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lovelivingmydreams · 4 years ago

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A might have been part 3

@Rondoe well, I wouldn’t dare make you wait. Here’s the next installment of my @kingcreativityau au. Hope you all like it. And no I’m not don yet.

Part 1

Part 2

Growing together

And now everyone was looking at him curiously. Why did he have to open his mouth?

It was somewhere in middle school when Prince came with an announcement.

“We should have names!”

Everyone looked up at that. “What do you mean kiddo? We have names,” Morality wondered.

“No. We have titles. I mean real names!” Prince insisted.

A few moments passed by. “That sounds good actually,” Fear muttered softly. Middle school was hard on him. There was so much to worry about and so many expectations. And now mother had scheduled an appointment with a doctor to address the worries Thomas was having.

He tried to handle them. But lately there were always some creatures following him around and he didn’t always have the energy to deal with them head on.

“I mean… I just… Well…” How to explain?

“It would be beneficial to differentiate between the side and their job,” Logic voiced.

Fear nodded. Relieved someone else thought so too. He hated telling the twins ‘No’. Especially Prince, who always took it personal. The thing was, he thought most of their ideas sounded great. But he also felt he needed to contain them a bit for Thomas’ sake.

And every time he did, he felt like he might as well have punched them.

He hadn’t expected Logic to be the one to understand that and put it into words so well.

“Exactly! I even already thought of one for me!” Prince grinned proudly.

“From now on, you may call me Prince Roman!” he declared.

“Oooh! Then I wanna be Remus!” Duke, or Remus jumped in.

“Oh, this sounds fun! Let’s all meet up tonight and go around reintroducing ourselves alright?”

Everyone nodded and went on with their activities of the day while thinking about names.

When the evening came they all sat in a circle.

“I’ll start!” Morality suggested cheerily. “Logic helped me pick this one out,” he explained with a warm smile to the studious side who merely nodded in acknowledgement.

“You all know me as Morality. And I’ll always try and make sure Thomas is a good person and that you all are looked after. I might sometimes have to put my foot down for that, but I want you to know that I don’t love you any less when I do that than when I go along with your ideas.

Call me Patton, of dad if you want,” he explained with a wave.

Then he grinned widely. “It’s funny, you see, because it’s like Paternal, which means fatherly, and Pathos which is about arguments driven by emotion. It’s a pun!” he giggled. Everyone smiled at that. Morality… Patton, loved his puns.

“Now you go Logic!” he suggested.

Logic nodded and adjusted his glasses. “You know me as Logic. I will always strive for efficiency and intelligent decisions. But… I suppose I quite enjoy some of all of your ‘zanier’ antics and while I might try to put a stop to them in pursuit of my purpose, that does not mean I don’t appreciate your company. Call me Logan… Or if you must, Teacher,” he allowed the last bit with a nod to Roman who had been calling him that on and off since the twins formed. The prince beamed at Logan’s official acceptance of that nickname.

“Logan is not only similar to my title, but it also refers to Logos, arguments based on reason.”

Patton clapped his hands in excitement.

“You wanna officially introduce yourselves too kiddo’s?” he asked the twins.

Roman nodded eagerly. “You know me as the Prince! Thomas’ honor, dreams and creative exploits are my top priority. I may get carried away by that sometimes. Therefore I want you to know, that even when I don’t act like it, I know that you all care for me, and I care for you in return.” Fear might be imagining it, but he felt like that was added for his benefit. It was a relief though. He was really starting to worry he was making his closest friends hate him.

Please call me Roman,” Prince bowed. “It refers to the great Roman Empire and Romance! The most epic of adventures!” he explained proudly.

“I am the Duke! And I just want to have a good time. I like you guys though! Even if you’re boring sometimes. Call me Remus!”

Everyone chuckles. If Remus had wanted to shock them, he would’ve joined in the mushy reintroduction theme. But he was being his classical self.

Though now that Fear thought about it… Had Remus put more thought in his name than just that it related to Roman’s? Should they talk about this?

“Alright! Just two more! Fear? Do you want to go next?” Morality asked kindly.

Fear snapped out of his miniature crisis.

“Um… Okay…” he sighed, shoving his hands into his hoodie pockets. “I’m fear,” for now. “And I’ll worry a lot. And I’ll second guess whether we should do anything a lot. Even when I get my way, I’ll wonder if that was the right thing. But, I just want everyone to be safe. I… You can call me Virgil.”

Everyone smiled at him. “I see. It’s a play on ‘Vigilant’ and a reference to the Roman poet of the same name. Thomas researched him recently for a school project,” Logan deduced.

“Um… Yeah. He sounded pretty cool,” Virgil admitted, feeling a bit better now that that part was over.

“It’s a great name Virgil,” Patton assured him.

“Indeed! A wonderful fit!” Roman agreed. Virgil smiled and relaxed. He’d been worried they’d think it was weird.

Then everyone turned to Deceit.

“I’m not telling,” he smirked deviously.

“Come on!” Roman complained.

“Even if I did. How are you so sure I’d be telling the truth?” he asked coyly as he studied his nails.

Virgil rolled his eyes. Dee and his dramatics. But, Virgil had promised Dee that he would have his back.

“If he isn’t ready to tell us then that’s fine. Right?” he spoke up.

The others exchanged glances. “I suppose,” Roman groaned reluctantly. Not a fan of not being in on secrets.

“Virgil has a good point. Deceit can tell us whenever he feels ready,” Patton agreed.

Everyone left it at that and went back to work.

Then the dreaded doctor’s visit came. Everyone was sitting listening tensely as the doctor explained things to mother.

Virgil was curled up in the middle, flanked by Roman and Patton. Remus was standing with Deceit and Logan a few steps back.

Anxiety. Virgil was now officially, Anxiety. He hated it.

Roman had one arm around his shoulders and squeezed it. “It’s not so bad…” he tried.

“Thomas is going to hate me,” Virgil stated. Of course he would. Fear was bad enough, but Anxiety?

Roman frowned. “No he won’t!” he insisted. And then Thomas spoke up.

“So… It’s like having a very protective friend in my head?” he asked nervously.

Virgil’s head shot up. What… How?

“Roman! That’s so sweet!” Patton smiled proudly.

Virgil blinked up at Roman while the doctor chuckled and agreed that that was a good way to look at it.

“Your… Friend, can be overly cautious though. And sometimes he will make you think things are worse than they are. He may assume bad things will happen when there is no reason to think that. And sometimes he might think you are in real danger when you are not. So it is important to learn how to work with him. Ready to help your anxiety out Thomas?”

Thomas nodded and Virgil felt like he could cry.

“Thanks Ro…” he smiled.

“Of course V. I wasn’t going to let some doctor talk badly about my best friend,” he stated firmly.

Virgil relaxed a little and Thomas followed suit.

Things didn’t exactly suddenly go over roses now that Thomas was aware of Virgil’s intentions.

And Virgil was not rid of his old demons.

“Hey,” he muttered as he approached the twins in the dream room. A stress bunny jumping around his feet.

“Virgil… There is something right… There,” Roman pointed out, gesturing to the bunny.

“I know… I can’t get it to go away,” Virgil sighed tiredly as he sat down and curled up on himself.

“… Why not?” Remus wondered. Virgil always made the doubts go away somehow.

“Because this one is my own thoughts, not Thomas’.” Virgil explained.

“Can we help?” Roman offered, hating to see his friend suffer.

“Can…” Virgil’s eyes filled with tears. “Can you promise you won’t leave?” he sobbed. The thought had been plaguing him on and off for ages, and now it just would not go away.

Remus and Roman sat themselves down, flanking Virgil’s shaking frame.

“Why would you think that?” Roman asked perplexed.

“He did. I… I didn’t protect him right and he left!” he sobbed. The twins looked at each other shocked. They knew who he was talking about. King.

They remembered how broken Virgil had been when they formed. They’d felt bad for being the reason he was hurting.

“Well, we aren’t going anywhere. Teasing you is way too much fun!” Remus cackled a little uncomfortable with the looming shadow of their previous form hanging over their heads.

“Indeed! I would be a rather sorry excuse for a prince if I left my most trusted knight behind wouldn’t I?”

Virgil looked up at them. He wanted to believe them so badly.

“Promise?” he insisted.

“Hope to die, stick my but full of cacti!” Remus nodded as he crossed his heart, making Virgil chuckle lightly.

“I solemnly swear that I shall not permit myself to leave your side in any permanent manner,” Roman vowed.

Virgil took in a deep breath and saw the bunny dissolve, it was enough…

It really wasn’t.

“Why not?” Roman demanded.

“Because people will be staring and when we mess up everyone will laugh at us!” Virgil replied.

“Why are you suddenly like this!? You used to love my ideas?” the prince wondered. Virgil was too worked up to notice the way his voice broke and the silent plea in his eye. He would realize all this later though, when all he could do about it was berate himself for it for months to come.

“I’ve always been like this Roman! I’m trying to keep us safe! You used to not be covered in bruises all the time from the other kids being mean to Thomas!” he countered indicating the fresh mark on the Prince’s cheek.

Roman flinched away and covered the mark self-consciously. “Well, I’m sorry I’m not as perfect as I used to be! I’m trying!”

That shut Virgil up. “Princey… I’m sorry, I never meant to make you feel like you did something wrong,” he whispered.

Roman was fighting to hold back tears now. He couldn’t cry. Heroes don’t cry.

“You say that but, you haven’t really hung out with us for weeks. You are always of chasing shadows and when you aren’t… Is it me? Did I do something wrong? I’m sorry I’m not him. I’m working so hard to be like him though. I just, don’t know how he kept you happy,” Roman confessed, not looking at Virgil, playing with the edge of his shirt instead.

“Roman, I never wanted you or Remus to be him. And I was different back then too. Dealing with me was easier back then. K-” Suddenly Virgil felt his hand clasp in front of his mouth. What…? Deceit.

Virgil frowned and managed to release his hold of his mouth.

“Give me a second Ro. I’ll be right back. We can talk about this while watching a movie or something okay? And… We’ll see about trying out later. Maybe I was… doing those negative thinking things the doctor told us about,” Virgil allowed. Roman looked up at him with a shaky smile.

“Really? You’ll hear me out?” he asked.

“Really. I shouldn’t have shut you down like that,” Virgil acknowledged. He did that sometimes. Let his job overtake his own judgement. The thoughts were just so hard to ignore sometimes.

Now however he had a snake to deal with.

“Janus!” Virgil growled when he got to the willow. He and Remus were told Jan’s name a while ago.

Why them and not the rest neither knew but they kept the secret.

“What is it Virgil?” Janus drawled as he got up from his spot in the grass.

“Why did you make K… Him taboo?” Virgil growled. He could understand Janus’ position on most things. Though they rarely agreed. Virgil had supported the others in the decision to stay true to Thomas’ true self as opposed to pretending so they could fit in. He wasn’t sure if he liked the consequences of this decision, but the alternative had filled him with even more dread. He could not let Thomas put himself in a situation where every action actually had to be second guessed in order to keep up the act.

Janus had understood his position too and there were no hard feelings.

But this… This was a bit too far.

“No use in dwelling on the past Virgil. Surely you see that? The taboo has been in place for years and you only now noticed?” Janus pointed out.

“Because no one else was talking about him! Do you know how often I hid away to mourn him on my own because I thought no one cared!?” Virgil demanded. Janus was a bit taken aback by this and even looked a little guilty. He had resented Patton for using Virgil’s grief to get closer to him, but was making King a taboo really necessary? Had it been right to deny Virgil the ability to talk through his grief?

“That’s not important though. Roman is asking about him and I don’t care if you hated him. Roman needs…”

Suddenly Virgil was shoved against the tree, a hand on his throat.

“How dare you? How dare you say that I hated him!?” Janus growled. “You know nothing!”

“Wha… What am I supposed to think?” Virgil gasped. “With how you always hid from him. What he did to you. And how you treated the twins at first,” he explained as he tried to break free from the grasp. “You never told me anything. No one did. Not even him!”

Then the grip was gone and Virgil fell to his knees. Coughing something fierce.

“I’m sorry. You are right,” Janus admitted, trying to collect himself again. He shouldn’t let it get to him. It’s been years.

“But the past is in the past. There is no use upsetting anyone by bringing it up,” Janus decided. “Roman thinks he’s falling short. I need to talk about Him to explain that he isn’t!” Virgil insisted.

Janus was silent for a moment. “Fine. You have an hour.” Janus allowed.

Virgil didn’t waste a moment and hurried to Roman’s room where he found everything set up for movie night.

“Are you sure you have time for a movie? We can do this some other day or…” Roman wondered, playing with his sash nervously.

Virgil rarely saw Roman so insecure. Only when they were alone together. Was it ecause he was anxiety? Did he somehow affect the others the way his corner of the mind would?

Or maybe, maybe Roman just let down his guard around him. Remus had that with Jan, Virgil could tell the chaotic side went to the willow when he was feeling down and he was always in better spirits when he returned. It was a relief to know that Remus had someone to rely on when Virgil couldn’t be there.

King used to sometimes show him a brief glimpse into his fears and insecurities, but that was it. Virgil couldn’t recall a single time he actually admitted to those things out loud. He might’ve that day. But not to him.

Virgil didn’t know why Roman would turn to him of all sides if that was what this was, but he would do his best to be there for him regardless.

“I’m never sure. But I made a decision. Let’s do this,” Virgil said as he sat down next to Roman who started the movie. Virgil didn’t even register which one it was. Just that it had the Disney theme music at the start.

“King was my first friend,” he started.

“He was… larger than life. Always seemed to know just what to do, though he was winging it most of the time. Making a plan was not his strong suit,” he recalled fondly.

“He messed up a lot actually, though I didn’t always see it like that at the time.

He had a very hard time listening to others. Pat and Logan had the hardest time getting through to him. He would take time to listen to me, but mostly to put my worries at ease. Sometimes that would lead to an idea and he’d be off creating something. I remember chasing after him a lot.

He struggled giving other’s credit for their work at times, though he tried, he just always had to work in a complement for himself as well. And you would never catch him admitting he had flaws.

I cared about him. More than I ever got to tell him. But he wasn’t perfect Ro. And that was fine by me,” he explained. Roman was listening with wide eyes to this story, the most he’d ever heard anyone say of his and Remus’ original form. This was the most he’d heard Virgil say in one go to be honest.

“Was he handsome?” he then asked.

Virgil laughed at that. “Really? That’s what you want to know?”

Roman’s firm nod made Virgil roll his eyes. “I guess,” he shrugged. “Not as handsome as you though,” he assured the prince. Roman chuckled and punched Virgil’s shoulder. “Stop it! You’ll make me blush!”

They laughed together a bit and then Virgil got serious again.

“My happiness didn’t fall solely on him though. Pat and Lo were there for me too. Even Dee helped out a few times though we only really got close after… Anyway. It wasn’t his job to make me happy, and it isn’t yours. We do this stuff together, all of us. Right?”

Roman nodded. Right. The six of them together. It was hard to remember that he could rely on them sometimes. He was a Prince. Wasn’t he supposed to be able to fix things on his own? To protect them?

But Virgil doesn’t lie… So maybe he could try to allow himself to need the others…

Then Virgil sighed. “IF, we try out, we have to be super prepared. I don’t want to hear you complain about having to practice our audition song over and over. Got it?”

Roman’s face lit up at that. “You mean it?” he asked.

“IF,” Virgil repeated. “We have to talk about it with the others first. This’ll affect all of us,” Virgil warned. “And only if you promise.”

Roman nodded. “I promise! Let’s go tell the rest now!” And just like that the movie was abandoned in favor of rushing to meet the others in the front of the mind.

Needless to say Thomas got cast and while it all was a lot of hard work, Thomas never felt so at home as in the theater.

#kingau #creativitytwins #Virgil Sanders #Patton Sanders #Logan Sanders #Janus Sanders #sad #angst #kingcreativityau

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icequeenoriginal · 4 years ago

Note

What if you made a fanfic where bowceit puts a spell on roman where roman sees bowceit as virgil and virgil as bowceit

Author’s Note: I am so so so so so so so sorry. You asked this over a year ago, maybe longer but I got so distracted that I did not get to it until now. I was never going to abandon this, even if the AU is basically over. I hope it was worth the wait. I love the prompt by the way.

Mario AU belongs to @sugarglider-s

A03 link

Warning: Brainwashing, mistaken identity, misunderstanding, fighting, villain but sympathetic Deceit, crying, yelling (Let me know if I missed anything)

Pairings: Prinxiety and Logicality

Title: The Original is Always Better

It was supposed to be a fun day.

It was rare for Patton’s and Roman’s free days to line up with one another, even rarer for Patton’s, Logan’s, Virgil’s, and Roman’s free days to line up but on a Saturday at the end of the month, the stars finally aligned for such a thing to occur. They would have to thanks Remy next time they see him.

Patton had come up with an idea for them to have a picnic on Emile’s island. They could make a whole trip out of it. They could visit Emile, swim in the ocean, lay on the beach.

“That sounds like a perfect idea dear,” Logan replied, which made Patton smile and blush.

Roman nodded, “I can bring my beach ball, I haven’t used it in ages!”

“Could be nice to get some sun for once,” Virgil added.

And so the day was set, they would leave before sunrise in Patton’s pink plane. That way they could get as much of the day in as possible and a certain snake wouldn’t see them leaving the Mushroom Kingdom.

Patton and Logan spent the day before preparing the food as well as packing. Roman and Virgil meanwhile, came up with games as they packed.

It was going to be a great day.

Keyword: Was.

As the main four were happily planning their getaway, Bowciet was sulking in his throne room, nothing his servants weren’t used to.

He had suffered another bitter defeat by the Sarcastic Brothers. Plan after plan, he could never win. He would get so close and those annoying jumping brothers would always stupidly find a way to beat him.

And the worst part? After they were rescued, the princes would go on and on about how they were so happy that they were saved by their wonderful boyfriends.

“What do those princes even see in those two lowlife peasants plumbers anyway?!” Bowciet exclaimed.

“Because they’re cool?” A Gomba suggested.

“Because they are kind?” A Koopa offered.

“Because they don’t kidnap them?” A hammer bro adds.

Bowciet growled and blew fire at them, making them run out of the room in pain and fear. Bowciet slumps back into his chair.

What his minions said was absolutely ridiculous. They were completely not cool, cool people do not ruin the plans of a king! They were both a four at best and they weren’t THAT strong. Logan could jump pretty high sure, but he was as boring as a textbook. How could Prince Patton ever be attracted to that? And Virgil, an anxious freak who jumps at his own shadow, Roman likes that?

Bowceit knew he would be a much better match for the princes but they never give him a chance to prove it. They usually turn their back to him when he puts them in their cells and ignores him. How rude of them.

No matter how many presents and compliments he gives, they never give him a chance. Roman even had to gall say they both could not stand the sight of him.

Wait.

They could not stand the sight of him.

But they could stand the sight of those plumbers.

Bowciet smirked, his newest plan was forming in his mind.

He summoned a Magikoopa to his throne room.

“Yes, your majesty?” The Magikoopa said as it entered the room.

“I need you to make me a spell, as quickly as possible.”“What kind, your majesty?”Bowceit smirked, “Illusion”

As much as Virgil hates getting out of bed early, and boy does he hate it, he was very happy to find out that the seats on Patton’s plane leaned as flatly as possible. He sleeps through the entire plane ride with Roman run his fingers through his hair. Virgil breathes in Roman’s scent. He smells like the flowers in his garden and the tea he makes. Mainly honeysuckle and strawberry, it causes Virgil to dream of running through the fields with Roman. It is them alone, with only the flower-covered valleys and the warm sun.

In his dream, Roman’s smile rivals the sun, as if it doesn’t do that in the real world. Dream Roman runs a bit of head, a gap is starting to form between them. It made Virgil a bit nervous but Roman only looks over his shoulder and smiles. “Follow me!” Dream Roman shouts happily, “Don’t stop following me.”“Never” Virgil whispers.After a few more minutes of Virgil chasing Dream Roman, Dream Roman stops and stands in the middle of the endless field.

Virgil stops a few feet behind him and pants, trying to catch his breath. Dream Roman turns to face him and lifts up Virgil’s chin gently. Virgil blushes and Dream Roman smiles at him.

Dream Roman smiles back and says, “It’s time to wake up Virgil.”

The dream ends as Virgil begins to blink, he feels someone is shaking him awake. He turns to the source of the shaking before immediately freezing when seeing how close Roman’s face is to his.

It did not matter that this was how Virgil normally wakes up, Roman always makes him freeze with how beautiful he is. Virgil can’t help himself as he scans every feature of Roman’s face as if he was seeing Roman for the first time.

Roman smiles softly at him, flashing his pearly white teeth, “Hey sleepyhead, we are here.”

Virgil nods quickly, face completely red with blush. “T-Thanks Ro.”

Roman kisses his forehead before pulling him up and out of his seat. Virgil can barely keep up as Roman runs out of the plane, having to hold down his hat as they go.

Virgil has to squint when the light suddenly hits his eyes. Once his eyes adjust, he gasps at the sight in front of him. The beach sand is crystal white and very warm when Virgil touches it. The water is cyan blue, so clear that you can see the fish swim through it. The palm trees are ten times Virgil high with huge lush leaves. It wasn’t like Virgil hadn’t been to Emile’s island before but you don’t really have time to stop and smell the roses when an evil snake monster kidnaps your boyfriend.

Patton quickly rips off his shirt and jumps into the ocean to swim around, having changed into his swimsuit on the plane. Logan soon joins him, making sure to put out the picnic blanket and the picnic basket.

Virgil yawns, “I think I’m going to take another nap. The warm sand is just too tempting.”Roman giggles, “Okay then babe. I’m going to make a sandcastle next to you then.”Virgil had to physically stop himself from swooning. He knew that Roman had a bunch of stuff planned for them to do together and Virgil knew that Roman generally did not want to give up what he comes up with but he always does it for Virgil. Virgil is always his priority.

Virgil pulls Roman into a kiss before laying down.

Roman blushes, “What was that for?” Virgil wasn’t always one to initiate kisses.

Virgil covers his face with his hat to block out the sun and to hide his blush, “Just felt like it.”

Roman smiles at Virgil, his heart soaring with love for his boyfriend. Virgil always found a way to be sweet without trying. It was one of the things Roman loved about him.

Virgil woke up again to someone shaking him. This time it was his brother so Virgil was far less jumpy this time.

“What’s up, bro?” Virgil asked sleepily

“We are about to eat lunch and I figured you would want some,” Logan replies

“Lunchtime? How long have I been asleep?”

“You slept through the entire morning.”

“Did I miss anything?”“You missed Roman joining us in the ocean then he and Patton make this giant sandcastle,” Logan says as he points to a sandcastle that is about two stories tall. It looks like a miniature version of Patton’s castle except on the front, instead of a glass window with Patton holding a rose, it is a drawing of Patton and Roman made into the sand. Roman peeks his head out of the sand castle’s window and waves, “Virgil! My love! You are awake! Look what we made!”

