#toddler virgil

[sleepyvirgilprompts]

In a human AU, Virgil is a toddler who will cooperate with naptime if and only if he is allowed to sleep in a laundry basket.

[tobias-doodles]

this may or may not be the best sims household ive created in years

[tracyislandinmymind]

A wholesome pizza party seems to be today’s theme.

[toddler-virgil-the-bean]

Eyes does draw-ded a pumken, ans den eyes does a rite my naymes! Ans a boo! *giggle*

[eliotquillon]

fuck it since i got that snotty anon bc i over analysed isabelle lightwood’s name let’s stay on theme and talk abt my wayward gang name/nickname headcanons:

sybella: went by bells/bella as a kid and then turned thirteen and exclusively started going by sybella because she wanted to be Taken Seriously. obvious exception is ollivan calling her ‘ellie’, which she pretended to hate when they were together but secretly loved, and really did hate after he came back from exile because what right does he have to call her that anymore when he pushed her away and forced her to leave and left of his own accord and made her hurt for so long. doesn’t really use nicknames for other people and i can’t see her calling ollivan any typical endearments but i think she lovingly called him an idiot a lot and that was their version of babe etc

lev: his name is too short for nicknames and he’s upset about it but also everyone called him ‘the mallory boy’ behind his back for years anyway so honestly he’s just glad that people started using his first name at all. only really lets virgil call him by his surname and occasionally ollivan. definitely comes up with/uses nicknames for other people and tried really hard to get ‘ollie’ to catch on for ollivan (didn’t work and everyone hated it). for sure calls virgil ‘my love’ or ‘darling’ but if canon were set in the 21st century he'd be a HUGE babe/baby user and that's my truth

virgil: dude has a ton of bossy older sisters i guarantee he had a truckload of unflattering childhood nicknames from them and hated every single one. not a particularly big fan of going by his surname with people he doesn't know very well because he likes to be judged by his actions and not his family's wealth but a big exception is made for ollivan because they've always called each other by their surnames as an inside joke referencing the fact that they're only friends because of their families (and their disdain for them). takes himself too seriously to use pet names for lev despite being terminally down bad for him so calls him ‘mallory’ because he likes being the only person who’s really allowed to do it and that’s about as soppy as he gets

ollivan: has insisted on going by his full first name ever since he could talk pretty much; switched over to just going by ‘sims’ amongst most people as a teen as a way of subtly fuck-you reminding his grandfather that he’s his own person with a different surname. generally calls people by their surname as an affectionate bro-thing; obvious exceptions made for sybella, but also jasper . he does not look too hard at why he calls jasper by his first name. anyway i think names/nicknames are important to him and consciously or not it’s something that had a lot of meaning when he chooses to give someone a nickname. when he was small he used to call cassia ‘cassie’ but she was too young to remember and he never called her it again after she was first packed off to camden

cassia: has never really gone by her surname, not even formally, and feels pretty alienated by it; in camden she was always ‘miss cassia’ in formal settings, although that changes when she goes back to the heart. when they were together gedeon called her cass, which she initially liked but was too shy to start going by in front of anyone else, and then when he went missing she decided she hated it lol. when she was very young (7-8 maybe) hester would very, very occasionally call her ‘flower’ when she was upset or scared as a reference to her name’s etymology, and that’s partly what got her so into gardening/nature as a kid because she basically imprinted on hester and wanted to know Why that was her nickname. again she doesn’t remember ollivan calling her ‘cassie’ as a toddler but fyfe calls her it very teasingly once or twice after she returns to camden/ollivan goes to france and she feels weird about it for a reason she can’t put her finger on, so although she doesn’t say anything he drops it pretty fast

[5am-the-foxing-hour]

Kid Remus: *blurts out a scenario with a happy grin* Kid Virgil: *blurts out the same scenario but with stress in his voice* Kid Remus: *blurts out another scenario* Kid Virgil: *parrots it back even more stressed* Kid Remus: *blurts out even another scenario* Kid Virgil: *stressed beyond belief as he repeats said scenario* Toddler Janus *waves his arms to make them stop riling each other up*: NO! Kid Remus & Kid Virgil: No? Toddler Janus: NO!

