up in two days. All he did was sit down, watch the wall, and occasionally he would quietly sing to himself, though he hadn’t done that recently.

Virgil barely bothered talking to him anymore. He could hear their hesitation when they knocked on his door. They didn’t check the camera as much anymore. It was like they were trying to make it up to him. It wasn’t enough. Nothing would ever be enough, until they let him go. And even then, it had taken months.

He was in pain every time he moved, because of them. He was away from his friends, because of them. He was unable to adventure, because of them. He was exactly in the wrong place, because of them.

They brought him some food in, and they told him that they’d be leaving the house for a while. Visiting friends, Roman thought bitterly.

Once the human had left, Roman heard the noise of a window opening, and he turned towards it in alarm. No one..?

An invisibility spell, he realised, feeling the distinct presence of Logan’s magic. Finally, he thought, seeing Patton fade into view, as he was approaching. Roman placed a hand on the wall and tried to lift himself up, but failed, falling back onto his knees. He looked up at Patton, who smiled down at him

“Hi, Pat,” He said, though his voice was raspy and unused “Did you miss me?”

Patton nodded with tears in his eyes, pulling Roman in for a hug. Roman accepted immediately, so glad to finally have someone to talk to, so glad to finally be going home, so glad that his friends were here

“What happened to your wings?” Patton asked quietly, and Roman looked away

“I... I don’t want to talk about it,” he mumbled, trying not to think about it. He shuddered, remembering how Virgil’s hand had slowly tightened until he was bruised and broken. He closed his eyes, trying to shake the phantom feeling

Patton wiped away a tear that Roman didn’t realise had fallen

“That’s okay, I’m gonna help you up to your feet, and I’m gonna carry you up to the window, is that okay, kiddo?”

Roman nodded

He was finally, finally going home. He was finally getting away from the human. He found himself back on solid ground, the grass under his feet. He stumbled slightly, but Patton steadied him. Logan was out there, looking almost the same as when Roman went missing. The only noticeable difference was that Logan’s wings had become almost overcome with moss, the way they did when he was stressed.

Logan pulled him in for a hug, and Roman complied. The hug was clumsy, Logan didn’t usually hug people. Roman cherished this moment more than any of his swords or daggers

It took a while, but soon he was home. His bed was how he left it, people welcomed him back, though the people at the medbay were not all pleased at the state he was in.

Neither was he, honestly.

It took a year and a half for his wings to completely heal. It took a lot longer for the emotional scars to heal

Sometimes, he did wonder about Virgil, though he tried everything not to.

And Virgil wondered about him. Wondered if he was still living. The human did, in fact, severely regret his actions, though knew better to try seek out the terrified fairy. He would look at the woods sometimes, wonder why they ever ended up in his bag to begin with

Life carried on, despite the events of this story.

Taglist: @a-chilly-pepper

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ijustwannadraw0716 · 7 months ago

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Moceit: Oh to simply...be.

The soft whistle of the wind washed against his skin, sweeping at the hair on his arms. The wind swarmed and engulfed him in a soft circle of cool air that forced a shudder down his spine. He leaned against the window sill, his hands curling into fists as the silk gloves creased at his tight movement. His eyes slipped shut, leaning further against the sill, a low sigh leaving his lips as he took in the cast of the far woods. He watched as leaves shifted, a small fleat of birds scurried from the branches and basked in the night sky, soaring through the breeze and angling towards the southard kingdom. He watched as the bird disappeared into a sea of grey clouds swarming the tips of the woods. A rumble ran through the earth, shaking the very core of his castle, and he melted into the noise, his head dazing in comfort as lightning flashed, cutting through the clouds.

"What I wound't give," He mumbles, leaning further out of the window, stretching an arm towards the angered clouds, the rumbling only growing. He caught a glance of a small dot escaping past the grey clouds, and his body went slack, hopelessness sinking down in his chest and tingling at the veins that pulsed violently underneath his gloves. Clenching at the windowsill, he slowly drew himself back in.

"Wouldn't give...what?"

Janus turns, his head tilting to the side ever so slightly. His gloved hands rose towards his head, slipping off his jewled crown and holding it in his hands. Patton frowned, the gesture forced his hand, moving in to lightly reach for the shimmering piece of entitlement, but hesitated as Janus moved out of reach, turning to face they dark sky, just in time for another crack of lightning. He takes a deep breath in and then exhales slowly.

"What I wouldn't give to simply...be, I suppose."

Patton conks his head to the side. "Be...?"

"Yes, I want to be. I want to be the clouds in which swarm a forest, I want to be the lightning that strikes before a storm can burst. I want to be the bird that can soar past it all, wings agust with nothing but Air." He set the crown aside and shut the window. "Wouldn't you?"

Patton slowly reached a hand out, taking his sleeve in between his fingers. Janus' eyes met his.

"I want to be the sun," He blurts, earning a slow blink. "It...shines. It casts over millions and provides comfort to all types of animals and crops. I want to be the sun."

Janus stares at the other and brings a hand up to cup his freckled cheek. "Oh fawn," He murmurs, leaning in. "You already are."

#sander sides au #sanders sides #moceit #janus sanders #patton sanders #fae au #royal au #soft #fluff

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milkhoney531 · 1 year ago

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Sanders Sides Fanfic Masterlist

OMaM Series:

Ships in Series: Roman x Virgil, Logan x Remus, Patton x Janus

Of Monsters and Men (omam): Not everyone can pay for college, so it's not unheard of to join the military for the expenses. But despite careful planning and no real interest in the military, plans can go awry. The rise of the zombie apocalypse and vampire attacks were definitely not in these boys plans, especially since they can no longer persue their dreams, right? We'll see.

Neither Deity nor Man (ndnm): (SEQUEL TO "OF MONSTERS AND MEN") Death isn't always the end. It can be a new beginning as well. This is true for Janus. But even in death, there is trouble that lies in wait. Hiding in the dark. Can our boys come out on top? Or will they face a Fate worse than death?

Neither Gone nor Forgotten (ngnf): (TAKES PLACE AFTER "NEITHER DEITY NOR MAN" THIRD BOOK IN SERIES, FIRST BOOK IS "OF MONSTERS AND MEN") After choosing to be reborn, our favorite boys are scattered apart without their memories. Reborn in a new world where some are born with a superpower gene, or created to be supers. Will our boys survive such a world? Will they meet again? Or, once again, will their lives end much too soon?*

Easter Eggs and Epilogues (eeae): Having become deities and gaining access to the multiverse, our favorite boys now witness other universes and guide them to the afterlife as they discover what it means to no longer be human and navigate through issues they had ignored as new issues erupt around them. Fans of my stories might find this infrequent epilogue mini series a nice read. Especially if they have read my sanders sides au Of Monsters and Men, its sequel Neither Deity nor Man, and the triquel Neither Gone nor Forgotten, as these characters might have little easter egg appearances in some of my other works. This does contain spoilers to my other works, so proceed with caution. Due to the nature of this mini series it will have extremely infrequent updates due to it being full of epilogues of specific stories.*^

HoE Series:

Ships in Series: Roman x Virgil, Logan x Remus, Patton x Janus

Hell on Earth (hoe): In a small town isolated by mountains, demon possession is on the rise. Right when two kids find themselves in the town after the suspicious death of their parents. Convenient timing or total coincidence, the town has its eyes on Roman and Remus. Are they connected to the rise in demonic activity? Will they be safe? No one knows.

Heaven on Earth (hoe2): (SEQUEL TO "Hell on Earth) Having escaped from a recluse town known as Hell's Portal and a murderous priest, their friend died as they made it to the safety of a town known to be Heaven's Gate. But danger is still out there. Secrets have still yet to be uncovered. A friend back from the dead. But is everything as it seems?*

RaF Series:

Ships in Series: Roman x Virgil, Remus x Janus, Logan x Patton

Rise and Fall (raf): After getting hired to capture a wandering merchant suspected to be a monster, Roman sets out to find him. Taking on his first task as a monster hunter, he must travel far and fast to catch up with the merchant. With his best friend at his side, who will he meet on his journey and what secrets will he discover?

Risen to Fall (raf2/rtf): (Sequel to Rise and Fall) Having found a promised land, the twins raise their families in safety until danger knocks at their door. Secrets of the past and cults alike will force them into action to save themselves and future generations.*

FoF Series:

Ships in Series: Roman x Virgil, Logan x Remus, Patton x Janus

Fact or Fiction (fof): An isolated mountain town surrounded by deep forests has some interesting rumors and tourist attractions. Tales of an inhuman creature terrorizing those who come across it, if they leave alive. Logan decides to move in and discover the truth.

