#sidewritten

[sidewritings]

Who did this (to you)

Summary: After the events of Putting Others First Patton isn’t the one to find Roman and offer support… someone else does

Pairings: None

Genres: hurt/comfort

Warnings: vague description of injuries, blood mention, self deprecation

Word Count: 366

Author’s Note: Prompted by THIS wonderful post. 

Roman didn’t move to get up or lift his head even as he heard footsteps crunching towards him on the forest floor.  He was winded, bruised and a bit bloody,  Sure, Roman was still able to keep fighting, he’d had worse injuries and still prevailed before, but what was the point now?  He could win in the imagination if he tried, but when it had really counted, for Thomas, he had failed.  And Deceit had won. 

The footsteps stopped directly in front of him, close enough to touch.  From his vantage point, head bent and shoulders slumped, kneeling on the leaves and stones where he had fallen, Roman could see the tips of shiny black shoes and the cuffs of black slacks. Deceit.  The prince tensed before letting out a small sigh of resignation. Oh great, he thought sardonically, just the side I wanted to see. 

Sudden movement, fluid and deliberate, and then Deceit was on his knees in front of Roman.  A flick of yellow and his gloves were on the ground beside them. Roman shuddered as Deceit carefully cupped his jaw and tilted his head up, brown eyes meeting brown and yellow.  He waited for the dark side to gloat, to belittle him with a practiced victory speech.  Roman waited, but Deceit’s eyes only flicked over his face, like he was looking for something.  He felt Deceit’s thumb move and swipe away the trickle of blood at the corner of his mouth.

Deceit’s eyes wandered lower over Roman’s torso and his other hand, his scaled hand, came up and ran carefully over his ribs.  Roman let him, unable to find the strength to jerk back or push his hands away.  The hand on his side dropped away as Deceit apparently finished looking him over. When their eyes met again Roman saw what he would have described on anyone else as a look of concern.  The moment was over quickly and Deceit’s eyes hardened, going from soft and… something of a moment before to rage in an instant. 

His hand on Roman’s jaw was still gentle but his voice was little more than an angry hiss when he finally spoke.

“Who did this to you?” 

[sidewritings]

I HAVE ARISEN!!!!  After being gone for Over A Year I have returned.  And what’s a comeback without some content?  Well, I have an AO3 where I’ve been posting a few things, old fics from Tumblr, old unpublished works, and a new story still in the works!

If you want to read an angsty hurt/comfort Virgil-centric fic that keeps growing and changing in ways I did not expect, click the link above!  

[sidewritings]

A Bit of Rem and Chessy

Pairing: None

Genre: Stream of consciousness

Warnings: Remus Sanders, disturbing imagery, blood, I hate this and I wrote it so I can’t imagine ya’ll enjoying it

Word Count: 330

Author’s Note: I realized that my favorite talking cat would get along well with Remus and my brain made my hand slip.

Remus lay draped over the top of Thomas’ flat screen tv. It defied physics and was disturbingly erotic, so that was normal. What was more unusual was the large purple cat grinning over Remus’ left shoulder.  The duke contorted to pet the cat with his right hand which prompted a purr from his feline companion.

“I can’t. I can’t keep ignoring this. We weren’t even watching Alice and Wonderland!” Thomas exclaimed irritably from the couch.

“Just focus on the film Thomas.  Do not engage,” Logan replied, not even looking up from his sudoku puzzle.

“How come Remus gets to enjoy kitty snuggles without allergic reactions and not me?” Patton whined from his spot on the floor.

“Imagination has it’s perks, doesn’t it Chessy,” Remus grinned, matching the feline’s expression?

The Cheshire cat’s response was to bite Remus’ fingers, letting blood drip down his fluffy chin as he continued to purr. Remus cooed and purred back.

“You would conjure yourself a cat as crazy as you,” Roman spat from his spot on the far edge of the couch, as far from the tv (and Remus) as possible.

The Cheshire cat released Remus’ fingers and turned to look at Roman unblinking, his tail whipping back and forth behind Remus’ head. “I’m not crazy, my reality is just different than yours.”

Roman recoiled slightly, tempted to leave the room entirely to get away from his brother, that damn cat, and Thomas’ growing anxiety. Speaking of which...

Virgil was glaring daggers at the tv, doing his best to follow Logan’s advice and ignore the dark side laying atop it. The image bordered on comical, given that Patton had chosen the movie and they were watching The Many Adventures of Winnie The Pooh.

Thomas groaned in frustration and tried to refocus on the film as Tigger pounced on Pooh.

It was incredibly difficult when Remus and Chessy began to playact the scene, with Remus mouthing along with Pooh’s lines and the Cheshire cat imitating Tigger. 

[sidewritings]

Protective forehead kisses from virgil? Usually he only does it when the others are asleep, but after a big scare he just can't help himself

*cough* excusemewhileIusethisasanexcusetoprojectoneofmycommonfearsontoVirgilanddealwiththeminanadorablycomfortingway *cough*

This also may or may not have strayed from the prompt a bit and gotten far longer than I’d intended but oh well.

Protective Kisses

Pairings: Lamp (romantic or platonic, you decide)

Genres: comfort, fluff

Warnings: Deceit mention (brief), thunderstorm, some negative self-talk, forehead kisses, 

Logan had been over it with him a thousand times. It was a perposterous fear, if a common one.  It couldn’t hurt them, especially since they weren’t ‘real’ and it wasn’t going to hurt Thomas.  And still, Virgil huddled in the corner where his bed met the wall, hoodie pulled tight around him, as the thunderstorm raged outside.

It wasn’t even the lightning, the actually potentially dangerous part of the storm that he feared. No, it was the stupid, awful-

A crack of thunder rang out and Virgil whimpered, covering his ears with his hands. 

Unpredictable, sudden loud noises always startled him, but thunder was a hundred times worse. It was scary.  It was like a deity yelling at them, voicing their anger in a language no mortal could understand, and yet it yelled on. 

Virgil wanted to protect the other sides from these awful noises, but strangely enough, none of the other sides were scared of thunder at all.  Logan was fascinated by the weather and actually enjoyed thunder storms. Roman found them exciting, though since their first huge argument about it he didn’t rush out into them anymore to try and battle the elements.  Patton found them soothing for some odd reason. 

Well, if he couldn’t protect them, maybe just being near them would make him feel better. Carefully, as if one wrong move would trigger another clap of thunder, Virgil got out of bed and sunk out of his room to the mind-palace commons. 

As soon as he entered there was another clap of thunder so loud it shook the window.  Fortunately, it was also loud enough to cover the sound of his petrified squeak in response. The others didn’t even look up or react to the storm or his presence.

Roman was sitting on the couch, scribbling away some idea or other in a notebook Logan had given him.  Logan was sitting in an armchair reading a mystery novel, a cup of piping hot tea on the table beside him. Patton was lying on the floor in his cat onesie scrolling through tumblr on his laptop.

Virgil stood at the foot of the stairs, stiff with fear from the storm and unsure what to do. He could see that they were all safe and completely unfazed by the hellstorm raging outside, but he still wanted to bundle them all up in his arms and hide them away somewhere safer. 

A distant memory came back to him like the lightning flashes outside and Virgil flushed.  He’d almost forgotten about his ‘protective kisses’. 

When Thomas had been younger, and long before the other sides had come to accept him, he’d heard Roman telling Patton about his book of fairy tales and how there were magic kisses in them.  The kisses could break curses and save princesses and were very special.

Young Virgil had thought that if kisses could do all that, maybe they could protect people too.  But kisses were for people who loved each other, and while he loved and cared about the other sides very much, they didn’t even like him.  Virgil thought, maybe if  he just kissed their forehead when they were sleeping they wouldn’t know and it might help keep them safe.  

He’d stayed up late, after the others were asleep for the night to give them their protective kisses.  Now that Virgil was grown, he doubt those kisses had had any real effect, but as a child, Virgil had believed in those kisses and they’d made him feel better.

Another crack of thunder made Virgil jump, making Logan notice him.  Their eyes met, Virgil’s wide with fright and embarrassment over his memories, Logan’s curious and calculating. 

“Virgil, are you experiencing elevated distress because of the storm?”

Roman and Patton looked up at the sound of Logan’s question and Virgil blushed harder, eyes darting between the faces of the three sides he’d come to think of as friends. He didn’t want to ruin that now by being a bother or by lying, making the situation with Deceit worse. Virgil opened his mouth, trying to come up with a response, only to shut it again. 

“You should use your headphones and the audio books to calm down.  That’s what they’re for,” Logan said calmly, good. He didn’t seem annoyed with Virgil for not thinking of that sooner.

“Maybe a hug would help,” Patton suggested, sitting up and opening his arms for Virgil.

“Virgil needs a place to feel safe… I’ve got it!  We’ll build the most epic blanket fort the mind-palace has ever seen!” Roman stood and posed dramatically, grinning at Virgil.

And Virgil couldn’t help it, a small giggle slipped out.  Then another, soon he was laughing as tears streamed down his face. Logan looked alarmed, his thought of “oh no, feelings” so loud Virgil could almost hear them.  Roman looked confused and a little put-out.  Virgil tried to say he wasn’t laughing at him, but couldn’t catch his breath. 

Patton seemed to understand, getting up and pulling Virgil into a warm hug and stroking his back, “It’s okay, there’s a lot going on.  Just laugh it out and tell us what you need when you’re ready.”  

Virgil managed to nod against Patton’s shoulder, still chuckling wetly while his tears slowed from a stream to a trickle. 

He didn’t know how or when Patton had moved them over to the couch, but when he calmed down, he found himself sitting down, Patton on one side of him, Logan on the other, and Roman kneeling in front of him.

“What do you need, Virgil,“ Logan asked, squeezing one of Virgil’s hands.

“We’re here for you,” Patton said, one arm slung around Virgil’s shoulders.

“We won’t let anything hurt you,” Roman said, reaching out as if to touch Virgil, hesitating, but finally resting a hand on Virgil’s knee.

