#sympathetic remy

[a-small-batch-of-dragons]

Cuddle Bugs | The Swarm

Very recently, I got to thinking about Cuddle Bugs, the fic you have where Virgil is raising his gaggle of kids and how much I *adored it*. Is Virgil a single parent in that fic? Has he ever had any potential romantic partner(s)? And how did the kids take it, were they suspicious of this sudden guy sending their dad flowers, wooing him, etc? It is hilarious to imagine a kinda "several moments where the kids disapprove of a man courting their dad, and the one time they don't" sort of fic. And the guy that they eventually gave their blessing to to date their dad is Remy or smth. :D – anon

Read on Ao3 Part 1 (not fully necessary but does establish the world)

Warnings: none!!!

Pairings: virgil/remy

Word Count: 2865

Virgil starts to see someone. His children have...opinions.

 

“I hope you don’t mind,” Virgil says as he opens the door, “but I’ve got one of my kids still here, his club got canceled and the babysitter has her exams this week.”

“Oh, it’s no trouble at all.” Remy puts his sunglasses on top of his head. “Given that you’ve got five of the little munchkins, I figured I’d normally get you with one of them.”

“Yeah, well, it’s not like we—“

“Dad? Is that you?”

“Yeah, Pop Star, it’s me!” Out of the corner of his eyes, he sees Remy mouthing Pop Star? He just shakes his head and turns to see Patton barrel down the stairs, his cat plushie held tightly under his chin. “Hey, there he is.”

Patton screeches to a halt when he sees Remy,. Remy waves a little bit and Patton pouts. Honest to god pouts.

“Who’s that?”

“I’m Remy. I’m a friend of your dad’s. Is it cool if I hang out for a bit?”

“Are you waiting for something?”

“Pat,” Virgil says softly and Patton glances at him, “he’s my friend. Friends can stay over for a bit, can’t they?”

Patton shuffles a little bit. “But you normally go to your friends and then Amy comes and stays with us.”

“That’s right, but that doesn’t mean I can’t have my friends over too, does it?”

Patton shrugs. “Is he staying for dinner? We have enough for garlic bread since Ro and Re aren’t home.”

“I like garlic bread.”

“You like any carb,” Virgil mutters, mainly for Remy to hear, and he just grins. “Well, does that mean you’re gone help me, Pop Star?”

“I can help. Can I put Winston on the counter?”

“Who’s Winston?”

Patton indignantly holds up the plushie, who Virgil could swear was named Star yesterday. “This is Winston!”

“Right, sorry. Yes, Winston can stay on the counter as long as he stays away from any of the food.”

“He doesn’t like garlic, it makes his breath smell really bad.”

”Garlic makes everybody’s breath smell bad, buddy.”

Patton wrinkles his nose as they move into the kitchen. “You should tell Janus that, he says it doesn’t work on him.”

”Oh, it works alright,” Virgil says under his breath and Remy laughs. As Patton bustles ahead to set Winston down on the safest part of the counter, he turns. “Thank you for doing this. I know it wasn’t what we planned—“

“Virgil. Sweetheart. I’d be an idiot to turn down fresh homemade garlic bread.” Remy pats his shoulder. “Besides, I think your little Pop Star has it covered.”

“You’re so gonna ask me about that later, aren’t you?”

“As soon as he’s out of the room.”

Virgil groans.

***

2.

“Logan? Where’d you go, bud?”

“I’m over here, Dad, I found the book i wanted.”

Virgil ducks around the end of the library shelf and sure enough, there’s his little genius sitting on the floor, cross-cross applesauce just as polite as can be, looking intently at t a book with pretty rocks on the front cover. He drops to one knee to ruffle his hair—and hear him squawk.

“What’s this one about?”

“Gemstone and minerals. The teacher said something in science class about how scientists can find out things based on the layers of rock and what would’ve been there when the dinosaurs were here and so I wanted to know more about how different types of rocks are made and do you know what iridium is?”

“Iridium? No, what is it?”

“It’s a type of really rare metal that’s actually more common in rocks from space so scientists can guess when and where they landed based on the amount of iridium.” Logan points to a picture of an asteroid. “See?”

“Whoa. That’s cool. How do they find out what’s iridium and what’s not?”

“I don’t know. I haven’t gotten that far yet.”

“That’s my boy.” Virgo ruffles his hair one more time—Logan doesn’t even notice, already absorbed in the book—and looks around for the front desk. “Do you want to check this one out and read it at home?”

“I don’t know if this one will have it.”

“Did you check the index like Ms. Tori taught you?”

“Yeah, but I don’t know if it’ll be under iridium or something else, so I’m looking.”

“Virgil?”

Virgil turns. “Remy? What’re you doing here?”

Remy walks over to them, eyeing Logan. “That’s…a different one than the one I met last time, right?”

“Yeah, this is a different one. Logan, can you say hi to my friend?”

”Hello.” Logan looks up. “You work at the museum?”

Remy glances at his name tag. “Yeah, I do. You got sharp eyes, kid.”

“Do you know what iridium is?”

“Tell you what,” Virgil says quickly, “let’s go check that book out and you and Remy can talk about iridium while we do that, okay?”

Remy, as it turns out, does know about iridium. Even better, he knows the part of museum where they explain how scientists do research with it. Virgil has a hard time prying Logan away from him when the book is all checked out, but he does get the plan for their next date all squared away.

“Just bring your little genius with you, otherwise we’ll both never hear the end of it.”

“You don’t have to tell me twice.”

***

3.

“Thank you for tonight,” Virgil says softly as they pull up to his house, “I really enjoyed it.”

”Hey, of course. There’s nothing wrong with a good old fashioned dinner and movie date.” Remy leans over to give him a quick kiss on the cheek. ‘I’m glad you had fun.”

“Yeah, it was…really great.” Virgil glances up at the house. “You, uh, wanna come in for a drink before you drive home?”

“I’ll steal your bathroom, how’s that?”

“Mind the load-bearing wall, it tends to get stuck on the studs.”

Remy laughs as they get out, their breaths condensing in the cool night air. Virgil fishes in his pocket for the keys, the lazy contentment of a well-spent evening making his movements slow and a little clumsy. He eventually gets the door open just as Remy’s hands come to settle on his shoulders.

“You got it?”

“Mm.” He pushes the door open. “Still sure I can’t convince you to have one drink?”

”I’m driving.”

“Who said anything about alcohol?”

Remy’s eyes light up. “Why, Virgil, is this you telling me you’ll make me a nice fancy cup of coffee in your fancy coffee machine?”

“Oh, no, you said you only needed to use the bathroom, so—“

Remy pulls him back when he goes to turns way and kisses him properly. “Don’t do that to me, you menace, am I getting my coffee or not?”

“Go use the bathroom,” Virgil laughs, “then we’ll see.”

Remy gives him a look but turns to go off down the hall. Virgil chuckles, shaking his head. After he shrugs off his coat and shoes, keys in the key bowl, he goes to the kitchen and starts turning on his fancy coffee machine. What can he say, he’s a sucker for someone who appreciates the hard work it takes to make a good cup.

He’s considering what mug Remy would loathe the most when he hears a shout from down the hall.

“Remy? Is everything okay?”

He’s already moving. Dad instincts. He rounds the corner to see Remy frozen against the wall and a little bit further into the darkness, he sees gleaming eyes and a grinning mouth. He sighs.

“Remus, you’re supposed to be in bed.”

Remus giggles. Remy lets out a quiet noise as his little gremlin scuttles—yes, scuttles— forward and grins up at Remy. Remy gives him a little wave and he giggles again, leaving something on his foot before skittering up the stairs. Virgil sighs, leaning down to pick up—oh. It’s Remus’s green toy car.

“That,” Remy whispers as they hear a door creak open and shut, “was terrifying.”

“Yeah, sorry. I would’ve warned you about him.”

“You didn’t even flinch!”

“Yeah, well, after you wake up to him staring at you three inches from your face without saying a word a few times, you get used to it.”

Remy looks more than mildly horrified. Virgil holds up the toy.

“But hey, he gave you his green car, that means he likes you.”

”You literally have a gremlin.”

“Uh-huh.”

“Can you feed him after midnight?”

“I can’t feed him after nine.”

Remus shudders. “Now you’re definitely making me a cup of coffee before I leave.”

***

4.

He’s on the phone with Remy when there’s a little knock on his door. He pulls the phone away from his mouth and calls out and his little prince peeks his head around the door, his nose all red and his eyes all wet.

“Oh, hey,” he murmurs, sitting up and holding out his arms, “hey, Princey, what’s the matter?”

Little Roman lets out a sob and hurries across the room to fling himself into Virgil’s lap. Virgil hugs him immediately, pressing a kiss to the crown of his head.

“Hey, baby, what’s wrong? Can you tell me what’s going on?” Roman just sobs again. His little hiccuping breaths keep seizing against Virgil’s chest and he closes his eyes. “Shh, shh, baby, you’re okay. You’re safe, I’ve got you, I’m right here.”

“Is everything okay?” Remy asks quietly and Virgil jumps. He’d…forgotten he was on the phone.

“Roman’s crying,” he mutters back, “don’t know why.”

“Do you want to hang up?”

Virgil’s about to say yes when he notices that Roman’s not sobbing as much anymore. Instead, his little pouty face is peering up at the phone.

“Hey, Princey, it’s Remy. Can you hear him?” Roman nods. “You wanna say hi?”

He nods again and Virgil sets the phone on the other pillow tapping the speaker icon and hoisting his baby up onto his lap.

“You’re on speaker, Remy. Roman wants to say hi.”

“Hey, Roman,” comes Remy’s voice through the phone, “I hear you’re having a bad time right now, I’m sorry.”

Roman sniffles and clings his to Virgil a little more.

“I was just about to tell your dad about this story my zookeeper friend was telling me about their pandas. Do you wanna hear it?”

Roman nods and Virgil kisses his head. “Yeah, Remy, we’d like to hear about the pandas.”

Remy begins to tell a story about a panda getting confused by a little kid in a big white snow coat with a black hat. Apparently it thought the child was a pup that had gotten outside the enclosure, so it followed them around and around the pen, pawing at the window to try and figure out how to get the baby back. The poor thing had been so confused when the child took the coat off and had run to the other side of the enclosure.

Virgil goes to laugh again only to realize there's a snoozing Roman on his chest and laughing would definitely wake the poor thing up.

"He okay?" Remy asks when Virgil's side of the phone goes quiet.

"Yeah. He's just asleep now." He shifts to get a better angle so Roman won't wake up with a crick in his neck. "Sorry about that."

"Hey, nightmares get everybody. It's not the first time I've put someone to sleep with a story."

Virgil huffs a laugh. "Yeah?"

"Oh, my college friends used to call me Sleep 'cause I could knock 'em all out."

"Yeah, that sounds about right."

Remy makes a quiet offended noise that quickly turns into a laugh. "You two gonna bed down now?"

"That's probably for the best. Talk tomorrow?"

"See you then."

***

5.

Janus comes into the living room, sits down on the end of the couch, and puts his elbows on his knees like he's the kid genius in a supervillain movie, staring at Remy. Virgil's just about to scold him for being impolite when Remy, without missing a beat, puts his phone down and gets into the same position: criss-cross applesauce, elbows on knees, fingers steepled in front of his chin.

Virgil makes the very smart and reasonable decision to just see how this plays out.

"You're over here a lot," Janus says first.

"This is true."

"Why?"

"I like your dad. I want to spend time with him."

Virgil coughs to hide how red his face goes at that. Janus doesn't even notice.

"Why here?"

"Because your dad cares about you and your brothers a lot, and it makes him feel better to have you close in case anything goes wrong."

"Does that bother you?"

"Not at all."

Now, here's the thing: both Janus and Virgil are surprised by that. Technically, Janus has the smaller of their two reactions because he's in whatever interrogation mode this is—shit, his kid is giving the guy he's dating a shovel talk, isn't he, that's what's happening right now—but Virgil…Virgil just stares at him.

"Virgil is someone I care about, doesn't it make sense that I would care about the people he cares about?"

"Not necessarily."

Remy frowns. "Why not?"

"That hasn't been true of everyone that Dad's seen before."

"Okay," Virgil mutters, shifting on the couch, "we don't have to bring any of that up."

"Well, then those people should hope we're never in a room together, or else I might have to have a very nice, long, detailed chat with them about how wrong they are."

"Can I help?"

"Certainly."

"Guys," Virgil says, because this is very quickly spiraling into something it should absolutely not be—even if part of him is struggling not to find the whole thing very endearing, "I think that's enough."

"What's your favorite food?"

"I'm a big fan of spaghetti and meatballs."

"What about garlic bread?"

"I'll never say no to garlic bread."

"Are you staying for dinner?"

Remy just looks at Virgil, who shrugs. He looks back at Janus. "Is that alright with you?"

"Will you help us make garlic bread?"

"Absolutely, I will."

"Then come on, I'm hungry and the twins will start screaming in half an hour if they aren't fed."

"Oh, you're all gremlins, aren't you?"

Virgil doesn't quite know how that leads into Janus and Remy having a very heated debate about monsters and…something else, but he doesn't have to make dinner that night, so he's counting it as a win.

***

+1.

Virgil comes out of the bathroom and stifles a snort.

"I'm scared to move," Remy whispers, Patton's head nearly sliding off his shoulder, "help."

Movie nights had always been sacred in the household. They were for family only, they were a time where all of them put aside their differences and just spent the night cuddled up on the couch—sometimes going to sleep in Virgil's bed in a big pile too—and no one was willing to rupture the sanctity with things like arguments or fights.

Which is why, when all of the little munchkins clamored for Remy to come to a movie night, Virgil had a sneaking suspicion in might end this way.

All the kids had agreed on the movie beforehand—another rarity—settling on the new Puss in Boots movie that'd come out pretty recently. Remy had been sat on the outside of the couch at first, only for the kids to make, cajole, plead, and order him to come closer almost as soon as the movie started. Virgil had just chuckled and passed Patton over to sit on his lap, the others grabbing onto his arms, his hands, even his legs. He'd gone to the bathroom once they'd gotten to the forest and…

Well, he's come out to see his little ones absolutely sprawled over Remy.

Patton's still in his lap, his head on one shoulder. Somehow Janus has gotten there too, his arms wrapped around Remy's chest like a plushie. Roman is on his right, hand tangled in his hair, Logan on his left with a grip on his hand. Remus lays across his feet, snoozing away. God, Virgil loves them.

"Was this your ploy," Remy whispers as Virgil walks back over, the movie still playing quietly in the background, "to get me here and trap me with your adorable children?"

"No, but I can't say I'm too upset that it's happened."

"They're the cutest snare in the world."

"Mhm. And there's no escape from them."

Remy laughs as Virgil leans down to kiss him. "I'm not all that mad about it, now that I think about it."

Virgil smiles. "No. I'm not either."

General Taglist: @frxgprince@potereregina@gattonero17@iamhereforthegayshit@thefingergunsgirl@awkwardandanxiousfander@creative-lampd-liberties@djpurple3@winterswrandomness@sanders-sides-uncorrect-quotes@iminyourfandom@bullet-tothefeels@full-of-roman-angst-trash  @ask-elsalvador @ramdomthingsfrommymind@demoniccheese83@pattonsandershugs @el-does-photography @princeanxious@firefinch-ember@fandomssaremysoul@im-an-anxious-wreck@crazy-multifandomfangirl @punk-academian-witch@enby-ralsei@unicornssunflowersandstuff@wildhorsewolf @thetruthaboutthesun @stubbornness-and-spite @princedarkandstormv  @your-local-fookin-deadmeme @angels-and-dreams@averykedavra @a-ghostlight-for-roman @treasurechestininterweb @cricketanne @queerly-fluid-fan @compactdiscdraws@cecil-but-gayer@i-am-overly-complicated@annytheseal@alias290@tranquil-space-ninja @arxticandy @mychemically-imbalanced-romance@whyiask@crows-ace @emilythezeldafan@frida0043 @ieatspinalcords @snowyfires@cyanide-violence@oonagh2@xxpanic-at-the-everywherexx@rabbitsartcorner @percy-07734@triflingassailantofmyemotions @virgil-sanders-the-gay-emo@cerulean-watermelon@puffed-up-bees@meltheromanstan@joyrose-fandomer@insanitori@mavenmush@justablah65@10paradox10@uhhh-hi-there-i-am-nervous@cutebisexualmess@bella-bugatti-frogetti-baguetti@ultrageekygirl

#dragonbabbles #sanders sides #virgil sanders #roman sanders #remus sanders #sympathetic remus #janus sanders #deceit sanders #sympathetic deceit #patton sanders #logan sanders #remy sanders #sleep sanders #fic

[whqreforstevengrant]

just some mommies for the HS AU

#analogical #logan sanders #remus sanders #virgil sanders #patton sanders #roman sanders #sander sides #thomas sanders #emile picani #intruality #janus sanders #roceit #sleep sanders #sympathetic deceit #sympathetic remus #tw deciet #tw remus #highschool au #my art #remy sanders

[anonymous-gremlin]

Remy has the power to put people to sleep and later wake them up.

When he can't sleep due to his insommia, he would use his powers on himself, forcing himself to sleep, knowing that his alarm will wake him up in the morning.

He can wake the others up but to wake himself up, he needs his alarm clock that's on his watch.

Now what if one day, his watch is gone one night?

Remy doesn't wake up. And the others have no idea how to wake him.

Who took the watch? And why did they do it?

#remy angst #unsympathetic sides #the one taking the watch #they could also be sympathetic #depends on why they did it #would be cool in a superhero au #sanders sides super hero au #or just normal

[fanfic-inator795]

Man, like- Chip Whistler isn't even my favorite BCG character (Bill, Vasquez, Remy, Cricket and Tilly all outrank him by a wiiiiide margin) but the way the BCGs writers have developed Chip's whole arc really is fascinating in a morbid way - like a car crash you can't look away from.

Just like how the show - even if Chip's most intimidating moments - never forgets to still also show him as the loser he truly is, the show also never forgets to emphasize that EVERYTHING that has gone wrong for him is his own damn fault, regardless of how tragic it is.