Everyone Fucking Dies (efd): (SEQUEL TO FACT OR FICTION) In a new dimension, scattered and hunted, who survives? Who dies? Will they ever return home? Or will they have to live in a world if eldritch monsters?

Strange Happenings (shtl): Janus and Virgil move back to their hometown. While Virgil is at college, Janus has an investigation to conduct under the strict orders of his mother. He knows what will happen if he refuses her. What will he discover? What secrets will unravel? (an alternate timeline for Fact or Fiction and Everyone Fucking Dies)

SOS Series:

Ships in Series: Roman x Virgil, Logan x Remus, Patton x Janus

School of Secrets (sos): A secret boarding school in the center of the Bermuda Triangle has accepted a new batch of students. Each one harbouring a secret or two that could get them killed outside of the school. Although not every child taken to the island attends the school, the island is protected by school staff from impending doom. Hunters and war alike threaten the children, will they be able to see a future free of harm, to be themselves?

Unintended Consequence: Things have changed. One decision with unintended consequences made Remus immortal, with only Virgil at his side, they watched their friends die. After countless years, with their mental health deteriorating, they see a familiar face. What happens when two immortals meet their friends' reincarnations?

GaG Series:

Ships in Series: Roman x Virgil, Logan x Remus, Patton x Janus

Gifts and Gifted (gag): After the tragic death of their parents, brothers Roman and Remus moved to a new state, new city, to get a fresh start. They try to assimilate in this odd historic town, getting new jobs and friends, but they also find some people they can't stand or are simply suspicious. But circumstances force them together and many secrets come to light.

Fae and Man (FAM): Sequel to Gifts and Gifted, Fae and human relations are difficult. Patton has taken over his grandma's business of finding and helping the fae home, Remus helping in hiding them after taking over the mortuary from Logan's uncle. If that wasn't difficult enough, Remus is going through strange changes and Virgil is struggling to adjust to being human. Will they suffer in silence or ask for help? What conflicts will arise?

New Normal (NN): (Takes place after Fae and Man, third book in the GaG series) After secrets have been unveiled and the world forever changed by the merging of realms, how will everyone fare under this new normal? Will the Fae still be hunted? Will humans be subjected to abuse? Will selkies still be at risk of being trapped? How will so many different species interact with each other? Will there be peace or war?

SOAB! Au:

Ships in Series: Logan x Patton x Janus

Son of a Bitch (soab): Patton and his son have moved into a new town. The once hopeful move turned sour when two chance encounters throws everything off course. A fight and a mix up leading to three single dads making an unfortunate acquaintance. (Where everything started)

SOAB! Rocky Start: Virgil is sent to a new foster parent. Logan does his best, but it's a rocky start. (Takes place before Son of a Bitch)

SOAB! Yuletide Fun: The kids are on winter break and Logan and Janus are feeling the holiday blues. They miss their families despite everything, luckily, Patton has an idea and a good relationship with his own family. So he decides to introduce his parents to his partners and their kiddos. What holiday mischief will happen? What stories will Patton's parents' tell about their now grown little boy? (Takes place after Son of a Bitch)

SOAB! Take a Bite out of Life: (Takes place before the events of Son of a Bitch) Janus has been running his restaurant for nearly two years in the town he grew up in. Stressed, depressed, and having recently cut off his family, he has thrown himself into his work. He doesn't know what to do with his life or himself, but when he gets his first catering order for the local orphanage, everything changes for the better. He never planned to be a father, but maybe it's time for him to take a bite out of life?

SOAB! Surprise Attack: (Takes place after Son of a Bitch) Virgil is still getting used to his new family and being part of a family that genuinely loves him. But it is nearing November 8th, his birthday. A day he is certain will be forgotten. With how his family is acting and the hushed whispers that cut off right when he enters the room, he fears the worse. No one mentions the whispers or his birthday, he's afraid and trying not to show it as his anxiety eats at him. As he questions if they still want him to be part of their family. What will ensue?

SOAB! Police Station, Fire Station, and Apartment: (Takes place before the events of Son of a Bitch) How did the twins end up in separate orphanages? Why was Virgil placed in foster care? Who were their family before they were adopted? Let's take a peek into the past.

SOAB! Gender? Fuck!: (Takes place after Son of a Bitch) Gender can be confusing and hard to navigate. Virgil and Roman are struggling, Remus forgot something important, and they navigate it together. Some changes, confusion, and stress won't stop them from supporting each other.

SOAB! Cupcakes and Dragons: (takes place before Son of a Bitch) How did Roman come into Patton’s care? Patton Cross wasn’t always a baker. One night of work changed his life. He’d always say it was for the better. And it was. He discovered a passion and discovered his little Star.

SOAB! A New Kind of Spectrum: (takes place after Son of a Bitch) Self discovery is a continuous journey. Sometimes you need some help in your journey. It's the summer before Virgil, Roman, and Remus enter high school. Virgil is made aware of something during a sleepover with two of his friends that leads the family to some interesting discoveries.

Stand Alone Stories:

Win or Lose (wol): Ships: Roman x Virgil, Logan x Remus, Patton x Janus Life was a series of battles, win or lose, they would have to fight again. Sometimes, they could rest before they fought once more, sometimes they could not. One day, they face a new discovery, a new challenge. Will they win or lose?

Out of this World (ootw): Ships: Roman x Virgil, Logan x Remus, Patton x Janus In a small desert town, a UFO has landed. While the local government explores the crash, an extraterrestrial being is on the run with time sensitive information trying to leave and stop an intergalactic war. An unlikely group of friends might be the key to saving thousands of lives. Secrets will be revealed, some new, some old. Lies will come undone. Will this group of unlikely friends survive it all?*

Knife to Meet You (ktmy): Ships: Roman x Virgil, one sided Virgil x Patton, one sided Patton x Logan, Remus x Janus x Logan Four years ago, a steady but concerning statistic rose. Murders. New information comes to light, revealing that these seemingly unconnected murders are actually the product of an infamous serial killer. Tensions are high, stress is high, and there's something in the air. What will happen? Who is this mysterious killer? And who is next?*

Ghost of You: Ships: Logan x Virgil, Remus x Patton, Roman x Janus Karma comes in many different forms, sometimes it is even passed down. When an old house is passed down, more than just a new home is inherited. Surely an old house only needs some repairs? But its new occupants will wish they'd hired an exorcist. Will the ghosts and mortals learn to coexist or will they destroy each other?*

Running Out of Time (root): Ships: Remus x Logan, Janus x Patton, Roman x Virgil Time is unraveling. A time traveler is trying to save the known universe, but at what cost? Will the world be saved? Is the world even worth saving? Six people will have to make that decision.

Body in the Water (bitw): Ships: Remus x Logan, Patton x Janus, Virgil x Roman Summer school is supposed to be easy. But with strange deadly accidents and rumors of ghosts filling the air, maybe hope for a decent college is a farther reach than Roman bargained for?

Son of a Witch (soaw): Ships Janus x Patton x Logan On the run from the king's guards, Janus finds refuge in a dangerous neck of the enchanted woods. But he isn't alone. What else lurks in the woods? Will he get out alive? Is he in for more than he bargained for?

Forgotten Gods (fg): Ships: Remus x Janus, Patton x Logan, Roman x Virgil The gods of old are no longer needed, no longer known. Did they simply fade away or do they still lurk around the corner? What happens when a god is forgotten? What happens when a new god appears?

Stolen? Borrowed? Same Thing. (sbst): Ships: Janus x Remus, Patton x Logan, Roman x Virgil Borrowers, Pixies, and Brownies have always lived under human's noses. Each one thinking the other is a myth. Each one views humans as an enemy, a tool, or a friend. What happens when they all meet? Will the four species get along?

Coffee and Zombies (CaZ): Ships: Janus x Patton Life and Death, two very contrast things. Or are they? In the zombie apocalypse, what is death? What is life? Is anyone truly living? A scientist searching for a cure to his mistake, a firefighter bent on helping survivors, two supernatural brothers struggling to adapt and survive, and two brothers who desperately want to rest and find safety. Will they survive?

Currently Writing:

New Normal (NN): Ships: Patton x Janus, Remus x Logan, Roman x Virgil (Takes place after Fae and Man, third book in the GaG series) After secrets have been unveiled and the world forever changed by the merging of realms, how will everyone fare under this new normal? Will the Fae still be hunted? Will humans be subjected to abuse? Will selkies still be at risk of being trapped? How will so many different species interact with each other? Will there be peace or war?