Virgil looked at all three of them around him and his fight or flight response kicked in.  Too quickly for them to respond, he kissed each of them on the forehead. 

“That. I needed that.” Virgil said quickly before sinking out back to his room. At some point in all of that, the storm had stopped, and he needed to lay down.

In the commons, three very stunned sides looked at each other.

“Did he just-?”

“Yes, he did.”

“Did it feel… familiar to either of you?”

“Yeah.”

“It did spark a sense of deja vu.”

“…”

“…”

“…”

“When’s the next thunderstorm supposed to be?”

[sidewritings]

I am in dire need of domestic romantic moxiety plz and thank. I mean stupid cute stuff.

I am so happy to provide this!!!!!

The Best Way to Wake Up

Pairings: Romantic Moxiety

Genres: Fluffy fluff with a side of fluff

Warnings: Food mention, implied bed sharing, morning, kisses

Virgil rolled over in bed with a semi-conscious grumble as light shone on his closed eyes. He was almost unconscious again when a gentle pressure on his cheek brought him back. 

“Five more minutes,” he mumbled and pulled the sheet over his head. 

There was a soft chuckle from somewhere near his ear and the sheet was pulled down again.  This time, Virgil identified the soft pressure, on his forehead now, as a kiss.  

“Rise and shine Sleep’n Stine,” Pat’s voice said, cheerful but blessedly quiet.

“Nooooooooo,” Virgil whined, pulling sheet and blanket over his head again.

“C’mon Virge, it’s a beautiful day and we get to spend all of it together.” 

Virgil poked his head out to mumble, “So come back to bed with me.”

Patton laughed and pulled the covers completely off Virgil, “Not a chance.  We already slept in, it’s after 9am!”

Virgil moaned and grabbed Patton’s pillow, putting it over his face.

Patton crawled onto the bed and straddled Virgil’s legs, “Are you going to make me tickle you awake?”

That made Virgil toss Patton’s pillow at him and open one eye in a half-hearted glare, “Don’t you dare.” 

Patton laughed, loud and hearty, one of his laughs that even made a grouchy morning Virgil crack a small smile, “Okay, no tickling. How about I kiss you awake?”

Virgil sat up and wrapped his arms around Patton’s waist, completely awake, “That might just convince me to get out of bed and spend the day with you.” 

Patton smiled and scattered sweet, chaste kisses over Virgil’s hair and face, making Virgil blush.  When he was finished he took Virgil’s hand and crawled off the bed, pulling Virgil up with him.

“Come on my sleepy sweetie, I made breakfast and your coffee should be done by now.” Patton tugged Virgil’s hand, leading him downstairs to the dining room.

Virgil smiled and followed his boyfriend, thinking that this was the best possible way to wake up. 

[sidewritings]

How about some good old prinxiety, the first sides ship I got into.... Or maybe some LAMP, I'm always up for LAMP.

How about both?  Crap, now I want to make a series of dates between different pairings with overarching romantic LAMP… 

Date Night: Prinxiety

Pairings: Romantic Prinxiety with background romantic LAMP

Genres: Fluff, Fluffy fluff, romance

Warnings: kisses, food, brief innocent use of blindfold, 

Virgil smiled, heart pounding, as he lead a blindfolded Roman into the common room.  It was their date night, and knowing how much Roman liked surprises, he’d decided to plan tonight’s date for them and surprise his royal boyfriend.

The four of them, Logan, Patton, Roman, and Virgil were in a romantic relationship.  They had dates with all four of them, they cuddled together, but they also made sure that they all got one on one time with each other so that none of the bonds between them were neglected. 

“Okay, sit down here, nice and easy,” Virgil said, carefully helping Roman to sit down on the couch.  He grinned at the small smile on Roman’s face, so handsome even in the dim light of the room. Virgil couldn’t stop himself from pressing a quick kiss to those lips.

Roman pouted when Virgil pulled away, “If you blindfolded me just to kiss me, I’d rather see you, love.”

Virgil shook his head before remembering Roman couldn’t see him,  “It’s not just for kissing, but…” he blushed, still a little nervous about expressing affection openly, even after months together, “we can keep kissing after, if you still want to.  Just wait one more moment.” 

Virgil got up and went to the kitchen, grabbing the tray of snacks and drinks he’d prepared before getting Roman and bringing them into the living room. He set them down carefully on the coffee table, and as an after thought, added a small vase with a single purple rose to the tray.

“Okay,” Virgil said, looking around the room one last time and hoping with all his might that Roman would like this, “You can take off the blindfold now.”

Roman reached up to remove the blindfold and paused, a smirk curving his lips, “Why don’t you take it off for me, Virge?” The prince leaned in a bit closer to where he’d heard Virgil’s voice. 

Virgil blushed and sat down next to Roman on the couch and reached behind Roman’s head to remove the blindfold. as soon as the black fabric fell away Roman’s eyes were on him. “Beautiful.” 

Virgil blushed again and was about to contradict him when Roman cupped his face in his hands, effectively making him too flustered to respond.

“May I kiss you,” Roman asked, looking between Virgil’s wide eyes and his lips?

Virgil opened his mouth and a strangled sound came out.  He closed his mouth quickly and nodded.

Roman moved in slowly, careful not to startle his anxious boyfriend and kissed him tenderly.  He watched Virgil’s eyes flutter shut before closing his own, smiling a little as Virgil kissed him back.

Roman pulled away a minute or two later, “Thank you.”

Virgil, who looked calm and slightly dazed, only nodded in response.  It took him a moment to pull himself together. “You haven’t even seen your surprise yet.”

It was Roman’s turn to be surprised, he’d forgotten all about surprises after Virgil had kissed him while he was still blindfolded. “Oh,” he looked around the room, taking in the strings of white lights strung around the room, the electric candles, the tray of popcorn and mugs of steaming green tea, the lovely purple rose, and next to the TV, a pile of Disney movies, all with Julie Andrews in them.

Virgil smiled, watching Roman take in the room. It looked like he liked his surprise after all.  Good. He grabbed the remote and turned on the TV, ready to start Marry Poppins.

“Virgil, this is so thoughtful of you.  This may be our best date night yet.”

“Yeah, yeah,” Virgil replied, a blush tinging his cheeks, “if you start singing the entire soundtrack I’m leaving and you can watch it alone.”

Roman mock-gasped, feigning offense, “I can’t believe you would accuse me of doing something so dramatic!”

Virgil rolled his eyes fondly and was about to hit play when a light touch on his wrist stopped him.

“Actually, you’re quite right.  I will be tempted to sing all the songs, but you could help me resist temptation if you cuddled with me.”

Virgil blushed, and just as Roman opened his mouth to backpedal, Virgil scooted closer on the couch and draped Roman’s arm around his shoulders. He handed Roman the remote and rested his head on Roman’s shoulder. 

“I’d like that,” he mumbled softly, just loud enough for Roman to hear.  “But no singing,” Virgil added, louder this time.

Roman kissed Virgil’s forehead and hit play. “No singing,” he agreed, settling in to start their movie marathon, his broody boyfriend cuddled into his side. 

[sidewritings]

Tarnished Crown

Pairing: Prinxiety (platonic or romantic, reader’s choice)

Genre: Hurt/Comfort

Warnings: Negative self-image, insecurities, lack of sleep,

Word Count: 1865

Author’s Note: This lovely fic was expertly edited by @jiyudreamer for the wonderful @nyxwordsmith .  Happy birthday, sweetheart.  I hope you like the fic. 

Roman shut his bedroom door behind him with a gentle click and slumped against it. He rubbed a hand across his eyes and dimmed the lights in his room.  Roman groaned and pushed himself away from the door, moving slowly and slightly unsteadily over to his bed. Reaching it, he flopped down onto it without his usual dramatic sigh or gesture, he was too tired for that.

He'd been so busy lately, writing scripts for videos, acting (and doing a bit of directing) in the videos, practicing for auditions and then auditioning for local shows, and so on. Of course, he enjoyed those things, but they still took a toll on him. And the most draining thing was pretending it wasn't draining him.

Even exhausted beyond belief, a prince still has got to slay. Roman had to wake up earlier than normal to make himself an extra cup of coffee and cover up the dark circles under his eyes, consequentially making the dark circles worse, but the other sides couldn't know he was struggling. He was their comic relief character, the one who could always be counted on for a dramatic reaction, high energy, and a playful nickname. Even if Thomas said Roman could never let him down, that didn't mean he couldn't let the others down, and he didn't intend to find out.

But it was finally (mostly) over. They were taking a break so no one would notice if he went to his room too early or slept in late tomorrow. Of course, he'd still have to wake up 'early' to do his makeup and get his extra cup of coffee, but they didn't have to know that. He'd still be their energetic dramatic prince.

Roman sighed briefly and quietly, unlike his usual dramatic huff of irritation or long sigh of exasperation. Who was he kidding? The other sides didn't even like him most of the time. If he stayed in his room for a while it'd probably be a relief. He didn't want to believe that, but he was the least favorite side for a reason.

He curled up into the fetal position against his pillows as he felt the first tear drip down his cheek. Roman held tightly to his knees and let the tears he'd been holding back for over a week start to fall.

There was a knock at the door and Roman held his breath.

“It's me, Princey. Let me in.”

Virgil really knew how to crash his pity party. Quickly (and reluctantly) Roman dashed away his tears, brightened the room and walked over to the door, opening it with a large smile.

“Virgil! What can Sir-Sing-A-Lot do for you today? Need some music that isn't filled with teenage angst?”

Virgil looked unimpressed with Roman's booming voice and princely performance as he entered Roman's room, letting Roman close the door behind him.

“Cut the crap, Princey. I know you're exhausted. You're not as good at hiding it as you thought.”

The words were accusatory, but the tone was not. On anyone else, he would have pegged it as concerned, but from Freak Out Boy? No way. His smile faltered before he plastered it back in place.

“What are you talking about, V?” Roman asked, raising an imperious eyebrow.

