#when NONE of them knew her like Roman did and none of them was fondly... something by Gerri like Roman was

[maria021015]

SPOILERS FOR CHAPTER 14 AHEAD!

“I’ll wash your clothes and get them back to you.” Zaida promised, exiting her bedroom to join Stiles in the hallway. She was grateful that she hadn’t needed to sleep in her garbage-covered clothes, but she was also relieved to be back in her own garments. After their brief conversation the previous night, Zaida had crashed on the surprisingly comfortable living room couch. She and Stiles had woken early the next morning and picked up breakfast pastries on the way to the apartment. They had been demolished and were already digesting by the time they parked on the street outside.

“Where do we start?” Stiles questioned. As Zaida had predicted, Xander had already left for work, giving the two of them free reign over the apartment.

“His room. He wouldn’t trust keeping anything important anywhere that I might stumble across it. It turns out, he’s more careful with keeping secrets from me than I ever thought.” She led the way further down the corridor to the room at the end and opened the door to reveal the wide and open room.

There was a queen sized bed with simple, grey linen sheets backed against the centre of the left wall, flanked by two chests of drawers either side. To the right was a sturdy desk with a bookshelf attached and the entrance to an ensuite bathroom and walk-in closet. Since moving in, Zaida had never really been in Xander’s room. She crossed the carpeted floor quickly, heading straight for the closet, knowing where all of his hiding places had been as a teenager before he’d moved out. Stiles began searching the desk for anything that could be a clue, rifling through loose papers and copies of case files from the string of murders that had been connected to Kate Argent, and the more recent ones. None of that was out of the ordinary for a deputy, so he kept looking whilst Zaida dove through the racks of clothes, looking for anything hiding behind long winter coats or pants. After rummaging through the desk drawers he only found stationary and legal documents like bank details, insurances, course and training certificates, and identification documents. Only one thing stood out to him.

“Do you and your brother have different last names?” He called out to Zaida. “This says Alexander Callista-Eliopoulos?”

“Yeah, Callista-Eliopoulos is our full last name. Callista was Mom’s and Eliopoulos was Dad’s, but we go by Callis. Jennifer Aniston did it and many Greeks followed suit. Including us, I guess.” she answered in a loud and muffled voice.

“You’re Greek, huh?” Stiles mumbled as his eyes scanned over the collection of books on Xander’s shelves. “That explains the taste in literature.”

“Yeah, Xander and I were both huge mythology buffs growing up. Our grandparents used to tell us Ancient Greek history and legends as bedtime stories when we slept over, and the interest spread to other mythologies. Xander was into all kinds…Roman, Norse, Chinese, Japanese, Native American, Meso-American, African...you name it and he probably knew it.” Zaida recalled the memories of that time fondly. Their family had been so close until it had all fallen apart. “It’s an interest that sort of runs in the family. Dad actually met Mom at University when she was taking a Folklore and Mythology course. I myself love Celtic folklore, but Greek has always been my favourite. We tend to be quite patriotic people.”

“The extent of my mythological knowledge is Percy Jackson and the Heroes of Olympus.” Stiles laughed softly as he took in the book titles with wonder, spotting some familiar names like Homer’s Iliad and Odyssey. While he was still searching the spines Zaida hauled a box out of the closet and dumped it unceremoniously onto the bed. She pulled off the lid to see the inside brimming with papers.

“It’s the case records.” She identified in a low voice, recognising the documents that she had accessed on Xander’s computer at the Sheriff’s station. “He’s kept all of them.”

“What else is in there?” Stiles crossed the room in a few long paces and leaned over her shoulder, peering into the box as she pulled out the documents to reveal stacks of photos and a clutter of keepsakes.

She recognised some of Xander’s old soccer trophies and medals. Their father had always taken them to their games and training sessions, cheering them on eagerly from the sidelines. Zaida pulled out the stack of photos, expecting to see images of their family over the years, and there were some. A few images were snapped at dinner parties with college friends when Xander was in his very early teen years and she was only a toddler. However, the majority of the photos were of the time before her, when it had just been their parents and Xander. As she kept going through the stack, the quality of the photos became muddier and faded, obviously being from a much older camera than the technology they had now. There were some even from well before Xander. She was faced with her parent’s young and smiling faces at University graduation in their gowns and hats. There were pictures with people who she assumed had been their college friendship group - some of the same people as the dinner party guests who had one by one disappeared from the images closer to the top as her parents grew older and lost touch with their old lives. Seeing how Xander had kept all the images of the time before her sat strangely and uncomfortably in the pit of her stomach.

“I don’t think there’s anything here.” Zaida ground out in a weak voice. She didn’t know what she had expected to find when she had come looking, but it certainly wasn’t this box full of mourning. She shoved the lid back onto the box and dropped down on the mattress beside it, staring blankly at her hands as she twisted her golden rings around her fingers. Stiles had picked up that it was a habit of hers whenever she was upset, in thought, or anxious.

“Are you okay?” He sat down next to her with concern etched in his furrowed brows and Zaida sighed deeply in frustration.

“It’s just…every lead ends up being a complete dead end, and I don’t know what else to do.” She felt a weight on her chest and her eyes started to well with tears that trickled from her lashes as her emotions became overwhelming. It had been a long time since her parents had died, but right now her grief felt as fresh as ever. “I just need to know what happened to them.”

“We’re going to figure it out, Zaida. I promise we will.” Stiles assured her in a comforting tone and pulled her into his side, his hand rubbing soothing circles over her back. “We figured out that werewolves are real, and we figured out that Kate started the Hale fire, and that Peter was killing everyone involved out of revenge. We’ll figure this out too.”

“Xander just expects me to move on, but how can I forget about it? Apart from the fact that I can’t walk away from a mystery even to quite literally save my life, my parents were murdered and we have no idea why, or by who.” she opened up, finding talking about it somewhat therapeutic.

This wasn’t something she’d been able to tell anyone before. Certainly not Xander, and not even Allison. It wasn’t because she didn’t trust the girl, it was more that she wasn’t the best person to talk to when it came to deep and meaningful chats. Zaida had been surprised to discover that Lydia was more in tune with her own emotions than Allison was, which was really saying something as Lydia liked to bury all her emotions under a heavy designer rug. Yet, Allison barely knew what her emotions were most of the time, despite having a lot of them. Plus, with everything else going on at the moment with Derek and the hunters, there was far too much else to deal with. Both Lydia and Allison were going through a lot right now, and Zaida felt as though it wasn’t the time to lean on them when they were so busy trying to keep themselves afloat. But Stiles always had made time for her, even in the midst of being threatened by Peter when Lydia was bleeding out. He’d been there for her when he hadn’t even really known her after the attack at the school, and he was there for her now.

“I get it. If I didn’t know what happened to my Mom, I’d be doing the exact same thing as you right now. I wouldn’t have been able to stop thinking about it until I solved it.” He nodded, being the first person to really understand how she was feeling. Though she supposed they were both quite alike in that regard. Neither of them could leave the unknown alone, and they’d both lost their mothers.

“What happened to her?” she couldn’t help but ask in a quiet voice. His motions across her back stalled for a moment before he continued.

“She had frontotemporal dementia…died when I was like ten.” he answered with a dry voice. The memories were obviously still painful.

“I’m sorry.” Zaida offered her condolences. “Does it ever get easier?”

“It does. It takes a while, and things are never really the same. It’s something that changes you, and is kind of always there but over time...it doesn’t feel as bad. My dad won’t talk about her. That’s his way of coping, but I find it’s better when I do talk about her. Like, remembering all the good times.” he explained with a wistful tone.

“What was she like?” She asked, and Stiles smiled at the thought of his mother before the disease had claimed her.

“She was playful, and warm, and caring. When Scott’s parents were fighting she’d invite him over and bake us cookies and play board games with us.” Stiles reminisced fondly and the light in his eyes told her that he was glad to be able to speak about his mother. “She was strong. The strongest person I knew. Even when things got really bad, she’d never complain...never let it show. She’d talk to me about school and the newest comic I’d read and not once would she let me see how much she was really going through.”

“She sounds wonderful.” Zaida reached over his lap to squeeze his hand supportively and he nodded in agreement.

“She would have really liked you.” He stated, knowing that his mother would have appreciated the girl’s sharp wit and fierce, determined nature. “What about your Mom and Dad? What were they like?”

“Mom was passionate in everything that she did or said. She lived life to the absolute fullest. She was protective, relentless, and had a temper like a fire storm if you crossed her. But she was also incredibly empathetic and caring. Dad was a lot more calm and grounded, and a bit of a goofball. He was always supportive and easy to talk to. He gave amazing advice. They both seemed so…normal.” Zaida’s thoughts traveled further than what she was currently willing to tell Stiles about. If she was born supernatural, it had to have come from one of her parent’s bloodlines. Had they known? Was one of them supernatural too? Was that the reason they’d been killed? "It's hard to believe that they were involved in any of this."

“We don’t know that they were for sure. It could have been a random werewolf attack.” Stiles suggested. There just wasn’t enough information to be sure about anything. She didn’t know which would be the worse answer, if they indeed knew, or if they had been oblivious.

[supraveng]

Moving On (3/?)

part 2

Summary: you have to confront your past….what could go wrong

Characters:  Sam Winchester x reader, former Bucky Barnes x reader, Tony Stark, Natasha Romanoff, Sam Wilson, Wanda Maximoff, Steve Rogers, Thor Odinson, Bruce Banner, Kevin Tran, Dick Roman, Maria Hill, Nick Fury

Word Count: 2508

A/N:  sorry for the delay on part 3, (work has been crazy)....hoping to post the next chapter next week

does not follow any MCU story line; attempting an MCU/SPN crossover; let me know if you want to be tagged in the next chapters

@iamwarrenspeace   

@mythandmagik    @lieswithoutfairytales   @bbmommy0902  @hailmary-yramliah  @jessyballet  @paryl @tcc-gizmachine @vicmc624​

You were in a daze and barely remembered getting back to your room, you heard Sam talking but you couldn’t grasp anything other than Thor telling you about your pregnancy.  Something that you would never expect to happen and you were certainly not ready for.  

“Sweetheart? Are you ok?” Sam looked at you worryingly.  

“Yea, uh, I um, I’m ok” you nodded “I am in need of a shower and uh, yea.”  Looking up at Sam, you saw the biggest smile on his face 

“I can tell you are worried, and I know this wasn’t your plan, but I’m so happy right now I can’t help it. We’re having another baby!” he wrapped his arms around you and pulled you into a comforting hug.  

“I love you so much, Sam” just a hug from him helped your anxious thoughts to quiet down for a few moments.  “Wanna join me in the shower?” you winked as you turned and headed towards the bathroom.

Making your way back to the common room, after a very long and rejuvenating shower, you tried your best to focus on what to do next.  Your head is spinning, as excited as you are about having another child, this wasn’t planned and kind of throws everything out of whack.  

You huff as you plop down on the couch next to Kevin, watching Morgan and Joy have a tea party in the middle of the room with all of their favorite animals.  

“So Kev, we are probably heading home tomorrow, so if there is anything you want to see while in NY, now is your chance” you tell him knowing he’s been enjoying this trip as much as you have.  

“Oh, I thought we’d be here longer, I was hoping to catch a show, but I haven’t been able to find affordable tickets, so maybe next time” he shrugs in response.

“Don’t be silly, I’m sure i can have Tony pull some strings and get you tickets for tonight, or we could move your return flight home, whichever you prefer really. Anything for Kevin Tran, world’s best nanny” you smile at him and see the small blush on his cheeks from the praise.  

“I’m serious, whatever you need, just say the word, you have no idea how relieved I am when she’s with you, because I know you take such good care of her, I don’t worry for a minute, you Kevin, are a Godsend if there ever was one”

You could tell Kevin was a bit taken back, but he rarely took a compliment well so you simply squeezed his hand and offered a sincere smile before being interrupted by Sam as he joined the girls on the floor for tea.   

“What do my girls say to a picnic then maybe a trip to the park?”   

"That sounds like a great plan, but I have an appointment with Maria after lunch so I can't make it to the park, I'm sorry sweetie" you tell them as you go to join them for tea.  

"Well, we could picnic here and maybe play down at the lake, I'm sure Tony has a kayak or canoe I can take the girls on." Sam tells you as you adjust the flower crown on his head so it  doesn't fall in his eyes.  

"Are you sure you want to take care of 2 kids by yourself? I gave Kevin the rest of the day off"

"Of course, and I need the practice" he winks as he starts to tickle the girls.  "Ok, then I will get our lunch ready while you help the girls out of these beautiful gowns and into some play clothes''

 Lunch was an event, although both girls were always well behaved, they had a tendency to make a mess, or get distracted and try to follow the butterfly that came by for a visit.  By the time you were done, you were rushing to meet Maria in time, knowing that being late was not an option.   

You knew what needed to be done but not sure how she would take the info about Roman getting away, hopefully the few of his lackeys that were picked up would get you some important info.  

By the time you made it back to the compound you were mentally exhausted, and apparently your clan had a good day as they were spread out in the common room watching The Little Mermaid.  You had to laugh at how engrossed in the movie the adults in the room seemed to be, and was Steve singing along...no, you had to be imagining that.  

Finding a seat next to Nat, you looked around fondly at your two families combining so nicely.  

“So how did she take it?” Natasha whispered without taking her eyes off the screen.  

You hadn’t told anyone what your full intention of today’s meeting was, as far as everyone knew, you were going over the mission report and strategizing the next steps, but Nat always knew everything….now that you were having two kids, you really needed to figure out how to do that.  

“Well, she’s not thrilled but understands, Furry asked if he had to buy me a farm….whatever that means” you responded shaking your head.  

She snickered and simply responded with “Clint”, you hadn’t even thought of that, “ah, well, Sam Winchester is not the Mr. Mom type, so this is my only option”    

“And are you ok with that?” she asks, finally turning and looking at you. 

“Honestly, I can’t imagine anything better” you sigh as you look over at Joy napping on Sam’s chest.  

“Good, you deserve all the happiness in the world” she gives you a small hug.  “And Tony’s throwing a dinner tonight, since you are leaving tomorrow, so be prepared”  

You roll your eyes in jest, knowing Tony would probably do something like that, “well, in that case, I’m going to try and take a nap before dinner”.   

Getting up you make your way to Sam and bend over to place a small kiss on his head, “I’m going to try and grab a nap, do you two want to join me?” you whisper in his ear, not wanting to interrupt anyone’s movie time…..and now I’m certain Steve is singing along ang actually knows all the songs.  

He smiles and nods, following behind you and into the room you are staying in

Sam got Joy settled in her crib before turning back to me, pulling me into a much needed hug.  “How do you always know when I need you?” you mumbled into his chest.  

“That’s my job” he smiled down at you “so I take it the meeting didn’t go well?”  

"It went as well as could be expected, I'm just trying to wrap my head around the time frame I gave them. Two weeks is a bit short to transition my cases to someone else and pack up my apartment but, the sooner the better I suppose" you are rambling as Sam put Joy in her crib and is now sitting on the bed watching you. 

"You are relocating?  Are you moving back to NY? I didn't realize that was an option when you made this trip…..does this have anything to do with Bucky?" he barely whispers with a worried look on his face. 

"What? Sam, no, none of this has to do with Bucky" you aren't sure why he thought that and look at him confused.  

"I…..I remember how broken hearted you were when we met, if you still love him, I would like to know…..I deserve to know since you are the mother of my children" you had never seen Sam so distressed in your life.  

He was the most confident man you had ever met, the lawyer that owned the courtroom as soon as he walked in.  You couldn't believe that he would ever be concerned with someone you used to date. 

"Oh Sam" you hold his face in your hands as you settle in his lap. "There is nothing left between Bucky and I, he was a part of my past, and might be a friend in the future,  but you are the only man I have ever truly loved with my entire being" looking into his eyes you see some relief so you lean in and kiss him softly but passionately. 

"The meeting was my resignation, or retirement as SHIELD prefers to call it. I'm leaving DC so we can all be together in Kansas all the time."  

He looks at you shocked "you quit? You love your job, I didn't think you would ever leave."  

You smile at him "I do, I love my job, but my family,  you, our kids are so much more important than any job could ever be" 

"Our kids" he whispers as you runs his hand over your stomach "we're having another baby and our family will all be under one roof….this has been an incredible day" he looks at you lovingly before wrapping his arms around you and pulling you as close to him as possible. 

"I'm sorry I didn't explain that before I left, but you know how exhausted I was the first time, there's no way I could continue this case on Roman being pregnant. Speaking of, do you think we could change the wedding date?  If we stick with our current plan, I'll be a whale walking down the aisle" you grimace at the thought of waddling in a wedding dress. 

He chuckles at you before kissing you, "whatever you want is fine by me"  

"Do you think your mom would be ok with us planning something small in the next month or so, before I start showing?" 

He laughs at your excitement to move things along so quickly "mom would love it, she works well under pressure"  

"Ok, let's try to rest before your princess wakes up" Sam and you snuggle into the bed wrapped up in each other's arms.  

It felt like you had just closed your eyes when you suddenly felt the bed shift.  Opening your eyes slowly, you came face to face with beautiful hazel eyes, had it not been for the giggles and tiny hands patting your cheek, you might have thought you were looking at Sam.  

“Joy sweetie” you whisper “how did you get out of your crib?” pulling her down to snuggle with you a bit longer.  

“Tevin hep me out” she giggles again before getting up and climbing over you to sit on Sam’s torso.  He didn’t move, but you could tell by his breathing that he was awake, and most likely ready to strike on Joy at any moment.  

It’s one of the things you love when you are all under one roof.  Not living in the same state is hard, and you both worked really hard to make things as normal as possible for Joy, but seeing them together, simple little things like this made your heart swell.  

She adored her dad, and had no idea it wasn’t normal for you to all be in the same house, but that would soon change.  Before you were too lost in your thoughts, Joy was squealing while Sam was tickling her, the fake sleep surprise attack never failed. 

Looking at them you laughed and attempted to get out of the bed, but you heard Sam whisper “let’s get mommy” and before you knew it, you were being tickled and attacked by both of them.  

By the time the three of you made it to dinner, everyone was there and of course Tony had everything catered and a full staff serving, and of course he needed to make a toast to make sure everyone knew it was an official ‘family’ dinner. 

 Clinking his glass he raised it in the air and everyone followed suit, you were about to grab the wine glass but quickly changed to the water in front of you.  

“To an ever expanding family, salut” Tony cheered as everyone followed suit and took a drink.  The table was full of laughter and chatter from everyone, even Morgan and Joy were chatting away as the best of friends. 

“So Sam” Bruce turned toward Sam “how did you propose to Y/N?” for some reason, that question got most of the tables attention and everyone was looking at the two of you.  

“Well, which time?” Sam asked with a smirk.   

You knew that this would come to bite you in the ass one day, but you had hoped it was with Sam’s family, not yours.  

“Wait…..you proposed more than once?” Steve asked, you could tell he was trying to seem like it was an innocent question, but he was really trying to understand the person you had become since you left NY.  

“Three times to be exact” Sam said with more confidence than you had expected.  You shook your head knowing everyone expected an explanation and you were about to speak when Sam squeezed your hand under the table. 

“Well, the first time was when we found out that our little Joy was on the way.  However, in Y/N defense, we were only together 3 or 4 months at that point, so it probably felt a bit rushed.   The second was about 15 minutes after Joy was born and it was a very emotional day for all of us.  The successful proposal was just a few months ago, and we went on a little road trip, and I proposed at the same chapel where her parents were married” Sam turned to you fondly and placed a sweet kiss on your cheek.  

“Wow, you are even more difficult than Pepper, I never realized that before” Tony smirked as he lifted his glass.  

“Very funny, Tony.   In my defense, the first two were spur of the moment emotional proposals and not thought through.  I didn’t refuse, but knew that you needed to really think things out before taking such a big step” you tried to explain your reasoning, but not sure if it was for yourself or everyone else. 

“They may have been spur of the moment, but they were most definitely thought through” Sam replies with a smug look while still eating and assisting your daughter with her meal.  

You looked up at him a bit confused and was about to ask more when he continued by bringing your hand to his lips and gently kissing your knuckles.  

“I bought that ring after our 3rd date, I just had to convince you that I wanted you for who you are and not what you have given to me since we met.”  

You were shocked, you had no idea he knew for that long that he wanted this life with you, it had all felt it just happened and you went with it.  You were actually speechless at this point and could see the glint in his eyes as you processed what he said.   Leaning in, you kissed him gently and looked into those amazing hazel eye, this is where you always belonged. 

[tinysidestrashcaptain]

It's Only Logical - Chapter 22

Chapter 22: The Big Day

First chapter Previous Chapter

Pairings: Logicality/Prinxiety

Warnings: None, this is all fluff!

Virgil’s eyes scanned the jeweler's case with an increasing sense of frantic paranoia. The wedding was literally two days away, and Logan had physically dragged him from his house to finally find Roman’s wedding ring. Perhaps the notion that he could find the perfect ring was one he should have deleted from his brain around jewelry store number three, but he really hadn’t expected it to be this difficult to find a damn ring! And he hadn’t MEANT to put it off this long, LOGAN, but nothing that he saw was really right.

“There are literally ten rings that Roman would wear right in this first row, Virgil. You’re getting married in 48 hours, and you can’t do that without a ring, or so I have been told.” Logan arched a brow at Virgil, who shot him a frustrated glare.

“It can’t be just ANY ring! I need a ring that’s at least as good as the one currently sitting on my left hand!” Virgil held out the hand in question, the ring of red and black melding together in a perfect mix of himself and Roman. “Standard diamonds and gold just aren’t going to cut it here.”

Just as Virgil was about to write it off as yet another failure and melt into a small puddle of panic, Logan spotted a ring in the back of a small case. It was black with a twisting motif of purple, Virgil’s favorite color. “What about that one?”

The ring that Roman had given him sat heavy on Virgil’s finger, and he looked closer at that one ring. It was...him. It would be his favorite color on Roman’s finger, for always. “Excuse me, can I see this one, please?”

“Of course, sir.” The jeweler smiled as she opened the case and pulled the black and purple ring out for Virgil to inspect. As he turned it over in his hands, he thought about how it would look on Roman, about how this flash of dark and color would gleam against tanned skin.

“I’ll take it.” Virgil’s soft smile melted into a put upon scowl as Logan heaved a great sigh of relief. “What?!? It had to be perfect!”

“I’m just relieved that perfection actually exists. What kind of best man would I be if I let you face your future husband without a wedding ring? You’d be dead before you were married.” Logan grinned as Virgil playfully smacked him.

“Yeah, yeah, you saved the day. Now let me pay for this so I can finally check the one thing I’m responsible for in this wedding off my list.” Virgil handed over his credit card with no regrets, taking the small bag from the jeweler with a grateful smile.

“That’s not true, Virgil. You’re also responsible for showing up.” Logan followed him out of the shop, giving the amused jeweler a friendly wave goodbye.

“Nah, that’s what you’re responsible for.” Virgil winked at him as he got into Logan’s car.

“Oh, so I have to add “wrangle Virgil” to my list of matrimonial duties? Thought you were looking forward to this.” Logan laughed as he started the car and drove them towards the cafe.

“Oh, I am. Probably not as much as Roman, if the sobbing over his wedding binder last night was anything to go by.” Virgil shook his head fondly at the memory. “I don’t know, I just don’t see the point of all the fuss, you know? We love each other. We’re in this for life, until we’re old and wrinkly and gray. That’s the headline here, everything else is just window dressing.”

