#shrinking!virgil

[kraeki]

Did Virgil grow or Mo shrink or have they always been like this??

[orions-choker]

+:★:+*Chapter One: Whiplash+:★:+*

The beginning of summer, 1983, the Kill ‘Em All for One tour was just about to begin. What should have been the start of months of booze, chicks and music for the boys, turned into a rescue mission. It was no secret to the entirety of the band that James’s family life was strained at best, no one blamed him for not talking about it. It came as a shock to them when James approached the band with a request.

“You have a sister?” was the instantaneous response from Kirk, his brows furrowed in confusion as he sat on the ground of the hot garage, tuning his guitar. “Well okay, I knew you had siblings but aren't they like…kids?”

Lars shook his head “No.” he said voice heavy with his danish accent. “Thats fucking stupid bringing a kid on a metal tour.” there was an unwarranted hint of annoyance in his tone.

James groaned, head falling back with a roll of his eyes. “Shut the fuck up you didn’t even let me finish.” He snapped. His hand ran through his messy blonde locks in exasperation. “Y/N, my youngest sister, she's 18, not a kid, there's no one else to take her in, our brother won't let her stay without me around and I'm not sending her to live with Virgil.” He spat his fathers name in disgust.

“Point stands dude, is it a smart idea to bring a young lady on a tour with a bunch of drunk assholes?” Cliff, ever the voice of reason, finally interjected. “I’m not saying no I just think you should think about it.” He shrugged casually, tossing his hair back behind his shoulders.

“Of course it's not a good idea, I have no other choice though dude.” James sighed. He tossed himself down onto the old couch, head hanging low, hands clasped together. “She's the only family I really care about. I can't let her be homeless right now and god knows I don't have a place for her to stay.”

In an attempt to lighten the mood, Kirk smiled wide, crooked teeth on full display. He raised his hand in the air. “I promise to be on my best behavior then!” It earned him a drumstick to the back of his head. He whipped his head around to lars, clutching at the impact sight. “Dude, the fuck?”

Lars pointed his other drumstick towards James. “I cant fucking believe we’re saying yes to this, you owe us big time man.” He growled, ignoring Kirk’s cries of pain. “And for the record im doing as many drugs as I want and banging as many chicks as I want I dont give a fuck.”

With the conversation settled it was a week later that James’s little sister showed up in front of the old worn down tour bus. Two large duffle bags in tow, the entirety of her belongings packed into those duffle bags. She looked up to her brother, in astonishment, her hazel eyes wide and sparkly.

Despite the sorry state the bus was in, Y/N had declared it to be one of the coolest things she had ever seen. “Woah…” She mumbled as James slung an arm around her small shoulders. She was dressed clad in tight black jeans, her huge combat boots and one of James’s own band shirts.

“Pretty cool right.” James assured her with a small shake before moving towards the door. “Plus the guys agreed you get the master bedroom in the back.” He informed her, helpfully leaving out the fact that Lars had thrown quite the fit when they voted for that.

She smiled sweetly up at her brother, tucking her short messy blonde hair behind her ears, just a few shades lighter than James’s own. “Thanks James…” She sighed softly. “I’m sorry again…” She trailed off awkwardly. It hadn’t been her first choice, but when James informed their older half brother he would be leaving on tour.. All hell broke loose. Y/N was no longer welcome to stay and having freshly graduated highschool she had no chance to get on her feet.

James shook his head, ignoring her apology. Grabbing his own bags he led the two of them to the door of the bus, pushing it open to be greeted by the rambunctious sounds of 3 other men. It died down as the two Hetfield siblings boarded the bus. Y/N’s first instinct was to shrink behind the much taller form of her older brother.

“Y/N, this is Lars, Cliff, and Kirk.” He introduced the boys one by one. Y/N had a lot of thoughts based on first impressions. Taking in the sight of each of them she formed an idea of what their personalities would be like. She did this, she enjoyed making whole stories for a person based on their appearance, always eager to be proven right.

Lars was a spitfire, small and full of pent up energy. He already looked half cut and drunk when her eyes landed on him. She couldn't help but notice there seemed to be a sheen to his skin that the others didn't have, sweaty maybe. The drummer she surmised, drummers were always sweaty.

Cliff oozed calm energy, relaxing even as he sat sprawled across the couch. The cloud of smoke around him implied he was most certainly high but even still she could tell he was a comforting person. Despite this she could see hard calluses across his fingers, he was passionate about his playing for sure.

And Kirk, well…Kirk knocked the wind from her lungs. His dark curious eyes were the first to meet her gaze out of all the boys. His head cocked to the side, dark soft curls framed his face like a sweet halo. His lips were pulled into a small smile, and he waved at her. A wave that sent a pang through Y/N’s heart that was hard to describe. She couldn’t make any assumptions about Kirk, no she wanted to learn everything about him.

Y/N blinked hard, realizing the silence that fell across them, waiting for her introduction. “Shit, sorry, nice to meet you, I'm Y/N.” She greeted them awkwardly, her mouth tugging into an uncomfortable smile. In a desperate attempt to get away from the situation she turned to her brother and in a small whisper she asked. “Can I go to my room now please?”

A frown came over James’s face. “Yeah sure just dont hide in there forever.” He sighed, gesturing towards the back of the bus. Past all the bunks lined up on the side Y/N could see a small sliding door that presumably led to the private room.

She hoisted the duffle bags higher on her arms and with a small nod at each of the boys she scurried past. Not willing to make eye contact with Kirk again as she left. She could hear James talking to the boys.

“Give her time and she’ll open up. It's been a rough couple of years. I don't think she’s all there anymore.” He explained the disappointment evident in his voice. It stung Y/N a little. She was fully aware of her shortcomings in the social department but it still sucked to hear her own brother confirm it,

The bus was small that's for sure, aside from the front cabin that housed the small kitchen and common space there was a total of four bunks, a criminally small bathroom and finally her room the only private room on the whole bus. Even that was lackluster. A double sized bed sat smack in the middle, storage for clothes tucked away underneath, one small window at the head of the bed and a small Tv tucked into a cubby with a tape player.

Y/N wasn’t one to complain, it sure beat homelessness, and ideally she wouldn’t spend too much time cramped up here, if she was going across the entire country she may as well enjoy it. She got to work tucking away her clothes, toiletries and the few trinkets she owned, mainly a few small teddy bears, birthday gifts from her brother. She placed them lovingly against her pillows.

With a lurch the bus moved forward, sending Y/N tumbling against the mattress. She frowned and grumbled. “A little warning would have been nice.” As the later afternoon sun beat down through the back window, Y/N was incredibly thankful for the AC unit working overtime in her room.

She sighed happily, sitting down right in front of it, she had worked up a sweat maneuvering around the small room. She grabbed a small sketch pad from her purse, crossing her legs underneath herself and pulling out a pencil. Art had been her escape for many years, she wasn’t musically inclined like her brother but she was creative nonetheless.

The sky turned dark by the time she finally put the pencil down, her pages were adorned with messy markings, resembling a certain dark haired curly boy. She frowned at the paper, moving to erase a blemish she had made when there was a knock at the door.

Y/N squeaked in surprise, quickly rushing to shove her sketchbook aside before sliding the door open hesitantly. Much to Y/N’s chagrin, she came face to face with Kirk. He held a sweet comforting smile for her, his hand still raised in a knocking motion. Y/N found it hard to breathe again, words escaping her as she got a better view of his face up close. His skin was bare and smooth, a beautiful tan color, a mole on his cheek she never noticed. There were some revisions she would have to make to her drawings.

“Hey, we're stopping at the next McDonalds, want anything?” he asked. The first time she heard his voice and it sounded like the chime of church bells. Boyish and awkward but it dripped with warm honey. She caught sight of his teeth as he spoke, a little sharp, a little crooked. He was endearing in every way. “Y/N?” Her name slipped past his lips like he was made to say it.

Fuck, she was staring again. She coughed awkwardly, averting her gaze. “Uh yeah, I’ll come in with you guys.” She mumbled barely above a whisper. Kirk took a few steps back to allow her to exit her room. She slid the door closed behind her. “Thank you.” As Y/N followed him to the front of the bus she could hear the static-y voices of a movie playing. On the small T.V in the common area was The Amityville Horror. Her eyes lit up in excitement, turning to her brother.

“Why didn’t you come get me?” She asked James, gesturing to the T.V. Her lips pulled into a playful pout. “You know I love this movie, what the hell man.” She jokingly complained to her older brother.

James, with beer in hand, raised his eyebrow at her. “I didn’t put this shit on, Kirk did.” he defended himself, taking a sip of his beverage. Y/N turned to Kirk with a grin, the most emotion she had shown since she stepped foot on the bus earlier that day.

Kirk returned her smile tenfold, his toothy grin finally on full display for Y/N to see. She wanted to memorize that look on his face, memorialize it forever with pencil and paper. “Horror fan?” He asked, excitement evident in his voice.

Y/N scoffed playfully, her eyes rolling in exaggeration. “You don’t even know.” she informed him. “I have an insane collection of tapes I can show you.” This earned her an audible groan from her older brother, clearly haven been subjected to her obsession for a long time.

The bus screeched to a halt, the interior illuminated by the bright yellow of the golden arches outside. Y/N all but clung to Kirk as they piled out into the mostly dead parking lot. Rowdy laughter filled the air as the boys stretched their legs. Y/N and Kirk remained in an animated discussion about the mutual love for all things horror they shared.

Even as they sat down to eat, picking at the warm salt fries, it was like no one else existed in that moment aside from the two of them. They bonded over shared favorite authors and directors. Y/N was quick to pull out an old sketch pad, filled to the brim with her creature concepts, guts, gore and blood decorated the pages.

“Holy crap chick.” Kirk mumbled around a mouthful of his food. “James didn’t tell us you were an artist, this is creepy as shit!” he pointed excitedly to a page of demons, quick to display it to the rest of the table. “It’s incredible.”