“For one thing, you're loud. I heard you get up earlier.” Virgil pointed to the wall separating their rooms. “For another, you're talking to the resident insomniac. I saw you making coffee before anyone else was awake. You also forgot to throw out your used coffee grounds a couple of times.” The anxious side put his hand up when Roman opened his mouth, “Don't worry, I covered for you, told Patton it was mine. He's worried about my caffeine intake now, but I told him I'd be kicking the habit soon.”

Roman's shoulders fell, and with it, his chipper facade.

“What do you want?”

Virgil narrowed his eyes. “I want you to get some rest. You've been working overtime for too long. We have a break, I want you to actually use it.”

Roman sighed and sat down on the edge of his bed. “I meant, what do you want to keep you from telling Logan and Patton about this?”

Virgil rolled his eyes and shook his head. “I don't want anything from you Princey, get that through your head.”

Roman cocked an eyebrow at Virgil who sighed, “Fine, there is something I want from you.” Virgil pulled out the The Nightmare Before Christmas posters Roman had admired in Virgil's room from behind his back. “If anyone sees these and asks, I want you to say that you bought your own. They didn't come from me.”

Roman gasped and took the posters when Virgil handed them to him. “These are...” he turned them over, hardly believing they were real. On the back of each frame was a quote. On the back of the Jack poster was: '“Take time off... The world will not fall apart without you” -Malebo Sephodi' and on the Sally poster was '”You're my hero” -Thomas Sanders (and V)'

Roman looked up at Virgil who was looking at the floor, a blush spreading across his cheeks, visible even through his foundation.

“Thank you, Virgil. I won't tell a soul.” Roman set the posters against his bedside table, deciding to hang them up later, after a nap. He yawned and Virgil looked up, gesturing his head towards the door.

“I'll get out of your hair, let you get your beauty sleep.”

Virgil turned to go, resting his hand on the doorknob, “You're a good guy Roman, you deserve a break.” He quickly shut off the lights and slipped out of the room, leaving Roman alone.

It was sort of ironic, he hadn't liked Anxiety for the longest time. He'd wanted to be alone in his room, but now that Virgil was gone, he felt a little lonely. Shoving the feeling aside, Roman kicked off his boots, removed his tunic, and got into bed. He'd deal with emotions when he was awake.

Roman woke up sometime the next day feeling more relaxed and energized than he had in a while. Smiling, he sat up in bed, remembering the wonderful dream he'd had. He'd been a Disney prince searching for his true love, singing songs, fighting dragons, out-witting wizards, making beloved animal friends. It had been fun and sweet and romantic, though he hadn't managed to find his true love. Maybe tomorrow night.

He nearly stubbed his toe on the posters when he got up; he'd forgotten they were there and last night's strange interaction with Virgil. Roman turned the posters over and looked at the quotes on the back more carefully. They were written in beautiful swirling script in metallic gold Sharpie marker. The ink was bold and bright, it looked like it had been written recently, but the posters themselves were slightly faded in their frames. Roman smiled, they were clearly the posters fro Virgil's room, but the quotes were new. Virgil had probably added them (and in gold script no less) when he'd decided to give them to Roman.

Then he read the quotes again, the one from Malebo Sephodi was a reminder to rest. It stung a little, to see that they didn't need him all the time, but it was also a bit of a relief. He could and should take a breather from time to time. The second quote was from the Am I ORIGINAL? Sanders Sides video, where Thomas said... In small script next to Thomas's name was '(and V)'.

Virgil had just called Roman his hero. After all the insulting nicknames, the arguments, his blind distaste for the other side in general, Virgil had still written that. He wanted to run out of his room and hug the other side. He wanted to cry and hide in his room, he didn't deserve this. He wanted-

Roman's stomach growled and reminded him that he hadn't eaten since lunch yesterday. He needed to put in an appearance and get some food before he did... well, whatever he decided to do about Virgil's kind gesture. But first, he needed to look like his usual regal self.

Roman got dressed in a clean set of his usual clothes, brushed his hair until it shone and stayed where it was supposed to. And for the finishing touch, a bit of concealer under the eyes. He didn't need as much as he had, but it would still be a while before the dark circles under his eyes went away completely. Looking as much the part of the handsome prince as he could, Roman exited his bedroom, heading down the hallway and stairs to the kitchen where something smelled very good and cheesy.

As he passed the living room, Logan briefly acknowledged him with a nod over the top of the book he was reading. Roman returned the greeting with a jaunty salute, no use trying to talk to Mr. Academia when he had his nose in a book.

Given the delightful smell wafting from the kitchen, he'd expected to find Patton there cooking something delicious. He hadn't expected to see Patton sitting at the kitchen table and Virgil of all people standing over the stove.

“Good morning, Roman!” Patton called cheerfully, looking up from whatever game he was playing on his phone to smile at him.

“Good afternoon, Patton! You're looking well,” Roman responded with his usual cheer, though it wasn't as forced as it had been the last few days. He looked at Virgil who hadn't turned around or acknowledged him at all.

“Hey there, V! I didn't know you could cook.” He tried to smile kindly at Virgil as the other side turned to look at him.

Virgil smirked at him. “Morning there sleeping beauty. I didn't know you knew what a stove was for.”

Roman rolled his eyes at Virgil's weak attempt at an insult. It looked like playful banter was still on the table then, and like they weren't going to publicly acknowledge what had happened last night.

“I may not be the brainiac or the father figure here, but I figured out basic household appliances a while ago.” Roman sat at the table next to Patton, who had gone back to his game.

Virgil turned back to stirring the pot on the stove. “Good, then maybe you can cook tomorrow. I made mac and cheese for lunch.”

Roman raised an eyebrow. What with the break and everything, he'd assumed each of them would be on their own for food or at least they'd be ordering pizza or something.

“I tend to burn everything to an inedible crisp or get overzealous with the chopping thing. How about I just set the table and do dishes afterward?”

“Fine.”

It wasn't perfect, Roman thought as he got up to get glasses, bowls, and forks out for lunch. He was still hiding most of his insecurities, and the truce between Virgil and himself was still tenuous, but it was better than it had been, and Roman only hoped things would continue to improve.

[sidewritings]

Could you draw or write something analogical for me? I’m sorry to bug you, but everything you make is so gooooood

You don’t bug me, Anon! I’m not really up to anything elaborate, but could I maybe interest you in a drabble?

Logan and Virgil exited the movie theater hand in hand.“Why did you drag me to this human menagerie to watch recorded and digitally altered professional make believe?”“It’s called a date, Nerdlock.”“We’ve had dates that didn’t include poorly acted scripts with plot holes the size of planetoids.  We’ve also had dates where we weren’t surrounded by people.  You don’t even like crowds!”“Yeah, it was terrible.”“So why did we do this?”“Because I love the way you snark about it afterwards.”“…oh”Logan blushed and tugged Virgil towards the car, beginning his long and snarky tirade about how terrible the film was, Virgil smiling in his wake. 

[sidewritings]

The Lecture

Prompt:  Logan creates an entire presentation. There’s a PowerPoint. There are diagrams and charts. He uses a Lazer pointer.Virgil still isn’t 100% sold. He could be misinterpreting something! Maybe that graph doesn’t mean what he thinks it does??? (It’s not really a prompt, just an awesome comment @tinysidestrashcaptain posted on this post)

Pairing: Analogical

Genres: Fluff, romance, education

Warnings: None come to mind, let me know if any are needed, will add

Word Count: 978

Author’s Note: Coming up on the end of the semester at my University and I am swamped with homework, studying, etc. but this little ficlet demanded to be written and I couldn't say no.  It may be a while before I’m posting content regularly again, but I have lots of fun fics in the works for you guys. Love you!

Logan had worked for the past month on this project, the most important lecture he would ever give.  He had spent hours doing research, editing, making graphs, charts, and diagrams.  There were parenthetical citations next to bullet points and a full bibliography to lend greater credibility to his final point.  He had triple checked for spelling and grammatical errors and made sure to include points that would appeal to his audience’s logos and pathos.  The PowerPoint was as good as it was going to get, and he was ready to present.

Logan looked at the lecture hall he had created in the mind-scape for this presentation, or rather, the section of a lecture hall.  There was only one comfortable chair down in front with a flip up desk for taking optional notes.  There was a small table in front a large projection screen for his laptop, laser pointer, and the follow-along packet he'd made to accompany the lecture.  It was dimly lit, bright enough to take notes but not overwhelmingly bright, his audience would be most comfortable that way.

Satisfied, Logan sank out of his lecture hall and rose up in the living room where Roman was taking selfies on the couch.  He could see Patton in the kitchen, baking and generally getting flour everywhere, but his focus was on Virgil coming down the stairs, his hair in that slightly ruffled state that either took seconds or hours to achieve.  He looked relatively well-rested and relaxed, which was precisely the state of mind Logan had hoped for.  

“Virgil?” Logan called softly, hoping not to startle him.

Virgil looked at him as he reached the bottom of the stairs.

“If you have some free time available today I'd like to share some valuable information with you.”

“Sure,” Virgil said with a shrug, “I was just going to get a cup of coffee.”

Patton came out of the kitchen holding a Nightmare Before Christmas mug full of coffee fixed the way Virgil liked it.  He beamed a terrific smile at both of them, practically vibrating with happiness.  A bit of flour fell out of his hair and dusted the carpet as he handed the mug to Virgil.

“Here you go, Virgil! One hot cup of coffee just the way you like it, and it's in a cool Nightmare Before Christmas mug, that was Roman's idea,” Patton exclaimed, clearly trying to keep a lid on his excitement.  “You two have fun sharing that knowledge!”

Patton turned back to the kitchen with a wink at Logan that made him blush.

“Are you ready?”

Virgil looked in confusion from the mug he held, to Patton humming in the kitchen, and the blush creeping across Logan's cheeks.

“Uhhh, sure.”

Logan took Virgil's free hand and suck them out of the living room and into the lecture hall.  Had either of them looked at the other two occupants of the mindscape, they would have seen Roman and Patton exchanging gleeful looks.

He held Virgil's hand for a moment after they'd arrived under the guise of making sure he wasn't too dizzy from rising up.  Logan released his hand when Virgil started looking around.