(continue reading for a full look at Chip's arc and how I think it'll end)

I feel like whether or not Chip acknowledges this fault is going to be the catalyst as to whether or not he gets a second third FOURTH FIFTH chance, gets arrested or even gets killed off for realsies like the classic Disney Villains.

To get any sort of somewhat-happy ending, Chip would have to not only take responsibility for ALL his mistakes and crimes, vow to be better AND actually put in the work to be better, but he'd also has to acknowledge that the thing that started it all - chipping his tooth on fake produce - was something that he can ONLY blame himself for. And judging by the latest ep, this isn't just a matter of shifting blame but also a matter of finally realizing and accepting this self-inflicted mistake.

Go back to the scene with the 'Bean' family, which not only paints its fake!Cricket as the worst, least sympathetic and shallowest version of Real!Cricket, but afterwards Chip emphasizes that "(that boy) was so mean and I didn't even do anything to him", referring to fake!Cricket but obviously thinking about Real!Cricket in his mind.

But the thing about Cricket is that for as much as the kid can be reckless and make mistakes, he does put in the effort to make things right - often only needing a slight nudge from Tilly, Bill or his own conscious to fix his mistakes. The episode "Supermarket Scandal" is no exception to this. He realizes his mistake, fixes things, and even sacrifices his giant wad of cash. What's more, when Chip tries the fake produce (which is being clearly advertised as such), there's no 'trick' or 'prank' or whatever - it's just Chip ignoring the world and people around him, only to then blame these things when consequences happen.

Funnily enough, Chip isn't a complete moron. Sure, he's incredibly averse to hard work and thus doesn't have much sense, but he had enough business skills to do a decent job as one of Wholesome Foods' top managers and was even able to hold down an office job as Norm Alguy. Once his dad reminded him he had the power and resources of CEO, Chip came up with a pretty solid plan that nearly worked! He's not an idiot, but he's reckless, foolish, single-minded and - above all else - is driven more by pride and ego (as well as a hidden hunger for power) than by anything else.

Come to think of it, given that a big part of Chip originally being a Wholesome Foods manager was likely due to his father, I feel like his vendetta with the Greens was the first real challenge Chip ever had to face (or was 'forced' to face. We saw in his song that while he could challenge himself by changing careers or learning a new skill, he's not self-motivated enough to even try). Everything else was either handed to him or was something he succeeded just enough in to feel satisfied - so it makes sense that these multiple failures and 'offenses/personal attacks' from the Greens would impact his psyche to the point of it being impossible for him to ever completely let go of his need for revenge, needing that closure above all else.

Which brings me to another point: Beyond the fact that the initial tooth-chipping was Chip's own damn fault, Cricket has only ever been shown fighting back against Chip after Chip initiates it, he's never outright sought the guy out just to mess with him. And, when it came to both their tomato war and the apology contract, it was Cricket who gave Chip a chance to walk away both times. It was Cricket who wanted what was best for the farmer's market above all else, and it was Cricket who was the first one (even before Bill and Tilly!) to sign the contract, believing in Chip's ability to change and be a better person and possible friend instead of an enemy.

But each time, Chip refuses and ends up stabbing Cricket and the rest of the Greens in the back, no matter how illogical or foolish it may be for him, his happiness or his business. Again, Chip puts his ego, pride and power above all else. He can't agree to peace in the farmer's market because that still means surrendering. He can't become friends with the Greens because that would mean actually having to put in the effort to change and find other goals and means of satisfaction in his life. He can't just live a new life as Norm because he doesn't have the power over people that he had as Chip, thus putting him in a position to be 'wronged' again. He can't just let the Greens be happy because why should they be happy if I can't be.

And he can't fully accept blame and responsibility for the initial tooth-chipping because once he does, he has to also accept that EVERYTHING he did in the name of revenge truly was pointless.

At this point, you could make the argument that he really is too far gone. The man's essentially starting his Joker arc, fully embracing that he's a 'monster' by his own words, which kinda makes the idea of Chip simply stopping, apologizing and just going to therapy feel kiiiiinda farfetched (cause again, you can't really offer someone help if they don't want to actually put in the work to properly benefit from it- or at the very least, acknowledge that they need it)

With this in mind, I would honestly LOVE a scene where - after offering Chip chance after chance - Cricket finally just throws all these examples back in his face and forces Chip to fully acknowledge them, telling him its his own fault for never just walking away from this whole revenge thing and outright refusing to accept anymore blame or responsibility for this guy's misfortunes.

...Of course, even if Chip were to by some miracle gain some self-awareness/self-realization, I feel like he'd just respond to all this with "I don't CARE if chipping my tooth was my own fault! It still wouldn't have happened if I never met you or your dumb family! So if I'm going down, I'm gonna do all I can to take you down with me."

Like I said, it's a self-inflicted tragedy, and unless something major happens to break through to Chip - his father stepping in maybe? though tbh Chip seemed to barely respect him in the first place sooooo - I truly do feel like both his Joker arc and his story as a whole is going to end in flames with Chip getting the ol' Disney classic 'falls off a high place and/or into fire' villain death. That or he's finally arrested - either way, it'd be ending that cements his story as being finished (since, given that Chip is apparently going to try to destroy all of Big City and everyone in it, I'm not sure how much more you'd be able to do with his character after hitting that extreme that would still feel exciting or have some tension)

But who knows? The BCGs crew already surprised me quite a bit with where they decided to take Chip's story in his s4 return ep, so maybe they'll surprise me again. Whether they take it, I'm just hoping that (for unlikely as it may be) we don't get something that's either completely unsatisfying or something that feels like it's going against the whole point of Chip's arc - like Chip getting a snapshot redemption and rushing into an actual friendship with the Greens, or Cricket for whatever reason being the one to apologize despite every single one of Chip's misfortunes being - say it with me now - his own damn fault. As long as neither of these two examples happen, I'll probably be pretty happy and satisfied.

#big city greens #bcg #chip whistler #cricket green #apologies for how long this is #I've had these thoughts bouncing around in my head for a while #I really do love how Chip is both a tragic villain and a total loser #BCGs perfectly uses him for both tension and comedy and I don't want that to ever change

[aller-geez]

Geez.. when I posted Part One (the preface) of 29: Another Year Sicker, I said Part Two would be out in a few days and boy was I wrong!!

I actually wrote 3/4ths of the entire fic, then decided I hated it and didn’t touch it for a few weeks (^: (sorry guys, I have self esteem issues 🥸)

So change of plans, cause this fic is going to be upwards of 30k-40k words, I have broken it down further into parts! Each part will still have the illustrations I promised also! (:

Part Two includes: sick, super sneezy, so absolutely miserable that he’s emotional Remi on his 29th birthday, sweet Levi fluff taking care of him at home, stifles, full snz, some contagion? and slight mention of mess (nothing crazy)

Please enjoy! 🖤 Part Three will be posted soon, I hope!

Part One can be found here!!

29: Another Year Sicker Part Two

“Hey baby?” Levi’s soft voice broke through his boyfriend’s subconscious, the wolf letting out a soft groan from between his chapped lips, his face buried deeply into the pillow under him. “I know you’re going to hate me for this, but you can’t sleep all day on your birthday..” The leopard continued, one hand tenderly petting the large man across his raven hair which was matted with sweat and stuck out wildly in all directions.

“Nnnngh..” Remi’s eyes very slowly peeled open, revealing a dull green hue to the normally bright irises. He felt like he had been run over by a train and still laid in a puddle on the tracks. “W-What?” The wolf struggled to remain conscious, his eyelids heavy with sleep. As he swallowed a few times, the rawness in his throat was undeniable now, making him wince into the fabric of his pillow. “What time is it?” Remi’s deep voice was harsh, and missing all of the octaves it usually hit, sounding as if it scrapped his throat as he spoke. The quick exchange of air seemed to irritate the raw feeling that extended deep into his chest, and suddenly he was forced into a full sitting position, his large frame shaking from the force of the deep coughs that wracked through him. 

Levi offered his mate a gentle frown, his thin hand coming up to trace small circles against Remi’s sweat soaked back until the harsh coughs subsided, leaving the wolf with a hollow, dry feeling within his lungs. 

“It’s almost five, baby..” Levi purred sympathetically, the deep blue pools of the cat’s eyes displaying nothing but love and concern for his ill mate.

“Are you serious? Of course it is..” Remi hissed in frustration, his hands mindlessly rubbing at his eyes before giving a quick swipe to his bright pink nose. As he did so, the crust from his nose running over night, as well as the drool that still stuck to his face from having to sleep with his mouth open was removed, sending a gentle stinging sensation through the tip of his nose, and settling itself into the back of his sinuses. “God, i feel like shit..” he grumbled, slumping back into the bed beneath him.

Levi couldn't help but smile softly at the wolf's grumpy demeanor, his heart swelling with love for the sickly man beside him. He knew that Remi wasn't feeling his best, but seeing him so vulnerable and weak made the leopard want to care for him even more. "I know, love. But we can't let you spend your entire birthday in bed. I still have plans for us here, even if we aren’t going to have a party~," he whispered, pressing a chaste kiss to Remi's forehead.

Remi groaned, the sound deep and guttural, as he buried himself further into the bed. His head throbbed painfully, and he wanted nothing more than to close his eyes and drift back to sleep. However, the mention of plans piqued his curiosity. "What kind of plans?" he asked after a second, his voice rough and scratchy.

Levi grinned mischievously, his eyes sparkling with excitement.

“Oh, you’ll see!” The cat chimed happily, clapping his hands together in front of him with pride that he managed to catch the wolf’s attention, especially under these conditions.

Remi raised an eyebrow. Despite feeling like death warmed over, he couldn't help but feel a spark of excitement at the prospect of spending time with the leopard. He knew that his boyfriend always had something up his sleeve, some grand adventure or surprise waiting just around the corner. "Alright, you've got me intrigued," the wolf said, a small smile tugging at the corners of his lips as he tried to lean himself up on his elbows. However, his body felt heavy and weak, like all of his strength had simply been leeched away as he slept. Levi immediately took notice and reached out to help him, his hand supporting the other's back as he settled against the headboard.

"Thanks," Remi muttered, still feeling embarrassed by his weakness. He was used to being strong and capable, but now he felt like a burden to his mate. With a small snort, he ran one of his wrists up his nostrils to wipe away the already incessant running of his nose, looking away from the leopard in embarrassment.

Levi sensed his discomfort and leaned in to place a soft kiss on the wolf’s lips. "Don't worry about it, love. I'm happy to take care of you, especially on your birthday," he grinned with reassurance towards his sick boyfriend, his voice filled with sincerity.

Remi couldn't help but smile at Levi's words, feeling grateful for his boyfriend's unwavering support. "I love you, kitten." he croaked, flashing the younger man a gentle, gracious smile.

Just like his body knew it was the reason for the wolf’s misery, the same familiar tickle that he knew so well suddenly stung at his sensitive nose, the congestion in his full sinuses adjusting itself as he sat up. The intensity even took Remi off guard as he could do nothing but gasp desperately in preparation, his arched brows knitting tightly together on his forehead as his nostrils flared, his stubborn dampened nose begging for a release, one way or another.

“-hd’ISCHhh!! -h’dtTISHh! hhh’ISCHih! hh'IETTSSSH’UE!” Remi sneezed harshly to the side away from the leopard, which was instantly followed by a frustrated groan and a few unproductive snuffles. Wiping his already reddened nostrils against his sleeve, the wolf roughly cleared his throat, before sighing openly.

He could already tell; it was going to be a very long night..

“Bless you, and I love you too, baby~” The cat chirped happily, running his fingers through the large man’s damp hair, hoping a little positivity would help bring his mate’s mood up. “Whenever you feel okay enough to get up, I can show you—“

Cutting Levi off mid sentence, Remi's phone began to ring, the sound reverberating throughout the otherwise quiet room. The wolf frowned, not expecting anyone to call as everyone tended to avoid him like the plague on his birthday, simply because of the bad mood he was always in every year. Glancing down at the screen that lay face up against the bed, he saw the smiling face of his younger sister, Meeko, on the caller ID and his scowl instantly dissolved into a relieved smile. He tried to clear his throat a few times before answering to try and disguise his telling hoarse and congested voice but to no avail. By time it had already rung a few times, he still just stared at his phone instead of picking it up with a distant, slightly confused expression.

“You should probably take that," the cat nodded towards Remi’s phone with a smile, before handing it to the wolf, who took it slowly, still fighting the overwhelming buzzing in his full sinuses.

The moment he answered and put the call on speaker, his thoughts of love and gratitude quickly dissipated as an onslaught of sneezes erupted from deep within him.

“Ih’GXXNT’iiew! Huh'GDTS'ue! H'ihhSHHhh’iew!! hhh’ISCHih!!” Each one seemed louder than the last, and Remi felt helpless as he tried to stifle them with little success.

Meeko's high pitched voice on the other end of the line was filled with worry as she was greeted with the sudden fit. “Rem! I thought you said they were allergies! You sound horrible!” She cried with concern.

All the wolf could do was mumble something inaudible in response before another two sneezes came bursting out of him. “H'utsschhiew! hh'IETSH’UE” It seemed like it would never end...

Remi smashed his palm into his itchy nose, desperate to stop the breathtaking fit that took over every part of his weakened body, rubbing back and forth so quickly he could almost start a fire on his chapped skin. Before he could be interrupted again, he brought the phone closer to his face, his green eyes filled with tears as he fought against the burning that only grew more intense the longer he tried to smother it.

Levi quickly snatched another handful of tissues from the dwindling box that sat on their nightstand, and tried thrusting them into Remi’s free hand, but they were quickly waved off, the large man too concentrated on fighting his ticklish nose to do anything else.

“I’b really— sorry about the—… p-party.. HihhHh—!” The wolf’s breath hitched, and his broad chest swelled quickly as air began to fill his lungs, signaling that he was about to lose the battle he had been desperately trying to win.

“Ah, Rem, just get some rest and feel better, okay? We’ll be over as soon as you’re feeling up to it. Promise!” Meeko reassured him, a clear cringe in her voice as even a simple phone call had her feeling like she needed to duck and hide from her ill brother.

“IH’TTSCHH! HT’TTTSZCH!! IHT’TSSCHIIEWW!” His body shook with each powerful sneeze and he could feel snot dripping down his upper lip; it was impossible for him to keep his eyes open without them stinging with tears. Levi tried his best to help out, quickly swiping Remi’s phone from his trembling hand and taking it off speaker to put it up to his own face as his mate continued to snap forward with seemingly endless forceful sneezes.

“Thanks Meeks, I’ll make sure he rests and gets better soon so we can all celebrate for real. And I’ll tell him about the jenga as soon as he’s cognizant enough to listen!” Levi couldn’t help but chuckle lightly into the phone. “I’ll call you back later with an update!”

“You’re the best, Lee.. Good luck over there! Please don’t get sick!” Meeko was quick to get off of the call, thankful to have Levi there to dote on the wolf. She definitely wouldn’t want the job, no matter how much she loved her brother, as everyone who was ever around Remi when he was sick knew.. If you caught your cold/flu from him, it would be the worst illness of your life; like the man somehow made his own super viruses within his large body.

Tossing Remi’s phone beside him onto the bed, Levi leaned down to kiss the top of the older man’s head, the tissues he had tried to hand the wolf earlier once again slid gently into his grasp. With a soft groan, Remi graciously accepted this time and blew his nose into them thickly, even making himself cringe as he drenched the tissues in his hands instantly. Once the wolf was finally able to catch his breath from his fit, Remi looked at Levi with an apologetic expression on his face.

If the leopard had to be honest, he looked rather pathetic compared to his usual stoic facade. The wolf sat with his legs crossed in front of him, both hands held up to clutch a handful of tissues to his nose, not even considering taking the chance and removing them in case he was ambushed again. His sinuses were clearly swollen, leaving his face looking puffier than usual, and his eyes and nose were both rimmed with red, dry skin, his mouth constantly hanging open enough to breathe.

Levi could feel his heart breaking for his mate. The man deserved a good birthday for once, not feeling like absolute garbage.. He did everything for Levi, and was always more than attentive to the cats needs and feelings.. Stretching out a freckled hand, he rubbed Remi’s knee tenderly with a small frown.

“I’m sorry you feel so awful, baby..”

Letting out a slow, full exhale, Remi finally felt safe enough to be able to move the wall of tissues away from his face again. “Thadks, kidden.. sndff!” He swiped at his nose once more with the sodden ball of tissues before tossing them into the trash can by the bed. “What did I hear about Jedga?”

“Meeko’s present to you this year..” Levi’s worried expression was replaced with one of excitement as he glanced back at Remi. “I promised her we’d play it tonight, even if it’s just once.. you’ll get it when you see it. But you’ll have to go through the decorations, first~” The leopards features were taken over by a bright grin, thankful to have already spoken to his sister in law when she dropped off the game earlier in the day. He was constantly blown away by the love that Meeko had for Remi; this time though, it might be just what his mate needed.

A small smile tugged at the corners of the wolf’s mouth, and a little light returned to his unusually dull green eyes. At this point, anything was better than being the sole reason there was a worldwide tissue shortage while never leaving their shared bed that was currently soaked in his sweat. He snuffled softly, not willing to even tempt his sensitive nostrils to go off again, although the few harsh coughs that escaped couldn’t be helped.

“Oh? You didd’t put too buch effort id to it just to have to cagcel, though, right?” His dim, emerald eyes slid up to Levi’s with a sheepish expression, praying to whatever higher power that he was about to walk out of their room to a bunch of 3 balloons, and a little cupcake with a single candle lit on their table. But he knew his mate better than that.

With a carefree laugh, Levi ran his fingers through Remi’s hair starting from his forehead. “Do you even know me?” The cat stuck his tongue out playfully, giving his mates shoulder a light shove.

“No, you’re right.. that was a questiod I defiditely already dew the adswer to.” The wolf couldn’t help but chuckle weakly, although he was more embarrassed than he’d like to admit that Levi still did everything for his birthday party, something that the cat was so excited for, all for his stupid body to give out the one day he needed to not be sick. Figures.