The rest of the boys nodded along in agreement, mostly too caught up in their own conversations. Cliff leaned over for a closer look. “You should design some merch for us.” He smiled at Y/N warmly.

Her eyebrows shot up in surprise. She scrambled to retrieve the book from Kirk's hands, clutching it close to her chest. Heat rose to her cheeks, and a sheepish smile tugged at her mouth. “Oh, uh thank you! Maybe when I’m a bit better, these aren't great.” She insisted with a shake of her head.

Kirk rolled his eyes at her, playfully flinging a fry towards her. “They look great, don't sell yourself short.” His affirmation caused the blush on Y/N’s cheeks to grow deeper. Y/N dipped her head in appreciation, finishing the rest of her meal quietly.

Much to the disappointment of everyone aside from Y/N and Kirk, they spent the rest of that evening running through Y/N’s horror film collection. Eventually falling asleep to the background noise of halloween, a tangled mess of bodies and limbs. Y/N pried herself from the couch softly.

She couldn't help but smile fondly as she made her way towards her own room, seeing all the boys curled around each other in awkward positions on the couch. Her eyes lingered on Kirk's peaceful sleeping face, his head resting against Cliff, mouth parted slightly as he snored softly. Silently she thanked her brother for insisting she tag along for this tour, and suddenly it felt like 6 months on the road was far too short.

[football-and-fanfics]

What I Didn't Tell You - Virgil van Dijk

Who: Virgil van Dijk Prompt: "Stop telling me you're okay." Notes with request: Virgil trying to stay strong for the rest of the team after klopp announces his departure as everyone’s upset and he tries to downplay how he’s feeling and care for everyone else but klopp knows somethings up nd confronts him and it’s just a wholesome moment. Requested by: anonymous Word count: 605 Warnings: contains descriptions of being sad.

Klopp's announcement that he would be leaving at the end of the season was a shock to everyone at Liverpool FC, and surely not the least to Virgil. He had been expecting to be told a lot that day, but certainly not this.

That meeting and that announcement were now nearly a month ago. Virgil had processed the initial shock, but he found that it kept nagging at him. He didn't show any of it to his teammates, but he felt uneasy and down lately, like some kind of doomsday was getting closer and closer to him.

Virgil did his best to keep his current state of mind hidden from the team. They didn't need him sad and beaten down, they needed him to be their strong leader and captain. So, whenever he was around the team, he put up a mask of his usual self to cover up how he truly felt.

For a few weeks everything seemed alright, and Virgil believed no one saw how he was really doing. Still, it got harder and harder to keep up appearances, and Virgil knew at least some of his teammates started seeing through the cracks. But the person finally addressing things wasn't who Virgil had expected it to be.

"Virgil." Klopp stopped his captain from leaving after today's team meeting. "A word." Virgil halted, watching the rest of the team file out of the meeting room. "Something wrong, boss?" He asked once he was the only one left in the room with Klopp. The mask was back on, the forced smile playing on Virgil's lips. But Klopp wasn't fooled. "I could ask you the same thing."

An involuntary shock went through Virgil. He didn't mean for it to happen, but he hadn't quite expected Klopp had seen through him. Virgil meant to speak, but Klopp was faster. "And stop telling me you're okay," the German spoke, "because I know you're not."

Klopp watched Virgil shrink a few centimeters as the Dutchman's shoulders slouched. Virgil sighed defeatedly and sat down on the nearest table. "It's..." Virgil struggled to find the words. "It's me leaving." Klopp finished the sentence for him. "Is it not?" Virgil looked up at his boss. The man he knew so well, who knew him so well, and who meant so much to him. "Yes." Virgil hesitated to speak the word, but admitting to it was strangely a big relief.

Klopp was silent for a few seconds. He had always known that his departure would impact his team, but never like this. "Ever since I have been here, it's always been you who led the team," Virgil spoke, the deep rumble of his voice filled with emotion, "and I know someone else will come along, but it's going to be... different."

Klopp strode forward a few paces and gently rested his hand on Virgil's shoulder. "I can't deny it's going to be different for you, but you'll be alright. You're strong, kind, and a natural born leader to this team. And that will always remain, with or without me here." Virgil shrugged. "But that doesn't take away the fact that I'm going to miss you." Klopp smiled his characteristic smile. "I appreciate that."

Virgil slowly rose back to his feet. Klopp watched him. "But before I leave, we have a season to finish. And I need you for that." "I am," Virgil answered defiantly, "I'm 100% here for that." "Good." Klopp pulled Virgil into a tight bear hug. "And don't bottle up any more of those feeling. You knew where to find me to talk." Virgil smiled gratefully into Klopp's shoulder. "I will."

Request an imagine Virgil van Dijk masterlist | Full writing masterlist

[why-not-a-tickle-blog]

My Writing Masterpost

Updated as of 9/12/2024

To check if there are any newer fics since this has been updated, look for the tag #my fic

You can also read many of these on AO3

My Multi-chapter Fics:

We Could Try? 1, 2, 3, 

Patton had found out. He’d found out not only that Virgil was ticklish, and not only that he actually liked it, but also that he’d never had a real tickle session.

Sequels: I do not understand, The Price of Cookies

Grumpy, Sorry

Virgil is grumpy and gets tickled by Patton, and tickles him back a bit. Later, Patton gets him back even more.

Tickle Week: Sunday, the idea, Monday, Dee and Logan, Tuesday, Patton and Roman, Wednesday, Roman and Virgil, 

“Well, seeing as there are six of us, I propose a tickle week. We’ll leave Sunday off, but every other day we’ll put names in a hat and draw one, and whoever’s name is drawn becomes a tickle toy for the whole day.”

The Tickle House:

Virgil’s New Job,

At the End of a Bad Day

Scribbling

There’s a place called the tickle house, where you can pay to tickle or be tickled. Virgil and Janus work there, and the others often visit.

Tickletober 2020:

One: Unusual Spot

Two: Feathers

Three: Stocks

Four: Scribbling

Five: Drawn on

Six: Kiss

Seven: Unusual Tool

Eight: Interrogation

Nine: Ganged Up On

Twenty-Three: Asking For It

My One-shots:

Roman’s Idea is Best

Written with @barelyticklishlee: Roman has a fantastic idea for Thomas’s date. Virgil doesn’t agree, at least at first.

When Patton gets into a Ler mood at the same time as Virgil is in a Lee Mood. 

Pretty self-explanatory

A bit of something soft

Patton’s having a hard day, so Virgil cuddles and tickles him

Cheating at Games is Ill-Advised

Virgil cheats at a tickling game with Logan, and gets very tickled.

Pay Attention

Virgil can’t pay attention to the conversation with Roman and Patton tickling him.

Beware of Running Away from Lers

Virgil tries to run away from Roman

Arms Up

Virgil tickles Roman’s armpits

Belly

Patton feels fat, but Roman still loves him just as much, and wants him to feel so much better.

When Patton has a Hard Day

Patton is feeling down, but tickling Virgil might help him feel better~

Unnamed Fic

Logan gets soft back tickles from Roman.

The Sweetest Lee

Tickling a sweet little lee is just the best thing ever~

It feels better when you just let it happen ;)

Cuddly tickles for Roman.

Remus Catches a Lee

Virgil's been caught in a trap and gets tickled to pieces.

Virgil’s Voice

Virgil wants tickles, but can't voice his requests, so Roman helps him out, getting him all the tickles he wants.

Dwindling Creativity

Roman shrinks down as Thomas's creativity is used up. Janus helps to distract him from his work.

Sacrifice

Patton is gonna tickle someone. If not a sacrifice, then everyone~

Requests:

Roman wants to join

Lee Roman

14 and 25 with Lee Deceit and Let Patton please?

No regrets, with Roman and Remus maybe?

oh requests?? hmm maybe either 22 or 25 w lee virgil and any ler you like?

14 with LerRoman and LeeLogan???

w/ pat ro and lo testing which of virgil's spots is the worst

Tell that to the tickle monster: Ler Patton and Lee Virgil.

16 Any pairing u think fits!!!! 

I know something sweeter than cookies: same pairing, Ler Patton and Lee Virgil.

maybe 29 with ler!patton and lee!logan? 

4 with Lee Roman and Ler Deceit? 

11 with Ler Logan and Lee Roman please 

22 with Lee Logan and Let Remus please? 

19 Lee Deceit and Ler Virgil and Remus please? 

Do you think you could do 3 with a lee Deceit?

9, with Roceit? :3 

16 and 7 with Lee Deceit and Ler Patton please 

Shy Lee Janus being forced to ask for tickles from Ler Logan?

Logan noticing Virgil having a bad day and and just having him lay down and giving him a pillow to giggle and blush into while he traces Virgil's back with his fingers or fluffy brushes to help him relax❤

Moceit cheer up tickles? 😃 (Lee Patton and Ler Janus, if you would)

oh prompts! maybe lee Patton ler roman with some sort of challenge? (Don't move, laugh, smile, whatever)

What about a lee!Virgil? (ler!your choice. Preferably a twin.) Someone comes in to wake him up from a nap, or something, with pokes. Virgil is still half asleep at this point, so he has no filter.

Lee Roman denying his in a Lee mood but Janus is behind him smirking because he knows when someone lies?

So, peharps a bit of Lee!Janus and Ler!Roman, please? Maybe Janus is monopolizing Roman's bed because it's soft and warm and g e t o f f XDD.

Lee!virgil ler!roman? That’s my everything lol

What about Lee Virgil being pranked with tickles by Remus but once Remus stops he shyly asks for more? Please and thank you!

If you're still taking requests maybe lee Janus being overly grumpy and getting cheer up tickles from Logan?

How about Remus acting as annoying little brothers do, and Roman getting back at him with some extra teasey tickles

may I request lee Logan and ler Patton where Pat's just gushing over how cute Lo is while tickling him?

Can please do some Lee janus and ler patton? Like Janus is being suspicious, and Patton is trying to figuring out what he is doing.

For the prompts thing how about Patton ticking Logan to make him take a break from working? 