“So, what are you teaching me this time?  Breathing techniques?  Zen meditation?  Visualization exercises?”

“Ah, I see you're under the misapprehension that this lesson is centered around a technique to help you manage yourself.” Logan adjusted his glasses and turned on the projector, “This lesson is something a little different, but it is information I hope you'll find useful.”

Virgil sat in the plush chair and Logan handed him the note-packet that accompanied his power point.

“Please hold all questions until the end of the lecture.  Feel free to take notes if you see fit.”

The title slide appeared in large letters on the projection screen 'Logan Loves Virgil'.

Virgil looked gobsmacked and Logan adjusted his glasses and cleared his throat, picking up his laser pointer.

“Let's begin.”

“And that concludes my presentation on why I, Logan, have strong romantic feelings for you, Virgil.” Logan switched off the laser pointer and faced his sole audience member. “Are there any questions?”

“Uhhhhhhhhhhh,” Virgil tapped his fingers on the armrest and fidgeted in his seat, likely unhappy about being put on the spot, even if Logan was the only other person there.“Could you explain the diagram again?”

Logan did not sigh or protest, he knew this wasn’t going to be easy, but his projected outcome is more than worth a little extra effort.  He went to his laptop and clicked back to slide 84 to review the diagram.

“This should appear on page six of your handout.”  Logan said, turning on his laser pointer again, “This diagram illustrates my relationships with each of the other sides and Thomas, in order to give a clearer picture of why my feelings for you are different...”

Logan checked his watch when he heard Virgil's stomach growl. It's five pm, they've been at this for four hours.

“We should break to refuel and hydrate.  Would you like to have dinner with me?” Logan asked, looking a bit apprehensively at Virgil.

“Did, did you just ask me on a date?”

Logan smiled a sweet genuine smile.

“Yes, I did. Will you accept?”

“Yes!” Virgil slapped a hand over his mouth.  His response had been loud and fast, similar to when he'd revealed his name.

“Excellent.  Perhaps we can skip the presentation on why you should go on a date with me and move on to the more advanced lecture on why you should be my boyfriend.”

Virgil rolled his eyes at that and stood up, taking Logan's hand.

“Food first, lectures later.” Virgil said, tugging Logan toward the door marked 'EXIT', “And be patient with me, I'm a slow learner.”

Tag List: @aikogumi , @irish-newzealand-idian-dutch , @analogically-prinxiety @tinysidestrashcaptain , @justanotherpurplebutterfly, @anxietyisahufflepuff @logan-must-be-serious, @myspace-anxiety, @andy-the-anon, @starving-for-stability, @celiawhatsherlastname, @emo-space-trash, @silver-owl413, @sanderssunshinesides, @bubblycricket, @bbcanimephangirl, @puns-and-patton

[sidewritings]

Virgil’s Carnival

Summary: It’s a trip

Pairings: A sprinkle of Prinxiety

Genres: I have no idea what this is

Warnings: sketchy, weird, possible suspenseful, references the devil

Word Count: 1326

Author’s Note: This fic is a product of hexcellent writing advice from  @theonlyjelly-iwillput-inmybelly, a song from @novagalaxy4real ‘s playlist, my old aesthetic, and a heaping helping of The Devil’s Carnival

Virgil opened his eyes, 'well,' he thought, 'this is new.'   He'd had plenty of nightmares over the years in many different styles: silent black and white film, realistic, cartoon, horror, and more, but he'd never had a nightmare about a carnival. 

He was standing in front of a ticket booth at night outside what looked like an old, decrepit carnival with a fence around it.  To be fair, he'd never been to a real carnival, but the absence of a sign with the name of the place on it was a bit sketchy.  Another odd thing, the calliope music he could hear from somewhere inside one of the tents was playing some kind of waltz.

But, it was his nightmare, and he would just have to play along until he woke up.  Virgil stepped up to the ticket booth where a thin, balding old man stood.

“Ticket, please,” the old ticket-keeper said, his voice low and gravely.

“I don't ha-” Virgil was surprised when he looked down and saw a ticket in his hand.  It read: “Carnival: Admit One” with the number 666 printed on each end.  'Well, at least they'd gotten his number right,' he thought, ruefully, before handing over his ticket.

The ticket-keeper gestured him to enter and Virgil went to the gate, which opened without visible provocation.  Virgil stepped through, and the gate squeaked shut behind him, closing with a metallic clang.

The dirt paths of the carnival twisted around faded yellow and red tents, past buildings with peeling paint and dilapidated shutters, and by booths, once brightly lit with cheerful signage, now dark with cracked and faded signs, where there were still signs at all.  Virgil walked through with his hands in the pockets of his hoodie.  There were hardly any people there, which meant it was probably a jump-scare nightmare or a chase nightmare.  He shuddered, he didn't like either of those.  The Calliope music still played faintly from...somewhere, he couldn't pinpoint the direction. 

A 'hobo clown' sat on the ground at the corner of a game booth. As Virgil passed, he held out his hat, ratty and with a few holes in it, wordlessly asking for change.  Virgil dug in the pockets of his jeans, surprised to find a dollar and some spare change.  He grabbed all of it and dropped it in the man's hat, hurrying on.  The clown looked a bit sinister, and he didn't want to be around him any longer than necessary.

Virgil wandered along a path between two tents, passing by a tall, muscular man with a large scar on his face.  The man held a whip and glared at Virgil as he passed, but he didn't speak or follow him. Virgil was a little surprised, his dreams were usually a lot more, well terrifying than this by now, not that walking past the carnival workers was enjoyable, but they weren't chasing him or harassing him or tearing him limb from limb.  Virgil's shoulders relaxed a smidge, maybe this dream wasn't so bad. 

He walked past a merry-go-round where a woman made up to look like a broken china doll stood.  She crooked her finger at him, gesturing him to follow her.  Virgil mentally shrugged and followed her towards one of the tents.  She slipped inside a flap in the tent, there was a sign on the ground that looked like it had fallen down from over the flap that read “Employees Only.”  Virgil stopped.  The woman's hand appeared through the opening, crooking her finger again.  He rolled his eyes and turned around, walking away. 'Nice try lady,' he thought, 'use it on someone who isn't gay next time.

Virgil finally heard it, the calliope music growing louder as he approached the center of the carnival.  He followed the music towards a large, circular tent and walked around it, looking for an entrance. He finally found one that read “All Welcome” and entered.  The same strange waltz he'd heard when he first arrived was still playing, all at once comfortingly odd and familiar.

Inside the tent were a few rows of seats, all empty, and the center 'ring' was clear, empty save for one man with purple hair standing back to him in a warm yellow spotlight.  Virgil took in the man's tight black pants and shiny black boots, such a startlingly clean contrast to the faded, grimy look of the rest of the carnival and its employees.  The jacket he wore was startlingly crisp and clean too, white with red and gold trim.  His hair fell perfectly too, and Virgil knew who it was. 

'It's a nightmare,' his mind shouted at him, 'this won't end well!'  Virgil didn't listen, couldn't listen to it.  He was drawn forward like a moth to a flame, stepping into the center ring and into the spotlight.  The man turned around and Roman, handsome, princely, exasperating Roman smiled at him.  His heart fluttered, this felt different.  This didn't feel like a nightmare.  It felt like...

Roman bowed and offered Virgil his hand looking up at him through his lashes.  Virgil felt him put his hand in Roman's without consciously choosing to do so.  Roman settled Virgil's hand on Roman's shoulder and set his on Virgil's waist.  Virgil stood, stock still as Roman took his other hand in his and began to lead him through a waltz.  Virgil had never danced, had never been good at it and had never tried to improve, but suddenly he was gliding, almost floating on air as Roman lead him through the lilting pattern of the dance around the tent.

Virgil paid no mind as the spotlight followed them, took no heed as the tent filled with the carnival employees, and was completely oblivious even as the owner of the carnival, Satan himself entered. He wasn't aware of anything outside of their little pool of light, or even outside the circle of Roman's arms.  Roman lead him through a few gentle turns and a couple more showy steps and Virgil matched him gracefully in their strange duet.

“Is this a nightmare?” He finally asked Roman in hushed tones when his partner had finished promenading him. 

“No,” Roman replied, just as softly, with a tiny smile twitching up the corners of his lips.  “This is a dream.” 

Roman spun Virgil again and sank him into a gentle dip, kissing his lips. Virgil's eyes slid shut as he kissed Roman back.

And then Virgil was falling, waking up when he fell off his bed. He groaned and rubbed the back of his head. 

'All in all, it had been a nice dream,' Virgil mused, taking stock on the pain in his head, back, and butt, nothing seriously damaged, just in pain, 'even if the end was unexpected'.

A tousled head of purple hair peeked over the side of Virgil's bed.

“I told you your bed wasn't big enough for both of us.  You're sleeping in my bed tonight.”  Roman reached over the edge of the bed to help Virgil up.

The moment Virgil took Roman's hand, for a split second, it felt like when Roman had taken his hand in the dream, but the moment ended and Virgil stood with a small wince that made Roman frown.

“You're not hurt too badly, are you,” the princely side asked, looking concerned.

Virgil rolled his eyes at the delayed expression of care.

“I'm fine, Princey, and my bed isn't too small, your ego is just too big.”

Roman scoffed, his expression of concern disappearing instantly. His eyes sparkled with curiosity.

“So? How was your first ever dream!?”

Virgil looked down at Roman, sitting back on his heels in the middle of Virgil's bed, his hair disheveled and a child-like grin on his face.

“It was...” he trailed off, trying to find a word to describe it.  His mouth quirked up in a nostalgic little smile, “weird.  It was wonderfully weird.”