Virgil’s eyes widen in shock at how big the castle is and how it can hold both Roman and Patton. Roman does not seem to notice this as he exits the sandcastle with Patton.

They all sit on the picnic blanket and Patton serves the food. They eat are given their favorite sandwiches and favorite kind of chips. Patton also packed potato and macaroni salad for them all to share.

“What do you guys want to do next?” Roman asks between bites.

“Hmm…Oh! What if we went for a walk around the island?” Patton suggests.

“That sounds absolutely wonderful Patton! I have been meaning to take note of the flowers around here to expand my garden!” Roman replies

Virgil snickers, “Do you even have any garden space left Princey?”

Roman waves him off, “I can just start a fourth garden.”“FOURTH?!”

“Instead of debating Roman’s plant obsession, we should finish our lunch so we can begin our walk,” Logan says while waving his hand to silence his brother and his brother’s boyfriend.

The other three nod in agreement and eat their food in relative silence.

Once they pack up their things and changed on Patton’s plane, the four head deeper into the island. They pass by plants and bushes that are twice their size but they oddly seem to be walking on a mostly clear path. Roman runs a bit ahead, hardly able to contain his squeals as he sees all the plants in front of him. He scribes a quick drawing of them into his little orange notebook. Virgil is standing next to him, holding his umbrella and smiling at his boyfriend’s antics. He adored Roman’s passion and will do anything to not let that fire die.

Eventually, the four come across an empty field. It has patches of leaves all around it. They all look at one another, something feels off. It seemed too quiet, none of them were used to pure quiet.

Patton squats in front of one of the patches of leaves. “It looks like the bed Emile has.”

Logan nods “The Emiles must collect leaves and make beds that they sleep on.”

“Why aren’t any of them here?” Virgil asks, nervousness creeping into his voice.

“They might all be doing something right now.” Roman offers, hoping to calm his boyfriend.

No one else replied, there was no way it was something as simple as that, it never was. Patton moves to investigate another pile of leaves when it suddenly begins to shake. Before Patton can react, a Goomba jumps out, causing Patton to yelp. Patton falls on his back as the Goomba lands just by his head. Logan quickly stomps on it and helps Patton up.

Two dozen more Goomba jumps out from under the other piles of leaves surround the four of them. The four each take out six Goombas but don’t have time to celebrate when more of Bowceit’s minions surround them.

Roman bursts into laughter “No originality Bowceit? Oh well! I’m going to make this fun for me! Whoever defeats the most minions gets the first swing on Bowceit!”Logan, Virgil, and Patton all exchange a look before all smiling and nodding. Unbeknownst to them, Bowceit was smiling too, his plan was working exactly as he expected.

The four fought the Koopas, not noticing that they were being moved further and further away from each other. They push Logan and Virgil to one side of the field and Patton and Roman to the other side. Once they were where Bowceit wanted them, he sent Hammer Bros. towards them. They throw their hammers between the two groups, forcing all four of them to be on their own and surrounded by Koopas.

Bowceit smirks and walks out from behind the tree, receiving glares from all of them. “Well, well, well…look what the Koopas dragged in.”

All four of them groan, making Bowceit hiss at all of them. “Rude.”

“What do you want Bowceit, this time?” Logan says, annoyance and bitterness dripping from his mouth.

“Oh please Logan, as if you do not know,” Bowceit replies as he looks at his gloved fingers.

Logan rolls eyes, “Of course…well since you are up to your old tricks, I might as well use mine!” Logan then jumps up in the air, well over the enemies. He lands a punch square into Bowceit’s jaw. As the two begin to scuffle, Virgil takes out the Koopas on their side to go help Logan fight Bowceit.

On the other side, Roman starts to take out the Koopas near him. That is when he notices that the Koopas near him and Patton are running towards Virgil. Roman immediately feels suspicious. Bowceit normally sends the most amount of Koopas at Roman. He looks around and that’s when he spots it.

A magikoopa, directly diagonal from Patton waving its wand, ready to cast a spell. Roman runs to Patton as fast as he can.

“PATTON!” Roman yellsPatton turns to him confused, “Huh?!”The magikoopa fires the spell.

Roman shoves Patton out of the way and yells in pain as the spell hits him and knocks him to the ground.

“ROMAN!” Virgil shouts and jumps over the group of Koopas. Logan kicks Bowceit away from and turns to the group of Koopas, ready to take them out so they can’t stop Virgil. He pauses, confused when he sees that they are not following Virgil, just standing. Logan turns his head to Bowceit and sees him smirking.

Virgil quickly helps Roman up, “Ro! Are you alright?”

Roman blinks at him before grabbing his arm and throwing him across the field. Everyone but Bowceit freezes in shock. Virgil hits a tree and rubs the back of his head in confusion.”

Bowceit smiles, “Not the one I was intending,” Bowceit shrugs, “But I can’t complain!” Bowceit walks to Roman and smiles, opening his arms. “Excellent throw my dear”

Roman giggles and blushes. Bowceit takes cups his face and Roman leans into his touch, shattering Virgil’s heart.

Bowceit turns his head to Virgil with the evilest grin on his face as he carcasses Roman’s cheek.

Virgil went numb.

Virgil will be the first to admit he has a lot of fears. Some odd like jumping too high he gets lost in space and some serious like burning to death in lava. This, however, was worse than any fear of his.

Bowceit winning.

He had gotten one of the princes. His prince. His Princey. And Roman looked happy in his arms. Roman’s normally kind and playful grin was replaced by a devilish and evil grin. And his eyes…

Oh god, his eyes.

One thing Virgil loved to do was just stare into Roman’s eyes. Roman’s eyes are normally warm, brown, and playful. His eyes now…they were ice blue. Piercing ice blue that sent daggers into Virgil’s heart.

Bowceit picks up Roman bride style pulling the giggling prince close. Bowceit sends him a wink and runs off with Roman.

Logan, who has been frozen in shock the entire time, takes a step forward only to have to dodge a hammer throw at his head. Logan narrows his eyes at them but something purple catches his eyes.

Logan sees his brother shaking, on the verge of tears. Logan is livid. He jumps up and stomps down hard on two Goombas. He angrily but silently takes out the rest of Bowceit’s minion in the area. Logan is panting by the time he is finished but ignores it to run over and check on Virgil.

Virgil clings onto his brother as he tries to get himself to breathe. This was not the time to panic, but it was also the perfect time to panic. Did this have to be Virgil’s life right now?

It took a while but Virgil was finally able to get his breathing normal enough to think straight. Patton made sure to give him a big hug just to make sure.

“Okay, okay,” Virgil pulls away from him “So what the heck just happened?!”“Language!” Patton shouted. Just because it is a stressful situation does not mean he will be allowed to curse.

Virgil blinked at him before shaking his head, “What happened to Roman?”

Logan pauses for a moment before replying, “Clearly, he has been brainwashed in some way. Most likely by whatever that spell was.”

“Right, right, great, great! Now how do we fix it?!” Virgil asks, already feeling his panic returning.

“Well, it’s a spell, right? We need to find a magikoopa,” Logan offered.

Virgil nods, “Right, right. That makes sense. Of course, it makes sense. Is it always this hard to breathe?” Virgil says as he pants.

Patton pats his back as Virgil tries again to catch his breath.

Logan puts his hands on Virgil’s shoulders, “Virgil. You are my brother. I will do anything for you. I will get Roman back.”

Virgil smiles and puts his hand on one of Logan’s hands, “Thanks bro, now let’s go kick some magikoopa butt!”

~Roman laughs as “Virgil” carries him through the island. “Virgil” jumped through the air, making Roman hold onto him tightly.

This was surprising to Roman. Virgil was never this energetic after a fight Bowceit. Though, to be fair to him, this time did not require traveling through nine different worlds to get to said fight.

Roman was happy about this small change. Normally his poor stormcloud would be too drained to want to do anything but cuddle in their shared bed. Roman wouldn’t mind if it was because Virgil enjoyed it, he minded that it was the only thing his love could physically do that did not strain his body.

Well, now was not the time to think about that. Now was the time to admire “Virgil’s” jumping skills. He knew both Logan and Virgil hated their jumping ability but that did not make it any less impressive. Though, Roman did think it was odd that “Virgil” seemed to land so loudly. He figured Virgil would be the lightest on his feet, after Patton and him of course. You can’t spend your youth dancing and not be.

Roman had no time to think about it as he gasps, nearly jumping out of “Virgil’s” arm. “Virgil” stops moving to prevent Roman from falling out of his arms.

“Stop! Stop here!” Roman demands.

Bowceit raises an eyebrow, “Why?”

“Look at those flowers!” Roman untangles himself from “Virgil’s” arms and motions to the flower field in front of him, “I have never seen such amazing and huge flowers!”

Bowceit would admit that the flowers in question were…okay looking. They were very tall with bright pink flower petals. The petals were very vibrant pink with white accents. Bowceit feels his piranha plants were much nicer.

“We have to see more of it!” Roman shouts as he points to the field.

“Maybe later, I have something much more fun in mind.”

Bowceit had a plan. He would convince Roman to come back to his castle and marry “Virgil”.

“What could be more fun than this?” Roman asked perplexed. What could be more them than running through a flower field and fall into each other’s arms only to stay there and watch the sunset?

“Well I was thinking we could go to Bowceit’s castle–” Bowceit begins only for Roman to cut him off.

“Pffft, we spend enough time there, too much time in my opinion,” Roman says with a laugh.

Bowceit did his best to hide his annoyance with that statement. The spell may make him look and sounds like Virgil but unless he acted Virgil, there was a chance Roman could peek through.

“Yeah but you knocked him out, maybe we could trash the place?”

Roman made a very perplexed face and Bowceit sucked in his breath. After a few moments, Roman bursts into laughter. “We do that too much too. Come onnnn, please?”

“I just…had a funny prank idea we could pull on him!” “Virgil pushed.

“I promise we can do that next time but when are we going to have a quiet moment and who knows how long these flowers again?”Bowceit did not have time for this. Another problem with the spell was that it only lasted until the sun went down. That is what he gets for rushing the creation of the spell but he wanted this done today. So much for being eager.

How would Virgil react to Roman’s begging? He knew virtually nothing about the younger plumber due to not caring to. The only thing he knew was he got upset easily which either led to tears or him getting punched in the face by the purple plumber.

He did once overhear Roman describing a painting Virgil apparently did for him to Patton when they were both in his dungeon but he doubted it could help him in this situation. Unless…

“Alright, but just long enough for me to get a…drawing in,” “Virgil” replies, almost hesitantly.

Luckily for him, Roman’s pleading face morphs into a soft accepting smile, “Of course dear. Then we can do whatever you want afterward.”

Bowceit smirks, “Excellent.”~

A magikoopa was flying peacefully when a green shell suddenly came flying at it. The magikoopa had no time to react before it was knocked right off of its broom and falls to the ground.

The magikoopa screams as it went tumbling to the ground. It hit the ground with a thud and it grips its head in pain.

Once its vision cleared, it gasps as it sees it is surrounded by a very angry Virgil, Logan, and Patton. All three of their arms are crossed and they are glaring daggers into the magikoopa.

The magikoopa scrambles onto its butt as it looks at the trio, absolutely terrified. Before it can try to escape, Virgil grabs it by the robe and drags it to make it face to face with him.

It squeaks, “Don’t hurt me! I didn’t do anything wrong!”

Virgil growls out, “You were there! You cast a spell on Roman! Now tell me what you did to him!”

As Virgil is talking, Logan walks around him to be behind the magikoopa. “Just so you know, Patton and I won’t hold him back.”

“In fact, we will help,” Patton says, his voice sounding like a horror movie villain.

The magikoopa began to sweat profusely. “It-it was an illusion spell!” it squeaks out.

“What kind of illusion spell?” Virgil asks, tightening his grip on the Magikoopa’s robe.

“It made Bowceit look like you and you look like Bowceit to Prince Roman! If it hit Prince Patton, it would have done the thing to Logan!”

“That must be why Roman attacked you when you touched him,” Logan says as he rubs his chin in thought.

“Alright so now tell us how to break the spell!” Virgil shouts.

“I am not telling you anything!” the magikoopa says, acting as if its voice was not completely shaky.

However, before Virgil could do anything, Patton rips the magikoopa away from him.

Patton glares at the magikoopa with nothing but malice with his eyes. “You are going to tell him so we can save my best friend or you are going to deal with me,”

“Like you can hurt a fly!” The magikoopa barks at Patton.

“I only hurt those who deserve it, and you for one, deserve a lot.” Patton throws the magikoopa to the ground in anger. He pulls out his umbrella and swings it down on the magikoopa.

“WAIT!” the magikoopa screams.

Patton stops just as the umbrella is about to hit him. “Yes?”“I’ll tell you everything! I swear!” the magikoopa pleads, getting on its hands and knees.

“Then start talking,” Patton says with a glare.

“There is no way to break the spell!” Patton winds up to swing again.

“BUT! THERE’S A BUT!” the magikoopa “The spell will end when the sun goes down! His plan is to marry the prince before then as you!”

“Anything else?” Patton asks

“Bowceit Jr. made me come up with a spell to make himself taller.” the magikoopa replies, looking down at the ground in shame before bursting into tears.

The three of them look at each other, very uncomfortable. They slowly back away from the crying magikoopa and head off to find Roman.

Roman had a great time in the flower field. He was able to collect some seeds of the flower and have a nice walk through the field with “Virgil”.

Though “Virgil” seemed to be awfully quiet, not having anything to say to him.

It strikes Roman as odd. Sure, Virgil was always one to keep to himself. When Roman would boast and brag to his Thomases and Talyns, Virgil would walk silently next to him with a smile on his face as he intently listens to whatever Roman has to say.

However, when they are alone, Virgil becomes the more talkative one. He would go on about his adventure with Logan, his ideas for songs, and anything that was on his mind.

Roman figures that something must be wrong. With him being uncharacteristically pushy earlier and with him not saying anything, there must be something going on in his mind.

“Mind if we rest in the tree for a bit? My legs are a bit sore.” Roman asks while pointing at a tall tree.

“Virgil” shrugs and follows him. Bowceit knew it was a bit late in the afternoon but he was sure they still had enough time to complete his plan. He goes to sit next to the tree but stops to watch Roman climb the tree.

“What are you doing?” “Virgil” asks.

Roman stops his climbing. “What does it look like? I’m sitting in the tree.” Roman replies, almost laughing.

“But why?”

“Because we always sit in trees together?” Roman replies, looking very confused.

“Oh? Oh! Of course! Sorry, I completely forgot.” “Virgil” scrambles up the tree after him. Roman continues to climb up confused.

Roman sits on a high branch that overlooks the island. Bowceit could see that the sun was beginning to go down. He frowns, he is running out of time. He was nowhere near his castle with the wedding chapel. He doubts that there were any wedding chapels on Emile’s Island, there were hardly any buildings at all.

“Alright, what is wrong? Don’t tell me it’s nothing, you wouldn’t be frowning if something wasn’t wrong.” Roman asks, his arms crossed so there was no room for discussion.

Bowceit was stuck. He began patting his sides nervously, it was a habit he has always had ever since he was younger.

As he was doing that, he felt a small box in his pocket. The ring! He had completely forgotten that he had it on him with everything going on.

Bowceit tried to hide his shock at discovering the ring but he clearly did not do it well as Roman cups his face.

“Stormcloud, tell me, please. You know you can tell me, anything babe.” Roman asks gently.

Bowceit’s finger’s rest of the ring box. This was his last shot.

“I have something to ask you,” “Virgil” asks as he slips his hand into his pocket.

Roman is confused, he knew Virgil put his hands in his pockets when he was nervous but he had no idea what was making Virgil nervous.

“Will you…?”

“Will I?”“Will you…tell me why you like me?”

Bowceit didn’t know what possessed him to ask that question. It was always lingering in his mind. Why them and not him? He was a king after all! With minions and a huge castle, not to mention very adorable children. So why did the princes date the plumbers? They are plumbers, what exactly do they have to offer?

Roman’s frown was deep that Bowceit was so sure that it would cause permanent frown lines. He takes a deep breath and says, “Okay, I am only going to say this once more. So make sure it stays in your brain this time because you know I hate repeating myself.” Roman emphasis his point by poking “Virgil” forehead.

“Alright, alright, I get it.” “Virgil” replies, waving Roman off, “Just tell me.”

Roman makes a show of clearing his throat, tapping his chest, and do some vocal exercises. “Alright. First off, I demand as your prince and loving boyfriend that you never doubt our relationship again. I know you get anxious about a lot of things but we should not be one of them, my stormcloud. I adore you. I love how cautious you are but are still willing to jump over literal lava when I am kidnapped. You are strong and a hero. But that is not all I like. I like it when you sing when we sit together under a tree and read a book. I like doing nothing and everything with you because it is you. You are an amazing artist and musician. You are an amazing brother and boyfriend.”

Bowceit is shocked, to say the least. He has never heard Roman talk this soft or sweetly. The ring felt heavy in his hand.

“And secondly, I don’t just like you, I love you.” Roman says as he puts his hand on “Virgil”’s hand that is resting on the tree branch.

Bowceit looks down at their hands before looking up at Roman’s face. He is smiling, the most loving smile Roman had ever given him. Roman’s now blue eyes seemed to shimmer with joy and love.

This is all he ever wanted from the prince. And yet…

It felt wrong. This was wrong.

He squeezed the ring box. He had to make a choice.

As this was happening; Logan, Patton, and Virgil seemed to be running around like chickens that have lost their heads. They first headed straight for Bowceit’s castle after talking with the magikoopa. They were shocked when they did not find Roman but rather the danger noodles making a gigantic pillow fort in their father’s throne room.

They headed from world to world afterward but they could not seem to find Roman anywhere. They made it back to the Mushroom Kingdom before deciding to take a breather.

Once they arrive, Virgil walks up to the closet tree and punches it. He immediately regrets this action as his anger quickly turns into pain. He sticks his wounded fist into his mouth to silence any curse words that threaten to escape.

Patton pulls him into a hug, gently rubbing his back. He rocks Virgil back and forth in an attempt to soothe him. Virgil tears up, though he is not sure if it is because of the pain or the sadness he has been trying to suppress all day.

Once the pain dulls, Virgil pulls away from Patton, and Patton lets him go. Virgil tends to pace when he needs to calm his mind down.

Virgil paces in front of Patton’s castle, almost biting his nails but stopping when he remembers he has gloves on. “AGH! Where could they possibly be?!” Virgil shouts in anger.

“We will find them, Virgil,” Logan replies.

“No, no. No, we won’t!”“Virgil–”

“No, no Logan, don’t you dare! Don’t tell me we will! Because we have looked everywhere! We went to every Zone, fuck, we’ve been to his castle! And even if we do find them, they probably are already married. That’s probably why we can’t find them because they’re on their goddamn honeymoon! It’s over! He’s gone!”

Virgil pauses, the weight of his words hit him, “He’s gone…I lost him.” He nearly fell backward from it. He begins to hug himself, trying to catch his breath.

Logan is completely lost. He wants to reassure his brother but he doesn’t know what he could possibly say to help him. He had no logical positive explanation. The logical explanation is that Virgil is right. He did not know what to do.

Luckily, Patton does.

“So you’re just going to give up?” Patton says, making the two brothers turn to him. His pink sleeved arms arm crossed and he is glaring at the pair.

“You guys are only heroes when it’s easy for you? Now that you’re in a hard spot you’re just going to stop?” Patton says angrily

“Well, dear, there is not–” Logan starts but Patton silences him with a hand raise.

“Don’t ‘dear’ me! And don’t you dare say there is nothing you can do! What would Roman say? What would Roman DO? Do you think he just sits around and waits for you guys to save him?’“No…” Virgil replies “He never gives up. H-He would keep trying…”

“That’s right! So you need to do that too!”

Virgil is silent for a few seconds before standing up straight, “You’re right…”

“What was that?” Patton says, his face morphing into a smile.

“You’re right!” Virgil shouts, determination coming back to him, “I am not going to give up! Because I am not a quitter!”

“That’s right! So what are you going to do?!”

“I’M GOING TO BREAK BOWCEIT’S FACE!”Patton blinks at him, “…What else are you going to do?”

“Oh uh save Roman. THEN BREAK HIS FACE!”

“Okay, kiddo.”

“I WILL SEARCH EACH ENDS OF THE EARTH AS MANY TIMES AS POSSIBLE TO BREAK THAT UGLY SNAKE’S FACE!”

“Maybe you won’t have to,” Logan chimes in.

Both Virgil and Patton turn to him and say, “Huh?”

“Think about it, where was the first place we checked when we knew Bowceit had Roman?”

“Bowceit’s castle, but he wasn’t there,” Virgil replies, still confused.

“And when we saw that they were not there, where did we go?”

“To every other place, we know Bowceit has a tower.”

“So that means we didn’t check…?”

“…THE ISLAND! THAT SON OF A BITCH NEVER LEFT THE ISLAND! WE GOT TO GO!” Virgil screams before taking off in a run.

“Virgil! Kiddo! We have to take the plane!” Patton shouts after him.

“Oh right.”

“Cover your eyes and follow me.” “Virgil” instructs Roman as they climbed out of the tree. Roman raises his eyebrow skeptically but covers his eyes with one hand, using his other hand to take “Virgil’s” hand.

They walk for a while before Roman hears what sounds like running water. “May I open my eyes now?”

“Not yet, not yet, Count down from..from 300.”

“300?!”

“Virgil” sighs, “Please? For me.”

Roman rolls his eyes behind his hand, “Okay, okay. But this surprise better be worth it. One, two, three…”

Bowceit steps back from Roman with a frown. He shakes his head and runs away as quietly as possible.

He could not believe that he was actually doing this. He should be jumping at this opportunity and fast, the sun was starting to go down. He looks over his shoulder at Roman still counting. He sighs and continues to walk away.

Damn his stupid conscience.

Once the plane touches the ground on the island, Virgil runs out of it. He is prepared to rip this island to sherds to find his beloved. Luckily he only has to run for a bit before he finds Bowceit.

He jumps up and goes to punch Bowceit but Bowceit dodges. Virgil lands and gets into a fighting set “You…”

“I’m not here to fight,” Bowceit says putting his hands up in defense.

Virgil rolls his eyes, “Wow, that’s a first, but I do not care. Where’s Roman?”

“He’s down that path,” points, “He’s fine, just counting.”

“What? Why is he counting?” Virgil asks, prepared to hear something about a bomb.

“He’s counting down until the spell breaks. Go and get him.” Bowceit says.

“How do I know you’re not lying?”

“Because I’m heading to my airship by myself. But don’t believe me, it doesn’t make a difference to me.”