Ler Logan and Lee Remus, if you are up for it. Remus starts to bother Logan while he is working and Logan gets payback with tickles, knowing secretly that Remus wanted this to happen. ???

Pre-Accepting Anxiety Virgil walks in to the common room to see the Light Sides having a tickle fight, cue big Lee MoodTM. So now he's awkwardly trying to keep up his bad guy persona while desperately trying to figure out how to tell them that he NEEDS to be WRECKED!

Prompts! How about Patton tickling Logan to make him take a break from working I can never get enough of that! 😂

Lee!Patton and Ler!Logan (or whoever you wish!) Patton has always been the mind palace tickle monster and after a week of his evil ler moods and tickle attacks Logan turns the tables and gets revenge tickles?

Ok so... after Accepting Anxiety, Virgil is a little shaken from his name reveal. He sorta hides away in his room because he’s embarrassed, until Roman comes in to check on him and cheer him up and make him feel welcome with tickles 🥺

Logan maybe gets hurt, (trips or bumps against something) and Patton decides to tend to him, making sure he's not injured badly, but it turns out Logan is ticklish where Patton is examining

Ler Patton Lee Deceit - Patton accidentally brushes by Deceits scales and it sets Deceit into a fit of giggles. So Patton gets curious and starts to poke and stroke the patches of scales that are all over Deceits body. And Deceit secretly not so secretly enjoys this

Maybe some cheer up tickles with Logicality where both were watching a show and a tickle scene appeared and person B is like "Oh, this is a signal. That is how I should cheer up my friend."?

How about lee!janus and ler!virgil where Virgil remembers Janus being super ticklish back when he lived with the dark sides still and decides to see if he's still that ticklish.

Could you do a college AU where the core 4 are in their university’s theatre department? Like... they all are walking back to the dorms and they find out Roman is extremely ticklish and tickle and tease him the whole way back??

How about lee Logan hiding his lee mood from Virgil?

lee!Virgil and ler Patton, Logan, and Roman. Virgil has a huge lee mood and is way to shy to ask to be tickled so he drop little hints to try and get tickles( more like Virgil being an a** and a bratty little sh*t). The sides act like they don’t know what he want, but do. So they force him to ask

anything lee logan? I would DIE for lee logan

Okay I’m bored and I need lee!Virgil and lers Janus and Remus

Anything lee Logan would be delightful! Thank you!

I was wondering if you could do something where Virgil gets stuck somewhere and the twins find him and team up to take advantage of the situation? Thank you in advance, your work is amazing!

I would like to make a trade. I will give you a boop for lee!Logan ler!Remus. :D

Janus with hypersensitive scales is the bestttt so how about a rude snake getting tickled to tears by an unforgiving Ler Logan? Maybe using a new tool that makes Janus scream?

[brandstifter-sys]

Based on a previous ask

*Remus lying in bed sleeping the day Virgil left*

*Virgil lying in bed sleeping when he left*

*Remus and him open their eyes in shock and jolt up*

Them in unison:OH MY FUCKING GOD I WAS IN LOVE WITH VEE/REMUS-

The previous ask

Their eyes fly open in the dark, pupils blown wide to accommodate the lack of light, only to shrink as the horror dawns on them. They might never have what they had again

[tulipscomeinallsortsofcolors]

baby verse (which I adore) thoughts:

because some amount of the magic has clearly stuck around (teeny Virgil with grown up Janus MURDERED ME, I am DEAD /pos) will we ever see the inverted version? like, where Logan and/or Patton get shrinkened and suddenly all *their* issues come to light?

i havent decided if logicality get a shrinking, mostly because of the reasoning i put in kidding around itself - if logan and patton shrink, i truly think that it would be catastrophic for c!thomas, and it would make finding a "solution" a much more immediately pressing concern, outcompeting the character interaction and catharsis im really looking for with this series.

this is not to say that logicality wont be getting any focus, have decently detailed plans surround patton herding his jumpy feral cat of a boyfriend into a romantic relationship like he's swaddling a wet screaming kitten

[snowdice]

Folds in Paper: Book 2 (Chapter 1: Reprieve) [Folds in Time Universe]

Fandom: Sander Sides

Relationships: Janus/Patton, Remus & Roman, Logan/Virgil, Roman & Patton & Logan

Characters: Janus, Patton, Emile, Remus, Roman, Logan, Virgil, Remy

Summary: Janus is trying. After spending months trapped in time with his enemy turned... something else, Janus is trying to find meaning in a world where he or anyone else could rewrite history with one simple mistake.

During his leave from the Time Preservation Initiative, the time distortions that have been causing disastrous ripples in time have not gone anywhere. His partner's past is more mysterious than ever and old and new alliances are shifting. Can Janus figure out what is going wrong with time before that time is up?

The problem with time travel… you never how long you have before the clock strikes 12.

Chapter Summary:

Things are harder, better, but harder.

Notes: Time travel AU, mystery, enemies to lovers, alcohol, sexual innuendo, character with depression, character with ptsd

This is a fic I’ve been writing on study breaks that you have probably all already seen at this point. I’ve slightly edited it for wording and grammar, but not for content from my previous posts. Feel free to send in asks to direct it because I’m not 100% sure where this is going and you can help decide if you feel so inclined! You can see the process I went through to build this at this link.

I also have a playlist on youtube (because Spotify didn’t have one of the songs I wanted).

This is Book 2, Check out Book 1 and the other part of this series here.

“What’s this?” Janus asked when a giant bowl was set on the coffee table in front of him.

“We’re eating on the couch tonight,” Emile said cheerfully.

Janus raised an eyebrow and switched off the tablet he’d been using. “Why?” he asked, setting the device aside.

Emile shrugged and set a second huge bowl down next to Janus’s. “For fun,” Emile said. He turned back towards the kitchen and Janus leaned forward to look in the bowl. It was spaghetti with some sort of creamy sauce and a few different vegetables mixed in along with some shrimp.

“I made green tea too,” Emile said, coming back into the room with two mugs.

“Thanks,” Janus said, taking one of the mugs with a small smile.

“What were you doing?” Emile asked as he took a seat beside Janus. He nodded at the deactivated screen now sitting on the end table.

“Just playing some puzzle games,” Janus said.

“That sounds fun,” Emile said with a smile.

“Head doctor said they might be a good thing to do to pass the time when I told him to fuck off after suggesting reading.”

Emile sighed. “Dr. Figueroa is my colleague. You could try to be polite.”

“I thought I was supposed to be my authentic self in therapy,” Janus replied.

Emile just huffed and rolled his eyes. Janus couldn’t help but smile as he picked up his mug of green tea.

The last few months had been…different. In a lot of ways, Janus’s life had become harder than it had been before. It had been easy to do nothing but eat pre-prepared meals, go to work, and pass out in his empty house every day. It wasn’t good for him. He’d known it even then, but it had been easy. This was not.

Emile had offered, insisted really, that Janus move into his house for a bit just to get back on his feet. He’d taken time off of the TPI which would have been given to him anyway since he’d spent so long trapped in the past. He’d had to give a report of what had happened, and he’d mentioned Patton, but he hadn’t mentioned everything. They’d offered him a shrink when he’d asked.

Janus had told Emile he needed to tell him something about why he’d been distant, so he wouldn’t end up chickening out, but he’d asked for a bit of time to figure out what to say. He’d finally worked up the courage to talk about it with Dr. Figueroa two weeks ago. Much like with Patton, it was easier to talk to someone who hadn’t been involved in Janus’s mistake, but it still wasn’t easy.

He was running up on the deadline he’d given Emile for having that talk. It had to happen soon, and they both knew it, but Emile was just patiently waiting for him to suck it up. It felt… wrong to use his kindness without him knowing the truth, but it was also nice to get to spend time with his brother. He didn’t even dare to hope that he’d still have the chance once he told him.

He was moving back into his own house in less than a week. He’d tell him then so if Emile ended up kicking him out of his life, he wouldn’t have to kick him out of his home too.

For now though, everything was fine. Harder, more complicated, and in threat of imploding at any moment, but fine. Fine wasn’t something he’d really felt in a long time. Or at least, fine while in his own time wasn’t something he’d felt in a long time. There’d been a few moments with Patton sitting next to the fire outside the hole in the ground they’d slept in for those few months where the man would turn to look at him and he’d felt fine. Yet, Patton had been right. Those moments were unsustainable with how Janus was actually feeling deep down.

“This is good,” Janus said, after taking a couple of bites of the pasta in front of him.

“Well, I always was the only one in the house that could cook,” Emile said, and that was true. “It was either learn to fend for myself or eat a cheeseburger for every meal.”

“Hey, I had a good burger seasoning.”

“Not for every meal, Janus.”

“Meat, dairy, bread. What more could you want?”

“Vegetables, Janus.”

“You could have put pickles on them!”

“I don’t like pickles.”

“That sounds like your problem, not mine,” Janus argued.

Emile shook his head, turning his eyes to the ceiling. “How have you been surviving on your own?”

“Well, I mean,” Janus said. “Badly.”

“Right…” Emile said. He leaned over to bump their shoulders together. Janus flashed him a smile.

“Speaking of,” said Janus. “Could you physically force me to pack tonight? I meant to do it today and instead I ended up playing puzzles games.”

Emile chucked. “Sure, I’ll help you after dinner.”

“You don’t have to help me,” said Janus. “Just make me do it.”

“Maybe I want to help,” said Emile.

“Oh, yes, packing. The most entertaining of Thursday night activities.”

Emile hummed and then glanced at him. “Remember when you helped me pack for college?” he asked.

“Mmm, I do,” Janus replied.

“I was so stressed about going somewhere new,” Emile said, “that I avoided packing for weeks. Every time Mom would ask me how packing was going, I’d tell her it was going fine but in reality, I hadn’t even started. You came home two days before I had to leave because you were going to help me move into my dorm. It’s like you could sense no packing had been done the moment you stepped through the front door.”

“You were doing your ‘hiding the broken horse statue from mom’ shuffle,” Janus said with a smirk.