[loopstagirl]

Nap Time

Just something short and fluffy!

“Virgil. Sweetheart. It’s time to wake up.” 

Lucy moved across the darkened room, pulling back the drapes. The afternoon sunlight spilled into the room but the heap in the middle of the bed didn’t stir. She reached over the bed-guard, putting a gentle hand on Virgil’s shoulder. 

“Virgil.” 

There was a low whine and the ball curled up even smaller. Smiling, Lucy tugged back the covers. Her toddler was flushed from where he’d had the duvet over his head and he screwed his eyes shut. 

“Still sleep,” he whispered. 

“You’re still asleep?” 

He nodded, refusing to open his eyes. Resting a hand on his back, Lucy shook her head fondly down at him. They had this same conversation every day. Scott had refused an afternoon nap by this age but Virgil gave no sign he was ready to drop them. 

“Come on, sweetheart.” She carefully slid her hands in until she could get a grip on him, lifting him out of bed. Virgil made a grab for the duvet, but she knew it was coming and moved him out of reach before he was able to take hold. 

“No, Mommy.” He twisted, trying to get back to the bed. 

“Yes, Virgil. It’s time to get up. Then you can play with your brothers.” 

She knew once he’d come round, once he was distracted, he’d be fine. But Virgil both asked for his nap and refused to get up from it. The sooner he dropped it, the better! 

“Mommy,” he whined. 

“Virgil,” she said, echoing his tone. Looking down at the little boy in her arms, she couldn’t resist placing a kiss on his forehead. He’d be furious in the way only a toddler could if she told him he looked ridiculously cute right now. 

His hair was mussed from where the covers had been pulled up, one cheek red from being cushioned on his hand. Wide hazel-coloured eyes blinked at her and his pout was almost impossible to resist. Almost. She’d grown some defences against it now she was confronted by it each day. 

Brushing her fingers through his hair, she picked her way through the toys and carried him to the stairs.  

“Mommy, nap,” Virgil told her. 

“You’ve just had one.” 

“Wuver one!” 

“You want another nap?” 

He nodded seriously, the pout growing larger when he realised she had no intention of putting him down. Lucy knew exactly where he’d end up if he had the chance to run for it. She pressed his nose with her finger instead. 

“Not until bedtime, sweetheart. Come on, let’s find those brothers of yours.” 

Scott had been kicking a ball around the yard the last time she’d seen him, while John had been trying to help Jeff with some maintenance outside. Given her husband had less defence against their sons’ pleading eyes than she did, Lucy knew those jobs wouldn’t be getting finished today.  

Virgil continued to whine the entire way down the stairs. Lucy stopped listening. She’d developed the ability to know when there was something actually wrong with one of her boys and when they were trying their luck. 

“How about we find you a biscuit? And some milk?” 

Virgil’s pout didn’t lessen, but he looked slightly mollified at that suggestion.  

“Then we can go and find your brothers. Maybe we can play outside for a while?” 

“No, Mommy,” Virgil said obstinately. 

Lucy didn’t ask what he wanted to do instead. She took him through to the kitchen, having to get him some milk one handed from where her sleepy two-year old didn’t want to let go. His head was resting on her shoulder and Lucy knew without looking he would have his eyes shut again. 

“How about you sit in your big boy chair?” she asked him as she took him through to the lounge. Virgil whined and clung closer. Lucy sighed, sitting down herself and letting her baby boy snuggle in. If she was honest, she didn’t mind. Virgil was getting to the age where he’d only let himself be cuddled if he was tired or under the weather. The rest of the time, he was as energetic as his brothers and much preferred to either be charging around or have some crayons in his hand if he had to stay still. 