Strange Happenings (SH!tl): Ships: Janus x Patton, Virgil x Roman, Logan x Remus Janus and Virgil move back to their hometown. While Virgil is at college, Janus has an investigation to conduct under the strict orders of his mother. He knows what will happen if he refuses her. What will he discover? What secrets will unravel? (an alternate timeline for Fact or Fiction and Everyone Fucking Dies)

Back Burner:

Stories in this section are on hold and may be rewritten

Coming Soon:

SOAB! One shots

Dragons, Krakens, Unicorns, Oh My! (DKUOM!TL): Ships: Roman x Virgil, Logan x Remus, Patton x Janus (alternate version of Fact or Fiction and Everyone Fucking Dies) Six children are separated from their parents and once peaceful lives only to discover they aren't as normal as they thought, that they're part of not one dimension, but two.

Meet Again (MA): Ships: Roman x Virgil, Patton x Janus, Remus x Logan (Takes place after School of Secrets and Unintended Consequences) Centuries of waiting and careful planning have bared their fruit. Years of glimpsing a mysterious figure. A strange invitation leads four strangers to the palace. The King has waited long enough.

Put the Rom in RomCom (PtRiRC): Ships: Roman x Logan, Remus x Virgil, Patton x Janus Sometimes, you stumble into something unplanned for, unexpected. It can be life changing in the most unexpected ways. Changing who you are, what you are, or even just your plans. Three different people stumble into these changes unexpectedly and love is in the air.

More Than Blood (MTB): Ships: Patton x Logan x Janus Son of a Bitch sequel, They say family is more than blood. What happens when the twins and Virgil's biological parents come back into the picture? Struggling with high school was hard enough, now it's getting more and more complicated as the days go by.

Accruing a Crew (AaC): Ships: Logan x Remus, Virgil x Roman, Patton x Janus Remus went out on his ship, The Morning Star, and never returned. Roman searches the seven seas for his brother when he sees The Morning Star once more, but his brother’s vessel is led by a filthy pirate. He must arrest this man, as is his duty, and hopefully he can discover the whereabouts of his dear brother, even if just to know if his dear brother was met with a watery grave.

Saving Time (ST): Ships: Roman x Virgil, Logan x Remus, Patton x Janus rewrite of Running out of Time, info coming

Resident Sides (RS): (name may change) Resident Evil au, info coming

Space Unfilled (SU): Ships: none, found family and QPR Logan studied hard, worked harder, and now he is finally achieving his dream. He is going to touch the stars with his fellow astronauts. But his dream will quickly turn to a nightmare he fears he will never escape as regret writhes deep within him.

First Murder and the Grief that Follows (FMatGtF): Blood of a brother on his hands, he is cast out from his home and the afterlife. Cursed to walk the world alone, immortal and unchanging. One day, he sees a familiar face. His brother. What will he do?

My Ao3:

* = Has a chapter reference in Easter Eggs and Epilogues to read after the story

^= On the back burner

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kwiatekfretka · 1 year ago

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Have this pretty boy! He's Janus as an arcanist from Etrian Odyssey!

For those of you who want some Fae Sides lore, this is what started it all. My absolute love for the arcanist class and the headcanon that Janus would be one.

(btw the arcanists are known for their white hair, but I made a secondary color palette which has fae Janus's hair and skin color if any of you wanna see that)

For anyone interested, this Janus is in the Nexus game and subclassed with War Magus. He's the group's status inflictor and the main 'medic.' Absolutely loves to laugh at everyone and everything. Always giving enemies baleful glances without fail. Surprisingly survives the longest of the backline trio. Always one level above everyone else because he beat up a boss by himself.

#etrian odyssey #sanders sides #fae janus sanders #janus sanders #eo4

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delimeful · 1 year ago

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carry them home (6)

warnings: illness mention, tension/fear, panic, mentions of antiquated medical methods, blood and injury

The illness hit Logan hard and fast, not that Janus was allowed to witness it.

He’d been immediately ordered in no uncertain terms to stay far away from their normally unflappable leader in his compromised state, the result of Vee’s paranoia rearing its head at precisely the most inconvenient time.

For some reason, the forced distance grated on him as it hadn’t before. Perhaps it was the uselessness. Like this, he was absolutely no help at all. And sure, he was no healer, but he knew a thing or two about being sick.

In the early hours of the next morning, Vee approached him with fresh trails of ink-black dripping from his eyes, and told him they were going to the nearest town.

“If you try anything, I’ll kill you,” Vee said, and it wasn’t a threat, but a simple fact.

Janus didn’t ask what he had Seen. He didn’t need to.

Vee was driven by fear. There were only a few things that would frighten him more than walking into an unknown town with an untrustworthy human, alone.

He pushed himself to his feet, and held himself carefully still as Vee ducked behind him and sliced through the rope around his wrists. The changeling scurried back the moment the rope fell away, as though Janus was a wild animal he was trying not to corner. Or vice versa.

Janus stretched his shoulders out in big, slow motions, and then twitched a hand out to tug the hood of Vee’s cloak up over the kid’s head, ignoring the startled snarl it earned him.

“I can get you what you need,” Janus told him. “If you can deign to follow my lead while we’re there.”

Vee’s lip curled, displaying a sharp fang, but he didn’t argue. “Then let’s go.”

By the time they reached the outskirts of town, any remaining bravado had faded from the set of the kid’s shoulders, leaving behind barely-concealed terror. If they walked into town like this, even the slowest farmhand would notice the strangeness of it.

“Kid,” Janus said, lowering himself into a squat to meet Vee’s eyes under the hood. “You need to calm down.”

“Shut up,” Vee snapped, “you don’t know what I know. If you could– could see, you’d be scared, too.”

His breathing was getting faster, now. Janus managed half a syllable before the oath sent a bundle of warning shocks down his spine. Right, he’d been so politely instructed to shut up. So much for talking it out.

He reached out and grabbed Vee’s hand instead, holding on through the reflexive jerk away, and started tapping a simple rhythm on his knuckles. With each repetition, he inhaled and exhaled deeply, setting the example for the kid to follow.

It took a few moments– Janus was glad they hadn’t left the treeline yet– but eventually, Vee regained his senses. He had enough coherency to snatch his hand back, at least.

“We don’t have time for this,” he said, sounding more frustrated with himself than Janus. “Are you ready to do this, or not?”

Still rendered voiceless, Janus blinked pointedly at the kid until he realized.

“... You can talk again,” Vee told him, with more reluctance than Janus personally felt the instruction warranted.

“Very gracious of you,” he replied, levering himself back up to standing. That fit seemed to have wiped out some of the kid’s nervous energy, at least. “You’ll need to hold my hand.”

“What?” Vee asked, as though Janus had just instructed him to fill his pants with toads.

“My hand,” Janus repeated with all the patience he could summon, scanning the road into town for activity. “Most human children your size seek physical reassurance when afraid. You’ll seem shy, instead of seeming suspicious.”

There was a long moment as Vee processed the explanation, his disbelief slowly turning to resignation. “Fine.”

He stuck a hand out as though he was about to get it chopped off, and Janus considered for a moment before reaching over and arranging his fingers so that they were wrapped around his wrist, instead.

“I have delicate hand bones,” Janus informed him primly. “My wrists aren’t much better, so do try not to crush them into dust.”

The grip placed sharp nails right over his pulse point, the artery in easy severing range, and the angle meant that he couldn’t grab Vee back or hold him in place. The kid stared at him for a moment longer before looking away, hood tilting towards the road.

“Fine. Let’s go already.”

Figuring that was probably as good as it was going to get, Janus dusted himself off and led the way into town.

–

Though he probably didn’t intend to, Vee played an excellent shy younger sibling.

The cloak earned them quite a few second glances, but between Janus’s friendly sheepish smiles and the way Vee kept drifting closer to partially hide behind him, they slipped through most of the early morning market without drawing too much notice.

Vee’s grip on Janus’s wrist was crushing, the strength of it fluctuating depending on how many people were within striking range, but despite the way his bones ground together, nothing had actually snapped yet, so he continued on without faltering.

The apothecary’s shop was small but well-stocked, and Janus could already see that they’d find what they needed with relative ease. There were a few custom remedies in stock, but without knowing the skill of the brewer, they were better off with the basics: coriander to reduce fever, mint balm for stomach sickness, and comfrey for the lungs.