“Well, you walked me straight to my room and we packed everything up in those two days,” Emile said. “You made it so much easier.”

“Yeah, because I hovered over you until you did it and did half of it for you,” Janus snorted.

“It wasn’t just that,” Emile said. “You also found the music streaming station run by the university and put that on and talked about what your freshman year was like. You also had tips on what things I should and shouldn’t pack when moving into the dorm.”

“You still took all of the cartoon character stuffed animals despite my advice.”

“I thought there’d be more space on the bed,” Emile frowned.

Janus snorted.

“But anyway, just having someone else around made me happier. It wasn’t just about the workload being halved either. You being there made me feel less lonely and reminded me I’d always have someone to come back to.”

Janus internally winced. He was sure Emile hadn’t meant to make him feel guilty in any way. In fact, he probably was trying to do the opposite, but him saying that just reminded Janus that it hadn’t been true. Janus had abandoned him for literal years and hadn’t been someone he could always come back to.

The last few months, Emile had proven himself to be at least close to who he was before Janus had messed with time. There were a couple of differences here and there, and Janus could not be sure if they were from him changing time or from him avoiding his brother for the past three years and him naturally changing. Most memories they shared that Janus cautiously brought up or Emile mentioned on his own were consistent with what Janus remembered, but he hadn’t pushed too hard or dug too deep. It just made him feel more guilty about avoiding the man for so long.

It made him want to ignore the man more, because it seemed every choice Janus ever made only hurt him.

…

Well, perhaps not the college radio station when helping an anxious 18-year-old pack up his childhood bedroom.

He should probably tell Emile that his words made him feel guilty because that was obviously not the intention and he’d want to know. He should probably apologize properly for leaving him alone for three years without an explanation. He should probably provide an explanation for those three years.

He should probably go see the head doctor again soon.

(He should probably stop calling Emile’s colleague who was in the same field as him a head doctor derogatorily in his head.)

For now, he just glanced at Emile. “You’re trying to bully me into letting you help pack with logic, aren’t you?”

“I am,” Emile confirmed without remorse.

“Fine,” Janus sighed, “but only if you let me do the dishes for you.”

Emile took a long moment to consider the offer. “You drive a hard bargain,” he said, “but okay.”

“And no doing anything sneaky like getting bags ready for me on your own while I’m doing it or the deal is off,” Janus said.

“You always think of all possible loopholes, Janus,” Emile sighed.

There was a long silence.

“Agree, you prick,” said Janus.

“No promises,” Emile replied cheekily with laughter in his eyes, and things were good for a moment more.

[nb-octopus-writes]

First WIP Wednesday of the New Year!

Hello hello, it is Wednesday and I am going to work on some WIPs!

Here are the rules of the Wip Wednesday Game:

I will list out the wips I want to focus on this week

Send me an ask with the name of one of these wips, and I will write and post at least three sentences for that wip!

Sending multiple asks is fine and encouraged!

If you're reading this, you're invited to participate!

WIPs:

Not Just The Two of Us (Masterpost)

Transformers Rescue Bots Shrinking Episode But Better

Switching Heights (tss gt)

snippet from Not Just The Two of Us:

When the two new boyfriends finally finished the dishes, they all went to the living room to set up for the night. Roman fetched the air mattress off the top shelf of the coat closet, and Logan attached the pump and watched it fill. Meanwhile, Virgil and Patton gathered every pillow and blanket in the house.

First, the ones in the living room. Perhaps it was not necessary to gather them any more than they had already been gathered by nature of being in the right room, but there was an undeniable pleasure in throwing the throw pillows, and it was part of the tradition by this point. Patton stood beside the longer couch, and Virgil went around the room, grabbing pillows off of the other furniture and tossing them to him. Patton caught each, placing it on the couch. After all the pillows had been moved, Virgil pulled the quilt off the back of the other couch and carried it over. (They'd tried enough times to know that blankets did not make nearly as good projectiles as pillows.)

Next, they raided the bedroom.

[yomica12345]

Pane-fully Obvious: Chapter 7

Prologue Link, Chapter 6 Link

Ao3 Link

Warnings: Anxiety and Anxiety Attack mentioned, Implied Death and Loss

Chapter 7: A Familiarity in the Unfamiliar

Patton longed to run his fingers through Virgil's dark hair, soothing him the way he always had when the younger boy was upset. But now, all he could do was hold him from behind, resting against Virgil’s tense shoulders. He wanted to do more—needed to do more—but with Logan here there wasn’t much he could do without revealing his presence and now did not feel like the right time.

Classes had ended not long ago. Roman had gone down to the stage to begin his detention, while Logan stayed behind, quietly ensuring Virgil’s recovery. Patton couldn’t deny the quiet admiration he felt for Logan, who had handled the earlier anxiety attack with a calm authority that steadied the chaos. Roman, too, had done his part, holding Virgil’s trembling hand to his heart through the worst of it. He’d even left his jacket behind for comfort when he had to leave. Watching them care for his Kiddo had warmed Patton’s heart in ways he couldn’t quite describe.

Now Logan sat in a beanbag chair nearby, his focus fixed on his homework, radiating his usual unshakable calm. Virgil, meanwhile, was tucked beneath the sound table, Roman’s jacket draped across his lap. His headphones were snug over his ears, the faint hum of music spilling into the quiet room. He absently toyed with the fabric of the jacket—a nervous habit that tugged at Patton’s chest. Roman would return later to help finish setting up the stage, but for now, Logan’s steady presence was enough.

Virgil shifted suddenly, rising to his feet and slipping from Patton’s loose hold. The day had been long and draining, but there was a flicker of resolve in his eyes, a quiet determination to push forward despite it all. He clutched Roman’s jacket tightly, his knuckles pale against the red fabric.

Patton reached out instinctively, his voice soft and uncertain. “Virge—”

“How are you doing, Virgil?” Logan’s voice cut in, his gaze lifting from his textbook as he adjusted his glasses.

Patton froze, swallowing his words. He couldn’t blame Logan for the interruption—how could he when Logan didn’t even know he was there? His outstretched hand fell, retreating to his side. He let himself shrink back, his presence dimming.

Patton was used to waiting. He had to be.

“Uh… better… thanks,” Virgil mumbled, sliding one headphone away from his ear as his gaze flicked nervously toward Logan.

Logan watched Virgil for a moment before returning his attention to his homework. “Are you certain? If you need more time you should take it now rather than later.”

“Yeah, no. I’m good,” Virgil said quickly, though his voice wavered. “I just need to grab some cables from storage. I’ll be right back...” He motioned vaguely behind him toward the stage with his thumb, then grimaced, squeezing his eyes shut in frustration at his own awkwardness. Turning slowly toward the door, he let the headphones fall back over his ear, hesitating as if waiting for Logan to stop him.

Logan didn’t. “Alright. If you’re certain, I will be here,” he said evenly, watching as Virgil shuffled out of the room.

Once Virgil was out of sight, Logan closed his book and set it aside. He knelt beside the backpack Virgil had left behind, his sharp gaze scanning it for something specific. He unzipped the side pocket, his hand slipping inside until his fingers brushed against a hard, familiar shape.

The case.

Logan pulled it free, his breath catching as he opened it. Inside were light blue-framed glasses—Patton’s glasses. They were strikingly similar to his own, except for the cheerful hue that set them apart. He carefully removed his own glasses, folding them neatly and placing them on the table. Then, with a touch of trepidation, he slipped Patton’s glasses onto his face.

The effect was immediate and startling. The world around him came into sharper focus, colors more vibrant and details more distinct than they had ever seemed before. He blinked, disoriented. How could this be? These glasses fit his prescription better than his own—yet they weren’t his.

Logan removed them, turning the frames over in his hands, inspecting every curve and joint as if the answer might lie in the little details. They looked ordinary. Frustrated but intrigued, he slid them back onto his face.

The clarity returned—but it brought more questions.

Logan’s brow furrowed as he stood, his eyes darting around the room. The quiet seemed almost too still, the air thick with something unspoken. “Patton?” he called softly, his voice tinged with uncertainty.

His gaze shifted toward the stage. Movement caught his eye—someone unfamiliar, a fleeting figure slipping out of sight backstage.

Patton.

Logan’s pulse quickened, his footsteps carrying him forward almost on instinct. Excitement stirred within him, a potent mix of anticipation and wonder. He was going to meet a real ghost.

~{}~{}~{}~{}~{}~{}~{}~{}~{}~{}~{}~{}~{}~{}~{}~{}~{}~{}~{}~{}~{}~{}~{}~{}~{}~{}~

Patton watched helplessly as Virgil was shoved into the closet, colliding with an unsuspecting Roman, who stood holding a net, clearly unprepared for the sudden impact. The door slammed shut behind them, locking with a resounding click and cutting off Patton’s view. He flinched at the muffled crashes and squeaks coming from inside, the chaotic sounds stirring unease in his chest.

The girl who had pushed Virgil smirked in satisfaction before hurrying off, leaving Patton frozen in indecision. What was he supposed to do now? Go in there and try to help? No—his presence would only make things worse. Virgil was already stressed enough, and bursting in might escalate the situation further.

He sighed, the weight of his helplessness pressing down on him. Once again, he was forced to rely on others to protect his Kiddo. He could only hope Roman was up to the task.

Patton’s gaze dropped to the floor as he turned away from the closet, his thoughts swirling with doubt. He nearly jumped when he looked up and found himself face-to-face with a familiar figure.

“Oh!” He blinked, startled, before breaking into a soft laugh as he recognized Logan.

“There’s my favorite astronomy nerd!” Patton chirped, stepping into Logan’s personal space with a playful grin. “I don’t suppose you could become even more a- door -able and let my kiddos out of the closet?”

The ghost tilted his head, beaming up at the taller figure, his smile bright and hopeful despite the lingering tension in his chest.

“I would, if I had the keys. Unfortunately, I do not,” Logan replied, adjusting his glasses as he took in the ghost’s form.