Virgil stares at him, and he can’t find any indication that Bowceit is lying. “…Why are you doing this?”

“I don’t want to win this way.”

Virgil looks at him in utter shock.

“Oh pick up your jaw from the ground plumber. Don’t read into this. I will marry one of those princes, just not like this.”

Virgil couldn’t hold back his smirk, “Not if my brother and I have anything to say about it.”

Bowceit smirks as well, “We will see.” He salutes Virgil before stuffing his hands into his pockets and walking off.

Virgil’s smirk morphs into a relieved smile. He takes off to Roman, he’ll break Bowceit’s fave another day.

~“Three…two…one…” Roman removes his hand “Oh my gosh…”

The lake he had been brought to was surrounded by Evening Primroses and Moonflowers. The sky was filled with bright beautiful stars. Roman smiles at the scene before turning around. Standing behind him is Virgil, staring at him with his bright brown eyes.

Roman runs over to him and takes his hands. “This place is beautiful. Did you find it on one of your adventures? Wait, don’t tell me. I want to listen to the wonderful sounds of this place.” Roman looks around with a smile before his eyes land back on Roman.

His brown eyes. His soft, warm, and oh so loving brown eyes.

“Stormcloud, why are you crying?” Roman asks as he cups Virgil’s hand and wipes the tears away with his thumb.

Virgil lets out a watery laugh, “Nothing baby, I just love you so much.”

Roman kisses his nose “And I love you too. And I will always love you.”

Virgil grins, “I know.”

Taglist:

@corkeecoderyt @Per-seph-o-nee @Ohshrekmyheck @3milystuff @Asymmetricalgarbage8888 @fairytailtwists @sanders-sides-rebloger @sanderssidesfluffyangst @unikornavenger @0callmevirge0 @gloomingwitch @roxiefox24 @ijustreallylovesanderssides @unisaurioamorfo @mycatshuman

#mario au #thomas sanders #sanders sides #prinxiety #logicality #roman sanders #virgil sanders #logan sanders #patton sanders #Janus Sanders #villain deceit #send me asks

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starlocked01 · 4 years ago

Text

Seldom All They Seem

Intrulogical Week 2020! Unlike Soulmate September, I’m writing one continuous narrative for the whole week based around the prompts :)

Summary: Remus asks Roman for a favor. Janus is terrified that Roman agreed. They enlist Logan's help to pull Remus out before he's in too deep to wake up from this Daydream

AO3 Next

Chapter 1 Hesitancy- Into the Unknown

“I know you; I walked with you Once upon a dream I know you; the gleam in your eye Is so familiar a gleam And I know it's true that visions are Seldom all they seem But if I know you, I know what you'll do You'll love me at once The way you did Once upon a dream”

"I can't do this anymore, Ro," Remus paced back and forth across the creative side's room, nearly knocking over the tv by bumping the cabinet.

"Careful there! Also, you still haven't told me what it is you can't do and you've been pacing for over 20 minutes now," Roman hadn't invited his brother in and had been in the middle of a rather important birthday gift that he wanted to finish.

Remus whipped around to face Roman, "hypothetically, have you ever had feelings for someone and you know they'll never like you back so you go slowly crazy watching them talk to everyone but you?"

"Oh! this is about Lo-"

"Don't say it out loud!" Remus jumped and covered Roman’s mouth, "this is a hypothetical; I do not have feelings for any other side no matter how smart and attractive he may be," Roman pulled him off and retched.

"God! Why does your hand taste like muddy peanuts?" he swiped his tongue on the back of his own hand to wipe off the odd and unpleasant taste.

"I was making mud pies and eating peanuts yesterday, duh," Remus smirked before returning to his pacing.

"And didn't wash your hands… ewwwww Remus!" Roman conjured a toothbrush to wash his tongue and backed another two steps away from his brother, disgusted.

"Can we please focus here? I need to get away from all of this. No one likes me- you can't deny that- and I need your help to pull this plan off."

Roman looked quizzically at Remus, cocking his head to the side and putting a hand on his hip, "my help? Okay, what's the prank?"

"Roman, this is serious!" Roman looked in his eyes and knew he was telling the truth, "I know you don't like me so I wouldn't be bothering you about this if it wasn't serious."

Roman sighed, "you absolutely would bother me regardless, but okay, what do you want me to do?"

"Hide me in a daydream," Remus asked earnestly.

"A daydream? You can do that yourself."

Remus pleaded with his eyes, "yeah but my daydreams always go off track towards my usual brand of terror. I need a break so I need you to create the dream for me."

"I don't know… that seems risky," Roman stroked his chin in thought, "but I just might be able to pull it off."

"Thank You!" Remus tackled Roman to the couch.

"Get off! You've had too many of Patton's cookies lately; you're smothering me!" Roman laughed.

"Hey…" Remus frowned and rolled off onto the floor.

"Okay no, you're not fat, just more of you than the last time you tried to crush me," Roman grimaced.

"No wonder he's never gonna like me," Remus groaned, grabbing a pillow and smothering his face in it.

"I thought these unrequited feelings were hypothetical," Roman smirked, grabbing Remus' wrist, "up up! I'm not knocking you out on the floor."

Remus begrudgingly got up and Roman fluffed the pillows, stacking them all on one end of the couch. At Roman's insistence, he laid down and took a few deep breaths.

"Alright, if you need out before I wake you up, I'm creating a beacon at the edge of a lake so that when you touch it you'll get pulled out immediately. Otherwise, I'll wake you up in a few days," Roman instructed, laying a light blanket over Remus.

"It's gonna be weird not having complete control over this. I don't suppose you could make a strip club for me to perform at?" Remus grinned, trying to hide his nervousness.

"You'll still have some environmental control. But if you want a break, I'm not creating any of your usual shenanigans," Roman smiled, almost fondly over his brother.

"Okay… I think I'm ready," Remus looked hesitant but Roman gave him a soft smile.

"You'll be fine, now go to sleep," with that Roman placed two fingers on Remus' forehead and snapped his fingers. Instantly Remus was asleep and Roman sat there crafting the daydream. He wanted it to be immersive enough for Remus to keep his mind off his hypothetical crush and general unwantedness. He almost wished it wasn't like this so they could do things like joint daydreams and projects more often.

Three days later and Thomas had finally started to relax without Remus' contributions. Everyone, even Virgil, felt more at ease and couldn't really pinpoint why. Roman wondered why he hadn't done this for Remus sooner.

Six days later Thomas' friends began to worry. He wasn't completely himself, not as spontaneous. His humor was blander. They asked if he was sick and he just shrugged. Janus was perturbed by Remus' absence but wasn't sure where to look for him. He could sense something was off and likely had something to do with the obnoxious side.

"Where is he, Roman?" the snakish side asked with an annoyed grin.

"He who? You'll have to be more specific there are several of us," Roman grinned, focused on lunch instead of Janus.

"Your brother, of course," Janus sighed.

"Am I my brother's keeper?" Roman rolled his eyes, "he's fine. And safe. He asked for this so don't worry. He wanted a break so he's getting a break."

"A break from what? How is he taking a break?" Janus looked alarmed.

Roman rolled his eyes at Janus, "relax, snake-eye, it's just a daydream."

Janus’ eyes widened in fear, "you sent him into a daydream? Do you know how often I have to keep him from putting himself into those?"

"He's fine! My brother can handle it; daydreams are where we're at our best and strongest," Roman scoffed.

"That is exactly what you shouldn't be worried about, " Janus advanced on Roman, eyes burning with fear and anger, "how smart are you?"

"Smart enough to never listen to you again," Roman looked away, hurt but starting to worry, "he hasn't tried to come out yet and nothing abnormal has happened with his body so… he can stand to be in there a few more days."

"Yes, a whole week was definitely a good idea," Janus groaned, "please don't try to wake him up right now. Immediately. Or else."

"Or else what? You'll try to humiliate me again?" Roman shot back.

"This is absolutely about us right now. I know it's difficult, but please trust me. We need to wake Remus up before he's in trouble," Janus sighed, sinking out to go to Roman’s room without waiting for a response. Roman huffed and followed.

Janus was violently shaking Remus by the time Roman rose up mere seconds later, "easy! Look it's my daydream so I'll just end it," Roman bumped Janus aside and placed his hand on Remus' forehead.

He could tell something was very wrong. Roman couldn’t feel Remus at all.

"Well?" Janus asked impatiently.

"I can't wake him up now. I don't know what's wrong but I won't risk him disappearing with the daydream," Roman shook his head, "someone needs to go in after him."

"No. I refuse," Janus stated flatly without a hint of sarcasm.

"I wasn't going to ask you, cobra lie," Roman scoffed, "I know exactly who it has to be." ---- "What? You want me to go into a dangerous daydream that you cannot control and in which logic holds no sway? Janus, did you put him up to this?" Logan scowled, upset at having been interrupted while scheduling the next week.

"As much as I wish this were a prank, no I did not," Janus glanced too casually down at his gloves.

"Look, I know you don't particularly care for Remus, but you are the only one he'll listen to," Roman pleaded.

"Leave me alone, this is too important," Logan rolled his eyes and turned back to his work, "please shut the door on your way out."

"We're leaving. You're not going to help him. Remember, Logan, you didn't accidentally tell me your secret," Janus smirked.

Logan turned around slowly, "and why won't you go save your only friend, Janus?"

"Well, I'm not scared if that's what you're asking," Janus’ human cheek tinged red as Roman snorted, trying to hold back his laughter.

"Fine, if you're a coward I guess I will have to 'step up to bat' as the metaphor goes," Logan stood with a smirk, "but if Thomas suffers in my absence, just know you're both on the top of my list."

"Yes, fine. Thank you, Wonder Nerd-" Roman winced as both Janus and Logan glared at him "sorry, thank you, Logan. I appreciate your help, honest." Logan grunted in response and followed Roman and Janus back to Roman’s room.

He looked so peaceful, lying there in immediate peril. Logan would not allow himself to smile. It's not like he was ruled by emotions like the others. The way Roman explained it, he was the figurative and literal logical choice to send in after Remus.

And yet Remus looked genuinely happy without the need for extra blood or violence hiding behind his eyes. Was this so bad? Of course, it was that bad. He'd do what he'd have to, for Thomas, of course.

"Okay, how do we do this?" Logan asked quietly.

"Well, why don't you snuggle up next to him-" Logan glared at Janus, stopping him mid-thought, "what? It was a joke."

"Just lie down on the other half of the couch and I'll send you in," Roman pushed Logan towards the couch.

"And if something goes wrong you'll be able to pull me out?" Roman could see the fear of the unknown in Logan’s eyes.

"If all else fails, find the beacon. If I can manage it I'll pull you both out but the beacon is a fail-safe. Please, find Remus. I'm… worried for him," Logan nodded his understanding and sat down.

"I'll try," he stretched out across the couch and Roman knelt to lay his hand on Logan's forehead.

"Thank you, Logan."

Logan closed his eyes, heard the snap, and felt darkness overtake his thoughts, color and shadow swirling and becoming lighter until he was standing on a plateau overlooking a large landscape, a single figure in the distance on the edge of the hill.

Tag List: @fandersides1234567 @sirprplsnail @bisexualdisaster106 @intrulogicalweek2020

#intrulogicalweek2020 #daydream #Intrulogical #Logan sanders #remus sanders #roman sanders #janus sanders #body shaming tw #food mention

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godsporncollection · 4 years ago

Text

Saturday Morning Session

(personal commentary in italics) (sorry for how inconsistent i am at this, i’m trying new medication, so my focus comes and goes unpredictably, but i didn’t want this to take weeks)

Russel M Nelson - strengthen your testimony (?)

"I understand better what he meant when he said 'behold, i will hasten my work in this time.'"

Y'all have been strengthening your testimonies and i, and your children, thank you. did that inclusion of "your children" feel off to anyone else?

I can see the work on the temple outside my window and that makes me think about how we need to remove the old debris from our lives. I too think of the temple as 'old debris' that should be removed from my life.

"the gospel is a message of joy" I cannot roll my eyes hard enough

that was short. what was the topic? blab for a five minutes?

Dieter F. Uchdorf - god is Among Us

I had to move lots when I was a kid because there was a war on. i thought about the missionaries who came to the country of their enemies to bring us the gospel.

i was a kid in a war-torn country > missionaries > god has not forgotten us > we will be heirs of god > how could we complain when we have that? > the atonement > mistakes are okay, just gotta keep repenting.

what would jesus teach if he was among us today? the same thing he's always taught. "the savior always teaches timeless truths, to everyone, a message of hope and belonging, a testament that god has not abandoned his children that god is Among Us."

jesus says to love one another and to be full of charity towards all men. i would like to see it.

anyone else feel like these talks are just. empty? like, they're not feeling it either?

if jesus came into your home today, he would see into your heart and i'm gonna waste a couple more minutes by expanding on that. one look into his eyes and we would be forever changed by the realization that god is Among Us.

back to me, i wish i could go back and tell myself to stay on the right track because god is Among Us, so i'm gonna tell you instead. god is Among Us.

"line upon line" *gag*

god is Among Us

Joy D Jones - abuse is wrong unless you use it to teach kids about the gospel

"have you ever wondered why we call 'primary' 'primary'?" as someone who understands how language works, no.

because kids are importanter than everything else

god trusts us to be nice to our kids; that means no abuse, even if we're angry. whoever needed this reminder should be shot.

hey, maybe you can "combat the evils of abuse" by not fucking raising your kids in an abusive cult!

analogy of a kid who fell out of bed because he "didn't get far enough in" = he wasn't indoctrinated enough, with awkward collage of pics of kids for a minute.

eyring said to get 'em while they're young

love all the pics of black people that try to say "see? we don't think black people are inherently evil (anymore)!"

analogy of a soldier in boot camp. drill seargants are mean, but that was necessary because apparantly it's the only way this guy can learn how to hide. also, apparently this guy is "our friend". not my friend, thanks.

"how can we do the same for our children?" don't fucking act like a drill seargent to your kids! ffs

"wouldn't we rather have them sweat in the safe learning environment of the home than bleed on the battlefields of life?" first of all, fuck you. second, dramatic much? third, fuck you, kids shouldn't have to learn about life in a hostile environment. does this woman have kids? are they okay? fucking hell, five kids were raised by a woman with this mentality. what a bitch.

"eternity is the wrong thing to be wrong about." i got news for you. of course, if i ever spoke to this machine, that topic wouldn't be my top priority.

I need a fucking drink.

Jan Eric Newman - teaching the gospel is good, but you can't force a testimony on others

anecdote about a local old woman getting birthday gifts. she taught us some good things when we were growing up, so thanks, sister davis.

another teacher, at college, was a "master teacher." he loved me and the lord. he taught me to learn doctrine on my own and that "changed me forever."

just sayin', if you're taught how to learn on your own, but didn't exercise enough critical thought to gtfo of this cult, maybe the teacher wasn't the best.

it's good to have good teachers.

the ancient nephites and lamanites had good teachers, and "there was no contention among them!"

"how can we teach more like the savior and help others become more deeply converted?" nope, nope. nope.

1st, "learn all you can about the master teacher hismelf." so, we're sticking with the term "master teacher." cool. doesn't sound weird at all.

ask yourself questions about how he taught, then do that.

read "teaching in the savoir's way."

2nd, use bullshit stories. oh, no, it's a story about how somebody is grateful for the pandemic because her adult child read the BoM for the first time during it. she said it had made "literal miracles."

3rd, "remember that conversion must come from within." guess jan and "joy" should have compared notes before speaking.

"children inheret many things, but a testimony is not one of them. we can't give our children a testimony any more than we can make a seed grow; but we can provide a nourishing environment, with good soil, free of thorns that would choke the word."

Gary E. Stevenson - kindness

story about a study where rabbits were fed a high-fat diet, but those under the care of a loving researcher didn't gain as much weight.

only christians can intuitively understand that this means there's a reason to be kind to others.

jesus said love one another.

addressing primary kids - be kind. here's a story about a kid who stopped being a bully because the bullied kid said it hurt.

to the teens - social media makes bullying worse, clearly satan is using social media against your generation. do what you can t make these spaces safer. if you're a bully, "stop it."

to the adults- "we have a primary responsibility to set a tone and be role models of kindness (get wrecked "joy"), inclusion and civility."

from ballard- "i have never heard members of this church to be anything but loving, kind, tolerant and benevolent to our friends and neighbors of other faiths." k, but, like, you know it's not just a difference of religious belief that’s the problem, right?

i'm heartbroken to hear about prejudice against blackasianlatino people or of any other group. i love how that section was really only about race, with a blanket "any other group" thrown in as an afterthought so they can't be accused of being homophobic.

in the winter of 1838, jo smith was in prison and why do you think that happened, gary?

church members were driven from their homes and the residents of a town across the river gave them food and shelter. that generosity saved the lives of many of them.

god is a compassionate care-giver.

Gerrit W. Gong - disjointed anecdotes of human experiences, idk

i miss my dad. he was adventurous, except regarding food.

i saw a guy be mean to a lady selling ice cream. he smashed all of her cones. the image of her trying to salvage the cones haunts me to this day.

story of the good samaritan.

be like christ this easter.

"we recieve inspiration as we counsel together, listening to each person, including each sister and the spirit."

does this guy have a topic?

he’s is just giving a list of random human experiences and parables.

*displays a lack of understanding of instagram.*

he's listing something throughout this, like, he keeps counting, but i have no idea what and his voice is making my adhd medication run away, so i'm not listening to this again.

Henry B. Eyring - temple worthiness

today i'm feeling light and hope, like the first day i went to the salt lake temple

i'm an oblivious fucker who didn't notice my name being pinned on me, so i thought the woman who greeted me was an angel because she knew my name.

thought he could remember being in the temple before, but a voice that was not his own (that's how you know it's true and not something he just told himself) told him he was remembering heaven.

confused "holiness to the lord" with "this is a holy place." i know both phrases use the word 'holy', but like, those contexts mean separate things.

i also had this feeling during my wedding in the logan temple.

i think henry should get checked out, he suffers from frequent hallucinations and it's good to know how your brain works differently from others when in a leadership position.

during my wedding, i had a vision of a house and the officiant said to live in a way that you can walk away easily. a year later, my father in law bought the exact house and my wife and i lived in the guest house for ten years. then i got the call to move somewhere else on assignment from the church and we walked away easily.

scripture from jesus about temples.

if you're unworthy in the temple, you won't be "able to see, by the power of the holy ghost, the spiritual teaching of the savior that we can recieve in the temple."

"when we are worthy to recieve such teaching, there can grow, through our temple experience, hope, joy, and optimism throughout our lives. that hope, joy, and optimism are available only through accepting the ordinances performed in holy temples."

i forgot how simple a baptism is, so i'm gonna tell you how amazed (and a little concerned) i was when my youngest daughter stayed to do baptism for the dead for all of the names on the list that day. maybe i'm just super comfortable in the water, but that doesn't sound hard, actually. i used to almost enjoy doing those.

quotes the primary song 'i love to see the temple.'

remember to be worthy so you can live with your family forever.

#exmo #ex mormon #exchristian #ex christian #excult #cult stuff #exlds #ex lds #former mormon #apostake #ex religious #agnostic #mine #gc april 2021 #gc summary

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shinymooncolor · 4 years ago

Text

Sweater weather chat #9

A little Friday tribute to @lumosinlove ‘s sweater weather.

@siriuslyqueer and @wxlfstxrx thanks for helping me through a groundbreaking epiphany. <3

Sweater weather chat #9

Celeste has plans. Logan mopes. And drives a minivan. Kuny hides in a library. Nado is a star. And the wives call him Jackie. We get some lady love. Cause hockey wives are awesome. The team dads get in trouble. What did happen in Prague? Does mild vodka exist?

---

Thursday 3.42 pm

Celeste: hi ladies! So, as you know the long dreaded school talent show is looming on the horizon. I don’t know with you - but that’s a Saturday we will not get back…. Any ideas??

Anya: we send our husbands to the show. 😜 zhenya is helping my kids anyways. Not sure how that happened. But him and Jackie came to leech a free dinner and somehow ended up joining the talent show.

Linnea: that sounds like something that needs to be recorded! I’m up for a spa weekend. God knows I need it. We’re headed for Sweden next month and I need to prepare mentally for my in-laws. 🙊

Celeste: so we agree to send the boys to the show? And get on with a lovely spa weekend ourselves 😍

Allison: I’m in. I love my boys but I’ve seen them dance and heard them sing. Brady has been successfully avoiding the past three events!!! But I’m intrigued about what the hell Kuny and Jackie can help with? 😂

Anya: I don’t know and I don’t care. It’s sergei problem now. I’ve warned them to keep it kid friendly. Jackie is still a little scared of me, I think. 👻

Celeste: they are good boys but those two. I swear they’re worse than our lot. And that’s saying something. You remember Prague? 😠

Linnea: the one with the flags at worlds? What were they thinking....

Allison: oh sounds like there’s a story there! What did they get up to? 🙊

Linnea: let’s get back to that after three bottles of Chardonnay...

——

Thursday 4.08 pm

Celeste: you are going to the talent show. And take Logan with you. He’s been moping for a week. He’s such a teenager. 😂 and DONT EVEN THINK ABOUT DRINKING AGAIN. I will tell Logan about Prague. 😠

Dumo: but I have to train. And don’t tell anyone it’ll undermine our authority.

Celeste: no you don’t have to, it’s optional. Don’t even start Pascal. You’re taking your ragtag team Dads and you’re all going to sit through 3 hours of recorders and botched Disney music. And you’re going to applaud your babies. And please film whatever the terrible two get up to. I’ve seen the outfits. 😂😍😂😍

Dumo: I love you but you’re mean. Enjoy your spa day. What do I get for being good?

Celeste: a wife who won’t make you sleep in the guest room. And if you’re really good we can talk about the white one again.

Dumo: I’ll be good!!! 😇😇😇😇😇

Celeste: 😉

——

Thursday 5.00 pm

Dumo created a group chat.

Dumo added Sunny, Sergei, Brady, Kuny, Nado and LoganT

Dumo named the group chat talent show

Dumo: gentlemen I believe you’ve all had your fates sealed. We’re now sentenced to suffer through the horror of our kids’ school talent show.

LoganT: what am I doing here? I don’t have kids leave me out

Dumo: you left your disgusting workout clothes in MY basement. Without cleaning it up. You’re coming. Also Leo and Finn are both with their families. And Celeste made me take you cause apparently you’re sad and mopey. 🤓

LoganT: I’m not sad and mopey. I’m brooding and there’s a big difference. 😠

Sunny: you’re 22 and your boyfriends are out of town. Chin up buddy and enjoy a Saturday of off key singing and recorder hell. And you are moping 😆 brooding is for grown-ups…

Nado: we’d offer to take you to some strip clubs and get you laid but. Well. We don’t really frequent gay bars so.