He scooted a morbidly-entranced Vee past the shelf with all the jars. They’d pass on the leeches.

The apothecary looked them over speculatively, and Janus offered him a smile, ignoring the way Vee’s nails were digging into his skin. “G’morning, sir.”

“I certainly hope so,” the man replied, pulling the bundles over to inspect what Janus had picked out. “One of you sick?”

Janus really hoped Vee wasn’t trembling visibly. He didn’t glance over to check.

“No sir, it’s for our father.” Janus let his smile falter just a bit. “Ma didn’t want to leave him, so she sent me to get some herbs. He’ll be right as rain, soon!”

The apothecary grunted, and then looked over at Vee. “And that one?”

Vee froze, and Janus prayed his eyes were hidden well enough by his cloak’s shadow as he reached over with his free hand to ruffle the kid’s hair through the hood. “The baby of the family. My ma didn’t want him to be alone but can’t spare an extra eye for him. He’s a bit shy, please don’t mind it.”

Vee shrugged the hand off with all the petulance of an offended kid, which was exactly what he was, so long as one didn’t count the inhuman prick of claws Janus’s wrist was currently receiving.

“Mm,” the man replied, and didn’t seem any more perturbed than before. “That’ll be seven silver.”

Janus contemplated trying to barter, because that left him with nothing but two coins and a deeply suspicious ruby-studded ring in his coinpurse, but in the end simply handed the money over.

It wasn’t like Vee would allow for any detours to pick up anything else, anyhow. No point in clinging to it.

Their goods were wrapped in simple brown paper and slid back over to them, and Janus felt the way Vee’s hand twitched against his arm.

“You want to help carry them?” he asked, using his most patronizing speaking-to-a-child voice for added effect.

Vee’s scowl was a tangible presence in the air, but he nodded and accepted the bundles from Janus with extreme care anyhow.

Janus led the way out of the shop, and picked a path through the mid-morning crowd at a leisurely rate, peering at the stalls closest as they passed like any other patron.

Predictably, Virgil’s posture grew more agitated the longer the act stretched, and within moments, he was overtaking Janus and practically tugging him along as he attempted to hasten their departure. Janus resisted the urge to grit his teeth, offering an eye roll to any wandering eyes that caught on their hurried movement.

“Slow down,” he instructed under his breath, pulling against the kid’s grip on him. “Moving quickly draws too much–!”

“Pick up the pace,” Virgil snapped back quietly, and Janus grimaced as he was forced to match the kid’s speed or suffer the deeply painful consequences.

Whatever. It wasn’t too unusual to see younger children dragging parents around. They still had a chance of making it out undetected–

“Hold, there.” Someone stepped in their path, a hand raised.

Virgil jerked to a sudden stop like a puppet on a string, about as suspiciously as humanly– or in this case, inhumanly– possible.

This time, Janus couldn’t even blame him, because he himself had experienced an unpleasant shock at the sight of their latest roadblock.

Donned in glittering chainmail and a smooth faceplate, the Iron Guard member was both discernable at a glance and entirely anonymous. Some fae could mimic human faces and voices, and would use the skill to imitate commanders or just generally sow discord into hunter groups. Thus, the masks.

Abruptly, Janus realized that Virgil was still frozen in place, the subtlest tremor vibrating through him. He stepped forward, putting part of himself between the Guard and the kid.

“Hail and well met, sir. How can I help you?” he greeted politely, ignoring the way the words tasted like ash on his tongue.

The dark eye slits of the mask watched him for a long moment. “You seem to be in a hurry. Is something the matter?”

Virgil’s grip turned bruising, but Janus didn’t let himself flinch.

“Oh! No, sir, or– yes, but not the sort of matter you’d handle. Our father is sick,” he repeated; the worst lie was an easily contradicted one. “It’s nothing serious, no plague or nothin’, but it's got him bedridden, and my baby brother scares easy.”

The Guard tilted his head slightly. Janus couldn’t tell whether or not he’d bought it.

He inhaled, planning to spin the sort of rambling, long-winded tale that he imagined most would expect from his current farmboy persona, but didn’t get further than the first syllable before Virgil’s grip spasmed around his arm.

The kid made a strangled noise, falling to his knees, and though his face was still covered by the hood, a splatter of black ichor hit the dirt for all to see.

The Guard must have been newly initiated. He took a moment to be startled, to stare, to clutch at the hilt of his blade without drawing it.

Janus indulged in no such hesitation. Between one moment and the next, he’d pulled a sharp, thin blade from his hip, and plunged it into the weak point of the Guard’s leather greaves.

The man toppled with a cry. Before he’d hit the ground, Janus was turning, sweeping Virgil up and into his arms.

Even as his undersized frame was wracked with convulsive shudders, the kid had maintained his grip on the medicine packets. Janus had to admire the dedication.

There was only one way forward: escape. There was never only a single Iron Guard in town, and blending in wasn’t an option while carrying a writhing kid that might start banshee screaming at any moment.

Luckily, Janus’s feet were almost as quick as his tongue.

He tucked the kid closer and wove through the meager crowd with ease, stealing down the closest backroad path as silently as he could manage. Virgil was making high pitched whines through grit teeth, and Janus took a moment to hope the kid hadn’t bit through his tongue.

Another turn, and the treeline was visible. Janus bolted for it, abandoning any modicum of stealth to slip away into the dark of the woods.

There were raised voices behind them, a commotion beginning to stir into a fully-fledged mob, but it didn’t matter. He was out, and he wouldn’t get caught. Not again.

#sanders sides fic #fae au #carry them home #cth #ts virgil #ts janus #my writing #writing

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creativia10 · 2 years ago

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Emile in the Garden

Emile didn't have much choice in running from the village he had always lived on the streets of. However, he did not expect to stumble into a fae garden in the woods in his haste. Nothing about this goes the way he would have expected. For once, that might not be a bad thing though.

Pairings: Emile and Everyone, Emile/Remy, can be platonic or romantic you decide

Warnings: One line implying attempted sexual assault (can be skipped), implied past neglect, mistreatment, threats of violence, Let me know if I'm missing anything.

Word Count: 7389

Notes: (Title may change.)I found myself wondering how Virgil would react to a desperate human stumbling into a fae garden the way he had. Now that he is one of the fae.

I might end up writing a similar version to this that is more from Virgil's perspective. I had less of Virgil in this than I initially thought I would. Inspired by @a-small-batch-of-dragons Unwanted fic series

Emile ran through the woods as fast as he could. He tried to avoid the branches, but that was harder than he thought. He laughed as he ran, which was unusual for him. It had been a while since he’d laughed like this. It was not exactly an expected reaction for someone running from something. Remy had suggested turning it into a game though. And well, it certainly made the action more fun after they went for it.

Emile reveled a bit in the fact that he was so much faster than Remy. He figured the other wasn’t that far behind.

It wasn’t that long ago that Emile caught the fellow street dweller in an arm lock. Remy had been attempting to steal some bread from Emile.

“All you had had to do was ask,” Emile had said. Remy gave him a bewildered look which stayed there while Emile broke the loaf and shared it with them.

“It’s hard enough getting by on your own. Might as well help each other when we can.”

Emile wasn’t sure if Remy had agreed with that statement at the time.

Yet now they were both running from the same people. Those who wanted to run street dwellers like themselves out of town. He supposes he should have expected as much would happen eventually. Especially since it was hard to get Remy to follow the laws while in the position they were in. Maybe that acceptance made it easier for him to let Remy try to make something else out of their fleeing.

He didn’t blame Remy, not really. Emile hadn’t done too well on his own. Neither of them had. It was easier to deal with this way of life, as little choice as they had in the matter when you weren’t alone. So, maybe Emile had cared more about companionship and not wanted to risk losing Remy. So he didn't insist that they kept from stealing.

No matter how often Emile had to beg or dig through trash and abandoned items, it was still humiliating. Not to mention inconsistent with fruitfulness. Also, Emile knew how often Remy had to flee towns before they met. So he suspected this could end up being the case eventually. Not that Emile had any attachments to the town anyways despite how long he had been there. People could be mean.

It may be for the best in Emile’s case to be farther ahead in the forest despite the many trees. His pink hair didn’t exactly blend in well. It was better to not be anywhere close where a pursuer could point it out.

So yes, his focus was on trying to get as far as he could. Remy would want him to do so anyway. He could just only hope they’d be able to reconvene once they got far enough away. Then maybe they could come up with a plan on what to do next. Emile didn’t really know how to start over after all.