The figure before him was both vivid and faded, a blend of contradictions. His curly hair and glasses that were nearly identical to Logan’s own stood out against his ethereal appearance. His skin, hair, and clothes seemed as if time had drained their colors, leaving only faint hints of what they once were. Yet his eyes—those were something else entirely. They glimmered with an almost golden-brown hue, the only feature untouched by the fading. They drew Logan in, their warmth surprising and oddly grounding.

Logan’s attention sharpened as the spirit blinked, his expression lighting up with childlike wonder. A cold, gentle hand reached out, brushing Logan’s cheek.

“You’re wearing my glasses!” Patton exclaimed, his voice tinged with excitement.

Logan instinctively pushed the hand away, his composure faltering for a brief moment.

Patton’s eyes widened in realization, and his joy bubbled over. “You can see me!” he blurted, bouncing on his toes. “And touch me! And hear me!”

The ghost was practically glowing with glee, a single happy tear escaping as he wiped at his face. He clasped his hands over his mouth, his eyes shimmering with emotion. Every new discovery filled him with delight, but all he truly wanted in this moment was to wrap the teenager in a hug.

Logan, meanwhile, circled the apparition, his analytical mind struggling to keep up with the marvel before him. “Yes,” he said, his voice calm but intrigued. “I did receive your notes, after all.”

He stopped in front of Patton, holding out a steady hand. “You are Patton, are you not?”

“Logan!” Patton completely ignored the offered hand, lunging forward to wrap his arms tightly around the teen.

Logan stiffened at the unexpected embrace, his body locking as the cold sensation seeped through his shirt. 

Patton buried his face against Logan’s chest, the scent reminding him of books as he clung to him.

“You see me,” Patton whispered, his voice trembling as if there was a chance he would have to take the words back.

The words hit Logan harder than he expected. He winced, unsure how to respond. His mind raced through questions but they were drowned out by something deeper, something he hadn’t allowed himself to feel in years.

The hug stirred a memory, raw and bittersweet: his father’s warm embrace, steady and grounding, before it was stolen from him forever. A lump formed in Logan’s throat, his carefully constructed walls wavering. He wanted to melt into the comfort, to close his eyes and let the ache in his chest subside, if only for a moment.

But reason kept him rooted. This was Patton—a spirit he’d only just met. There was so much he didn’t know, so many unanswered questions. He glanced down at the shorter boy clinging to him with such unbridled joy, his vibrant eyes shining with relief.

Logan hesitated, his hands hovering awkwardly over Patton’s back. He wanted to resist, to keep his distance, but the ghost’s sheer happiness made it impossible to pull away. Slowly, reluctantly, Logan let his hands settle lightly on Patton’s back, his touch uncertain.

Patton sighed against him, a sound of pure contentment. “I knew you were special,” he murmured.

Logan’s lips parted to respond, but the words caught in his throat. Instead, he stood there, awkward yet rooted in place, as the quiet moment between them stretched on.

Chapter 8

[cutiecorner]

Late Night

Fanfic • agere • regressor! Virgil Hawkins, caring! John Stewart & J'onn J'onzz • AO3

Static Shock brain still going strong. Virgil wins Little Guy of the Year award. I couldn't find any ambient gifs of Dakota so I just used this cute one of Static! Trigger warning for themes of grief.

Virgil could not be more excited about his summer on the watchtower. A whole month of bashing bad guys with the biggest heroes on earth? Literally a dream come true. He knew he was gonna have a blast with the titans, and maybe save the world to boot. Even the first day was exciting, stopping a joker gang incident in jolly old Gotham. It was a good workout, but he was excited to get back to his quarters. He had packed his suitcase like he was packing for college - It’s not every day you get to say your stuff has been to space. Deep down though, there was one item he was the most happy to see.

“Enjoying the view, Pluto?” Virgil picked up the beanie baby puppy and tossed it back and forth, feeling the nice weight in his hands. It had been his favorite toy since he was a baby, and he had to admit, he was a little too sentimental to leave him behind. It was a little piece of home to take with him. Not to mention it reminded him of his mom. He laid on the bed with the dog on his chest, telling him about the day he had. 

“- and then I swooped in and kshoom! Hit him with the energy ball! Then Bam! Take a moped to the jaw!” Virgil took the puppy and looked it in the face, “Wish you could’ve seen it, moms”.

He decided to spend a little of his down time brushing up on his Brawlin Bots game. Cyborg had wiped the floor with him earlier and he was not about to have a repeat of that game. He stayed up late, defeating all the cpus until he couldn’t level them up anymore. He was getting pretty good - good enough for Cyborg, he’d just have to see. He flopped onto the bed, letting the controller fall from his hand. 

Even though he fought crime with them every day, it was easy for Virgil to forget his powers sometimes. There were little things about it that were just unobtrusive enough not to notice - like the slight charge he’d pick up when in contact with electronics for too long. Not only did it drain his battery life, it made him a little sparky. Considering he had just played xbox for 3 hours, it would’ve done him well to remember that. 

He shuffled up to the pillows on his bed, pulling the blanket up to his shoulders. The lights were off, he was in his PJs, only one thing was missing - Pluto. Even heroes needed a good cuddle buddy. He scooped up the plush dog and - its button eyes came flying off! His hands must’ve been so charged he attracted them! He was so startled he jerked his hand away, hard - pulling an arm clean off. 

Call it the late hour, call it the long day - but Virgil felt hot tears well up in his eyes. No no no it’s fine everything’s fine, he tried to tell himself, finding the little lost buttons on the floor, it’s just the only thing you have from mom. He really shouldn’t have stayed up late, he always got weird when he stayed up late. He felt so sensitive, so vulnerable. He really, really wanted his mom. His thoughts came at him fast and it was all so overwhelming.

“Virgil?” Green Lantern, great. “You better not be up playing those games, lights out was an hour ago-”

Virgil choked on his tears, trying to stifle any sound. He prayed Mr. Stewart couldn’t see him in the low light- 

“Hey, hey, what’s the matter?” - no such luck. Stupid green lantern powers. John came around to the edge of the bed, kneeling to try and meet Virgil’s eye. Virgil curled away, to find John’s hand on his back.

“What happened, kid?”

Virgil tried to take some breaths and speak, but all sound got caught in his throat. It made him feel even worse, shrinking into himself in embarrassment, holding Pluto tight to his chest. You’re gonna cry to Green Lantern about a doll? Some hero you are. GL sat down next to Virgil, examining him - and his eye caught the little toy dog. 

“Hey, who’s this? Is this what’s got you worked up?”

Virgil unfurled a little, looking at the eyeless puppy and nodding.

“His name’s Pluto. I… I got him from my mom. And now I ruined him.” He couldn’t help another wave of tears from rolling down his cheeks. John's face softened.

“Hey, hey I get it. If something I got from my dad got messed up I’d be upset too,” He looked down at Virgil, who rubbed his tears away, “and you didn’t ruin anything. It’s gonna be okay.”

GL patted Virgil’s shoulder as he calmed down a notch.

“Let’s take Pluto here down to the infirmary, see what J’onn can do about it.”

Virgil looked up at John with a quizzical brow.

“Bother Martian Manhunter in the middle of the night? About a doll? No way,” he huffed, looking down at Pluto, “... what could he do about it anyway?”

“You’d be surprised Static, I think he’s just the right martian for the job,” With a smile, John got up and offered Virgil his hand.

Down in the infirmary, J’onn was up as usual. He fiddled with various charts for each leaguer, cataloged injuries and the like. Virgil felt sheepish in the doorway, even with GL beside him. He was still sniffling, tipping the martian up to their presence.

“Hey J’onn. I’ve got a special patient for you,” John looked down at Virgil and nodded toward the alien.

“Oh,” his voice was shockingly warm, “is something wrong, little one?” 

Oh wow, Virgil thought. He expected the martian to be terrifying but something about his voice was profoundly calming. Virgil still felt shy though, looking at his socked feet as he presented the doll and it’s torn pieces to J’onn. 

“Oh dear,” J’onn cooed in sympathy as he gently took the toy, “Your toy got torn.” Virgil nodded, still not meeting his eye in shame. The martian placed a gentle hand on his shoulder.

“I have just the thing. Come with me.”

The two followed J’onn to his desk, where he crouched down to look through one of the drawers. In it was fabric, yarn, and various sewing supplies. Virgil was profoundly confused, watching the martian lay his stuffie gently on the table like a patient in a bed. 

“Here, take this while I’m working. To keep you company.”

Virgil examined what J’onn had given him - a hand sewn… rabbit? Well, not really a rabbit. It had too many eyes? And legs? Maybe they were ears…

“It’s a J’a’khal. They were common creatures on Mars - my own child simply adored them.”

“It’s adorable! You made this?”

J’onn smiled.

“Martians don’t need as much sleep as other species. I have a surprising amount of free time. I have plenty of little pets to choose from, if you'd like to look through them."

J'onn opened another drawer to unveil numerous plushies of other worldly animals. Virgil smiled wide, bouncing over to paw through them.

"I'm glad you like them, little one," J'onn chuckled, "You may take as many as you like."

Virgil huffed from his seat on the floor.

"Hey, I'm not so little."

"Oh?" J'onn paused and smiled, "A mere oversight. You see, Martian lifespans are hundreds of years longer than earthlings. We mature more slowly." J'onn took one of the small plushies from his desk, giving it to Virgil.

"You're little more than a baby to me."

Virgil felt himself flush. He didn't like to think about it, but there was a certain joy he got from being thought of as young. As a hero for one, but even in regular life. He knew he was growing up, but he wanted to be a kid a little longer.

"Anything else I can get you, kid?" John asked, "You look like you're good with Mr. J'onn for now."

Virgil nodded from underneath the litter of stuffies. John smiled.

"I'll be back in a bit to check on you. Hey J'onn, chocos?"