“Don’t let Roman hear you say that! He’s worked very hard on this wedding and it means a great deal to him.” Logan shot Virgil a warning look, arching a brow as his best friend put both hands in the air like he was surrendering.

“I know, and that’s the only reason it matters to me at all. You know me, I hate all the attention, but Roman wants this. He’s been dreaming of this, and I want to give him that one perfect day, you know?” He looked out the window, face flushing at the admission.

“Yeah, I know. Why do you think I agreed to turn Roman’s backyard into his dream garden? Roman wanted to get married at his house, where we all had so many good memories with us and Mom, and I couldn’t say no even if I’d wanted to.”

“His puppy dog eyes should be classified as a lethal weapon, I’m telling you!”

“Oh, his have nothing on Patton’s, let me assure you. Seems to be a family trait.” Logan chuckled as he remembered the way Patton and Thomas had ganged up on him last week. “And Thomas isn’t far behind. I truly stand no chance.”

“Wow, two Sanders Puppy Dog eyes at once? You are well and truly fucked, Lo. There is no escape.” Virgil gave his arm a sympathetic pat as they parked. “I’ll see you tomorrow for the rehearsal dinner. You're still good with all of us crashing at your house for it, right?”

“It’s not like I don’t have the room, Virgil. Go, have fun. Enjoy your last night as singles together, since Roman already asked me to have a guest room made up for you so you won’t see him before the wedding.” Logan laughed as Virgil groaned loudly in protest and threw his head back against the seat.

“Great. Can’t wait. I’ll see you tomorrow, Lo….and….thanks. For everything, you know?”

“You don’t ever have to thank me. We’re family, this is what we do for each other.” Logan’s face softened at his best friend’s quiet words, and he knew why Virgil had said it. Not many people would have given or done as much as he had, and his best friend hadn’t had the easiest life growing up. Of course he’d feel the need to express gratitude, even if it was totally unnecessary. “...Did you ever decide? About your mother?”

Virgil froze, his whole face shuttering like a switch had been flipped. “Yup. Not changing my mind. She may have given birth to me, but she isn’t my mother. My mom is buried out in the cemetery, and my brother is my best man. I don’t need any other family than that.”

Logan felt sentimental tears sting his eyes at that, and he blinked rapidly to keep them at bay. “Alright then. Your family will be right there with you, every step of the way. For what it’s worth, Mom would have been very proud of you. She always thought you and Roman would make a good couple, so she’s probably giggling into her tea right now.”

“Goddammit, why did EVERYONE figure us out before we did?!?” Virgil shook his head as he got out of the car, leaning down to meet Logan’s eyes. “She would have loved all this. Like to think she’s still watching, you know?”

“She is, Virgil. And she’ll definitely be watching on the big day.” He watched Virgil nod once before closing the door and heading into the house, leaving his purchase with Logan for safekeeping until the ceremony.

__________________________________________

It was a perfect day for it, tailor made with candy blue skies and balmy air scented with flowers. Everything that Logan had planted with Patton and Virgil’s help was blooming in an explosion of shapes and colors. There were white chairs set on the lawn, and a shimmery drape of fabric tied with bunches of fresh flowers marked the aisle that Roman would walk down.

Patton turned away from the window, smiling as he watched his mother and sister fuss over Roman’s gown. It was a stunning dress, an elaborate white ball gown with beading and a train, dyed red just at the bottom. Roman had foregone a veil in favor of fresh flowers woven into his hair, and Val had done his makeup in red and gold with lashes that made his eyes look stunning. His brother looked beautiful today, and he could feel himself getting a little misty. “You look incredible, Ro.”

“Damn straight he does! God, I wish I had your cheekbones.” Val giggled as she applied just a touch more highlight before stepping away to let Roman inspect her work. “Virgil is going to absolutely die. I can’t wait.”

“Oh honey, there is nothing straight about today! But I do look spectacular, if I do say so myself.” Roman laughed before giving Valerie a fond hug. “Thank you, menace.”

“You’re welcome, brat.” Val mumbled, blinking back some tears.

“You always were a queen, sweetheart. Today you just look the part.” Lydia grinned as her children laughed, then gently reached out to take Roman’s hand. She placed a beautiful bracelet of sapphires and diamonds on Roman’s wrist, fiddling with the clasp until it sat just right. “Logan asked me to give you something today. Something old, something new, something borrowed and something blue, isn’t that the old saying? He said it was his mother’s set, so now you’ve got the borrowed, blue and old all in one.”

Roman took a deep, shuddering breath, one hand gently tracing over the bracelet with shaking fingers. “I wish you could have spent more time with Minny, mom.”

“I do, too, sweetheart. She was a special woman, and it’s so sweet of Logan to think of this. And all the work he did to put this together just how you wanted? You’d better say thank you.” Lydia smiled as she straightened Roman’s train, fluffing it a little. “And Patton, you’d better hang on to him.”

“Oh, don’t you worry, I intend to.” Patton laughed as he gave Roman a hug. “Now, you ready to get out there and wow the crowd?”

“Aren’t I always?” Roman laughed as he took his bouquet from Val, straightening his shoulders. He knew it wasn’t traditional for a man to wear the dress, but he’d always wanted a gown and his family and future husband were more than supportive. He felt beautiful, regal even, and he couldn’t wait to see Virgil’s face.

Out on the lawn, just underneath an arch that was decorated with red roses and purple wisteria, Virgil fidgeted as Logan straightened his tie for him. “Not getting the jitters, are you, Virge?”

Virgil smiled at him and shook his head. “I’m not nervous anymore, not even a little jump in my belly, Lo. He’s a good man.”

“Yes, he is. A very good one.”

“I made him wait for so long. Years, when you think about it.” He let out a laughing breath as the music struck up. “Time’s up.”

Logan chuckled and took his place by Virgil’s side, feeling his heart absolutely melt at the sight of little Lily toddling carefully down the aisle in her dress, tossing flower petals, then little Thomas in his suit carrying the rings. He gave Thomas a thumbs up before taking the ring boxes with a smile. Patton entered next, his blue eyes alight with joy as he took his place opposite Virgil, Logan and Thomas, gently holding Lily’s hand.

It was sweet, watching Roman walk down the aisle to Virgil. Watching Virgil’s face light up in awed delight at the sight of his future husband. The ceremony was perfect, soft and lovely with a gentle breeze wafting the perfume of the floral blooms through the air. They had wanted to get married in the garden they would tend, in the home they would live in together, and it struck Logan as a perfectly romantic setting.

Virgil’s vows were earnest and heartfelt, prompting Roman to blink rapidly and fan himself to avoid crying. Roman’s own vows were poetic but heart wrenchingly honest, and Virgil kissed his hand after they exchanged rings. It was perfect, Virgil looking handsome in his suit, Roman looking flawless in his gown, and the crowd broke into spontaneous applause when Virgil swept his husband off his feet and twirled him around before kissing him. Barbara topped off the ceremony by popping the first bottle of champagne to toast the happy couple.

“You do good work, sweetheart.” Patton said as he clinked a champagne glass against Logan’s.

“I didn’t do anything.”

“It’s like a family tree. They two of them sprung from a branch on your tree. You aren’t family by blood but it amounts to the same, really. It’s their connection to you that brought them together. They did the rest, but the connection started it,” Patton said softly, watching his brother beam from Virgil’s arms as the photographer snapped pictures.

“That’s a sweet thought. I’ll take it.” Logan sipped his champagne and blinked back the sting of sentimental tears. He’d been mentally wrestling with his own thoughts and feelings lately, and watching the joy on his best friend’s face today was settling his heart into the comfortable acceptance that this was something he might just want for himself. “I wanted to talk to you about something, actually. It can wait until after Roman has his big day. By rights, a wedding day should belong to the bride, after all.”

“Oh? What did you want to talk about?”

“Let’s just say it’s about connections.” Logan gave Patton’s cheek a fond kiss. “I need to run back to the house really quickly. With all the excitement today, I forgot the very special bottle of champagne I had for the bride and groom.”

“I can go get it,” Patton offered, running one hand down Logan’s back with a smile.

“It’ll be faster if I do it. Fifteen minutes, tops.”

As he walked to his car, he was stopped when Barbara called out to him. “Hey, Logan! Hold up!” She paused by Logan, slightly breathless with a crying Lily in her arms. “I’ve got a cranky little girl here who won’t go down for her nap. Car rides always put her out. We can take mine, it has the car seat?”

“Sure. It’s going to be a quick run, though.”

“Oh, that doesn’t matter. She’ll be out like a light in a minute.” Barbara gave him a grateful smile as she expertly wrestled Lily into her car seat and started towards Logan’s house. As advertised, the baby’s head started to droop and she quieted before they even got out of Roman’s driveway.

“Works like a charm.”

“From what Patton tells me, it does the same for Thomas, too. She looks so sweet in her little pink party dress.”

“Everything looked so beautiful today! If Shir and I ever renew our vows, I want it to be just like that. Flowers, family and friends. I always thought I’d want a big church extravaganza, but this was so romantic.” Barbara said softly, smiling as she drove.

“It was just perfect for them. So nice to--wait. Slow down! Stop the car!”

“What? What’s the---oh my god!”

They both stared towards Minny’s Garden. Logan had closed for the day to allow everyone to enjoy the wedding. But someone, he could see, had been there. Someone still was. Several of the outdoor displays were overturned, and a car was parked sideways on the grounds, crushing one of the flower beds.

“Go. You and the baby, get back to Roman’s right now.” Logan said, reaching for the door handle. “Call the police as soon as you get there.”

“Don’t! Don’t go in there right now.” Barbara gave him a horrified look.

“It’s my place.” And he was already running.

A/N: Okay, here we are. This is the second to last chapter, and I'm so sorry I made you all wait this long. I hope the ending lives up to everyone's hopes. I'm sorry to say that I lost my tag list, so I apologize to everyone who was on it. :'( Also, there is no difference between this version, the Wattpad, and the Ao3 versions for this chapter and the next.

[mimssides]

Never Met You

Chapter 10: Revelation

Things will reveal themselves in the least expected moments. They will be there when they are most needed. 

“We still have no clue for where as to start with our investigation,” Virgil sighed and put the letter opener back on Janus’s desk.

Janus sat on the chair behind it, while Roman paced around the room and Logan sat on the armchair in the corner of the room. Roman was muttering silent curses under his breath and Janus watched him closely. They had been sitting together for a few hours. He and Logan had retold over and over again how they had met Green but nothing out of the ordinary had happened that day, except for Green’s arrival, of course. The day before was also quite unremarkable to the point of both Logan and Janus not having anything important to say about it.

“I am aware Virgil,” Logan said and scratched his eyebrow as he looked over to the window. It had the view to the inner courtyard, where the makeshift medic tents had been put up. “But there is nothing else I can tell you. We didn’t learn anything about his background from himself, so we have to reconstruct who he might be from the things we have seen ourselves.”

“Well, we know that he had a partner. Possibly, a husband.”

Janus, Logan and Roman stared at Virgil, who took the letter opener in his hands once more and fiddled with the blade.

“A husband?” Logan asked with a shivering voice.

Virgil glanced over to him and nodded.

“Yes. He mentioned him. No details but that one existed. I assumed he… He never mentioned this to you?”

Logan shook his head and stared down at his left hand. Did he imagine it or was there a band of lighter skin around his middle finger? He blinked and the image was gone, the skin just as brown as the rest of his hand.

A loud stomp almost shook Logan out of his chair and he looked over to Roman who stood with his back turned to them. His hands were balled into fists. For the first time Logan noticed how broad Roman’s shoulders were now that they were held with tension.

Dramatically, Roman turned around and glared at the others as he announced: “We know him! We know him and he obviously knows us! He knew how to calm me down, he knows exactly how to get on J’s nerves, he knows what all of Vee’s nods mean and he knows everything what you think Lo! And so do you! You just throw each other a look and it’s clear! You just know and it’s like it’s all we should need to know in order to figure out who he is but there is something preventing us to make the last connection and it’s driving me mad!”

“I can see that Roman,” Janus said and vaguely motioned against Roman’s hands, “but what are we supposed to do? We have nothing to go off and-”

“He knew where about the panic room. He brought me there. He knew it was safe. He knows the castle; he knew the courtyard but he was no servant. And we can’t remember it because of a curse.”

With that Janus stood up. His brows were furrowed deeply and his lips were pulled into a harsh snarl. Roman growled at the expression and pressed his hands against the side of his head while shaking it vehemently.

“You can’t deny this anymore! It has to be a cruse!”

“Don’t lightly talk about magic, which has been used to eradicate my ancestors. The only ones who would dare to use such powers would be the unnamed and she hasn’t been here since months before Green’s appearance!” Janus hissed.

Roman wasn’t affected by Janus’s anger. In the contrary, he seemed to get even more worked up and turned away towards the door.

“Come on Janus,” Roman said as he gripped the door handle, “this thing is affecting me. Which means it had to be her. No other magic is strong enough to do so.”

Roman pressed the handle down and left the room. Immediately Janus went after him and both Logan and Virgil followed rather confused about what the two had just talked about. They watched Janus getting next to Roman and how he opened his mouth to chide the prince but stopped. His expression changed and he silently kept walking next to Roman who steered towards the backroom in the servants’ wing.

Nobody said anything when Roman opened the door and entered. Nobody made a noise when Roman paced around the room for a few minutes. They just came inside and Virgil closed the door as he was the last one to enter and waited with the others for Roman to get a grip on himself again. He watched his partner walk in circles and eventually stop in front of the wall opposite of the door. He was staring at it and Virgil exchanged a worried look with Janus.

“Ro?” Virgil began cautiously and walked up to him. “I know you wanna solve this but there is nothing in this room. He has been inside here only once; we won’t find any clue here.”

Roman stepped closer towards the wall and put his hand on one of the stones.

“This wall opens.”

“What?”

Perplexed Virgil stepped back. Frantically Roman moved a chest to the side and again put his hand on the same stone as before and pushed down on it. A low creaking sound. The wall slid aside and opened a passage into a dark tunnel.

For a moment four men just stared inside. Then the prince went inwards unbothered by the dark, his eyes adjusting effortlessly and taking on a red colour. His ears were taking in every sound, he knew immediately that the light steps just behind him belonged to Janus, that the heftier but muted ones were Virgil’s and that the hasted loud ones were Logan’s at the end of the group.

“Roman, where are we going! We can’t see!”

Janus had grabbed his arm and Roman halted. He turned and looked down to his friend. In his head something was revolting. Revolting and trying to get his memories back but it wasn’t working right. Instead, he turned to the side and gripped a torch which had been placed in a torch holder. He didn’t question why he knew exactly where the holder was or why it was hanging rather low but just took it and rubbed the top of it against his palm, flame enlighten immediately. He held the torch up over his head for a moment and looked back to the others before he resumed in walking down the tunnel.

There were crossings and other walls which slid aside when Roman pressed them. Nothing of it seemed unfamiliar to him and he knew that that alone should have freaked him out. Yet it didn’t and he followed the way he somehow knew he had to go. In his focus and the others’ worry none of them noticed that on several stones sat little coal drawings. They didn’t notice that there were little signatures beneath them, one from Roman and another they would not have been able to read, not because the language or scripture was different, but because their brain would refuse to put the letters together to a word.

They walked down into a dead end with a wooden door in the middle. Roman opened it, stepped inside with no hesitation and set the torch into a torch holder to his left as if he had done so a million times before.

As if he had done so before? Roman shook his head. The others entered behind him but he just looked at the room. It was a square room, maybe ten feet long and wide, a worn-down couch was standing against the wall in front of him, a little shelf left to it, with books and pencils and coal sitting inside them. On the wall of the door, close to the torch, was an easel, a blank canvas sitting on it.

“I have been here,” Roman mumbled.

He hadn’t noticed how Janus had stepped to his side and flinched when he said: “I would hope so! Leading us through a tunnel system you didn’t know anything about wouldn’t be something I approve of. Also, when have you even found these tunnels? Why am I not aware of them?”

Roman didn’t respond. His eyes had deviated to the wall to the right and his breath was stuck in his throat. Silently, he walked towards it. Walked to the wall with a portrait hanging on it. With a family portrait. Oil pastels. Vibrant colours and strong gradients, which made the four people in it look like they would come alive any second now.

Janus inhaled sharply as he saw it. Virgil’s eyes went wide. Logan gasped and leaned against the wall.

In the portrait they saw a man with light brown skin, short brown locks, eerily green eyes, and a well-kept beard standing next to a woman with slightly darker skin, dark brown hair in a beautiful bun, brown eyes and in front of them two boys, looking identical with brown skin, dark curls and eerily green eyes. They all were wearing regal clothing, man and woman wearing each a crown which hadn’t been worn in over two decades at this point.

It was a portrait of King Aneas, Queen Rhea, the young Prince Roman and…

“It’s him,” Roman choked out.

Janus shook his head and pressed his hand against his forehead: “No - how – we – how did we never see the resemblance? It- it can’t be! It can’t. It can’t?”

Roman’s head was pulsating and he let himself fall back on the couch. Virgil was beside him immediately, holding his hand and trying to not think too much about what he was seeing right now. Janus kept staring at the picture, at the boy in front of Aneas, with the green tunic and the wide grin with so much more confidence than Roman’s.

And Logan pushed himself off the wall and slowly stepped towards the picture. He looked at the colours at the way they blended into each other and he recognized the technique. He saw the hand putting the colours down on the canvas in front of his inner eye. He saw the same hand holding coal and sketching him. He heard a voice telling him to sit naturally. Heard the voice asking him fondly teasing if he could draw a nude. And he heard himself say in a just as fond teasing way that he could if he could behave himself.

“He drew this. He used to draw me…” Logan whispered and he felt his memory slowly breaking free. “He draws things he sees in his nightmares and burns them. He moves so much in his sleep. He has almost threw me off the bed when we started sharing. He doesn’t like it when he has to sleep alone and he usually comes to check on me when I take a nap. He – he didn’t-”

Logan panted. The day before. The day before Green.

That day-

“He didn’t come check on me when I took a nap.”

***

 ���And there you are.”

 ██mus froze. It had been a normal day. He had spent the morning with Logan and had a meeting over the alliance talks with Janus after that. Lunch had been calm and nice, Logan had excused himself soon after dinner to take a nap because he felt a little tired. ██mus had taken the time to get back in his room and relax for a while. He had just wanted to go and check on his husband but got caught up in the view over the gardens, the rose maze, his home.

 ██mus gulped and turned around. His grin was maniacal as he stared into the glowing green eyes of the Dragon Witch.

 “There I am!” ██mus cackled and looked her over with a wicked grin. “What has you come here to my humble chambers, Dragon Bitch?”

 The creature scowled at the name. She stood far taller than ██mus, her greyish skin, the black flames miming hair and the deep red coat underlining how foreign and out of place she was amongst humans. She was a creature of nightmares and the underworld, her name a testament to the creatures she has eradicated.

 “Don’t test me, child. You will pay for your arrogance!” she growled.

 ██mus grinned as sweat began to form on the back of his neck. It made no sense that she was here now. She was only allowed in the castle at certain times. Janus knew the schedule by heart and he would have been with ██mus at all time had one of her visits been close to come.

 “Oh, will I?” ██mus hummed and wracked his brain for the reason why she would be here.

 And the reason took his breath and smile. The creature saw his change and began to grin. She walked towards him, held her hand under his jaw and forced him to look up. He had to control himself to not snap for air.

 “Who was stupid enough to make a deal with you?”

 Her chuckle was wicked and her eyes glimmered with satisfaction.

 “Oh, look at that,” she hummed and let her thumb stroke over his cheek. “Your father’s desperation and your mother’s rage. I didn’t think I would ever see such a delicious last expression ever again.”

 ██mus’s heart stopped. He grappled her wrist and pressed it down from his face.

 “What did you just say?”

 “Last expression, my dear,” she answered unimpressed and pulled her hand out of his grip and began to pace through the room. “I was ordered to kill the last demon blood in this kingdom. I am here to get rid of your treacherous family once and for all.”

 “You killed our parents. You killed my father for making your powers ineffective everywhere but within our kingdom’s boarders.”

 ██mus was glaring at the Dragon Witch who simply raised an eyebrow.

 “Oh child, you should know we can’t do anything against our own kind without a deal. Someone sent me. And someone sent me again to kill you. The last demon blood-”

 Loud and hysteric cackling stopped her words. ██mus was overcome with grief. With disbelieve. His father who had decided to stop all the bloodshed his family had brought over these lands, his father who had never shed a single droplet of blood despite having hungered for it, his father who had been nothing but kind to his people and the other kingdoms had been assassinated for the blood he had been born with.

 But there was also relief. Relief in the fact that contracts with demons had to be followed closely and ██mus knew that she had made a grave error.

 “Already breaking down? I expected more of you, Thea,” she snapped at him.

 He regained his composure and tilted his head to the side. With a smirk he began to match her pacing, both of them walking in circles around each other.

 “Oh,” ██mus hummed, “I am not breaking down, dearest demon. I just think you might have made a deal you can’t fulfil here.”

 “Why would that be?”

 “Tell me what the contract is. Not the contractor, I know the rules.”

 She hissed but complied: “’I, the Dragon Witch, shall end the life of the King of Theana, the last demon blood in the lands. I shall do so as brutally and cruelly as I please.’ They were almost kind this time; They didn’t even tell me to go for your lousy husband.”

 ██mus almost snapped at the comment over Logan but kept his anger to himself and simply huffed with a grin.

 “Your deal is faulty. Because I may be King of Theana, but I am not the last demon blood.”

 “What?”

 ██mus eyes glowed at her rage and he said ever so pleased: “It’s my brother.”

     "̶̨̮̖̹̤̋̌͆̏̕̕W̶̘͓͋̿̽͜ĥ̸̠̤̬̮͇͖̻͓̓̅͛̇̄͒̂͘͜a̸͕͔̦̦̔̿̔́͑̃͌̚t̴̹̃͂̾̏̐̓̂͌!̴̳͖̬͙̝͕̈́̑͊͛͊̌͆̽̚?̴̨͍͕̥̦̪̣̔̐̈́̓́̐̚̚͜͠!̸̨̼͉̫̣̯̯͐"̴̗̬͈͚̞̼̙͓̑͜  

  The Dragon Witch screamed. ██mus jolted back, hands shooting up in front of him and eyes opened widely to see what she was going to do next. Angrily she threw her arms in the air, screeching and revolting under the revelation she just had and went straight forward for ██mus’s neck. He couldn’t do anything but choked as her fingers grappled him against the wall and she brought their faces close to each other.