Emile could have been paying attention more. But despite his laughter from their attempt at a race, his flight instincts had kicked in. He barely took in his surroundings and panted. A continuing chant of Run. Run. Run, going through his head.

The sudden lack of any barrier after so much dodging around branches has him gasp. Tripping over his own feet, his momentum pitches him forward. Well, that wasn’t good. Why would they just disappear though? Emile had seen enough of the forest ahead to know he was nowhere near close to the end.

Emile took in a breath and struggled as he stood up again. When he looked forward again he winced at the sudden brightness. How strange. He squinted and shaded his eyes with a hand to see better. He was in a clearing?

He looked around the area, a bit thrown off. He should probably keep going, but he wanted to get his bearings. Something was off about where he was.

This area seemed almost unnaturally gorgeous. The plants have a soft glow. Overall the colors around there are vibrant. These features struck Emile as familiar to stories he may have overheard in the village. He wished he could recall more details about it, as it seemed important now.

Another reason to despise the type of life he had grown up in. Surely children safe in homes with parents to care for them heard such cautionary tales of the woods. They would know better not to let themselves get into such a situation as he may have been in then.

Something told Emile he had to get out of there. But he was running away, so was there a way to go around? Emile started to look around for a way to distinguish the outline of the garden.

“Oh, what’s this?”

Emile gasped and spun around in the direction of the voice. A figure leaned against a tree. He had an other-worldly style of clothes and snake scales covering half of his face. This man, his human half almost too perfect looking, had to be connected to what was off with this garden. This strange place and strange man.

The figure smirked at him and languidly pushed off the tree to walk toward Emile. It took Emile too long to get himself to take a shaky step back. But then the figure practically wooshes forward so he’s right in front of Emile now.

“Careful now,” An arm catches Emile around the side of his waist.

“You look like you’re about to fall over,” The creature now holding him drawled out.

The term from what Emile thought this figure may be was at the tip of his tongue. Fae?

Emile made a muted sound much to his embarrassment.

The Fae chuckled.

“What’s the matter, dear?”

Emile was finding it hard to do much of anything right then. This was too much. A lot to process. He was in some sort of magical garden with a too pretty-man who had to be a fae. Emile did not know how to deal with that.

The fae hums.

“For a moment, I thought you might be another fae,”

Oh, shoot.

The fae brings one of his gloved hands up to stroke through Emile’s hair. Emile gasps at that.

“This isn’t exactly a typical hair color I see among mortals. But your reaction to me is all human,” He said and twisted Emile’s hair through his fingers.

It’s not like Emile knew why he had such an unusual hair color. He didn’t know enough about where he came from to get any more of a clear idea about it. It hadn’t exactly been great when he was already in a vulnerable position as someone living off the streets. Not when village people were known to be superstitious and paranoid.

He wouldn’t have even minded the color if it weren’t for the negative attention it got him. It’s certainly possible he got some sort of magical blessing once as a child. But knowing Emile’s luck though, it was unlikely. Closer to a curse more than anything

“So what do I do with this?” The Fae continued.

Emile whimpers and trembles slightly.

“Now, let’s hope there’s no need for that. Are you able to tell me why you’re here?”

He wants to. Gosh does he want to now. The last thing he needed was for this fae to think he was challenging him just by showing up in their territory. Emile starts to open his mouth, but he’s still too overwhelmed by the fae’s presence to be able to respond. Not to mention it was hard enough not to stare at a pretty guy even when they weren’t magical.

The fae before him tsks.

“I really don’t expect such adorable creatures to stumble into my garden,”

“Mmm,” and now Emile was blushing. Of course. It was inevitable.

The fae laughs. “Well it’s true. I would certainly not lay on the charm so thick if I knew it would make getting answers out of you harder. No matter. I have other ways of finding out.”

Wait what?

“Don’t worry.” The fae cups Emile’s chin.

How was he able to do that? Emile still felt the hands on his waist and head. With the hand cupping Emile’s chin, he tilts his head up to look up. A branch snaps nearby. The fae then pauses and sighs. He lets go.

“There is certainly no need for anyone else to be over here,” The fae says out loud. It would seem towards someone else. Emile wouldn’t think it was Remy, because when Emile’s friend got protective, there was no way he was quiet.

“Especially not given some people’s history when there is a stranger among us.”

It was quiet for a moment then another rustle.

“Ah yes, you are certainly one for subtly my dear. Just head on back. I got this.”

Despite the scaled fae’s words, the other came towards them. The first fae narrowed his eyes at the other.

The second figure, who wore dark-colored pants and purple tunics, shuffled in place.

“I was just curious.”

“Oh? You’ve never been curious enough to risk yourself before.”

The other looked up then with a pout. Oh, this one had to be fae too. His eyes were purple.

“I’m not really risking myself with you here.”

“Oh, how flattering.”

“Besides, you had already pretty much said that I was here. There was no point. And I’m getting better at handling myself now.”

“Mhm. Anyways, you really don’t need to be here. This shouldn’t take long.”

Oh, Emile didn’t like the sound of that.

The scaled fae cupped his chin again and brought it up to gaze at his eyes.

“Pay the other no mind, my dear. Just look into my eyes.”

Oh. There was something mesmerizing about the mismatched eyes. He feels himself mentally sink into somewhere. He inhales sharply as he’s thrust into memories.

The streets. Dirty. Looking down. Trying to keep away from anyone who looks scary or dangerous despite being unable to hide his fear.

A distant voice he barely recognizes anymore warning him of how to stay safe while stuck in this way of life.

Being shoved. Ignored. The grossness he hated and had to deal with. Begging and being met with cruelty. Barely being able to struggle with stronger figures who wanted his body. Trying desperately to get a job and not even being given the time of day. Cold.

Rough hands grabbing, pulling at his hair. Dodging the scissors thrust towards his hair without consent. The scowls and doubts of his status as a street dweller due to his physical appearance. Developing light sleeping patterns to protect against surprise attacks on his hair. For when they tried to catch him unawares.

Remy. Seeing Remy steal. Authorities pointing at them. A promise to look out for each other. And then just so much running. Fearing it will never stop. Not knowing what will come of them. So much fear.

Emile’s breath hitches as he is released suddenly from the memories, going limp. The scaled fae before him catches him. The fae’s mouth is twisted, but then he gives Emile a softer look.

“Oh, you poor thing.”

And he then…hugs Emile? With multiple sets of arms. Emile blinks, not sure how to respond.

The purple-eyed fae looks at the two of them with wide eyes.

“What? What happened? J, is he alright?”

J hm?

Something twitches behind the purple-eyed fae, but it’s hard for Emile to tell what it is.

J hisses and looks up back at the other fae.

“I do so love how you’re calling me that in front of a stranger.”

The purple-eyed fae looked down and shuffled in place.

“…sorry. But still, is he ok?”

J hmmed.

“That is to be determined.”

J pulled away enough to look at Emile again, arms still wrapped around him.

J looked over Emile then back to the other fae.

“Did you want to see?”

The other fae’s eyebrows rose and then he fidgeted in place. This time the movement behind said fae is a little easier for Emile to see.

Were those some sort of black appendages coming from that fae’s back?

“I uh, well, is it okay for me to see that?”

J hmmed.

“I suppose we didn’t exactly give you that choice, did we? Then again, we barely got you to speak at all, the scared thing that you were.”

Wait what?

The spider-like fae frowned and looked down.

“It’s okay, my dear. You know we don’t blame you for that. It could be scary.”

Emile was just confused and starting to feel like he might as well not be there. Should he try to leave now? Moving still seemed like a challenge.

More steps came over.

“Why is a mortal still here? Oo, is he another cute one? And why is our dear V here?”

And now there were three here.

V, apparently, crossed his arms.

“I was just curious about what was going on. I haven’t really been on this side of this situation, after all.”

The new fae threw his head back and laughed. Oh, he was quite handsome. They all were really. As to be expected from what little Emile knows of these too-perfect creatures.

This new one wore a getup like a prince from a fairytale.

Emile makes a muted sound when he sees him. The prince gives him a winning smile and makes his way over.

“Oh? Another stunnable one, hmm?”

He puts his hands on Emile’s shoulders.

“Can I see?” The Prince asks. J sighs and turns Emile around.