As Levi’s attentive blue eyes traced his mates figure, he could see the man’s sickly body trembling forcefully under the blankets despite the constant stream of sweat that kept his hair matted to his neck and forehead. The cat’s eyebrows knitted together on his face, worry for his mate filling his blue orbs. “You doin okay, baby? Here,” he quickly turned on his heels to begin digging in their shared closet, a few clothes here and there being tossed out to the side haphazardly as the younger man searched. When he finally found what he was looking for, Levi chirped with happiness before pulling them off of the hangers they had been clipped to.

Once the cat emerged from the small space again, he laid the three articles of clothing down on the bed next to the wolf with a tender smile. One of Remi’s favorite hoodies, black with the words “SewerPerson” scrawled across the front in a death metal font, a clean pair of boxers, and a pair of thick grey sweatpants that fit him perfectly.

“C’mon, I’ll help you.” Levi smiled, before he offered an outstretched hand to reassure him. Remi started to open his mouth to argue, but the sudden sternness in his boyfriends usually relaxed features quickly caused him to abandon the idea all together, shutting his mouth forcefully with a ‘click’ from his teeth. A raspy, defeated sigh left the wolf, before he reluctantly took the cat’s thin hand and coaxed himself to stand, very slowly.

Helping the wolf get out of the bed and into the clothes he had laid out for him, Levi tried to remain positive despite the worry he had for his beloved. He and Remi had been together for a long time now, and he hadn’t seen his mate this sick in years.. The cat gulped silently, hoping with everything in him that this was just an ill timed head cold from hell, and not something more sinister like what had landed him in the hospital a few years back. But he didn’t have time to sit and worry. It was Remi’s birthday and damn it, they were going to have fun, even if it meant killing themselves to achieve it.

When Remi was finally dressed, Levi couldn't help but admire him, thinking how handsome he looked even in times like this. His poor nose was bright red and chapped, his cheeks and the tips of his ears flushed with fever, even visible against the darkness of both his own hair, and the black hoodie he currently had on. His mouth hung open just slightly as he breathed, and a noticeable wheeze echoed in his lungs accompanying each exhale, the constant mouth breathing causing his lips to split painfully in a few places. Yet even so, he was beautiful to Levi.

“Okay, are you ready to see your party now?” Levi bounced up and down with excitement to show the wolf how much thought and effort he had put into his birthday, even if there was no one else to see it but Remi.

The wolf was almost dazed as he stood next to Levi, taking a full few seconds before he was able to even register that he was being spoken to. He had a far off, distracted look glazed over his dull green eyes, but the stoic wolf simply scrubbed at his now runny nostrils with his knuckles, giving an alarmingly liquidy snort that did nothing but increase the pressure behind his eyes, however he returned Levi’s smile weakly. “Okay, I thigk I’b ready.”

Gently taking Remi's hand in his own, Levi guided him towards the kitchen of the RV, but when they fully stepped in, what Remi saw completely took his breath away. The small kitchen was filled with decorations that were obviously meant for his birthday party, all set up by his mate, despite how sick he was feeling the night before.

‘He must have stayed up all night putting these up..’ Remi thought to himself as he looked around the once familiar space now blanketed in various birthday decorations.

The warm yellow and green lights glittered along the walls, illuminating colorful streamers and balloons that gave off a cheery atmosphere. There were two recently delivered boxes of pizza that still radiated heat on the counter, and drinks chilling in a mini-fridge nearby. A big banner hung from wall to wall reading: "Happy Birthday Remi!" Even though no one else could be there due to how sick he was, Levi had clearly gone out of his way to make sure this day was special just for him.

Feeling incredibly touched by the gesture, but also, overwhelmingly guilty that the love of his life could have spent the time resting last night instead of running around everywhere, Remi's throat tightened as tears started welling up in his eyes. He wanted to say something—anything—but words failed him and instead he just looked at Levi, his expression caught somewhere between amazement, and sadness. The cat looked back, clearly understanding what was transpiring within the complex man’s head without a single word being said. As Remi took a step back to admire everything, he stumbled slightly, losing his footing and ungracefully hitting his back loudly into the wall behind him. He sighed in frustration, before sliding down the wall slowly, and resting his head in his hands that were propped up against his knees.

Levi had been standing in front of the wolf, and the loud thump of his mate’s back against the wall nearly made him jump out of his skin, but he quickly recovered, gently crouching so he could be at Remi’s level. Carefully brushing the few stray tears away with the pad of his thumb, Levi tucked a couple of loose strands of jet black hair behind Remi’s ears before pressing their foreheads together gently, his bright blue pools displaying the genuine grin on his freckled cheeks.

“Remington… I’ve lived with you for years now.. You didn’t think I knew you were coming down with something yesterday?” The leopards tone was gentle and sweet as always, but there was definitely a hint of playful sarcasm in there as well as a small smirk that now tugged at his mouth. Snagging the corner of the small cow print blanket that hung neatly over the back of the chair next to them, Levi threw it over the wolf’s shoulders, rolling it in on itself up by his fevered cheeks and tucking it in the top of his hoodie.

“Baby, you don’t do a very good job at hiding it, if I’m being totally honest with you..” Levi couldn’t help but laugh gently at his own statement, although when he glanced back at Remi after a few moments with the same uplifting grin, the wolf’s expression remained troubled, tears still steadily filling his eyelids until they spilled down his cheeks. Unable to hold back his emotions any longer, Remi finally allowed himself to cry softly into Levi’s shoulder, which on its own was troubling for the smaller feline.

Remington took his strength and his ego very seriously, and Levi could count on one hand how many times he had seen his mate cry. So the fact that tears were pouring down his face now over something so small and trivial was indicative of how truly awful the wolf must have felt.

“Thagk you for doigg this for be.. do ode has ever dode adythigg special for be od by birthday..” Remi croaked between the small sobs that threatened to choke him. “I’b sorry I got sick agaid add you had to cagcel the party that you worked so hard od..” His voice was hoarse from all the crying and his sinuses began to swell, making it impossible to breathe through his nose whatsoever, yet pathetically his reddened nostrils ran like a faucet as if they were taunting him. He tried to open his mouth to speak again, but the breath caught in his raw throat, sending him into a deep, wet coughing fit that forced him to double over with his face buried in his elbow, that same ‘sick’ dry feeling in his lungs catching with each forceful exhale.

Levi tenderly wrapped his arms around Remi, holding him as he coughed and wiped his eyes once he was able to finally catch his breath again. “Hey, it's okay, don't apologize. I should apologize to you for not being able to throw you the birthday party that you deserve. I know it didn't turn out like we wanted but I still wanted to make sure you felt loved today so I did what I could." He ran his fingers through Remi's hair and kissed the top of his head before continuing in a soothing whisper, "Although this isn't how we planned on spending your birthday, there's still plenty of surprises in store for tonight - if you're feeling up for it. And if not...we can just lay here all night and cuddle under the stars with some hot tea." The leopard smiled warmly at him and brushed away a few fallen tears with his thumb.

As much as curling up with his warm mate sounded like heaven to Remi’s weakened body by now, even the thought of snuffing out any more of his thoughtful mate’s plans made him sick to his stomach. He shook his head quickly, maybe even too quickly, the room around him spinning to life and causing his stomach to flip and twist uncomfortably.

“N-no..” the wolf nearly pleaded with the other, his usual deep, threatening voice reduced to nothing but some occasional hisses and squeaks after his recent coughing fit.

How was anyone supposed to pretend he wasn’t the cutest thing in the world in his current state?

Chuckling breathlessly, the leopard was beyond grateful to be one of the only people in the world that his mate trusted enough to be this open and vulnerable with. “Okay, okay, Rem, it’s your birthday, okay? I’m just the chaperone.” The leopard giggled gently with a wink, thankful to finally see some of the color returning to his mates dim green eyes again.

. . . .

Thank you so much for reading Part Two of 29: Another Year Sicker!! Hopefully Part Three will be completed and posted before 2 months pass! 😭

Pls stay tuned 🖤

#geezieart #geeziefic #remixlevi #29:AYS #snzblr #snz #snz ocs #snz kink #snezblr #snz fet #sneeze kink #snzfucker #snz blog #snz things #snz scenario #snzkink #snzzzzz #snz art #snzfic #snez #sneezefucker #coldfucker #sneezing #sneeze #sneezefic #sickfic #sicknario #sneeze art #snzario #cold sneezes

[yourchemicallyimbalancedromance]

Burned Bridges

Summary: Virgil runs into a wasted Janus at a party that his best friend, Roman, is throwing on Halloween night. A locked door forces them to confront their heavy past.

Ships: past analogical, present prinxiety

CW/TW: Alcohol, smoking, homophobia and bullying, Human!Virgil, Human!Remus (mentioned), Human!Roman, Human!Remy (mentioned), Human!Janus, Human!Logan (mentioned), unsympathetic Virgil, unsympathetic Janus, sympathetic Roman

It was October 31st and instead of binge watching horror movies by himself in the dark of his room, Virgil found himself standing in the corner of his childhood bestfriends house, early 2000’s pop music blasting in the background. He hadn’t dressed up and hundreds of people were bobbing up and down in a sea of red plastic cups, costumes, and glow stick bracelets, screaming the lyrics that came out of the speakers Roman had bought. He’d forced Virgil to go with him to buy them after begging him to come to the party because, in his words, “you never get out of the house, it’ll be fun! Especially if you meet a cute guy”

Virgil laughed after he said this, only responded with “yeah, whatever you say, Roman.”

Tequila suffocated anything that represented a pleasant smell out of the room. He was holding a drink himself, taking sips of it occasionally; not because it tasted good—at all—but because he had a hunch he wouldn’t want to remember the events of tonight.

His throat burned. He knew he wasn’t supposed to sip Tequila, normally he chugged it, but he liked the distraction of the pain and the warmth that filled him after every taste.

He desperately looked around for a familiar face. Last he saw Roman was when the party had started four hours earlier. It was now 2 AM and he had done nothing but drink, take shots with Remus and a few of his friends, be forced to dance by Remy, and stand in the corner waiting for it all to be over.

He chugged the rest of his drink and stood there for a moment, sinking in the environment around him, ultimately deciding to hide in the bathroom until the party was over. He took a few shaky steps into the crowd of people, shoving past drunks and the occasional stoner. He never really understood why Roman hung out with these kind of people, he honestly doubted that he knew most of the people in his house anyway.

He found his way to the bathroom and shoved it open, quickly closing and locking it, sitting on the cold tile floor.

In his rush, he hadn’t noticed Janus, wearing a Harry Potter costume, who was also sitting on the floor.

“Fuck, Sorry I didn’t know you were—“

Janus cuts him off “Vrrrrrrgggllll” he laughs, the name on his tongue slurring together.

“Look I didn’t know you were in here, I’ll just leave.” He states bluntly, getting up to open the door, wishing he still had his drink, he really didn’t want to remember this. He tried to force down his unresolved anger but it came out sharp in his voice.

“Vir-gil,” Janus hiccups “can I tell youuuu a secret?”

Virgil tries to unlock the door but it’s jammed, no matter how hard he pulls or twists the knob, it won’t budge. He sinks back down to the floor, annoyed. “Whatever Janus, sure” he says

“I think you’re still angry at me” he blurts out, giggling a bit, eyes drooping.

“Yeah, I am. You fucked me over, really bad. Who wouldn’t be.” he spits. He had his knees to his chest, his back to the door, trying to stay as far away from Janus as he could.

Janus struggled to stand up, grabbing onto the shower curtain and slipping, falling back down, pulling the curtain and rod down with him. Janus just giggled. “Oops.” was all he said.

Virgil rolled his eyes. “Fucking hell, Janus. Can you stop being a nuisance for two minutes?” He screams.

Janus looks at him for a moment before registering what he said, mumbling a “sorry”

With anyone else, Virgil would’ve felt sorry for yelling, but Janus was the exception. He deserved it, worse than that even.

“You ruined the one good thing I had and you expect me to feel fucking sorry for you?” He snaps.

“I-“ Janus hiccups “I didn’t mean to” the light and carelessness in his eyes from earlier, gone. Now replaced with only a hint of it behind dull pupils.

“Yeah?, well you did. You think ganging up on me and Logan didn’t fucking ruin our relationship? You think the constant harassment inside and outside of Uni wasn’t fucking enough for me to have atleast a little bit of anger towards you?” he was practically screeching but he didn’t care, the music would cover it anyway.

Janus was staring at him, almost emotionless apart from the look in his eyes, which were starting to water.

Virgil got up to try the door again when Roman suddenly opened it, looking from Virgil to Janus and then Virgil again. He gave him a “what the actual hell is going on????” look and Virgil just shook his head, shoved past Roman and into the crowd.

Roman stared at Janus for a minute, taking notice of the curtain and curtain rod astray on the floor. He didn’t say anything, just closed the door and ran after Virgil.

———————————————————————

After a few minutes of searching inside, he found Virgil in his front yard, sitting on the stairs, smoking a cigarette.

He sat down next to him and a thick silence hung between them. Virgil blew out smoke into the cold air before clearing his throat. “He was acting like we were best friends again, can you believe it?” He laughed in exasperation.

Roman could believe it, Janus had always been an asshole in College and even before that, that was kinda his thing, which was why he was surprised when Virgil had suddenly decided to become friends with him one day.

“He’s so funny dude, like literally one of the best people I’ve ever met” he had said

Roman had just smiled and laughed in return, knowing how awful he was to his other friends.

Roman didn’t say anything this time either, just shook his head.

“I hate him so much, Ro. He’s awful. He ruined everything. Logan hasn’t spoken to me in almost a year because of the shit he pulled before we graduated.”

Roman sighed, “I know, Virg…but he’s not necessarily known for being a good person, I thought you knew that” he says softly.

Virgil took a drag of his cigarette and breathed out, “obviously not.” He said a little annoyed.

Immediately he regretted it. “Sorry” he said, tapping his cigarette and letting the ashes fall.

Roman gave him a reassuring smile, “it’s okay”

Virgil put his cigarette on the concrete step they were sat on, getting rid of its light and throwing the butt into the grass. He put his head in his hands. “Life’s rough, man. I don’t even miss him anymore I’m just upset because he made me really, really happy. Sometimes…I feel like it’s my fault? for introducing him to Janus.”

“It’s not your fault at all. It’s his. Honestly? I don’t even know why he’s here. I didn’t invite him, someone else probably did.“ Roman says the last part sheepishly, a little ashamed that he let Janus in his house with his best friend that he hurt irreversibly.

Virgil turns to Roman, staring at him longingly in the eyes. They were beautiful. Hazel with green specks around the edges. Maybe it was the tequila, or his exhaustion, or his desperation to feel loved by someone, but he slowly moved a hand to Romans face.

“Can I?” He whispered

Roman looked at him for a moment, weighing his options. He did like Virgil, but what if he was doing this in a drunken haze? What if he was just using him to get over Logan? He didn’t believe he was truly over their relationship just yet.

Despite these fears, Roman shook his head and their lips locked. He let himself melt into it, let himself enjoy the moment. He tasted of alcohol, honey lavender tea, and Marlboro Reds.

After a moment, Virgil pulled away; A look of blissful happiness on his face.

Roman was still holding onto the moment, staring through Virgil.

He looked at him, worried. “oh god I’m so sorry did you not want—“

Roman interrupted him, “No! no I did..I really, really did.” He smiled, genuinely.

Virgil returned it, “That’s good.”

Roman paused for a second “so…does this mean we’re dating?..” he asked “cause you’re drunk and I just don’t want-“

Virgil took Romans hands in his. “I’m just a little tipsy, Honey, but I know what I want, and what I want is this.” he says gently.

“Okay.” Roman responds, hopeful.

“I’m gonna head home, alright? Text me, I’ll respond as soon as I can” Virgil says

“I will, love” he says. The nickname feels odd leaving his lips, especially being used on someone who’s been his friend for 22 years, but he says it anyway.

Virgil gets in his car and pauses.

Romans phone dings after a minute or two and he takes it out of his pocket, reading the message before watching Virgil’s car leave his driveway.

Virgil<3: “I promise I want this, and I want you. Some tequila and a little heartbreak doesn’t change that. 💜”

Roman smiles, puts his phone back in his pocket, and goes back inside.

#sanders sides #thomas sanders #ts virgil #virgil sanders #logan sanders #ts logan #ts patton #patton sanders #roman sanders #ts remus #ts janus #janus sanders #unsympathetic virgil #sanders sides fanfiction #ts roman #virgil sanders angst #ts deceit #ts anxiety #prinxiety #analogical #remy sanders #ts remy #unsympathetic janus #sympathetic Roman #Spotify

[hyenahunt]

Obbligato: The Punishment of Kaname Tojo - 9

Writer: Akira

Season: Spring, two years ago

Characters: Tatsumi, Kaname

Proofreading: Remi (JP) & honeyspades (ENG)

Translation: Peace

Tatsumi: We are mirrors of one another, kindred souls.

[Read on my blog for the best viewing experience with Oi~ssu ♪]

Location: At the same time, on the stage of Reimei Academy's "Third Auditorium"

Tatsumi: "My beloved peers of Reimei Academy, thank you for coming."

"I, Tatsumi Kazehaya, have something of great importance to tell you all today."

Kaname: ......

Tatsumi: (Whispering) Hm... They don't seem particularly pleased, though I expected as much.

The Special Students don't seem to like how I’m speaking on my own at the moment. If it wasn't for your persuasion, HiMERU-san, I don't believe any of them would have shown up.

Kaname: I didn't really persuade them, I just gave them money.

Or rather, I gave them the job of gathering here as an audience, with a promise of receiving more concessions and such for their future work.

The time for compassion and persuasion has long passed, Tatsumi-senpai.

Tatsumi: Not so. I'm certain that anyone who isn't a Special Student must feel sympathetic — look at everyone who's come who won't be getting a cent out of it.

Kaname: That's because they're still expecting great things from you. They have hope you might be able to change this hellhole of a school.

Tatsumi: ......

Kaname: Anyway, let's stop chit-chatting and return to the topic at hand. The money I tossed around will be a waste otherwise.

Kaname: ... In the end, I wasn't as beloved as you were.

Reimei Academy's Top Idol. It feels like a position I just bought rather than earned. The academy's higher-ups would give me plenty of money...

And using that, I simply got to where I am today. But in the end… no one, not a single person, loved me the way they did you.

Do you hate me for learning such dirty tricks, Tatsumi-senpai?