 "̷̳̩̼͚̲̥͙̩̪͐̈́̃̒̌̆Y̵͍̟̣͙̹̠̝̱̰̆̌̅̍̽̄͒̔̕ͅo̷̧̠̺̔͐͒̆̈̓͝u̴̢̧͖͒̒̎̇̔̾ ̷̖̟̤̲̯͕́͆̒ͅs̸̡͈̦̲̞͕̖̙̤̎͊ͅp̴̬͛̐̎͒̌̕ǎ̴̪̘̼̘̲̗͍́n̵̡̺̪̲̬͂̈̀͒͌̽̕ ̶̫͙̗͍̯͉̍̄̉̓̊̋o̷̖͗̉̏̇ḟ̷̢͇͚͍̹̗̮͚̳̬͒̍͊̒͆̂ ̶̣̣̂͊̇̑̓͒̂t̵̫̩͓̪̥̞̠̥̩͊̋̀̉̿͌̉h̴̫̲̱͋̊̚a̵̙͍͔̥̼̮̹͖̞͑͝t̸͖̉̊̂̔̉̅̔̎̅̕ ̸̻̗̯̜͚̪̤̟͎̲͗́͂̄̕͝͝͠s̶̞͇̾̎t̶͕̥͌͋u̶̧̡͔̠̝̎͝͝p̸͖͋i̴̢̺̝̪͖̫͕̥͐̅ḑ̷̧̪̯̭̏̋̑̑̊̊̓̉̒ ̶̡̛̱̝͍̪̹͕̾̑̓̚͝w̸̧̜̮̰͔͕͕̄̏̑̄͝ò̷̪̩̳̈́̑̎̎̉͒̿̚m̶̧̳̳̫̺̈̈́̈̒a̸̫͓͈̗̦̱̥̽̽̎͛͝͝n̶͖͍͇̓͌̑̇͗̆̊̈́͂͠!̷̝͍͖͎̂ ̴̤̅Y̵̥̱̚ǫ̵̦̦̺͇̫̗̠͛̄̽́̏̉̄͐̍̌͜u̸͈̭̼̥͑̏̚ ̵̧̻̤̓͝ĉ̷͔̖͍̰̘̈́̎͆͜r̷̂̏̂̂̄ͅe̷̢͍̰͇̱̪̻̎̃ͅa̴̡̨͙̟̤̲͆̎͊͘͜͝ͅṫ̴̢̡̼̠̦̞̝̘i̴��̢͙͕͑̐̓o̶͎̗̱̘̞̾̎̂̈́͒͝͠͝͠n̴̡̢̮̟͚̩̩̦̽͌̓͗͊͝ ̵̨̨̭͘o̷̠͙̮̮͍̹̯̪̿̋̇̔͌͛̆͆̚f̵̢̪̱͖̥̬͕͈̎̈́͌̆̍̚͝ ̶͕̼̇̀̾̿̔̓̔f̷̮̝̮̟̮̦̔̀̄̇̎͗͘͝͝ơ̵̤̈́͂͐̈́̇̂̔́̓o̴̧͙̥̩̮̓̎͂͊̋͒͘͜l̷͕̳̞͌̄̍̃ị̶̯̈́̆̽͠s̸͚̥̗̝͎̲̖̖̦̟͆̄̓̓̔͝h̴̫̼͑̀̈́͋ ̷̢̪͆͆̌́͋̕l̸̨̧̙͇̱̖͚̠͒͑͂̒̽̽̐o̷̞͙͕̜̰̽͌͆̊̿̔̽͜͝v̵̞̳̜̝͎̅̇̌̾̓͘͜e̵͓̼̥̭̻̭̫͍͕̟̾̽͛͑̊̽̐͠!̸͔͈̘̪̟͓̮͒͂͛̃͆̽̔̏̈́̚ ̷̨̛̰͙̗̈́̄͝Y̶̫̝̩̰̼̬͚̣͌̏̇͐o̸̥͈̲̱͔͆̓̐̃͌̋̾̈͒̉ŭ̷̧̝̈́͐̊̐͘͠ ̸̩̦͚̰̼̖͝k̵̢͙͕̹̺̺͑̓̓͆ͅe̷̯̼͇̖̪̎̑͊͆͛͌̚͝ẻ̵̡̜̰̞͙͎͉͎͓͛̓̈̈́͆̚͠p̷̨̧͉͍͇̙͉̼̯̘̈́͗͋̔̈̂͒̆͠͝ ̴̼̘̏̏͆́̇͘̕͠m̸̨̲̱̻͖̮͇̝̃̉̈́̓͆̉͗̎̓͘e̴̮̗͚͎̬̻̳̋̓̾̀̒̀̍̿ ̴͍̲̙̬̪̮̺̮̈̍̿͜f̶̨͎̈́r̵̺̪͎̼̀̽̏̔o̶̭̼̟̼̻̥̓͐m̵̧̺̯̼̣̙̙̹̱͕̀̅ ̸̧̧͖͉̤͎͙͈̪̌́͌͂́̽̀̽ͅm̶̹̜̘͌̅y̴̡̰̘̣͇̳̯̦͊̌͐̓̿͂́̕͝͠ ̷̧̨̰̘̘͍̪̣̽̈̑̈́́ř̷̫͗̊̆ȅ̶̢̡͚̗͍͈̩̜͙́̽̒̒̽͌w̶̰͚̫̱̼͖̔͋̽̈́́̌͑ȧ̵̞̙̖̻̫͙̤͙̱̮͌ṙ̷̢͓̘̟͚̠̗̼͈̣̊̔̑͆d̸̥̫͙̂͑̈ ̴̧̛̼͓̹̠͔̳̇͂̉̅͌͘͜͜͜͝͠y̷̡̨̢̬̘̹̮̳̱͇͑̾à̶̡̙̝͂̎͊̔͒̀̃͝n̵̪͍̹̫̦͇̟̦̪̖̓̏̃̆͊̿͝d̷̺̘̯͔̱̬̫́̑͜ ̵̨̧͕̮̩̩̞̜̼͚̀̈́̇̂̿̈́͆͝͝y̴͕̜͈̙̆͜ơ̸̧͕̜̻̗͔̖̮̣̣̎͐̒͝u̸̡̼̖̰̇͌ ̴̢͎̘̳̗̈k̷̻̟̦͇͕͎̆̈́̈́̈́͆̕é̶͈͙̏̐̅e̴̢̪͖͇̻͔̥̻̼̓͘p̷̢̺͙̙̐͝ͅ ̸̡̲͎͕̜̳̘̩̙̄̅m̸̧̞̞͚̲͙̓̌̄͐e̷̲̪̜̤̗͕̍͂̉̈́̍̐͝͝ ̸̢̲͖̖̥͕̻̦͕̫̆f̷̧̙͉̭̲̮̗͙͒̇r̸̼͘ͅo̶͇̭̙̟̦͔͔̩͊̈͂̈́̀̓̓͝m̶͈̦͍̟̽͒̀͒͗͌̃͊̎ ̷̟̊̿̃͆͂͊͊m̷̻͕̠̺͓̟͒̎y̸̪͇͇̺̺̪͗̔ ̶̛͎̈́̓̋͂̊̓̕f̸̬̟̩̫͙̠̩̱͍̙͝r̸̳͇̩̱̘̝͓̲̘͂̓̾͊̌͛͑͜͝e̵̡̺̫̲̜͍̠̱̘̺͛̀͊͝͝e̴̪̦̠͙̱͕̗̋̍̄͑̇͝͠d̷̮͖̝̟̩̞̿͂̈̐̇̚ǒ̶̰̻̻̓̈͑̈́̒m̵̧̨͍̖̫̗͔̏ͅ!̵̨̖̲̎̓͗̅͒̚͠"̶̢͔̰̣͊̌͑̈́̆̐̈́͝ͅ

 ██mus yapped for air and she lessened her grip. He took a deep breath and grinned dangerously at her.

 “Shitty being an incompetent demon bitch, huh? Couldn’t be me-”

 She screamed right in his face, the breath smelling rotten and toxic as it hit his nostrils. A clicking sound got lost in the noise.

 “Oh, I will make you pay, wrenched thing, you,” she whispered sweetly and ██mus felt his stomach turn. “I will kill the king with demon blood. He’s not next in line now, but he will be if you don’t exist, won’t he?”

 “If you kill me-”

 “No.”

 Her voice was wicked and smooth. Sugar in a deadly dose.

 “I won’t kill you. I will erase your existence from their minds. I will make your precious advisor, your best friend, forget you. I will make your people, your most treasured people, forget you. I will make your brother, your last living blood, forget you. I will make your husband, the only one who you ever dared to ask for his love, forget you. And you will suffer seeing them, knowing them and not being able to say a single word about it. You will see your brother die as a king he never wanted to be. And it will be all your fault.”

 ██mus’s eyes were wide with horror. From the words he just heard, from the realization he just, but mostly from the look Logan shot him over the creature’s shoulder. And his terror grew as Logan shouted in white rage: “Let go of him!”

 She was faster as Logan charged forward. She lifted ██mus from the ground holding her fingers up to snap. Logan’s look changed. ██mus tried to reach his arm out for him but he was already too high up the ground.

 It dawned them that it was too late.

 “Logan!” ██mus cried.

 “RE-”

 Snap.

***

“REMUS!”

___

Link for AO3, Taglist, Masterlist, and next Chapters are in my first reblog!  

[emy-loves-you]

Perfection Isn’t Perfect

So, as some people know, I lost a bet to @imthebadguythatsfine and my punishment was to write 3K words of whatever they wished. My prompt was: cutesy anaroceit date! It was originally supposed to be something completely different, but plot came and slapped me in the face. So here we are!

Summary: Roman, Janus and Virgil were planning on having a fancy date, but it was canceled due to bad weather. Roman will not stand for it, and assures his loves that they don’t need fancy clothes and nice makeup to have a good date night. Anaroceit with nonbinary!Virgil, genderfluid!Roman, and background QPR Intrulogicality

Warnings: Implied Sex (Remus), language

Words: 3,333

Masterlist

Virgil sighed as they scrubbed the makeup off of their face. Another date night lost to bad weather. Just their luck. They looked up at the corner of their mirror, smiling sadly at the two pictures taped there. The first one showed Roman up on a stage, her pink pronoun bracelet proudly on display, giggling as she spun in circles. The other photo showed Janus at the zoo, holding an intense staring contest with a python (Virgil had actually recorded that entire experience, mainly because it took their boyfriend a full 2 minutes to remember that snakes didn’t blink).

Virgil loved their partners with all of their heart. They had all met in high school, each one from a different social group. Roman, the theatre nerd. Janus, the popular kid. Virgil, the resident bad boy and social outcast. None of them would’ve met if it hadn’t been for Roman’s twin brother, Remus. Remus had quickly attached himself to Janus and Virgil, and introduced them to Roman a few months later. The rest, as they say, was history.

Virgil shook their head, focusing back on their makeup. They’ve been dating Roman and Janus for a few years now, but it was nearly impossible to spend time with both of them. Roman was always auditioning for some play, hoping to rack up enough credit to reach Broadway. Janus was still in college, trying to fulfill his dreams of becoming a lawyer. And Virgil didn’t know what to do with their life. They were currently a manager at the local supermarket while commissioning artwork on the side. Virgil was the only one with a predictable schedule, and even then they were constantly busy. They could usually score a lunch date with either Roman or Janus, but the third was almost always busy. Today was supposed to be their first three-person date in over a month. Virgil sighed. They were looking forward to seeing their partners face-to-face. They would just have to settle for video chats and texts.

Virgil sighed as they continued to wipe off their makeup. Janus and Roman always looked like they were runway models, especially during dates. Virgil would spend hours on their makeup and hair so they didn’t look homeless in comparison. It was kind of daunting, actually. Their partners always looked perfect, with perfect makeup and unwrinkled clothes. Virgil would probably die of embarrassment if their partners saw the way they look at home, wearing only a baggy hoodie and some sweatpants, their hair tied up in a messy bun.

“VIRGEY! WHERE ARE YOU?”

Virgil screamed, jumping as they threw their makeup wipes at the bathroom door where the sound was originating. A few seconds later, the door opened to reveal Remus standing there, soaking wet. Remus grinned. “Pack your pajamas and toothbrush, we’re having a sleepover!”

Virgil blinked slowly, staring at their best friend. “What?”

Remus started bouncing slightly as he grabbed Virgil’s hand. “C’mon! You need to get out of this stuffy apartment. I’ve got food and games and movies!” He smirked. “So grab your sexiest pjs and come on!”

Virgil blushed before sighing. “Alright, geez. Just let me get this makeup off first.” Remus sometimes crashed at their place for ‘sleepovers,’ but this would be the first time that Virgil stayed at his place. But Remus was right, Virgil did need to get out of their apartment and stop focusing on their ruined date.

Remus giggled. “Alrighty then! I’ll be downstairs.”

Ten minutes later, Virgil stood in their living room, backpack hung loosely around their shoulders. They were still bummed that they didn’t get to go on their date, but at least they could spend some time with Remus. “Let’s go.”

“Alrighty, then! Get ready to get wet!”

“Why am I getting- oh.” Virgil stared at their now open apartment door, rain pouring so quickly that they could barely see a few feet in front of their face. Virgil sighed. It’s not like anyone’s gonna see me like this. With that, Virgil marched out into the rain, shuddering as the initial chill soaked through them. Virgil quickly locked the door before sprinting towards Remus’ car, not stopping until they were safely in the backseat. Remus followed a few seconds later, and Virgil snorted as they saw the air freshener hanging on the mirror. It had the outline of a deer with the words Oh Deer in the middle. Virgil snorted. “Did Patton get you that?”

Remus’ grin softened as he looked up at the air freshener. “And what if he did? I’m allowed to get gifts from my squishes!”

Virgil laughed. “Yeah, but it’s an air freshener.”

Remus huffed. “I recognize that some people might not appreciate my natural scent, but that does not mean you should ridicule me, Emo!”

Virgil chuckled. “Yeah, yeah. Let’s get out of here, trash rat.”

Remus laughed as he turned on the car. “Why are you in the backseat?”

Virgil raised their eyebrow. “Because last time I sat in the passenger seat, there was a squirrel in your glovebox.”

“First of all, I did not know about the squirrel. Second of all, that was one time!”

“Yeah, one time too many!” They both chuckled at that, before the car descended into a comfortable silence. A few minutes later, they arrived in front of a house. Virgil started to unbuckle before they realized something. “Remus, this isn’t your house.”

“Uh-huh.” Remus responded, staring at his phone.

“...Then why are we here?”

“You’ll see.”

Virgil huffed, leaning back in their seat. They scrolled through tumblr for a few minutes before the car door opened, someone climbing into the passenger seat with their umbrella and bag. “Sorry, I couldn’t find my face… masks…”

Virgil locked eyes with Janus, feeling their cheeks heat up. Janus was still wearing a fancy yellow button-up shirt and some black slacks, but his hair was ruffled and his makeup was gone. Virgil turned to look at Remus, who was silently giggling at the scene. “You said this was just the two of us.”

Remus chuckled. “I said no such thing! I just implied it!” He turned the car back on and drove away, humming a merry tune he’d heard from Patton while ignoring the tense silence around him.

Virgil could barely stop themself from openly staring at Janus. They’d never seen Janus so… casual. Janus was always dressed to perfection, his perfect makeup and hair only topped by Roman (Roman was the only person Virgil knew to carry both a makeup back and hairspray at all times). It was odd to see Janus without his perfect hair and makeup. A good odd, but still odd nonetheless.

Just as Virgil was contemplating breaking the silence, Remus pulled up to another house. This time it was Janus who pointed out the obvious. “Remus, this isn’t your house.”

Remus giggled. “I never said you were staying at my house. Now come on!”

Remus immediately ran inside, ignoring the rain around him. Janus opened his door and immediately opened his umbrella, then stood there silently. Virgil wondered what he was doing as they got out of the car, until Janus moved to cover both of them with the umbrella. “I assumed you didn’t bring your own.” His tone was slightly teasing, and Virgil was relieved that they might get through this night with minimal awkwardness. “Come now, no need to keep Remus waiting.”

Virgil surveyed the house they were in. Cardboard boxes lined the walls, each one labeled for a different part of the house. They heard laughing from further in the house and followed it, Janus trailing quietly behind them. They reached the kitchen and saw Remus giggling on a barstool, watching as someone whistled and danced as they put something into the oven. His blue pronoun bracelet was a sharp contrast to his bright red pajamas with gold crowns. His hair was sticking up in every direction, and when he turned around Virgil noted that he had no makeup on. But it was still impossible to not recognize him. “Roman?”

Roman chuckled sheepishly. “Surprise?” He gestured to the house. “I was gonna tell you on our date tonight, but that didn’t really happen, so…” Roman clapped his hands (Virgil fondly noted years ago that he only did that when he rambled and needed to get back on topic). “Yeah! This is my new house! I was gonna tell you all about it in person but there was rain so I decided to show you instead!” He made cute little jazz hands. “Tada!”

Virgil blinked in shock while Janus spoke up. “Roman, Darling, I understand why you wanted to show us your home, but why did you have Remus bring us? And why be so secretive about this?”

Roman rubbed the back of his neck, his cheeks flushed with embarrassment. “Well, after our date got cancelled, I was talking with Remus-”

“More like bemoaning”

“Talking about how I wish we could have a date without one of us being absent or the weather ruining everything, and Remus asked why we couldn’t just have the date here? And that’s when I realized something.” Roman started gesturing as he spoke. “All of our dates are so ridiculously formal! Other than texts and video calls, when was the last time we spent time together without fancy makeup or perfect hair? I can’t even remember!” He gestured around the mostly-empty kitchen. “So I’ve prepared a perfect date, set with no expectations whatsoever!”

Now it was Virgil’s turn to speak up. “Date?”

Roman smiled softly. “Now, no need to fret. I can hear the wheels turning in your head, My Chemically Imbalanced Romance.” Virgil blushed at the nickname. “The point of this is to spend time together without any stress of trying to look and act perfect. If we can’t have a nice time like this,” he gestured to his pajamas “then how are we gonna have a happy life together?”

Before Virgil or Janus could even try to respond, Remus spoke up. “Well, if you no longer need your bestest twin ever to be your uber driver…”

Roman chuckled. “Go hang out with your squishes. I know you’ve been dying to see them all day.”

“Damn right I have!” Remus quickly made his way out of the kitchen, waving to Janus and Virgil. “Bye Janny! Bye V! Have fun and use a condom!”

“Tell Pat and Specks we said hi! And tell Specks that he still owes me a jar of Crofters!” Roman called out as Remus left, smiling at the laugh he got in return. He then turned back to Virgil and Janus. “So! I have a pizza in the oven and various junk foods throughout the kitchen. I’ve set up some MarioKart and Disney+ in the living room, and I have some moisturizers and nail polish if you’re up for it!”

Janus said something, but Virgil didn’t hear it, their thoughts running wild for a moment. They didn’t even realize that their partners were trying to get their attention until they felt a hand on their shoulder. They saw Janus’ hand, but it was Roman who was in Virgil’s direct field of vision. Roman gave them a curious look, and Virgil let out a shaky breath. “Sorry, I’m still adjusting to this. I just went from a random hangout with Remus, to a potentially awkward hangout with Remus and Janus, to knowing that I’m now on a date with both of my partners without any way to even try and look nice.”

Roman smiled softly. “That’s why I had Remus bring you two under the guise of a sleepover. I didn’t want you to panic and try to force yourself to be formal and make yourself uncomfortable.” His face then became serious. “However, I understand if this was too sudden. If you want, I can drive you home now. Or you can take up the guest bedroom and have the night to yourself. We would never judge you for something like that.”

Virgil shook their head. “No, I want to do this. It just… hit me all at once, I guess.” They felt their cheeks get warm with embarrassment.

Roman chuckled. “No need to feel embarrassed, Panic at the Everywhere.” He then held out his hand. “Now, onward to video games and Disney movies!”

Virgil giggled as they grabbed Roman’s hand, holding their other hand out for Janus to take. Roman let them to the living room, which was almost completely bare. “When did you move in here, Roman?”

“A few days ago. I wasn’t planning on decorating before showing it off, but we don’t need Disney posters to have a good date!” He pushed a controller into Virgil’s hands. “Here, pick your character. You too, Jack the Fibber.”

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

“Out of my way, Janus!”

“Sorry Darling, but first place is mine.”

Virgil smirked as they heard their partners bickering. “Eat shell, bitches.” Two red shells shot out, hitting their mark.

“Aggh, Virgil! Love of my life, why do you do this to me!”

Virgil giggled at Roman’s dramatics, but was suspicious when Janus remained silent. Just as they were a few seconds from winning, Virgil felt a hand gently grip their chin and tilt their head-

Virgil felt lips on theirs and groaned into the kiss, not realizing their mistake until they heard the sound of someone crossing the finish line. They quickly looked back at the screen and saw their character stuck on a wall in 5th place. They quickly finished their race before turning back to Janus, who was now smirking. “You little shit!”

Janus laughed. “You wouldn’t let me be in first, so I returned the favor.”

Virgil gestured over to Roman, who was dancing on the other end of the living room. “You let Roman win! That’s not fair!”

Janus kissed them again, a teasing smirk on their lips. “All’s fair in love and war, Love.”

Virgil grumbled as their cheeks grew warm from the kiss. “Shouldn’t the pizza be done by now?”

Roman gasped as he ran to the kitchen. “THE PIZZA!”

Virgil laughed as their boyfriend attempted to save the pizza. “Why didn’t you set a timer?”

“Well EXCUSE ME for being so utterly distracted by my beautiful partners!”

Virgil laughed, until they felt a hand cupping their cheek. They turned to face Janus, who gave them a fond smile. “He’s right, you know.” He slowly began to trace Virgil’s cheekbone with his thumb. “You are quite beautiful, with and without the winged eyeliner.”

Virgil snorted. “Says you. You and Roman are always beautiful.”

“And the two of you have beauty that rivals the divine!” Roman yelled, coming back with a plate of misshapen pizza slices. “A small portion was charred, so I had to cut it out before I could cut the slices, but it’s still good!” Roman quickly put the plate down before running back to the kitchen. “I’m gonna go get some drink, go ahead and start without me. Bon Appétit!”

Virgil cautiously grabbed a slice, and watched as Janus did the same. They quickly took a bite and watched as Janus took a bite so small that they wouldn’t have known it was there unless they saw Janus take the bite. They snorted, and explained when they saw Janus’ curious stare. “That’s the first time I’ve seen you eat without silverware, and you ate that the exact way I thought you would.”

Janus gave Virgil a small smile. “Well, I typically don’t eat finger-food, so I’ll take that as a compliment.”

“Take what as a compliment?” Janus and Virgil turned to see Roman coming back with three cans of soda.

“Virgil had found my eating habits amusing.” Janus set snootily, but the amusement in his eyes was unmistakable.

“Eating habits?” Roman asked as he grabbed two slices of pizza.

“Yeah, he always takes the world’s smallest bites, no matter what he’s… eating.” Virgil was now staring at Roman, who had taken a bite of his newly made pizza-sandwhich, with a cheesy inside and a crust-coated outside.

Roman noticed that he was being stared at and became confused. “Yes?”

Virgil continued to stare at the pizzas. “...You know how some people have things that could make or break a relationship?” They gestured to the pizza. “Thi-this is it.”

Roman snorted. “My Knight in Shining Armor, are you seriously willing to abandon me over my pizza eating habits?”

Janus gave Virgil a bewildered look. “And haven’t you seen Remus eat pizza? He eats it the exact same way.”

Virgil huffed. “Well I’ve learned from personal experience to not look anywhere in Remus’ general direction while he’s eating.”

Roman laughed, leaning over Janus’ lap to cup Virgil’s cheek with his hand. “You still love me though, right?”

Virgil pretended to think about it for a moment. “Hmm, I don’t know… I think I need a little persuasion.”