[sidewritings]

The PowerPoint Proposal

Prompt:  Logan creates an entire presentation. There’s a PowerPoint. There are diagrams and charts. He uses a Lazer pointer.Virgil still isn’t 100% sold. He could be misinterpreting something! Maybe that graph doesn’t mean what he thinks it does??? (It’s not really a prompt, just an awesome comment @tinysidestrashcaptain   posted on this post)

Pairing: Analogical

Genres: Fluff, romance, education

Warnings: None come to mind, let me know if any are needed, will add

Word Count: 923

Author’s Note: This was supposed to be a one-shot, I swear (like most of my fics). Enter @purrincey with an EPIC tag tirade and an excellent idea for a sequel, so this one is for you, Shel.  Hope you enjoy it. (Now that everyone is distracted by the new Sanders Sides video is the perfect time to post this!)

Despite Virgil being a 'slow learner' they hadn't returned to the Lecture Hall after dinner. They'd worked out a method of communication that didn't require debate moderators or college lecturesque formats.  Sometimes they communicated through poetry, sometimes via text or handwritten notes.  Sometimes they spoke in person or communicated nonverbally with looks and body language.  However they communicated it worked for them, and their relationship had flourished over the years.

Logan pulled himself from his reverie, checked his pocket one last time, and left his room.  He only took a couple of steps before he felt Virgil appear behind him and turned to face his boyfriend of four years.  Virgil was looking at him appreciatively with a cocked eyebrow.  It wasn't often Logan wore his dark blue blazer and form-fitting black trousers instead of jeans, and Logan knew Virgil enjoyed him in this particular outfit and the way it accentuated his broad shoulders and buttocks.  

Virgil raised his eyes to Logan's and gave him a questioning look.  Logan raised an imperious 'Can't I just dress up for my boyfriend' brow which was met by Virgil's condescending 'I know you better than that' huff.

“I have something to show you, it's not bad or time-sensitive, but it is important to me,” Logan said.  He wouldn't reveal any significant details, though they had talked about it in general before.  However, he also had to be careful not to make Virgil anxious over his little 'surprise'.

Logan faintly heard giggles from behind Patton's bedroom door.  Patton and Roman were in on the surprise, of course, it would affect them as well either way, so he'd made his intentions known.  They were prepared to celebrate with them if all went well or to offer support to them both if it didn't.  

“Is it someplace new?  Do I need to dress up?” Virgil asked.  He didn't seem too anxious, which was good.

“It's not new, though we haven't been there in a while, and you don't need to dress up.” Logan tried not to show his excitement or his nerves, though he was unsure how successful he was.  He'd been more emotionally expressive towards Virgil and it was difficult to rescind that.

Virgil gave Logan a small, reassuring smile but his eyes were slightly wary.  “Okay,” he took Logan's hand and squeezed it lightly, “Show me.”

Logan squeezed Virgil's hand back and gave him a gentle peck on the lips.

“You look wonderful.” He said as he sank them out of the hallway and into the lecture hall.

It took Virgil a moment to recognize the place, but when he did he smiled.

“It's not our anniversary, Lo.  But it is romantic to bring us back to where you 'first expressed your romantic feelings' for me and asked me out.”

Logan smiled back, recognizing the words he'd said on their one year anniversary.  When Virgil had been confused by Logan's unusually romantic picnic under the stars, he'd clarified that he considered it 'The anniversary of the day I first expressed my romantic feelings for you'.  He was rather touched that Virgil remembered.

“It's not our anniversary, no,” Logan replied, “but I do have another lesson for you.”

Virgil blushed but cocked a challenging eyebrow at Logan, sitting down casually in the same chair he'd sat in a little over four years ago.

“I'm ready when you are, professor.”

Logan adjusted his tie, took a steadying breath and turned on the projector, lighting up the screen with the opening slide which read: Why Virgil Should Marry Logan.  He was reaching for the accompanying note-packet when he heard Virgil gasp.  Logan looked up to see Virgil, eyes wide and welling with tears.  Definitely not the time for notes then.

Virgil swallowed and flung himself at Logan who caught him in a hug as Virgil snuffled and sniffed against his shoulder.

“You mean it?”

“I have 666 slides and a hand out note-packet that strongly suggest I do, very much mean it.”

Virgil leaned back a little in Logan's arms and swiped at his teary eyes, giving a watery chuckle.

“You stretched it to 666 slides because you know I like the number?”

“I condensed it to 666 slides because I thought you might enjoy that detail,” Logan corrected.

“So are you actually going to ask me or just try to convince me I should ask you?”  Virgil questioned, cocking his head a bit to the right.

Logan released Virgil and sank to one knee before him, reaching into his pocket for the small velvet box. “Virgil Sanders, I love you and will continue loving you for as long as I am able.  Would you please do me the great honor of being my husband?”  He opened the box, revealing a platinum ring with a stripe of onyx that completely circled the band.

Virgil opened his mouth and shut it again, opened once more, and gave up, nodding eagerly.

Logan would have preferred a verbal response, but it was more than satisfactory all the same.  He slipped the ring over Virgil's left ring finger and stood, Virgil pulling him into an amorous kiss as soon as he was on his feet.

Logan sank them out of the lecture hall and into the living room.  The lecture hall remained dimly lit, bright enough to take notes but not overwhelmingly bright, the projection screen showing the title of the lecture he never had to give:  Why Virgil Should Marry Logan.

Tag List: @undertakershairline  @imthemayan @aikogumi  @justanotherpurplebutterfly @anxietyisahufflepuff @logan-must-be-serious @myspace-anxiety @andy-the-anon @starving-for-stability @celiawhatsherlastname @emo-space-trash @irish-newzealand-idian-dutch @silver-owl413 @bubblycricket @sanderssunshinesides @bbcanimefangirl @analogically-prinxiety

[sidewritings]

When Shadows Meet

Summary: Something follows Virgil back to his room from Roman’s kingdom

Pairings: None

Genres: Fantasy?

Warnings: none

Word Count: 1657

Author’s Note: This fic is just an excuse for me to write about my beloved monster and dear friend.

Virgil wasn't a fan of Roman's creativity kingdom.  It was far too bright most of the time, it was dangerous and expansive, easy to get lost in. To make it worse, it was unpredictable for everyone but Roman.  He didn't like going on adventures in there, but he was trying to humor Roman and the other sides since they'd accepted him... and it helped that Logan got dragged along too.  At least he had someone to roll his eyes with and mutter about how extra everything was in there.

They'd been exploring in a covered wagon over the 'American plains' (Logan had spotted and quietly pointed out to Virgil several inaccuracies while Patton and Roman chatted away and enjoyed the adventure.  It was kind of like that game, Oregon trail, only without anyone dying of dysentery, or dying at all.  They'd been setting up camp for the 'night' when Virgil got a splitting headache and decided to duck out.  He'd said his goodbyes to Roman, Logan, and Patton and left Roman's room, heading for his own room and his bed.

A shadow slipped through the door behind Virgil and followed him unnoticed.

The monster didn't like the loud one's creativity kingdom.  For one thing, it was far too bright all the time.  During the day the sun shone bright and hot in the sky, and the plains had little shade or places to hide from the blinding rays.  Even at night, the stars shone too brightly, lighting up the world and leaving no spot untouched.  The colors were too saturated and hurt his eyes to look at.  

Then there was danger everywhere.  The plains were full of predators and herd creatures, birds overhead and snakes below.  None of the creatures liked him, being afraid of his size, his coloring, and his ability to change form at will.  No matter how small and unthreatening he made himself, the animals, and certainly the humans out here knew he was different and feared him, often lashing out at the monster.

The loud one's kingdom was also too big.  So much open space with no place to hide, it was terrifying.  He often got lost, accidentally wandering into another creature's territory just trying to find someplace where he would be safe.  It was scary and stressful and exhausting, and the poor monster felt hopeless.

Until he saw the shadowling. The shadowling and the cool one nearest him wore dark colors and weren't too loud or bright.  They spoke softly and seemed almost as out of place here as he was.  The loud one and his far-too-bright companion kept the monster from approaching, but he was intrigued. He turned himself into a little shadow and watched the strange group of humans set up a shelter for the night.

When the shadowling left the group and a door appeared before him, the monster followed.  He wanted to be anywhere but the bright, loud, open place, and if the shadowling was going there, maybe it would be a good place for him too.  The little shadow slipped through the door behind the shadowling just before it was closed behind him.

Virgil knew he was having a nightmare, but he couldn't make himself wake up.  He could distantly feel his body lying in bed, but that didn't help him stop hearing and seeing and smelling the horror in his dream.  He struggled, tossing and turning in his bed, running in his head, trying to escape.  Then he felt something large, wet, and a bit rough on the side of his face, and Virgil woke with a start, sitting up in bed and turning to see a pair of wide-set yellow eyes looking back at him.

He gasped and rolled to the other side of the bed, sheets wrapping around him as the creature scurried back, stopping against the far wall.  Virgil blinked, his eyes adjusting to the low-light of the room.  The yellow eyes were attached to a creature about the size of an adult German Shepherd dog, but it didn't look like any dog he'd ever seen.  It had horns for one thing, and dark green fur, long and rather soft looking.  The creature still had a bit of its tongue sticking out, and Virgil could see the edges of a couple sharp teeth.

“Were you trying to eat me?” Virgil asked the monster.  

The creature snorted and shook its large head, its tongue dripping spittle onto the carpet.

Virgil felt himself relax the tiniest bit. Waking up from a nightmare to a strange thing in his room still had him on edge, but the thing looked kind of cute and it wasn't attacking him.  He took a better look at it and noticed the way it was backed against the opposite wall, hooves digging into the carpet like it wanted to get further away.  

Virgil took a deep breath to calm down a little more, it was frightened of him too, and he needed to sort out what it was and why it was there.  It could be lost.

“It's okay,” He said, in his most soothing voice, “I won't hurt you if you don't hurt me.”

The creature bowed its head in a nod.

“Can,” Virgil felt silly for asking, “Can you understand me?”

“Yes”

Virgil yelled and startled bad enough that he fell out of bed, sheets still tangled around him.  He heard scuffling and a whine from the other side of the room, moving further away from him.  Virgil struggled and fought his way free of the sheets around him.  He took several calming breaths before he sat up slowly, noting lack of any serious injuries from his fall, and stood slowly.  The monster was now trying to hide behind his desk.