Tatsumi: Of course not. In fact, I believe that knowledge must be your strength — I respect you for doing what I could not.

Kaname: You really do speak from the heart. Don't ever become like me, senpai.

Remain as pure as you are in this moment.

Better yet, I'll do all I can to ensure that you do.

I've made up my mind. Maybe I am an idiot, but in my own stupid way I've thought desperately of what I could do and chosen my own path.

I want to die for your ideology.

With you as a model for sainthood, I'll become a bit of a better person than I am now.

Tatsumi: I am not a saint, however...

If someone believes in me, if they expect something of me, then I shall act as they wish. Though it would be disrespectful to myself — though it is most certainly a sin to the body as a vessel of life...

If it would make others even a little bit happier, then I will gladly wear a crown of thorns.

Amen.

Tatsumi: "— Students of Reimei Academy."

"Are you happy right now?"

"I would like each of you to put your hand to your heart and truly give my question some thought. Are you satisfied with the life you've lived thus far? Are you lacking in something? Do you feel as if you've experienced misfortune?"

"No matter your answer, I ask that you listen to my announcement until the end."

"I have decided that HiMERU-san and I shall form a unit from today on, for the sake of bringing a little more happiness to the Academy.

"Fufu. Those of us in Reimei Academy might not be too familiar with such a concept, of course..."

"However, the concept is more normalized within another long standing idol training school, Yumenosaki Academy."

"In short, an idol unit is exactly as it implies: rather than doing things individually, he and I shall be performing them as a group."

"A 'unit' shares a common destiny. They are alike to a family, company, or even a nation."

Tatsumi: "We are mirrors of one another, kindred souls."

"As we move together from hereon, all that we earn will be distributed fairly among our members."

"Those who have previously joined me in the catacombs will understand what I mean when I say that."

"However, those who are Special Students may not be as aware of this arrangement. In Reimei Academy, our rewards are based on how well we do individually; it's a very result-focused system."

"I'd like to ask that all Special Students adhere to this arrangement from here on. Our unit shall not allow any one person to monopolize wealth nor to run wild on their own."

"In doing so, we shall seek a joyous future where one and all can live together fairly."

Tatsumi: "... I see there's some pushback. You may be asking yourself, ‘Why should I work for others when I can simply work for myself? Why should they reap the rewards I sow?’"

"However, this is the best way forward. Let us say, as an example, that you make a mistake or incur an injury and can no longer work."

"Or rather than earning money, you find yourself falling into debt."

"Our unit would never abandon anyone to such a fate."

"By taking responsibility on behalf of the individual affected, we will compensate for their losses and ensure that no one falls victim to circumstances outside of their control."

Tatsumi: "The present day idol industry is on a decline. As a result, there are numerous pitfalls that can cause one to fall to ruin; we'd like to support one another in such times of despair, to overcome them."

"No, we absolutely must support one another if we wish to survive. Unfortunate as it is, we have already been driven to such a point."

"I'm sure some of you have already realized that by now."

Tatsumi: "This is Hell. We aren't able to live as we once did, not when the end is nigh."

"It is already so difficult to breathe — and if you allow your attention to slip for even a moment, you face miserable repercussions immediately."

Kaname: " — We wish to change that."

"From this moment on, we are inviting you all to form a unit with us."

"Through a simple process, you will be welcomed immediately as one of ‘us’."

Tatsumi: "And finally, the most important point: all are welcome to join us, whether you are a Special Student or not."

"Unfortunately, as it stands... We, who are Special Students, and those who are not, dislike each other immensely."

"I'm certain that there will be a great many who won't wish to work together."

"However... If you can, please swallow your doubts and walk with us. I firmly believe this is the only path towards a happier future."

"Ideally speaking, we'd like to make every student in Reimei Academy part of our unit — and in doing so, have a truly fair and just school."

"All would work, and all would reap the rewards sown equally."

"At present, you gain only a little by stepping on the backs of others so arrogantly — it's a deplorable practice, so let's stop it."

"If it continues, then the disparity will never disappear. If we do not strive to create an impartial environment, then there will always be those who are fated to be trampled on."

Tatsumi: "I don't wish to witness such a sight any longer."

[ ☆ ]

✦✦✦✦✦

← prev ✦ all ✦ next →

#enstars #ensemble stars #enstars translation #hyenahunttl #s: obbligato #tatsumi kazehaya #kaname tojo

[malicedafirenze]

SUN leads character descriptions in case anyone else needs them:

Zidan

"He was exceedingly handsome, even by vampiric standards. He was darker than those in the band Remy had just annihilated, with suggestions of kohl about the eyes, and had a strong chin covered by a five o’clock shadow that would have hinted at a three-day drunken binge on Remy but gave the intruder the respectability of a warlord fresh from battle sitting down for a portrait to commemorate his misdeeds. His hair was long, tied carelessly about the nape of his neck, and somehow still looked impeccably groomed.

Remy hated him already."

Xiaodan

"She sat on a lower tree branch above him. She was clearly dressed for the ball, and the hem of her gown rode up to reveal smooth, creamy pale skin, the barest hint of thighs. Her sleeves were far too long for what Elouvian fashion expected, and they flowed down either side of her, hiding her hands from sight. It was not the type of dress common in Aluria, though Remy was familiar enough with the styles in the outer kingdoms to recognize them. A spattering of freckles stretched across her nose, dusting her cheekbones. Her dark hair was curled into long ringlets, caught in the wind as she herself swung back and forth with deliberate slowness, watching him curiously with a silver-gray gaze, lids slightly lifted at the corners. She had eyes of a soft, unvarying hue, the color of mist if it could be smoothed down like icing over cake. They were also sharp and intelligent. She had the unearthly exquisiteness of feature that often comprised a vampire’s repertoire. She looked sympathetic. That was the worst part."

#song xiaodan #zidan malekh #silver under nightfall #rin chupeco

[thekinkyleopard]

I’m Not

A Remi Snz Fic

🫶🏻Anon Request🫶🏻

⚠️Content Warning ⚠️

Snz Fet & Fluff

Author’s Notes: So Sorry it took me so long to get this out, Anon! I was on a trip and then I had like a whole stack of drafts to finish….I’m a mess but, I’m here now to provide the goods 🫡 @aller-geez did the art and owns Remi!

Description: Remi has been called in for mandatory Jury Duty, but he's come down with yet another cold. Can he get through it? Or will he be forced to reschedule his duty?

Of all places he had to be, Jury duty. Jesus Christ. Remi sat back in the uncomfortable chair of the court house waiting room, his long thin leg shaking anxiously. His toxic green orbs scanning back and forth between all the other members of the jury that were forced to report here today.

They all looked boring, just a bunch of average looking nobodies. However, today on all the days he had to be at Jury Duty, he felt like an entire bag of shit. His head was pounding, and his body was hot. He snuffled loudly, sliding his suit sleeve across his nose angrily before crossing his arms, and hiding a cough in his shoulder. This was going to be tricky. He needed to get through this bullshit without blowing his whole face off and offending the entire lot of them.

He shifted in his seat, trying to gain some sort of relief from his growing cold. It was usually mild, but today it had taken a turn for the worse and he was scared of how it might affect the outcome of Jury Duty. He took a deep breath and tried to focus on something else, anything that could distract him from this damn waiting room. His eyes landed on the clock above, ticking away minutes until they began their trial. He sighed again, willing time to go faster. The bags under his eyes only growing darker with every passing second. He sat there slack jawed and dissociated for a bit of time, unable to will himself to look of average health.

However, just as he found himself about to get comfortable in the chair again, shifting slightly, he felt a hand tap him on the shoulder and heard a soft voice whisper beside him “Hey there, you don’t look so good. Are you alright?” He turned around with a swift jerk of his body, a little too fast for his clouded head, but he managed, only to find an elderly woman standing beside him with a concerned expression on her face. She must have seen how uncomfortable he was feeling and offered her help.

Remi's body turned ridged and he avoided eye contact with the woman, clearing his throat before answering her. "I'm uh, it's all good, I'm fine," he stumbled over his words slightly as his head slowly spun circles around his consciousness, his face still stinging with an irritating sensation. The woman gave him a sympathetic look and patted him gently on the arm. "Well, if you need anything, let me know. My name is Mrs. Johnson."

Remi nodded his head, not wanting to be rude to an elderly woman but also not wanting to converse with her either. "Thanks,” he responded simply. He watched as she walked away from the peripherals of his vision, before slumping back into his chair. He knew he had to keep it together, but the pressure was getting to him. He couldn't dismiss himself with a doctor's note...seeing as he was in between insurances.

He closed his eyes and took a deep breath, trying to calm his racing thoughts. Just as he was starting to relax, a commotion broke out at the front of the room. Remi opened his eyes to see a group of lawyers and a defendant being escorted in by police officers. The defendant was a young teen boy, dressed in a blue jumpsuit and handcuffs.

Remi watched as the jury members all stirred in their seats, murmurs of shock and confusion filling the room. He too was surprised and couldn’t help but feel a wave of emotion wash over him, despite the spinning in his head. The cold that he had been fighting so hard to keep at bay began creeping back in, making his body tremble with anxiety. He looked away quickly, trying not to draw attention to himself.

It was then that he realized how truly serious this situation was and that he might be put in a position where he could make an impact on someone's life. It was both overwhelming and scary, but Remi knew that he had to do his best to see the situation for what it really was; he had to prove he was a valuable member of society to keep the home he and his boyfriend bought. If he didn't play the part, the city could very much make that a problem.

His nostrils twitched as he could feel a rough pressure building in the bridge of his nose. "Shit..." he hissed through gritted teeth. He was going to sneeze, he could feel it, but he couldn't. Not here, it would blow his whole cover of pretending to be healthy. Truly he would walk out if it were up to him, but he thought about Levi, and how disappointed he would be. He also definitely didn't want any of his consequences coming down on the leopard.

So, Remi swallowed the sneeze down hard and shifted in his seat uncomfortably. He felt the burning sensation build up in his face, like he was trying to contain an earthquake within him. He glanced around the room, hoping no one else suspected the tension that had overcome his body. No one seemed to notice or care for that matter, they were too wrapped up in their own thoughts and worries as they waited for jury duty to begin.

Relieved, Remi allowed himself a few deep breaths as he tried to steady his body. But it was like he was playing a game of tug-of-war with himself; part of him wanted to let go and allow the eruption of air out while another part screamed at him not to move an inch lest anyone notice what was happening inside him. He was starting to sweat in his seat. After a few more moments of deliberation, Remi decided it would be best if he just let it out softly into his shoulder so as to avoid a blow out.

"hH-hah~" it started and he shook his head softly, his bright green eyes squeezing shut, unlike him usually, he shoved his mouth into the crook of his arm. Used to letting it out freely. This was different. He needed to accomplish this. Least it be rescheduled and he have to deal with it on a different day....no absolutely not. He took a deep breath, but only found that this made the issue more persistent. His nose twitched uncomfortably, he twisted it in circles to try and starve off the impending doom. Yet it was fruitless, it needed to come out in any way, shape, or form.

"H'KXNT!" He made quick work to cover his mouth head turning sharply downward, despite it being muffled into the fabric of his sleeve, the sound drew the attention of a few of the other jurors nearby. Thinking quickly, Remi pretended to be coughing and wiped his nose quickly before returning his attention to the front of the room. Avoiding any further suspicion. His body was sweating now, and his head was pounding with discomfort. He tried to focus on the proceedings once they were all pulled in, but his mind kept wandering, and he found himself losing track of the conversation.

As the lawyers began presenting their case to the jurors, Remi's mind began to drift. He thought of his boyfriend, Levi, and how worried he would be if he knew just how sick Remi was feeling. He thought of everything they had built together, their home, their life, and their future. He couldn't allow his health to interfere with that.

Suddenly, Remi snapped back to reality as the judge called on him to answer a question regarding the case. He swallowed hard and tried to focus on the question, but his mind was foggy. "I Uh.." he snuffled his nose softly, wiping it obnoxiously on his hand, the judge raising a brow.

"Excuse me, sir, do you need a moment?" the judge asked, concern in his voice. Remi shook his head, trying to clear his thoughts. "No, no, I'm fine. I apologize, could you repeat the question?" he asked, his voice wavering slightly. The judge repeated the question, and Remi did his best to answer it, despite the pounding in his head.

As the proceedings continued, Remi struggled to keep up. His mind was working at less than 10% wishing he was at home in bed with a handful of cold meds, he could feel his body slowly shutting down. He tried to focus, but it was like trying to see through a thick veil of mist. He knew he had to make it through this, but he wasn't sure how much longer he could hold on, when his nose started up again...'Not fucking NOW..' he cursed inwardly at himself. "H'GnXT!" he struggled, stifling yet another sneeze into his shoulder, slightly spraying on the juror next to him.

"Ugh...dude?" The guy whispered, looking Remi up and down with a look of disgust.

"S-Sorry man...allergies.." he chuckled breathlessly with a sheepish look on his face.

Suddenly, a hand touched his shoulder, and he turned to see Mrs. Johnson looking at him with concern. "Is everything alright, dear?" she asked. Remi nodded his head, tears pricking at the corners of his emerald orbs.

"M'Fine..." He whispered back to her in response. Mrs. Johnson didn't seem convinced, but she didn't press the issue. Instead, she squeezed his shoulder gently before returning to her seat. Remi wiped his eyes and tried to regain his composure. He couldn't break down now, not in front of all these people.

The trial continued, but Remi found himself struggling to stay conscious. His head was spinning, and his body felt like dead weight. Just as he was about to give up, the judge called for a short recess. Remi slumped back in his seat, relieved for a moment to recover.

As the other jurors began to file out of the room, Mrs. Johnson approached him once again. "Are you sure you're okay? You look like you're about to pass out," she said, worry written all over her face. Remi shook his head, his vision blurry.

"I'b nod....I'm...fibe.." he snuffled and sniffled, trying to fight the urge to rub his nose right in front of the lady.

"Do you need a tissue honey?" Mrs. Johnson asked, offering a pack of tissues from her bag. Remi's eyes lit up with gratitude as he accepted the pack of tissues. He took one out, almost ripping through the packaging like a wild animal and blew his nose with a loud and wet sound, feeling a wave of relief wash over him.

"Thangs…” he said, his voice hoarse. Mrs. Johnson smiled kindly at him.

"Of course, dear. You take care of yourself, okay?" she said before heading out of the room. Remi watched her go, feeling grateful for her kindness but still determined to get through this.

As the recess ended and the jurors filed back into the room, Remi took a deep breath and tried to focus. He knew it was going to be a long day, but with the help of the kind strange lady and her pack of tissues, he was ready to face whatever came his way.

He took a deep breath, which in retrospect was an entirely bad idea. The sensation of that irritating prickle was back in full force, stinging up the inner workings of his nostrils. Remi held his breath, trying to suppress the sneeze. But it was too late, the pressure was building up inside him, and he knew he couldn't hold it in any longer. "H'KXNT!" he stifled, his eyes feeling like they could blow full force out of his skull from trying to hold it down, his body shaking with the sheer vigor of it. He tried to cover his mouth with his tissue, but it slipped from his hand and landed on the floor.

Embarrassed, Remi quickly bent down to pick up the tissue. As he did, he felt a sharp pain in his sternum. He gasped, clutching his chest as the pain intensified. The other jurors turned to look at him, concern etched on their faces.

"Is everything okay?" one of them asked. Remi nodded his head swiftly, his face contorted with pain but then quickly he masked it with a stern and stoic look, despite his discomfort.

"Y-Yeah I'b fide, cad you guds jusd focub on the drial?" he gasped out with slight irritation. The last thing he needed was everyone's god damn eyes on him over a stupid chest cold.

The jurors reluctantly returned their attention to the trial, leaving Remi to try and suppress his urge to sneeze all over the place. He tightened his jaw, squinted his eyes shut, and desperately tried to focus on something else. For what felt like an eternal moment. Just when he thought it was about to subside, the sensation of another messy blow erupted through his body once again. "H'KXNT! HN'GXKT!" he pulled it in twice in quick succession, his body convulsing with each one as his head started to pound against the pressure, his nose now leaking profusely, nostrils dark red and chapped, mouth full of a mixture between saliva and blood.

It was getting out of hand, there wasn't enough tissues in the world to prepare him nor anyone else for such a mess. Regardless, he pulled another piece out of the tiny pack he's been given. He dabbed at his mouth, his swollen nose and he wiped another clean tissue across his sweating forehead. Stuffing the soiled ones within his suit vest pocket.

The other jurors turned to look at him again, some of them looking annoyed. Remi could feel the heat rising to his cheeks, embarrassed by his lack of control. He looked down at his hands, feeling defeated.

Just then, the judge's voice cut through the room. "Mr. Connors, I'm sorry, but we can't have you disrupting the trial like this. Perhaps it would be best for you to excuse yourself and come back when you're feeling better," the judge spoke sternly.

Remi's heart sank. He knew he couldn't leave now, not when the case was so close to being decided. But he also knew that he couldn't keep up this charade any longer. He looked up at the judge, his eyes pleading for one more chance. "Really, I'b bine," he snuffled loudly, snorting up a rough stream of congestion.

The judge shook his head, the jurors feeling rather relieved, worried they might end up with whatever he brought in today.

"No, I'm sorry Mr. Connors. We can't have this disruption in the courtroom," the judge had made his ruling, doubling down on the decision to send Remi home.

The wolf felt his throat catch and he bit back a protest, knowing it would be futile. He bowed his head in defeat and stood up, trying to maintain an air of composure as he exited the room. He could feel all eyes on him as he left, but soon the door shut behind him and he was left alone in the hallway outside.

He turned away from the closed door and started walking down the hallway, not quite sure what to do or where to go next. The urge to cry almost overwhelmed him, but instead, Remi gritted his teeth and continued walking with determination in his step. It's fine, he'll just have to reschedule and perform his civil duties another day. As angry as that made him inside, there was clearly nothing he could do about it right now. He snuffled loudly, wiping his nose yet again across his now stained sleeve, covered in little snail trails of snot.