“Maybe I wanted to hug him,” The prince whines a little. But that doesn’t stop him from lightly tapping along Emile’s shoulders. The prince continues to caress along Emile's sides and up around his face. Drawing forth all kinds of embarrassing flustered noises. People don’t really touch him, okay? Remy was physically affectionate. But it had still been years before of Emile not really being touched much by anyone. Not in any gentle way. And even when Remy did, it wasn’t like this.

The prince cooed at him.

“Oh, you’re so adorable.”

V’s lips purse, his face unreadable. The prince glances to the spider-like one.

“Don’t tell me you’re jealous? I can fluster you anytime.”

V sputters and huffs. Crossing his arms and looking away. The prince tsks.

“Did you want to come over and try?”

Wait what?

V looks back at Prince with an eyebrow raise.

“I still want to know what caused snakey over here to hug him so soon.”

Prince hmmed.

“I’m curious now too. Why didn’t he just share it already?”

J sighs.

“I was getting mixed messages.”

Prince narrowed his eyes at J in confusion.

“I dunno, okay,” V said.

This was a strange conversation. Not what Emile would have expected from these creatures. He was beginning to feel like he had been still too long though.

“Clearly his intentions aren’t a concern if he is still here with our snake here,” A new voice said as he joined them.

Really? Another?

The other fae turned to him.

“I’m surprised you’ve come over. We usually have it handled,” J said.

This new fae, who wore a dark blue suit and glasses similar to Emile’s own, hmmed and gestured to V.

“I could feel his concern through our connection.”

Their what now?

The other fae turned to V. V was now blushing and looking away.

“Gosh, it’s not like a big deal or anything. We don’t need to freak the poor guy out. Besides, L is right. Although I wasn’t trying to bring him over.”

“Oh, it’s fine,” L said with a wave.

“As we learned from last time, Prince and the snake can get distracted from questioning the mortal.”

The two L mentioned both scoffed at that, but L paid them no mind. L walked over to Emile and shot him a small smile before looking at J still holding him.

“May I?”

J huffs.

“In my defense, he was about to fall over.”

“I don’t doubt it,” L said. “Just stand behind him. We’ll catch him.”

J nods. Then he slowly releases Emile carefully.

Emile still wobbles a bit in place, but he doesn’t fall over. L comes closer.

“Shh, it’s alright.”

Emile had realized it by this point, but every time a new fae came over he woe-ed at their attractiveness.

“May I touch you?”

He was actually asking this time? Emile opened his mouth to respond, but somehow still found it difficult. L nodded.

“That’s alright, I will refrain for now. Can you speak?”

Emile worked his mouth, and then let out a strangled,

“…yes.”

L nodded again.

“Good. Good, now, how did you get here?”

Emile immediately stiffened and his chest tightened. A reminder that he really shouldn’t have stayed still. He didn’t know how he was supposed to keep going when he ended up here though.

“I uh, I don’t know. I was running through the forest a-and I wasn’t looking where I was going when I stumbled into here. I’m sorry, I really didn’t mean to intrude.”

The other fae behind L exchanged looks with each other.

“It’s quite alright. It happens,” Prince said.

“Why were you running in the forest?” L asked.

Emile hesitated. He certainly didn’t know anything about where fae stood ethically. Would they care that his companion had been caught stealing?

“Is it easier for me to show them?” J asked. Emile gave him wide eyes.

“It’s ok,” V said then, coming over to them. “They’re not going to hurt you.”

“I’m surprised you’re saying so,” L said to V. V shrugged.

“As you said, I trust J’s judgment.”

Apparently, that was all J needed. He reached for Emile’s hand. Emile looked at him and didn’t fight it, not really knowing what the other was doing anyways. Then J opens Emile’s hand and presses the palm side against L’s chest. L feels cool but in a nice way. J holds Emile’s hand there for a moment. All the other fae around them inhale sharply and then exhale. Emile looks around in confusion. What was happening?

“Oh, you poor thing,” Prince coos. And now Prince was hugging him. Whoa, he was very warm. And it actually felt really nice. Emile melted against him, eyes drooping. Prince continued to coo over him and rubbed circles against Emile’s back.

“Wha,”

“J shared with us the memories he saw from you earlier,” V said and stepped closer without crowding him.

“Looked rough.”

“I’ve never understood how some mortals could treat their fellow man so horribly,” Prince said. He continued to rub Emile's back and then leaned his head against Emile’s.

“I don’t suppose you know how far off your pursuers were?” L asked. “We can likely help you. Perhaps stay here for a bit until we know they’re gone if it won’t be long.”

Emile wasn’t sure about that offer, as nice as it sounded. Before he could answer, they heard fast rustling coming from outside the garden. The Fae who weren’t holding Emile immediately stood at attention. Prince stood back with him, probably not wanting to let go yet. V had stepped back as well, almost hiding behind a tree again.

A familiar fella stumbled into the garden, his arms flying around to regain his balance. Emile smiled in relief when he saw who it was. Emile tapped Prince’s arm and then walked away from him to go to Remy. Once he had regained his balance, Remy looked up and his eyes widened.

“Emile!?”

Emile ran to him and immediately crushed his friend in a hug. Remy oofed but then hugged him back just as hard.

“It’s good to see you’re alright. But wait, I thought you should be way ahead of me.”

Emile laughed a little nervously.

“Yeah, stumbling into here kind of threw me off.”

“What do you mean?” Remy looked around and immediately furrowed his brows. “And who are they?”

Remy stepped protectively in front of Emile.

“Stay back! Something ain’t right about them. I don’t know what you lot were trying to pull here with us, but it ain’t gonna fly.”

Then Remy pulled out a knife that Emile didn’t even know Remy had. Although he supposed it made sense. Emile gasped and touched Remy’s arm. Remy just nudged him back again.

“R-“

“Don’t say my name, around them. I know you’ve heard the stories about fae and names.”

“-Rem, put that thing away. It’s not necessary. In fact, they were just offering to help.”

Remy frowned and scoffed.

“Yeah, I’m sure. We stumble in here and all they want to do is help? I don’t buy it. Look you lot, you can just let us go and no one gets hurt, kay?”

Emile makes a distressed noise at that. Well, the fae were certainly much tenser now.

“Your friend is right. We wish you no harm,” L said.

Remy took a step back with Emile.

“Right. So I’m really expected to believe you’ll just let us go, no strings attached.”

“Of course.”

Just then an unnerving cackle came from behind the other fae in the garden.

“Oh, but they didn’t make any promises about me.”

“Duke, no!”

It happened fast. A man in green, who seemed to resemble the prince, came from out of nowhere and rushed forward. He got held back by Prince and another fae Emile hadn’t met yet. The Duke fought to keep going with a snarl.

Remy and Emile had both taken quick steps back, but Emile tripped backward and fell over. Except someone caught him. Emile looked up to see L helping him and Remy back up.

“O-okay,” The new fae, also wearing glasses like Emile’s, croaked out.

“I think everyone needs to calm down, a bit, alright?”

The duke continued to snarl. Emile jumped as his eyes were covered.

“Sorry,” V said. “I’ve been told Duke can be blinding when he goes feral.”

“When he goes, what?” Emile asked.

“Yeah, I had trouble with that too. It’s kinda hard to explain?”

“It is caused by an extreme state of protectiveness,” L said.

“…oh-ok,” Emile got out.

“No need to worry. It is not directed at you,” L continued.

“Bitch, uncover my eyes!”

Emile heard Remy exclaim from next to him.

“It is for your own protection,” L said.

Remy scoffed.

“Yeah right. And what the hell happened to my knife!?”

“I nabbed a hold of it,” J said.

Emile heard Remy shuffle back but there was someone behind him stopping him from going far. Remy cursed.

“Easy now. We will uncover your eyes as soon as the duke calms down.”

Remy huffed, and Emile could still hear the rustling from Remy struggling.

“It just occurred to me, we didn’t get what we should call you,” J said.

“Don’t tell them shit, Em!” Remy yelled.

“Em hm?” J said.

Remy cursed again.

“Is this your companion from the memories, Em?” L asked.

“Wait what?” Remy asked. “Did they poke around in your head or something?” The rustling increased.

“You bastards don’t get to poke around in our heads!”

“Rem, it’s ok,” Emile said.

“Yeah right, it is,” Remy said.

“I had just stumbled into their territory, and I was too stunned to speak. It’s only fair to want to know why I was there to assess whether I was a threat.”

“Gurl, I know you ain’t trying to defend these magic fae prodding into your head without consent. Unless you want to tell me you gave them permission to do so.”

“…Well, no,” Emile admitted.

“Yeah, that’s what I thought.”