Sergei: really? I once had to rescue u 2 from drag club 😂

Nado: it was one time and we didn’t realize until we were inside. Felt like a fucking Kingggg man they know how to party. Wanna go to a drag club baby Logan? Is fun times!

Kuny: was fun. But we promise to do show with baby Russians he he 👻👻👻👻

Nado: well i didn’t understand what i said yes to. Thought she asked if I wanted to play Pokémon. 😳

Sergei: that’s why she asked. She’s too sneaky. Not like it. What you do for show?

Nado: no idea. Your wife is making us an outfit and told us to just stand in the background 🙈

Dumo: oh I’m recording this. Anyways there’s never any parking. You’d think with the obscene fees we pay for that school they could at least organize proper parking. Let’s carpool. 😎

LoganT: why are you carpooling? You’ve got like a combined car catalogue of 25 cars.......

Brady: this is clearly Logan’s first rodeo. Okay. Sergei always brings some Russian elixir of life. So. We need you to drive. 😘

LoganT: IM NOT DRIVING A MINI VAN! IVE GOT A REP

Nado: there’s alcohol involved? I’m in!! 🥳🥳🥳🥳

Sunny: only way to get through this....😔

Dumo: you don’t have a rep. You have two boyfriends, an accent and a sweaty hat. You’re driving and I’m not going to argue. 😠

—-

Saturday 12.33 pm

Dumodad: if anyone is wondering what the terrible two are up to this fine Saturday. They’re currently in the middle of a moving rendition of Into the Unknown. Yes they’re wearing blue sequins. 🤩

*kuny and nado dressed in blue glitter sequins onesies with a bunch of kids singing into the unknown*

Prongstar: HHAHAHAHHAHAHAHA WHAT IS GOING ONNNN????

Blizzard: well. There’s a future in show biz for those two. 😂 kuznetsov and nadeau the movie.

Bradygunz: this is giving me some fresh prince vibes little rays of sunshine!!!😂😂😂😂 @talkiewalkie

Talkiewalkie: yesss!!! Hahahah 😎😎😎

——-

Saturday 1.22 pm

Sunny: I love my kids but. There’s a reason it’s not a good idea to always just tell kids they’re good at stuff.

Dumo: hahahah the one with the juggling was fun.

LoganT: why are we still here? I won’t ever get my hearing back after that bag pipe thing. 😭

Sergei: that’s why we drink. I like the politic ones like a kid could ever know so many isms

Sunny: quit hogging the flask. Gimme.

Brady: I didn’t know so many isms existed. Pretty sure some of them were just random words. 😂

——

Saturday 2.01 pm

Logantremblayzzz: guess who’s pissed at a kids talent show. Guess who’s hit on every teacher and has suspiciously disappeared and guess who’s somehow ended up in a production of you’re welcome from Moana?

Sirius: this is fun.... 1) the dads are pissed. I went to a school play with them once. Sergei brought his flask? 2) I wanna say Nado 3) Kuny?

Blizzard: ohhh I’ve got 2/3 swapped - Kuny can’t sing in English... and nado’s got the tattoos 😂

Eliascookie: I wanna know more about the sequins? 🥳

Prongstar: tell us!!!

Logantremblayzzz: 1) yes the dads. Sergei swears it’s only mild vodka. But they’re definitely not sober. 2) Kuny was missing but I found him. He is hiding in the library. 3) yes Nado has somehow ended up on stage again. He’s doing that pec thing it’s weird. I swear the moms here are swooning. He signed someone’s bra. ITS A SCHOOL.

KrisVolley: you’re just cranky that you had to drive the mini van. Haha! 😂

CarbO’Hara: Logan! You drove a minivan? 🤪🤪🤪🤪 cuteeee

Logantremblayzzz: it’s stupid and ugly. 🥴

Dumodad: suits you then 🤪

Logantremblayzzz: I’m telling your wives.

Sergei_81: no Logan. Don’t be mean. U can have my car

Bradygunz: we don’t tell Celeste when you leo and Finn cause problems!!!!

Dumodad: he’s bluffing! Remember who let you live FOR FREE in his basement! I do your laundry and feed you.

Logantremblayzzz: celeste feeds me and does laundry. You’re just as much a leech.

Dumodad: I pay for things. 😠

RussianGod: I don’t know where are. Books everywhere help I hide from moms so many everywhere 😳😳😳😳

Ollibear: someone please rescue Kuny before the soccer moms kidnap him 😂

Timmyforrealz: wow Kuny go get some cougar love 🐯🐯🐯🐯🐯 hehehehe

RussianGod: I scared. Help. @dumodad @logantremblayzzz @sergei_81!!!!!! Help help

Sunnysideup: DONT flirt with them then. You asked for it. I’ll come get you. Stay in the library. You’re missing nado singing.

——

Saturday 2.12 pm

Logan: hey Celeste. Show is ok. How’s the spa??? ❤️❤️❤️

Celeste: charmer... it’s fine thank you - how are the boys?

Logan: uh. Well.

Celeste: one sec love.

—-

Celeste added Logan to the group chat

Celeste: hi Logan! Please tell us about the show. How did the terrible two do with their performance

Logan: well Katya got scared and refused to go on stage so Kuny had to hold her hand. It was really cute. Loved the outfits. They’re definitely never forgetting that 😂 other than that your husbands are sneaking drinks from sergei’s flask and Nado has been in stage for the past three performances

Anya: he did what? I will kill him. Thank you for telling us Logan. Tell zhenya to be careful. Soccer moms are hungry.

Logan: will do. Want me to kick your husbands?

Anya: no love. We have our own ways to punish our idiots 😈

Linnea: thanks Logan!

Celeste removed Logan from the group chat.

Celeste: well. I knew we couldn’t leave them alone. But the plan worked well - they’ve now signed themselves up for the events for the rest of the school year! 😎

Allison: 🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻

—-

Celeste: Logan texted me. Do you have any idea how much trouble you all are in? Also someone go rescue Kuny. He’s not ready for a soccer mom. 😈

Dumo: I’m gonna kill that kid. Also sorry. But. There was a BAGPIPE. You’re very pretty and beautiful and I love you. Sunny has gone to rescue Kuny.

Celeste: hmm. How are you going to fix it?

Dumo: I’ll show you 😜 on my knees 👅

Celeste: 😈

#sweaterweather #sweaterweatherchats #sweaterwheatherchatsnr9 #lumosinlove #lumosinlove ocs

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magpiemorality · 5 years ago

Note

Henlo, since the prompts are open, if someone hasn't asked yet, could we have more fae ? (I wanna see if i was right for Tall and maybe have a chance to guess the others ?) I just love your writing so much and your fae is in my top favourite things ! 💛

Have some more fae :D

Warnings: disappearance/kidnapping, mild panic attack

First | Previous | AO3

***

They go a while without seeing any of Eavan's cousins. It's a peaceful time, full of long, dreamy days and sweet, quiet nights. They drift over the land, sleeping under the stars, never too cold or too hot, unbothered by the passing of time. They eat what they find and bathe where they will, and revel in being in each other's company.

It's idyllic, but it can't last. Even here, in what seems like a perfect world, there are moments of fear and moments of anger.

Fae are unpredictable, and often solitary or found in very small packs. The trio of cousins is the largest group Remus has seen on their travels, and the only other Fae he's seen up close apart from Eavan. There are occasionally silhouettes on the horizon, or the sound of voices on the breeze, but mostly his Firefly keeps him far from any potential problems.

In any case they go a while without seeing the cousins either. They must be distant, off doing whatever it is they spend their days doing. Eavan tells stories, of grand hunts and courts and riders that travel the land and flit over and across the borders on moonless nights. Remus is never sure how much of it is story and how much is history but he doesn't care too much to wonder too deeply. He is wholly and truly content with his life with his Fae, whiling away the endless days.

So it comes as somewhat of a shock when his Firefly disappears one night.

Perhaps more than somewhat. Remus doesn't panic immediately, but it is odd. They're in the plains, big rolling hills that are so sprawling they're almost flat at the top and bottom of each one. There's not that much cover around, so he should be able to see Eavan nearby, or even in the distance, but there's nothing.

The charms on his ankles allow him to jog around at great speed, making a wide spiral out from where they'd been sleeping, wider and wider and further and further and faster and faster until he's running, shouting for his Firefly, not daring to use his name here.

Silence greets him, silence and the faintest sound of bells on the wind.

What can he do? What can he, Remus, a mortal in the realm of the immortals, do to find or, heavens forbid, rescue his beloved Firefly?

He sits heavily on the ground, and the horn perpetually fastened at his hip knocks gently against his leg, a reminder that it is still here. Use me, it seems to call, and Remus nearly chokes in his hurry to inhale and blow it.

"Work, damn you!" Remus shouts when the useless thing doesn't make a noise. He checks it for blockages, blowing and blowing and nothing works. It's broken, or he doesn't know how to use it properly, and Eavan is gone, and he doesn't know why.

"You are alone?" A voice startles him up to his feet. It's Tall Fae, and Remus practically sobs in relief.

"He's gone, I don't know where! He's been taken, I think!"

Tall sniffs the air, sharp eyes scanning around quickly. "Gone. Taken?"

Remus clutches at Tall's tunic front, desperate with worry. "Gone. Help me! Help me find him, I don't know where he could be! Who would take him?!"

With gentle but firm hands, Tall guides his hands out of their grasp. He looks at Remus and rests a hand on his shoulder earnestly, as the other two cousins appear nearby. With a quick snap of words Tall sends them both running, and sits Remus down to breathe when the mortal finds his panic mounting again.

"They will find him," Tall promises in his low, smooth voice. It's comforting. So is the way he lets Remus hold onto his hand, feeling very young next to the utterly calm patience and certainty of the immortal at his side. "He will be unharmed or we will take matters further. You have done the right thing, you need not worry now."

"How can you be sure?" Remus wheezes, and Tall smiles a rare smile. It's a little dark, but Remus is reassured by that darkness. It's the sort of darkness that promises things will get done.

Tall sweeps a hand out across the hills. "This belongs to me. Anyone who has attempted to take my cousin will answer to me. And no one wants to answer to me. My two hunters will find your beloved and bring him back to you. In the meantime, I have heard the most intriguing thing about 'thatched roofs', would you tell me more?"

The distraction works. Remus goes on a long ramble, trying to recall everything he knows of thatching and roofing and mundane earthy tasks. The memories are vague and hazy but it is the conversation more than the facts that Tall wants from him now. They talk, Tall telling stories Remus knows from Eavan, but with far more detail. He describes the thunder of hooves and the fierce glee of fighting. He whispers that Remus is lucky to have not only Eavan's protection but his own. He would not have suffered a human to wander the land before meeting Remus, that was certain.

As the sun sets Tall walks with him, letting the mortal pace out his frantic energy. "It's a beautiful place, but it hurts to stay still nowadays," the Fae murmurs out of the blue. Remus turns to him, surprised to hear pain in his voice. "I was once something else than what I am now. Something more. But now I am just… A cousin."

"And a friend?" Remus offers.

"Perhaps. Although cousin is, it means more to us than to you. It is chosen, not born. Cousins know each other more than your ideas of family ever could. Even by name. But perhaps…”

They're on the top of a hill when he trails off thoughtfully, one of many, and when three figures appear on the horizon Remus runs.

It's the other two cousins and his Firefly, his Eavan. He catches Eavan in a tight hug, sweeping him up into his arms and pressing urgent kisses over his face, falling to the ground with the Fae clutched tight to his chest. "I thought you were lost to me," he croaks, as Eavan strokes his face with a tender smile, fingers trembling slightly.

"Never. I would have come back to you, had my cousins not found me first. I am unharmed, beloved, check and you will find no wounds."

"None?" Remus asks, to be sure. Eavan nods and they rest their foreheads together and breathe.

The cousins stand vigil nearby until the pair are calm enough to rejoin the trio of Fae. "Thank you," Remus whispers, holding a hand out. He has to show Tall how to clasp his forearm in a move Remus tells him is for the closest of allies and brothers.

"No, not brothers; cousins?" Tall says, a hint of something uncertain in his eyes. When Remus nods his acceptance and understanding with a broad grin, he draws himself up proudly and nods back, arm still firmly pressed against the mortal's. "Cousins, then. And Remus, take care."

Remus catches his wrist before he can pull too far away. "Cousins know each other's names, you said. And you already know mine…?" It's cheeky, and Eavan actually gasps at the insolence, but Tall breaks into a soft chuckle.

He dips his head. "You are correct, Remus. And you may know my name, as my newest cousin. You may know me as Logan, and please remember, I remain only a horn's call away." He shares another smile with Remus and turns to leave, before pausing and twisting back momentarily. "I should add; you really only need to blow it the once, mind. It makes an awful racket, truly dire. I have a very good pair of ears, I promise," Logan teases, and when Remus laughs the Fae takes his leave, the other two cousins sloping off as they quickly vanish again.

"Cousins?" Eavan asks, crawling over him later that night to tuck up beneath his human's chin. "He must like you."

"I can't imagine why," Remus replies, holding him close. He has nothing to be worried about; Eavan explained it was a magical trap, laid to transport him far away and split them apart to leave the mortal as easy pickings for whatever opposing force had chosen to target them. An enemy of Logan's, or perhaps simply a Fae discontent with the presence of a mortal. But despite the reassurance he makes sure to hold his beloved Firefly very, very tight that night.

#writepie #owing me owing you au #dukeceit #demus #ts deceit #ts remus #ts writing #ts sanders sides #ts sanders sides aus #ts sanders sides fic #sanders sides #ts logan

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ds-ts-smut-fics · 4 years ago

Text

Far From Home [Chapter Three]

Chapter One

Read on Ao3

Synopsis: Remus and Logan arrive at the Blackmarsh Villas, and find they're suffering from a string of kidnappings.

Trigger warnings: NSFW occasionally, demonic possession, kidnappings, lmk if i missed anything!

Words: 5,332

Close to sunset, Juniper brought them up to a gated town with a sign reading Blackmarsh Villas. A guard stopped them on their way in.

She was a blonde halfling with a forced smile. Her gaze fell to Remus, a little harshly. “Can you tell me what your business is?”

Giving Remus a small subtle hug, Logan decides to answer to take her gaze from Remus. "Good evening. We're traveling to reach the coast, does the inn have room tonight?"

She nodded slowly. “Yes. How long do you plan on staying?”

“Just a day or two,” Remus said. He forced up a smile. “We need to stock up on supplies and maybe find a map. We won’t be here long.”

Her eyes met with his, and she softened. “You’ve been on the road for a while, haven’t you?”

He nodded.

She gestured for them to head inside. “Stables just to the right. A silver per stall.”

"Thank you very much!" Logan clicks his tongue, guiding Juniper in with a smile.

“Do you have change?” Remus asked the worker as Logan got Juniper settled.

They headed towards the inn, the streets made of perfectly-neat cobble, each tudor house towering above them.

“We need to leave here as soon as possible,” he grumbled.

Stretching a little, Logan slides an arm around Remus. "Mmm, do you want to stay in the room and relax, Rem? I can try, but…. I'm not the best at negotiations?"

He shook his head. “No, Adelaide and I will just get antsy. Let’s stop for dinner in the inn and drop our stuff off, then go shopping. Oh— Don’t let me forget that we need to find someone to look at that ring for us.”

"So, the inn, dinner, and maybe start with an area map? Perhaps the owner has suggestions?" Keeping him close, he hums softly, rubbing his hip. "Wouldn't want you getting antsy, darling!"

He nodded in embarrassment. “Yeah.”

They found the inn, a huge building with gold paint on the doorway and windowsills, and Remus hesitated outside the door. His hooves were coated in mud.

“Ugh.”

"Hmm, maybe we should see if there's a public bath house or something first?" Looking at his own dirty sandals and slightly

torn cloak, Logan flushes in quiet shame. "We look a bit messy?"

Remus’ stomach rumbled. He glanced behind him, at the towering buildings, the winding pathways. “I don’t even know where we would find one. Let’s just ask the barmaid for a map and go after eating? If they make a fuss over it… It’ll be fine.”

Nodding, he offers his arm to Remus. "Shall we then?"

Remus raised an eyebrow and took his hand instead. “You’re a mess,” he said, and dragged him inside.

The inside was just as luxurious as the inside— Remus worried they couldn’t afford it. Plush rugs softened their steps, the entire dining room bathed in soft yellow light. A winding, carpeted staircase led presumably to the rooms, two fireplaces crackling on each side of the dining area.

The woman behind the bar, a tall elven girl, glanced up from wiping down the counters. Her gray eyes widened. “Travellers?”

"Did the road mud give it away?" Logan smiles softly. "Um, this is a rather nice place here… Dare I ask how much a room and meals costs around here?"

“Well…” She gestured them over.

Remus brought Logan towards the bar and slid on one of the stools. She reached under the counter and brought out a bucket full of soapy water. She handed a fresh rag to Remus.

“Here, sweety, wipe off your hooves. Usually a room cost 4 gold per night, but I can tell the road hasn’t exactly been kind to you.” She touched Remus’ face with a sigh. “I can knock it down by two as long as you promise not to tell anyone.”

Logan watched the girl’s face carefully. She watched Remus with sad eyes, taking the rag from him with a gentle grip. She seemed genuinely worried for him.

Smiling softly, he nods. "Thank you, kind lady."

“Here, I can get it.” Remus dumped the coins in her palm. “How much for a hot meal for the both of us? And do you by chance have a map of Blackmarsh?”

She hummed and drummed her fingers over the countertop. “Eight silver pieces each. Let me get you that map while you figure out what you want.”

She wandered into the back.

Logan smiles softly, sliding the money over on the countertop before bending to help Remus clean up. "Seems nice. Perhaps we ask about selling her that fish, dear?"

“Oh, right.” He squinted at the menu. “Yeah, we should do that.”

She came back a few minutes later and handed Remus the map, then took their orders. She directed them to where they could sell their fish and pointed out a good spot for the ring, as well.

“And here’s your room key.” She grabbed a pitcher of water and headed out from the bar. “Call me over if you need anything, hon.”

Logan nods, tucking their key away after marking those spots. "Thank you."

Remus sighed as he ate silently.

Isn’t this nice? Haven’t allowed me into civilization in a while. Hot food, warm shelter, we’ll sleep in an actual bed tonight… Wouldn’t it just be easier if you put a bit more faith in me? We could actually settle down somewhere.

“We could never do that,” he mumbled.

His back hurt— his whole body ached. He’d been on the road so long.

"Remus? You okay?" Logan looks him over with a small frown, tucking him in close, whispering. "Adelaide being a bitch again?”

He let out a surprised, tired laugh. “Sort of. He wants to settle down as much as I do. I think, at least. We’ve just been travelling for a while. We only found out about Maeston Coast, or we would have gone a lot sooner.”

“Alright, everyone!” The barmaid clapped her hands a few times. “Thirty minutes until curfew! Unless you plan to pay for a room, better start leaving.”

Remus frowned and looked up. “Curfew?”

"That's odd… I wouldn't have expected. I wonder what's caused that?" Logan leans over, trying to catch some conversation about it.

“Fucking creepy ass…”

“...why is it us?...”

“...they still haven’t found that halfling boy…”

Remus waved down the barmaid. “Excuse me, curfew?”

“Oh,” she sighed. “No one told you two?”

Shaking his head, Logan frowns. "No… We just got in today. What's going on?"

“For the past few weeks, people have been getting snatched off the streets and out of their homes. Over twenty people have vanished. The guards aren’t telling us anything, just gave us this bullshit curfew as if it stops anything.”

Remus’ eyes narrowed.

"Have they found any of them, any.. any bodies?" Logan frowns softly, curiosity peaked.

She shook her head. “Nope. Nothing. People just vanish. I’ve heard some families of the taken say there’s a wet spot left behind, a trail of water, but who’s to say.”

“If we talked to the guards about this, what would they say?”

She smirked. “They’d say everything is fine.”

"That's the only common clue? No other similarities in terms of how long between disappearances, age of the missing?" Logan taps the table, trying to think of what could be causing it and looking at the map for nearby water sources.

Remus tapped on the map at a spot outside the Blackmarsh Villas— The Black Marsh, a nearby swamp.

“Well, at first it was pretty tame. One or two missing a week. At this point it’s a couple a night. As for similarities, no, not that I’ve heard of. None of the victims are the same demographic, most don’t even know each other.”

"Oh! Hmm…. Do they live near the marsh at all? With the water connection, maybe…" Logan smiles at Remus, eyebrow raising. Do you want to check this out, dear?

She laughed. “God no, no one lives out there. It’s so polluted, it was abandoned a long time ago. The only thing out there is the ruins of the old Blackmarsh Villas.”

“What time does curfew lift in the morning?” Remus asked. He quickly finished his dinner and put down a few silver for the girl’s tip.

“7am. Thank you, dear.”

After she left, Remus leaned in to whisper to Logan, “I’m going to wake up early tomorrow to get shopping out of the way and go out to the marshes and quickly as possible. I bet we could find whatever’s doing this there.”

"Good possibility. What are you thinking it is? Any hints stand out?"

He shakes his head. “I have no idea.” He glanced over his shoulder. All the patrons had either filed out or gone upstairs; the dining room was a ghost town. “I’ve never encountered aquan kidnappers. Adelaide?”

Maybe the nearby fish got a little rowdy.

“You’re so unhelpful.”

"Well, one thing is for sure. We're all fed, there's a bed upstairs that I bet feels really nice, and we'll have more ideas come in the morning?"

Remus sighed and nodded. “I know.”

He followed Logan to their room. It was just as beautiful as the rest of the place, with a king-sized bed and a platter of fruits and cheeses. Remus dropped all his shit and made sure the lock was latched, then fell into bed.

Chuckling softly, Logan watches before settling on the bed next to him with a hum. "Oh, that feels so nice."

Remus curled into his side with a little huff, horns pressing into the side of Logan’s face. “I’m exhausted.”

Kissing his horns, Logan smiles, stroking down Remus' back. "Mmm… tuck in and rest, or see if there's a bathing space available, my dear?"

“Oh, yeah.” He blushed. “I think I saw a bathhouse nearby, maybe we can go when we get back from the swamp? No use spending money to get clean just to go to the marshes.”

"Sounds like a lovely plan, my dear." Gently tipping Remus' face, he kisses his lips.

Remus kissed him back shyly, uncertainly. Smiling, Logan hums, cupping his face and guiding the kiss, gently making out with Remus. Remus slid his fingers through Logan’s hair.

“Have you ever had a boyfriend before?” He asked quietly. “Girlfriend?”

Leaning into the touch, Logan nods. "I have… Both actually, before I figured out that I preferred the harder lines of a man's body." Blushing softly, he hums. "It's actually why I was 'requested' to leave the monastery. I had a date with the adopted son of the head monk. It wasn't approved of."

Remus frowned. “You were kicked out of your home because you’re queer?”