"Guedd...I'b going hobe," he spoke out loud to himself now as he trudged his way over to his eye sore of a van. He would have to break the failure to his boyfriend when he got home, and he knew that Levi would pity him, and say it was all okay, but, he just wanted to accomplish something finally. Something substantial, he'd never been an active member of society before, and he was only doing it out of love and preservation for what he and his lover have currently built, but it was still effort.

As Remi approached his van, he pulled out his keys and unlocked the door. He climbed into the driver's seat, and couldn't shake the feeling of defeat that hung over him like a dark cloud. He slumped down in his seat and rested his head against the steering wheel, taking a few deep breaths to calm himself down.

But just as he was starting to feel a little better, he felt a sudden jolt of electricity shoot down his sinuses, and the prickle was back, full force, ready to take over. He leaned back in his seat, his head raising slowly, his watery, puffy eyes began to squint and his brows knitted upward. "H'h! ...Hh'Hah!" he struggled at first, but knowing he was in the safety of his own vehicle, he was ready to feel some sort of relief. “Hah'TSCHHUU! Hih'iitscHU! H'hah~" falling into a full on fit as his body trembled and shook with each large explosion. “Hh’itsshhhih!!” His open mouth releasing a misty cloud of particles that stained his windshield.

Remi reached for the pack of tissues on the passenger seat, but it was empty. Panicking, he rummaged through the glove compartment, hoping to find a stray tissue or napkin. All he found, however, was an old receipt and a crumpled-up fast-food bag.

"H'hah... no...no...no..." Remi muttered to himself, feeling the snot drip down his upper lip and chin. He reached for his shirt sleeve, but it was already soaked through. He looked around frantically, desperate for anything to wipe his nose on.

Then, he saw it. A stray blue scarf lying on the floor of the passenger seat, Levi's for sure by the color. Without a second thought, he grabbed it and brought it up to his nose, letting out a muffled sneeze as he did. "H'TSCHU!" The sensation was almost relieving, not quite as the previous, but it was better than nothing at all.

As the fit subsided, Remi leaned back in his seat, exhausted and defeated, mouth agape as he tried to catch his breath. He knew he had to let it calm down before he started driving home.

He closed his eyes and took a few deep breaths, trying to regain his strength. But no matter how hard he tried, the feeling of defeat lingered inside him. He had embarrassed himself in front of the entire courtroom, failed to perform his civil duty, and now he was reduced to wiping his nose on his boyfriend's scarf.

The thought of Levi brought a small smile to his lips, even amidst all the chaos. He knew that Levi would understand and support him, no matter what. But still, Remi couldn't shake the feeling of disappointment. He wanted to be a better person, to do more for their relationship and for society in general.

As he continued to sit in his van, lost in thought, a sudden gust of wind blew through the open window, it washed a sense of calmness over him, cooling his heated face. He needed to get out of this damn monkey suit. Quickly he tore at the buttons, they popped off with ease and he shed himself of the stuffy jacket. "Finabby..." he sniffled once more, sitting in his black under shirt with much shorter sleeves and breathable fabric.

After a short while of just breathing out his open mouth and enjoying the cool breeze, he felt stable enough to get on the road. He grabbed the keys and shoved them in the ignition. He turned it on, listening to the comforting hum of its engine as he put it into reverse and started on his way home. His mood was still sour but it seemed to lighten a bit with each passing street, Guardin playing loudly through his newly installed sound system.

Finally, after what felt like an eternity, Remi's van pulled up in front of the home he shared with his beloved leopard. He opened the door and stepped out, only to be greeted with Levi's happy face as soon as the man walked through the threshold. "Hi baby!" Levi chimed in relief as he hugged him tight, not seeming to notice Remi's disheveled appearance or how exhausted he was from his courtroom drama earlier that day.

Remi couldn't help but smile at Levi's enthusiasm; it was enough for him to drop all worry and sorrow and just feel an instant wave of relief start to consume him. He leaned back into Levi's embrace, nuzzling into his boyfriend's shoulder no matter that he was leaning downward significantly to do so. "I god send hobe...." he mumbled weakly into the other's body, his calm draining back to that of pure disappointment in himself.

"Oh no! Why'd they send you home?" Levi asked curiously, but also with a tone of concern. If they had been unfairly discriminating against his boyfriend, they would hear an ear full from him. Holding tightly to Levi still, the wolf snuffled loudly, snuggling his face even further against the side of the leopard's neck.

"I'b sicg..." Remi responded, his voice muffled by Levi's shoulder. "I coulng't stob sneeding in courd, do dhey dold me do leabe."

Levi pulled back slightly, concern etched on his face as his light blues scanned over his features now. "Oh no, baby. Are you feeling okay?" he asked, running a hand over the wolf's forehead to test his temperature, noticing the glassy green eyes and irritated nose.

Remi shook his head, his nose starting to tingle again. "H'hah... yeah, I'll be fide," he said, but then taken by complete surprise he lets out another messy sneeze. "Hhuh’itsshhh’ue!!” slipping his hand pathetically over his leaking nostrils.

Levi chuckled delicately, "Let's get you cleaned up and into bed, then. I'll take care of you." He took Remi's hand and led him to the bedroom, where he helped him out of his clothes and into some comfortable pajama pants. He then tucked him into bed and sat next to him, stroking his hair gently after having cleaned up his face with a fresh tissue. "What am I going to do with you, hm?" his facial expression soft and kind as he always was with the man.

Remi smiled weakly at Levi's words, feeling grateful for his boyfriend's love and care. "Jusd lobe me," he said weakly, voice still afflicted from his stuffy and full sinuses. He allowed his eyes to come to a close as he snuggled deeper into his pillow.

Levi giggled through his nose, his hand never leaving Remi's hair as he leaned forward and placed a gentle kiss on his forehead. "Always, baby," he whispered before standing up off the bed and turning towards the door. "Don't fall asleep just yet, I gotta get some meds into your system first okay?" he looked over his shoulder at the other.

Remi nodded, grateful for Levi's attention to detail. He watched as his boyfriend left the room, and then closed his eyes again, feeling the weight of the day finally catch up to him. But even as he dozed off, he struggled to feel any inkling of better.

When the little leopard returned with a glass of water and some medicine, Remi easily accepted, taking the pills with a gulp of water. He then settled back into bed, feeling the effects of the medicine starting to work their magic. He let out a sigh of relief, his body relaxing into the soft mattress.

"Thangs, kidden," he whispered to Levi, who was already sitting back down next to him. "Youde nod mad ad me, righd?" a rare sight to see the wolf pouting up at him. The cat could only feel his heart warm as he gently rubbed the man's chest.

"Not at all, Acushla....there's very very limited things you could accomplish that would make me mad at you," those soft freckled features baring down on him, only made Remi feel more at home.

"I'b do lucgy do habe you," the raven haired man sniffled tenderly before exhaling a slow breath.

Levi just smiled, his hand moving back to stroking Remi's hair. "As I, you, my love," The two of them sat in comfortable silence for a while, just enjoying each other's company. And even though Remi's sinuses threatened to over bear him, he found comfort in squeezing tighter next to his tiny mate. Who in turn, stroked his head sweetly, until eventually, the wolf found himself fast asleep, ready to recoup from this horrible cold.

The End

Author’s Note: I hope you enjoyed this piece, Anon 🥺👉🏻👈🏻 I loved fulfilling it for you. Sorry there is no smut I was enjoying the fluffy vibes 😌

#ocs #original character #remixlevi #writer #fic writer #art #my character #fluff #snzfic #snz art #snz request #snz things #snzario #snzblr #snz blog #snzfet #snz blr #snz kink #snzzzzz #snzfucker #snz #snz fet #snz fic

[summerstrash]

If Alex Summers comes out of Dark X-Men without some consequential alteration to his gender or sexuality I will eat my shorts.

Alex, currently:

Just insisted he and Maddie are "the same" and threw over his life as an X-Man to help her rule Limbo, which Maddie then characterized as a place that holds "the spirits no one wants to face. The parts of us we condemn to darkness. Nothing heals in darkness."

Most recently fucked a robot he perceived to be Maddie.

Spent the previous two years before Dark Web being manipulated by others for their nefarious or petty purposes in ways that left him physically & emotionally traumatized and isolated.

Was extremely sympathetic to robots and clones in an era when they were persona non grata.

Has a dissociative disorder that has not been explicitly resolved on panel yet.

Spent two years being paralleled with the most Wife Guy of genderweird WLWs , Mystique, during a period where Maddie's trans subtext feels its most intentional.

Alex, historically:

Is prone to fucking Scott & Bobby's exes (Lorna, Maddie, Annie)

Is prone to fucking people already in relationships when he meets them (Lorna, Maddie, Annie)

Tends to fuck MILFs (Maddie, Annie, Jan)

Feels deeply alone even when he doesn't have "good" reasons to be.

Once was the reason an energy vampire turned into a pterosaur man (Sauron).

And he's about to be on a team with:

Bobby's teen crush, but the version of Warren who experienced nonconsensual amputation and body modification and the isolation that creates.

A man married to a woman with a history of being unable to touch people. Remy's also extremely popular with X-Twitter Gays.

A robotic replica of Logan (y'know, the guy who is at minimum Scott's metamour, if not his boyfriend) named Albert, best known for hanging out with a robot little girl named Elsie Dee.

Kurt Wagner's demonic dad.

A guy who keeps fusing bodily with his sister and often walks around in a girl shaped body and who is an energy vampire (Emplate).

A guy who is part flesh and part machine and can sculpt his body any way he pleases and who can mind-control people by adding bits of his body to theirs (Zero).

Alex is absolutely surrounded by dudes who are exactly his type or who can be used for metaphors for transness as a result of Weird Body Stuff. There has never been a better time for him to be established as a closet case.

#alex summers #dark x men 2023 #havok #alex summers is either a gay man or a transfemme and that is that on that

[a-small-batch-of-dragons]

QTA: Queer Teacher Alliance | New Student

Feel free to ignore this if you're not feeling up to writing, but homophobia feat. a 2 hour math test and homophobia feat. queer teacher alliance both literally had me in tears (god I need teachers like that) soooo.... possibly something else within that realm? Pretty please? Maybe there's a new kid (remy? idk i think he's the only character not accounted for aside from the orange side and thomas at this point) that's struggling? Homophobia shit happens again, Virgil has a panic attack, and Remy or whoever tries to help? Cept they're highschoolers and not very good at helping so they just kind of make it worse and now both of them are panicking and one of the teachers finds them. And I think you can figure out where it goes from here haha – anon

Read on Ao3 Masterlist

Warnings: homophobia, transphobia, panic attacks

Pairings: none!

Word Count: 3479

    You know, for once in his life, Virgil would really appreciate it if people just shut the fuck up about things they don't know. Seriously, whoever decided that it was every person with a platform's responsibility to use said platform to speak about something, even when the person doesn't know anything about whatever they're talking about, Virgil would like a word. Several words, in fact, many of them four letters, and then to acquaint their face with several different heavy objects. Repeatedly.

Point is, he's been forced to listen to some of his classmates discuss some celebrity's opinion of Harry Potter and J.K. Rowling for the past way-too-many minutes and he's about ready to rip his fucking ears off.

"I'm just saying, there has to be a way to—"

"There isn't! There literally isn't! She's come out and said publicly that she takes anyone who still engages with Harry Potter to mean that they secretly agree with her horrible transphobic views."

"But it's like he pointed out! Harry Potter is such big childhood nostalgia for so many people, what if it means something to them? I mean, obviously we don't endorse what the author's saying—"

"Did you not just listen to a fucking word I said?"

No, they didn't, they won't start to, and you need to shut the fuck up, Virgil thinks to himself as the other student sighs.

"Look, what about, you know, death to the author and all that?"

"I mean I'll kill that TERF without hesitating, yeah."

I don't think that's what death to the author means. I also think it's not actually called that.

"But like—are the books and movies really that bad?"

Nope. Oh, no. No, no, no, no, no, Virgil is not going to be here for this. He starts trying to put his stuff into his bag as subtly as he can, even hiding his pencil case under the table so he can ease the zipper open as quietly as possible. Pencil case, laptop, textbook, notebook, he's almost got everything in when suddenly he hears:

"Virgil! Virgil, come help me."

Absolutely the fuck not.

"Virgil," they call again even as he tries to shove his headphones in to surreptitiously indicate that he doesn't want to be talking about this right now, "Virgil! Hey, Virgil!"

"What?"

Fuck. Shouldn't have done that.

The first student sighs, leaning back in their chair. "Can you help me explain all the awful shit in Harry Potter?"

No, because I've got class in half an hour and there won't be enough time. "Uh—"

The other one snorts. "Look, I'm just saying that if you can't do it yourself, then maybe it's not really as bad as you're saying it is."

"Shut up, my inability to articulate doesn't make you right."

This is, in fact, an excellent point, and Virgil's going to use it to seamlessly segue his way out of this conversation, watch: "I, um, I—uh—"

See? Nailed it.

"Maybe Virgil's on my side," the other one says, "you don't know."

"I don't even know what you're talking about," Virgil says hastily, fighting every instinct to throw his backpack at their smug-ass face, "so—"

"What the fuck do you mean, don't know what we're talking about?"

No, no, no, not like that, abort, abort, abort—

The first student glares at him. "Have you been living under a rock or some shit? All the bullshit that J.K. Rowling keeps spewing about trans women not being real women and that they're dangerous and predatory, that stuff, do you really not know about that?"

"No, I do, but—"

"Then come on and help me convince this fucking idiot that her books are full of shit too!"

Virgil's hand tightens on the strap to his backpack and he starts edging toward the door. "I, um, I don't—I don't really have time for that, I need to go to class—"

"Period isn't over for another—" they glance at their phone— "twenty-seven minutes, dude, it's fine."

"I need to use the bathroom—"

"To do what," the other one snorts, "you have like, a mammoth shit you need to drop or something?"

"It's actually none of your business what I have to do in the bathroom," he spits, hunching protectively over himself.

"Whoa, man, easy." They raise their hands. "Calm down."

He takes a deep breath to try and calm himself before steeling his jaw. "Look, the internet is literally right at your fingertips. Google some shit or something."

"Yeah, 'cause people on the internet are so unbiased."

"Why don't—look," the first one says, "why don't you just give us one example, how about that?"

"Why are you so invested in me giving you an example?" Virgil asks in frustration, forgetting to get closer to the door—and his freedom. "Literally how am I involved in this conversation at all?"

"Because you're gay."

There's a faint ringing in his ears, he realizes after a moment. The entire room seems to slow down, moving in bullet time, and there's that whine in the back of his head almost like microphone feedback. His pulse thuds loudly in his ears, which is weird, because he was so sure he could only hear the whining but now he can hear this thud-thud, thud-thud, thud-thud. He can also hear some sort of really raspy thing, and there's a burning sensation near the base of his throat, which is strange, what could that be?

Oh, he realizes after their voices start to fade back in, I'm panicking.

Of course, realizing that he's panicking doesn't do anything other than slam every single big red button in his brain that says Hello! Time to have a Bad Time! In an instant his hands start sweating. His hoodie starts to itch. His chest keeps burning—that's what that was. His eyes widen and his mouth stops mouthing and he needs to go.

He barely even registers the run through the halls to get to the bathroom, doesn't even remember if there were people or if there are people currently in here or anything other than chucking his bag into the corner of the stall and slamming the door and huddling against the cold linoleum.

Stop it, he screams at himself, stop it, stop it, stop it!

He should be fine. None of this should be happening. He should be fine because nothing actually happened to him and he doesn't want to have to deal with the consequences of visibly having a panic attack in front of those two assholes and he doesn't want to deal with their stupid attempts at placating him afterwards.

Especially not their stupid attempts to placate him afterwards.

He can see it now, the way they'll stand in that weird and awkward way where they're trying to be sincere but they're high school kids so they only know how to do that weird handclasp thing that makes everything look like it's awkward picture day and they'll stumble their way over saying some stupid shit like we accept you the way you are and it's not a problem but something to be embraced or even just I see you, I hear you, I'm here for you, and he'll want to rip their fucking stupid vocal chords out before they can burble their way through some fucking platitude that doesn't mean shit and fuck this really isn't helping him stop panicking.

The door swings open.

"Uh, hey," the first student's voice rings out and Virgil curls up as tight as he can, "I, um, don't really know what happened, but you seem kinda upset, so I'm, uh, here to check on you?"

Go the fuck away. Go the fuck away right now and leave me the fuck alone.

"Look, I think we may have gotten off on the wrong foot," they say as they come closer, in fact, and do not leave, "I, uh, didn't mean to just volley you in like that."

A shadow lengthens under the stall door.

"We, uh, I mean, I just wanted to make sure that you knew I wasn't trying to be homophobic or anything. I just meant that—you know, you're, uh…you might have more of a stake in it than we did, so I thought it would be good to…get your side of things."

I'm not trans. I'm not trans. We're not—queer people aren't some fucking hive mind.

A very good point he would like to make out loud. Now if only his lungs would stop trying to flee through his esophagus.

"But, uh, are you—oh, you're in there." Two shoes appear under the stall door. "Can I come in?"

"No!" He sniffs and gasps. "Get out!"

"Are you—you're having a panic attack, right?"

"Get out," he yells again, voice cracking, "leave me alone!"

"I'm not gonna leave you alone if you're having a panic attack, dude, that's not what you're supposed to do."

What you're supposed to do is listen to the fucking person who's having the fucking panic attack in the first goddamn place so that you don't make it fucking worse, which is what you're fucking doing right fucking now!

But of course, his body won't fucking cooperate with him long enough to make all of those words come out of his mouth, and so he just screams again.

"Get out!"

"Okay, okay, you're upset—" yeah, no fucking shit, Sherlock— "so I'm gonna—I'm gonna go get someone for you, okay? Just stay right there."

Where in the fuck am I gonna go, asshole?

But actually, the tiny remaining rational part of him thinks as the shoes disappear and the door swings open and closed again, that might not be such a bad idea, to go somewhere else. Then he might not actually have to deal with the consequences right now and he can ride out the rest of this stupid panic attack in peace and not have to explain himself to whoever the fuck that asshole went to go get—

"No, he's in there, I swear."

Fuck, how are they back already?

The door swings open again and Virgil scrunches himself as small as he can go, huddled in the corner, as a set of footsteps moves along the length of the bathroom.

"Hello? Is someone in here?"