“I’m sorry for us doing so,” L said, “Justifications aside, it was a breach of privacy.”

Emile could see in his mind’s eye how Remy probably narrowed his eyes at them.

“We will refrain from doing so anymore,” L said. Somehow, Emile could imagine him giving the other fae a stern look at that. Or maybe it was just for the one who prodded initially.

“That doesn’t take away from doing so in the first place,” Remy continued. “I mean, if yall are all-powerful fae, what threat could one human possibly be to ya.”

There was a pause.

“You might be surprised,” Prince said.

“Besides,” J then added. “From first appearance, even that wasn’t clear.”

Remy didn’t respond to that, but Emile figured out what his friend must be thinking. About what Emile had to deal with from his unusual hair color. Emile felt fingertips brush against his arm, which startled him.

“…it’s just me, Em,” Remy said. Emile nodded. L let Emile free up one of his arms to be able to hold Remy’s hand back.

“We don’t know why he looks like that,” Remy said, a bit softer this time, “But he has never been a threat to anybody. No matter what idiots think.”

“I believe you,” J said, “And there is nothing wrong with his hair being like that. I’m sorry other humans have ruined that for you.”

“Duke,” The new fae called gently, “It’s ok to calm down now. These new humans aren’t a threat. And they’re not going to do any harm to V.”

Duke scoffed.

“Yeah right. Do you see the second human right now? Who knows what he would be doing if J hadn’t nabbed his knife.”

Remy growled at that.

“We are much stronger than them, though,” J said.

“Besides,” V said, “The first one, Em, is certainly not a threat. And they seem to be a pair. The second just wants to keep them safe. Something I can understand, the survival instinct. I feel safe enough with you all here. Plus, I can tell there is a big difference between these two and the humans who have hurt me before. So it’s okay to calm down a bit. It will be alright.”

There was quiet for a moment except for Duke’s ragged breathing. Then he let out a stuttered exhale.

“Alright. I trust you, V,” Duke said.

“Are they good now?” V asked.

After a moment, “Yes, I believe so,” L said.

Emile blinked as his sight returned. Remy, who hadn’t really stopped moving, stumbled a bit when his eyes were uncovered. L reached to help steady him but Remy pulled away.

“Stop touching me!”

L stepped back and held his hands up in surrender.

“Apologies.”

Remy stepped sideways, closer to Emile, and wrapped an arm around him.

“Now can I have my knife back?” Remy asked.

“Hmm, no,” J said.

“Ex-squeeze me?” Remy demanded.

“Perhaps if I may,” L cut in. “Let’s put the weapon away from either of us while both parties are still here and tensions remain.”

Remy huffed, but J followed L’s instruction.

“So,” the latest fae who shared Emile’s glasses started. He wore a pastel blue cloak.

“What should we call you?” He asked.

Remy raised an eyebrow. “Now I know you don’t think I’m going to fall for that. And we don’t exactly have time for an introduction circle.”

L hmmed. “Yes, that does seem to be the case. We were just offering to help keep Em safe from your pursuers when you happened to stumble in. After all, it is on us that you’ve been still so long.”

Remy huffed and put his free hand on his hip.

“Oh yeah? And what was this so-called, ‘help’?”

“…well, we hadn’t gotten there yet. But I was suggesting you stay here until the pursuers have passed.”

“Yeah, and stay in a fae territory longer than we need to? That doesn’t sound like a good idea.”

“…very well. Was there something else we could-“

“No. Not interested in making a deal, thanks. I like my ten toes exactly where they are.”

L blinked and tilted his head. “I’m not sure I follow what the location of your toes has to do with an offer to assist.”

V sighed and went over to whisper something in his ear.

“Oh. Of course, we wouldn’t ask for anything ridiculous from you,” L said.

“Mhmm. Sure. We definitely have a reason to believe you. Right now, I just want to get our cute butts outta here. Without adding any more complications to our situation.”

“Rem-“ Emile started but paused. Quick footsteps came their way. Oh, shoot. Emile immediately turned to speed on out of there, but someone stopped him with gentle hands. Why would they do that? There was stillness next to Emile as well. One of the fae must have stopped Remy as well.

They were coming too close for comfort. Emile was starting to freeze up. Unfortunate when he knew that wouldn’t do him any good. He had the strange desire to hide behind these faes though. V was hiding behind a tree, Emile noticed. Duke stood by it and glared out towards where the sound was coming from.

“Rotten thief.”

“Street trash.”

“Whoa, wait!”

The steps came to a stumbling halt.

“The hell, what!?”

“I think that’s a fae garden. Best not to go in there.”

“Shit.”

“The way they were running, bastards probably went straight on in. Unless they were smarter than we thought.”

“That’s unlikely.”

“We seriously came all this way chasing those brats just to stop now!?”

“Did you want to deal with upsetting some fae?”

“You know what, yeah. That’s not worth it.”

“We could try and go around?”

“Yeah, I’m not chancing being anywhere near here.”

“We already wasted so much time chasing the lowlifes. They ain’t worth putting in more effort for.”

“Especially if they could be dead or worse.”

“Good riddance to them.”

Emile stayed quiet until well after the steps had walked away. Their previous pursuers grumbled all the while. When it felt safe to, Emile let out a breath of relief.

“Well, that answers that then,” L said. Emile glanced at L with a confused look. But then he turned back to Remy who hadn’t reacted since hearing their pursuers. Remy was still frozen, his expression hard to read. The sunglasses didn’t help, even if Emile was used to seeing the other wear them by now.

Then Remy burst from the other’s arms and caught Emile in a crushing hug. Remy was casual with physical affection, but he didn’t usually initiate hugs the way Emile did. Emile returned the hug back.

They stayed like that for a moment, reassuring each other that they were okay. They were away from their pursuers for now. Not thinking about the uncertainty of their situation around the fae for the moment. But alas, they would have to face the music eventually. And neither was comfortable enough to just stay embraced like that. Not while they were still in such an unknown situation.

Emile suspected Remy was more used to adapting to changes than he was himself. But Remy likely hadn’t encountered the magical kind like this before.

The two of them continued to hold hands as they looked back at the fae present.

“Did they hurt you?” The latest fae with the glasses asked.

Emile looked to Remy to see, who shook his head.

“Not yet,” Remy said.

Patton nodded.

“We’re not keeping them,” L said looking over some of the other faes there.

Wait what?

Prince pouted.

Duke hmmed.

“Keeping us?” Emile asked, his voice shaking a little.

“Not like that,” V said, hands raised. “It’s like, I was a human once. I also ran away from people who wished me harm. They gave me a place among them to stay because I had nowhere else to go.”

“But it is not something we try to get in the habit of,” L said, “We’re not really meant to. V’s situation was different of course. Not that we are unsympathetic to your situation.”

“Oh,” Emile said, understanding now. “Oh, that’s not necessary. Honestly, just being safe here temporarily was enough. We really appreciate it.”

“Although,” Remy started, “It should be noted that in no way did we officially agree to such a thing,”

Emile almost gave Remy a stern look. But he could tell by the way they held Emile’s hand tighter that Remy was still pretty freaked.

J nodded. “Of course. No official deal was necessary. If you are worried about owing us, there is no need.”

“Yeah,” The new glasses one said. “We would have helped ya out anyways.”

Emile had a feeling that Remy still didn’t trust it. Not that he blamed his friend.

“Well anyways,” Emile said, “We very much appreciate it.”

“What would have happened if they caught you?” L asked.

Emile and Remy shared a look. Emile wasn’t entirely sure but he had a feeling Remy knew. Remy swallowed and shook his head.

“They probably would have punished us for being brats,” Remy said.

The new fae frowned.

“Punished?” L asked.

Remy waved a hand.

“Oh you know, however they treat crooks not deemed to garner any respect. Not like anyone would care what happens to us after all.”

Emile frowns and looks down at that. Remy wraps his arm around Emile again and squeezes Emile’s side for comfort.

Prince frowns.

“I will never understand how humans can treat their fellows so awful,” He said.

Remy scoffed. “That’s just the way it is.”

J hmmed, “It doesn’t have to be. We can always make things better.”

Remy narrowed his brows and took a step back again.

“What do you mean?”

“J,” L said, “I hope you’re not saying-“

“I don’t know what I’m saying yet,” J said, still looking at Emile and Remy.

“Do you have a place to stay?” The prince asked.

Emile tilted his head. “Well, we hadn’t figured that part out yet.”

Remy gave him a look as though to say, ‘why would you tell them that?’