"I think it was more the who rather than the gender he disapproved of? He was a bit, protective, of Patton?" Grinning, he winks. "Can't help myself when I see a cute boy though, and I thought I had a better stealth ability than I did that night… Or maybe it was Patton's giggles that gave us away?"

Remus laughed a little, pulling Logan closer. “He’s still back at the monastery, then? Ever plan on seeing him again?”

Nuzzling a little, he hums, arms circling Remus and holding him close. "He is still back at the monastery as far as I know, probably grounded for an eternity to the healing wing, poor thing. I'd like to see him again, sure, but… I don't know, we might be better as friends. It was just a night that ended up with more cuddles and kisses than passion? This… Us? It feels more warm and close somehow?"

Remus nuzzled into his shoulder, quiet.

Stroking down Remus' back softly, he smiles. "If your question was if I'm planning to leave you for Patton if we meet again, no. I'm yours… if you want me."

Remus swallowed. He didn’t look at Logan. “I… I do want you, but you don’t want me. Not at least until Adelaide… You don’t want us.”

Sighing softly, he hums, stealing another kiss. "Remus. It's you I'm interested in, and right now, Adelaide comes as part of you. I'm okay with that."

He shook his head. “I’m not letting you do that.”

"Baby… why not?" Frowning, Logan grips the dark chin gently, making him look at him.

Remus shook his head a little. It was clear he was scared of Adelaide, of what Adelaide could do to him and Logan both.

“I won’t let you do that to yourself,” he said quietly.

Settling their foreheads together, he hums. "I'd be a fool not to be wary of Adelaide, dear… But I think you're worth the fight to free you. I'm not giving up."

“I’m not… Going to be with you with him here,” Remus insisted. “I’m not.”

"I know, and I understand, my dear. I'm just saying that after, after… I'd like to give US a chance. Does that make sense? Be friends with benefits for now… travel companions that share a bed. Afterwards, we can try dating if you're interested?" Stroking Remus' cheek, he hums. "Are we on the same part of the scroll?"

He blushed and nodded, leaning into his touch. “Yes, sir.”

Petting softly, he hums, bending in to offer a kiss. "Perfect. Seal it with a kiss, my dear one?"

Remus kissed him shyly.

Smiling softly, Logan sighs. "You're so shy and sweet… It's amazing."

Remus shook his head with a blush. “You’re crazy.”

Kissing the tip of Remus' nose, he strokes his hips and thighs gently. "Maybe, but you like my crazy, baby!"

“Shhh.” He settled against him and sighed. “Lots to do tomorrow. I’m going to sleep.”

Nodding, Logan shifts them under the blankets, cuddling up against Remus with a smile. "Alright. I'll be right here with you, darling."

xxx

Logan and Remus started by going to the blacksmith. The halfling man sat on the counter, staring at the ring with a clenched face.

Eyebrow arching, Logan bites his lip. Do I say something? He's looking at it like it offended him.

“It’s definitely magical,” he said after a long few minutes. “Let me just check…”

He hopped off the counter and dug around underneath for a moment. He brought out a lantern and held it and the ring in the air.

Remus held back a frustrated sigh. “Can you tell what it does?”

Taking Remus' hand, Logan chuckles. "I think that's what he's testing for now, hun?"

“I believe it’s a ring of evasion,” he said. He pulled a book out from under the counter and flipped around for a moment. “Yes, here. It has three charges that you can use to dodge an unexpected blow. It regains the charges slowly every day. Are you selling it?”

“No, sorry.” He took the ring back and slipped it on Logan’s finger. “Do you have any interesting weapons? Health potions?”

Logan blushes softly at the care in the action, pressing a soft kiss to Remus' horn.

“Well, show me what you have!”

Remus put down his sickles and dagger, and Logan his short sword and darts.

The halfling man hummed. “Anything specific you’re looking for?” He took out a journal and flipped through it.

Logan glances over at the book with a hum. "Not a specific plan, no… I was just handed this sword when I left. What do you recommend?"

“Well, if you want to trade in the short sword, I have a ghost blade I can give you for 350.” He flipped through the journal a bit more and hummed. “As for the sickles, I can trade one of those in for a sharper one for, let’s say, 400.”

Remus wrinkled his nose. “Gold pieces?”

"What advantage would a ghost blade have over this one?" A little much… Unless it's impressive. I might have to save up if it's worth the price.

“Well, your enemy’s wouldn’t be able to see it,” the halfling man said. “A lot harder to dodge a weapon you can’t see. And the sickle would simply do more damage— a lot more.”

Remus tapped his foot a little, frustration tugging at his chest.

Ask him about the kidnappings.

Remus narrowed his eyes.

Just ask him!

“I’m sorry, have you known anyone affected by the recent kidnappings?”

The man’s face paled. “I’m sorry?”

Sliding an arm around Remus, Logan gives a soft squeeze. "Sorry, we just arrived yesterday and there was a lot of talk about people disappearing…. do you know anything that can put our minds at ease, or any information at all?"

“We’re headed into the swamp soon,” Remus explained, “see if we can do what the guards aren’t.”

“You’re trying… To stop it?”

Remus and Logan nodded.

The man shook his head and looked away in disbelief. “If you can bring my husband back, I’ll give you these weapons for free. And, here, I’ve only got two health potions but I can give you half off. That’s fifty gold in total.”

Logan's eyes soften as he slides over the gold. "That would be lovely indeed, sir. We'll do our best to bring him back, or at least closure."

The halfling man handed them each a health potion. “I’m Alberic, by the way. Is there anything else you need?”

Smiling, he tucks the potion and his darts away. "Logan, nice to meet you, Alberic. Hmm, what do you think, dear? Anything else you wanted to know?" I don't want to traumatize him, but any information is helpful.

“Do you know anything?” Remus asked hesitantly.

Alberic shook his head. “No, I… I’m sorry. I was working when they took him. I don’t know anything.”

“We should keep moving,” Remus mumbled. “Thank you, Alberic.”

Nodding, Logan hums. "Thank you indeed… Oh! Do you know anyone who might have more information?"

“I’d talk to the guards.”

Remus nodded. “Let’s do that on the way out.”

Logan grins. "Sure… they probably won't thank us for doing their jobs, but then again, they might! See you later, Alberic!"

They made their way to town hall, headed up to the front desk.

“Excuse me, who runs the guard here?” Remus asked.

A dwarf who was reading some papers looks up and points back behind him. "Who wants to know? She's busy."

“We’re headed out to the swamp in a minute, see if we can help with the kidnappings. We’d like to talk to her first and see if we can get any more information.”

He arches an eyebrow, trying and failing to not look impressed. "I'll see if I can get you back to see head guard Lucinda… One moment?" He shuffles off to the back where the offices of the higher guards are, knocking on a door and waiting to be let in.

The door opened and he stayed inside a few more moments before coming out and leading Remus and Logan into the office. A blue tiefling with highly decorated ram’s horns, tipped in gold, sat behind the desk in flowing pink robes. She raised a pierced eyebrow when they entered.

Offering a respectful bow like he would to his former head monk, Logan smiles a little. "Good morn. We are travelers looking to aid in your disappearance problem if you have time to give us some information about that?"

She folded her hands over the desk and stared at them for a moment. “How do you plan on stopping the kidnappings?”

“Killing the criminal,” Remus said simply. “Do you know if it’s a monster or a person?”

She watched them carefully. “You arrived recently. What makes you care about Blackmarsh?”

"Why would we not care to make the world we travel a better place?" Logan tips his head gently, making his holy symbol slide out of his robe before he tucks it away again. "There is but one world and it deserves to be safe, does it not?"

She chuckled. “That certainly is one belief. There’s not much that we know. Seaweed has been left behind at the scenes, puddles of murky water… Anyone who’s seen the creature calls it a monster. Some say it’s the ugliest thing they’ve ever seen.”

“Seaweed?” Remus frowned. They were weeks from any coast, completely landlocked.

She shrugged and nodded.

"That is odd… any other descriptors that might help identify the person or thing or a motive?"

Logan had read about sea hags in the past, but never why they’d be so far from the ocean.

She shook her head. “No, unfortunately. If we had more information we’d do more to stop it.”

"Well, of course you would. I'm just trying to gather my data." Opening his pack, he flips through a couple of books, settling on one and checking a few pages. "It seems to correlate most with a sea hag… But why one is so far from the ocean, hmm. When did this all start, was there something just before it that might have deposited this hag here? A large scale storm, a caravan with a cart perhaps?"

She shook her head. “A few weeks ago. I can’t think of anything… Hm…”

Remus furrowed his eyebrows as she dug around in her desk.

She pulled out a few scrolls and pushed them open against the desk. “Well, there were some travelers who came by just before all this started. They were… Tourists. Came to gather information on our town and its economy.”

“You mean how you got rich?” Remus crossed his arms.

She laughed a little. “I guess so, yes.”

"One of the missing is the husband of the weapons and supplies shop owner… are any of the others tied to businesses like that? Possible leverage points?" Logan's eyes widen as he tries to put it together.

She shook her head. “No, there haven’t been any similarities among the kidnapped.”

“Those travelers, can you describe them for me?”

“Uh… Okay, well, they were a dwarven family except a little human girl. They said they’d found her on the side of the road and offered to bring her here. She stayed at the orphanage for a few days but she was the first to be kidnapped.”

"Interesting. Who was next after the girl?" Could she be the hag?

“Um…” she flipped through her book for a moment, “Callie Dosrig. She works in the inn.”

"So, the girl that was with the travelers disappears first? The second to vanish was someone that they would have met on first arrival and an individual that would know a lot about the town." He checked their map. "Where is the orphanage? Maybe they're related? It might be a sea hag looking for money and perhaps a way back to the more coastal areas she's used to.”

She pointed it out on the map. “The head of the orphanage is an elven man, Laucian Xilodon. He can tell you about the girl. You really think she’s… A hag? She looked perfectly normal to me.”

Remus looked at Logan in confusion. Under his breath, he asked, “Do you know anything about hags?”

Can’t say I do, love.

Logan hums, flipping some more pages. "Usually their human form is rather, unsightly. Did she have a tendency to wear a hat? Perhaps that anchored a disguise?"

Lucinda shook her head. “No. You’re certain it’s a hag? It doesn’t seem to match up with what you’re saying.”

“It doesn’t matter what it is,” Remus said. “We’ll check the orphanage regardless, and whatever it is, we’ll kill it.”

"It might not be what it is, I'm merely trying to eliminate the possibilities." Logan shrugs, writing down the orphanage owner's name.

“You’re really just going to waltz in there without any idea?” She folded her arms over the desk and leaned in, her black eyes. judgemental. “You realize that’s why I haven’t sent any guards, right? It could be a massacre.”

Shrugging, Logan hums, focused on his notes and the patterns there. "Do you have more ideas to add, ma'am? We did stop for information first."

She shook her head. “Past suggesting you do your business in town and leave? Nope. Nothing.”

Remus scowled. “You should care more about your people.”

"Well, you did hear her, darling. She'd rather we left rather than helping her take care of the problem that's potentially killing her town slowly." Standing, Logan hums. "Let's talk to the orphanage director perhaps, see if any more clues can be gathered."

Remus nodded and followed him out. He sighed and glanced around the streets, the groups of people milling about.

“Bitch,” he grumbled.

"We were told that they were likely to be little help, dear. Sadly, she was correct on that point." Sliding a gentle arm around Remus, he leads the way to the orphanage.

You should get them to pay you. They’re all rich and you’re doing their work.

Remus shook his head.

They arrived at the orphanage, a small building with a handful of children playing in the grass. An abnormal amount were human, considering most of what Logan and Remus had seen since they arrived had been halfling or elven.

A little half-elven girl ran up and stopped them on their way to the front door. Her eyes were blown wide. “You have antlers! And hooves!”

Logan can't help but chuckle softly, bending to be closer. "Greetings, small one… Might we enter?"

She pointed at Remus, eyes on Logan. “Is he a deer?”

Shaking his head, he hums. "He isn't, but I can see where you'd get the idea. Just for clarity though, there are a few things that can differentiate. He has hands, not four hooves. Also, he is walking upright, deer walk on all four limbs. The horns are, I believe, also made of different material."

She looked to Remus excitedly. “Can I touch? I saw a deer once and I felt its antlers!”

Remus blushed and knelt, ducking his head. The girl stroked his horn for a moment, ‘ooo’ing.

“They feel like Lucinda’s horns!”

"Mmhmm! See, he's not a deer… but he is dear to me!"

Remus’ face flushed bright red as the door opened and a lanky elven man with long, rose gold hair shook a bell. “Time for lunch, everyone!”

As all the kids leapt to their feet and ran inside, the man’s eyes landed on the two adventurers and the small child still reaching for Remus’ horns. He pocketed the bell and came over with an amused smile.

He picked up the girl, who squealed, and held her on his hip. “Ginger, you want to introduce me?”

Sliding an arm around Remus and standing to keep Ginger from accidentally getting sliced by the sharp tips, Logan grins. "We hadn't quite gotten to introductions actually! I'm Logan, and this is Remus. Ginger was just comparing Remus' horns to a deer's antlers…"

He laughed. “Ginger has an interesting relationship with tieflings. Lucinda and some of her charges were the one to find Ginger and her brother, Lucinda cared for them on their way home.” He held his free hand out. “I’m Laucian Xilodon. Are you looking to adopt?”

"Oh dear… I wish. We're usually on the road. That's no life for a child. I just can't stop myself from looking, I guess?" Logan sighs softly, trying his best to look apologetic as he internally squeals at the man assuming they're a couple.

He raised an eyebrow and nodded slowly, forcing a light laugh.

“Ignore him,” Remus sighed. “We only came to town for a stop along the way but we heard about your…” his eyes lingered on Ginger, “problem in town. We’re trying to get some information first. We heard there was a girl here a few weeks ago, could we talk about her?”

Laucion hesitated. He set Ginger down and murmured, “Go inside and eat some lunch, I’m sure Chef Bertie saved you your portion.”

After Ginger ran off, Laucion gestured the two to follow him. He led them to a group of pavilions and finished picnic tables, cushions tied down to each of the seats.

"Thank you… I wasn't sure how to bring it up discreetly, dear." Logan blushes a little, whispering to Remus as they move through the area.

“What do you want to know?” Laucion asked.

Logan hums softly. "The girl who was first to vanish…. what can you tell us about her?"

He sighed. “Not much. The dwarven family who brought her in dropped her pretty quick and I didn’t see them again. She didn’t speak. We didn’t know her name. The kids started referring to her as Silver, because of her hair, so that kind of caught on, but past that…”

Remus frowned. “You don’t know anything about her?”

“No, not really. She just trailed behind everyone and sulked, which isn’t that strange, but…”

"But what? Anything helps really. We're trying to get a picture of what might be behind this so we can stop it." Writing down some notes in a journal, Logan hums softly.

He shrugged and tipped his head to the side a few times, grimacing. “I guess, well, it was the way she looked at everyone that put me off. She was… Very jealous, that much was obvious. She never did a single thing to hurt anyone, I have to stress, and she seemed very sweet, just… Angry.”

"Jealous of what, exactly? That they could speak, or of certain people more than others perhaps?"

“No, I don’t think it had to do with her speech. I don’t…” He sighed. “I don’t know what she could have been jealous of.”

"The possibility that's crossed my mind was that this might be the daughter of a hag, perhaps jealous or confused about appearances being different to her own as she approached the birthday that she'd attain her true form and no longer be able to look human?" Tapping a few pages, he shows them the data he has on hags. "It all matches up to the real possibility that we have a young hag out there."

“Why would a hag want to kidnap a village?” Laucion sighed and dragged a hand down his face.

"Well, you would call this village beautiful, yes? The decorations on the houses, the atmosphere before this even? Sea hags hate beauty and want to destroy all of it."

Laucion frowned deeply. “But… We were trying to help her.”

“It’s a monster,” Remus mumbled. “It doesn’t care. You’re certain it’s a sea hag, Lo?”

"Unfortunately, you can't change a genetic disposition to hate things that show them that they can't be traditionally beautiful… I'm nearly 100% certain, Remus. It all fits." He hums, checking his notes and the information he'd collected from the monastery library before he left.

“We should get going,” Remus sighed as he stood, “before it hurts anyone else. Do they have any weaknesses?”

"Nothing that I can remember… They're scary though, they can frighten and kill just with their looks once you see their true form! Which, I mean, it makes sense why they'd hate beauty when they're so repulsive." Shuddering, he hums softly. "I promise we can attempt to reason with Silver, get her to move to a different area… but we will remove her if it proves necessary."

He nodded reluctantly. “I understand. Ginger’s brother has already been taken, I don’t want to risk the rest of the kids. Do what you need to. Unless there’s anything else you need from me, I should get back.”

"I think we're all set, thank you for your time… if we find the taken alive, we'll bring them home, okay?" Logan offers a small smile.

He smiled weakly and shook their hands. “Thank you. You two come back safe.”

"We'll do our best, sir. You have my word." Logan shakes his hand easily, accepting the comfort and well wishes. Looking to Remus, he offers his hand. "Shall we, dear?"

Remus nodded wearily and took his hand. They left the orphanage ground and headed back to the stables, hopping onto Juniper and leaving the Blackmarsh Villas.

#far from home #logan sanders #remus sanders #intrulogical #sympathetic remus

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lovelivingmydreams · 4 years ago

Text

Paper Flowers: one step forwards two steps back

Progress isn't always linear. And the setbacks can feel devastating. But it might still be worth it to try and move forward again.

A cute puppy jumps around excitedly, clearly asking to play, in a grassy field, on a sunny day.

Dad lays his hands to his heart. "Aw so cute!"

The dark Lord has his arms crossed, face partially hidden in the shadow of his pulled up hood. "Pathetic," he scoffs, not even looking.

A cat delicately washes her face. Dad gasps. "Elegant!"

Nemesis rolls his eye. "Obnoxious"

A horse prances around a meadow, hair flowing freely in the wind.

Dad stared on in awe and whispered: "Majestic."

Nemesis pinched the bridge of his nose. "Disgraceful"

Suddenly Dad jumped on a bench and pointed frantically at the ground. "Aaah spider!" he screamed.

Nemesis cooed as he knelt down. "Hello there darling!" He gets up, gently petting a massive spider.

Dad screams in horror once more.

"Well, that was fun," Patton smiled nervously. Virgil looked up at his paternal colleague with a raised brow. The man's body language didn't exactly radiate "I just had fun" energy.

"Plastic spider got you spooked huh?" He mused as he returned his attention to his phone. Thomas just got done filming their character's collab video. Princey's latest very transparent attempt at helping Virgil get along with the others.

"A little," Patton admitted. "But still. I get why Roman enjoys making videos with you so much!"

Virgil suppressed a scoff. There was no real need to point out that it was just Thomas playing caricature versions of them. If Patton wanted to pat himself on the back for this he wasn't going to burst his bubble. So he just shrugged. "I guess," he muttered not noticing how Patton lit up at this small victory.

“Wonderful work you two!” Roman beamed as he entered the commons. Okay, so apparently there was a point in pointing out the obvious.

“Does everyone just forget that it is Thomas who plays these characters? Most we did was toss in a few suggestions. The vine is all you Roman, jeez!” Virgil complained, though he gave Roman the smallest hint of a smile. He wasn’t sure if Roman had started making an effort to give the others credit since they became friends, or if it was just a part of him Virgil only saw now because he spent some actual time around him without shouting insults at each other. Not to say they hadn’t had fights the past… Six months, man time flies. Anyway, their fights could get just as heated as ever. But now after they stormed off to their rooms to cool down, one or the other would eventually knock on the other’s back door with a movie or a snack and an apology. They’d talk things out and make up. It was much better like this. In the past when Virgil’s anger subsided he’d start panicking about… well, everything. Not talking about it afterwards, or even acknowledging that a fight had taken place… Yeah not great.

Roman just rolled his eyes. “Whatever you say Gloom Day. But what did you guys think?” he asked, smile back in place. Roman was already feeling good about today because Virgil had more or less openly complemented him.

“It was amazing Roman! I’m sure the fanders will love it too!” Patton gushed.

Roman gave a little bow. “Thanks padre. Your enthusiasm is appreciated as always.”

This time Virgil could not contain his snort.

“Something funny? Panic at the everywhere?” Roman asked, hands on his hips and a brow raised in challenge.

“Nice one,” Virgil allowed. “It’s just, why even bother asking him? You know he’s going to sing your praises. You can’t sneeze without getting a medal as far as Patton is concerned,” he pointed out.

“That’s not true,” Patton protested gently.

“Well, what did you think then? Oh, sinister one?” Roman asked expectantly, not commenting on the medal thing.

Virgil thought about that for a moment. “I guess it was sort of okay. It was rough on Thomas because Dad and Nemesis have very different energy, but he enjoyed it. The fanders probably didn’t expect the nemesis to interact with other characters,” he allowed, trying to sound reluctant. This time he did see that Patton was beaming. He was really getting too soft around the others.

“Evening everyone,” Logan greeted as he entered the commons. Making Patton get up to get dinner ready and Virgil contemplate whether he’d have dinner in his room or if he could handle a little more social interaction.

“Logan! How did you like today’s project? I am two for two and feeling pretty good, so no need to hold back your criticism,” Roman grinned. Logan cast his eyes to Virgil and then to Patton who nodded, clearly excited to confirm this.

“I see. Well while your intentions were rather transparent, it was a rather good experiment.”

Virgil sat up confused. Did… Did Logan figure them out?

“I don’t have any idea what you are talking about,” Roman grinned innocently.

Logan sighed and adjusted his glasses. “Fine. You ran a test to see how the fanders would respond to the characters loosely based on our personalities interacting. Anxiety and Patton are an interesting first choice. My character and Patton’s would have a more natural combined narrative, but it is effective none the less. I assume that if this gets positive reviews, you will propose other collaborations as well?”

Roman shrugged. “Maybe.”

Virgil felt kind of bad. Roman had promised to stop pushing the subject after things got to a blow with Patton after the whole ‘Marcus’ incident. He should have known that he wouldn’t intentionally push them together.

“Oh Roman! That’s a brilliant idea! That’ll definitely help Anxiety feel less nervous about the whole thing. Right Anxiety?” Patton asked kindly.

Virgil shrugged as he got up to set the table. Just to have something to do.

“You guys do whatever. I’m still not on board.” He didn’t expect them to get it. They represented what people liked about Thomas. His intelligence, creativity, humor, kindness, passion…

He was… as far as everyone was concerned, what hurt Thomas. And yes, he overdid it, a lot. He had tried to be better, honestly, but he couldn’t help who he was.

“We’ll see about that Doominator. I’ll win you over, just you wait. But what did you think Logan?” Roman insisted, pulling Virgil out of his thoughts.