“Sorry, I didn't think you could talk.” Virgil rubbed the back of his neck, “and your voice... startled me.”

The creature whined, much like a dog.

“I'm sorry, I don't like it when people yell either.  I didn't mean to do it to you.” Virgil said, “You can come out, I won't hurt you, or yell again.”

The creature stayed where it was and shook its head.

Virgil sat on the bed, trying to look as non-threatening as he could.

“You can stay there for now if you want, but could you please tell me how you got here?”

The creature hesitated, his big yellow eyes on Virgil before letting out a small huff.

“I followed you from the bright place.”

Bright place, Virgil thought, trying to think of, oh, he got it.

“Roman's kingdom?”

“If that's what you call the loud one, yes.”

Virgil stifled a laugh at the thought of Roman being 'the loud one'. It suited him, but would make Roman upset to hear it.

“Why follow me?”

“You're quiet and dark. Nice.  I thought you'd go someplace quiet and dark, where I could hide.”

Virgil thought about it, he had thousands of more questions, but he was tired.  He needed to decide what to do about this and get back to sleep.  Only a couple more questions then.

“Why did you lick me?”

“To wake you up. You were upset. Bad dream?”  The creature cocked its head at an unnatural angle that, on another animal might have been terrifying, but on this creature was rather adorable.

“Yeah, bad dream,” Virgil agreed, scrubbing at his face.  He couldn't remember details now, but he knew it wasn't one of his milder nightmares.

Virgil blinked and his vision swam, he was too tired and needed to go back to sleep.  He hesitated, weighing his options before speaking.

“You can stay here tonight if you would like,” Virgil saw something on the creatures head twitch, he assumed it was an ear, “and we can talk more in the morning.”

“Thank you,” the creature said sounding a little surprised, “Where should I sleep?”

“Wherever, I can get you a blanket if...” Virgil trailed off, a little stunned as the creature changed size and shape.  It was the size and shape of a very fluffy house cat now, the only identifiers being the dark green fur and lack of visible pupils in its yellow eyes.  The creature walked over to Virgil’s bed, slipping underneath it easily.  Out of sight, the only evidence that it was there the abnormally loud purring coming from somewhere under the center of the bed frame.

“Okay then,” Virgil pulled up a blanket from the foot of his bed, not bothering with the sheet still on the floor.  He closed his eyes and started to fall back asleep as soon as his head hit the pillow.  As he began to drift off, a persistent question floated to the forefront of his thoughts, preventing him from fully falling asleep.

“What is your name?” Virgil asked.  The purring stopped.

The monster thought.  It had been a while since anything had reminded him that he even had a name. He couldn't remember much from before the bright place, but snippets returned to him slowly as he thought.  Smells returned to him, connected to a human who felt like home and a place that didn't.  The sight of a splotchy red face covered in tears and partially hidden by thick dark curls.  He remembered the sound of purring from above him and the cats that would occasionally sleep with him, instead of his human.  A voice, sweet and warm and loving and rough through sniffles after crying, wishing him goodnight.

“My name is Frank,” he said, unsure if the shadowling heard him or not.

“Hey, Frank,” Virgil's sleepy voice came from above him, somewhat muffled, probably by a pillow, “I'm Virgil.”

 They were both very tired, and Frank fell asleep, his tail curled around himself in a place that felt like home with a human who almost felt like home too.

Tag List: @not-so-innocent-bi-sander, @ashrain5  @sanders-trash-4ever @loverofpizzaandallthingssweet, @icecoldparadise, @sanspie122 @welcomebasketidiot  @armageddonhascome, @whatthefeelsiswrongwithme,  @irish-newzealand-idian-dutch, @aikogumi, @justanotherpurplebutterfly, @anxietyisahufflepuff, @tinysidestrashcaptain, @logan-must-be-serious, @myspace-anxiety, @andy-the-anon, @starving-for-stability

[sidewritings]

Obligatory Virgil Vent Fic

Pairing: None

Genre: Angst

Warnings: Crying, Exhaustion, feelings of helplessness, not a happy end in sight

Word Count: 227

Author’s Note: Please excuse this short drabble in which I project onto a beloved character.

Virgil slid down against his bedroom door, his headphones snug over his ears blasting music and tears streaming down his face.  He was exhausted from trying to be okay. Virgil was tired and aching and felt utterly helpless.  No matter how much he helped, no matter how well he did his job, he was lonely and unsatisfied.

Hey There Delilah played in his ears on repeat.  Not the angstiest song he had, but for whatever reason, it was the one making the tears roll down his cheeks.  Virgil shifted to lay on his side on the floor of his room, the cold door pressed against his back as he choked on sob after sob after sob.

A spike of pain went through his arm followed by one down his back.  Still crying with a tension headache already making itself known, Virgil forced himself to crawl over to his bed. He stripped off his skinny jeans and shirt before putting his hoodie back on.  It wasn’t much, but it was the closest he would get to the feeling of a hug.

Breath shakey and tears still falling, Virgil climbed into bed.  He wrapped himself in blankets and surrounded himself in pillows.  When he was done he huffed a rough sounding laugh through his tears, he truly was pathetic. 

Virgil fell asleep with tears still damp on his cheeks.

[sidewritings]

Fortunate Negotiations

Prompt: This post here

Pairings: Analogical, Royality

Genres: Fluff, romance,

Warnings: anxiety mention, college education mention

Word Count: 1370

Author’s Note: This is my gift for @analogically-prinxiety .  Happy @fander-secret-santa !!!  For quality control, this fic was edited by the wonderful @tinysidestrashcaptain who was also good enough to help me devise a title for this story.  Enjoy!

Logan straightened his tie one last time, checking his reflection in the full-length mirror on the back of his bedroom door. He and Virgil were going to dinner at a moderately upscale restaurant with Roman and Patton, and while the four of them usually got together at least once a week for informal hangout activities, this was their first time going out as two couples on a double date.

Logan frowned at his reflection, picked up a comb, and started fixing his hair. Roman and Patton had gotten together a month into their first semester at Uni and been a couple ever since. He had met Patton in an ethics class and been introduced to Roman shortly thereafter.  Logan and Virgil had met at University as well in an English class where they had been partnered for peer editing exercises. The four of them had quickly become close friends, even sharing an apartment for the last couple years of their undergrad programs.

After graduation,  Roman and Patton had purchased a house together. Patton had gone on to open Pattonly Adorable, a daycare service for children, with his double major in business and child development. Roman had gotten a job running the local theater and occasionally helped Patton with the daycare run out of the first floor of their home.

Logan had gone on to graduate school for a masters degree in astronomy and had taken a job at the University's planetarium immediately after receiving his second degree. He'd kept the apartment the four of them had shared, taking out a four-year lease on the place after Roman and Patton had bought their house, and asked Virgil to stay with him. Virgil had a degree in web design and could work from home, designing, maintaining, and fixing websites and social media accounts for various companies.

Logan checked his hair in the mirror and, satisfied, reached for the lens wipes to clean his glasses. Logan had only admitted his romantic feelings for Virgil to himself a year ago, but Virgil had been dating a nice young librarian at the time and he'd kept his feelings to himself. When Virgil had come home strangely quiet and very early from one of his dates, Logan had watched Steven Universe with him over tubs of ice cream and let Virgil tell him about his breakup. He still hadn't said anything. He'd only asked Virgil out a week ago when Virgil had made an account on Grindr.

He wasn't proud of it, but Logan had made an account too, and asked Virgil out through the app. Not his most shining moment, but it had worked. Virgil had shown up for their date and had not been at all surprised when StarProf72 had turned out to be him. They'd been together ever since that first awful date. Logan had spilled hot coffee on both of them, it had started raining while they walked home together, Virgil had tripped and headbutted Logan instead of a good night kiss. They both laughed about it and Virgil had made a joke that he was definitely the right person, since he still wanted to be with him after that terrible date.

Logan checked his glasses and put them back on. His appearance was satisfactory and he was determined that this date would go much smoother than their first. He would not order hot beverages or anything that could stain fabric if spilled. They were taking his car (Virgil didn't drive) and there was an umbrella in the trunk and one in the glove compartment. There wasn't really anything he could do to prevent Virgil from tripping but he intended to stay alert for any and all mishaps tonight and be prepared for anything.

Logan went to Virgil's room and knocked on the door. There was no answer and a quick peek inside showed that Virgil wasn't there and the bed was stripped. Odd, Virgil usually did laundry on Monday. Logan frowned a bit and closed Virgil's door. They should be leaving soon, perhaps he was already waiting for him. He went down the stairs and turned into the living room only to stop abruptly at the sight before him.

Well, he'd found Virgil's blankets and what looked like every pillow and cushion from the living room. There was an elaborate blanket and pillow fort complete with LED string lights inside taking up most of the living room floor.

“Virgil?” Logan asked.

He wasn't surprised when Virgil's head appeared in what he guessed was the 'door' to the pillow fort.

“Logan!” Virgil smiled at him, not an uncommon expression these days, but it was too forced and too bright. “I just finished the fort, what do you think?”

Logan noted the bags under Virgil's eyes, the slight edge to his voice, and the absence of creases at the corners of his eyes. He was definitely faking the smile and probably struggling with his anxiety again.

“It's a very well-constructed fort,” Logan replied, “you should be able to enjoy it when we get back. Are you ready?”

Virgil's smile vanished as he ducked back into the fort. “Not really feeling it, pocket protector. Go without me.”

Logan frowned. He understood Virgil had social anxiety which from time to time made him anxious about spending time with people, but these were their friends who had seen each other through illness and panic attacks and sleep deprivation and all manner of difficulties. Logan had thought they'd moved beyond this.

“That would rather defeat the purpose of a double date,” Logan replied, sitting at the foot of the stairs. “Virgil, please get out of that pillow fort. We’re supposed to have dinner with friends!”

“Counter-offer,” Virgil's voice came from inside the fort, “you join me, we rule this pillow kingdom together, watch Hocus Pocus, and eat popcorn for dinner.”