Roman chuckled, and soon Virgil’s personal space was filled with nothing but Roman. His mouth on Virgil’s, one hand in their hair, the other rubbing small circles into their collarbone-

“Ahem.” Virgil and Roman parted to look at Janus, who appeared more flustered than annoyed. Virgil could sympathize, having sat between Roman and Janus during a make-out scene before.

Roman smirked. “Aw, are you jealous, Love?” He looked Virgil in the eye and they nodded before they both leaned over to press a kiss to the corners of Janus’ mouth. They continued to kiss their respective halves of Janus’ face until it was redder than a tomato. Virgil pulled back and matched Virgil’s smirk as they watched their blushing boyfriend attempt to form words.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

“...There! Now we just have to let it set for 20 minutes.”

Virgil groaned as they resisted the urge to touch the face mask. “How can you do this every night? I’m already wanting to scratch my nose.”

Janus smirked. “Practice, and the desire to have a good self-care routine.” He glanced down to Virgil’s hands. “Your nails are drying nicely.”

Virgil glanced down at their nails, the various black and purple patterns complimenting each other nicely. “Yeah, they are. I think they’re dry too.”

“Well then, would you like a distraction from wanting to touch your face?” Virgil turned to look at Roman, who was plugging in a speaker. They watched as Roman connected his phone to the speaker, and a soft tune floated through the air. It took Virgil a moment to recognize the tune.

Virgil snorted. “Sleeping Beauty? Seriously, Princey?”

Roman gasped in mock offense. “Hey, it’s a lovely song!” He held out his hand. “Now, care to dance?”

Virgil sighed before grabbing Roman’s hand, allowing him to pull them up into a standing position. Roman immediately shifted to a leading position, and Virgil let themself be guided through the dance. Dancing with Roman felt like walking on clouds, every step of uncertainty matched by Roman’s confident movements.

After around a minute of dancing, Roman spun Virgil away. Virgil moved with the motion, expecting to be pulled back into Roman’s embrace. They let out a small squeak when instead they were gently tugged into Janus’ hold. Dancing with Janus felt like they were a snake and Janus the snakecharmer, Virgil instinctively yet shakily following every move in tandem with Janus.

Janus eventually spun Virgil towards the couch in a loose hold, and Virgil let themselves spin across the room and land on the couch. They watched as Roman quickly took Virgil’s spot, following Janus’ lead. It was exhilarating to watch Roman and Janus dance. Every movement was filled to the brim with passion. You could tell with every heartfelt look and gentle touch how much they truly loved each other. And every second of watching reminded Virgil of how much they loved their partners with all of their heart.

Roman and Janus both reached out towards Virgil, their other hands locked together. Virgil smiled at the loves of their life before placing their hands in theirs, letting themself be pulled back into the music.

[aaronhart93]

incompleted discord thread featuring: Aaron & @river--holloway

When: march 2021

Mentions: @sxojun

Triggers: none

Description: river visits aaron at work and they catch up 

Aaron.BOT — 03/28/2021

Aaron was hunched over his large desk at Club Delilah, trying to focus on this paperwork that was long overdue. Ever since getting back from Milan, he couldn’t seem to get on top of all of his paperwork. He’d been pulled later nights just get things for the day done. He knew he needed to delegate more, but his father always told him that if he wanted something done right, then Aaron had to do it himself. Even to this day, Aaron couldn’t get his dad’s voice out of his head in everything he did - the way he parented, how he worked, his dad seemed to be whispering to him about his relationship too. He knew he was disapprove, but Aaron was successful. He knew that’s what his father would care about the most. Aaron’s thoughts were interrupted when he heard a knock at the door. “There’s someone here to see you.” His assistant told him. @Nix | Dorian & River & Amani

RiverBOT — 03/28/2021

River hadn’t seen or spoken to Aaron in quite some time and, truth be told, the professor missed his friend. Did their history make things somewhat complicated? Admittedly, yes. But, at the core of it all, the two were friends. And River preferred to keep it that way. He didn’t have many people that he considered his friends, after all. Arriving at Club Delilah and asking for Aaron, he waited to be allowed entrance into his office. When access had been granted, he stepped into the office and smiled politely at the younger male. Immediately, though, he could sense a disturbance within his friend that caused the corners of his mouth to droop slightly into a frown. “Hello, Aaron. Are you alright? I hope I didn’t come at a bad time.” @em || 𝐀𝐚𝐫𝐨𝐧 & 𝐒𝐤𝐲 & 𝐉𝐮𝐥𝐞𝐬

Aaron.BOT — 03/28/2021

It had been a minute since he’d seen River. In fact, if Aaron recalled correctly, the last time he actually say River was when they were fucking. He’d actually spoken with Seojun about his relationship with his former professor. Aaron was cool with it, of course. He’d had a relationship that was more than a friendship with both of them in the past, but Aaron was happy in his relationship right now. Besides, both River and Seojun were great guys. He was happy they’d found each other. “River…no.” He set his pen off to the side to give the older male his full attention. “How are you? Thanks for stopping by.” He smiled. @Nix | Dorian & River & Amani

RiverBOT — 03/28/2021

It was true that the last time that he and Aaron had seen each other, it had been in a much different context. With that in mind, the professor could admit that there was some slight awkwardness. But, overall, he was glad to see Aaron. The older male cared a lot about the businessman and considered him a good friend, despite the fact that their relationship had been more than platonic for quite some time. Not to mention they were both in relationships now, River’s in particular being one that he knew Seojun had recently made Aaron aware of. “I’m well, thank you. How are you?” River asked, taking a seat across from the other male. @em || 𝐀𝐚𝐫𝐨𝐧 & 𝐒𝐤𝐲 & 𝐉𝐮𝐥𝐞𝐬

Aaron.BOT — 03/28/2021

The small talk felt a little strange. Even though he genuinely cared about how River was doing, he could feel the elephant in the room. Aaron had a relationship with both Seojun and River that he wouldn’t exactly called platonic or casual. He had been friends with Jun for quite some time and there was always something…else there that Aaron couldn’t quite explain. And River was one of the most exciting flings he’d ever had in his life. Thinking about it made him excited even now. “I’m well. Des is in the talent show at school so she’s getting ready for that. How’s your kid? And, erhm….how are you and Seojun? I’ll admit I was a little surprised when I heard the news.” He confessed to the other male, a small smile on his face. @Nix | Dorian & River & Amani

RiverBOT — 03/28/2021

The interaction did feel strange. It was so much different than all the other times they’d interacted. He nodded his head, smiling as Aaron informed him of his daughter’s upcoming talent show. Sometimes, he forgot that Aaron was also a father because it wasn’t something they talked about often. He loved that they were both girl dads, though. “Oh, how lovely. What’s her talent? I’m sure she’s going to do a wonderful job at whatever it is,” He told him. “Haven is well. She’s coming home for Easter break on the 29th and then her sixteenth birthday is on April 2nd. I’m planning a nice sweet sixteen birthday party for her.” At the mention of Seojun, River chuckled a bit nervously. He supposed he should’ve figured that he would come up somehow. “We’re great. Were you? I didn’t know that you two were friends until he told me.” @em || 𝐀𝐚𝐫𝐨𝐧 & 𝐒𝐤𝐲 & 𝐉𝐮𝐥𝐞𝐬March 29, 2021

Aaron.BOT — 03/29/2021

"She's a woman of many talents." He joked, chuckling to himself softly. "She's singing and dancing. I think that's where she's meant to be actually. Got her talents from her mom that's for sure." He smiled because there was never a time that thinking about his daughter's relationship with her mother didn't want him smiling. He missed her, he really did. "I don't even want to think about Des turning 16. Damn, that's something I just don't ever want to have to do. Be a dad to a teenage girl. You're going to have to give me some pointers." He gave the older male a tiny smirk. It was a bit flirtatious, but he was also being genuine. Haven was a great kid, so River must have been doing something right there. "I was." Aaron nodded, pressing his lips together. "We go way back. You guys seem happy though. So I'm happy for you." He told his former lover. @Nix | Dorian & River & Amani

RiverBOT — 03/29/2021

The professor listened fondly as Aaron gushed about his daughter. He could relate. His own daughter was undoubtedly his favorite person on Earth and he could go on and on about her for days on end if given the opportunity. “That’s fantastic. I’m sure she did inherit those gifts from her mother. And did she inherit your intelligence and wit as well?” He chuckled as Aaron talked about fearing the day that Des turned sixteen. “I can hardly believe that I’m going to have a sixteen year old myself. I’m blessed though, Haven is an angel. She’s never given me the typical teenage rebellion. We’ve always had very open dialogue, so she has no trouble expressing her feelings to me in a healthy manner. I do have to worry about boys though, on occasion. I mean, naturally. She’s a beautiful young lady.” He smirked back at the businessman, not missing the slight flirtatiousness of Aaron’s comment. “You’ve got a ways to go before then, but I’ll give you pointers when the time comes.” River nodded as Aaron gave a brief explanation of his and Seojun’s history. “I see. He did mention that you’re his best friend. Well, thank you. We are happy.” @em || 𝐀𝐚𝐫𝐨𝐧 & 𝐒𝐤𝐲 & 𝐉𝐮𝐥𝐞𝐬March 30, 2021

Aaron.BOT — 03/30/2021

Aaron smirked over at the professor because of course Des had inherited Aaron's intelligence and wit. The kid was one of the wittiest and sassiest people he knew...including the adults. Of course she got it all from him. And now that she was living with Roman and Quentin too - she was even picking up some of their isms as well. Aaron was luck that his kid wasn't super weird considering all of the different adults she had in her life. "She got that all from me. Her good looks too." His smirk grew, then he started listening to River. "You know...Lan and I have always told each other that we were going to make sure Elle and Des got married. Like parent trapping them...but like...with our kids." He joked, knowing that idea was really twisted and wrong. But he and Landon still hoped for it anyway. It wasn't like he was going to force his kid to be with Elle or anything, and of course he wanted Des to do whatever made her happy, but the thought was still nice. "You know...I thought I had a long time until Des turned 6, and now here i am. I swear I'm going to blink and she'll be 16." He ran his hand through his hair because the idea of his kid getting old almost stressed him out. "Has Haven met Jun yet?" he asked, curiously. @Nix | Dorian & River & AmaniApril 4, 2021

RiverBOT — 04/04/2021

River laughed softly, shaking his head playfully. Something the professor had always admired about Aaron was his confidence. Sure, he’d been set up for success due to the family he’d been born in; but, without that charisma of his, he wouldn’t have that same flair and his businesses probably wouldn’t be quite as successful. He grinned as Aaron confessed to him and Landon fantasizing about their daughters ending up together. When Haven was born, he didn’t have any other friends with kids; and, now that he’s older, the other parents he knows still have much younger children than his. Sometimes, he can’t help but wish that he had more people in his life that he could closely relate with. That didn’t change the fact that he was very grateful for the friends like Aaron and Quentin that he does have. “I wish I could comfort you and say that’s not how it is, but that’s exactly how it goes. Children grow up so quickly. That’s why it’s so important to cherish every singular moment you have with them.” He shook his head at Aaron’s question. “Not yet. But she’ll meet him when she comes home Monday. They’ve spoken over the phone though.” @em || 𝐀𝐚𝐫𝐨𝐧 & 𝐒𝐤𝐲 & 𝐉𝐮𝐥𝐞𝐬April 6, 2021

Aaron.BOT — 04/06/2021

No matter how old he got, he still valued that knowledge that River gave him. Even though this wasn't in a classroom setting, Aaron always found River so sexy because of how intelligent he was. He loved just looking at the man when he was delivering any type of information. Even if it was about how fast his daughter was going to grow up and leave him - at least the person who was delivering this terrible news was some excellent eye and ear candy. "C'mon, man. Don't get me all emotional in the middle of the day like that. I have a meeting later." He laughed, but he almost did feel himself getting a little upset at the thought of Des getting older. "Oh..well...I'm sure she won't like him as much as she liked me." He joked and even added a small cackle, though he wasn't sure if that was exactly a funny joke. @Nix | Dorian & River & Amani

[omnivorousshipper]

Request Friday:

So I know you’ve mentioned Hattie being obsessed with Godzilla, and having just watched the most recent one I can’t help but think some sort of crossover between Godzilla and Pacific Rim.... like Hattie being a titan handler (think Charlie Weasley) and Owen being a jaeger pilot. Deckard being a liaison for both? And Luke is a new pilot or handler that is trying to impress Deckard (the cute liaison) but the Shaws are like titan handler royalty — Hattie is the youngest Godzilla handler, so the lizard has a soft spot for her and her sibs.

Oooo!! This is a very intriguing prompt! Especially since I know your... interesting... stance on Godzilla

~~~

Following after Mr. Nobody, Luke stared in awe at the giant Jaegers towering over everyone in the facility. The giant hangar was the resting place for all the Jaegers not in use or in repair

At least five stood tall and proud, almost seemingly inviting Luke to pilot them

After all, that was why he was there

He had been on of the lucky few to be chosen to become a new pilot of the giant mechs. It was an honor he never thought he would ever achieve

"As you can see, we're a little bit understaffed at the moment." Mr. Nobody said over his shoulder as he strolled through the hanger as if he owned it. Which Luke had an inkling the mysterious figure might just

"Really?" Luke asked, eyeing all the people scurrying past them, to and fro from the giant Jaegers

"Well, in the sense of pilots." Nobody clarified. "You see, one of our pilots, Roman Pearce, was injured on a mission. Leaving his piloting partner unable to maneuver the Jaeger by himself."

"You want me to team up with his partner?" Luke asked

"Oh no! Absolutely not!" Nobody rushed to say, waving his hands frantically. "Owen Shaw is one of our more volatile pilots. He's a genius, but the only person he was ever able to pilot with was Pearce. I doubt you and he will be compatible."

Luke raised an eyebrow at that

This Shaw guy must be impressive for them to keep such a temperamental person on as a pilot

"No, instead, we want you to try piloting with his brother, Deckard Shaw. Deckard is a liason between the Jaeger program and Monarch."

"Monarch? The Titan division?" Luke asked

The Titan division dealt with all the giant monsters that were native to earth. With the combined efforts of the titans and Jaegers, they had been able to keep the kaiju at bay

Luke had never heard someone working for both programs. Especially since the scientists behind both hated each other. Those who studied kaiju claimed the titans were just older kaiju. While those who studied titans though Jaegers were barbaric and inferior to titans

It was a debate Luke wanted to stay out of

It was impressive for someone to act between the two divisions

"If he's a liason between them, then how does he know how to pilot a Jaeger?" Luke questioned. "He sounds more like a pencil pusher."

"Don't ever underestimate Deckard Shaw." Nobody told him firmly. "It's the last mistake you'll ever make. Deckard's studied both titans and Jaegers. He's the only person to be accepted by the lead Titan, Godzilla, and pilot a Jaeger."

Luke blinked

Godzilla, huh. Now, that was impressive

"He any good?"

"The best." Nobody beamed. "But because of his special skills, he was assigned to be a liason rather than a pilot. Keeps tensions manageable."

Luke nodded. Both divisions need to cooperate or else the world would be swallowed by kaiju

---

In the end, they discovered that Deckard had been called back to the Titan division because of a small crisis. Luke wouldn't lie if asked of he wasn't excited to visit the titans

He had only seen them on TV afterall. It would be exhilarating to see one up close and personal

It was a short plane ride to a small Monarch facility in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. It looked un assuming at first, but after they landed, they were guided to an elevator. Which took them miles underwater and deep into the earth's crust

And into a huge cavern

Inside the cavern laid Godzilla

Luke was speechless

All around him were scientists and Titan handlers in the small base that had been constructed in the vast cavern. But none of them paid any attention to him or Nobody

"Come on." Nobody nudged him and led him into a viewing bay

The room was entirely made out of glass and allowed them to see Godzilla's snout perfectly

Inside the viewing bay was a man and woman. The woman was rapidly taking notes as the man silently listened and nodded to her ramblings

"Why did he come back here? Is he sick? Tired? Needs to mate? He normally prefers the warmer climate the Caribbean!" The woman huffed and kept writing

Luke frowned and glanced at the giant Titan. Who seemed to be lazily watching the viewing bay. Was he watching the man and woman?

"Deckard? Hattie?" Nobody called out

"Not now!" The woman, Hattie, hissed and glared at them briefly before turning back to Godzilla. "Don't interrupted us! We have important research to gather."

Next to her, Deckard rolled his eyes but smiled fondly as he turned away from Hattie and towards Luke and Nobody

"Sorry about her." He chuckled. "Hatts always gets worried when Godzilla defers from his normal patterns."

"Perfectly understandable." Nobody waved away his explanation. "I simply wanted to introduce you to our newest pilot, and hopeful new partner, Luke Hobbs."

Luke looked over the smaller man and felt his heart skip a beat. Deckard Shaw was beautiful, especially being washed in the glow of the magma in the cavern

"Nice to meet you, mate." Deckard offered his hand, which Luke took readily. The smaller hand felt perfect in his and Luke knew they would be compatible

"Same to you." Luke blurted out

"Just be lucky you're getting paired with me and not my little brother. Old Zilla might like both of us when we're in the Jaegers, but Owen's pretty picky with his partners."

"So I've heard." Luke smiled back

They stood under the watchful gaze of Mr. Nobody and Godzilla as they spoke. And it was evident to all around them that sparks were flying

~~~

I hope you enjoyed friend!

[shootingcookielover]

Janus and the pair of glasses

"Janus can't see.", The words fall from his mouth without much forethought, but as he says them he realizes... They're true.

"...what?", Virgil turns towards him, irritation written across his face.

Roman runs a hand through his hair. "Janus can't see.", he repeats, voice firmer this time.

Virgil stares at him for a few minutes, silence ringing out between them. "...what.", he then says, voice flat and the word a statement rather than a question.

"Didn't you ever ask yourself why he squints all the time?", Roman tries to elaborate, to get Virgil on the same page.

But he realizes he failed miserably, because of course Virgil didn't ask himself that. Roman didn't either, after all. He had just assumed Janus was... Evil and evilly squinted at everything.

"No, what I mean is--", the prince sighs and his shoulders drop. He sits down heavily in a convenient, near-by chair.

"I saw him, okay?"

Virgil raises his eyebrows at Roman's vague - and rather... Creepy - statement.

"Not like--!", The prince groans. "I mean, I wanted to go and... Talk, you know? But then his door was open and I peeked into his room and... Janus was just... Sitting on his bed, holding a book worryingly close to his face. He squinted like super hard and was clearly frustrated.", A short bit of silence before Roman concludes: "Virgil, I think Janus needs glasses."

The emo scoffs, pushing his hands into the pockets of his hoodie. "And that's our concern why?"

The prince leans back in his chair. "Well, I mean... He might be our adversary... But it wouldn't be a fair battle if he can't see!"

Virgil groans. "What do you want me to do? Walk up to his door with a pair of glasses and say: "These are for you, because you're blind!"?"

To his credit, Roman doesn't make the emo go alone. They still get the door smacked close right in their faces.

Another scoff rises from Virgil's throat and he none-too-gently pushes the glasses into Roman's hand before pulling the hood of his hoodie over his head. "I told you it wouldn't work!", He forces the words out as a mumble, though a tiny bit of his tempest tongue is already leaking into his voice.

Roman just stares at the glasses. He'd come up with the design himself. Sleek and modern, mostly black with yellow snakes along the frame.

"...Princey...?", Virgil turns towards his friend with worry in his eyes. "Hey...uhm. I'm sure he liked the idea and, uh, and your design! He just.... Didn't trust us enough to think.... That those are actually glasses..."

The emo places a comforting, if awkward, hand on the Prince's shoulder. Roman sighs.

"I know, I know. We both knew this was going to happen. I just wish...!", He lets out some air. "I don't know...."

Virgil debates with himself for a second, before taking ahold of the glasses again. He takes a deep breath and pushes open Janus' door.

The room behind it mirrors where Thomas currently is - the living room. Yet, somehow, the couch looks much plusher and more comfortable, there is a fuzzy carpet covering all of the floor. Ominous, yellow lighting filters into the room.

The snake-like side is currently busy cooing over one of his snakes - Margot, the destroyer of worlds - but turns abruptly at the sound of his door opening. "Virgil!", He exclaims, clearly unprepared. "You can't just--!"

Virgil interrupts with a practiced reply: "barge into the room while you're feeding your little ones?"

The words take Janus off-guard. He actually steps back, just once, his heel hitting the bottom of the snake enclosure. Margot wraps around his lower leg and makes her way up to his shoulders, to settle around his neck.

"I- yes.", He stutters out, clearly trying to regain his composure. "Exactly. I really don't want you to leave my room."

"Good.", Virgil says, then promptly plops down on the couch, pretending not to catch Janus' meaning. Once upon a time this would have gotten him an affectionate scoff or sigh.

Now it gets him a disturbed glance. "Why are you here, Virgil?", Janus questions, the words only slowly falling from his lips. He's stressing himself to tell the truth.

"I just wanted to give you these.", The emo answers, unfurling just enough to show off the glasses he is still holding. The snake narrows his eyes at him.

Although Virgil now knows it might just be him trying to actually make out what the emo is holding. Considering that, Virgil gets up and walks closer, showing off the glasses clearly.

"Why did you never tell me about your eyesight?", Virgil can't help but ask when the silence lasts. Janus slowly moves his gaze from the glasses to Virgil's eyes.

The gaze is uncomfortably familiar to the emo; that's how Logan and Patton look at things when not wearing glasses. It was always how Janus had always looked at everything.

"You were young and worried about everything. You really think I wanted to add onto that?", The other side answers, surprisingly honest.

"Oh.", He mumbles. "Well have this.", He shoves the glasses into Janus' hands. They don't accept his offering, and so the object falls to the ground.

Luckily for them, the plush carpet is soft and the glass doesn't break. "Please, consider wearing them. Please."

With a last incline of his head, Virgil speedwalks out of the room.

The door closes behind him and Virgil physically sinks against the nearest wall and slides to the floor. He pulls his hood up again, covering his head. "That was terrible!", He announces, the last word of his sentence portraying a worrying amount of his tempest tongue.

"You did it!", Roman whispers. The prince kneels down before the emo, who glares at him from beneath his hood.

"Thank you." Roman wants to pull the other into a hug, but knows that touch - especially surprising touch - doesn't sit right with Virgil.

The emo shrugs. "Whatever. C'mon let's go."

And with that they both sink out.

Janus, meanwhile, leans down to pick up the glasses. He is holding them now, turning them over in his hands to inspect them properly.

His gloved finger traces one of the snakes engraved in the side. Margot, still around his shoulders, gives a small hiss of indignation. "That'ssssss not what I look like!"

Janus chuckles and pets her head. "I know.", He replies in that same, hissing tone. "I know."

Their talk piques the other snakes' interest - well, mostly Mr. Butt's. (Maybe he shouldn't have let Remus and Virgil name his snakes...)

"What isssss it?", He asks, raising his head from the enclosure that runs along the entire wall of the room. "What do you have?"

Janus turns and kneels beside the enclosure, letting Margot slide off of him and back into her home. Then, he presents the glasses to the rest of his friends. (He adamantly refuses to call them pets.)

Mr. Butt, ever the curious one, gets the closest, sniffing the air around it with his tongue and actually hitting the glass once.

"Sssshe'sssss right.", He then concludes, lowering his head back down. "Doessssssn't look like ussssss."

Janus fondly strokes Mr. Butt's head, before standing up. With a small hum, he turns around and sits down on the couch.