This was the one time of day where he preferred to nestle into her. 

He drunk his milk and yawned, snuggling back in.  

“You have to wake up now, sweetheart.” 

Scott had hated naps. John was a good sleeper, but he stuck to a routine like clockwork. Virgil offered his own challenges. 

Virgil shook his head. 

Then a noise from the kitchen drew her attention. 

“We’re in here!” 

Scott came bounding through, a grin on his face and oblivious to the mud he’d just tracked in. 

“Dad said you’d be awake!” He ignored his mother completely as he crouched by her knee, watching Virgil. “Wanna come play?” 

It didn’t escape Lucy’s notice that Virgil was suddenly no longer snuggled in. He was sitting up, his pout disappearing now that Scott was here. 

“And I thought I was getting a cuddle,” she teased, winking at her eldest.  

“No, Mommy,” Virgil said again, but this time, he was looking at her incredulously. As if she had said the most absurd thing. “I play wiv Scotty.” 

He was already wriggling free, only her quick hand helping to lower him to the floor rather than his faster-than-anticipated descent. 

“Dad’s letting us paint the fence!” Scott exclaimed. 

Virgil’s entire face lit up. “Yay!” 

He grabbed his big brother by the hand, hustling from the room so quickly that Lucy could’ve sworn someone had just flicked a switch on him. 

They were gone before she stood up, although she could already hear peels of laughter coming from the yard. She took his cup through to the kitchen, watching through the window. There were three buckets lined up against the fence and as she watched, each child grabbed a brush. There was only water in the buckets. 

Scott slapped his on as quickly as possible. John was methodical but clearly trying to catch up. But Virgil had dropped into a crouch, tongue poking out, as he carefully drew his brush along the fence, careful to follow the lines of the slats. The water was drying as quickly as he was managing to put it on. 

Jeff looked up and saw her watching. He gave her a wave. Chuckling, Lucy left the cup where it was and went out to join her family in the garden.  

[rie-anessia]

Miguel’s super sweet baby brother, Gunner. He's a little monster, always torturing Jess, Virgil and Miguel (IE, being a toddler) but he's a major little cuddlebug ❤❤

Art by hamgurgerald on twitter

[tssidesfics]

Updates

We've entered the holiday season, which I don't really give two shits about except kinda Halloween and even then I never do anything. But my abusive parents do, and the way they manifest that is, weirdly, by just increasing the abuse for the last three months of the year. I think I'm fine enough, but I'm going to be struggling with depression through the end of the year, meaning I likely won't get much written. It's all tricky writing from here on out with all my series.

Said series are: A Story of a Soul in All Its Stripes (best known: Morality Is Grey, my 100K+ word series about how I think Virgil defected from the Dark Sides including all the episodes written out with minor differences explained by Thomas remembering these conversations back to write the scripts). In All the Fifty-One and a Seventh Realms (uneducated disabled dhampir Virgil, disabled Janus/Remus in an anarchists-with-benefits relationship, namely exemplified by the one where Janus is cursed to be a politician and Remus insists an over-it succubus sex worker's help in saving him). And Superhero Toddler Roman, which speaks for itself, I think it's a pretty original concept. Along with many, many one-shots. Browse my AO3 and see if there's anything you recognize I've worked on. https://archiveofourown.org/users/thein273

If you have some spare money, and my writing has ever touched you in any way, please consider donating to my Paypal. I'm disabled in several ways, I can't work, I have months more at a minimum to wait on disability, and the only source of income I have isn't particularly helpful. I can't afford mentally to really do commissions right now except with very generous donations, but I've written a lot, and I've shared a lot with my communities. If I mean anything to to you as a writer, it would mean a lot to get just a little better of cushioning to get through the holidays, for my safety.