Logan chuckled, the offer was tempting but they'd made plans. At least Virgil was bargaining now; he could work with that.

“Counter-Counter Offer: You come out of there, we go to dinner as a couple with our friends, then we come back and cuddle in the pillow fort and watch any movie of your choice.”

“Counterproposal to your counter-counter offer: We cancel fancy dinner plans with Sir-Sing-Alot and the love of his life and just do our normal hang-out this weekend, then order takeout and cuddle in the fort, my treat.”

Logan groaned. Negotiations were not going his way at all.

“Why don't you want to go to dinner, Verge? Is it the restaurant? Is it...” Logan didn't want to voice that terrible little thought in the back of his mind, but it was a concern he'd have to voice to get rid of, “Is it me? Is it that you don't want to be seen as a couple with me?”

Virgil crawled out of the pillow fort and over to Logan who he hugged tight.  Now that he was out of the pillow fort, Logan could see he was wearing a nice pair of black slacks and a plain black tee shirt.  

“Of course not, Logan. You're my boyfriend, and I'm proud to be with you.”

Logan took a slow steadying breath, “Okay, then why-”

“I got makeup on my last clean shirt that's nice enough to wear to this restaurant.”

Logan looked at Virgil to see if he was joking. At the earnest expression on Virgil's face, Logan tried unsuccessfully to stifle a giggle. Next thing he knew they were both howling with laughter, clutching each other and gasping for breath.

“My pillow fort for a clean shirt.” Virgil deadpanned when they'd both finally calmed down enough to speak.

Logan sniggered and stood up, pulling his ridiculous boyfriend with him.

“Come on, you can borrow one of my shirts. We're going to be late.”

“Fine,” Virgil said, still smiling as he followed Logan back up to his room, “but we still get to cuddle in the pillow fort afterward, okay?”

“We'll resume negotiations after dinner,” Logan said, but he knew they'd be cuddled up in Virgil's blanket fort later. The rest was just enjoyable banter over the details.

Tag List: @aikogumi @justanotherpurplebutterfly @anxietyisahufflepuff @tinysidestrashcaptain @logan-must-be-serious @myspace-anxiety @andy-the-anon @starving-for-stability @celiawhatsherlastname @emo-space-trash @irish-newzealand-idian-dutch @silver-owl413 @bubblycricket @sanderssunshinesides @bbcanimephangirl

[sidewritings]

Rotten As You

Genre: ANGST, kinda horror(ish)

Warnings: violence, implied character death, unkind words

Word Count: 487

Author’s Note: This fic is for the wonderful @thelogicalloganipus .  It is a bit out of my comfort zone and is NOT the fluffy, romantic fic I usually post. Read at your own discretion

Virgil was nearing the end of his patience.  He and Princey had started arguing over potential ideas for the next video, nothing new there, but it had escalated quickly.  Logan had already removed himself and Patton from the room for their own safety.  That had been a while ago.  Now Roman looked ready to draw his sword and Virgil's angry flush was showing through his foundation.

“Would you stop ruining my dreams for once in your miserable life, you monster!?”  

That was the final straw.  The room, which had been warm suddenly felt cold and the flush fled Virgil's cheeks, leaving a frigid anger in its place.  Roman looked torn between wishing he could take those words back and wishing he had said something more hurtful, but Virgil was beyond caring.

“I’m a monster, sure.”  Virgil said, the distortion beginning to take over his voice, “A terror, a menace, a blight upon this earth. But I will never be as rotten as you.”

Virgil only stopped when he was toe to toe with Roman who still glared at him.  Virgil could smell and practically taste Roman's fear.  Even before, when he'd just been Anxiety, none of them had seen him at his most vicious.  Well, Roman was about to have the privilege.  Virgil shrugged off his hoodie and the dark shadows that he hid inside, their worst fears, wound themselves around himself and Roman, darkening the room.

“I protect Thomas, not you.  I look after the others' wellbeing while you tear them down to feed your insatiable ego.”

Roman wasn't glaring at him anymore, he'd drawn his sword, pathetic thing that it was, and was watching the shadows warily.

“You're nothing but a thin veneer of vanity, a crumbling superiority complex trying to cover up how pathetic and useless you know you are.”

Virgil's teeth grew pointed in his mouth and his eyes took on an eerie yellow glow.

“You're no Prince.”

Roman lunged and ran his sword clean through Virgil's stomach. Virgil looked down at the spreading red stain on his purple shirt in surprise and looked back at Roman who looked just as surprised as Virgil felt.  He fell to his knees, sword still in his midsection.

“So,” Virgil said as Roman fell to his knees beside him, “you'd kill me. You know Thomas can't function without me.”

Roman shook his head to deny it.

“I thought you were a demon!  Virgil, come on, you're gonna be okay.”

Virgil laughed, spitting up blood, much to Roman's panic.  

“I would never have hurt you.”

Everything felt cold and distant.  He could see Roman’s mouth move and tears starting to fall from his eyes.  Virgil heard indistinct voices and screams.  He distantly felt the sword being removed from his body, as everything went dark.

“Never as rotten as you.”

Tag List: @aikogumi @justanotherpurplebutterfly @anxietyisahufflepuff @tinysidestrashcaptain @myspace-anxiety @andy-the-anon @starving-for-stability @celiawhatsherlastname @emo-space-trash @irish-newzealand-idian-dutch@silver-owl413 @silver-owl413 @bubblycricket @sanderssunshinesides

[sidewritings]

From Me To You

Prompt: Ummm… can I get some LAMP set right after accepting anxiety with the sides finding little presents from Virgil who’s trying to say thanks for caring enough to bring him back. The others decide to show him just how much they want him there.  @bubblycricket

Additional request: fluffy af please. If there happens to be a moment where Virgil thinks he's in trouble for it and then is wholesomely surprised when it turns out hes not, who would complain? @irrelevantbutfabulous

Pairings: LAMP Polysides

Genres: Fluff, romance, comfort 

Warnings: None come to mind, let me know if any are needed, will add

Word Count: 2808 (It ran away with me, I’m sorry)

Author’s Note: I am sick as heck and decided to use my time stuck in bed to write this. Special thank you to @tinysidestrashcaptain for coming up with the gift for Logan. I was super stumped by that.  I apologize if this doesn’t fit the prompt exactly.  There’s something about ‘little presents’ that didn’t translate to me.

Logan found them first.  He woke up promptly at 7:00am, cleaned and dressed himself, and was down in the kitchen for his coffee at 7:15am.  Once he'd finished his first cup of coffee and was preparing the second (black with five teaspoons of sugar), he finally noticed some oddly shaped packages on the coffee table in the living room. 

Sipping at his coffee, he walked over to examine them.  There was a manila envelope with his name on it closest to his spot by the hallway when they made videos. There was a large box about the size of a human torso lying horizontally nearest Roman's spot wrapped in red paper and the royal's name scrawled in one corner. A slightly smaller box stood on its end by Patton's spot near the window.  The box was wrapped in pale blue paper with rubber duckies printed on it. A series of small, neat holes in the top of the box spelled Patton's name.

They appeared to be gifts, but Logan was cautious.  New things that appeared in the mind-scape were often Roman's doing, and anything Roman did was highly unpredictable. The absence of a gift for Virgil could mean any number of things, but the presence of a gift for Roman meant it was unlikely the packages were left by Princey.  Deciding it was too early in the morning to try to solve mysteries that would eventually solve themselves, Logan took a seat in his favorite spot and waited for the others.  

Patton was the next to arrive, coming downstairs cheerfully humming with a little spring in his step none of the other sides could manage (or would want to) so early. A cheerful 'good morning, Logan!' was followed by much excitement over the gifts.

“Presents!  Awww, how sweet. We should open them...”

“Inadvisable.  We don't know where they came from or why they're here.”

“Oh, we should wait for Roman! He has a gift too. But there's none for Virgil, maybe I can make something for him before he wakes up!”

“That's a possibility, but there are still too many unknown variables,”

“Good morning, did I hear something about gifts?”

“Good day, Roman.”

“Hey, good morning Roman! Yeah, someone left us presents.  Logan doesn't think we should open them though.  Something about unknown vegetables.”

“Unknown variables, Patton.”

There was a short bout of bickering, ended temporarily by Roman's stomach growling. An agreement was reached to come back to the argument once they'd eaten. Patton went to the kitchen to make them all breakfast, Logan following to make more coffee for Roman and Virgil when he woke up (Patton did not require caffeination like the rest of them).  Roman stayed in the living room, looking over the packages, lifting them, and looking for clues.  Aside from the fact that Logan's gift seemed to be some kind of paper thing (the envelope read DO NOT BEND) on the back), and Roman's was not only larger but significantly heavier than the other gifts, and Patton's did not seem to be alive, despite the holes in the top, there was little he could figure out.

They ate their Mickey Mouse pancakes that Patton made (it was just three little pancakes connected, but it was a huge improvement in his cooking skill) and discussed what to do.  Logan was easily overruled by Patton and Roman who hurried through breakfast to go open their gifts as soon as possible.

Moments later they were kneeling around the coffee table in front of their gifts. Patton tore his open with wild abandon, ripping off the ducky paper and rending the box. Seeing the contents his eyes went wide and he squealed with joy, lovingly plucking the stuffed Winnie the Pooh from the box and giving it a hug.

“I love you, Dad” came a sweet, small voice from the bear.

Patton's eyes opened impossibly wider, welling with tears as he emitted a shriek of pure joy and squeezed the bear again.

“You're a good man, Patton-cake!”

A single tear slid down Patton's cheek, “I will love you forever,” he whispered, holding the bear loosely and reverently in his arms.

“My turn!” Roman said, digging into his box with almost as much enthusiasm as Patton.  His eyes shown with wonderment as he carefully lifted out the medieval torso armor from the box.  The steel was polished to a high shine and in the center section of the chest was a decorative gold lion.

“Oh, you received a cuirass. That should come in handy on your adventures.” Logan said, admiring the practicality of the gift.

“This is... the Most EPIC THING!” Roman proclaimed, “And it matches my outfit!”