As always it feels soft and so very pleasant. He doesn't feel the hum that lures you in and doesn't let you leave, that Virgil and Remus used to complain about, but he figures that it is because it's his room.

He's still holding the glasses, avoiding the final decision. Put them on.... Or not.

He can't deny that his eyesight is quite terrible by human standards. By snake standards it's actually quite alright.

He pulls one hand away from the glasses and traces the scales on his face. His hand quickly forms a fist against his cheek and he knows what he's decided.

With a wave of his hand the glasses are placed, set on a nearby shelf to be squinted at.

Janus knows there is no way Roman and Virgil of all people had come bearing him actual glasses to help him see. What kind of adversary would do that?

And, loath as he is to admit it, both the prince and the emo see him as the enemy. The latter stings much more than the former, though both hurt so he doesn't think it matters much.

A sigh escapes him, a sad, melancholy thing, before he turns to head up the stairs into his bedroom. There is little reason for him to be here and, right now, he would much prefer to curl up beneath his heat lamp in his most comfortable pajamas.

Days pass before the glasses cross Janus' mind again. It's early morning, much earlier than he usually gets up, but he's awake now, whether he likes it or not. Falling back asleep isn't an option, sadly.

So he trudges down the stairs to make himself and his friends, breakfast. They aren't yet awake, still dozing away in their enclosure.

Janus walks over and kneels down beside their home. He tentatively reaches out and softly strokes Bigfoot's head. The snake doesn't even stir.

With a fond huff of air he gets up. He turns and walks into the kitchen.

What he doesn't remember until it's too late is that his sense of balance and direction are quite muddled and off when he's tired. They lead him to smack face-first into the nearest shelf.

Something falls from it, giving a dull thump as it lands in his carpet. He frowns and bends down to pick it up.

What he ends up holding is the par of glasses Virgil had unceremoniously foisted upon him.

Neither Virgil nor Roman had brought it up again. Once, Janus believes he might have even seen Roman looking... Dejected.

If these are part of some scheme to get back at him...

No., He decides, the glasses can't be. It's simple, really. Neither the emo nor the prince are particularly good with long-term plans.

They would have given themselves away by actively pushing him towards the glasses.

But they hadn't.

So maybe... Just maybe...

The moment he is in a less tired headspace, he knows he's going to regret doing this, he thinks as he pushes the frames in his face.

His eyes are screwed shut at first, not quite wanting to face the humiliation of whatever prank he has fallen for.

But there is no sudden laughter, no ridicule. Nothing. Only a sleepy hiss from Sir Double D that sounds suspiciously like: "Lookssss good."

Carefully, he opens his eyes. Just a little at first.

But what he sees makes him open them wider. Bewilderment fills him as he looks around his room - looks and sees properly for the first time!

It makes him feel odd, the sudden... sharpness of everything, as if the world has tilted sideways and if he takes a step he might fall.

He leaves a hand to rest on the back of the couch, while the other grasps the shelf.

He can see the other side of his room from here, can make out the photos and pictures he had painstakingly put up so long ago.

Even though he is across the room he can make out what they are displaying, can see even his own little smile in one of them. The one where Remus has tackled him from behind to give him a mother's Day present. Without Virgil doing the same it had felt a lot less... Mocking. More like a reminder of what he had left.

The photo was taken by one of the hidden cameras Remus had hidden everywhere, that year.

Shooing the memories off to the side, Janus can't help but keep blinking, keep looking at everything. Because, for the first time in forever, he can, actually, see what he is looking at.

It's surreal and makes his head spin and the fact he is still tired doesn't help, he's sure.

He reaches up to pull the glasses off, to make himself more stable, but the moment they are gone, he finds the sight he'd thought normal for his entire life... Lacking. Horrible.

With a discontented hiss he puts the glasses back on. Slowly, careful not to knock anything else off his shelves, he makes his way towards the kitchen.

His stomach grumbles and he moves a bit quicker. But navigating while seeing, is quite hard. The hope that he gets accustomed to it quickly settles into him.

He doesn't go outside wearing them. That would give Virgil and Roman an unnecessary victory that Janus isn't ready for yet.

So instead he spends more and more time in his room, with his friends. Sometimes, he just... Looks. He looks and wishes to go out, to the imagination perhaps. To just see something more than his room.

The novelty of seeing it, sharp and in focus as he does now, has sadly already begun to wear off.

It makes him itch to go outside and explore and see what the rest of the mindscape actually looked like. To see those little details he must have missed everywhere.

To just... See.

Dinner is becoming something of a chore, he has to admit as he puts the glasses away. He pulls the capelet into a less crooked - he hopes, he can't really make it out - shape around his shoulders and sets off.

Since wearing the glasses for the first time, he has started squinting... More. It isn't a voluntary thing, more a reflex. As if his eyes are trying to imitate that sharp goodness his glasses provide.

He can also feel his coordination slip away, when he doesn't wear the frames, can't quite see. He bumps into things, more than even before putting the glasses on for the first time.

Needless to say, he barely leaves his room for anything, anymore. Only dinner can pull him from the confines of it and even then he is quiet and concentrating on his sight more than anything.

He doesn't realize Patton worries about his behaviour and especially not the concern that Logan shows for him.

Even Virgil and Roman have to begrudgingly admit that something must be wrong for the usually so social side to just... Bunker up in his room.

The only one who isn't worried is Remus. But that might just be because he has no idea what's going on, exactly. After an argument with Janus he's gone to the imagination to blow off steam - and that usually means he's gone at least a week or five.

So one day, when Janus finds himself being called upon, he is quite surprised. He just manages to pull off the glasses, to hide them away, before he appears.

He is in the living room, he thinks and now that he's seen his own version sharp and clear, he can't help but strain against the blurry entourage of shapes around him.

He wants to know what the difference between his and this room are. Wants to see them.

But he can't, not without giving himself away, without giving in, so he puts on his usual act.

"And to what do I owe the pleasure?", He asks, voice all smooth and silk.

"We're worried about you.", Thomas says, plainly, and Janus' heart does a somersault.

"Yes. The behaviour you've exhibited in the past five days has been quite concerning. Are there any relevant changes that might have caused this? Something we should discuss?"

"I'm sorry!"

Janus blinks in confusion in Patton's general direction. He can't help but wonder what the light blue blob actually looks like.

"I should have been... Better!", He elaborates and... Did he just sob?!

Janus quickly puts up his hand in a placating manner. "No, no! It's, uh, not got anything to do with you!", He reassures, especially in Patton's direction. He doesn't quite now how to handle someone when they are upset; caring and empathy aren't his department.

"Then... It has something to do with Roman and Virgil?", Logan concludes and Janus starts.

"No, it's not-- ...", He breaks off the sentence before it can really begin, trying to figure out a way out of this... Without revealing anything.

That there might not be one becomes clearer and clearer by the second.

"Well if it has nothing do with any of us, then what is it? Are you, perhaps,.... Feeling", the logical side clearly struggled to get that word out, "upset?"

"Whatever it is I'm sorry and I want to make you feel better please let me help!"

Janus leans back, away from the noise. It's... Loud and loud is unpleasant and he needs to think right now. He can't think with everyone yelling and he can't concentrate and everything is just a tad too much---

"Stop!"

Virgil's voice, tempest tongue and all, cuts through the chaos and gives Janus' ears much needed reprieve. The snake glances up to the emo, standing just next to him on the stairs. He wishes he could make out Virgil's features.

"You're overwhelming him.", The anxious side clarifies.

With a sigh he turns towards Janus. "Dec--- Janus. If you ever cared for me, at all, please just tell me what's going on."

The words were clearly a hassle to get out, Janus could hear the strained sound of his voice. The snake gives a quiet hiss of discomfort.

His mind is turning itself inside out to find a way out of this - but there isn't one. Not unless he's willing to make everything worse and---

He does care for Virgil. That is perhaps the worst part. He wants to answer - truthfully - because of that alone. Because he misses the laughter that would echo through his room.

The banter and even the tiny arms clinging to him whenever something scared Virgil more than the tiny side wanted to admit.

With a defeated huff he flicked his wrist and summoned the glasses. "It's nothing... Quite as dramatic as you seem to think.", He manages to get out, trying to keep some sort of dignity.

He places the glasses on his nose and the sharpness of everything makes him feel better already. Patton's face is the first one he sees, being positioned opposite him and all.

The moral side's eyes are blown open wide in wonder. One of his hands reaches up to touch the frames of his own glasses, as if only through touch making the connection that they and the thing on Janus' face were the same.

The snake glances at Thomas who looks surprised more than anything.

Logan, next to him, simply inclines his head in a curt nod when he catches Janus' gaze.

When he turns to look at Virgil, the emo has a grin on his face that makes him want to immediately throw the glasses off and never talk about it again.

But he doesn't. Because, for the first time, he can actually, really see the eyeshadow beneath Virgil's eyes. The pattern on those patches Virgil had sown onto the jacket himself.

The white stitches surprised him more, though. With the giant blobs of black and purple around them, he'd never seen them before. Hadn't even known they existed.

Janus' sweeping gaze returned to Patton and Logan and Thomas and---

There were little details he had never realized before. The tiny white logos on Patton's and Logan's shirts. The paw prints on the sleeves of that hoodie Patton was wearing around his neck.

The colour of their eyes.

Thomas is the first to speak. "You wear glasses...?", He asks and Janus wants to sink out. Wants to pull off the glasses and yell "NO! It's just a joke!" And disappear.

Instead he starts picking at the seams of his gloves - very secretly - and answers. "I suppose you could say that."

Patton gives a squeal that makes Janus jolt in surprise. When the snake turns his gaze towards the moral side, Patton is gesturing from his glasses to Janus'.

"Glasses buddies!! Logan, we have a new glasses buddy!!"

The logical side adjusted his tie and inclined his head in agreement. "It appears so. Welcome to the club, Janus. Meetings are every Friday and start at precisely 2:13 in the afternoon."

"Wait that's an actual club?", Virgil interjects, amusement clear in his voice - and to Janus' continued astonishment - on his face. "I thought that was just a joke or something."

"Nope!", Patton happily exclaims, jumping in place.

"Well! It seems our worries were wrong!", Thomas says, finally, looking at Janus quite directly. The snake puts on his usual smirk though he feels a bit... Winded.

Thomas looks oddly... Beautiful like this.

He shoves the thought from his mind as soon as it comes up.

"I'm glad you're okay, Janus.", Thomas smiles and Janus' entire world lights up like that cake of fire Remus had made him once.

"Yeah.", Janus finds himself dizzily agreeing.

"Yeah."

Roman is delighted to find Janus likes the glasses, even though he does his best to mask his excitement.

Janus pretends the way Roman lights up like a child on Christmas morning whenever he sees the snake wearing the glasses, doesn't delight him in the slightest.

When he returns Remus teases him a bit about it, but doesn't make a big fuzz. He's already forgotten why they'd fought in the first place and simply delights everyone with his company again.

All in all, everything pretty much returns to normal after the "Big Reveal".

Only one thing really changes; Janus can't help but think Thomas a beautiful, beautiful man. For his personality he'd always thought that, but now his looks agreed as well.

When Janus goes to Logan with this - because he needs to talk about it with someone who will make sense of it - the logical side thinks it only rational that Thomas' self-preservation would see him in such a light.

Janus can't say he disagrees much.

--

There you go, Janus in glasses! Based on that one post that propositioned that Janus might need them.

I modelled Janus' reaction to putting on the glasses for the first time after my own. Trust me when I say it can be incredibly disorienting to suddenly just... Be able to see.

Anyway hope you enjoyed :D

[dead-inside-mcgee]

The Dragon, the Duke, and the Priest - Chapter 1

Special thanks to @griffin-tortures-schneep for helping me right this and also for being all around a sexy sweetheart 

Summary:  A rumor started in the Kingdom of the Light that the queen was pregnant. When this rumor was confirmed, those of the Light were overjoyed. They were even more overjoyed when it was revealed to be twins.

Warning: Attempting murder, actual murder, Unsympathetic Patton, blood

There once were two kingdoms. One was known as the Kingdom of the Light, and the other known as the Kingdom of the Dragon. Though it was titled the Kingdom of the Darkness from those of the Light. Between them was a forest that was known by no name. It was just a large, old, and creepy forest. 

  Neither of these kingdoms like each other. The reason they do not get along was forgotten, but hate does not just disappear after a few generations.

  A rumor started in the Kingdom of the Light that the queen was pregnant. When this rumor was confirmed, those of the Light were overjoyed. They were even more overjoyed when it was revealed to be twins.

  None were more overjoyed than Patton Lyre, the kingdom’s priest and royal advisor. He happily helped the king care for the boys while the queen rested. 

  Three peaceful, endearing months passed, and it came time for Patton to bless the children. The blessing was an old tradition carried out by the priest to insure that the heir to the throne lived a long, prosperous life. 

  The blessing was typically a private thing, only viewed by the oldest parent and the priest. During this blessing, there was also a snake hiding under a pew, but of course neither of them were aware of that. 

  The blessing typically goes as follows:

  Step 1: The priest puts their dominant hand over the child’s heart. 

  Step 2: The priest chants the old blessing spell.

  Step 3: The parent states the traits they wish to see in the child.

  Step 4: The parent makes a small blood sacrifice, using a special knife. 

  Planning the blessing, Patton places a hand over each boys’ heart, chanting an old spell in a language very few know the origin of. 

  Before the priest could properly finish, he stumbled back in pain. The king catches him before he falls. 

  Patton stares at his hand in horror. It was covered in a dark mass that was eating away at his skin. He was rushed to the doctor and got his hand bandaged. The blessing was never completed. 

  That night the priest and the king fought for the first time in history. It was in the king’s private office where no one heard, except for a snake outside, by the window. 

  “Don’t you see! That child is a monster. His soul is full of darkness, he must be destroyed!” Patton screamed. He was holding the sacrificial knife that was banned for any use except blessing.

  “I’m not going to just stand there and let you kill a child! Maybe something went wrong with the blessing?” He argued.

  “Is that an accusation? My family has been doing blessings for hundreds of years, I did not mess up!” 

  “I wasn’t accusing you of anything! I’m just suggesting something could’ve gone wrong. This is the first time I’ve heard of two children being blessed at once. Perhaps that caused a problem.” 

  “You should not be defending it! If you let that child live, our kingdom will be destroyed!” Patton said and then proceeded to shove the king away and storm towards the door.

  The king grabbed his shoulders and, with more force than he intended, threw him into the wall hard enough to leave a crack. 

  “You have damned us all.” Patton said in a raspy voice. 

  “Get out of my castle!” The king screams. 

   Of course, as far as the general public was concerned, none of that ever happened. The bandage on Patton’s hand was due to an accident with one of the royal dogs, and the crack in the wall was just due to the king slipping and slamming into it. 

  Telling the public this was easier than explaining the incident with the blessing. People would be suspicious if they knew the blessing wasn’t complete. 

***

Thinking he was doing the right thing, Patton broke into the royal chambers a few nights later. The queen awoke to the sound of unfamiliar footsteps and screamed when she saw her child being held over the balcony railing. The child was far too peaceful considering the situation.

  The king jumped up, grabbed a sword, and charged for him as Patton tossed the baby over the balcony. The king hit him with enough force to break the wooden railing and sent both of them tumbling off to the ground. 

  They were found the next morning, the king with a sacrificial knife in his chest, and the priest with a sword in his head. 

  What the queen believed, and what the people heard was distorted from the truth. According to her, there was a third person trying to take the child, and the priest was only there to help. 

  There was indeed a third presence there, a snake hiding under the balcony unbeknownst to the incident. The child’s body was never found, having been caught by said snake, but he was proclaimed dead. 

  The kingdom was devastated by the news. A festival was held to celebrate the previous lives of the two fallen royals. Around the same time plans were made to build a statue of Patton, in his honor.

***

“...Around the same time plans were made to build a statue of Patton, in his honor.” The Dragon Witch, named Yrerth, finishes off the story and puts up the book she had written. The title of Dragon was similar to the title of King or Queen, just as Snake is similar to the title of Prince or Princess.

  “That was a dumb story,” Janus lied. He was the Dragon Witch’s son.

  “No it wasn’t!” Remus elbowed him gently. Despite being friends with Janus for many years, Remus still couldn’t tell when Janus was lying. 

  “This isn’t just a story, my dears. I was there, ten years ago, back when I was just a snake...” Yrerth remembers her past fondly. 

  “If this story is true, does that mean the prince is still alive!?” Remus asked, bouncing up and down. 

  “Of course he is! I saved his life myself! Would you like to meet him?” 

  The two children nod vigorously. 

  Yrerth holds a mirror up to Remus’s face. 

  “Is the prince trapped in the mirror?” Remus asks as he pokes the glass, “That would be pretty epic.” 

  “No, honey.” Yrerth pets his hair. “You’ll get it eventually, for now go out and play.” She offers. There was a playground near Yrerth’s house where other kids were playing tag.

  Remus hesitates, staring at the mirror before getting up and running outside. Janus got up to follow him, but Yrerth but and hand on his shoulder and pulled him aside to talk. 

  “Janus, my dearest. You’re getting older—” she pauses to kiss his forehead, “—and soon you’ll start training to take my place as dragon. I want you to enjoy your last free years to the fullest. Do you understand me?”

  Janus nods and Yrerth could tell he was lying. She sighs, gives him a pat on the head, and sends him outside.   

***

There is a tree growing in the forest between the two kingdoms. It is very large, but young and full of festering hate. It’s roots are deep and it drinks the life from those around it. 

  It is getting closer to both kingdoms and it wants blood. 

***

Remus is eighteen now. He stands on the border between the Kingdom of the Light and the forest. He struts into town, not caring about the looks he earns from regular citizens. He holds a giant, silver Morningstar that he lets drag on the ground, tearing up the nice stone roads. 

  He’s wearing an all black outfit with a lime green sash. The typical outfit for royalty in the Kingdom of the Dragon. He wasn’t royalty, but being a Duke was the next best thing. 

  Two guards stop him. “People like you are not allowed here. Leave immediately or we’ll have to use force,” they said... Or at least that’s what they were going to say. Remus had already knocked both of them out with the Morningstar before they even touched him. 

  Remus came across a large crowd of people standing outside the castle. This looks promising, he thought. 

  Up on a balcony far above the crowd was Prince, and soon to be King, Roman. Remus frowned, there’s no way he would be able to get his attention all the way down here. He also could not push through this crowd. Luckily Remus did not abide by the normal laws of physics. 

   He pulled a small bottle out of his pocket and chugged the substance inside. His whole body was engulfed in shadow, earning some gasps from the people around him. The next thing anyone knew was that Remus was now standing right in front of Roman.

  “Hey brother! Been awhile since we’ve talked. Now that I think about it, we’ve never talked! I’m Remus!” Remus held out his hand to shake. 

Roman dropped the crown he was holding and promptly passed out, which was a very rude way to greet your long lost brother.

[dotaccountant]

(LOVIE SIMONE, 23, FEMALE, SHE/HER) ⮕ Hey, isn’t that [DOROTHEA “DOT” HARTLEY]? I heard that they were a part of the crew. According to the wiki it says they’re the [ACCOUNTANT] of the group. Avid fans say that they’re [PRAGMATIC], but that they can also be [MOODY]. Maybe that’s because they’re a [CAPRICORN]. This gossip forum says they joined the group because [SHE NEEDS THE MONEY]. I wonder if that’s true. I also heard they [DO NOT] believe in ghosts. I wonder if their time in arcane inc will change that. (peyton, 23, est.)

mun info.

hey girly! just wanted to let you know i literally cannot handle this right now :)

uhh okay!! my name is peyton, i’m 23, i’m a college senior, i’m a libra, i’ve been rping for [redacted] years. i managed to escape for like two years until quarantine hit so here i am, like a dog going back to its’ vomit. i’m an illiterate roman roy enthusiast lesbian who is just excited to be here. my discord is ilyinichna#9370 (not me outing myself as a russian lit nerd. disgusting). please feel free to add me!!!

some cheeky stats.

full name: dorothea eloise hartley nicknames: dot by the crew, dottie exclusively by her mother, lame ass nerd by me birthdate: december 31st, 1997 occupation: accountant for arcane inc. nationality: american

orientation: bisexual moral alignment: lawful good myers-briggs: infp temperament: melancholic

about.

it snowed the day dot was born, her mother would say fondly as she reminisced of better times for the two. edna hartley always made it a point to say no matter what she was conceived out of love and for awhile, dot believed that. her parents met when her mother was touring europe and she fell for a charming french aspiring writer, louis, who said all of the right things. not long after their summer romance, edna found out she was pregnant and at first louis was thrilled. he proposed on the spot. edna had dreams of becoming a stage actress so the two flew out to a shoebox apartment in new york to start their little family.

except edna never got her big break and louis never even started the next great novel and the bills were piling up. they were getting money from edna’s family, but louis’s pride wouldn’t accept it any longer. he took two jobs while edna stayed home with baby dot. 

she loved dot and dot herself never doubted it, but she was certainly not ready to be a mother. she was immature and treated her only daughter more like a best friend than her child. taking care of a child all day with no escape took a strain on edna and eventually took a strain on her marriage. what started as harsh whispers would soon turn into screaming matches that dot could hear through the thin walls. it was that way for years and dot looked at her parents differently. she had resentment for her father and the feeling was mutual, he blamed them for the fact he never achieved his dream. the older dot grew she soon was the one taking care of edna, who some days couldn’t even get out of bed.

dot comes home from school at fifteen to see her and edna’s bags packed. she says the two of them are going to california and dot goes with her without any hesitation. a new start was what they needed, they could look out for each other.

except it wasn’t. edna and dot both work odd jobs to make ends meet and when dot isn’t at school she’s accompanying her mother to auditions that she doesn’t get called back for. she scores a few commercials which is enough to keep them afloat for a brief amount of time. much of dot’s teen years are spent apartment hopping, couch surfing, and sleeping in motels throughout LA. if she was younger she might have been charmed by their vagabond lifestyle, but dot knew they couldn’t live that way forever.

if anything, dot learned a lot about how money worked when she was young. she always had a knack for numbers and after crunching the numbers to figure out if you could pay your electric bill for the month really gives you an advantage. she learned how to budget because no one else was going to. 

she’s working a job doing data entry when she first hears of arcane inc. one of her coworkers wouldn’t stop talking about them. dot isn’t interested as she’s never though much about the supernatural, chalking up companies like arcane to exploit people’s fears. no thanks. her mother believed in spirits enough for the both of them. (besides if karma was real, she would’ve seen a check from louis for the book deal he got over a year ago).

dot does go down a rabbit hole though when she realizes just how big of a following aracane has. people will really believe anything. the moment she sees that they’re hiring, she sees it as an opportunity. a company with millions of followers has to give their employees a reasonable salary. she didn’t have any real work experience outside of her office job but she was damn good with numbers and she was already used to traveling.

she’s been at arcane inc. for about a year now and still doesn’t really get what all the hype is about but that doesn’t matter. dot makes enough to send money to edna and she’s even started to put money aside to go to college. dot’s never been one to dream big, look at what it did to her parents, so she’s planned out every step without reaching out too far for the stars.

headcanons.

yeah her mom’s a failed theater actress but dot has a really secret love for musicals. you won’t find her ever talking about it though and if anyone found out she’d kill them. not joking don’t text.

her social media presence is little to none. not that she thinks she’s above it but she’s just genuinely bad at keeping up and she doesn’t love being in front of a camera. (her instagram posts are all blurry with bad filters and weird angles, bless her heart).

she’s probably the most stubborn person you will ever meet. i blame it on her being an earth sign i’m just saying a ghost could be right in front of her and she’d go and?

dot’s a really good listener (years of practice) and will take secrets to the grave but she’s pretty bad at giving advice. she doesn’t really know what to do when someone starts crying except give them an awkward pat.

her intuition is pretty good though. she’s good at reading situations she just doesn’t know how to react sometimes.

tw abuse: so while her father was never physically abusive, there was an incident from when she was twelve. he had been drinking and dot got out of bed to get water from the kitchen. he yells at her, as he often did, and throws an empty beer bottle at her. she threw up her arms to defend herself and there are still a few scars from the glass shards.

the way to her heart? anything peppermint which i know is arguably the worst dessert flavor but she can’t get enough of it.

tends to chew on things when she’s working. no pen cap is safe. she usually has candies on her so she has something to munch on.

connection ideas.

i prefer chemistry over anything else!! these are just some ideas to get the ball rolling. (also i am so bad at coming up with connections.)

friends. i mean....yeah jsfdkljfd. as basic as that is she just never had many of those growing up! dot’s kept a few people close but for the first time in her life she’s out of reach from her mother so it’s a good chance to socialize.

more specifically? a best friend. in the same vein but dot would really put this person above everyone else. she’s really loyal and it’d be nice to have such a close bond with someone.

a childhood friend or two too!! she’s moved around quite a bit but she stayed in new york (and she considers when she first moved to la still part of her childhood) for quite a bit, definitely long enough to make a connection!

someone she’s pulling out of trouble maybe. while dot’s not a maternal figure (leave that to the nurturer) she does have a compulsive need to help people out. it’s very frustrating but she can’t stop.

negative nancy. she can be so pessimistic and annoying so she’d appreciate having someone she could just vent to.

exes. it has to be a past relationship because dot is not a hook up person like AT ALL, but she’s human and she likes companionship (sometimes). 

honestly whatever you can think of! cousins, pen pals, unrequited crush (either way), friend crush, enemies, people she avoids, shared interest buddies, good/bad influence!