But there are also a lot of people who need the money more than me, so if it's between donating to a Palestinian family or me with your spare five dollars, choose the Palestinian family. Just check yourself so you're not giving money to one of those vile scam artists who are using people's real pain and unimaginable trauma and suffering to fleece well-meaning people out of a quick buck.

One of these days, I'll try to launch and maintain a Patreon, but that's for another day.

paypal.me/everdean03

[delimeful]

thinking wibar thoughts rn.. imagine if the crew was sent to an uninhabited jungle planet for work and lets virgil explore/help them. and virgil is just So Stressed the entire time, and theyre like "is virgil.. afraid of the jungle? i mean it would make sense, he is from a deathworld, i imagine earth jungles are very deadly-"

meanwhile virgil is just on the brink of a stress aneurysm bc his crew is So So Tiny and Fragile and Breakable and also logan is So Curious and roman is So Adventurous and patton is So Friendly with Wild Animals. and it is taking all he has to not pick them up like misbehaving toddlers when they do dangerous shit.

virgil stress levels when he has to wrestle a space jaguar: meh. kind of cool past the attempted mauling tbh

virgil stress levels when patton touches the leaf of a random plant before he can make sure it's not space poison ivy:

[sleepyvirgilprompts]

Every now and then, one of the Sides randomly turns into a toddler. At the moment, Virgil is a toddler, and he's throwing a tantrum because Thomas won't agree not to do something Virgil doesn't want him to do. (Whether or not Virgil knows or is able to articulate what it is he wants is up to you.) Thomas's response is to curl up with a blanket, listen to some music, and take deep breaths. Virgil persists at first, but after a while, he starts to falter, and then falls asleep. Thomas is relieved. Having your anxiety be a toddler who needs a nap is a nightmare.

[gumnut-logic]

Jeff Tracy lost his wife in childbirth, giving him only one son, but fate gave him so much more.

-o-o-o-

It was a day to end all days.

The meteorite took out his father’s cornfield and the tractor shed.

It also landed only a week after he lost his wife in childbirth. All the technology they had and still…

His first born slept quietly in his arms as he stepped out onto the porch. His mother was fortunately still asleep. She had taken it all as a personal failure and was exhausted.

A destroyed tractor shed was minor in comparison.

If he had been himself, he would have rushed to put the fire out and save everything he could. But he wasn’t. Grief had him bowed over his little son who didn’t know what had been taken from him yet. Little Alan, so fragile and precious.

All he had left of Lucille.

The flames flickered orange light over his sleeping face.

He stood their staring at the shed as it eventually came down in a pile of burning rubble. It was loud enough to wake both Allie and his mother.

He was still trying to settle his upset little boy when Jeff was joined by his mom.

“What the hell happened?”

“Would you believe a shooting star?”

She stared up at him in the orange darkness. “You’re kidding.”

He shook his head and rocked Allie a little more. That drew his mother’s attention to their newest family member.

Consequently, neither of them saw where the young boy came from. About ten years old he stepped away from the wreckage and approached the Tracys, determination in his eyes.

He said something in a language neither of them could understand. But he led them towards the smoking ruins and a capsule in a crater half buried under the remains of their prize tractor.

Three more young boys were curled up asleep inside what was obviously not a meteorite.

Jeff couldn’t see the colour of his eyes in the darkness, but morning revealed their startling blue.

And a considerable intelligence. The eldest boy was speaking English before the sun rose and his story was of a dying planet, the need for refuge and dead parents.

His visage cracked just a little as he mentioned Jor El.

He had three younger brothers, the youngest little more than a toddler.

It was like Lucy had sent him the family they both wanted from beyond the grave.

When asked why they had landed in the Tracys’ backyard. The answer was simply ‘Eos’.

Jeff didn’t know when the decision to keep the boys was made, how he was going to hide them from the authorities, who, no doubt would be on his front lawn first thing…perhaps it was the dark-haired younger brother crying on the eldest’s shoulder, the toddler drawing circles in the dirt with his finger, or maybe the middle youngest with hair of red-gold that stared at him with no emotion, yet every emotion on his face at one time.