J'onn lit up, "Always." Virgil lit up too. "Bring some for the boy as well, please. "

J'onn got to work on repairing the torn stuffie, sewing and handling it with great care. Virgil watched in awe as he put the button eyes back in place, sewed up the arm, and even put some new beads and fluff in. When he was done Pluto was as good as new. Virgil reached out his arms for the doll, difficult considering how many he was already carrying, and squeezed the lovey tight with a big smile.

“He’s even better than new! Thank you Mr.J’onn!”

    While Virgil was snuggling Pluto, John returned. His eyes were tired but happy to see the boy smiling again. He placed a box of cookies in front of J’onn, accompanied by some glasses of milk. Virgil’s eyes lit up.

“Are these for me Mr.Stewart?” Virgil picked up one of the three glasses.

“Yep. Little midnight snack. Go crazy, kid.”

    J’onn and John chatted and ate while Virgil laid against the desk, feeling his adrenaline cease and sleep start to creep in. He tuned out the miscellaneous chatter from the adults, covering himself with various plushies, Pluto with a special place in his arms. He used one as a pillow, dozing off. He woke up the next morning in his bed, a few of the dolls tucked in with him. Let it never be said the Justice League didn’t have a soft spot.

[writingsoftheghost]

First Dinner Together

(Takes place right after AA)

Virgil didn't know what to do. He'd gone over every possible scenario in his head of how this would go, and they all ended horribly. He really wanted to back out, but he promised Patton he would try to be more involved and present. And Virgil knew this was the easiest way to do that., but the sound of all of them laughing in the kitchen made Virgil more anxious to interrupt than anything else he'd ever experienced in his entire life.

Ok, while that was probably not true, it felt true in the moment. Virgil was just about to accept defeat, resigning himself to eating later after everyone else had gone to bed again, when Logan turned the corner and bumped into Virgil, nearly knocking him over.

"Apologies, Virgil!" Logic said, surprised, "I wasn't expecting to see you down here."

Virgil cringed and began to turn tail, "Sorry I was just-"

But Logan grabbed his arm, "Wait!"

Virgil jerked away at the sudden contact, but halted his escape attempt.

Logan had a sheepish look about him, embarrassed by his reaction, but he wanted to encourage Virgil to stay. "Would you like some spaghetti? Patton made a lot so there's plenty extra?"

Virgil relaxed slightly, an invitation from two out of three of them helped tremendously, he wouldn't hold his breath for Roman, but maybe Princey would tolerate him for a few minutes. "Yeah, sure."

Logan suppressed a sigh of relief, he had pulled it off.

"Virgil!" Patton rushed to give Virgil a hug.

"Easy, Pat." Virgil fights to keep his lungs full of air.

"Sorry, sorry. Just so happy to see you, kiddo. You come for my spaghetti? Best in the Mindscape!" Patton rushes back into the kitchen, "I'll make you a plate! Go sit!"

"Anxiety?" Roman is suddenly staring at Virgil way too much for comfort. "Hm- a-Virgil." He corrects. "You're joining dinner tonight?" He tilts his head with the question.

Virgil feels like shrinking into nothingness, "Uh, yeah, I guess. Unless it's like, not, uh, good? For me to do that I mean-I don't-like-it's okay if that's not-I don't have to..."

Virgil is about to make a second much more urgent escape attempt, when Roman stops him.

"It's alright."

Virgil stares at him for a moment, attempting and failing to read Creativity's thoughts. Was he really sincere?

"Oh, uh, yeah? Alright, cool." Virgil anxiously moves toward the table, he doesn't know which seat to pick, and he absolutely can't handle the idea of sitting in someone else's seat.

Patton quickly comes to his rescue though, setting an almost overflowing plate of spaghetti down on the table. "Here, Virge. Sit by me."

The parental side gives Virgil the warmest smile he's ever seen. Virgil's face heats up at the kindness from the other side. "Thanks, Pat." He takes a seat. Patton sitting down directly next to him with his own plate.

Virgil jumps slightly as Roman sits down on the other side of him.

Roman gives him an awkward slight smile, his eyes land on Virgil's plate, which Patton had piled impossibly high with spaghetti.

"Good god, Pat. That's a mountain!"

Patton smiles sheepishly, "Sorry, Virge. I just wanted to make sure you had plenty to eat."

Virgil chuckles, "Thanks, Patton. I'll be all set for the week."

Logan laughs, "Careful, Virgil, if you manage to eat it all Patton will try to give you seconds."

Patton swats Logan's arm playfully, "Is it a crime to make sure my family is fed?"

Virgil laughs, his heart warming at the implication that he was family. He was easing more and more into the idea, and even beginning to hope that this wouldn't be their last shared meal.

[forest-falcon]

WIP Whatever!

Felt Autumn-y today so rattled this off whilst cooking dinner. Not written in a while so just trying to get something out. Hopefully will add a bit to it soon. 🍁🍂🎃🌿🍃

Pumpkin

"Pumpkins, pumpkins, pumpkins, pumpkins! It's pumpkin picking daaaaay!"

Gordon skidded through the living room, almost knocking over the carpet washer, which had taken up permanent residence there with the turn of the season.

"Where are my octopus wellies?"

He rummaged through the old wooden chest situated near the front door. A myriad of odd shoes piled behind him as he discarded trainer after flipflop belonging to his older brothers.

"You're picking all those up." Virgil appeared, arms folded at the mess.

"Am not! People can put them on their feet, duh." Gordon grinned and donned a pair of John's favourite sandals. These would do. He wasn't one for socks anyway and the octopus wellies had probably seen better days...wherever they were.

"You can't wear those."

Virgil materialised a mug of hot coffee from thin air. Now that he was a teenager, Virgil was all about having his coffee in the morning. Mr. adult-y pants. It was a phase. It would pass. Gordon was sure of it.

"And why not?" He wiggled his toes, knowing full-well why not.

"John will feed you to the combine harvester if you baptise his favourite sandals in mud." Virgil quirked a bemused eyebrow.

"What?...Skinny Space Noodle? He couldn't catch this fish."

John wouldn't even try. John was more tactical than that. He'd simply bat his pretty green eyes at his eldest brother, and mini-mum would find a way to get them back; though it looked like not-mother number two had beaten Scott to it on this occasion.

"I don't know..." Virgil's voice echoed from somewhere within his brew.

"How fast can you run in sandals?

"Faster than Johnny-boy, that's for sure!"

"But not faster than me."

Virgil tipped his head back to noisily slurp the final dregs from his mug. Gordon saw his opportunity to slip the net. Darting under Teenage Mutant Ninja Virgil's arm; he took off at a speed befitting a startled ray.

FLIP-FLOP-FLIP-FLOP-FLIP-FLOP

He wasn't even sure he cared about the sandals per se; it was more the principle of not being bossed about. Virgil was not his mum.

Where to hide, where to hide?

Kitchen? No, dining room! He could barricade himself with the chairs...

FLIP-FLOP-FLIP-FLOP-FLIP-FLOP

...Goodie-two-shoes may be bigger than him, but he'd wager that Mr. Muscle wouldn't fit so easily behind the far side of the table.

FLIP-FLOP-FLIP

He had this. He-

"GOTCHA!"

A mammoth hand clutched his shoulder.

Gordon flailed and kicked, but Virgil had him shrink-wrapped in one of his soppy bro hugs.

"Now give Johnny back his shoes."

"NEVER! Why do you care anyway? They're not even your sandals!"

Virgil leaned back slightly so that his hug lifted the squirming squid clean off the floor.

"Last chance."

"Finders keepers, astro-boy weepers!"

"Alright. Can't say I didn't warn you, pumpkin."

"Pumpkin?"

[soysaucevictim]

Yesterday, I was having a mostly internal "dialogue" about my docket.

I'm just gonna indulgently use the Sides to summarize pieces of my headspace:

Virgil: Another visit to the shrink. Another time to tell the guy 'Hey, I fucked up with my meds and sleep again!' Logan: Staying consistent and compliant does help considerably. Especially to stave off- Virgil: I know! The meds are fine, but it feels like we're getting a bad grade as the client/patient, here. Patton: Didn't the doctor say we're being too hard on ourselves? Virgil, totally glossing that over: Oh, and today's DD is high knees! The thought of being a fucking nuisance to the downstairs neighbors is mortifying. Remus: I mean... if you can find a bathroom you can lock, go for it there! Logan: Hm, make sure the floor isn't wet first. Virgil: What if people wonder things!? Remus: Just say, "Thought the stall was in use and was doing my best to hold it!" Virgil: I don't want to be perceived.

Anyways. Appointment was actually productive and did find a secluded space in the health services campus to do the damn high knees (76 reps), it was fun.

Walking home, I was feeling overall pretty better. (In a very, "human doing their stupid walkies is good for brain" way.) :,D

[itty-bitty-writes]

Bitty's WIPs

(posted stories masterpost)

Surrounded by His Loved One - Chapter 2: Copulation (Shrinky Sanders Sides Smut Series, aka 5S)

summary:

Remus is up Virgil's butt, and Virgil and Logan are heading to Logan's room to… copulate.

status: intro written. vague ideas for what's after that

Prinxiety cock vore [actual title pending] (5S)

summary:

Remus told Roman that Virgil enjoyed their shrinky sex, and now Roman's got a similar proposition for Virgil

(from a prompt)

status: probably half written

LAMP cock vore + sex [actual title pending] (5S)

summary:

Virgil liked Roman in his dick so much that this time he gets to cock vore two boyfriends. And then fuck Patton with them inside.

(from a prompt)

status: outlined

Dark Sides in Balls (5S)

summary:

Remus cock vored the other two dark sides, and then… forgot.

Oops

status: outlined

I Know You Know I'm Here (5S)

summary:

Janus totally didn't see Remus, shrunken and naked, on the bed. Totally. It's absolutely a complete coincidence that Janus, also naked, sat down directly on top of him. Unfortunate positioning, is all.