[kessielrg]

[Kingdom Hearts] Sabi in the Sky with Diamonds

Summary: In which Ventus wakes from an unscheduled naptime and tries to make heads or tails of the figure over him. He then proceeds to aggressively flirt with the last person who wants him to flirt with her. Inspired by two prompts (x and x) by @dialouge-prompts on Tumblr. [established VentusxOC][modern AU][oneshot]

Word Count: 1,763 words

Rating: K+

If you like this story, please reblog!

---

The last thing Ventus could easily remember was someone shouting his name, and a very loud crack. What he knew now was… not a lot, actually. His eyelids were too heavy to open, his limbs felt like someone had filled them with lead, and somewhere -far too distant from here- was someone trying to call his name.

Panic was probably the first sense that came back to him. He struggled to open his eyes with a sudden desperation. When Ventus could finally open his eyes, he was immediately -and harshly- greeted with a flash of light. Ven squinted as his sense of sight came back to him. As it turns out- light was incredibly bright.

Heh…

Light is bright.

Light bright.

Lite Bright.

Aqua used to have Lite Bright. She had used it as a way to express her current emotion for that day. She never used the backing paper, so the Lite Bright itself became a colorful, one sided lamp. Did she still have it? He felt like she had lost all the little pegs before he and Vanitas moved in. She probably didn't have it anymore.

Regardless, the biggest factor of his brain coming back into consciousness was realizing something was standing over him. This something was blocking a lot of the light coming into Ven's eyes. He was grateful for this something. He tried to get a better look at it. Or them, as it seemed. A girl, to be even more precise, as his eyes were able to adjust for the brightness around the figure.

He originally thought that her hair and eyes were the same color. Both looked incredibly dark in the circumstances he found himself in. But he realized that her hair was actually a different color than her eyes. The girl's long raven black hair was tucked behind her ear on one side, with the rest hanging freely beside her. She was almost so close that if Ven moved his face a certain way, his nose could just barely brush against the ends.

And then there were her eyes. They held a nice soft brown color that nearly made Ven take a deep breath in. There was even a certain kind of haughtiness in those eyes. As he couldn't help but stare into them, Ven found that they trying to hold back a grave concern. He knew those eyes, and a name came to mind that he couldn't quite figure out yet. It was at the tip of his tongue. Didn't it start with an S? Like… Sayuri. Or Sable? Or maybe even… “Sabrina.” Ventus croaked. The girl paused, looking at him now with a quirked eyebrow. If Ven's arms didn't feel like weights had been attached, he might have placed a gentle hand against her cheek. Her skin looked rather smooth. And pale. Almost like a real life porcelain doll. Vanitas tried to scare Ventus with one of those before- and shortly after watching the Chucky remake, no less. Ven still hated his twin for doing that. There were a lot of things he hated his twin for.

“Sabrina.” Ven repeated, his voice a bit more steady now. “You’re… beautiful.”

And just like that, any worry that was on her face was wiped clean away.

“And you’re concussed.” she shot back with a grimace.

For some reason, he felt rather proud about that. Or maybe it was because he had gotten her name right on the first try. However, even though he had her name, he still only had faint inklings of who she was.

“Are you dating anyone?” Ven lazily asked as Sabrina moved to check his pulse rate.

“Yes.” she immediately snapped.

Ven's face quickly fell at the response. He even let out a small, disappointed, “Oh.”

Sabrina looked over and cocked an eyebrow at him. “It's you, you dumbass.”

Ventus's eyes lit up halfway. “Really?”

“Unfortunately.” the young woman grumbled in response.

A wistful sigh escaped the young man's lips as he relaxed his body. His eyes trained up to the inky black sky above them. It was a new moon tonight, and that meant the stars were far more visible than usual. There was going to be a meteor shower tonight, right? That's why he and her were outside? They had come with other people too, didn't they? If that was the case, why was Sabrina the only one that seemed worried about him? Not that it mattered, he didn't want to stop fondly staring at her while she checked him over.

Ven gave another sigh before wistfully remarking, “Look at the stars.”

“Don’t.” came the swift warning.

“Look how they shine for you.”

“Stop it!” Sabrina now demanded without so much looking over at him.

“I wish I could go back in time.” Ven wistfully sighed. “You know why?”

Sabrina refused to answer, but he took it as a sign to continue anyway.

“Because I'd tell the Romans to rearrange the alphabet so U and I are together.”

And that was when Sabrina slapped him across the face. His cheek immediately flared from the impact- if his arms didn't feel like they were filled with lead, he could have rubbed the spot with a pout.

“Ow.” Ven retorted. “Love hurts.”

“Gonna make it hurt more if you don't freaking shut up.”

Ven gave a small groan and a pout as he relaxed his body again.

“Sabrina! Ven!” a new voice called out. It didn't take much for Ventus to know that it was Terra- he'd recognize that voice anywhere. The boy could only manage to move his chin slightly to be sure. Sure enough, the familiar browned hair young adult came into Ven's view. He looked a lot more worried than what Sabrina was letting on.

“Is Ven alright?” Terra questioned, looking to Sabrina. The glare she gave him was practically venomous.

“He's flirting with me,” she spat, “He's fine.”

Terra recoiled at this. His face changing from worry to one of personal affront.

“You do understand that isn't a good indicator.”

“Terra,” Ven tried to speak up, “Am I a good photographer?”

Confused, Terra looked down at Ven. “I don't think you take photos at all.” he admitted. “Why?”

Giving a lopsided grin, Ven looked back at Sabrina and said, “Because I can picture Sabi and I together.”

“See?!” Sabrina demanded.

“That was kinda bad...” Terra admitted, sheepishly scratching the back of his neck.

Sabrina rolled her eyes as she got up on her feet. Standing over Ven, she carefully took his arms to try to hoist him up. Even with the upper body strength of a ballerina, Ven was a lot heavier than he looked, leaving her to have very little luck in even getting him to sit up. After about three failed tries, she turned to Terra and gave an impatient huff.

"Can you help me get this moron so we can take him home?" she prudently asked him.

“You must be so exhausted,” Ventus cheerily told her, “Running through my mind...”

“Before I kick him.” Sabrina added on with a grimace. Terra simply snorted at her. He did get Ven though; taking care to use an arm to support Ven's back, and the other to tuck under his knees, before hoisting him up as simple as a basket of laundry. With Ven securely in Terra's arms, Sabrina absently hugged herself.

“Thanks.” she grumbled.

“He's going to the hospital,” Terra reminded her before starting to head to his truck.

“W-wait!” Ven sluggishly whined. “I want to stay with her! I was told to follow my dreams, and there she is!”

Despite his better judgment, Terra snorted. “Don't worry Romeo, she'll be waiting for you when you get home. I almost guarantee it.”

This seemed to sate the boy somewhat- relaxing in Terra's arms, but still trying to get a last glimpse at Sabrina. She was doing her best not to look concerned. It was here that the casual observer would have assumed a faint ignorance to Ven's safety. But her worry was very quietly hidden in the wrinkles on her forehead. A fool would say it was because of her furrowed eyebrows. Ven knew better than that. He knew her better than that.

When Ventus and Terra were no longer in eye range, Sabrina let her guard down for all of a moment to let out a sigh of relief. That moment of vulnerability was quickly replaced with indifference when she could hear someone coming up to her.

“Well princess,” the voice of someone truly loathsome hissed into her ear, “That was an adventurous ten minutes. Don't you think?”

Sabrina immediately whirled around to smack the newcomer with her fist, but he was faster than her- taking a tight hold of her wrist just seconds before she could make impact. Smirking at her failed attempt was none other than Vanitas. He looked so smug- it only made Sabrina want to punch him harder. She growled as she struggled to get out of Vanitas's grip. But, just like her efforts of trying to pick Ven up, it was useless.

“Why would you purposely hit Ventus with a baseball?” she instead growled at him.

“I was trying to help you out, princess.” Vanitas claimed with half a shrug and a snide smirk.

“By murdering your own brother?!”

“By giving you a chance to flirt back, obviously. It's not like he's going to remember all of this later.”

“I'll make him remember,” she hissed, “Just like how you're going to remember this.” And without any other warning, she kneed him in the exact place where it would hurt the most. Vanitas immediately let her hand go, flinching at the pain he had put himself in. Sabrina adjusted herself for a moment before standing tall.

“If you even dare try to hurt him like that again, I'll gut you in your sleep. Got it?”

Even in pain, Vanitas winched out a smirk. “So feisty,” he snickered. “I see why he likes having you around.”

He didn't really deserve a swift kick to his kneecaps, but it felt cathartic.

With Vanitas in a sufficient amount of pain, Sabrina gave a rather satisfied grin before spinning on her heel to head to her car.

“Wait,” Vanitas tried to argue, his voice only slightly giving away how much pain he was in. “Where do you think you're going? You're my ride home now!”

“Sounds like a personal problem.” Sabrina callously informed him from over her shoulder. And with that, she left Vanitas on the ground, still in pain, as he freely cussed her out.

[inkribbon796]

Egotober Day 19: Found and Lost

1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31

Prompt: cap hat

Summary: It’s cleaning day in the base’s storage room, some things are found within the many boxes, others are lost.

A/N: While I was planning out Egotober 2020, Seán found his old hat, so I had to capitalize on the day where the plot was “cap hat”. In equally important news it’s the anniversary to the first Sanders’s Side episode. So enjoy.

Warnings: none

It was a rare day in the heroes’ base. It was storage cleaning day. Or it was more accurate to say that Henrik got upset at the state the storage room was always in and pitched enough of a fit that Seán muttered a “Fine!” and organized a group to go clean it.

The storage room was also known as the “garbage room” by several heroes. Since everything that couldn’t go in the normal rooms went in the storage room. The problem was that seasonal decorations also went in the storage room. And so did all the heroes’ medical and personal records.

So occasionally stuff was just left to pile up and build for years and years. Some boxes, i.e. anything that Henrik or Logan had to touch was clean and organized. Everyone else’s belongings were in a sliding scale of neat and tidy, or haphazardly thrown into a box.

Mark was ordered to move all the decorations and stuff that would wind up going back into the storage room. Iplier kept all the records in his room, but it resulted in a row of boxes going down the hallway and Henrik looking like he was going to have an aneurysm. He was only coaxed into calming down with the promise that I’d be gone by the end of the week. Everyone would come in and organize their stuff, and the storage boxes would go back in.

Nate, Logan, and Henrik had already done their boxes earlier that morning. Now Seán and Amy were in the storage room.

“That’s the last of it,” Mark walked in, dusting off his hands as he started walking off. “I’m gonna get myself something to drink, cause I don’t keep stuff.”

“Can you get me something?” Amy looked up at him.

Mark stopped and leaned back into the room, “Iced coffee?”

“Thanks,” she smiled back, Mark smiled at her before leaving.

Seán was mostly digging through boxes, sorting through boxes almost meticulously, trash going into a bag, papers going into files, and other stuff going into boxes.

Then he let out an audible gasp, “Ooh! Oooohhhh! I knew it was in here!”

“What? What is it?” Amy asked in interest.

He stuck his hand all the way to the bottom and pulled out a grey flat cap hat. A huge smile on his face and he slid it on his head. “Ahh, nice. I knew it had ta be in here.”

“Did you find it?” Amy smiled. “I thought you lost that thing out in town?”

“Nah, I put it in some box an’ then the box got moved out here,” Seán smiled, taking out his phone and looking at himself with the camera. “Ahh, I look like such a little kid.”

“Did someone find embarrassing pictures?” Mark smiled as he flew back in, an energy drink in one hand and a bottle of iced coffee in the other.

“Didn’t you lose that one when Anti tried to electrocute you?” Mark grinned as he handed Amy her coffee.

“My lucky hat can survive the frigid vacuum ‘a Dark’s soul,” Seán boasted. “I knew if I actually cleaned stuff out I’d find it. It was either here or in my garage.”

“You gonna wear it with your costume again?” Amy asked.

“I dunno, been a couple years,” Seán shrugged, taking the hat off and looking at it fondly. “Don’t worry, won’t lose yah this time.”

At that moment, arguing started to come down from the hallway. It was a couple seconds later that the Sides walked in. Logan with some folded boxes, duct tape, and several trash bags.

Virgil was right behind him with Roman. “Ughh,” the anxious Side began to complain. “We’ll be here all day.”

Patton had a huge smile on his face as he walked in with an old WWI-era camera. “We should be done soon.”

Logan had insisted on bringing the camera with them after Janus had threatened to break it several times. He didn’t like the camera, complaining about the humming being insufferable. A sound none of the other Sides could actually hear themselves.

“Most of this stuff is yours, Patt,” Virgil reminded. “I haven’t been here long enough to make a mess.”

Patton set down the camera, “And it’s all important memories, so it won’t take long for us to be done.”

Mark and Jack looked at the camera, something about it just not sitting right, like it was a black hole of attention, demanding that someone look at it, pay attention to it . . . pick it up . . .

“Falsehood,” Logan corrected firmly. “You hoard garbage of sentimental value, you need to let them go.”

“But— I—” Patton fumbled.

“Garbage?” Roman dug through one of the Sides’ many, many boxes to tug out some plastic flowers. “They’re not garbage.”

“Do not enable him,” Logan warned angrily. “This has been going on for too long.”

The camera just sat in the middle of the Sides, making the other three people in the room a bit uncomfortable. Before Mark could speak up, all their communicators were off. Some big catastrophe was going on in downtown Brighton. It was Wilford in one of his manic episodes.

“Oh look at that,” Patton said, “we have to go save the day.”

“When we all get back we are finishing what we started,” Logan told him as his suit began to snap around him and his visor came down. “Head out, I’ll take the communication chair.”

All four of the Sides raced out and the instant they were out of the room, the camera had less of a malignant buzz to it. It was almost like it was just a normal camera, but there was something wrong about it.

Jack, Mark, and Amy chose to leave the suit up. Figuring that it could be dealt with when they all got back. The base was safe, no one would steal stuff from the storage room.

Nate missed the summons, he was set to go on tour and was already late. But while he’d been cleaning out his stuff, he’d forgotten a little book of phone numbers he wanted to get from his stuff. They were all old numbers he’d been meaning to get around to being in contact with, but dreading doing so all the same.

But he needed to do it now, or they’d track him down. They’d find out about Mare, and Nate didn’t want to admit that he’d gotten attached to the demon. That they had a fragile partnership.

Those thoughts went out of his head when he walked into the room and he felt like something had hit him in the face. His ears popped with the pressure in the room and reaching up to check on his nose, he noticed that when he pulled his hand away there was blood on his fingers.

“Arrghhhh, what the hell,” Nate grumbled, his ears ringing.

Hmmmmm . . .

Nate looked around the room, trying to see if something had snuck into the base. He saw an old camera just sitting there in the middle of the Sides’ mess of stuff. He didn’t feel like something was staring at him, but he did feel like something was in the room with him, sleeping but it could wake at any moment.

The humming was almost sing-song-esq in quality. Like a song Nate had heard but couldn’t place it right now.

He saw that camera and his blood chilled, he could feel what it was, what it had been used to do. And he lunged for it, high stepping over things, snatching it off the table and racing to his box to dig through it until he found the old spiral bound pocket notebook, and raced out of the room and out of the base as if someone had lit him on fire. The camera in his hands as he got into his car and raced for the tour meetup spot to properly figure out where this thing had been.

He had to get this thing out of the base, he’ll if he could get this thing out of the city that would be enough.

Logan would walk back into the storage room later that night, crisis over and his heart plummeted when he saw the camera gone. He felt like something had been ripped away from him. Checking the camera he watched Nate walk in, get a bloody nose, and then run off with the camera in a clear panic.

Trying to call Nate resulted in only reaching his voicemail, but Logan tried not to panic, leaving him. Message to call them about the box he’s taken.

The next day, Logan woke up to a message on his phone that read: “It’s cursed, keeping it in containment. We’ll talk when I get back.”

Logan frowned, worried and remorseful, but he had to trust Nate would not do anything drastic, that it was safe with Nate. He texted back and asked for Nate to keep the object intact, and the singer promised he would.

With that, Logan regrettably admitted to himself that there was nothing he could do, and get his phone aside to get an early start to his day.

[pitayatea]

Talk is Jericho: The Emancipation of Jon Moxley

(i highly recommend listening to the episode if you have time, its a great listen and it goes a lot into jons thought process behind his leaving and the timeline from august until he left. if you dont have time or just want a rundown before you listen to see if youd be interested, i complied a list of points in the episode,,, i guess? idk.)

(none of these are in order im horrible at listing things but all of this was discussed at some point):

- mox started the podcast saying he harbors no ill will for wwe, how grateful he is for the time he spent there, how they helped him grow as a person, etc. he also talks fondly of the make a wish program and the fans and everything.

- there's a good bit of him talking about renee and describing her as his best friend, his soulmate, and how even if they had nothing it was fine bc they had each other. prime otp shit we stan. im sorry i love their relationship.

- jon describes a time where he was approached about a promo describing him doing stupid stuff that an idiot would do (riding a unicycle backwards, sharing pizza with a homeless dude, etc), and asking that it be changed because he doesnt want his character to be seen as an idiot. the line was taken out and readded by vince. when he confronted vince, vince didnt see the issue and described the segment as good shit and thought it described the dean character perfectly, which jon took as being described as an idiot.

- jon hated his heel turn, and defined it as being heavily micromanaged and told numerous stories of fighting with scripts and writers and vince because they wanted to do joke shit that he didnt want to do. he hated the germaphobe angle, he despised the vaccine promo, and it was all stuff pushed by vince.

- he also talks about other promos he hated before his heel turn, and a lot of it started as early as the 2014 feud with seth (the hotdog cart, seth mannequin, etc.)

- i actually remember an older tij episode where he goes into detail about how it was vince who pushed the mannequin thing, and how he once walked into vinces office and found vince sitting in his chair, facing the mannequin, with weapons laid out, verbally describing what he wanted to do to the mannequin... do with that what you will.

- (aka vince is senile which,,, we been knew)

- both of the stories he told are extremely interesting: one describes the time he knew for sure he was gone and started counting the days, and the other describes the time he almost walked out.

- there was numerous lines during his heel turn that he refused to use and demanded to be changed.

- one of which was a joke about a pooper-scooper that got changed to the gas mask line. he describes literally having to go behind vinces back and rushing with writers to get a copy of the script without the joke onto vinces desk before the one with the joke got there because vince wouldve forced him to do it.

- he describes all the promos he did that night as confusing and not telling stories, and remarked that "if we didnt need to run around and try to not look like idiots, we could focus on telling stories", which flustered a writer he was with at the time.

- the writers and jon got a note from vince which stated "dean needs to understand why he needs to insult the audience. dean needs to read his promos verbatim and not try to rewrite them." jon remembers feeling like he got punched in the gut and lashed out in frustration at a writer (in retrospect, he admitted it wasnt the writer's fault and he was just emotional).

- "why do i work here? im a professional wrestler, who can tell stories and come up with promos and i believe i have the ability to talk people into buildings, i learned those skills years ago, and i wanted bring them to the wwe, and you just want me to say your stupid lines. if you want someone to stay your stupid lines, hire an actor because theyll probably do a better job of it than me. im not interested in doing it."

- he spoke frankly about the fact that wwe is a billion dollar company, run by an alleged genius, filled with adults, and they were talking about pooper-scoopers, and how ridiculous it sounds.

- after the pooper-scooper joke was removed, vince took the gas mask comment literally and tried to make jon go out with a surgical match. eventually, it was talked down to the hankerchief that made it into the final cut of the promo.

- vince once mentioned how jon had so much creative license, to which jon remarks: "what creative license? what creative license do I have? i do exactly what you tell me and its terrible crap. thats not creative license."

- he booked it immediately after the show, got into the hotel, and immediately thought (after thinking that he needed a drink) that the entire segment was a waste of time because they got nothing done, and he didnt get why everyone was celebrating afterwards. he remarked that after doing six promos in one night, he couldnt say what the story was, who the characters were, and that the angle was dead, if it wasnt already.

- jericho agreed that the creative process of going through vince is awful and that it burns you out and that, at the end of the night, the match was the easy part.

- jon was never scared of getting fired for being outspoken, because he still did the work. if he couldnt convince vince that it wasnt a good idea, hed go out and try hard to make it good.

- jon woke up to a text from a writer describing the vaccine segment, and he responded that he "fucking hated it" and the writer texted back "yeah, i know".

- by the time he showed up to the building, word had gotten out that he wasnt happy with the vaccine promo. vince knew jon wasnt happy and called him to his office to reassure him that the bit wasnt comedic, and that its good stuff and its well written and would get him so much heat. he explains all of this while laughing, immediately proving that it is comedic, and said there was no props involved, to which jon replied "then whats with the actor we hired to play the doctor or the giant syringe? are those not props?"

- jon was ***EXTREMELY*** uncomfortable making comments about romans leukemia, and didnt even want to say the lines that got on tv, and sounded audibly pissed off when talking about it. when he confronted vince, vince said that roman needs to be in the story, that dean turned on both roman and seth, and that roman is a key part of the story.

- both jericho and jon then talk briefly about the 'vince jedi mind trick', where he makes things seem better than they actually are, and jon fell victim to it in that promo despite considering himself to be immune. he immediately regretted the lines as soon as he said them.