Jeff had worked for the government. Jeff had been in space. Jeff knew what would likely happen.

The eldest had flame in his eyes.

But for whatever reason, the decision was made and Scott, Virgil, John and Gordon Tracy joined their little family and Alan had a whole set of big brothers to look after him.

To protect him for life.

-o-o-o-

Parenting four sons of non-terrestrial origin had its challenges. Scott was his biggest ally and to be honest, Jeff had no idea if he would have been able to manage it without him.

There was also his mother, Kyrano and Ohana, there were plenty of parental figures. But his boys were blatantly more than human.

The day little Gordy fell in the dam and didn’t come out sprouted more grey hair than Jeff thought he was capable of growing. Learning that, for his sons, breathing was optional…

Once Gordon discovered it, there was no keeping him out of the water at all.

Fake scuba diving equipment was invested in eventually, but for years, Jeff and Scott managed to cover for him.

Virgil’s artistic tendencies were another matter. They discovered the apparent ability to throw some kind of laser-like heat beam from their eyes the day Virgil burnt a rendition of the Mona Lisa into the living room wall.

There was a painting spree after that.

But it was John who revealed the most important skill they possessed.

The boy was obsessed with the stars. Jeff wondered if it was a determination to find a way back to where they had come from. Scott spoke rarely of what had happened there, but it was obvious all four boys were traumatised.

John cried out in his sleep, dreams wracking the six-year-old from the very first night in their new home.

He and Scott talked a lot. Jeff tried his best, but there were limits. So sometimes all he could do was be there and hold him as he cried.

As he grew older, the dreams grew fewer, but they always returned.

So it was with a little fear that Jeff watched his third eldest stare up at the stars.

But being the supportive father he was, he built an observatory on the roof. John was often to be found up there, listening to Eos as she spoke of stars humans hadn’t even discovered yet. Sometimes he perched precariously on the railing as if he was a bird who could launch himself into the sky and fly away.

And one day he did.

Perhaps not quite as elegantly as he could have. Jeff had just arrived home from a business trip late one night just in time to see his little stargazer fall off the damned roof.

He fell out of sight and Jeff was out of his car and running for his life. Only to find John spread-eagled mid-air, floating with surprise on his face.

It was chaos after that.

His boys took to the sky like a flock of birds. Even Scott who proved more a natural than should be possible.

The boy found freedom up there.

By this time Jeff had met Hiram Hackenbacker and at the risk of everything, he had let the young scientist in on the secret.

Jeff had needed money to keep his family safe and protected. It was the capsule that provided that income – unbeknownst to the world at large. Small technologies built patents and Jeff, with his business and aeronautical background, Scott’s and Eos’ help, was able to build Tracy Industries and earn far more money than he had initially expected.

The Tracy farm became a fortress of his family’s safety.

Outside its boundaries, they had to act human. Inside, his boys could be themselves, use their skills and play.

But as they grew, it became obvious it was not enough and Jeff began looking for another solution. His boys were good, they wanted to help…everyone.

Hell, Virgil was banned from watching the news and John had blocked him from all the news internet sites.

They hurt him too much when he knew if he was there, he could have helped, saved, all those people.

His boys were good and kind.

So, using the one thing he had that could help, he bought a distant island in the Pacific and with Hiram, who had a heart of gold, and Kyrano, whose heart was even softer, built the infrastructure that would enable them to do good and stay safe at the same time.

International Rescue was born.

No one needed to know the thunder of the sound barrier being broken wasn’t from the rocket engines built into Hiram’s miraculous machines, but from his sons pushing from inside, using the specially designed superstructures built into the craft.

Of course, all the brothers had a different skill set. Scott was obviously made for the sky. Gordon fell in love with the ocean the moment his eyes landed on it. The boy even built his own underwater habitat just to the south of the newly christened Tracy Island. Declared it his ‘fortress of solitude’ just inside the privacy barrier encircling the Island.