(pretend unaware)

(Remus is having the time of his life)

status: concept exists. Intro written

Ritual Sacrifice (5S)

summary:

The dragon witch (Janus, wearing cloth wings) has demanded a sacrifice. The unfortunate Roman has been chosen by lot, and now Logan and Virgil must tie him to a tree (Patton's dick) for the dragon witch to claim.

or

The sides do a fun little roleplay

(Janus has a vagina in this one)

status: outlined

A Game of Cock Vore (Sizeshifter Trio)

summary:

Elliott is often the voice of reason and impulse control for the trio.

This fic does not involve Elliott.

status: opening written

Awkward First Time

summary:

A gt couple decide to try sex for the first time. They're not sure what they're doing, but they find a way to make it good for both of them.

status: outlined, opening written

Insomnia (Josh's Tiny Harem)

summary:

Josh can't sleep. His solution? shove a tiny in his pants, see if that helps

status: barely started

Forgotten Tiny Third

summary:

A couple have been trying out various kinks to see how much they like them, and are trying micro/macro.

They forget there's a tiny involved.

status: outlined

Dick Apartments

summary:

So it turns out that the reason the rent is so low for Gus's new apartment is that the building doubles as a giant dildo.

He really should have read the lease document more thoroughly.

status: barely started

Surprise! Shrunken and Trapped - Part 2 (Poll Story)

summary:

Simon has unexpectedly shrunk, and somehow ended up in an unaware giant's underwear, just before he put it on!

~

Simon's stuck under the giant's junk, and he's causing an unfortunate itch.

status: about a paragraph written

Tournament

summary:

Several contestants in a large maze, each equipped with a device which will shrink someone to only a few inches tall.

The last person full sized wins.

Everyone else gets fucked.

status: outlined

[leconcombrerit]

It's finally dawned on me that I probably won't be able to get back to making art anytime soon.

I'd been trying to make redraws in a vague and a little desparate attempt to do just that ; after all, I'd been wanting to draw stuff lately and even had a few new ideas. They just refused to translate to anything when I actually got in front of my computer -hence the redraws. It had worked quite well until now and given me the boost I needed to start new stuff.

Except even those had started to feel terrible. Understand "boring, ugly, plain, uninteresting or fastidious". Yet looking at the old and new versions side by side, it's obviously much better now. Take those Roman and Virgil ones for example. I did get better. It's not even ugly, even though it's low effort. I've been proud of worse.

My brain just makes a shortcut from "I'm bored and uninterested and frustrated" to "I'm bored and uninterested and frustrated because this is boring, uninteresting and therefore frustrating". It's like it's finding itself excuses not to draw, or do crochet, or sculpt, or make origami, or read, or watch videos, or talk to people (that includes answering most messages with less than three weeks intervals). Apparently it's "nothing concerning" according to my shrink, since I can still wake up and go to work. But I'm freaking bored.

Also I always get very depresso in September, worsens in January, peaks in February, gets better in April, rinse and repeat. Thank god for Only Friends airing now, my little brother's existence and immaculate taste in music, and my growing interest in tanks. Dunno what I'd do without those guys.

[edupunkn00b]

Decoherence, Ch. 6: I Howl

Creative Commons 1.0 Public Domain

Prev - I Howl - Next - Masterpost - [ AO3 ] - Playlist

“in my dreams you walk dripping from a sea-journey on the highway across America in tears to the door of my cottage in the Western night” -Howl by Alan Ginsberg

WC: 3318 - Rating: T - CW: swearing -

1980, August 16, Astoria, NYC, US

An express train barrelled down the elevated track outside Remus’ apartment, rattling the windows and the bookcases’ glass doors. It was an effective alarm.

Remus stretched before he opened his eyes, moving carefully so he didn’t jostle… who the fuck was he being careful about? His empty bed? His eyes snapped open and he squinted against the sun that shot right through the big window in his fifth-floor walkup. He’d forgotten to close the blinds again. 

Didn’t matter much. Facing the train tracks, the only view into his apartment would require flying twenty feet above them, and the developer of his building was the only one dumb enough to build so close to the elevated tracks. On the other side was the East River and if some horny ass tourist on the cruise lines wanted to waste their time trying to catch a glimpse of him in the buff as he got out of bed in the morning, more power to them.

Now that he was up, the sun was kinda nice. It was gonna be a scorcher, sure, but the morning was still cool, and he could enjoy the gentle heat coming up over the water.

Entire days can be cool and fresh like this. Golden morning light spreads over a grassy field, brightening the plains and painting color over the mass of dark brown brush and scraggly trees. Rich yellows and greens fill the landscape. And spots of bright white and silver dot the clover patch next to the creek, meandering sheep munching the fresh growth as Virgil keeps watch.

“He’s so proud to have his task,” the raven-haired man next to me murmurs, taking my hand. His skin is soft in my callused hand, but still strong. Lithe with a steady grip.

“Mm-hm,” I nod and raise his hand to my lips for a kiss. He laughs when I tickle his knuckles with my mustache, big baritone bells ringing out. I look up, but before I can meet his eyes, he disappears and I’m left standing alone on a big, wooden porch.

Virgil waves from the clover field and calls out to me, but his words are lost to the wind.      

Shaking his head, Remus’ eyes snapped open. Fucking dream. He watched the shadows from the train tracks shrink for a little while, then his clock radio crackled to life, the DJ announcing the greatest hits of the 60s, 70s, and today and blaring out that new Queen song.

Before he’d even registered what he was doing, Remus had made the bed, diligently fluffing up the pillows and arranging them artfully against the headboard. Frowning, he kicked aside the jeans he’d thrown on the floor last night and shuffled into the bathroom to start a shower. Once the water was hot, he stepped inside and let the spray and the steam melt away the fuzzy remnants of a ranch he’d never seen and a husband he sure as fuck didn’t have.

No more late night t.v. for him.

~

The phone in the lab was already on the fourth ring by the time he got the triple-locked door open. “Hello?” he said, fumbling with the receiver, hoping to catch it before they gave up.

“Good morning, Re!” Ro’s husband cheered over the line. There was a muffled sound, doing little to hide his little sing-song away from the receiver. “Kiddo, finish up your milk, okay? Then Papa will walk you to school.”

“So that’s how you’ve got him growing like a weed,” Remus laughed and took a sip of his coffee. The lab assistant had left a stack of files on his chair, an annoyingly effective habit to get him to approve them when he first got in. He cleared the chair then sat down, opening the top in the stack. “To what do I owe the pleasure, Pattycake?”

“Janus was wondering if you have a preference for dinner tonight. He was thinking manicotti.” The sound of dishes and running water punctuated his words, as did a little kiss. “Have a good day, Kiddo!”

“Uh-huh, Janus wanted to know what I felt like eating?” Remus shook his head, a smile still pulling up his cheeks. He signed the requisition form on the first file then moved to the next. “And this isn’t Ro trying to make sure I show up tonight?”

Patton giggled and spoke away from the phone. “I told you he’d see right through it,” he said. There was another muffled staticy sound and the telltale crick of a phone cord being untangled before his brother’s voice poured over the line.

“Can you blame me for wanting to see my little brother?” Ro muttered in mock offense. “Besides, it wouldn’t be the first time you stood us up.”

“That was one time sixteen years ago!” Remus protested. “You weren’t even married yet!” The silence on the other end told him just how much Ro cared about that technicality. “I’ll be there, I swear…” His voice trailed off as the words single photon wave interference pattern popped out in the third proposal’s abstract. A team wanted to test their theory on wave field probabilities. They just needed to find some funding for a trip to CERN.

“Hel-lo-o? Re?” A tinny version of Ro’s voice came from his lap and he realized he’d dropped the phone receiver as he was reading.

“Yeah, yeah… Ro,” he fumbled to retrieve the receiver and pressed it to his ear, still reading the research proposal. “I’m here, just dropped the phone. Listen, uh, Lo and I have something to check out and then we’ll be by at six.”

“Who?”

“What?” Remus’ head jerked up, the proposal had snagged his attention and didn’t want to let go. “I said I’ll be at your house by six o’clock, wouldn’t miss it.”

“O—okay, great,” Ro said slowly. “See you tonight.”

“Mm-hm, see ya, Ro Bro,” Remus managed to get out before blindly hanging up the phone. It took a few tries but he finally got the receiver set back on the plunger and the blap-blap-blap-blap stopped. Mouth agape, he read the entire proposal, nodding and making little notes in the margins as he went. He moved it to the top of the stack of files he planned to bring before the board that afternoon.

He’d get them their trip to Geneva.

~

Tasha rapped on the open door. “Dr. Prince ? I’m headed out,” she said. “Are you still visiting your brother this evening?”

“Hm?” Remus stopped writing long enough to turn and face her. She tapped her watch. “It’s a quarter to six,” she smiled.

Remus dropped his chalk and dusted off his hands. “Oh fuck, we’re late!” He snagged the chalk before it rolled under his desk and scrawled three more symbols on the board, circling them, then absently stuck the chalk in his pocket and grabbed his jacket from the back of his chair. “You ready, Lo?” he asked, fishing through the bag slung over his shoulder. His hand came up with the keys to his office and a polished gold ring. Remus froze, staring down at his palm.

“Dr. Prince ?” Tasha stepped closer. “Are you…” She looked around the small office. With the rolling chalkboard pulled away from its usual spot against the wall, there was scarcely enough room to move between his desk and his files, nor the stacks of treatises and books on the floor. “Were you meeting with someone?”

He closed his hand around his keys and the ring and pushed in the desk chair, his one concession to the judgement in her gaze. The office was… well, it wasn’t neat by any stretch of the imagination, but it was a known chaos, and Remus could tell you what every stack of books, every collection of journals, every half-smudged calculation that had run off the edge of a page meant. Tasha had long ago stopped nudging him to make it look organized.

He looked around the office now and everything was in the right place, but… his eyes lingered over his big desk set in the corner with the two chairs. Hey, extra place for Tasha to leave files for him.  He’d even remembered to draw the shade on the big window, but that had mostly been to protect his eyes against the glare of the setting sun. 

Everything was in its place. But everything was wrong.