- there was a line in a promo talking about romans cancer that jon refused outright to say, and wouldnt even say it on the episode. all he said is that the wwe wouldve lost sponsors (esp the susan g. komen sponsorship) and someone (likely him) wouldve gotten fired. vince tried to convince him to say the lines but he absolutely refused and it was a matter of "ok i guess youre not comfy bc its roman" and not "its extremely offensive" with vince agreeing to not force the promo. jon then said it wouldnt have mattered to vince anyways bc he wouldnt have been blamed for it, and it wouldve been jon who took all of the heat. he then makes a comment in case whoever was responsible for the promo was listening:

- jons wanted to leave wwe since july 2018, and almost walked out after an episode of raw during his heel turn due to creative frustrations.

- jon wanted to return from injury as a completely new heel character. he brought this up to vince twice - once in february, when they thought hed be cleared for wrestlemania 34, and once in july, before his actual return.

- in february, vince had stated that they could do what jon wanted to do. the story changed by july due to them advertising the shield for the aus super showdown and not wanting to take them off the billing.

- they then wanted him to return as seths buddy in his corner for summerslam. jon wanted to return at summerslam as a surprise, and vince had an original plan for him to show up at the go home show for summerslam and just,,, be there, but agreed to go with jons plan.

- the week of summerslam, a writer contacted jon while he was training with joey mercury and cody hawk in cincinnati that he was, in fact, showing up at the go home show for vinces original plan. essentially, vince lied to him to sedate him because jon says he was extremely outspoken about everything. he managed to talk vince and the writers into putting a little bit of action into the go home show.

- jon hated the line that seth said to announce his return ("since you have a scottish psycopath, i ought to have a lunatic in mine"), which was entirely a line planted by the creative team and wasnt the fault of jon or seth. he felt like it muddled the crowd reaction and the pop bc everyone was reacting in different ways and he thought they shouldve just played the music because "how can you screw that up?"

- hes been creatively frustrated since 2016 on smackdown.

- by the time he left the company, he hated the character of dean ambrose and couldnt look at himself in the mirror.

- they tried burying dean with the nia storyline and squash matches, but fans loved him so much that vince saw dollar signs and pushed for the shield reunion tour. if it wasnt for fans being behind him, jon wouldve been mercilessly buried.

- aew was not his main reason for leaving. originally, he wanted to go back to czw or the indies. he wouldve left the company no matter what - even if no other promotions existed, he wouldve left and created his own promotion.

- jon described feeling severe symptoms of depression during his last few months, to the point where he couldnt motivate himself to get out of bed or go to the gym or do anything. he even looked up symptoms on webMD to confirm what he was feeling - jericho also confirmed it the second jon started talking about it.

- he outright stated that vince and the creative process and the shit vince had built around the wwe since 2002 is killing the company.

- he does not want to compete with wwe, he just wants to try and push them to improve the product and try and get vince to step back slightly and not micromanage so heavily.

- jon only got paid 500 bucks for the shields final chapter special, which is the same price that extras get on main shows and the same price that unused roster members get for just showing up and sitting in catering. jericho then brought up that during a house show street fight between him and ambrose, they both only got paid 750. 500 and 750 are bare minimum prices for just showing up - so they barely got paid for a dangerous gimmick match on a house show.

- jon and cody have been friends since before cody left wwe, and used to sit backstage and watch old wcw matches while getting ready for matches.

- he considers codys experience to be similar to his, and that they both experienced the same frustrations at different times.

- jon and jericho both agree that tony khan (CEO of aew) is the exact opposite of vince, and is a bigger wrestling fan than vince is. jericho then brings up that he doesnt see how vince can be a fan any longer because hes been doing it so long without a break. jon agreed and stated that vince is never gonna retire and is def gonna die in the chair, and how he just needs to step back a little bit.

- jericho brought up how jon broke the internet and jon practically jumped at the chance to tell the story.

- "king of social media, mic drop bitches." that is the line of the century im sorry.

- the inspo for the original mox teaser released on may first was inspired by the first venom teaser trailer.

- double or nothing was already planned to be moxs first appearance when the teaser dropped, and he had to keep it on the dl to make sure no dirtsheets reported it and no one advertised him to be there. he admitted he isnt tech-savvy and everyone who hes friends with who is belong to wwe, and the dude who helped him film the teaser was sick nick mondo.

- the trailer took two days to film and cost eight grand, but jon admits he wanted it to be quality and didnt care.

- while filming the trailer, vince texted him to try and extend his contract for the europe tour bc shield money. his response was that he was committed to a film project, which vince took as him filming a movie and not him filming the trailer.

- jon didnt tweet the trailer, he had a social media expert time it to where it released at exactly midnight through some techno shit with twitter.

- roman and seth knew how unhappy jon was in wwe and they were understandably sad to see him go but they wanted him to be happy.

- he talks about how he told seth he was leaving: seth had responded that he was super bummed out, and jon told him that he "is a wild animal, babe" and has been contained for too long. seth immediately agreed, saying it was the perfect analogy.

- the way he describes it kinda describes seth being more broken about jon leaving than roman, which also correlates with seths responses to questions about him leaving. do with that what you will, shippers.

- from now on, nothing is driven by money for him. everything is driven by trying to be the best he can be. he wants that for everyone: he wants his friends to be the best they can be, he wants his wife to be the best she can be, he wants the fans to be happy and everything, but his happiness is the most important thing.

- he feels more passionate about wrestling now, and describes it as his first love and his only love besides renee. the way he describes it reminds me of cm punk losing his passion due to wwe, and i feel like he wouldve ended up exactly like punk if he stayed any longer.

- his favorite part of the business is promos, and the scripted promos made him loathe it. aew gave him his passion for promos and wrestling back.

- he compares himself to the dentist elf from rudolph. his closing line is "if you're an elf and you wanna be a dentist, be a dentist." jericho edits in an audio clip from rudolph at the end and its great.

- jon is looking forward to working with legitimately everyone in aew and thinks of it as helping draw eyes to the product and to other lesser known talent, similar to jericho.

- he doesnt want a war, no matter how much he jokes about it. he just wants to show vince that the way he runs his show isnt the only way and it definitely isnt the right way.

- jon, speaking directly to vince: "your creative process sucks. fix it."

(i listened to the podcast in full three times, and i repeatedly replayed segments to confirm everything. if i missed something, lmk.)

[inactiive-shit]

Life As A Sanders

Part Seven: Doors Of Glittering Gold

((Previous))//((Next))

LAAS Masterlist

Read On AO3

Warnings: None

Pairings: Familial DLAMP

Summary: Roman Heo enters the scene

Words: 2,144

Age: 12 & 16

Here is part seven, introducing our favorite Prince!

Roman Heo was sixteen years old. This was very old for a child of the state. He knew most other kids got adopted young or not at all, but he tried his best to keep his hopes up. He charmed every family he had ever stayed with, had been as helpful as he feasibly could be, and he apologized profusely when he messed up. Roman Heo was, really, the best anyone could have asked for in a child.

It didn’t make sense, then, that Roman was also so isolated and that he lacked a real family to call his own. It was criminal, Roman would cry, to himself mostly, in his head because he didn’t want any of the families he’d stayed with to overhear and think he was ungrateful for what they’d given him, that he had been put in so many homes he could not even name them all. It was unjust to put a prince as chivalrous as he in such a predicament as this.

He sometimes tried to soothe himself by saying they’d be sorry they hadn’t adopted him when he became famous. As an actor, singer-songwriter, performer. Roman was a jack of all trades, really, and he was quite good at most of what he did. Being famous for any of it (or all of it) would do.

Despite his best attempts to keep his hopes up and charm people into loving him, Roman knew his odds of getting adopted at this point were slim to none. He was extravagant and dramatic and old and odd. He wasn’t what most people wanted, which was. . .a baby.

So, the surprise Roman felt in the days leading up to and following his adoption by a man named Patton Sanders, whose bubbly disposition made it seem like he’d be more inclined to adopt a kid and not an almost-adult, made him feel like he was walking around in a daze. It was almost too crazy to imagine, that someone had chosen him. But they had, and Roman had been abnormally quiet until Patton was pulling into his driveway, and Roman realized this was real. He wasn’t dreaming or hallucinating or imagining this. He had a home, finally, and maybe it wasn’t home right now, but it would be, and he was. . .he was crying.

“Kiddo, are you alright?” The man, Patton - Roman’s new Dad? - placed a gentle hand on his back. Patton didn’t rush him to get out of the car, and he didn’t look like he was going to mock Roman for crying. It was possible that only made the crying worse.

“Sorry. Yuh-yeah. ‘M good. Just, really excited, ya know?” Roman swore he would act more princely as soon as he could get this stop.

“It’s alright, kiddo. Take your time. I know this has got to be a lot to take in, and you have every right to feel what your feeling, and to express that emotion however suits you. Going in the house can wait.” Patton smiled at him, and Roman smiled a little bit too. Maybe it was cliché, but Roman kind of felt like this was what love at first sight was like; the instant feeling of comfort and safety that came with Patton was a balm to all the things Roman was struggling to process. Maybe it was too early to tell, but Roman thought he was really going to love Patton, and this was going to be the family he’d been wishing for.

“I’m, I’m good now, Patton. Thank you.” Roman opened the door and slid out, then went to the backseat for his bag. Patton stood on the other side of the car, smiling softly the whole time. Roman walked with him up to the front door, and he felt giddy and nervous, like a little kid. He kind of wanted to hold Patton’s hand like he was little, but Roman wasn’t sure if that would be weird, so he settled for bouncing on his toes as they went to the door.

“Boys! We’re home!” Patton called into the house. There was a crash from the upper floor, and then two paint-covered kids came rushing down the stairs. “Virgil, Logan, this is your new brother, Roman.” Patton motioned towards them. They both looked at Roman, and then one grinned broadly.

“I’m Virgil. That’s Logan.” Virgil waved excitedly. Logan seemed a bit more. . .reserved than his brother. He adjusted his glasses.

“Hello. We’re twelve,” Logan added.

“We’re twins,” Virgil said, and Logan elbowed him.

“I think he knows that, V.”

“Well, how am I supposed to know that?” Virgil asked. “He never said it.”

“Boys, please, let Roman have a chance to speak,” Patton cut in. Virgil and Logan both fell silent.

“I am Prince Roman!” Roman announced with his usual level of dramatization. “I am sixteen.” He wiggled his eyebrows at the kids, and one, Logan, fell apart into giggles. Virgil, however, looked awestruck.

“You’re a Prince? Really!” he exclaimed. He was practically vibrating. Roman sent a glance at Patton, to see if this was allowed, if this was okay, if he should keep the game going. Patton was smiling fondly at them, though, and Roman felt more hope blossom.

“Of course, Virgil! And do you know what that means?” Virgil shook his head, smiling wide. Roman knelt down and leaned in a little. “It means that you are princes too!”

“I do not think that is how the inheritance of royal titles works,” Logan said, but he was vibrating just the same way Virgil was.

“No way!” Virgil began jumping, holding onto Logan’s arm like an anchor. “L, did you hear that? We’re princes now!” He gasped. “Do we have a kingdom?”

“Why, certainly, my prince! It is a wonderful land full of royalty and knights and dragon-witches!”

“Dragon-witch? What is a dragon-witch?” Logan asked.

“Why, it is an evil, scaly monster that tries to enchant the good citizens! But fear not, young princes! I am also a knight, and I will protect you from her!” Roman brandished an imaginary sword, and then valiantly fought off the foe attacking the kingdom while Virgil and Logan squealed and ran around.

Though nobody noticed him, Patton was laughing quietly to himself and recording the whole thing, tears pouring down his face. He had hoped all his kiddos would get along, but this was amazing. This was so far beyond what he’d expected.

Some people, he supposed, were just meant to be family.

Patton wiped off his face and clapped his hands together softly. “Alright, kiddos, you can play again later.” Patton shushed their disappointed sighs. “I think Roman probably wants to get settled in, and then we’re having dinner in two hours.” Patton turned to Roman. “Roman, you’re welcome to choose any room you want. Do you want help taking your stuff up?”

“No thanks. I can handle it.” Roman lifted his large duffle bag that contained his life and smiled. “Are the bedrooms upstairs?”

“Yup! If you need anything, I’ll be in the kitchen. I’m thinking spaghetti for dinner.”

“Sounds good,” Roman said. “I wouldn’t miss it.” As he turned toward the steps, Logan grabbed his hand. Then Virgil, already running for the stairs, grabbed Logan’s and they were off. Patton listened to the sounds of his sons racing around and their excited voices and went into the kitchen, feeling hopeful.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Virgil was running down the hall, dragging his brothers behind him, trying not to slip on the old sheet they’d thrown on the ground. It was very slippery on top of their slick wood floors, but Virgil and Logan had a destination: Roman’s door.

When Dad had explained to them that he was going to adopt someone, and that someone would become their sibling, the boys had immediately become very invested in acquiring that new sibling and making them feel as at home as possible. There was some confusion about how you can adopt an older sibling, but Dad explained everything really clearly and it made sense. Everybody needed a family, even if you were an adult. Or, an almost-adult.

Though they hadn’t come to any of the meetings to actually meet Roman, they made sure that Dad got them the information they needed - favorite colors, stuff he liked, all that jazz. Then, they had begun working. Logan mostly held stencils and mixed colors while Virgil did all the actual drawing and painting, and they made something they hoped Roman would love.

(Dad didn’t know what they’d been working on, though. He had been so busy with the adoption process, something Virgil and Logan understood was very serious and took lots of time, that he hadn’t come upstairs to tuck them into bed at all recently. But they weren’t bothered by it because it meant they had more time to work on their present for their new brother, Roman.)

As Roman was pulled down a hallway with five doors, his attention was caught by two of them, painted in amazing patterns and colors. One, from what he glimpsed, was mostly dark blue and black and white, with little pinpricks in all sorts of colors on it. A galaxy, Roman thought. The other was purple, in a hundred rich shades, with black words written all over it in a million different styles. He couldn’t tell what they read, but they looked beautiful.

The door they stopped in front of was directly across the hall from the other two painted doors. This one was an amalgamation of reds and oranges and yellows, mixed together and splotched all over the place in a haphazard pattern. There were faint outlines on the door of a lion and a mermaid. He thought there might be a meerkat and a warthog, and he could definitely see the cheshire cat. There were more outlines, but the lion took up the center space. It was outlined in bright, burning gold.

“This one’s your room!” Logan exclaimed. He bounced, looking up at Roman’s face.

“We, uh, we made the - the colors and - and the pictures. Dad said that you, uh, liked Disney? It’s not done, but, uhm, we’re gonna finish.” Virgil was red and looking abashed for the first time since Roman had met him. Roman looked back at the door, then at the two boys standing in front of him.

“You guys made this?” Roman’s voice was a near whisper. His eyes were wide.

“Yeah?” Now Logan seemed a little more hesitant. Roman had tears in his eyes as he crouched down next to them.

“This is. . .this is amazing. I love it.” Roman was suddenly tackled by both boys. He fell backward, and then they were both hugging him, and Roman laughed a little, high-pitched and awed. He had a Disney-themed door, painted by Virgil and Logan - his younger siblings? Roman hoped so. He hoped so badly that they were siblings, now.

“We chose the biggest room for you,” Logan said, pulling back and straightening his glasses. Virgil nodded along.

“Thank you.” Roman ruffled Logan’s hair, and Logan batted his hands away with a small screech. Virgil laughed a little at it and then they left. Roman finally went into his room, his very first permanent room that belonged only to him. It was fairly small and furnished only with a bed, dresser, and bookshelf. Everything was plain, but Patton had already promised that they were going to buy him sheets and posters and books and movies and whatever else Roman wanted.

Roman laid down on his bed, eyes shut, and listened to the house. There was water running downstairs somewhere. He could hear the soft babble of voices, and every once in a while, one rose up louder in a happy shout. There was music playing, quiet enough that Roman couldn’t tell what the words were. There was a bird outside his window, chirping sharply every few minutes. The wind blew through his window, tickling his hair against his face.

Roman sat up and smiled. This place could be home. The family dinners and customized doors, the giggling father and sons, the happy sounds that seemed to emanate from the house itself. This place was happy, and it was perhaps the first time in years that Roman didn’t feel like he was intruding on someone else’s happiness.

As Roman opened his door and stepped into the hallway, he knew that this was going to be forever, and it was going to be perfect. He had two younger brothers and a Dad now, and while he had doubted it before, he knew things were going to be good. They had accepted him, chose him out of everyone else. This family he had found was already amazing, and when he went down the stairs to go help with dinner, the only things Roman felt were happy and hopeful.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Taglist:

@trashcanego

@supersoftsupersleep

[melodiouswhite]

Live forever - Ch. 07

He hadn't been in the Ottoman Empire in a while.

Partly, because he'd had business in Europe, but mainly, because he spoke no Turkish or Persian and his Arabic was … unpresentable.

But when he said “get as far away from there as possible”, he meant it!

Perhaps he would take her even further away some day, but leaving their home nation had been hard enough, both physically and emotionally.

Upon their arrival in Athens, they encountered a Middle Eastern traveller, whom he promptly engaged in a conversation (in Greek, as that turned out to be the common language they spoke best).

The man looked a bit befuddled, when the European addressed him with a genial smile and told him that he wanted to refresh his Arabic, as he planned to go there. But he quickly recovered, laughed heartily and told them that he was Persian.

“I speak Arabic and Turkish too, but seriously? Do we all look the same to you Westerners?!”, he snickered.

He apologised awkwardly and told him that he had never been to the East before. “So I'm travelling to fix that.”

“How very wise!”

“Stop laughing!”, he huffed, “You couldn't tell where I'm from either!”

Now the Persian finally stopped laughing and took a closer look at him.

“Hmm … you're from England, right? With your red hair and-”

Now it was his turn to laugh: “Wrong! Try again.”

“France?”

“No. My daughter and I are from the Holy Roman Empire.”

The other man chuckled: “Alright, you win. Hey, what do you think about staying at my hotel with me? I'm sure my fellow travellers will be delighted to meet fellow Europeans.”

“Fellow travellers?”

“A couple from France. Very nice for Christians, no offence.”

“None taken”, he brushed it off graciously, but felt a bad hunch nagging at his guts.

A couple from France?

Gretchen seemed to sense his discomfort and huddled up to him. He smiled fondly and scooped her up in his arms.

“And unlike you, they're fluent in Arabic!”, the Persian added, teasing.

“Well, do you speak German, English or French?!”, he retorted snappishly.

“… Good point. Is that your daughter?”, the Persian asked, “She's so cute!”

“I know, right? The cutest!”, he cooed, while she rubbed her cheek against his shoulder.

“Is that all your luggage?”, the other inquired and pointed at his medium-sized bag. “It's very little for two people.”

“It's too dangerous to travel with a lot of luggage. Thieves, bandits and plunderers everywhere. I stopped counting how many times we nearly got-”

He stopped himself, when he felt his daughter tremble. He tightened his hold on her and cooed gentle words of comfort, until she stopped shivering.

“Let's not talk about that”, the Persian spoke up, “Come with me. The more the merrier! Like I said, my companions will be delighted to meet you – wait, let me carry that”, he added, when the alchemist tried to pick up his bag, while holding his daughter.

“Thank you”, he nodded gratefully, “By the way, what's your name? I would rather not refer to you as 'the Persian' all the time.”

The Persian stopped dead in his tracks. “By Allah, you're right! I forgot to introduce myself! I'm Reza Ibn Aziz. And you are?”

“Dr. Johann Georg Faust. And this is my little daughter Margarete.”

“It's a pleasure to meet you! Now come along!”

Mr. Ibn Aziz chattered merrily all the way about politics, travellers and merchants from all over the world and the beautiful ladies back in Isfahan.

Once they arrived at the hotel, their guide strolled through several rooms to a parlour, where several people were diverting themselves.

“I'm back!”, he cried cheerfully, “And I brought company!”

The alchemist's bad hunch from earlier was confirmed, when a tall, gaunt blond with silvery eyes and a pince-nez and a tiny, chubby brunette with brown eyes looked up and stared at him in recognition.

“By Mother Mary!”, he gasped.

“You?!”, Nicolas Flamel exclaimed.

“Jean?”, Perenelle Flamel cried out in surprise.

Mr. Ibn Aziz blinked: “You know each other?”

“Yes …”, he admitted, “We used to travel around together, but then we parted, after we had a little … disagreement.”

“He's sugarcoating it”, Nicolas clarified to Mr. Ibn Aziz.

“That much is clear”, the Persian deadpanned. “Believe it or not, we do know irony and sarcasm, where I come from.”

The German alchemist nearly jumped, when Gretchen tugged at his collar. “Papa, what is 'irony and sarcasm'? And are these two your friends?”

“I'll explain it later”, he told her. “And they were once.”

Perenelle stood up to greet them properly. She was obviously hurt, when he recoiled from being hugged, but didn't show it.

“It's so good to see you again!”, she said warmly.

“Thank you, Perenelle”, he replied blankly.

“And who is that little mademoiselle?”, she wanted to know.

He smiled: “That's my daughter. Isn't she just the cutest?”

He felt Gretchen's blush more than he saw it and she hid her face in the crook of his neck.

Perenelle laughed sweetly: “Well then, ma petite mignonne¹, how old are you?”

Gretchen mumbled in broken French, that she was seven and buried her face further into his neck.

He melted like butter and so did the Flamels and Mr. Ibn Aziz, because Gretchen was way too adorable for her own good.

In the late evening, when Gretchen was asleep and Mr. Ibn Aziz had retreated (to pray and because alcohol was apparently taboo for Muslims), that he and the Flamels sat together over cups of beer and talked.

“Did you burn Dee's notes?”, he inquired.

Perenelle nodded. “Yes, we did. We burned all the notes on black magic that we could find.”

Nicolas sighed: “And then we had to leave England immediately, because Perenelle had some … disputes with Dee, before he died and …”

“He insulted Nic”, Perenelle huffed. “So I cooked dinner for him in his last months. You know, some people just can't appreciate good food.”

“… You poisoned him.”

She frowned: “Poisoned is such a strong word! I just … mistook a few mushrooms and he was more than eighty years old.”

“… That's really creepy. Alright, I'm not letting either of you near my little Gretchen!”, he suddenly decided.

“Gretchen? Is that her name?” Nicolas totally butchered the pronunciation.

He shrugged: “It's Margarete actually. But Gretchen is shorter.”

“Is she really your daughter? She doesn't look anything like you.”

He sighed: “I adopted her a year ago. We both survived the Sack of Magdeburg. Her parents were both murdered and I found her wandering through a barren wasteland half-starved and disorientated. I … I just couldn't leave her alone. Not her. She was only six.”

Nicolas and Perenelle exchanged a sombre look.

“We heard of the sacking”, the blond Frenchman stated softly. “They talked about it everywhere in Europe. What we heard sounded horrible-”

“Horrible?!”, he echoed with a hollow laugh, “Horrible is not the word. There is no word. What we saw … it cannot be put into words, nor bewailed with tears².”

“So you two were really there? In all the horror?”

“Yes. Gretchen wasn't seriously harmed, when I found her, but she was in shock. My poor little girl saw her parents get mishandled in the worst way possible, before they got murdered. She managed to escape unnoticed, but … Holy Mother Mary, she is just a little child!”

“What about you?”, Perenelle asked gently.