Mr. DeLuca.

Two different instincts war in Virgil's chest. On the one side, Mr. DeLuca has been nothing but patient with him whenever he's upset. He's been kind and gentle, Virgil dares to say, and he's not made a secret of the fact that he'll be on Virgil's side if shit goes down about queer people.

The other side, though, knows that Mr. DeLuca is fucking scary.

"I see a closed stall door," Mr. DeLuca says, his voice still quiet and soft, "so I'm going to guess that's where you are. I'm not going to get closer, I'm still over by the sinks."

Virgil sniffs and it rings in the empty bathroom.

"You've picked the perfect place," he continues, "I'm sure there's no shortage of tissues to blow your nose with."

Despite himself, he sobs out a laugh and after a moment he hears Mr. DeLuca chuckle too.

"Though I can't say the smell will be pleasant once you do, this is still a bathroom."

The part of Virgil that wants the soft and kind Mr. DeLuca is slowly winning the fight as his back and shoulders start to protest being curled up like this for so long. With a shaking hand, he reaches out and undoes the lock, letting the stall swing open.

"I see you've opened the door," Mr. DeLuca says, "is that permission to come over?"

"Y-yeah."

"Alright, thank you. I'm going to stand up and start walking over. If at any point you decide to change your mind, that's perfectly alright, just tell me." Footsteps and another shadow and a noise escapes Virgil's throat before he can stop it. "Was that to stop?"

"N-no."

"Alright, just checking."

He keeps coming, all the way over, and Virgil can't help but cower a little when his shadow blocks out the light. Still, he tries to peer up and see him as he comes around the edge of the door.

"I'm here now, let's—Virgil?"

At the obvious concern that suddenly floods his voice, Virgil can't hold back the sob.

"Oh, sweetie," Mr. DeLuca murmurs, crouching down and reaching for him, "what happened?"

Virgil just shakes his head and claps a hand over his mouth. Mr. DeLuca tuts.

"Don't muffle yourself, it's alright, there's no one else here. It's alright, cry it out if you need to, I won't go anywhere unless you want me to."

And fuck it, he's out again. He buries his face in his hands and hoodie sleeves and just starts bawling like a child. Mr. DeLuca's hand comes to rest gently on his shoulder, sliding around to rub circles into his back. It's so careful but it's clearly done on purpose to make him feel better and he takes it back, that kid wasn't an asshole because they did actually get someone who could help.

It just…takes a moment.

When Virgil's finally got a hold on himself and half a roll of tissue to blow his nose on, Mr. DeLuca smiles at him.

"Hello, sweetie," he says quietly, "do you want to tell me what happened?"

"Not really."

"Will you tell me anyway?"

Virgil sighs. "Some students—the one who got you, I'm guessing—"

"Remy?"

"Yeah, I guess, them and another student started talking about how awful J.K. Rowling is—" Mr. DeLuca makes a noise of agreement— "well, they were arguing, really, and then Remy—Remy asked me to weigh in and I tried to leave but they wouldn't let me and then they said—"

"What did they say," he prompts when Virgil chokes off, "what did they say, sweetie?"

"They said they were asking me 'cause I'm g-gay."

Mr. DeLuca's hand stills and Virgil flinches. He's quick to soothe it away, though: "Shh, sweetie, I'm sorry, I'm not mad at you."

"But this is stupid."

"What," he asks dryly, "having a response to your trauma when it gets triggered?"

"…yeah."

He chuckles. "I hate to break it to you, Virgil, but that's how it works, I'm afraid."

"That's stupid too."

"Yes, it is very stupid." He gives his shoulder a gentle shake. "Can I convince you to come up out of the bathroom? Not to deny you your space but I'm sure other students will soon want a chance to use it."

"Yeah."

"Come," Mr. DeLuca coaxes, helping him to his feet, "I think Mr. Prince has a free period now as well, can we have you go sit with him while I deal with this?"

"Y-you don't—" Mr. DeLuca raises an eyebrow and Virgil cows— "okay."

"Do you want to rinse your face off first?"

"Uh-huh."

He splashes cold water and scrubs at his face until everything's roughly the same amount of red. He pats himself dry with the shitty paper towels and runs his hoodie sleeve over his face to get the rest. Mr. DeLuca just waits patiently with his backpack until he's ready to go.

"Thanks."

"Of course. Come on, now, it's not far."

He decides to pay negative attention to the surrounding halls as Mr. DeLuca guides him around to Mr. Prince's classroom, only looking up when the door swings open and he hears the familiar sound of Mr. Prince humming to himself as he works.

"Janus! What a lovely surprise," Mr. Prince calls, "and—oh, you've brought someone with you."

"Mr. Prince." Virgil can't help but smile at the familiar sound of Mr. DeLuca being exasperated. "I have a favor to ask you."

"Oh?"

"Do you mind if Virgil spends the rest of the period with you?"

"Oh, is that who that is? Look up for me—oh," Mr. Prince murmurs, everything else vanishing as he takes in Virgil's still-swollen eyes, "hey, Virgil, yeah, you can stay, that's fine."

"…thanks."

Mr. Prince looks up at Mr. DeLuca and they exchange a nod like Mr. Prince is giving him permission to go off on some mission to—oh, wait, that's exactly what's happening. Mr. DeLuca pats his shoulder one more time before leaving through the door.

"Come sit," Mr. Prince encourages, gesturing towards any of the open tables, "do you want to talk about it, do you want me to distract you, or do you want to be left alone?"

"Uh—" Virgil glances at the table nearest him, currently spread with all manner of papers, "what's all that?"

"Oh, just stuff for the other class, you guys didn't need it." He waves dismissively at the scissors. "It's an exercise to help remember some of the quotes from the readings to use in your essays."

Virgil snorts. "Ah, yes, the quotes that are definitely words that we would normally use in academic papers."

"Exactly, see?" He perches on the edge of his desk and Virgil deliberately looks at the desk in front of him, sitting down and putting his chin on his crossed arms. "Are you okay? Do you need some water or something?"

"Nah."

There are a few minutes of quiet as Mr. Prince goes back to shuffling the papers around before he sighs and looks over. "Alright, I know I asked if you wanted to talk about it and you didn't say you did, but I'm nosy and I want to know what happened."

Virgil sighs. "J.K. Rowling happened."

Mr. Prince makes such an expression of disgust that he snorts again. "What the hell was a TERF doing in your free period?"

"Two students were watching someone explain that they still like Harry Potter but don't support her perspectives on things like…that," he says, "and then they, uh, argued about it."

Mr. Prince winces. "I'm hesitant to ask what happened next."

"No, you're not."

"No, I'm not."

"One of them basically volunteered me because I think they have the all-queer-people-think-alike thing, and I, uh, wasn't prepared for someone to just loudly declare my queerness, so…"

"Well, I was right, that sucks a whole lot and I'm sorry that happened." He nods toward the door. "I would guess that our fearless math teacher is on the warpath?"

"When isn't he on the warpath?"

"You make an excellent point."

Virgil lays his cheek against his arm. "Also, they started talking about 'death to the author,' and I don't—that's not what it's called, right?"

"No, it's 'death of the author.'" Mr. Prince glances over at him with a smile. "Do you remember what it means?"

"Yeah, it's when it doesn't matter what the author intended or didn't intend to put into the text, right? We prioritize reader interpretation instead of author intention?"

"That's exactly right, well done, Virgil."

Not now, gay panic, oh my fucking god, not now. But it's too late, he's already got a giddy smile forming on his face and Mr. Prince has seen it.

"Don't hide, you're allowed to be proud you're right." He laughs in surprise when Virgil buries his face in his arms. "You're never this shy in class, what's going on?"

"I've just had a panic attack!"

"Fair enough, fair enough," he chuckles and yeah, it's probably a better idea if Virgil just hides his face for a little longer.

Still, he can't resist the urge to peek out for too long, and he raises his head just enough to glimpse Mr. Prince working with the pieces of paper over the edge of his hoodie. Mr. Prince glances over at the slight rustle and waves.

"Hi, there."

"Hi."

"You feeling better?"

"A little."

"That's good. Do you feel up to helping me cut out some of these things?"

"Sure."

This is fine, he thinks as he actually gets to laugh a few more times and talk about the ridiculousness of some of the quotes, this is totally fine.

And to his surprise, it actually is.

(He thinks Remy was right about them getting off on the wrong foot, though. Maybe he'll go find him later and they can actually have a conversation. Not about Harry Potter, though.)

General Taglist: @frxgprince@potereregina@gattonero17@iamhereforthegayshit@thefingergunsgirl@awkwardandanxiousfander@creative-lampd-liberties@djpurple3@winterswrandomness@sanders-sides-uncorrect-quotes@iminyourfandom@bullet-tothefeels@full-of-roman-angst-trash  @ask-elsalvador @ramdomthingsfrommymind@demoniccheese83@pattonsandershugs @el-does-photography @princeanxious@firefinch-ember@fandomssaremysoul@im-an-anxious-wreck@crazy-multifandomfangirl @punk-academian-witch@enby-ralsei@unicornssunflowersandstuff@wildhorsewolf @thetruthaboutthesun @stubbornness-and-spite @princedarkandstormv  @your-local-fookin-deadmeme @angels-and-dreams@averykedavra @a-ghostlight-for-roman @treasurechestininterweb @cricketanne @queerly-fluid-fan @compactdiscdraws@cecil-but-gayer@i-am-overly-complicated@annytheseal@alias290@tranquil-space-ninja @arxticandy @mychemically-imbalanced-romance@whyiask@crows-ace @emilythezeldafan@frida0043 @ieatspinalcords @snowyfires@cyanide-violence@oonagh2@xxpanic-at-the-everywherexx@rabbitsartcorner @percy-07734@triflingassailantofmyemotions @virgil-sanders-the-gay-emo@cerulean-watermelon@puffed-up-bees@meltheromanstan@joyrose-fandomer@insanitori@mavenmush@justablah65@10paradox10@uhhh-hi-there-i-am-nervous@cutebisexualmess@bella-bugatti-frogetti-baguetti@ultrageekygirl

#dragonbabbles #sanders sides #fic #roman sanders #virgil sanders #janus sanders #deceit sanders #sympathetic deceit #remy sanders

[whqreforstevengrant]

Sander Sides Highschool AU

General Information

Everyone is 17

11th graders

Roman, Virgil, Thomas, & Janus are all in Drama club together.

Patton is in cheerleading.

Along with Drama club Roman is also on the football team.

Remus does Hockey.

Logan is in Chess club

Virgil is Thomas protective older half brother.

while Virgil isn’t a bully people do fear him bc no one knows much about him outside of being Thomas’s brother.

Virgil Storm

I’m gonna start with him first seeing how the story revolves more around him and logan bc their my faves & deserves the world 😝.

6’4 and gay

Stoner gang

He really kept to himself until Logan moved to Florida.

Virgil’s closest friend is Patton, they basically grew up together after Thomas brought him home for a play date in kindergarten.

Virgil is the drama club techie despite his ability to sing just as well as the others but this is also mainly bc he is absolutely terrified of acting in-front of strangers.

After Patton the next Virgil met was Janus, he saved him from a bullying situation in 3rd grade, which they got along good until 7th grade to which Virgil became paranoid of Janus secrecy to where they just became kinda distant.

Virgil met Remus before Roman, he was dumpster diving and scared the absolute shit out of Virgil on his walk home from school in 6th grade.

Was absolutely stunned to know that Remus was related to Roman but the more he thought about it the more odd similarities came up.

Didn’t trust Remy at first with Thomas but warmed up to him after pulling an all nighter together binging the office to where Thomas fell asleep.

He fell first, and felt really guilty about it.

Logan Berry

5’7 and Demi

Logan was okay with his height until he moved to Florida.

I hope y’all could tell that’s a hearing aid on his ear. (will and has turned it off mid conversation, mostly on the Charming twins)

He’s moved there from the New York city orphanage. (He has the accent and the others find it funny when he’s grumbling like an old man)

The first person Logan met was the one and only Remus Charming. Logan was pretty sure that he was the embodiment of crazy Florida men.

Then it was Patton who was in his Home Ec class and invited him to lunch to which he didn’t regret until he spilled sloppy joe all over Virgil.

It was an embarrassing moment and he completely expected to be clocked out but Virgil seemed more terrified than he was, quickly assuring Logan so he could speed walk out the lunchroom.

Logan completely gave up on getting lunch that day after that and just sat at the table with Patton to where he met everyone else and was very embarrassed when Virgil came back with a different hoodie and they formally met.

Thomas Sanders

5’11 and gay

Younger brother of Virgil by 7 months.

Knows sign language bc/for Virgil whenever he felt overwhelmed with anxiety.

Bonded with Patton over cookies in kindergarten.

When the Charming twins moved into the neighborhood in 5th grade Thomas became friends with Roman first not aware of Remus’s existence until the next year.

Romans excuse was that he never asked.

His circle was pretty much Roman, Patton, and Virgil with the odd tag along of Remus and Janus until 7th grade where he met his future boyfriend and mom friend.

Remy liked Thomas first but would never admit to it even tho he did ask out Thomathy first.

Met Logan the day he bumped into Virgil with the sloppy joe, and gave logan a glare for mortifying his brother but quickly got over it once Logan began talking about broadway.

Remy Siesta

6’0 and Pan

100% bleeds starbucks.

Has really bad insomnia but calls his bags gucci.

Remy is a little insecure about his eye bags but is quickly reassured once Thomas starts kissing all over his face.

He had a hallway crush on Thomas for about a year until Picani chalked him up to actually talk to Thomas.

Remy was full aware of Virgil’s original contempt for him. Those glares were killer and what kinda kept him off from asking out Thomas for a while.

A party person but not a party addict, he mainly just loves sleeping in on weekends with Thomas.

Remus Charming

6’1 and Gay

Stoner gang

He’s never really offended whenever someone is shocked that he’s related to Roman.

They both don’t mean to keep it a secret but iykyk.

Remus can well afford pretty much anything he wants but enjoys dumpster diving or thrifting so he could make it better.

Him and Roman get along as tolerant as siblings can but don’t be fooled they are ride or die for one another.

Both of them are Puerto Rican and Spaniard! and is fluent in Spanish as that’s their family’s first language.

Remus’s streak of white is a birthmark known as poliosis and runs strongly through his mother’s side of the family.

Really open and honest, and days what comes to mind. his intrusive thoughts truly wins everyday with him.

Eats pickled ginger & blood sausage as a snack and it truly disgusts everyone associated with him except his mother for she also enjoys blood sausage.

Completely did not expect to fall for Patton, but when he figured out that Patton returned his feelings he did put Patton on hold in fear of he chose the wrong twin and that he “corrupted” him.

Roman Charming

6’0 and Bi

A dramatic himbo is how most sum him up.

Schools golden boy, their quarterback star, and lead actor in most of their plays.

The pressure does get to him sometimes though.

The R in his jacket was embedded by Virgil.

Lives right next door to Patton and was the first person he talked to and was introduced to Thomas and Virgil thru him.

Roman and Virgil had their banter of course but bonded over art pretty quickly.

Him and Janus definitely became academic enemies to lovers, but it was more over the spots in the plays.

But then he quickly soon started falling for Janus and all his sarcasm.

Janus Guile

5’8 and Pan

Use to be bullied a lot in elementary school until Virgil stood up for him and everyone quickly cut the shit.

Janus was always wary of people and didn’t really trust anyone but himself.

He did genuinely enjoy being Virgil’s friend tho and he does enjoy being everyone in his circle friend but he doesn’t ever allow himself to get too attached so you could imagine the fear for when he fell for the Hotshot Roman Charming.

Super sarcastic tho, think Chandler Bing but worse.

Pretty well known and popular by high school mainly bc of him also being a leading role in the school plays too.

Patton Hart

5’9 and Gay or Moronsexual as Virgil refers to him.

The dad friend, still makes dad jokes and is super supportive of everyone.

The sweetheart, but can be super passive aggressive whenever your talking down on yourself. (Has punched Virgil several times)

Cheer Captain

The way he can flip and bend is absolutely mind blowing.

Never seen Remus on the day of the Charming’s moving in but met him later in their towns local skating rink.

They had played Ice Hockey together and quickly bonded over the fact that Patton gave Remus a real challenge.

Gets along with everyone no problem.

When Patton did confess to Remus though he was really hurt that Remus implied what he did but everything eventually turned out for them.

Emile Picani

Logan isn’t the mom friend he is.

Emile lives in the same housing area with Remy and they practically grown up together.

Remy was the only one who really binged watched Cartoons with him and still do.

Emile is also really supportive and a good listener, he tries his best when people vent to him to give a good response.

Don’t worry though whenever he needs to vent Remy is always there for him.

1000% a secret party animal, he’s gotta keep up with Remy somehow.

That’s why he couldn’t just sit there and watch his bsf pine over Thomas and quite literally shoved him into talking to him granted he almost got murdered by Virgil.

#sander sides #sleep sanders #patton sanders #logan sanders #virgil sanders #thomas sanders #janus sanders #deciet sanders #remus sanders #roman sanders #tw deciet #tw remus #remy sanders #emile picani #sympathetic remus #sympathetic deceit #analogical #roceit #intruality

[lovelylogans]

the parent trap

CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE: i said a boom chicka boom!

Logan's swept off his feet. As is Maddox, in an entirely different way.

⁂

Janus breathes deeply and slowly as he fills out the information to check out of the hotel, signing the paper with a final flourish.

This weekend. Done with. The reunion with his son and ex-husband, done with.

The extensive legal battle they’re now apparently embroiled in? Just beginning. Remy Zawistowski has told them it will be a long, long lawsuit. But that paperwork will simply have to wait until he returns to London. 

Now to that damned plane.

“Have a good flight, Mr. James.”

He manages to tell the concierge thank you instead of asking if he’s being mocked.

“Where’s Roman?” Janus asks Logan, tucking his wallet into his jacket pocket.

“He said he’d be down in just a moment,” Logan says, signing off his own paperwork and quadruple-checking for the presence of his passport.

“All right, then,” Janus sighs.

Patton smiles from where he’s waiting, that bashful, sweet smile.

“Have a safe flight.”

“I’d certainly hope so,” Janus mutters.