“Well, until we have more data it is hard to say…” Logan started, but then he stopped to ponder. Roman was actively asking for feedback. He had even stated that he could handle it if it wasn’t entirely positive. Maybe he should reward that effort with some of his own.

“Though while I usually would stick with facts, if it is my personal opinion you are seeking…”

An eager nod from Roman confirmed this. Well here goes.

“You all know I am not most in tune with emotions and artistic endeavors. That being said, you did well. The classic broken pattern and the recurring theme of closing off a video including Anxiety and any other character with some form of screaming will almost certainly be well received by the fans.”

Roman was beaming. He had more or less expected someone to criticize the skit in some way, but they all really thought it was good. Maybe the Sanders Sides series could actually happen!

“Dinner’s ready! Thanks for helping out Anxiety,” Patton said pleasantly.

Virgil looked down at the table and found he’d finished setting for four. Guess he’ll be staying for dinner.

He sat across from Patton with Roman to his right and Logan to his left. Roman was brainstorming out loud while they ate dinner, occasionally encouraged by Patton or redirected by Logan when he veered of topic. Once or twice Virgil even muttered a teasing remark which had Roman pouting dramatically and the specs trying to hide their amusement.

It was nice, almost, normal.

He should’ve known then that something was heading his way.

“What do you say Florida Ghoul? Underrated Disney movie night?” Roman asked as they put away the dishes.

Virgil was honestly tempted. Almost all his favorites were in that category. Which Roman knew. They’d argued about the best movies often enough.

But if he started he might lose track of time…

“I have made you all suffer through enough of me I think. I’m going to head down, see what the others are up to.” Thomas was more or less dozing off in front of the tv, he should be fine going down. Maybe he could ask J for a movie night of their own.

“Night,” he waved as he made his way to the door to below. Suddenly he felt someone tug at his hoodie? He looked back, expecting Roman, but it was Patton, looking at him with big shocked eyes.

“Y-you’ll be back though right? We really don’t mind you staying. You don’t have to…”

Virgil raised his hands. “Wow, calm down. What made you think I was going to go back? Permanently I mean.”

Patton looked away, let go of his shirt and started fidgeting with his hands.

That told Virgil enough. He looked up to Roman and Logan. “What did Deceit do?”

Roman got ready to speak, but Logan beat him to it.

“About a week ago, after we first discussed Roman’s Sanders Sides idea, he made a brief appearance. He implied that he might take you back in if we didn’t do a better job of ‘handling you’. Roman and I already assured Patton that Janus has no such power without our aid, but he apparently has not been convinced.”

Virgil glanced to Roman who nodded to confirm that this was how things had played out.

He let out a tired sigh. “I can’t belief this guy. I’ll be right back.”

Before anyone could say anything he rushed down the stairs. His thoughts racing. Was this the first time Janus had tried to guilt the others into being his friends? Had Roman… No… No he couldn’t start down that path. Not yet anyway.

“Janus!” he called out as he entered the living room.

“Virgin!” Remus greeted excitedly. Virgil gave the chaotic gremlin he’d grown up with a quick wave.

“Leave us for a sec Remus,” he growled, not looking away from the yellow clad side.

Janus walked up to Remus, looking at Virgil with confusion.

“Why don’t you go hunt something for breakfast Remus,” Janus suggests. Remus didn’t need any more prompting than that. A second later they were alone.

"Virgil, what's the matter?"

Virgil worked a brow. "What do you think? Why could I possibly be mad at you?" He asked, wanting to give Janus a chance to fess up himself.

Janus took in his body language and expression. This was not the fury he'd expect if he'd somehow discovered Janus had been in his room when he wasn't there.

So that left... "Did the lights really tell on me?" He huffed trying to hide how worried that made him. He had no clue about the context. What did Virgil think happened?

"No. I said I was planning on hanging with you guys tonight with plenty of my usual self deprecating humor and Patton was worried I was planning on staying away. I figured you had something to do with that. Logan told me what happened because I asked," Virgil clarified.

"Now I want to hear your side. The truth J. Please." He really hoped the explanation wouldn't be as heartbreaking as the one in his head.

Janus took in a deep breath. "Okay, bit promise we'll stay on topic. No evading, no beating around the bush." Virgil nodded in agreement.

Janus studied his face for a moment until he was satisfied with what he saw. "Okay. Virgil you have been disappearing. I tried to check up on you a few times the past few months and you were just gone. I allowed you to go upstairs because I thought it would be better for you. But if they are erasing you... I needed them to at least try to keep you. I didn't know what else to do..."

Virgil groaned and pinched the bridge of his nose. "I'm going to skip over the fact that you obviously entered my room while I was our, for now." He took a deep breath. It wasn't a surprise really. Janus and Remus both always just appeared in his room when they wanted to speak with him. So of course Janus had occasionally popped in to find it empty.

"I was probably in the imagination," Virgil confessed.

"The... why? How?!" Janus asked shocked.

"Roman gave me a little meadow to relax. Like 5 months ago I think. Not too long after the prince vs nemesis video's started. I go there when I need a break."

Janus stammered for a few seconds before letting out a utterly perplexed: "Why?"

That hurt a little. Was it that hard to belief?

"He only said he felt like giving me something. Maybe it was because I gave him some constructive criticism earlier and he wanted to try out positive reinforcement. You know he always overdoes everything," Virgil explained. There wasn't a single lie in his statement, so Janus believed him.

"But... he's not supposed to know..." Janus collapsed a hand in front of his mouth, realizing he said that out loud.

"What is Roman not supposed to know?" Virgil growled.

Janus took a small step back. "I... before I sent you upstairs I told Patton and Logan what I was planning and why. I wanted to be sure they'd look after you."

Virgil nodded. That made sense. "Why was Roman not supposed to know that?"

Janus couldn't look at Virgil. "I... told them I was worried what it would do to Thomas if you didn't move to a less stressful environment. I wasn't sure if Roman would be helpful or even more wary of you. So I blocked even the thought of telling Roman about our conversation from their minds."

Virgil was silent for a few moments. Somehow he felt a lot better about everything now. It all made so much more sense.

"Unblock it then," he muttered as he turned around.

"Virgil..."

"Unblock it. I'll see you guys next week or something. Maybe..." J had meant well after all... right?

"Virgil!" Janus called after him, but he was already halfway the upper commons.

When he walked in Roman, Logan and Patton were standing there waiting for him.

"Janus lied. So you don't have to pretend anymore. And you should be able to tell Roman," he said. Hands in his pockets, leaning casually against the doorframe. His old walks back in place. It was better that way.

"Anxiety... kiddo no. You..."

"Just drop it!" Virgil hissed in his tempest tongue, the briefest glimpse of his feral form was enough to make Patton stagger backwards into Logan. Roman was reaching out though. He was still on Virgil's side.

"I was getting sick of all this sappy family stuff anyway," he scoffed before leaving for gos room.

Roman stormed into the meadow ready to break down Virgil's door if he had to. Virgil hadn't knocked not even once. But he couldn't be left alone with his thoughts now!

He was barely two steps inside when he spotted Virgil sitting there, a crown of purple daisies in his hand.

"You came," the anxious man breathed in relief.

Roman sat down next to him careful to keep enough distance but also be within reach.

"Of course," he said gently. They both knew ge wanted to defend Patton and Logan. To assure Virgil that they never did what they did because they feared he would be pushed to the edge and hurt Thomas in the fallout.

Virgil had explained to him that his discomfort around Patton was due to feeling like the moral side saw him as a ticking timebomb.

The reason for that was painfully obvious now. But how to make Virgik see that Patton was more distant than he wanted to be instead of more welcoming?

"I knew it was all too good to be true. The bubble was bound to burst... I told myself not to get too attached, cause it would end up hurting... I didn't realize... not until earlier. My room is almost back where I started Roman. I litterally pushed them away. And I thought... I thought I'd pushed you away too." Roman could tell Virgil had been crying.

"Preposterous. I'm much too stuborn to get rid if that easily," he assured Virgil. The darker side cracked a smile at that.

"I'm glad I was wrong about that..."

Roman nodded. Virgil had told him how much he hated being right.

"Did I ruin movienight?" Virgil wondered tensely.

"Well I don't know about Logan and Patton. But you and I are going yo watch all those tragically underrated movies."

And with a wave of his hand Roman set out an out doors movie theatre complete with snacks. The sky darkened and Virgil was handed a movie menu.

He smirked as he looked it over. Roman really did have to overdo everything. Including distracting him.

It was appreciated though.

@moonlightshow00 @naturallyunstablegamer @alias290 @meowthefluffy @riverdoesbadart @vpow @apinkline2715 @frida43 @tired-yeetling @firegirl156

Later Virgil would discover that his room was moved just a few feet closer to the upper level again.

Next: adjusting

#sanders sides #fic #ts sides #virgil sanders #roman sanders #prinxiety #ts virgil #ts roman #paper flowers au #patton sanders #janus sanders

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miguel-manbemel · 4 years ago

Text

Aspects & Fanfics Ep. 49: The Cave of Doom Part 4: A Farewell Lullaby

As I announced last week, today I was publishing the final part of The Cave of Doom and putting an end to this story, which I hope you have been enjoying. I also remind that the next episode in the narrative will be in an ever shorter time as it will be a special Christmas episode to be released next Thursday, on Christmas Eve. It will be special too because it will be the introduction of Nico Flores, so stay tuned for that. Until then, I leave you with the Cave of Doom finale. Until next Thursday!

SYNOPSIS: Thomas has to use his Dark Master powers to escape the ghouls that surround the gang, but will that be enough to escape the cave? And will Thomas be strong enough to resist the Dark Master’s increasing control over him?

WARNINGS: Angst, lots of angst. There’s a scene describing a very violent attack. Also romantic prinxiety and romantic logicality.

EPISODE INDEX

[Roman is writing in his diary. His eyes are all red and his voice is heard]

ROMAN: The closer I’m getting to the end of this story, the hardest it is for me to tell it with my eyes dry. I can’t make any more pauses, because otherwise, I would never finish, and besides, I need to let it all out as soon as possible. So, let me tell you how I finally… lost my son. First, a summary of the previous section I narrated, so that I can calm myself down enough to tackle the rest. We had made our way into the cave to find Paranoia and put an end to his reign of terror in the Cave of Doom. When we got deeper in the caves, Vertigo, Height’s partner, who, like the other ghouls, is controlled by Paranoia, tried to lure Height into following him into his trap. It was hard but we convinced him to stay with us and Paranoia’s plan was exposed. He asked us to get into his castle in the deepest cave to offer us a deal. The deal in question was to give us our son Dillon back, as well as the keys to get out of the Cave, in exchange for the two ghouls that were with us, Height and Rejection, as well as Virgil’s abdication of the throne in his favor. He also threatened to kill our son Dillon, who was kept as hostage, if we didn’t accept the deal. But Janus quickly saw through all the deceptions that had been placed there and not only rejected Paranoia’s plan, but exposed the true culprit of all the situation: our own son, Dillon, had betrayed us. He was the one who had attacked Ian from behind, he opened the front door and allowed the ghouls to take Chris, and he wanted Virgil to abdicate the throne in the cave who knows for what reason. Except that it was not Dillon himself who did all of that. The Paladin, who had made my life a hell in the past few months, had got out of my body and taken control of Dillon while I was delivering him, and now Dillon was nothing but a puppet under his control. With the facade over, Dillon decided to act more aggressively, and ghouls started surrounding us from all corners of the room. It looked like it was the end for all of us…

[intro sequence]

[the gang is surrounded by all the ghouls who get closer and closer all with mean looks in their eyes]

ROMAN: We’re surrounded and they’re too many.

VIRGIL: I won’t let this stand! [tempest tongue, rising his hands] EVERYONE, STAND BACK!

[the ghouls are not even affected. Dillon chortles]

DILLON: Did you really think that they were still under your command? Poor fool. They only obey me and they are no longer affected by your power. I too have that power and currently I’m stronger than you. Admit your defeat, Virgil! You’re doomed!

THOMAS: Not if I can do anything about it!

[Thomas closes his eyes and when he opens them again, they’re blue. He rises his hands and a huge beam of light surrounds them. The ghouls retreat a couple of steps, but then the light disappears and they start walking again]

THOMAS: It’s not working!

VIRGIL: I told you the Light Master power didn’t reach to these caves, Thomas.

THOMAS: Well, you also said there was another power I could use in case of an emergency…

VIRGIL: [scared] Thomas, no! It’s too dangerous! You still don’t know how to control your Dark Master self!

THOMAS: Well, it seems we don’t have a choice, Virgil! Have you got any better ideas? Because I would love to hear them if you can be quick, they’re almost on us!

VIRGIL: I don’t, Thomas, but…

THOMAS: Then it’s settled.

[Thomas closes his eyes]

VIRGIL: [yelling in tempest tongue] THOMAS, NO!

[Thomas opens his eyes, they’re now green and he shows a mean face]

THOMAS: [with a demonic voice] What the light couldn’t touch, the dark will tear it apart! Stand back, you fools!

[Thomas rises both arms and a black wave surges from his body and spreads everywhere. All the ghouls, including Paranoia, Height and Rejection, are struck by that wave and fall down. Voices of pain are heard everywhere in the room]

HEIGHT: I can… I can barely breath… Oh, it hurts!

[Thomas looks at Dillon, who looks at him with a face of wrath. Two key chains fly out of his pocket and fall in Thomas’ hand]

THOMAS: [same evil, demonic voice] We’re gonna need this, thank you.

DILLON: You won’t get away from here so easily.

THOMAS: Try to stop me if you have what it takes. [to the others] Let’s go.

VIRGIL: What about Height and Rejection? Your attack affected them too and they can barely walk.

THOMAS: [angry] You are the Father of Ghouls, aren’t you? They’re your responsibility! Do something yourself or leave them behind, I don’t have time to deal with this b*llsh*t!

VIRGIL: But my son… There has to be something I can do for him!

THOMAS: [yelling in a fit of wrath] Get with the program, Virgil! That’s not your son! He’s never been your son! He’s the Paladin, from the very first moment he was conceived! You two never truly had a son and if you had, he died before birth, consumed by the Paladin! So come on, now! It won’t be long till these ghouls recover and then it will be us who suffer! Come on, get walking, now!

ROMAN: Okay, Thomas, calm down! Don’t talk to Virgil like that!

[Thomas’ eyes turn back to brown]

THOMAS: [horrified] Oh, my gosh. Virgil, I’m so sorry, I didn’t mean to speak to you like that…

VIRGIL: [in tears] It’s okay, that wasn’t you, Thomas. I’ll never forget the Dark Master’s manners. But still, you were right, we gotta go before these ghouls recover. But we’re not leaving our friends behind. Roman, grab Rejection, and I’ll grab Height.

ROMAN: Okay, my love. Hold on me Rejection.

REJECTION: [weak voice] Thank you, Roman…

[Roman and Virgil grab the ghouls, then the gang runs out of the room across the ghouls lying down]

DILLON: [to the ghouls on the ground] Don’t let them get away, you idiots! A fine group of imbeciles you’ve turned out to be!

[The gang gets out of the castle and they return to the corridors of the cave, heading to the door]

HEIGHT: I’m sorry we’re being a burden for you, your majesty.

VIRGIL: Don’t worry, Height. You’re not so heavy and I can carry you.

HEIGHT: I didn’t mean that. I know as our King you’re strong enough to carry us and more, but I meant, that we’ve lured you into this cave and we made you fall into that trap. We’re so sorry.

VIRGIL: It’s not your fault. You don’t need to apologize. At least this has served to open our eyes about Dillon’s true heart.

HEIGHT: I’d wish we could do something more to help you. But I can barely move a muscle, everything hurts.

VIRGIL: I know, I’m sorry. I didn’t expect that Thomas, even in Dark Master mode, wouldn’t care to attack both friends and enemies at the same time. Though I should have, the Dark Master has always been like that.

THOMAS: I’m terribly sorry, guys. I hope when we get back to Virgil’s room, you have time to recover.

REJECTION: I still wonder, though, what will become of our friends? Will they stay trapped under Paranoia’s… I mean, under Dillon’s control for all eternity?

VIRGIL: For now, we need to get back to my room and lock the door so that we have time to recover. Then we’ll think on something. As I said, I’m not leaving any friends behind. And there has to be a way to help my son. I can’t accept that there’s nothing we can do for him. It’s too horrible.

THOMAS: [suddenly with a mean tone of voice] You’ve always been so simple, Virgil! Of course there’s nothing you can do for him, forget him already!

VIRGIL: Thomas! Don’t let your Dark Master self dominate you!

THOMAS: [back to normal] I’m sorry, I don’t know where that came from.

VIRGIL: This has been a mistake, you shouldn’t have used that power.

THOMAS: If I hadn’t, we would be history by now. There was no choice, Virgil. We’ll deal with the aftermath later. Now, we must keep moving. Save your breath for the run.

HEIGHT: I think you can put me on the ground, your majesty. I think I’m feeling okay now and I can run.

VIRGIL: Are you sure?

HEIGHT: Yes, my liege, thank you for carrying me.

REJECTION: I’m feeling better too, Roman.

[Virgil and Roman put Height and Rejection on the ground]

LOGAN: You know what this means, right, guys? Now it’s when we really must run, cause if Height and Rejection are better now, that means that all of the ghouls hit by Thomas’ wave are feeling better too, and that means, they’re after us right now. So come on!

VIRGIL: It’s good that the door is not too far already. We can still make it, guys.

[The gang keeps on running. Soon, they see the front door in the distance, but just then they start hearing beastly growling noises in a distance behind them]

VIRGIL: [now panting] How fast are they running? The distance we made in like ten minutes, they made in less than two! They’re gonna get us!

THOMAS: Not if I can help it!

VIRGIL: Thomas, no! If you do that thing again, you’ll hit Height and Rejection and we don’t have time to stop and carry them.

THOMAS: It’s okay, this time I’ll try to do an attack only in that direction. You guys, keep on running. [his voice goes to a mean tone and his eyes turn green] I’ll deal with these b*st*rds once and for all. Here, you’ll need this.

[Thomas throws one of the key chains to Virgil, who grabs it. Soon hundreds of red eyes are seen in the distance as the growling voices get stronger. Virgil and the others decide to just run to the door]

THOMAS: You fools didn’t have enough, did you? Well, now you’re gonna regret following us.

[Thomas rises both fists and black flames surge from them. As the ghouls get closer, Thomas points both fists to them and yells a war cry. Black flames erupt from his fists and hit the ghouls. There are yells of pain around them. Meanwhile, Virgil and the others have reached the door and they are unlocking it when they see what Thomas is doing]

HEIGHT: Goodness gracious, what is he doing!?

REJECTION: He’s gonna kill them all, and despite their current state they are our friends!

[Suddenly, Height shows a face of huge despair]

HEIGHT: That on the front line! That is Vertigo! No! Stop it, please! You’re gonna kill him!

VIRGIL: Thomas, you’re overdoing it, it’s not necessary to kill them! Stop, please!

HEIGHT: [yelling in despair] Somebody stop him! Please, somebody stop him!

ROMAN: Thomas, stop!

VIRGIL: You guys, get in the room, I’ll go get Thomas.

HEIGHT: [hysterical] I’m not going anywhere! I’m not going anywhere!

VIRGIL: Roman, Chris, please, take them away. [gives the key chain to Roman] Lock the door when you’re in my room.

ROMAN: What about you?

VIRGIL: Thomas has a copy.

ROMAN: But…

VIRGIL: Hurry, they mustn’t keep seeing that! Hurry!

ROMAN: Okay. Be careful, my love. Come, Height, come with me.

HEIGHT: I’m not going!

[Roman and Chris grab Height and Rejection and drag them into Virgil’s room while they desperately fight. Then the door is closed and Virgil hears the sound of the lock]

VIRGIL: [running to Thomas] Thomas, I demand you to stop!

THOMAS: What are you doing here? Don’t you see I’m busy? Get out of here!

VIRGIL: Don’t you see you’re killing them? They’re not responsible for what they’re doing and they’re Height and Rejections friends. You even wounded Vertigo, Height’s love of his life! Stop!

THOMAS: As if I cared for that! They dared to rise their hands to me and they’re gonna lose both of them. And you too if you keep bothering me, Anxiety!

VIRGIL: Thomas, that is not you! Don’t you see the Dark Master is controlling you? You’re supposed to be kind and forgiving! Stop this massacre!

THOMAS: If I didn’t have both my hands occupied, I’d teach you not to question me, you pathetic Side! I’m in charge, remember? Or do you want me to make you remember with some whipping?

VIRGIL: Okay… I’m sorry, Thomas. I didn’t want to do this… But I have no choice. You’re gonna stop… by hook or by crook.

[Virgil points at Thomas. Soon the flames disappear and Thomas screeches in panic, before fainting. Everyone in the cave faints too. A couple of minutes pass until Thomas opens his eyes and everyone starts giving signs of life]

THOMAS: [standing up, his eyes have turned back to brown] What… what has happened?

VIRGIL: [also standing up, shaking his head] I’m sorry, Thomas, I had to put a panic attack on you, to make you snap out of the Dark Master’s control.

THOMAS: [noticing all the ghouls wounded on the ground] Oh, no… What did I do? Virgil, what did I do!?

[applause is heard from a short distance. It’s coming from Dillon who’s watching the scene]

DILLON: What a scene… Seeing you abandoning yourself to your meanest impulses, is such a joy to see, Thomas.

THOMAS: Dillon…

VIRGIL: No… the Paladin.

DILLON: Oh, what’s the matter, daddy? I’m your son, you don’t love me?

VIRGIL: You’re not my son, Paladin. You’re just wearing his casquet, but there’s nothing left of my son, because you took care of him, you murderer.

DILLON: [mischievous smile] Are you sure of that, though? Who knows, maybe there’s something left of your son in this body? Maybe I need that little bit of him alive to keep myself inside of him. Perhaps, there is still hope for your son and you don’t know.

VIRGIL: Why are you saying this to me? Why are you doing this to me!?

DILLON: [evil giggle] Oh, I just love to torture some poor unfortunate souls, like yourself. Hope is also a form of torture if you use it… wisely.

THOMAS: You truly are a monster, Paladin. A real monster.

DILLON: I am a monster? Look around you, Thomas. You have wounded hundreds of beings around you, some of them maybe beyond cure. If I am a monster, then so are you, Thomas.

THOMAS: That was the Dark Master, not me! I did not do that!

DILLON: Don’t pass the buck, Thomas. The Dark Master is one of the Master Sides of yourself, which means he’s at the core of your very foundation. You did it through him, but it was you who allowed him to do him, because you are indeed him, you can’t deny it!

THOMAS: You liar… [yelling] You liar!

DILLON: You know I’m saying the truth. Don’t get accustomed to it, but I am.

[Thomas shows a face of despair and tears fall down his cheeks. Virgil notices Vertigo next to him. He grabs him]

VIRGIL: It’s no use to argue with him, Thomas. Let’s go.