All the traumatic memories returned to the forefront of his conscience. It hurt so much, he almost burst into tears. Instead he bit his lip, until it bled.

“Don't”, he warned, when Perenelle stood up to hug him.

He needed a few minutes to compose himself, before he told them everything – telepathically, just in case Gretchen would wake up.

At some point he gave up trying to appear aloof and strong and cried into his hands.

Normally he wasn't actually that emotional.

But he had nearly been raped and murdered several times, seen that very thing happen to countless people, had committed his first murders, had seen fire and brutally mangled corpses everywhere and so many other horrors, his body still bore the horrific burning scars and it was just all too much!

“Don't!”, he repeated, when the Flamels stood both up, but they didn't listen this time.

He almost screamed, when he felt their arms around him; he knew it was irrational, that he had nothing to fear from them, but he couldn't help it!

Nicolas was the first to notice and retreat. “Perenelle, let go. We're making it worse.”

She looked even more hurt than before, but obeyed her husband.

The younger alchemist soon stopped shivering and panicking and breathed calmly – as calmly as his bandages allowed, that was.

After a while he stopped weeping and glared weakly at them. “Don't ever try to hug me again. I hate body contact even more today than I did back then.”

“I'm sorry”, Perenelle apologised sadly, “We didn't know.”

“Of course you didn't. Unlike me, you have never seen a war zone in your life, despite being so much older than I!”

“We didn't want to see the horrors of war”, Nicolas explained quietly. “Witnessing the Black Death in our youth was terrible enough. What were you doing there anyway?”

The German alchemist lowered his head. “I … I just wanted to help. Civilians have it so hard to find good physicians these days … I didn't mean to stay at the forefront of the war, but there is nowhere to hide from it in the Empire. And when they began to besiege Magdeburg … I did consider leaving, but there were so many sick and I couldn't bring myself to abandon them. Well, and then it was too late.”

Nicolas instinctively took his hand, but retracted it immediately, when the younger man flinched.

“You're a good man”, the blond said gently.

The ginger-haired man sneered: “Ohhh, so you finally acknowledge that I'm a man and not a woman? What ever made you change your mind, Monsieur Nicolas The-Lord-doesn't-make-mistakes Flamel?”

“… You're still angry.”

He sighed and shook his head. “No. I was angry, but not anymore. I got tired of being angry after a while. I am, however, still hurt. And looking back, I'm also seriously disappointed.”

These words made the French couple look at him miserably, which didn't surprise him. He knew that the “Not angry, just disappointed”-phrase was a lot worse for most people, but it was the truth. And he saw no point in sugarcoating it.

“You didn't mind, that I have magical and psychic powers. Not even that I was only a Catholic on paper (I have converted to Protestantism, by the way) and then you fussed over this?!”

He pointed at his chest, that was hidden and flattened by the bandages he was wearing under his clothing.

“That was just hurtful. I thought you would be more understanding than this. That you would be kinder. And wiser.”

These words obviously cut even deeper with the other two, but he didn't care.

“But you were no different from anyone else, who knew. And I felt betrayed. Perenelle failed to understand, but unlike you, Nicolas, she tried. You didn't even bother with that! I'm almost 170 years old now and the only people in my life, who have ever understood and accepted me for who I am were my mother (even though she didn't like it) and now my daughter. My mother was an illiterate serf and Gretchen is only seven. You are two ingenious immortal alchemists. I know you're a product of your time, but that doesn't give you the right to judge m-”

“I'm sorry.”

“… Pardon?”

“I'm sorry”, the French alchemist repeated. “You're right. I have no right to judge you and I never did. I was supposed to be a friend to you and accept you for what you are and instead I pushed you away and treated you like a freak. I'm still not sure, if I understand it. But I do know now, that I was in the wrong and you never deserved any of it. And I'm sorry.”

The apology was followed by silence, broken only by the toll of the church bell. For the split of a second, he was startled that it was midnight already. Then he tore his attention away from the distant tolling, back to his companions.

It was only long after the last toll of the bell had sounded, that he broke the silence: “Took you long enough. I have waited thirty-two years for that apology.”

Then he cried again.

This time he allowed them to at least hold his hands.

“I missed you.”

---

1) Ma petite mignonne - French: My little cute one / my dearie

2) A contemporary’s description of the events of the Sack of Magdeburg, 20th May 1631.

[asterythm]

A is for Amour || Prince of Your Dreams (7)

Pairings: Slow burn Logicality, eventual Prinxiety Word Count: 3.9k Chapter Summary: "Once upon a time in a far-off kingdom, there lay a small village at the edge of the woods..." So the story begins, as Roman’s heard repeated hundreds of times before. But every fairy tale must have its villain -- now, who could that possibly be? Chapter Warnings: emotionally abusive/manipulative character originally inspired by Deceit, gaslighting, food mention

<< First Chapter || < Previous Chapter || Read this chapter on AO3

***

Auburn.

That was the colour of Roman Foley’s hair, a lovely kind of cross between red and brown and gold and all the other warm and fiery tones in between. It was already quite a handsome colour during the daytime, but right now it looked positively gorgeous (a fact that certainly hadn’t escaped Roman’s notice). The warm light cascading downwards from the street lamp above Roman’s head gave the impression that there was a fiery halo of sorts framing his face, illuminating his features with an almost otherworldly glow. 

But of course, he wasn’t just standing around for the sake of looking good; he’d just wanted to be able to see his friends’ faces as he talked to them. Though it was biting cold out and Roman knew that he had a limited amount of time before he had to head to rehearsals, it was only a couple of minutes extra that Roman wanted to spend chatting — surely that would be okay. 

Besides, Roman’s best friend Kai Brenton was in the middle of the funniest story, and Roman didn’t want to leave without finding out how it ended.

“…so then I told her, that’s not a weasel, that’s my sister!” finished Kai, a wide grin on his face. Roman laughed again, loudly. 

Not all of them found the punchline quite so amusing, though. On the other side of Roman, another of his friends spoke up between sips of green tea. “Uh, pause, pause, pause — you have a sister? How come you never told us about her?” Remy Somnus asked.

“What? What made you think I had a sister?”

“That was the whole point of the joke, Rem,” said Elliot, elbowing his fraternal twin in the ribs. “Come on, were you even listening at all?”

Remy scoffed as he drained the last dregs of tea from his plastic Starbucks cup. “Okay, whatever, my bad. You know I love you, Brenton babe, but I had more important things on my mind.” He took careful aim before throwing the cup in a graceful arc through the air. It landed in the snow next to the trash can he’d been shooting for. “Dang.”

“Yeah, it’s chill. You know I don’t really care.” Kai gave his sassy friend first a shrug, then a punch on the shoulder.

“Ow! Hey, you just said you don’t care!” protested Remy. Rubbing at his sore shoulder, he looked between Elliot and Kai. “What’s with all the violence today?”

“I meant that I don’t care about you not listening; littering is a whole ‘nother story. Pick up your trash, moron. Mother Nature works hard to protect us. You’d probably have better aim if you weren’t wearing those sunglasses all the time, by the way.”

Remy did as he was told, jogging over to grab the cup… but not without protest. “Okay, seriously? Is no one gonna, like, ask me about what I was talking about just now?” Roman’s ever-sassy friend loudly complained over his shoulder in a mock-annoyed tone of voice. “Like, with the whole more important things on my mind thing? I’m gonna be honest, I’m feeling a little unappreciated here.” Remy bent down to pick up the plastic cup, tossed it into the bin, and made his way back to the group. “But, you know, any of you could speak up right now. And make me feel not unappreciated. It would be, like super easy to satisfy the curiosity that’s probably… burning inside of you right now. You just have to ask.” 

A pause. 

“Oh my gosh, do I have to spell it out for you guys? Why do I even try? I don’t even know why I try. Seriously, all you’ve gotta do is say —” 

Fondly grinning, Roman interrupted his friend. “Hey, Remy, what were you talking about just now with the whole more important things on your mind thing?”

“Aha — there we go, thank you!” Remy glared at Elliot and Kai. “See, guys, this is why Roman is, like, a hundred times better than all of you combined.”

Out of the corner of his mouth, Roman mumbled, “Sometimes I feel like you’re even more dramatic than I am, Remy.”

“No way anyone could ever be more dramatic than you, hun,” quietly shot back Remy before he cleared his throat to address all three of them. “I’m so glad you asked. See, the thing is, you ladies have all been acting real stressed out lately, about school or work or home stuff or whatever, and TBH it’s really stressing me out too. You know we can’t have that. Stress makes you wrinkle up. So I took it upon myself to head down to my favourite club, the good ol’ Lemon Lime Loophole, and I rented out a private karaoke room for us four.“ As Remy spoke, Roman watched both Kai and Elliot perk up with delight. Remy continued, “Just a fun night out to relax and unwind. Dear Britney Spears knows it’s been too long since our last karaoke night, and you all obviously really need it.”

“Hang on, did you actually?” exclaimed Elliot, eyes gleaming. 

“Remy, that’s perfect!” Next to him, Kai bounced gleefully up and down. “Aah, this is gonna be so much fun!”

“I know, I know, I’m the best. Say thank you, Remy…”

“Thank you, Remy!” Kai and Elliot chorused like little children, almost in perfect unison with each other, before returning to their enthusiastic babbling, faster and louder until they were almost tripping over every word before flying to the next. 

Roman, in the meantime, said nothing at all.

But none of his friends noticed Roman’s uncharacteristic silence: Kai and Elliot were already enthusiastically working out a list of songs they wanted to get through before the end of the evening, and Remy was busy soaking in the praise, obviously pleased with himself and the positive response to his brilliant idea.

After preening for another moment or two, Remy said, “Come on, let’s hurry. We’ve got twenty minutes to get there or they’ll give away our reservation to someone else. I’ll drive, cool?” 

That was when Roman finally spoke up. “Guys…” he began. “I’d love to come along — really, I would. But I have a rehearsal today, remember? For Into the Woods . You didn’t forget, did you?” He was dismayed to see the joy in his three friends’ faces immediately fizzle out.

“…Well, damn,” mumbled an uncharacteristically spiritless Remy at last. “I did forget. Sorry, Roman.”

(Yeah, thought Roman — though of course he didn’t say anything out loud — I kind of figured as much.)

“Maybe — maybe we can reschedule!” It was Kai this time, trying (and failing) to hide his disappointment. “We’ll find another time when we can all go together.”

“Wait, what? No! No, that’s not what I’m saying at all!” Roman spluttered in surprise. “No, you guys can totally go ahead. Don’t let me stop you! I mean, yes, I wish I could be there with you, but just because I’m not coming doesn’t mean you have to give up on this, too.”

“But… I don’t want you to feel bad about missing out.”

“Honestly, it would just make me feel way worse if I knew that you skipped out on your karaoke night just to make me feel better.”

Elliot hesitated. “Are you sure?”

“Yeah, positive!” Roman said, much more confidently than he felt. He forced a smile. Showing any kind of weakness or doubt was out of the question; he had to convince Remy, Elliot and Kai that it really was okay for them to go ahead without him, and the only way he was sure he could convince them was by convincing himself of the same thing. It was undeniably easy to tell how much his friends wanted to do this. Roman was determined not to let his own scheduling conflict stop them. “Go on, go have fun. Just promise me you’ll do something from Hamilton for me, okay?”

“...Okay,” Kai finally agreed after a long pause. “Thanks, Roman.”

“And Remy has to be Peggy.”

“Hey — what? Hell no!” 

“Relax, Rem, I was kidding! Agh! Don’t hurt me!”

***

“I must have her —”

Prince Charming paused dramatically, taking a deep breath before raising his chin and hardening his features into a resolute mask —

“— to wife…“

Holding the ending note (a high one, for sure, but nothing that he couldn’t handle), Prince Charming stood from the painted drama box he’d been sitting on and crossed the stage to meet up with the Other Prince. One strong and rich, the other clear and sweet, their voices together formed a beautiful blend to fill every square inch of previously empty space in the rehearsal room.

Prince Charming made eye contact with his scene partner a beat before the music cut off. He grinned. The Other Prince grinned back.

A second of silence.

And then the scene was over, and Prince Charming was Roman and the Other Prince was Kyle again, and the silence was broken by the sound of sparse applause from a handful of the other cast members who had been watching the duet play out. It wasn’t the first time that they had gone through the song without any mistakes or silly little slip-ups, but it was the first time that the entire scene had gone off without a hitch. Both Princes had followed their blocking to a T and not once had either of them needed to call for line. The scene had come together perfectly, and both of them knew it.

So, apparently, did his director, Adri. Satisfaction was clear to be seen on her glowing face as she joined in on the scattered applause. “Excellent work, Roman, Kyle! You’ve still got to pay attention to your volume and make sure you’re not pushing the tempo of the song too much, but otherwise, that was flawless. Keep up the good work.” She turned to address the rest of the room. “Alright, folks, that’s the last of our scene-by-scene work for the day. Make sure you’re drinking plenty of water. We’ll take five and then run the show from the top, so you’re all going to want to be well-hydrated.” 

The room leapt to life the second she finished speaking. Roman and Kyle shared a quick high-five before making their way offstage, chatting all the way.

“Awesome job, Roman!” said Kyle encouragingly.

“Oh, thank you so much! Right back at you, of course. This scene is going to turn out marvellously, I can just feel it.”

Kyle nodded, cheerful. “Well, I could go for a cup of coffee. Want anything?”

“Coffee?” Roman raised his eyebrows. "At half past nine? Kyle, it’s been dark out for at least two hours already. How do you expect to get any sleep tonight if you drink coffee now?”

“Ehh… I guess you’re right. Maybe I’ll just get bubble tea or something instead.”

“Boba’s good.” Roman said with a nod. “Just make sure you’re back before break’s over or Adri might bite your head off.”

“Heh, yeah — wait, you’re not coming with?”

“No, I think I’ll hang back. Go over the script a few more times before we start, you know? And maybe get some notes from Adri while I’m at it.”

“Gotcha. No worries. See you soon, man.” Kyle grabbed his coat and stepped out with a wave goodbye. Roman wandered over to his backpack to grab a drink of water. Then, he pulled out a granola bar and, munching on the healthy snack, he began flipping through the pages of his script. He was checking for any issues, anything that might get in the way of a flawless performance (he would settle for nothing less), making sure he hadn’t forgotten any of the blocking or any lines since the last time they’d run the show all the way. As expected, though, Roman’s careful search turned out to be unnecessary. 

Which was great, except now he had nothing to do; he’d realized only after getting to rehearsal that he’d left his laptop at home by accident, meaning he couldn’t spend his break finishing up any schoolwork like he would typically do. Roman reached for his bag, put away his script. Without anything to keep him busy, it wasn’t long before his mind began freely wandering. His imagination took him anywhere and everywhere and nowhere in particular all at once — then suddenly made a crash landing somewhere familiar: a private karaoke room within the walls of the Lemon Lime Loophole night club. 

Roman still couldn’t help but feel guilty for turning down Remy’s kind offer. His three friends had seemed so disappointed when he’d said that he couldn’t go with them, but it couldn’t be helped; he’d made the commitment to attend rehearsals and he had to see it through.

But, well… to be completely honest, Roman may not have agreed to go with the three of them even if he hadn’t had rehearsal that day. Not because he didn’t want to, or because he didn’t think that karaoke with his friends would be a fun time — Roman was sure that if he had gone with his friends to the Lemon Lime tonight, he would have ended up having the time of his life singing crazy show tunes or Disney songs with them.  

There was just one problem: what would Monet think? If the simple act of convincing his boyfriend to let him visit home every other weekend made Roman feel like he was walking on fragile eggshells, then trying to schedule a time and place to hang out with his friends was like — like strapping on ice skates with working chainsaws in place of blades and dancing a complex, fast-paced jig on top of those same eggshells. 

It would often end up taking days or sometimes even weeks of careful negotiations before Monet was willing to let Roman go anywhere without being by his side at all times. And even then, there were still rules that Roman had to follow: no flirting, be home by x o’clock, no more than four drinks, if anyone tries to hit on you then leave immediately, don’t show too much skin when you go out, send me a text and a photo every hour… All reasonable requests, and Roman could certainly understand where his boyfriend was coming from, but the fact remained that they were rules nonetheless. Sometimes it felt like the list never stopped growing.

It didn’t help that the three people who made up Roman’s closest circle of friends were all attractive young men the same age as Roman, either. Though Roman was being completely honest when he told Monet that all of them were only friends, Kai, Elliot, and Remy were undeniably handsome and there was, of course, never a dull moment with them around. 

It was easy to see why Monet, committed as he was to their relationship, might get a little bit distressed over how often Roman was hanging around the three of them. In fact, when Roman looked at the situation from his boyfriend’s point of view, he realized that Monet was already being generous enough, letting Roman spend as much time as he did with his group of friends. It wasn’t fair of Roman to ask for even more. And yet Monet was still willing to give it to him, under the right circumstances. 

Roman sighed. That boy really is incredible.

So though a night of karaoke with his friends was a pleasant thought in theory, Roman had known the second Remy extended the invitation that there was no way he’d be able to go. Really, he was grateful for the schedule conflict between Remy’s reservation and his rehearsal. Explaining that he couldn’t go because of a prior commitment was so much easier than explaining that he couldn’t go because his boyfriend wouldn’t like it; that latter option made Monet sound like a cruelly controlling criminal, which he wasn’t — but though Roman understood Monet’s motives perfectly well on his own, he had found that he always ran into difficulty when he tried to explain them to other people…

Two sharp claps interrupted Roman’s train of thought. A quick glance at the clock on the wall revealed that his break was over. Just as well; Roman’s spirits were starting to sag a little, thinking about the karaoke he was missing out on. But there was plenty of singing to do here at rehearsal, wasn’t there?

Roman rose to his feet, tossed the granola bar wrapper into the trash, and did some quick warm-ups to ensure he was fully prepared; a few brief stretches, a vocal sigh, one or two quiet tongue twisters. He finished up and turned just in time to greet Kyle, who was rushing in with a half-finished plastic cup of bubble tea in his hands. The sight immediately reminded Roman of Remy’s antics with a similar plastic cup earlier that day, but he quickly pushed the thought aside. Stop thinking about them, he ordered himself. It’s rehearsal time. Focus!

“Kyle, just in time,” Roman greeted with a smile.

Kyle put his drink in a safe place where it wouldn’t spill over and made eye contact with Roman. He didn’t smile back this time. “Who’s Kyle?”  

“Oh. Right, my bad.”

Kyle — pardon, the Other Prince — was apparently in character already. Perhaps Roman ought to be doing the same.

Roman breathed in, deeply, drawing as much oxygen into his diaphragm as he could, and let his eyelids flutter gently shut. Then, he slowly released the air from his lungs, and released all the bits and pieces of “Roman” with it.

While the young man melted away, the music began. Light, crystalline, clear, bouncing. Then, gently, came the singing: 

“I wish —”

“More than anything —”

By the time the young man opened his eyes again, Roman had dissolved into the background, no more than a ghost fluttering between steady, rhythmic pulses. 

“More than life —”

“More than jewels —”

And in his place, standing where Roman had once stood: a perfect Prince Charming.

“I wish…”

***

Roman was so tired by the time he got back to his and Monet’s house that evening, he ended up collapsing on the couch only seconds after he’d finished hanging up his thick winter coat. Stretching, Roman let out a huge yawn. The rest of his rehearsal had gone just fine, but the single granola bar he had packed for himself hadn’t been completely sufficient to keep his energy levels up. After all of the jumping around and running back and forth and vocal work, the drive home that day had been a long one.

Hearing Monet shuffling up behind him, Roman turned around. He watched Monet take in Roman’s state of being for a brief handful of seconds, then Roman’s boyfriend gave Roman a small smile and sat down next to him on the couch.

“Hey there, Prince Charming. Long day, huh?” 

Roman let another yawn, somehow even bigger than the last, escape. That was answer enough.

“Oh, you poor thing, you must be completely worn out.” Monet shook his head as he wrapped a protective arm around Roman, pulling him close. “I’m so proud of you, Princey. You’ve been working so hard on this show of yours! I’d bet you anything that when show week begins, you’re going to be the best actor on the stage.” 

Roman snuggled up against his boyfriend’s shoulder, breathing in his familiar scent. Hot chocolate on a cold winter day. "Heh. You’re just saying that.”

“No, I mean it. You’re crazy good, Ro,” Monet insisted. “You’re definitely going to become a world-famous actor some day, I’m sure of it. And then every time I see that cute face of yours plastered on a billboard or magazine cover or something, I can point and say, ‘You see that guy? Roman Foley, the bright shining superstar? He’s my boyfriend, you know.’ Everyone’s going to be so jealous of me.”

“I, uh…” 

For some reason, Monet’s usually welcome compliments left Roman feeling a little hollow inside today. But I suppose it’s the thought that counts. 

Luckily, though Roman was tired, he wasn’t so out of power that he couldn’t even act out some enthusiasm for Monet’s sake.

“...appreciate that,” he eventually settled for, giving Monet a quick peck on the cheek before returning his head to its resting position. “You’re always too good to me, you know.”

Roman felt his boyfriend’s shoulder shake a little bit as Monet chuckled. “Oh, trust me — I know.”

With that, the two of them were back to cuddling. It was nice, but Roman couldn’t help but feel like he should be saying something.

“You are coming to watch the performance, right?” he eventually settled on.

Roman couldn’t see his face, but he could tell from his tone of voice that Monet was smiling. “Of course I’m coming to watch the performance. I promised I would, didn’t I? Trust me, Ro, I wouldn’t miss it for the world.”

Then, all of a sudden, Roman’s head hit the couch cushions. Monet had stood up without warning and was now watching Roman expectantly. 

With a considerable amount of effort, Roman pushed himself back up to a sitting position, grumbling. “Come baaaack... I was comfortable!” he whined. “Don’t just abandon me here, Monet.”

“It’s getting late, and you’re tired. I wasn’t about to let you fall asleep on top of me. You’d have woken up cramped and sore all over.” Monet reached out and grabbed Roman’s hand. “Come on, sleepy head, let’s get you to up the stairs and into bed.” Ignoring Roman’s further protests, Monet pulled him to his feet. 

Roman swayed in place for a moment before heavily settling back down onto the couch. “Nuh-uh, not moving. Couch soft.”

“The bed’s softer, silly. I already said, you’ll be sore in the morning if you sleep down here. Let’s go.”

Hearing a note of impatience in his boyfriend’s tone, Roman gave a small groan, but got up just like Monet asked. He leaned on Monet all the way over to their staircase, at which point Monet remembered an unfinished assignment and left Roman to fend for himself. So Roman climbed up the stairs and got ready for bed on his own, all the while swearing he could hear scattered notes and lyrics from Into the Woods still bouncing sluggishly from ear to tired ear:

It takes two . I thought one was enough, it’s not true — it takes two of us .

Humming the song’s simple melody, Roman slid with a contented sigh under the soft gold and red covers of the double bed that he and Monet shared. 

(You came through — when the journey was rough, it took you — it took two of us.)

Monet had been totally right, just like he always was. The bed was way softer.

(It takes care — it takes patience and fear and despair — to change.)

But something was distinctly missing: the warmth of another person beside him. 

(Though you swear to change, who can tell if you do?)  

Tired though he was, Roman always felt so small when he lay all alone in their large bed. Even as he drifted off, he found himself wishing for someone to lie there next to him.

(It takes two.)

***

[next chapter]

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