Logan rolled his eyes as Patton helped Roman into his new armor.  Ignoring their struggle, Logan carefully lifted the envelope with his name on it and produced a letter opener, carefully slicing open the paper flap.  There was indeed, just a piece of paper inside, and neither Patton's nor Roman's gifts had proved dangerous, so Logan reached in and took out his gift.

It was a beautifully accurate and detailed star chart.  According to the information at the bottom (and his own understanding of astronomy), it showed the stars as they had looked from Thomas's home at the date and approximate time of Logan beating Princey in that rap battle. A slow, inexorable smile lit his face.

“This is... a most thoughtful, if not practical gift.  Who could be responsible?”

“Yes!  We must discover who is responsible for this incredible masterpiece,”  Roman announced, theatrically gesturing to the detailed lion adorning his chest.

“You guys don't already know?”

Roman and Logan looked at a grinning Patton quizzically.

“It was Virgil!  He's the only one who didn't get a gift and each of the gifts is something unique to us and our interests.”

Logan nodded, “He is the most likely culprit, and he's the one with the best motive.”

“What motive?” Roman looked between Logan and Patton, still confused.

“Gratitude.  He's saying thank you for bringing him back when Thomas needed him.”

There was a moment of silence while the three sides contemplated their gifts in this new light.

“We need to do something for him!”  Roman declared, rising from the floor and pulling the others with him.  “We're going to thank him as well!”

Virgil rolled out of bed around noon and shuffled to the shower.  There was some commotion in the commons below, but he ignored it.  If it was that important he would have been called down already. He'd been up until early that morning finishing their gifts; checking and rechecking the accuracy of the star chart, figuring out the right compliments for Patton's bear to say, and the metal work on Princey's cuirass had been excruciatingly detailed, taking him hours to perfect.

Virgil showered, brushed his teeth, did his makeup, and got dressed, finished with the all-important hoodie, before heading downstairs. If they wanted to scold him for leaving Thomas so unprotected, he was as ready as he could be, and if they chose to ignore him, he was prepared for that too.

Walking down the stairs with a yawn, he wasn't prepared for the comfortable dimness of the room. Normally the lights were almost aggressively bright, but someone had closed the window shades, turned off the overhead light, and put light fabric covers over a couple of lamps that were on. It made the room, cozy. 

The kitchen was also in a cozy state of dim lighting, and standing by the counter were Logan, Roman, and Patton.  Virgil figured it was probably an intervention of some kind. At least they hadn't been stupid enough to come into his room this time.  Roman pulling out his chair at the table had to be a power play of some kind. Fine, he'd play along.  Logan handing him his coffee fixed to his personal preference (lots of milk, a little sugar) was probably to ensure he was awake and responsive during this.  Patton placing a plate of delicious looking breakfast food in front of him... well, it's Patton.  Being impossibly kind and feeding his 'kiddos' were what he did best.

Logan sat to his right, Patton on his left, and Princey sat across from him at the table.  

“Hey, Verge, did you sleep okay?” Patton asked.

“Yeah, fine.” He wasn't about to tell them how late he'd stayed up working on their gifts.

“Glad to hear it, kiddo! Do you have any plans today?”  

It was a good thing he didn't because it seems like they would've been interrupted anyway.

“No.  I was just gonna listen to my music.”

“Well, we were thinking of taking a relaxing day too. Why don't you join us for a movie?” Roman asked, somehow hopeful and apprehensive.

“Uh, sure,” Virgil responded, looking around at everyone else in confusion. If they wanted to talk to him, a movie wasn't really the best way.  Oh crap, he'd said yes. Now he was going to have to listen to them arguing over which movie to watch and then sit through whichever movie they chose.

“Great!” Virgil turned to stare at Logan who had just exclaimed so loudly, “Uh, I mean, that is acceptable.”

Virgil finished his, well, not breakfast, more like lunch, and, surprisingly, Logan grabbed the dishes and offered to watch them while they set up the movie.  The anxious side braced himself for the bickering he expected to follow, but instead, Princey went to the TV and turned it on, grabbing a DVD case on the way.  Patton held Virgil's arm and pulled him to sit next to him on the couch.

“I got the nicest gift today! Someone, they didn't leave their name, gave me a Winnie the Pooh bear!  And he compliments me when I give him a hug!”  Patton picked up the bear from its seat on the back of the couch and held him out to Virgil. “Isn't he the best thing!”

Virgil smiled one of his tiny, closed mouth one-side-lifting-slightly smiles. He was glad Patton liked it, and he'd be relieved that the other sides hadn't figured out the gifts were from him, if not for the mischievous twinkle in Patton's eyes.

“Yeah Patton, that's... that's a great bear.”

Patton beamed and held the bear gently to his chest. He leaned over and rested his head on Virgil's shoulder.

“Is this okay kiddo?”

Virgil froze. Patton had been casually physical with Roman and Logan since just before Valentine's day but hadn't done this almost snuggling with him before.

“Sure... you can make yourself comfortable... if you want.”  He was pretty sure he was blushing through his makeup.

Patton scootched a little closer and rested his hand on Virgil's knee, sighing as he relaxed into Virgil's side. The feeling of the moral side relaxing against him made him relax a bit too.  Maybe interventions wouldn't be so bad if they included food and movies and cuddling Patton like this.

Roman finished with the tv and flopped onto the couch on Virgil's other side.

“You almost finished out there Sherlock?  It's movie time!”  the royal called to the kitchen.

“Done!” Logan came into the living room moments later, sitting on the other side of Roman.

A press of the remote and the Black Cauldron started to play. Verge looked over at Roman, but he was already engrossed in the movie.  He looked at Logan who was openly looking back at him quizzically as if to say, is this not to your liking?  Virgil shrugged the shoulder not occupied by Patton and started watching the movie.

While Taran met Gurgi in the forest on screen, Princey was squirming in his seat beside Virgil.  

“You okay, Princey?” Virgil asked, eying Roman with concern and curiosity.

“Just a tad uncomfortable. Can't seem to find a good position.” Roman replied, still shifting about.

“Then find a comfortable position and stop moving. You're being a distraction,” Logan hissed quietly.

Roman huffed quietly with a dramatic eye roll and flopped over, putting his head in Virgil's lap and swinging his legs across Logan's. Logan rested his arms on Princey's legs and continued watching, he had been slowly acclimating to this sort of physical contact.  Virgil froze until he felt Patton squeeze his knee and nuzzle his shoulder.

So that was their game.  This wasn't an elaborate intervention to tell him off for leaving (or, if it was, they were taking their sweet time).  They were making an effort to include him and make him feel comfortable with them. Virgil relaxed and began paying attention to the movie again as Hen Wen ran from the Horn King's dragons.

Logan got up to get drinks and make popcorn right after Taran, the princess, and the bard escaped the castle.  Virgil thought it a rather odd time to do so, since it was about the half-way point of the movie, but he was trying, in his own way.  What stumped the heck out of him was when Logan came back, placing popcorn and beverages on the coffee table, sat on the floor in front of Virgil, close to but not touching him.

Roman grumbled about Logan blocking his view and sat up again, this time putting his arm on the back of the couch around Virgil's shoulders. A light push from Patton had Virgil leaning into Roman, and Roman's arm draped over his shoulders instead.  Patton himself laid his head on Virgil's lap, his hand reaching over the edge of the couch where, Virgil presumed, he held Logan's hand.

No one moved to grab their drink or grab a handful of popcorn.

As the credits began to roll, Patton sat up and stretched, Logan reached for the remote, and Roman moved his arm. Virgil was a bit disappointed. He had really enjoyed the physical closeness and feeling so, well, included with everyone. He moved away from Roman a bit as Logan got up to take out the DVD.  Patton stood up and stretched with an adorable yawn.  Roman got up and offered a hand to Virgil, who took it, not wanting this physical intimacy to end just yet.

“Okay, I need a break after that one,” Patton said.

Virgil nodded, yeah, he got the message, party over.

“How about 15 minutes so I change into my cat onesie and we can all stretch and maybe use the bathroom before the next movie?”

Virgil stared at Patton.  He, wanted to keep doing this?  What about the others? Logan had already put away Black Cauldron and was opening The Nightmare Before Christmas DVD box.  Roman was just smiling at him, still holding his hand even though they'd both been standing for a while now.  Virgil felt another blush spread on his cheeks and creep down his neck to his chest.

“Yeah, sounds good,” Virgil said, a bit hesitantly but genuinely.

“Epic! I'm changing into my pajamas then.” Roman squeezed his hand before releasing it and heading to his room to change.

“Acceptable parameters, though I have no intentions of changing,” Logan said from in front of the tv.

“Fine, more onesie for me!”  Patton sank out to go change, with Roman calling after him, “That's not how it works!”

Virgil ducked his head to hide a grin, not that anyone was looking anyway. As he began climbing the stairs, Logan cleared his throat.

“That was a very thoughtful gift I received this morning.  I hope the bestower knows that I value it greatly.”

Yeah, they totally knew he was responsible for their gifts, and instead of calling him out on it and making him uncomfortable, they'd chosen to acknowledge it indirectly and still show him that they care. Virgil's chest swelled and he felt warm all over.

“I'm sure they do.” He said and continued up the stairs to his room to change.

Several hours later found the four of them on the couch fast asleep in various states of undress, cuddled up to each other as the credits from Fantasia played.  Logan was in sleep pants and a softer button down, necktie slightly askew and glasses on the coffee table.  He was curled around a sleeping Patton in his cat onesie, looking peaceful with a tiny smile on his lips and a Pooh bear in his arms. Virgil was in a different tee shirt and sleep pants, forgoing the hoodie just this once. He was holding onto and held tight by Roman who wore only sleep pants, a blanket from the back of the couch draped over them both.   It was a peaceful night's rest for all.

Additional Author’s Note: I literally watched The Black Cauldron for the first time ever today because of this fic.  Now that I have finally finished, I’m going to watch Winnie The Pooh: Boo to You Too, my favorite Halloween movie.