DILLON: You think you’re gonna leave so easily?

VIRGIL: And who’s gonna stop us? Your facade is over, your army is defeated and, Paladin or not, at the end of the day you’re nothing but an ordinary Side, you have no power to stop or harm Thomas. You’ve lost, Paladin.

[Dillon giggles]

DILLON: Well, I guess you’re right, for the time being. Okay, you can go. But sooner or later, you’ll have to go back, because I still have your son. You just won’t be able to resist the urge of rescuing him at some point. I’ll be waiting for our next encounter, Virgil, this was fun.

VIRGIL: Speak for yourself, Paladin. You’re right. If there’s still a chance to rescue my son, I’ll take it, but not today. Until we meet again, Paladin. I assure you it will be the last time we meet.

DILLON: [evil voice] Oh, you can be sure of that too… [innocent, childish, sing-song voice] See ya, daddy!

[Virgil turns around. Thomas stands there, looking at the ghouls around him]

VIRGIL: Thomas, let’s go.

[Thomas doesn’t move]

VIRGIL: [yelling] Thomas! You’ve done enough harm today already! Hurry up or we won’t be able to do anything for Vertigo, come on!

[after these harsh words, Thomas snaps out of his confusion and follows Virgil. He unlocks the door and gets into the room followed by Virgil. Before Thomas closes the door, Virgil looks at Dillon one last time. Dillon blows a kiss to him and waves his hand happily. Virgil frowns with tears in his eyes and turns around, then Thomas closes the door and locks it]

HEIGHT: Is that Vertigo? Vertigo, my love! [looks at Thomas with a face of wrath then starts hitting him on the chest] You murderer, what have you done!?

REJECTION: [hugging Height] Height, calm down. Our King said he was not himself when he did that, and I trust our King. Do you?

HEIGHT: [lets go a sight mixed with a sob] Okay… Whatever you say…

THOMAS: I’m… I’m so sorry… I didn’t realize what I was doing… You were so right, Virgil, I never should have use the Dark Master powers. All these ghouls wounded… and it’s all my fault. What have I done, sweet Jesus, what have I done?

VIRGIL: That’s over and done with, Thomas and we can’t change it. Let’s hope that the ghouls survive and get better. It’s very difficult to kill a ghoul, even by yourself. It requires a lot of strength to kill a fear. The most common situation is that you end up facing a fear and learning to ignore it, even though it never goes completely. So let’s just hope for the best for them. Let’s focus now on Vertigo. [to Patton] Dad, do you think you can do anything for him?

PATTON: I don’t know… Vertigo is not a Side, I don’t know if my healing powers will work on him. I already have problems to heal issues on Sides, like when I couldn’t restore Logan’s abilities to examine Sides.

LOGAN: If only I hadn’t lost that ability… I could have identified the Paladin by touch when he was a baby, and this wouldn’t have happened.

VIRGIL: To think that I thought he was Hope and wanted to give him a name that meant Hope… when Despair would have been way more appropriate for him…

HEIGHT: Please, if you can save him, I beg you to try, Patton.

PATTON: Okay, kiddo, I’ll do my best. Put Vertigo on the couch.

[Virgil puts Vertigo on the couch and steps back. Then Patton approaches him and examines him]

PATTON: He’s really wounded. I don’t know if I can do this, but I’ll certainly do my best to save him.

[Patton puts his hands on Vertigo’s chest and closes his eyes]

IAN: I was thinking… won’t it be dangerous to heal Vertigo? He was one of them, after all.

VIRGIL: Not anymore, Ian. After I locked that door, any control Dillon had over Vertigo has been cut and broken. He’s now free. I hope it’s not too late to save him.

[Patton tries to concentrate. A faint blue aura appears around him, but soon he starts struggling and the aura flickers and disappears]

PATTON: This is hard… I think I may have a chance to make a contact… but it’s too difficult, and he’s in a very bad condition. I’ll try again.

[Patton closes his eyes again and struggles harder. The blue aura appears again, this time a little brighter, but soon it starts flickering again and disappears]

PATTON: Dag nabbit… I almost had it. But I lack strength to reach to the end of the process. I think this could be too much for me… But no, I almost had it, maybe it will be third time lucky. Let’s go.

[Patton closes his eyes. This time he struggles so much he groans out of the effort, almost as if he was in pain. Some of the light blue aura surrounds Vertigo. Tears fall down Patton’s struggling eyes and he seems to be in a lot of pain. He starts getting a little pale]

LOGAN: Patton, are you okay?

PATTON: Almost… have… him…

[Patton’s hand is now grabbing Vertigo’s chest, almost nailing his nails on the chest. Height watches the scene in tension as well as the others. After some time, the aura disappears. Then the struggle in Patton’s face is replaced by dizziness. Logan realizes he’s about to faint and grabs him before Patton collapses]

LOGAN: Patton! What’s wrong with you?

PATTON: [weak voice] I’m sorry… That took almost all of my energy. The Core warned me about it. If I ever went too far with this gift, it could have the same effect as a self inhibition…

LOGAN: What!? But that means you could lose your life if you use that gift! Why didn’t you tell me!?

PATTON: I didn’t want to worry you. Besides, I never thought I’d have to use the gift to this extent… Please take me to the other couch… I need to rest…

LOGAN: Of course.

[Logan holds Patton in his arms and lays him on the couch]

PATTON: Thank you, Logan…

LOGAN: Don’t ever do this again, please. I couldn’t stand… I couldn’t stand losing you, Patton.

PATTON: I love you too, Logan. And I promise to be more careful next time. It’s just that I was so close to save him, that I didn’t want to miss that chance… By the way, did it work? Please tell me it did work. In my current state I couldn’t try another time.

VIRGIL: As a matter of fact, Patton, something seems to be happening here. The wounds over his body are slowly closing and disappearing. It’s a good sign.

PATTON: Good, I just set the spark for his recuperation, the beacon light he must follow to return to the living. The rest depends on him and his will to live and follow that light. I can’t do anymore.

HEIGHT: Please, Vertigo, please… Fight.

[little by little, the wounds keep on disappearing. Soon there are no wounds in his body. Still, Vertigo doesn’t show signs of waking up]

HEIGHT: Vertigo? Can you hear me? Please, wake up! Please…

[Height, suddenly compelled by an urge he can’t control, leans over Vertigo and kisses him. A couple of seconds later, Vertigo moves his arms and wraps Height around him, and they stay in the kiss for a few seconds more. Then, when the kiss is over, Vertigo smiles at Height]

VERTIGO: I could hear you all the time… calling me… but I was just so weak… it’s as if I was trapped in a pool full of gelatin, unable to move, seeing that light, knowing I had to go there but unable to get going… until I felt your kiss and it was as if you pulled me out of that pool and threw me straight into the light and back to you.

HEIGHT: I’m so happy… How do you feel, can you stand up?

VERTIGO: I think so…

HEIGHT: Here, let me help you…

[Height helps Vertigo sit on the couch. He looks bashfully at the other Sides]

VERTIGO: I’m sorry for being such a nuisance, guys. I wasn’t myself and…

VIRGIL: You don’t need to apologize. It’s all the Paladin’s fault, not yours, you were just his pawn.

THOMAS: It’s me who should apologize, Vertigo. I’m terribly sorry for what I did to you. I’m so happy that you’re okay now. But all those poor ghouls on the other side of that door… how…

[Thomas starts crying]

VERTIGO: It’s okay, Thomas. As it happened with me, you were not yourself. You would have never done such thing on your own free will, and for me that’s enough.

THOMAS: Thank you… for being so understanding… But the other ghouls… Will they be? Will they hold it against me, as they should? Lord help me, I hope I didn’t kill any of them.

VIRGIL: There’s one safe way to find out, Thomas. Let’s peep through the key hole and see how they’re doing.

THOMAS: Can we?

VIRGIL: Of course we can. As long as we don’t open that door, it’s safe. Come on, take a look.

[Thomas approaches the door and looks through the key hole. We see what he’s narrating]

THOMAS: I see the ghouls there… It seems, they’re standing up… and going back to the deeper caves… I don’t see anyone left behind unconscious or… you know… Perhaps it’s true they all survived. I still made them a lot of harm and I will regret that forever… but Lord help me, I’m so relieved I didn’t kill anyone…

DILLON: [suddenly peeping through the same keyhole looking at Thomas in the eye from very close] PIKABOO!

THOMAS: [jumps scared] HOLY F…!

DILLON: Ha ha ha! Relax, dear friend, I saw you were looking around and I just wanted to say hi!

THOMAS: I’m not your friend, Paladin. And I’m so glad that the treatment I’m getting has you under control so that you can’t do any more harm.

DILLON: [over the top pouty face] You’re so mean to me… I just wanted to be nice. Well, I hope this little adventure has been as fun for you as it’s been for me. I can’t wait for our next encounter. See ya, kiddos!

PATTON: Don’t you dare stealing my thing, Paladin!

[but there’s no response anymore]

HEIGHT: How are you feeling now, Vertigo?

VERTIGO: I’m still a little achy here and there, but I’m getting better by the minute.

REJECTION: Guys… What will become of us? We can’t return to the cave. We’re now exiled outcasts. We have nowhere to go!

CHRIS: What do you mean you have nowhere to go? You’ve got this room and you can use it as if it was your own. Make it your home for as long as you need.

REJECTION: Really? You would let us live here? Oh, thank you, your highness, thank you so much!

VIRGIL: Are you sure, though, Chris? This place only has two bedrooms. Where are you planning to sleep?

CHRIS: You know what? For the time being I’ll be returning to your room, until I can make myself a room of my own. I’m an adult Side, I must be capable of creating a room for myself, just like any other Side, am I not? Question is if you don’t have any problem with me moving back with you, even if it’s temporary.

VIRGIL: You didn’t even need to ask. You’ll always be welcome with us, right Roman? [Roman doesn’t answer] Roman? Are you listening?

ROMAN: Mmm? Oh, sorry, what did you say?

VIRGIL: I said that Chris will always be welcome in our room.

ROMAN: Oh, of course, Chris. You don’t even need to ask. You’ll always be welcome with us.

VIRGIL: I… I just said that with the same exact words. Roman, are you okay?

ROMAN: Well…

THOMAS: Emm… Chris, guys, don’t you think we should show the new tenants their rooms? Come with me, all of you.

PATTON: Aren’t we too many to go all together to the bedrooms? I…

THOMAS: [low voice, a little angry] You can go anywhere you want, as long as you give Roman and Virgil some privacy to talk…

PATTON: Oh, okay, yeah let’s go.

[everybody goes upstairs while Roman and Virgil stay alone in the room]

[end card]

VIRGIL: What’s the matter, Roman?

ROMAN: You know what’s the matter with me. I’m thinking about our son.

VIRGIL: Yes, I understand. It hurts me deeply too that he has to stay there trapped, but there’s nothing else we could do…

ROMAN: It’s not that… I mean, it hurts me too that he has to stay there and we can’t see him again. It’s just that… I think this is all my fault.

VIRGIL: What? Why would it be your fault, Roman?

ROMAN: Keeping the Paladin reined in was my responsibility. He was in me and as long as he stayed there, I was supposed to be his prison and his jailer. How could I let him infect our unborn son and get away? What if we can’t make him leave our son’s body? What if our son is doomed to be the host of that monster for the rest of our lifetimes? I… I thought it was a blessing that I was having another son, but… [starts sobbing] …it happened to be a curse instead, and it’s all my fault…

VIRGIL: [hugging him] It’s okay, Roman. This is not your fault at all. It’s not like you knew the Paladin could do that, and even so, what could you have done to prevent it? It wasn’t something you could control at all, so don’t be harsh on yourself. And don’t lose hope either. I am the one who’s also questioning hope and I’m sure there has to be a way to save our son, and we will save him, someday.

ROMAN: I hope you’re right, Virge. I really do…

[Virgil kisses Roman on the forehead, then they go upstairs to join the others. Then we return to Roman writing in his diary]

ROMAN: [voice] I keep Virgil’s words in my mind and try to listen to them again and again, but it’s just so hard… Every moment I can’t stop thinking that our son is down there, manipulated by that monster. Does he know what he’s doing? Does he really exist to begin with, or was he the Paladin all the time? There’s no way for me to know. Some nights, when everybody is sleeping, I do a supreme effort to stay awake, even when Thomas tries to force me to sleep, and go to Virgil’s front door, trying to stay a little close to him. There was one time when I almost fell asleep next to the door, and I thought I heard some childish singing on the other side, as if someone was singing “Rock-a-bye baby” to me, with the sweetest voice anyone could find… I woke up the next morning when Vertigo found me asleep next to the door. It could have been just a dream… but I want to believe that, when Thomas sleeps, the Paladin falls asleep too and our son, sharing Virgil and Chris’s ability to stay awake, regains control of his own body for short periods of time. Did he get to the door and know that I was there asleep? Cause it wasn’t a mockingly sweet voice what I heard half asleep, it was a genuinely loving voice, as if he was trying to send me all his love. I never told anyone, ‘cause I don’t wanna create false hopes for me or for Virgil. But I so desperately wish for this to be true. I’m missing him so much already. Please, Core, I pray to you to give us a way to get my son back. Please…

[Roman stops writing and closes the book. Then he looks at the cover with his face full of tears]

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nyxi-styx · 5 years ago

Text

No Air

Fandom: Sanders Sides Ship: M/M, Prinxiety, AKA: Virgil/Roman Words: 2,300 Rating: E for everyone Warnings: hanahaki, body horror? maybe?, blood, difficulty breathing, angst but like... softly. Gently. Tags: unrequited love, but not really, fluff, happy ending, very Princely Roman but also like insecure Roman, Logan and Patton are fatherly and heckin’ concerned Characters: Virgil Sanders, Roman Sanders, Logan Sanders, Patton Sanders, and very briefly, Thomas Sanders A/N: This is my first ever (and maybe only but idk) Sanders Sides fanfic. I hope you all enjoy it. I usually don’t like the hanahaki trope but thanks to a fic by @xpouii, I had an idea that I just needed to get out. So it goes without saying that this was entirely new territory to me both in the hanahaki aspect and the Sanders Sides aspect. Please enjoy! :)

The moment they’d sunk back into the mindscape after discussing the hidden dark sides of Disney films with Thomas, Virgil’s chest felt tight. This wasn’t the typical fearful, anxious tightness he was accustomed to. No, now he was wheezing. Like he couldn’t take in enough air. He sat down on his bed and took a few slow, calculated breaths. It helped some, but it didn’t go away entirely. What was wrong with him? The odd condition seemed to continue to plague Virgil with increasing intensity over the next several months. Each time Thomas summoned him, he kept his words few and his answers brief to avoid gasping in front of him and alerting him to his condition. It wasn’t possible for him to develop severe asthma… right? No. And it wasn’t some standard respiratory illness. Thomas was fine. He felt like he was going crazy. Maybe that was the lack of oxygen to his brain. It seemed that every time Virgil interacted with Roman directly it became harder to breathe. Figures. Of course that pompous idiot is going to be the death of me. The next time Thomas had gathered the four of them for a video, Roman had actually complimented him in front of everyone. Virgil coughed violently and felt something in his mouth. His eyes widened as he closed his lips firmly. It wasn’t bile. It wasn’t saliva. What was it? It filled his mouth and throat, drying both out entirely. Unfortunately, he’d drawn the attention of the other four. “Virge? You okay, buddy,” Thomas asked gently. Virgil nodded and gave a thumbs up gesture before turning his back to the group. He spit whatever was in his mouth into his hand, seeing for the first time that it was a cluster of vibrant red flower petals. He gave a panicked wheeze and immediately sank back into the mindscape away from everyone else. What the hell?! I have to be going crazy. This doesn’t just happen! Flower petals?!

Out of concern, Patton had followed Virgil into the mindscape. “You sure you’re okay there, kiddo?” The father figure reached out and touched Virgil’s shoulder, causing the other to abruptly jerk away from him. It took a moment for Virgil to be able to form the words, the illness making his mouth dry. “Yes,” he snapped at last. “I… I said I’m fine!” Startled, but no less concerned, Patton relented and backed off, returning to Thomas and the others where he was still needed. The flower petals dissolved in Virgil’s hand and he curled up on his bed, pulling his hoodie up as a comfort measure as he continued to struggle to breathe. __

Roman complimented him again and, as if the coughing and flower petals weren’t bad enough, there came a sharp pain. Like hundreds of little needles poking his lungs from the inside out. Virgil was convinced he was going to die. And this was a miserable way to go. How could he even die? He was part of Thomas. Thomas was alive and well… and so were the others. But here he was… miserable every day. The pain and discomfort he was undergoing was clearly visible to everyone else despite his best efforts to hide it. They never pushed his boundaries, however, allowing him space to approach them if he desired.

“Logan, I’m concerned about Virgil,” Patton confided, catching up with the other in the mindscape when neither Roman nor Virgil could hear them.

“Of course you are,” Logan confirmed. “We all are. There is clearly something troubling at hand and either due to his nature or whatever the issue is, he’s hiding his discomfort away from the rest of us. The problem is that without him being willing to open up- unless we are able to see the symptoms for ourselves- we have no way of knowing what it is or how to help him.”

“That’s what I’m afraid of,” Patton fretted, wringing his hands. “I don’t like it. Can we go check on him? Please. I… I know it may be a long shot. But. He needs our help.” Together, they phased through into Virgil’s room, both expecting to hear a snarky and sharp-tongued “Don’t either of you know how to knock?” but instead they heard more aggressive coughing and arrived just in time to watch Virgil stare in horror at the blood-soaked flower petals in his cupped hands.

“Oh my goodness gracious,” Patton exclaimed, causing Virgil to look up at him with wide, terrified eyes. “Oh, kiddo,” he tutted sadly. “I think you’ve got yourself a love sickness. Unrequited love sickness.”

“Wh-what?”

“Specifically, Hanahaki disease,” Logan explained. “It’s a disease caused by unrequited love and pining. Typically, it begins when the patient realizes their affections for another and believes it to be unrequited or one-sided. As it goes unaddressed and untreated, it naturally progresses and worsens. Luckily, you’re not in the final stages yet, though you are in a dire situation. There is hope. The color and/or type of petal can be an indicator of the object of your affections: either their favorite flower or their favorite color. May I?” He approached Virgil tentatively and picked up one of the flower petals, wiping away the blood to confirm that the petal itself was red and not merely stained that way from the blood. “Given that there is blood, I’d guess your lungs and heart may be filled with thorns. These are definitely rose petals, though I think the color alone tells us everything we need to know. I don’t suppose you’ve spoken to Roman about this at all?”

Virgil ignored Patton’s soft, wistful gasp and aggressively shook his head. “No,” he wheezed. “No and please… don’t…” He paused to cough. “...don’t tell him. I… I think it’s a… mistake.” He coughed again, letting petals fall to the floor, rosebuds tumbling after them. “We.... don’t get along. It’s… it can’t be.” “You know sometimes when we like someone, we don’t know how to express that. So… we cover up our emotions by… calling them nicknames or… teasing them. It’s not the nicest or healthiest way to express fondness, but it’s very normal,” Patton explained calmly. “So what your… well, anxiety… might be telling you is the two of you not getting along and Roman not liking you, might really just be a normal case of… playground pigtail-pulling.”

“Apt, Patton. Thank you,” Logan complimented. “We can’t force you to do anything, Virgil, and we certainly don’t want to make you emotionally uncomfortable on top of your physical pain and discomfort, but I do believe you should think it over before it’s too late. If Roman returns your feelings, you can be cured. The other options are to die- you can’t- or suffer for the rest of time. And Thomas will notice something is wrong. You can’t perform your basic function and protect him if you’re entirely incapacitated. We will leave you with that and allow you your privacy.” “You know where we are if you need us, Virgil,” Patton assured him. “And… well, we care about you, darn it! So please… do what’s best for yourself.”

No. No, it just couldn’t be the truth. They had to be mistaken. He didn’t love Roman. And even if he did, Roman most certainly didn’t love him back. There would be no cure for this. He would just have to get used to the feeling of sharp thorns digging into his heart and pressing against the insides of his lungs. He curled up and turned The Nightmare Before Christmas on his TV. It was always a comfort. He pulled his hood up, wheezing as he stifled another cough and tried to just focus on the movie. As always, the movie was comforting… until Sally was wandering the town and the lyrics ‘and does he notice/my feelings for him/when will he see/how much he means to me/I think it’s not to be’ caused poor Virgil’s heart to thump painfully against the vine of thorns in his chest. He wheezed again in panic and coughed up more rosebuds, petals and blood. He’d heard this song scores of times. Why now did it seem so significant?

‘And will we ever/end up together/no I think not/it’s never to become/for I am not the one…’ Virgil’s chest tightened again and he couldn’t stop the tears that slipped down his cheeks, carrying black eye shadow with them. Fuck. They were right. Of course, they’re right. He really was in love with Roman. Against his better judgement, against the odds of everything they’d been through together… his heart belonged to the over-the-top, dramatic, pompous… wonderful, bright, creative, uncertain, dazzling… prince.

Virgil drew his legs up to his chest and put his forehead on his knees, letting the tears fall freely. He felt hopeless. He was going to be stuck this way forever. Once again, he coughed violently. This time, however, he had to manually remove the large obstruction protruding from his mouth. A full rose blossom. This must have been what Logan said was ‘the final stages’. His breaths became shallower. He constantly felt like he was suffocating, breathing through layers of fabric. And mostly, that was true, thought there was nothing over his face. His own feelings were suffocating him, manifesting in painful roses.

Moving became agony within another day, so Virgil elected to lie down and suffer in relative peace. Each breath was labor and the carpet quickly became littered with discarded rose blossoms and buds that he plucked from his mouth with shaking hands and allowed to tumble to the floor. Eventually, he gave up pulling them away. Another always replaced it within moments.

Patton had been stewing ever since they left Virgil after finding out about his condition. He could no longer sit idly by while someone he cared about was suffering. Virgil could be upset all he wanted, but it was the right thing to do. He had to tell Roman. He was certain the prince returned Virgil’s affections anyway. Determined, he set off to tell Roman, taking a very reluctant Logan along with him to explain. “Roman! You need to save Virgil. He’s got the honey-hockey disease and you’re the only one who can cure him!” “Um, that’s Hanahaki, Patton,” Logan corrected gently, only to be met with a confused look from Roman. He sighed, cleared his throat, drew a deep breath, and explained yet again.

“So, what you’re saying is that our grumpy, frumpy little rain cloud is cursed and can only be saved by the kiss of true love from a prince?!” Roman’s face lit up exuberantly at the idea. He was made for this. “A worthy quest. It will be done!”

“Well, not- not really,” Logan de-escalated while Patton shouted, “Exactly!” Logan sighed again, adjusting his glasses with a light air of annoyance. “Your overall idea is not incorrect, Roman, however, it has to be true and genuine romantic love. Unfortunately, friendship is not enough to save him.”