Patton’s smile turns more sympathetic. “Still not a big fan of planes, huh?”

“I don’t know how anyone can be a fan of planes,” Janus says, scowling.

The elevator door dings, and Janus looks. Ah, there’s his sons. Except…

“Oh, Remus, what on earth are you about to do,” Patton groans quietly.

…except the two boys are dressed identically from head to toe: hair mussed, gold-and-green earrings, button-downs, black jeans, each wearing one of the other’s trainers to create a mixed pair—one with red right-green left, the other with red left-green right.

And one twin is wearing an orange shirt, and the other twin is wearing a pink one.

“Boys,” Janus says. “What on earth are you both doing? We have a plane to catch.”

“Here’s the deal, Dads,” the twin in orange says, in an American accent. “We thought it over, and we decided we’re being totally hornswoggled.”

“Goldbricked.” The pink twin says in the same accent.

“Swindled, even!”

“I blame you for getting Roman that thesaurus,” Janus tells Logan.

“Papa promised we’d go on our camping trip, and we wanna go,” the orange twin says, switching the accent to English. “Together.”

“What camping trip?” Janus says, turning to Patton.

“The one we go on every summer together before school starts,” the pink twin says in an English accent.

Patton visibly falters.

“Roman, this is ridiculous,” Janus says. “Go upstairs, get your things, and put your proper clothes on.” 

The pink twin smiles up at Janus. “Are you sure I’m Roman?”

“Of course I’m sure,” Janus bluffs.

“But it’s kind of hard to be 100% positive,” the pink twin says, switching accents again. “Isn’t it?”

Janus chews the inside of his cheek.

“Boys,” Patton says in a stern tone, putting his hands on his hips. “This is not the time for tricks. You’re going to make your father miss his flight.”

Janus wouldn’t mind prolonging the inevitable flight, actually.

“I know!” Patton says, turning to Janus and brightening. “We’ll check the—”

Except, in a move that must clearly be choreographed, each twin turns, pulling down their left ear.

To reveal identical winestain birthmarks.

Patton slumps, but Janus licks his finger and, in the tradition of parents everywhere, takes the nearest twin and tries to clean away any makeup with spit and his own verve.

“Aw, Dad,” the orange twin says with a laugh. “Won’t it be a shame if you spend all this time trying to rub it off only to find out that one of these is hypothetically applied with waterproof makeup?”

Janus releases the twin, frustrated.

“Remus!” Patton calls.

But the twins are prepared for this too.

“Yes?” They chorus in sly London accents.

“Say ‘ears,’” Janus demands.

“Ears!” Both twins declare, in a thoroughly American accent.

Patton bends forward, staring the orange twin in the face, then the pink.

“This one’s Remus,” he says, pointing to the orange twin. “I’m positive.”

“You know, I hope you’re right, Pa!” The orange twin says, bright and chipper. “It’d sure be a pain if you ended up sending the wrong kid all the way back to England.”

“But hey, if you’re totally sure,” The pink twin says.

For not being raised together, the pair of them wear smug on their faces in the exact same way.

“Here’s our proposition,” the pink twin says, stepping forward, then beckoning the orange one to stand beside him. “We go back to Pa’s house, pack our stuff, and the four of us leave on the camping trip.”

“The four of us?” Janus splutters.

“And,” the orange twin says. “When we get back, we’ll tell you which one’s Remus, and which one’s Roman.”

Oh, nuh-uh, no way.

Janus James does not do camping.

“Or,” Janus says. “You do as we say, and I take one of you back to London, whether you like it or not.”

The twins beam up at him.

⁂

Patton probably should be acting a bit stricter and sterner about this.

Probably.

But he’s just so gosh darn excited.

For the first time in their lives—in his life—he gets to bring both of his boys along on the yearly Big Camping Trip. Remus, naturally, has thrived in the times of Big Camping Trip; he’s always been the sort to run out and get muddy, he’s a quick learner, and, of course, all things gross and mucky in nature that seem to drive some away only draws him in.

But now he also gets to bring along Roman.

He is a bit nervous; Roman is, after all, a city boy. But Roman’s also a city boy who just spent his entire summer at an outdoorsy camp. 

Patton hopes, very selfishly, that camp didn’t teach Roman everything about thriving outdoors. He’d like to share this with him too.

But there is someone who isn’t very happy about this latest predicament.

“Patton,” Maddox hisses as Patton hauls the boys’ bags of supplies into the trunk. “What am I meant to do at home for three days—sit at home and knit?!”

“It’s a bit of a sticky situation, honey,” Patton says.

Maddox buzzes right on by the pun. “Sticky situation?! What do you mean, sticky situation, what exactly—?”

But, as if on cue, Janus, with sunglasses and wrapped up in a yellow-and-brown flannel that Patton would put ten bucks on him not owning the day before, descends the stairs.

Maddox whirls back to him.

“Excuse me,” he says through clenched teeth. “What is he doing here?!”

Patton sighs, running a hand over his stubble. “That’s part of the sticky situation I was just about to explain, honey. The boys want the four of us to… y’know. Go together.”

“What?!” Maddox says. “What are you, suddenly, the Brady Bunch?! This is ridic—”

“Hello,” Janus says, smoothly cutting off Maddox’s gathering up of steam. “Everything all right?”

“Actually, no,” Maddox says before Patton can jump in. “It isn’t. I didn’t realize you were going on this little outing, and to tell you the truth, I’m not so sure I’m okay with it.”

Janus shrugs. “I agree.”

That seems to take some of the heat out of the situation. Maddox blinks at Janus.

“I mean—ex-husband in the next sleeping bag is a little weird.”

“Thank you,” Maddox says, smiling at Patton, as if to say, there, you see?!

“I absolutely insist that you come with us.” Janus says brightly. 

There’s something about the curl of his lips… something about the shine in his eye… But Patton’s too excited about the concept of sharing this camping trip with almost everyone he loves to really dissect it.

“Janus—” Maddox starts, the smile fading from his face.

“No, really, Maddox, it’s the least I can do,” Janus insists. Patton tries not to narrow his eyes at him; that chipper, cheerful voice… Patton’s heard it reflected through their son back at him over the years.

“Oh, Maddox, that would be perfect,” Patton says excitedly. “What a great opportunity to bond with the boys!”

“Well—” Maddox falters.

Janus smiles, placing a hand over his heart, as beatific as an angel. “I’ve messed up your entire weekend, really, please.”

Maddox hesitates. And hesitates some more.

“I don’t know if I have a ton of supplies.”

“I’ll share!” Patton says happily. “Virgil always says I buy too many camping supplies anyway.”

“I’ll…” Maddox swallows, then, “I don’t know if I have the proper things—”

“Oh, Patton’s an experienced outdoorsman,” Janus says briskly. “I certainly don’t have anything. If he says he has enough supplies to cover you, he surely does.”

Maddox sighs.

“Let me go pack some clothes.”

Patton kisses him quickly on the cheek. “I’ll make sure we’ve got all the things you’ll need!”

And so Maddox goes inside to pack.

⁂

“All right, boys, pay close attention to how I tie in everything,” Patton instructs. “You’d be shocked at all the things in your life that can be helped by a well-placed, well-tied knot!”

“Uh, Dad,” one of his sons says; if solely from the color he’s wearing, a green t-shirt under a black flannel with a black handkerchief tied around his wrist, it’s Remus. “What’s Maddox doing?”

Patton glances over, then down at the boys, beaming. “Your father invited him!”

“What?!” The other twin says; white t-shirt, red flannel, red handkerchief tied to keep his hair out of his face.

“I know it’s a change in plans, but don’t worry,” Patton says brightly. “We should have everything we need, and Remus—whichever one of you is Remus,” he adds obligingly, in case they’ve double-bluffed him, “You know this trail well, we’ve gone on it before, you remember that nice, quiet lake up in the mountains? Oh, it’ll be so beautiful at this time of year, I can’t wait for you two to see it!”

The boys exchange a look.

“All right, back to the knot, now,” he says merrily. “I know you two spent eight weeks at summer camp, but I bet your old man’s still got some tricks up his sleeves!”

The boys sigh, but return their attention to Patton fastening the last of their luggage.

Once Patton ties the knot, tugging on it to demonstrate its sturdiness, he opens the door for Maddox to hop in the truck, then the back door for the boys, then hopping into the driver’s seat himself, and—

“All right, all set?” Janus says briskly, and pokes his head in through the driver’s side door, tapping at the window. “Have fun, you four!”

Patton blinks at him. “I thought we were all going?”

“Well, I’ve been thinking,” Janus says, turning his face up to Patton’s. “I really think you and Maddox ought to have some time alone before the big day. Plus, it gives me more time to get a solid sketch for Maddox’s wedding suit.”

“C’mon, Dad, that’s not the deal!” The green twin cries out in dismay.

“Oh, honestly,” Janus says dismissively, waving a hand at the boys. “You’ll have so much more fun without me.”

“Look, if you’re not going, I don’t have to go,” Maddox says hastily. “Trust me, I’m not exactly a big nature guy.”

“But this’ll be your chance to really get to know the boys,” Janus insists, his eyes round and shiny as marbles. “After all, after the wedding… they’re half yours.”

Wait. No. His eyes aren’t shiny. They’re glinting.

But Janus just smiles and steps back from the truck, waving. 

“Have fun, you all!”

Patton sees the twins, not quite in unison, cross their arms and scowl and roll their eyes at the world in general.

“Aw, lighten up, kids,” Patton says brightly, turning so they go down the lane. “We’ll have a great time, just the four of us bonding together!”

Weirdly, this doesn’t seem to cheer them up much. Instead, they bend their heads together, whispering in each others’ ears and starting some kind of rollicking hand-slapping game.

⁂

Well, say this for this hiking experience gone awry: it really is beautiful out here.

Roman is in constant awe of how big things are here in the states, this hiking trail being no exception; the woods sprawl as far as the eye can see (some number of miles that Papa has mentioned that Roman has not bothered attempting to calculate into proper metrics) the mountains looming huge in the sky, the trees as tall as skyscrapers. The air here is crisp and fresh; it’s sunny and breezy, meaning it’s not too hot or too cold. 

And Papa, seemingly so caught up in the whimsy and beauty of nature, is having the time of his life.

He knows a surprising amount about wildlife, which, when Roman thinks about it, isn’t too surprising; he makes his living growing grapes, it makes sense he knows a great deal about plants, and therefore a great deal about the animals around them.

Also, Papa just seems like the sort who likes all things four-legged and furry, whether they’re Sammy the dog or a cute little beaver that Papa excitedly points out as they’re near the mouth of the river at the very start of their hike.

Roman learns a lot, actually: like the state wildlife for California (grizzly bears, California red-legged frogs, California dogface butterflies, and golden orange fish for animals; California poppies for flowers, and purple needlegrass for grass), the reintroduction of the once-extinct California Condors and Humboldt Martens, and California’s native and invasive snake populations, most of which are perfectly harmless, but there’s easy ways to recognize the seven venomous ones to steer clear from.

Papa knows quite a bit about snakes, actually, which does strike Roman as odd. It doesn’t fit the furry categories most other animals of fascination have in common.

It’s really interesting, so long as he ignores the one huffing and puffing in the back.

Well. Ignoring him and, of course, arranging some tomfoolery.

They’ve arranged themselves strategically; Papa forging the way, Remus behind him, Roman blocking Maddox’s view, and Maddox trailing behind.

It’s not hard, after all, to nudge a rock in the way enough times that Maddox has to constantly keep his eyes on his absolutely impractical, if cute, shoes, to prevent twisting his ankles even more than he already has. 

Which gives Remus the cover to sabotage tree branches, which gives Roman plenty of time to trip the trapped branches to thwack back into Maddox’s face with just enough inconsistency to be startling each time.

Roman hears Maddox swear—not even remotely creatively, Remus would certainly do better—and grins to himself, watching Remus’s hand come up to his mouth, surely to stifle his own cackling.

It doesn’t take long until Papa’s distracted, having come to a complete stop, his head craned back to look up at the trees.

“Oh, wow, boys,” Papa calls in a hushed voice. “Shh, c’mere! Look, look—up in those branches!”

Roman obligingly hustles forward, falling into step beside his father as Remus takes his other side.

“Look, right there—do you see that? That pretty shade of blue, by this river?”

Roman puts a hand over his eyes to shield them from the sun to see a bird—fairly big, and impressively hidden from their main sightline—a big bird with a straight bill, vibrant as a bluebird, winging from the branches down to the riverbank, flapping its great impressive wings.

“That, boys,” his father says, voice soft, “is a tricolored heron.”

Remus makes a sound of recognition; Roman tilts his head at it, then looks curiously back to his father.

Papa smiles, putting a hand on his shoulder, and nods back to it.

“These ones pretty solitary; they usually live in swamps, or by the coasts. Some other herons live by lakes.”

“There were some at camp,” Remus offers. “But I think those were great blue herons.”

Papa absentmindedly reaches over to ruffle his hair. Remus just continues staring, but he leans into the touch.

“Tricolored herons,” Papa continues, “are more common in this area of the world, but pretty rare outside it. I think they’ve been seen as far south as Brazil, almost always by oceans. I’d bet that one’s near breeding season; a male, probably, judging by that color blue, see how vibrant it is?”

“Cornflower,” Roman provides. “On the body, anyway. It’s a deeper blue near the face.”

Papa smiles at him.

“Yeah, sweetie,” he says, gently adjusting his red handkerchief back into place to keep tidy. “Like cornflower blue. That’s a great observation.”

They all stand in silence, for a while, watching the heron bob about the riverbank, eventually splashing in and diving its head down, coming up with something in its beak that it didn’t have before.

“Cool,” Remus says with relish.

“Yeah,” Papa says. “Really cool. Did you see that, Maddox? What a gorgeous bird!”

“Yes,” Maddox says, through gritted teeth, having caught up to them but standing several feet away, eyeing the nonexistent path they’d taken with some caution. “Nature is so… beautiful.”

Remus turns to smile up at Maddox. “Isn’t it just?”

Roman is the one who has to put a hand over his mouth to stifle his laughter then.

⁂

And so they trek along; they stop here and there for water breaks, or witnessing some of the unique flora and fauna in this region of California; once, Papa manages to peek through the trees and point out a doe and a fawn just in time for the three of them to watch them cavort about a sun-dappled valley, all of them silent, as if worried that a single word would shatter their Disney-esque sense of peace.

There is a lot of flora and fauna to be seen. Roman spots the promised California poppies, the great pops of orange against the lush green of the grass, which he’d forced Remus to take a picture of for him to paint later. He also gets to see a variety of little mammals scurrying about—squirrels and chipmunks and voles, mostly, but also the occasional little dormouse or kangaroo rat, which makes Remus coo and Maddox squeal. 

No bears or mountain lions or any of the seven venomous snakes that Papa made Remus swear up and down not to mess with, Remus, I’m serious, they could cause some really serious injury, which suits Roman just fine, but seems to make Remus pout a little whenever it’s pointed out.

They also just get to behold some gorgeous scenery: sunlight dappling through the leaves, the view from when they get high up the rocks looking down into the vast forest below, the glimmering, constantly-moving lakes and rivers. 

They make a pretty good pace, except…

“I’m gonna kill my trainer,” Maddox wheezes, plopping down onto a rock and slinging his backpack off his shoulders. “He says I’m in such great shape.”

Roman watches Remus bend down and pick up a rock the size of his fist. Roman quickly busies himself with catching up with Papa, doing something to keep himself from giggling.

“I can’t believe people actually do this for fun,” Maddox grouses.

“Hold on,” Papa says, gesturing to Roman as he’s about to buzz by. “We’re stopping.”

“Again?” Remus groans. Roman turns; Remus has done a decent job of hiding his rock of choice from any prying eyes. Instead, he’s got his Polaroid and digital cameras in hand, as if he’d been evaluating which one to use to take a picture rather than weigh Maddox down. “Pa, it’ll take us three days just to get to the lake at this rate.”

Remus, Roman has noticed, only voices this complaint when it comes to Maddox bringing them all to a halt. He hadn’t breathed a word when Roman demanded they stop for photos of the poppies.

“Maddox isn’t used to the altitude,” Papa explains patiently, for what feels like the hundredth time. “Besides, it’s nice to take our time and pause, it doesn’t have to be such a rush all the time. We probably wouldn’t have seen that neat heron if we hadn’t stopped, would we?”

Roman sighs. “I guess.”

Papa pats Roman on the shoulder. “I want to check our progress and consult my compass, anyway. How about you go grab Remus and use his camera to take a picture of something you want to sketch later?”

Roman pauses. “Erm—”

“Oh, sweetie, the jig’s up,” he says in a warm, friendly voice.

“Aw, man,” Remus says from a distance.

“I guessed on each of you before we even hit the road,” Papa says, fiddling lightly with Roman’s handkerchief. “But the heron confirmed it; Remus would know those types of birds after this camping trip, and you kind of tipped yourself off with knowing some niche color names. Your dad always knew the perfect name for any color we ever saw.”

“Aw, man,” Roman echoes, but does as his Pa says.

“If it makes you feel better,” Papa after Roman’s retreating back, “the pair of you can change on the final day before you get out of the tent and I won’t know which of you’s which for the hike back down!”

That does make Roman feel a little better, but Remus just sighs and holds out the Polaroid for Roman to take.

“I already got some wildflower pictures,” Remus says, “on my digital one” and Roman brightens.

“Thanks!” He says, and pivots to pretend to evaluate. “Let’s see… Maddox,” he says. Maddox turns to him, and Remus immediately takes his opportunity to start piling Maddox’s backpack full of stones, “what do you think I should draw?”

“Oh, what do I care,” Maddox groans. “I’m in serious pain—someone hand me my Evian—”

“Sure,” Remus says, zipping up the offending stone-filled pocket in question, then pausing.

“Excellent,” Roman hears Remus whisper, and spies Remus reach for something out of the corner of his eyes. 

Roman turns slightly to look.

And he sees a squirming lizard cupped carefully in Remus’s hands, only to find purchase on Maddox’s water bottle.

Roman puts the Polaroid in front of his mouth to hide his grin.

“Here you go, Maddy!” Remus says in a bright, friendly voice, handing over the water bottle.