And then promptly invited Alan down there for a movie night.

Jeff just rolled his eyes and chuckled.

Perhaps he should have been worried. After all, Alan was simply human and did not possess the various skills of his older brothers.

But if there was anything the four eldest cared about beyond helping people, it was Alan.

Alan had four brothers who would do anything for him. He had to be the safest human on the planet. The four Krytonian children may have been adopted by Jeff and his mother, but they had adopted Alan in return and for all his human frailty, he was safe in their hands.

He flew with Scott and Virgil, swam with Gordon and stargazed with John.

In fact, Jeff was pretty sure it was Alan who kept John on the planet and not amongst the stars he so loved. There was a reason why Thunderbird Five was built, beyond John’s love of those far off points of light.

It was because Alan followed him.

Perhaps in the footsteps of Jeff who had gone to space himself, but here was a brother who could reach the stars unaided.

So, Allie became part of International Rescue, albeit with the protection of the elder four.

Jeff managed the business that kept them hidden and supplied while his boys went out and saved human lives.

It was a good life.

Until one day after a business meeting in London, Jeff met a man by the name of Hood.

Who smiled as he picked Jeff by the front of his shirt.

With one hand.

-o-o-o-

Supermen AU

[tracyislandinmymind]

Always keen to help out, but I think you might struggle with those tools, Virgil.

[edutainer2022]

I made it to Vienna for the week-long Digital Humanism event and I've been meaning to place Earth and Sky in Vienna for ages. This is an absolutely indulgent, decadent, undiluted fluff, full of bosom headcanons, informed by the first Sunday of fall here, drenched in sunlight, late summer flowers and classic German poetry. That's it, that's the story - Scott in Virgil go to Vienna and absolutely nothing hurts.

Thank you always to @janetm74 for putting up with my ramblings.

SUNLIGHT AND POETRY

He could smell the eye-wateringly expensive coffee first. Then the steps, muffled by luscious grass, were followed by a nondescript grunt that probably summarized the general state of the joint World Council, World Bank and GDF committee. An equally obscenely expensive suit jacket was thrown on the lawn unceremoniously to dub as a picnic blanket and, finally, the full length of Scott flopped and stretched beside him, wiggling to get comfortable. A goody bag with a tell-tale Zacher Hotel crest landed in Virgil's lap and he put aside the sketchbook, wasting no time to dig in. Coffee and the most luxurious chocolate cake in the world certainly worked the magic to improve Scott's mood and soon he was grinning up to the sky, although Virgil knew to look for signs of weariness in the corners of blue eyes. He was tempted to return to sketching, though - Scott's relaxed smiles, although in a far more ample supply after Dad's return, were still a rare treat.

Usually, it would be Virgil dragging biggest brother along to Vienna, when Opera was in season or an art exhibition Virgil didn't want to miss - a feat frequently accomplished with toddler-wrangling worthy bribery in form of copious amounts of Austrian finest street food and baked goods or the deployment of most deadly puppy eyes. The exasperated groan signaled that the odorous Wienerwurst from a digny kiosk on the corner of Bristol Hotel was still in the cards that day, much to the hotel staff's (and finest chefs') incessant bewilderment. The Tracies rented the penthouse floor at the historic Bristol, facing Vienna State Opera, for years, the place deemed secure enough by Kyrano Sr. all those years ago. That time, however, it was Virgil who tagged along whole Scott had a week of sessions set up with the Joint Committee of Global Services on the update of interoperable search and rescue policies. Trust Scott to spend his hard carved downtime on redrafting global policies and making the world a better and safer place.