“Worry not,” Roman assured them. “I will save him! With true love’s first kiss!” Valiantly, he strode away from Patton and Logan to go and rescue Virgil; however, as soon as they were out of sight, his knightly facade faded and his insecurity had a vice grip around his stomach. Why? He knew already that Virgil loved him. That much was obvious from the illness Logan and Patton told him of. What if he rejects me anyway? What if he would rather suffer? What if he doesn’t believe me?! He took a moment to himself. He had to put all of that aside. It wasn’t about him. This was bigger than him. Virgil needed his help, consequences be damned.

Roman took a deep breath and pushed on, entering Virgil’s room to find him lying on his back, a large rose blossom grotesquely blooming from his forced open mouth. What a pitiful state to find him in: barely breathing at all, cheeks streaked black from tears redistributing his makeup. The prince approached carefully, reaching deep to find his nerve again. “Virgil,” he called quietly before crouching beside him. As soon as Virgil opened his eyes and made eye contact with Roman, he looked away again, clearly embarrassed at his current state and the fact that Patton had obviously told Roman what was happening.

Undeterred, Roman took Virgil’s hand gently between both of his own. “Oh… my darling raindrop. Such a silly thing to go and get ill over. Of course… of course, I love you too. You are charming in your own strange way. You bring a smile to my face more often than you believe and we make a harmonious and powerful team when needed.” Virgil looked at Roman again, his eyes full of unspoken emotion. Roman smiled at him and softly sang, “For it is plain/as anyone can see... We’re simply meant to be.” He held out the notes on the last two words with a flourish- he couldn’t help himself- and reached up with his free hand, delicately pulling the rose from Virgil’s mouth. He tossed it to the floor and used his thumb to wipe away a trail of blood on the other’s chin. He leaned in and caught Virgil’s lips with his own, softly but earnestly. He kissed him with all of the longing and hidden affection of months past, feeling like he had a lot to make up for. It was his own fault, clearly, that Virgil ended up in such a poorly state to begin with.

The moment Roman pulled away, smiling bright as the sun, Virgil could breathe openly and clearly for the first time in months. The pain of the thorns vanished, no more petals, no more flowers. Only love.

#prinxiety #hanahaki #fluff #fanfic #virgil sanders #roman sanders #sanders sides #mild angst #logan sanders #patton sanders #cw: blood

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snowdice · 5 years ago

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The Horror of Stereotypes (Part 1)[Dice Roll 6]

Fandom: Sanders Sides

Relationships: Remus/Logan/Patton with Remus/Logan focus (more pre-romantic considering the situation), Remus & Roman, Logan/Patton (established, but not at the forefront for most of it)

Characters:

Main: Remus, Logan

Appear: Roman, Patton, Deceit (but blink and you’ll miss it)

Summary: There had always been a certain stereotype about people like him for as long as anyone could remember. After the Heart War of 1963, those stereotypes had been legalized and places like this had been created to enforce the universal truth: everyone had a soulmate. One soulmate. No more and no less.

At least they were supposed to.

When Remus’s brother gets arrested because of his two soulmarks, Remus risks everything by infiltrating the facility he legally should be in as well due to his own two soulmates to save him. There he meets Logan and it turns out they have a lot in common: they both got hired this week, they both have two soulmates, and they’re both here for the same reason.

Oh. And as it turns out, they’re each other’s soulmates too.

Universe: Soulmate AU

Genre: Horror (Yeah, it’s a fun combo. The horror vibe is mostly contained to chapter 3 though. It’s all still horrifying, but that specific tone is pretty much only there.)

Notes: Torture, Torture of a main character, Dystopian, Blood, Guns, Gunshot wounds, Leg wounds, Mentions of Desecrating an Animal Corpse by a Main Character, Imprisonment, Mentions of Cannibalism, Genocide Suggested, Sexual Innuendo, Fear, A tasteless but not serious incest joke, Medical procedures.

...

Goodness my tags were already horrifying enough because of the darkness of this universe and concept of this AU and then Remus started talking...

This is part of my Roll the Dice Event which is where I do random ships, universe, and genres for the Sanders Sides fandom. For more details see this post. I posted a few days ago my results from this dice roll here.

In which I once again do a dice roll that ends up not being a one-shot like it’s supposed to be... This is going to be 6 parts...

Getting into the building had been easy for Remus. Remus had a special set of skills that he’d never really thought of as skills until he was sitting in a little office right outside the main gate of this facility spouting off every one of his worst possible thoughts in extensive detail during a job interview. They listened to him for less than half an hour before deciding he was perfect for the job and two days later, here he was.

His tour guide chatted and chatted happily to him seeming not to question his contentment with his surroundings. She’d probably gotten a peak at his file after all.

Remus had always been… a weird child at best and the “bonkers evil twin” at worst. Almost everyone in his life tended to give him a wide berth since he was younger. Honestly, you hang one dead cat you found on the road on the middle school flag and suddenly you’re a pariah. It’s not like he’d killed the cat. In fact, he’d loved Senior Bitey when he’d been alive and knew for a fact that it was the type of funeral the feral little thing would have wanted. It was one more chance to put terror into the hearts of all the children in the school. He’d attempted to explain his reasoning to the school counselor. He didn’t think he’d done a good job at that.

Later in life he’d been “guided” toward more “productive” outlets for the dark thoughts that sometimes rattled in his head. He was given a pen and told to write down stories. Remus had taken to this suggestion with gusto and quickly learned not to let anybody read them. His high school biology teacher had been a bit weirded out by how enthused he was about dissection days, but he scored well on the AP test and got the highest marks, so she was willing to write him a letter of recommendation that helped him get into college with a biology major. He’d thought about becoming a coroner or forensic scientist, but when he’d turned 18 and his soulmark… well, soulmarks he guessed… had shown up, he’d decided that he really shouldn’t be doing anything that would put him in such close contact with law enforcement.

So much for that, he thought and glanced at his tour guide. “And last I’ll show you the upstairs housing!” she was telling him. “It’s for the multis who have already gone through processing and interrogation and are now on work detail.” When they walked into the next building, Remus did his best to pretend to look without actually making himself look. For all his notebooks full of bloody stories and horrifying abstract musings and his memories of dissected frogs, cats, and pigs, actual human suffering was not something Remus relished. Yet, he still smiled at the woman who was gaily guiding him through the prison that legally Remus himself belonged in.

See, there had always been a certain stereotype about people like him for as long as anyone could remember. After the Heart War of 1963, those stereotypes had been legalized and places like this had been created to enforce the universal truth: everyone had a soulmate. One soulmate. No more and no less.

At least they were supposed to.

But for a universal truth, different things happened at a surprisingly high frequency. There were people who didn’t fit the mold. They were broken. Like Remus.

There were people who grew up to not have any soulmarks. Since soulmarks appearing were the cut off for adulthood, legally these people never became adults. Once they turned 18 and no soulmark presented, they had no legal right to basically anything. They couldn’t own property or make decisions for themselves. They weren’t allowed to attend school anymore, and they couldn’t get jobs. Their parents could decide they didn’t want to deal with them anymore, and if they did so, the soulmarkless people were either put into a shelter or left to die on the streets. Remus wasn’t sure which option was better honestly.

Then there were people with multiple soulmates. They were monsters. They were selfish, immoral, and deranged. For most of his life, Remus had accepted this as fact. He probably would have gone on believing it even after he got two soulmarks himself on his eighteenth birthday. After all, people had been telling him all his life he was a monster.

Then his brother had gotten two as well.

If Remus was the evil twin, Roman was the good one. He was kind and enthusiastic in his love for other people and the world around him. He’d become an EMT during the day and was an actor on the side. His creations brought people joy and happiness. He was everything good in the world. Everything Remus could never quite be.

And he had two soulmates. Just like Remus.

So, fuck the world, honestly. In particular, fuck tour guides cheerily guiding him through the first level of hell who would have definitely run away from him if she’d met him on the street. Would she have jeered at him that he was crazy and disgusting all through middle school? She may have been right, but at least he knew it. He could draw the line between the evil in his head and what he put into the world. Her though? Her head was probably clear as white snow. She probably just followed orders and didn’t think about it. Her brain probably skipped right over the sights and sounds before her and never lingered. Remus thought dark thoughts, but he also didn’t ignore them when they came to life.

“This of course isn’t where you’ll be working,” his guide went on with a grin. “The people up here don’t know anything or already gave up what they do know. So, you’ll really not have much to do with it. You could use it as a reward offer though if you ever want to play good cop.”

This was the reward, Remus wondered with disgust. It wasn’t even a prison. It was a pig pen at best and a slaughterhouse at worst. Human suffering was pouring off these cement walls and, though Remus talked a good game and kept a smile on his face, it turned his stomach.

His brother was probably in one of these pens somewhere and that was the best-case scenario. You’d think, Remus though grimly, that the brother who was an actor would have been the one able to pull off the lie the longest. But no.

“Anyway, that’s the end of the tour. Well, except the two floors downstairs. You’ll need to wait for your pass to get there. It’ll take about two to three days.”

“Can’t wait,” Remus said.

She smiled at him and swiped her keycard to open a door into a much cleaner area before leading him down a hallway. “So, now, I’m going to introduce you to your team. It’s actually a very fun thing!” Fun. “You should be excited to be a part of it. We’re expanding the facility and we’re thinking of separating them all out by class. You’re going to be tasked with helping design a whole new wing for the 4 and ups.”

“Fantastic!” Remus gushed. “I’m surprised you’re letting the new guy in on it.”

“Well, the higher ups wanted fresh ideas for this, so we went out and got people in the tops of their fields specifically for this project,” she explained. “Most of your teammates have been working for us less than a month except for your boss Gavin. He’s been working with us for almost five years and was transferred to this office specifically for this project. Speaking of,” she said swiping her keycard at a door so it opened into a fancy looking office space. “Gavin!” she called. “I have your new interrogator here!”

A man turned and his eyes flickered to Remus. There was something off about him even more so than the sickly-sweet guide who ignored the horrors happening around her every day. He paused for just a moment too long before he gave Remus a wide, predatory smile. “Hello,” he said, his voice smooth and low. He walked over to them. “Gavin,” he introduced himself, his eyes studying Remus intently.

Remus plastered on a smile. “Nice to meet you,” he said with a wink.

Gavin chuckled a bit. “Thank you, Beatrice. I’ll take him from here.”

‘Beatrice’ apparently (Remus hadn’t bothered to learn or remember her name before.), nodded and quickly left the office back the way she’d came.

After that, Gavin showed him around the office, introducing him to normal looking people doing normal looking things. That more than anything he’d seen today make a shiver go up Remus’s spine. They all acted like normal people, but any one of them would happily annihilate Remus on the spot if they learned about the soulmark he hid on his back in addition to the one on his forearm. They’d likely helped harm his brother in some way in the last two weeks over the coffee and donuts in the corner of this very pretty office.

Once Remus had seen most of the office and been introduced to most of the people in it, Gavin led him into a different room off to the side. This room was something out of a science fiction movie. It had a giant screen across an entire wall with a 3-D blueprint pulled up of a building and a bunch of text scrolling down the side. At the console in the center of the room stood a man in a dress shirt and tie.

He turned emotionless eyes on Remus and Gavin as they came into the room. Remus barely kept himself from tensing to run. This man looked dead inside, like someone had stolen his soul and left him an empty husk.

“And this is Logan Berry,” Gavin introduced. “He’s the head architect for this project. You two will likely be working closely for a lot of this venture. Logan, this is Remus Prince. He is an interrogator who will be consulting with us.”

Something flickered across the stoic man’s face, but it was gone in an instant. “Salutations,” Logan said, sticking out his arm.

“Sup,” Remus replied, reaching forward to shake his hand. The moment that they touched, Remus felt warmth bloom across his lower back where he knew his hidden soulmark was. He met Logan’s eyes which were suddenly wide and not nearly as emotionless as they had been just moments before. Terror had immediately broken through whatever mask he’d been wearing. Oh, Remus thought. Remus had just met one of his soulmates, and clearly, he also had more than just one soulmate as well judging by the fear in his eyes. Remus swallowed and pulled away his hand. “Nice to meet you Nerd,” he said with a careless shrug, “or whatever.” He saw Logan take a small breath and then the mask slipped back into place.

“Likewise,” he said, voice impressively monotone.

Gavin clapped his hands once, not seeming to notice anything off. “Well, we have a lot of work to do today gentlemen. Let’s get to it!”

Want to read more? Click below!

AO3 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Part 5 Part 6

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thecatprince · 4 years ago

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Luckier Than Most

First | Previous | Next

Read on AO3

Summary: Patton deals with his depression and grief as he gets ready for the funeral. (First half of the chapter is a memory/past event)

Warnings: Mentions of death and fear of dying, in depth exploration of depression and grief.

Authors Notes: Patton’s depression is based off of my own struggles with depression but everyone is different! I hope you enjoy!

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Chapter Six - Before the Funeral

A gentle knock on the door roused Patton from his light sleep. The sun shone bright through the gap in the curtains, and the clock on his bedside table read 11:00 am. A familiar voice sounded from the other side of the door.

“Hey Patton! Can I come in?”

Patton gave a half-hearted reply, knowing that the caller would come in anyway, just like he always did. Sure enough, the door opened and Virgil walked in. He gave a smile upon seeing Patton, although Patton knew he must look a mess. He had barely gotten out of bed in days, and when he did it was only to sit someplace else. Virgil came over and sat on the bed, looking down at his friend with a gentle smile.

“C’mon, Pat, let’s get out of bed. Your dad made some avocado and bacon toast for you to have, so the only thing you need to do is get out bed. You got this!” Virgil mimed cheerleading, moving his hands with imaginary pompoms on them and whisper-cheering encouraging chants, something he would never do for anyone but Patton. “Let’s go, Patton, let’s go!”

Patton gave a small smile and sat up. Virgil passed him his dressing gown off the floor, and Patton stood up and put it on. It was surprising how much it helped having Virgil there. Normally that task alone took at least an hour. Virgil and Patton made their way down the hall, where the delicious smell of cooked bacon filled their noses. They sat down, and Patton’s dad placed a plate in front of them both.

“You got out of bed in only 10 minutes kiddo! I’m proud of you,” his dad said, a huge smile on his face. He mouthed a thank you to Virgil over Patton’s head. Virgil smiled back, and watched as his friend made his way through breakfast, while eating a slice of toast of his own.

This wasn’t exactly ordinary behaviour for Patton, but it wasn’t exactly out of the ordinary either. Patton had suffered from depression for most of his teenage years, and although there were periods of time where he seemed normal, he was prone to depressive episodes, like the one he was going through now. During those times, generally Logan or Virgil would come over to help, with varying successes. Some days, all it took was a little bit more extra help for Patton to get up and start the day, and other days the most either of them could do was to spend time with Patton next to the bed.

Patton hated his depression. He hated how disgusting he felt when he couldn’t find the energy to shower or get dressed or even brush his teeth. He hated the feeling of emptiness, of numbness, of this dull kind of apathy, that dimmed all the brightness and colour in life. He hated the complete lack of energy, of motivation that accompanied the greyness, and how it always felt like some invisible weight was pressing down on him like a blanket. He also hated the fact that it had taken years to find a type of antidepressant that worked, of having to spend years with no relief, and even with the antidepressants sometimes he still felt the emptiness and numbness of depression, and on those days it made it so much harder.

But with Virgil and Logan by his side, it made things a little easier. Not exactly sunshine and rainbows, but the sharp dullness of depression was eased a little, tasks became just that little bit easier and the days seemed just a little bit brighter. It was never easy, but having his friends beside gave him a small little beacon of hope to hold onto. Maybe it won’t always be this way. Maybe the future will be just a little bit better. Maybe, with his friends and family beside him, he could cope.

Virgil was there for the entirety of that particular day. He and Patton lounged around for most of it, talking about deep things like how shitty depression and anxiety were to deal with, and also trivial fun things like the potential existence of Mothman. They spent some of the day outside, lying on the grass in Patton’s backyard or sitting under the large oak tree, looking at shapes in the clouds or blowing dandelion fluff at each other. Patton always loved spending days with Virgil, just hanging out with him. He was one of Patton’s closest friends, from the moment they met they had clicked, and he remained one of the only friends who Patton had the energy for on days like these. Logan was the other, for the studious nerd had a quiet and calm demeanour that Patton found very soothing and pleasant. As much as he loved Roman, Remus and Janus, they tended to require quite a lot of energy to keep up with them mentally, and the loud nature of the twins made them really difficult to be around on days like this, when calm and quiet were mostly preferred.

“Does the concept of death ever scare you?” Virgil asked as they lay on the grass under the oak tree. He picked the yellow dandelion flower growing next to him and rolled the stem in-between his fingers. Patton sighed as he sat up and started to pick at the grass in front of him.

“Not really? I guess I have kind of accepted that we all die eventually, and it’s difficult, but also a natural part of life. I like to think that none who die ever truly leave us, because they are still in the hearts of the people who loved them, and that comforts me, you know?”

“I’m scared of death,” Virgil said, picking the petals one by one off the dandelion. “I am scared of the finality of it. I don’t really have a clear idea of any kind of afterlife, and so for me, you sort of just die and that’s it. It’s pretty scary to just stop…”

Patton shrugged. “That’s valid,” he said, a typical Patton response to conversations like these. The topic moved on to dogs, as it was prone to in Patton’s presence. The two of them talked about the types of dogs they would love to get when they were older, then what each of their friend’s would be if they were dogs, then they circled back to mental health, another common topic of conversation between the two of them.

“You know, sometimes I feel like giving up. Not killing myself, but just like giving up. Not fighting it, not struggling to get up every day, just lying there and just let it run its course. But I know can’t because the moment I stop fighting, stop doing everything I can to just get out of bed each morning, I don’t think I would be able to get back up again…. But I am so tired of fighting…” Patton kind of trailed off, directing his attention to the grass in front of him. Virgil put a hand on Patton’s arm.

“I know. I feel like sometimes fighting my anxiety is an impossible feat and I just don’t have the energy. But I also know I am not alone, and neither are you. You have me, and L, and Roman, Remus and Janus, and your dads, and your therapist, who will all try and help you however we can. I’m not going anywhere, Patton, ever, and I will continue to be here for you through everything, I promise.”

Patton gave a sad smile, and hugged Virgil. “You got this Pat, just one foot in front of the other,” Virgil said, returning the hug.

“Thanks kiddo,” Patton murmured. He let go of Virgil, and soon the conversation moved on to the latest music artist Virgil was interested in. Patton couldn’t help but wonder how lucky he was to get a friend like Virgil, or any of his friends for that matter. It was comforting to know that Virgil was there for him, and that he would never leave him. No matter what, they were in this together!

Patton awoke to a gentle knock on his door and the voice of his papa telling him to wake up. The sun was streaming through the gap in his curtains, and he felt disgusting and empty. He sat up in his bed and was hit with the daily reminder of the absence of his friend in the form of a black suit hanging in his closet. Patton looked away, not wanting to think about the funeral he was attending later that day.

The weeks leading up to the funeral had been a blur of intense sadness, longing and emptiness. He felt like he had no energy, and he kept fluctuating between grief so deep it felt like his heart was about to burst and an emptiness so vast he felt like he was just a void of nothingness. He would go from staring out the window, not feeling or thinking anything, to crying so much he felt sick in a matter of seconds. Virgil had always been there for him, he had promised he would always be there for him, and even though Patton knew Virgil’s death was an accident, a small part of him felt betrayed and more alone than ever. Logan had come over as much as he could, and although Patton loved his friends company, there was no replacing Virgil, nor would there ever be.

Patton got up out of bed after an hour. The funeral was in about an hour, and even though he felt depression and grief pulling him down like suffocating ropes, he wanted to give as much respect to his friend as best he could. Patton didn’t have the energy to stand in the shower, so he ran himself a bath. He washed as much as he could, trying to make the icky gross feeling that had been caused by weeks of not washing go away. He lay in the bath longer than necessary, letting himself soak in the water, not wanting to get out. He did eventually though, drying himself and draining the tub.

He put a dressing gown on after he was dry, not wanting to get fully dressed, because to get fully dressed was to put on the black suit, and that would mean acknowledging once again that Virgil was dead. Patton went into the kitchen with the intention of eating, but just ended up walking out again, for none of the food seemed appealing and he wasn’t hungry. He went back into the bathroom, brushed his teeth and hair, trying to do everything he could before he faced the inevitable. Eventually, after brushing his hair for the tenth time, he went back into his room, gently took the suit out of his closet and laid it on his bed.

It was weird for Patton to own such a black outfit. Normally he wore bright colours and fun patterns, things that brought a smile to his face. For him, wearing black always made him feel a bit sadder and less like himself.

He reached to start putting the suit on, but he hesitated. To put it on would mean to finally admit Virgil was gone… and that he wasn’t going back. Patton knew logically that Virgil was gone, but part of him thought he could hear Virgil talking to his papa in the kitchen before he came into Patton’s room. Part of him thought he would turn around and see Virgil there, listening to music or laughing or just sitting there. He kept thinking he would look at his phone and see a new meme he had sent or a message from him in his notifications, but every single time the screen was blank and Patton’s heart broke a little more.

Patton took a deep breath and tried to calm himself. A small part of him wished Logan was there, because Logan had been his rock throughout all of this. Almost every day Logan would come over, for as long or as short a time as Patton wished, and every single time he managed to make Patton feel better. It was a different to Virgil’s support, because Virgil’s support was rooted in similar experiences, giving each other advice that they had gotten in therapy and relating to each other’s feelings, because both of them had struggled with mental illness. Logan hadn’t had that same experience. His mental state wasn’t exactly healthy, but it wasn’t the same as a lifetime of dealing with a mental issue like depression or anxiety. Logan’s support felt sturdy and solid, like a rock, acting like a branch to hold onto when you are falling off a cliff. Virgil would just fall with him, giving him comfort as they fell, but not being able to stop the falling. Logan gave him something to hold onto to try and pull himself up. Sometimes he fell anyway, but sometimes Logan’s branch gave him enough strength and hope to start to climb back up.

Logan was his rock, a firm solid structure that Patton could anchor himself on. Nothing could replace Virgil, but then again nothing was ever meant to. But it didn’t help the fact that Virgil was gone… fully gone.

Patton put on the suit slowly, then looked at himself in the mirror. It felt wrong, so wrong, to wear this suit, to wear those colours, to go to celebrate and mourn the life of one of his closest friends. Patton could feel tears threatening to spill over, but he tried his hardest to keep calm. For Virgil.

“One foot in front of the other,” Patton murmured, pressing a hand over his heart. “I miss you kiddo.”

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#cat writes #luckier than most au #tw mentions of death #tw greif #tw depression #ts patton #patton sanders #sanders sides fanfic

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