“What do you mean?” L asked.

“Well,” Emile continued. “Our first goal had just been to outrun our pursuers. Until either they tired or we found a good enough hiding spot far enough ahead of them. Ideally in another village.”

“Oh, you won’t find another village for a while,” J said.

“There used to be a closer one,” The duke spoke up, “But well…it’s not there anymore.”

“So,” J continued, “Unless you were prepared to camp out in the woods for a while, that’s quite an inconvenient stay.”

Emile had not known the former village was no longer there. He had a feeling Remy didn’t either.

“What do you mean it’s no longer there?” Remy asked. Remus cackled maniacally at that. Emile was pretty sure Remy was ready to bolt soon after that, not that he blamed them.

“Would we be able to find the former location of that village?”

J shrugged, “Possibly. There’s not much left there that would be any good.”

Emile’s eyes widened at that. V sighed.

“For context,” He began, “The villagers were cruel to me, and were going to keep coming after me. Having believed I was a demon of some sort due to their own ignorance.”

“Even though you never did anything to them,” The new fae added bitterly.

V nodded. “Exactly. I don’t know where they fled to, but it’s for the best that they are no longer where they were.”

Emile wasn’t sure about that, more for their own survival. Even if those villagers sounded worse than the ones from Remy and his most recent village.

“So, how is it just not there anymore?” Emile found himself asking anyways. It was a habit for the pair of them to work with what they had, so Emile needed to know exactly how little was left.

“Because we burned it to the ground,” Remus said with an unhinged smile.

“That made absolutely sure they couldn’t stick around,” J said.

Emile sighed. Things did not look good for the two of them going forward. The fae being nicer than expected didn’t do anything for what the pair of them would have to deal with next.

“We can still help you,” Prince said.

“How?” Emile asked.

Prince smiled and wiggled his fingers with red sparks.

“My brother and I are good at creating things with our magic. Perhaps we can create a home for you to replace the former village location.”

Emile’s eyes widened. That was almost too nice. He certainly wouldn’t have expected an actual home to stay in. Emile didn’t know if he’d ever really lived in an actual house as long as he could remember. That was aside from the times he had to sneak into rarely occupied buildings. During particularly brutal winters, for the sake of surviving.

Remy pursed his lips. Emile was sure even his friend knew it was a good offer.

“Why would you do that for us?”

Prince shrugged. “You seem worth helping. We’re not going to just kick you out in the cold to fend for yourselves against other would-be cruel pursuers.”

“That’s nothing we’re not used to though,” Remy said.

“That doesn’t mean you have to just keep doing so if we can do anything to help,” L said.

Honestly, Emile was willing to take up such an offer. He was just so tired. He knew Remy was valid with their reservations. But his friend was likely tired too. They didn’t have a lot of good options.

“Can we at least see where and what you had in mind?” Remy asked. The fae nodded. Prince clapped his hands in excitement.

“Oh!” The new fae with the glasses exclaimed. “I just realized I didn’t introduce myself!”

He held out a hand in front of them.

“You may call me Pat!”

Emile smiled hesitantly and shook his hand. Remy was more reluctant, but from the enthusiastic handshake, Emile had a feeling his friend was warming up to the bubbly fellow.

“Now let’s get to it!” Prince exclaimed.

Wow. Emile looked at the large expanse free of trees, aside from some that were growing in. There really wasn’t anything left.

Most of the fae from the garden went over there with them. Even though the prince and the duke were the ones creating this for Emile and Remy.

“Okay!” Prince clapped his hands and waved over for them to look.

“I was thinking- Duke if you would?”

Duke nodded and cleared the space with a wave of his arm where Prince gestured.

“A house around here, big enough for the two of you. Unless you wanted your own houses.”

“Not that’s fine-“

“We don’t need two-“

Emile and Remy said at the same time. They paused and looked at each other.

“I mean, if that’s fine with you?”

“Not to impose, but if that’s what you want?”

They said at the same time again.

Pat giggled at them. Remy and Emile both cleared their throats and looked away from each other.

“…so, one house the size for two is fine?” Prince asked.

Remy and Emile both nodded enthusiastically.

Prince and the Duke shared a look before they both brought their hands forward and slowly lifted them up. A house began to appear level by level, rising up with their raised hands. When the twins were done, Emile could see that the house looked similar to the ones he had seen in the village. Except this one was bigger.

“Would you like to take a look inside?” Pat asked.

“We can add in anything else you’d like,” Prince added.

Emile looked to Remy. Remy had his arms crossed.

“You don’t need my permission to look at it Em,” He said.

Emile frowned.

“Don’t you want to see it though?”

Remy sighed. “Yeah, I do. And I ain’t letting you go in alone with some fae anyways.”

Emile nodded. Prince threw open the door with a grand gesture.

The room they entered had a good amount of space, with beds in the far corner. There were walls and doors that sectioned off a kitchen area and a room for cleaning. Both were currently open to show the rooms.

“Wow…” Emile said, walking in almost in a daze. There was a fireplace not far from the door. The house didn’t even have a whole lot, Emile would imagine. But it felt like so much. It was cozy and it felt safe.

He walked over and touched the bricks of the fireplace. That alone would mean so much for the Winter, which was usually so rough and uncomfortable. That was always the scariest season with the way he lived before.

“I think you know by now where we are,” Prince said, “So let us know if you ever need anything else.”

Emile nodded.

“We don’t have the same easy access to your cabinet as we do to V’s,” Pat said,

“but on occasion, we should be able to send some food your way if you need it.”

Emile turned around to him with wide eyes.

“Really?” He asked.

Pat nodded, “It’s the least we can do. It sure seems like getting food could be difficult. Without a proper existing village around.”

“Food from the fae?” Remy asked.

Emile wouldn’t be surprised if Remy was asking such things more because he thought he had to at this point. Always the protector he was.

“We can help you get food from around here,” Prince added with a scoff. “It’s just an option. You can even consider it us owing you from stopping your flight away from your pursuers. So we wouldn’t make any claims if we were making it up to you.”

Remy hmmed.

Emile almost collapsed but arms caught him. He was gently guided over to the closest bed where he could sit more comfortably. His savior came into view to reveal it was V, who was looking at him with concerned purple eyes. Remy quickly made his way over with wide eyes.

“Em! What happened? Are you ok?”

Remy immediately started fluttering his hands around Emile and felt his forehead. Emile started to laugh hysterically, much to the others’ confusion. Emile nodded, tears starting to leak from his eyes.

“I’m more than okay. But I don’t know what I am.”

“You’re not used to receiving so many good things, are you?” said V quietly. Remy looked to V in slight surprise and then back to Emile. Curiosity and understanding in his own look.

Emile nodded again, the tears coming down.

“I don’t know what to do with this. I have never been given anything. Always had to fight for it. Even my friendship with Rem.”

“Em-!“

Emile shook his head and reached to grab Remy’s hand. Remy immediately gripped back.

“No, it’s ok Rem. I don’t blame you. And I wouldn’t change it, because that’s how I got you in my life.”

Remy shook his head, but he was smiling.

“Em, you incredible sap.”

“I know I am,” Emile said with a watery laugh, “I’m allowed to be. I just got gifted a house for the first time, by some really nice fae.”

Remy sighed.

“Yeah, I guess you have that right.”

Emile giggled and pulled on Remy’s hand to get him to join Emile on the bed. It wasn’t made for two people, but Emile figured when they pushed their two beds together there would be more room.

When Remy was sitting, Emile leaned into him and looked around at the others in the room.

“I appreciate all of this, so much.”

The others smiled at him, even the Duke.

“We’re glad to help, kiddo,” Pat said.

“I definitely understand what you’ve been through,” V said. V hesitated and then sat on the other side of Emile. Emile smiled up at him.

“I hope we can all be friends still even though we’re not in your realm?”

Remy huffed but didn’t protest. The fae around them smiled and nodded.

“Of course!” Prince exclaimed, “We may not be keeping you, but you can be just as much our humans!”

The others nodded.

“I’m sure L and J would agree as well,” Duke said. Those two were the ones who had gone back to the fae garden realm.

“Oh?” Emile asked. They nodded.

V leaned into Emile and pressed a kiss to the top of his head. Emile’s eyes fluttered and he melted slightly into the spidery fae. V huffed out a small laugh and lightly rubbed against Emile’s side.

For once, Emile truly did believe that everything would turn out alright.

#sanders sides #fic #emile picani #janus sanders #virgil sanders #remy sleep #fae

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