“No,” he said at last, shoving his keys and the ring into his pocket. “Long day, I guess,” he mumbled, fighting to shake off the sense that something was… off. “Would you mind locking up?” He flashed her a crooked grin. “I know you have a key.”

“You don’t actually expect me to let you leave your half-drunk coffees to molder all over your desk, do you?” she laughed, pulling the door closed behind them and locking all three locks. 

“Thank you,” Remus nodded and pushed the stairwell door open. “I’m gonna walk down. Work some muscles besides the one up here,” he tapped his temple and jogged down the steps, his fast shuffle echoing against the cement and cinderblock stairwell.

“Goodnight!” Tasha called after him, her voice abruptly cut off by the closing door. He stopped on the landing between floors and pulled the ring from his pocket to hold up to the caged bulb that cast a harsh glare up and down the stairs. The ring was smooth and warm from his pocket. Too small for his own finger but… He tapped his sternum, thinking. After a moment, he shook away the imagined sense of another ring under his shirt, round and smooth like this one, the metal warm against his skin. 

What the fuck was he doing with this ring? It didn’t look anything like Ro’s and his partners’ rings. Their rings all matched each other, some cutesy little three-strand braid things. This one, though… He knew this ring but…

Shaking his head, he shoved it back in his pocket and dashed down the remaining three flights. Luckily, Ro’s place wasn’t far from the University.

~

“Uncka Re!” Virgil’s little shout was audible through Ro’s apartment door. “I’w get it, I’w get it!” Remus threw his head back and laughed, the cold knot in his stomach unfurling at the sound of the little boy’s exuberance.

“Kiddo, we don’t even know—”

“Yeah, Pattycake, it’s me,” he called from the hall and repeated his knock, three quick and two slow. “Vee knows.” At the sound of the locks disengaging, Remus set down the bag from La Guli’s, crouched and opened his arms wide.

As soon as the door opened, Virgil barreled out from the doorway and flung himself into Remus’ arms. “Uncka Re!” he squeezed his little arms around his neck and Remus stood, lifting Virgil with him. “I was scared I wouldn’t see you tonight.”

“Nothing could keep me away from my favorite nephew!” he promised, raising him up over his head and laughing along with his delighted giggle. “Besides,” he winked at Patton, grinning from the doorway. Remus picked up the brown paper bag he’d set by the door. “Somebody had to bring the cannolis!”

Virgil’s eyes widened and he grinned hopefully at Patton. “Can we, Poppy? Can we have them with dinner?”

“Yeah, Poppy,” Remus joined in, mimicking Virgil’s pleading eyes. “Can we?”

“Just like your brother,” Patton laughed, ushering both Remus and Virgil into the house. “Yes, we’ll have the cannolis tonight—” 

“Yes!” Virgil erupted in a cheer and wiggled out of Remus’ arms and dragged him toward his room. “C’mon, Uncka Re, wet’s p’ay.”

“For dessert!” Patton called after them, shaking his head with another little laugh when Remus’ only response was a grin and a shrug. ~

After dinner, Remus helped Roman clean up while Patton and Janus tag teamed getting the four-year-old bundle of energy ready for bed. He dried while his brother washed, fiddling with the small gold ring in his pocket while he waited for Ro to rinse each dish.

A particularly sudsy one slipped from Ro’s hands and Remus leapt to help catch it. He caught the baking dish before it hit the floor and shattered but the ring fell from his pocket. It rolled across the floor and spun like a top under an empty chair before settling onto the linoleum with a final jingle.

Remus rushed to pick it up. Sitting on the floor, he rubbed the ring between his thumb and forefinger and his eyes suddenly widened. “It’s Lo’s,” he whispered, more to himself than to his brother. 

Leaning against the table leg, he sat on the floor, legs criss-crossed, and fumbled under his shirt before pulling out a thin gold chain that carried a matching band. “I don’t wear mine because I’d always drop it down the sink when I washed the dishes.”

He looked up when Roman joined him, brow furrowed in confusion. And worry. 

“Lo and I had to buy our own pipe wrench because Mr. Singh threatened to make us pay to borrow his every time we had to take apart the sink to get it out.”

“Re, what are you talking about?” He reached for his brother’s hand and there was nothing around his neck. “Hey listen,” Ro began in his reasonable voice. “Why don’t you spend the night?” He pulled Remus to his feet then steered him out of the kitchen and down the hall to the living room. “We’ll have some tea or hot chocolate or whatever you want. I’ll make up the sofa bed and you can have an early night.”

He let himself be led, patting his chest. There wasn’t anything under his shirt. “Maybe… yeah,” he said, sinking down into a chair.

“Jus’ wanna say goodnight!” Virgil’s laugh dopplered down the hall and the rubber-bottomed soles of his fuzzy Spider-Man onesie squeaked as he scampered back to the living room. He climbed onto Remus’ lap and smiled up at him. “Are you staying?” he asked, patting the collar of Remus’ shirt the way his uncle had just a moment ago. He frowned, just a flash, then he looked up again with a sleepy little smile.

“I’m staying,” he said and the little boy’s grin grew. 

He flung both arms around Remus’ neck, little fingers twisted in his shirt, and whispered, “Good.”

Janus’ quiet murmur from the other hall loosened Virgil’s grip on Remus’ shirt. “If you go to sleep early enough you two can even have breakfast together,” he promised. Remus didn’t miss the way Janus caught Ro’s eye as he scooped up the little boy. Ro nodded and moved closer. 

“Poppy’s making french toast tomorrow, too.” Roman ruffled Virgil’s hair and grinned at his little giggle. “See you in the morning, little knight.”

“G’night, Daddy,” Virgil said and rested his head on Janus’ shoulder. The little boy’s race down the hall seemed to have been his last hurrah for the night and he blinked sleepily at Remus. “G’night, Uncka Re.” His sleepy gaze drifted to the spot next to Remus and he frowned again, a soft, worried pout, before curling into Janus’ arms.

“I’ll see you two once this little spider is asleep,” Janus murmured, stroking his head. “I don’t think you’ll have long to wait.” He waggled his fingers and murmured as they moved down the hall. “What story would you like to hear tonight, my little spiderling?”

“The chameyeon, Papa,” his soft voice traveled down the hall.

“Hmm… that’s a good one,” Janus’ low voice purred just before the door clicked shut.

Roman snapped the sheet open and over the pullout mattress. It caught on the side table’s edge and Remus got up to help. They worked in silence for a few minutes before Roman spoke again. “You haven’t sounded like this in a long time, little brother.”

“Yeah.” Remus lifted the mattress to tuck the blanket underneath it.

Roman watched him for another long moment. “What brought this on? You…” He folded the sheet over the top edge of the blanket and glanced up. “You haven’t been drinking, have you?”

“Fuck no!” he hissed. “Of course not.”

“Okay,” Roman reached over the bed and clasped his shoulder. “Okay, I didn’t mean anything by it, just… you know… The last time…”

Ro didn’t need to remind him the first time he drank he’d woken him up screaming the world was wrong and had gone off on a week-long bender. He still didn’t remember most of it. “I don’t fucking drink anymore.”

“I—I know that, Re, I just…” Ro went quiet again, stuffing a pillow into a fresh case. “That was the last time you sounded like this, man.”

“I…” He couldn’t meet his brother’s eyes. “I had a ring, Ro. Not… not just this one.” He closed his fingers around the bit of gold, the hard metal proof he hadn’t imagined it all. Or at least hadn’t imagined the fucking ring. “This other one, though… I—I can’t remember where it came from, it just…”

He closed his eyes and blew out a sharp breath. Probably some one night stand. You really that bad, Re, that you can’t remember who you slept with the night before?

A flash of indignant anger shot through his chest at his own imagined voice and he shook his head. “Re?” Ro’d been watching him. 

He sank down on the side of the pull-out bed, metal frame squeaking with his movement. Ro came over to his side and sat next to him. “What can you remember?” When Remus didn’t answer, Ro squeezed his hand. “I’m your brother, Re, you can talk to me.”

Remus looked up into his brother’s eyes. He wanted to tell him everything. Tell him about the flashes of dreams that didn’t feel like dreams anymore. That fucked up not-quite deja vous when he got to work or took a shower or…. 

The empty arms and the gnawing, gaping hole he woke up to every morning.

“I…” 

Janus walked down the hall and joined them, sitting quietly at his other side. He took his other hand and patted it, eyes full of sympathy.

“I think maybe I’m just overdoing it at work,” he finally said, giving first his brother, then Janus a weak smile. “You know how I get.”

Ro looked at him for a long moment then finally nodded. “Okay, Re.” He squeezed Janus’ hand and they exchanged a little look. “Get some sleep and we can talk more in the morning.” Ro and Janus stood as one and he gave Remus’ hand one more squeeze before slowly releasing his grip.

“Thanks,” he muttered and managed to give them both a smile before peeling back the covers. Patton appeared with a cup of tea and a pair of Ro’s pajama pants and an old Brooklyn College tee shirt. “Can’t believe you still have this, Ro Bro!”

“What can I say?” he winked, a touch of actual humor in his smile. “It’s my color.” Remus held up the shirt and the faded logo morphed into a frosted glass door, Brooklyn College Physics Department. He blinked away the vision. He hadn’t gone to Brooklyn. He’d gone to UAF.

Patton set the cup down on the side table and gave him a half hug. “Go on and get changed so you’re comfortable.” He exchanged another little look with Janus and Ro. “We’ll leave the lamp on so you don’t have to make your way through the dark.”

“Thanks Pattycake.” He stood and smiled at the worry they tried to hide in their eyes. “I’ll be fine, just need a little sleep.” He nodded toward the kitchen. “And I heard the morning might bring French toast?”

“You betcha,” Patton grinned, smile bright. He still didn’t lose the little pinch between his eyebrows, though. “Good night then,” he nodded and walked with Janus down the hall.

Ro lingered and pulled Remus into a hug. “Tomorrow we talk, yeah?”

“Yeah,” he promised. “Tomorrow.”