That was just it, Dad having put his foot down (two, actually, and a fist) on IR rota expansion and rearranging operations with A LOT more of their habitual toll outsourced to GDF and local response services, they had more time to pursue their interests and develop their personal strengths. To have a life in an unironic way. But that also meant spending less time together on rescues, even on the island. Scott of course up and found himself the next all-consuming cause, so Virgil was kinda... missing him. Missing his best friend in the way he hadn't since Scott left for Yale, then for AirForce. Maybe it was the ever present thrum of dread over Scott involved in any thing GDF since... That Place... that got Virgil wistful and a bit clingy. Scott, naturally, didn't mind. They were having a great time, actually, reconvening in the afternoons for leisurely strolls, good food and uninterrupted talks about everything and nothing. Virgil treated himself to revising his favorite exhibits at Albertina and Kunst Museum, then took to camping out on sundrenched lawns of Burggarten, sketching statues or people around. He never felt as at home in Vienna as Scott did. Much as their ginger spaceman could fit right in on any red brick Gothic campus, Scott, all towering height and blue eyes, and slim athletic built, and structured suits just MATCHED the stately grandor of old imperial capitals. Virgil always felt too big and too rural American among the understated regal splendor of Vienna. But here, in the landscape informed by art, and the shade of Mozart's monument, and calm, and familial bonding, he was in his element.

Scott was stretching in the evening sun, like a giant cat, and blinking his eyes slowly at Virgil - that definitely called for a sketch.

Chocolate treats were, apparently, Scott not only loot that afternoon. He shifted to the side, wiggled a hand into the suit pocket and produced a small tattered volume. Faded gilded embossing and yellowed pages belied the treasure only found in antique bookshops. Virgil wasn't surprised when Scott started reading. One of the Tracy family best kept secrets was Scott's affinity for classic reading. Passionate, well-spoken and charismatic - Scott was the darling of every AP English class teacher, the Speech and Oratory Team captain and persistently courted for a graduate degree in French Modernism through his Lit Elective at Yale. In a different life Scott would have been an inspirational military leader, a kickass defense attorney or an Office-track politician and public speaker. But a different life had not been in the cards for Jeff Tracy's eldest Son and Heir.

What DID surprise Virgil was Scott settling up to read out loud. In German.

"Wem der große Wurf gelungen

Eines Freundes Freund zu sein;

Wer ein holdes Weib errungen

Mische seinen Jubel ein!"*

And raven brow shot up quizzically and in perfect synchrony the shit-eating grin erupted:

"What?! I'm his brother too!"

"To the point of speaking German?"

The grin faded a shade. Damn.

"To the point of speaking World Bank finance and AirForce parade drills with the old European Uninion Anthem. Schiller's statue is right OVER THERE, I was in the mood."

The returned smile was muted, but mellow. Virgil thought back to an old comedy, "what? like it's HARD?" almost audible in big brother's nonchalant shrug.

Only Scott Tracy would make a point to swing by a rare books shop and get himself a 1820s copy when he felt like reciting Schiller's poetry on a sunny afternoon in the old royal palace park. Virgil certainly hoped that indulgence streak broadened and became a habit.

----

* A stanza from Ode to Joy, Friedrich Schieller

[toddler-virgil-the-bean]

Hewwos! Sowwy I no does a beens on heres bery muchly... I no does a- I a- ums, I feels a no goods. Bus I does a sill says a- 'appy new years? I does fink dat wites.

[5am-the-foxing-hour]

Remus *appearing on Virgil's couch, holding and ice pack over one of his eyes*: Never mess with somebody who's shorter than you, they can pick up rocks quicker... Virgil *scrolling his phone, unbothered by Remus's arrival*: Janus threw a rock at you, didn't he? Remus: Yes. I wonder who he learned that from? *stares at Virgil* Hmmmmmmmmmmmmm~ Virgil *shrinking down into his hoodie sweating*: ... I apologise for my wrong doings... In my defence I was left unsupervised... with a fucking toddler. Remus *groans*: You were a teenager! Virgil: I don't know how kids work! I COULD HAVE KILLED HIM SOOOOOOO MANY TIMES!