Maddox unscrews the water bottle, tilts it to his mouth, and comes face-to-face with Roman’s new favorite reptile.

Roman snaps a pic.

The resultant high-pitched scream is absolutely music to Roman’s ears.

Maddox hurls the water bottle away from him and falls off of his rock entirely, screaming still; Papa moves past Roman.

“Honey, are you okay?” He says in concern. “What happened?”

“Aw,” Remus says, as sweet as he can possibly sound, carefully lifting the lizard to eye level. “Pa, look! This little guy was on his water bottle! Isn’t he cute?”

“Oh,” Papa says, sounding relieved that it wasn’t an ax-killer come barreling through the woods, from the sound of the screams. “Here, Remus, put the little fella down, he probably doesn’t want to be held that much. He won’t hurt you, Maddox, that’s a perfectly harmless little guy! I bet he’s a—”

“Ugh!” Maddox shrieks, cutting off any semblance of animal identification that might follow. “Get that thing away from me, I hate things that crawl! Ugh!”

Remus looks offended on the lizard’s behalf, but obligingly secrets the lizard out of Maddox’s sight.

He doesn’t, Roman notices, actually let him go.

“Oh—uh,” Maddox falters, making embarrassed eye contact with Papa. “I’ll be fine—just a shock—you go on, you go on ahead—”

“You’re sure?” Papa says.

“Yes, go on, keep going,” Maddox says, “I’ve just about caught my breath!” 

So Papa turns back to his bag, resuming his examination of both compass and map.

And so Papa doesn’t see Remus carefully place the lizard atop Maddox’s once perfectly coiffed hair, falling out of its precious styling with the addition of the sun’s heat and his own sweat.

“Make sure to help Maddox, boys!” Papa says, and briefly forges ahead.

“Sure, you’ll help me,” Maddox growls, pushing himself to his feet and pushing past the twins. “Right over a cliff, you’d help me.”

“Not a bad idea,” Roman mutters into Remus’s ear.

“Yeah,” Remus whispers back, “see any cliffs?”

“Need a hand, Mads?” Roman calls in his brightest voice.

“Not from you, thank you,” Maddox snarls, turning to face them again. “Don’t think I can’t see right through those excuses; I swear I will make your lives miserable from the moment I say I. Do.”

Roman crosses his arms. 

“Got it?” Maddox snarls, and pivots again to follow Papa.

“Got it,” Remus says, then, not quite so loudly, “Cruella.”

“What did you just call me?!”

“Oh nothing, nothing,” Roman says breezily, then, so quietly that Maddox would surely question if he heard it again, “Cruella.”

“Oh,” Roman says, pivoting once they’re both past him. “By the way, Mads? I think there’s something in your hair.”

And with that last rebuttal, as Maddox begins to pat at his temples with a confused look on his face, the lizard slithering forward to put a clammy toe on his forehead, Roman turns and hightails it to catch up with Papa before either of them can be blamed for any resultant screeching.

⁂

Janus excuses himself from any semblance of group activity, citing work, which is good. Virgil only kind of knows how to navigate conversation with his best friend’s ex-husband.

But then that leaves him and Logan, alone in the kitchen together.

“Erm,” Logan says. “Do you have any plans for the day?”

“No,” Virgil says, awkwardly patting the counter. “No, not really.”

“No. Me, either. Would you be open to a proposal?”

“...sure.”

“Roman will be upset he’s missed it,” Logan murmurs, then, “I think the weather today is meant to be wonderful. Would you like to go on a picnic?”

“A picnic?” Virgil blurts out.

“You’d know the most picturesque location, of course, given that you live here. We could pack a lunch, a bottle of wine…”

Logan trails off, then takes his glasses off, removing a small cloth from his shirt’s pocket to polish hem.

“You can say no, if you’d like, I wouldn’t be offended.”

His voice is very even and emotionless. 

“No!” Virgil blurts out. “I mean—No, that sounds… nice. I would like a picnic. That sounds really nice.”

Logan finishes polishing his glasses, settling his glasses on his nose. “Good! Shall we pack?”

“Okay,” Virgil says, “okay. Um—let me grab something from the cellar.”

“I’ll find lunch supplies,” Logan says, and so they part ways, only to reunite at the back door.

“After you,” Logan says, and so Virgil leads him to the stables, and the question begins to echo around Virgil’s mind.

Is he trying to ask me out on a date? he thinks, even as he introduces Logan to the wonder of petting a horse.

“This is Sprout—have you ever ridden a horse before?” Virgil asks.

“Once.”

“Are you comfortable with riding one again? She’s good for beginners; we got her for Remus when he was a kid. I can ride with you, she can take two.”

“Well—yes, riding with someone else would make me feel more comfortable. So long as you don’t laugh at me for how I attempt to mount it,” Logan says.

“I’ll help—here,” Virgil says, moving closer and offering a hand. “Just put your foot in the stirrup—”

Logan does, uncertainly, but then he takes Virgil’s hand, and Virgil helps push him the rest of the way up so that he slings a leg over Sprout, sitting astride.

“Perfect,” Virgil says. “Just like that. I wouldn’t have laughed at you at all.”

“Well, that must be a success,” Logan says. 

Virgil goes and gathers the basket, mounts Sprout sitting in front of Logan, and Logan wraps a surprisingly muscular arm around his waist.

His chest is warm against Virgil’s back.

It’s… very distracting. It’s a good thing Sprout knows the grounds so well, and she never goes into anything quicker than a canter.

“Have you lived in California long?”

“Since Remus was born,” Virgil says. “I was born and raised in Philadelphia—I met Patton when we were pretty young, he was in college and I was bouncing around looking for work…”

And so Virgil tells his life’s story; moving from east coast to west, moving in with Patton to help with Remus and the vineyard, the work he does around the house and around the fields…

Is this a date? Virgil thinks. These feel like the sort of questions one would ask a date.

“What about you?” Virgil prompts. “Have you lived in London long?” 

“All my life,” Logan says, and then he starts talking about it—raised with Janus like a brother, doing a lot of the financial, hard numbers-side of the business for the wedding outfits, living with Roman and Janus’s father to help with Roman all this time…

“Oh, it’s beautiful,” Logan says as they come to a stop.

It’s field full of local Californian wildflowers; a hidden gem of the vineyard. Riots of blues and yellows and reds against the lush green grass, hidden from most of the rest of the world by a loose ring of trees.

“This is my favorite place here,” Virgil says, and he loops Sprout’s reins about a tree branch so she doesn’t run off.

Logan’s set out a picnic blanket as he does that; Virgil removes the bottle of wine (a classic Parker Knoll chardonnay) and begins to pour it into plastic cups, passing one to Logan.

“Thank you,” Logan says, accepting it, then, “oh, this smells lovely.”

“I’m pretty biased—but thanks,” Virgil says.

“Cheers,” Logan says, lifting the glass. “To you.”

Is this a date?

“To you,” Virgil echoes, and they move to touch glasses. 

But Logan’s hand brushes against his, and that does it.

“Is this a date?!”

Virgil’s words hang in the air. 

Logan blinks. “Would you like it to be?”

“Do you want it to be?” Virgil says. “It’s just—I’m very out of practice, but. Impromptu picnic… horseback riding… wildflower field… bottle of wine… touching hands…?”

Logan considers this. “I suppose it meets the metrics, doesn’t it?”

Virgil nods.

“All right,” Logan says. “It can be. Only if you’d like it to be, of course.”

“I do,” Virgil says.

Logan breaks out into a relieved smile. 

It’s dazzling. Virgil loses the very breath from his lungs at the sight of it, and he realizes that he really quite strongly wants to see that smile again.

“Good,” Logan says. “I hadn’t considered it, but I would like it to be, too.”

“Okay,” Virgil says, then pushes a hand through his hair, swallowing. “Okay. A date.”

“You say that as if it worries you.”

“Everything worries me.”

“Surely not everything.”

Virgil snorts. “I promise if there’s a thing happening, I can find a way to worry about it. All the psychologists and psychiatrists I’ve ever had say so.”

Logan considers this. “Would establishing clear parameters help? In terms of expectations and potential outcomes.”

“Probably,” Virgil says, which he thinks is the nicest way to say sure, it’ll help some, but I’m going to be anxious about this regardless of how often I’m reassured.

“For me too,” Logan admits. “I was never much of a dater. I have very little grasp on how this sort of thing normally goes.”

“Our situation’s not exactly normal, either,” Virgil points out. “I’m your cousin-once-removed’s caretaker…”

“And I’m your ward’s cousin-once-removed,” Logan says. 

“No mutual friends who intended to set us up, no lonely hearts ad, no speed-dating conference…”

“Just the matter of my cousin’s divorce,” Logan says.

“Yeah,” Virgil says with a big sigh. “That.” 

“Salient points. All right, I suppose it’s time we consider this carefully,” Logan says. “Firstly, if we do indulge in potentially delightful things, and neither of us enjoy it, I suppose we’ll have to suffer a very awkward walk back up to the house and then pretend to find other things to do, at which point we’ll reconvene for dinner and then depart for separate continents shortly after.”

“Only a little painful,” Virgil allows.

“Rather minor hits to the ego, yes, but ultimately survivable,” Logan says. “Then, if we do do those very delightful things and we both enjoy it, then we both enjoy a couple days spent in another man’s company, with the potential to see each other again, considering each of us has a young charge who must be trotted between continents to see each other.”

“Hm,” Virgil allows.

“Not necessarily a deeply romantic long-distance relationship, if we don’t like,” Logan says, scrupulously casual. “Perhaps just a…”

Virgil arches his eyebrows. “An occasional romp in the sheets?”

Logan flushes. “I was going to say mutually-enjoyed dalliance.”

“Oh—yes,” Virgil says, his cheeks heating. “That works as well.”

“We can. Erm. Revisit that proposal.”

“Oh?”

“Perhaps we should start with a kiss first,” Logan says. “Our options are, as discussed—mutual, brief embarrassment; mutual, brief enjoyment; mutual enjoyment that could have the potential to be discussed to be not quite as brief.”

Virgil considers this. He can’t really find a hole in this proposal. So long as Logan keeps to his word—and he seems like the sort who would—the worst of it really is just a little embarrassment. And Virgil gets embarrassed all the time. He can barely check out at the grocery store without getting embarrassed that he’s doing something the wrong way.

With the concept of something so promising… And Logan really is quite handsome…

“Whichever way you consider it,” Logan continues. “I do believe we have nothing to lose.”

“Well,” Virgil says, his voice gone much huskier than normal. “I certainly can’t argue with that logic.”

“I was hoping you wouldn’t,” Logan says, and he leans in and kisses him.

He moves gently and gingerly, as if he’s a little nervous even after all that discussion of the logical thing to do; Virgil certainly can’t blame him, he’s got his hands fisted in his lap to keep from doing anything too improper.

Logan’s tongue brushes against his bottom lip before he pulls back.

“All right?” He murmurs very quietly.

“All right,” Virgil says breathlessly, and they come eagerly back together, and he is no longer worried about propriety, not with the promising hint of tongues and hands and Logan’s body pressed to his…

And so Virgil kisses him, and kisses him, and kisses him…

⁂

Roman makes his excuse to step aside as Remus spends a lot of time distracting Pa with questions about potential invasive species they should be worried about. It’s almost too easy, really.

But that provides a fair bit of cover as Pa talks about various fish and plant and bird species that might cause various problems, and the more he talks about various fish and plant and bird species that might cause various problems, the less time he has to notice that Roman is off causing various problems.

Roman slips back at Remus’s side, beholding the lake before them.

“All good?” Pa says, glancing at them.

“Yep!” Roman says brightly.

“Did you do it?” Remus mutters into his ear.

In answer, Roman slips a small piece of sandpaper out of his pocket for Remus to see, then quickly replaces it so no one else will.

“I did the mountain lion stick thing too,” he breathes out, pretending to busy himself with checking his fishing line.

Remus grins. Excellent.

“All right, boys, worms on hooks?”

“Yep!”

Pa glances over at the tent.

“Maddox?” He calls out.

Maddox pokes his head out, looking very uncalm.

“You sure you don’t want to join us?” Pa says. “We’re fishing for dinner!”

“Fishing?” Maddox says. “With worms?!”

“Yep!” Pa says cheerfully. “Should be a lot of trout this time of year.”

Maddox’s eyes go to the twins and, surely imagining what they could do with a canister of unsupervised worms, calls “I’ll spectate!” and quickly reaches for a pair of shoes.

From Roman’s quietly hissed yessss, they’re the ones Roman’s just spent filing away the soles.

“Okay, boys, let’s cast our lines before Maddox gets here,” Patton says. “You always want to look back, to make sure no one’s caught on your hook—here, you two space out, that might get a bit messy later.”

The twins obligingly shuffle apart.

“And back,” Patton says, demonstrating with his own pole, “and… cast!”

Remus and Roman watch their kid-friendly bobbers land gently in the water.

“Good one,” Remus says, “yours got out pretty—”

“OH!”

The Parkers (and James) turn at the abrupt sound.

“Oh, Maddox!” Pa cries out, taking in the scene. “Maddox, are you okay?!”

“I’m fine,” Maddox says, teeth gritted, from where he’s landed sprawled in the dirt. He, slowly, gets to his feet. “Must have slipped. Um… I’ll just sit right here.”

And he sits on the rocks right next to the canister of worms, giving them a deeply disgusted look.

Roman and Remus snicker together.

And that’s how their afternoon goes: Maddox, keeping a wary eye on the worms and therefore missing the tiny seashells that Remus sneaks into his pockets for the sole purpose of sticking into his shoes to make them even more uncomfortable; Patton, patiently walking them through the finer arts of fishing; and Roman and Remus, each trying their very best to taunt fish into coming to bite by waggling their poles to and fro to make the bait dance appealingly under the water.

And all the while, whenever Maddox seems to try to get up, he slips and falls on the slightly slicker rocks by the lake.

It’s a lovely way to spend time, Remus thinks, even as Maddox manages to make his way over to Pa, to press his reddened lips against his jaw and murmur in his ear.

Pa squeezes Maddox’s waist comfortingly.

“Papa!” Roman cries. “Papa, I think I’ve got a big one!”

“Oh—coming, sweetie!” Pa pats Maddox’s shoulder before he splashes through the shallows to come help Roman haul a fish to the surface; Roman, straining, looks grateful for Pa’s help to pull it to the surface.

Maddox, seeming to realize that he’s left both Remus and the worms unsupervised, takes one step. Two.

Then he yelps and falls, yet again, right on his ass.

But this time, he manages to land in the muddy banks of the lake.

Remus buries his face in his flannel sleeves before he loses it entirely.

⁂

There is something so soothing to Remus’s animal hindbrain about sitting in front of a crackling bonfire, warmed by it as the lakeside night air cools rapidly around them, huddled in a hoodie alongside his brother, and eating something he’s caught and killed.

And also to see the abject, absolute misery on Maddox’s face as he sits, scowling at them, wrapped up in the itchiest blanket that Pa’s brought. That’s pretty soothing too.

“Here we are, fellas,” Pa declares, approaching with an armful of sticks and branches, “this ought to hold us for a while.”

He tosses a thicker branch onto the fire, poking it into place with a stick, before he settles alongside Maddox.

“You sure you don’t want any trout, Daddox?” Remus says, then, “I hope that’s okay, by the way, if I start testing out dad-type nicknames with you.”

“I think your Dad would prefer if you called me Maddox,” he says pointedly. “And no, thank you. I do not eat trout. For the thousandth time.”

“I’m sorry about that,” Pa says, sounding genuinely contrite. “You liked salmon and tilapia, I just assumed seafood would be a go…”

“I will wait for breakfast,” Maddox says. “What are we having?”

“Trout!” Remus and Roman chorus together, in their most annoying voice.

Maddox lets out a great, frustrated sigh, then slaps at his wrist, missing the buzzing bug.

“I’ve got a protein bar, I think, if you’d like—the trout’s part of the experience,” Pa says.

“Mm, and what’s the other part?” Maddox snaps, getting out the bottle the twins had planted in his pack. “Being eaten alive by mosquitos?!”

“Let me see what you’re using,” Pa says, holding out a hand, and Maddox passes it over then grumpily scratches at the bug bites on his legs.

Pa sniffs it, then, frowning, dabs out a bit of the solution onto his wrist, touching his tongue to it.

“Well, you’ll attract every bug in the state with this stuff,” Pa says. “It’s sugar and water, where’d you get it?”

Maddox glowers at the twins.

“Oh, is that where that went?” Remus says cheerfully. “I saw the idea in a magazine, Pa, sugar-water for your instant coffee in the morning.”

Pa levels a stern look over at him. 

“In a bottle with a dropper?”

Remus just smiles.

“That’s it,” Maddox declares, throwing off the blanket in a huff. “I am taking one large sleeping pill and going to bed.”

Then Maddox gets up and picks up two sticks from the firewood. 

And then he starts clacking them together, leveling an anxious look to the darkness of the woods, where positively anything could jump out at them.

He fell for it, Remus thought gleefully. I can’t believe it, he fell for it—

“Uh, honey,” Pa says. “What’re you doing?”

“I don’t want the mountain lions to—”

But then Maddox falls quiet. Remus snorts around a mouthful of trout.

“There aren’t,” Maddox says, practically gnashing his teeth, “any mountain lions up here. Are there.”

“...No.”

Maddox contemptuously casts the sticks aside. 

He promptly cups Pa’s face in his hands, bends down, and tries to suck the very life out of his mouth, clinging to him like some kind of lousy, lusty octopus.

Remus grimaces at Roman, who looks similarly repulsed.

Pa awkwardly clears his throat, smearing a hand over his stubble, before he sets aside the trout and gives the boys an unsmiling look.

“Boys,” he says. “Those were a couple of unkind tricks to pull. Sugar water? Mountain lions?”

Ah, so he hasn't caught on to all the other ones, Remus thinks. Good.

Pa continues, “I’m not marrying him because he’s Annie Oakley.”

Roman blinks. “Who’s Annie Oakley?”

“This isn’t his thing,” Pa says. “You don’t have to make it harder for him. I know that tricks like this are sometimes the way you show affection, Remus, but he doesn’t know you like I do. Just… cool it. Okay?”

The boys exchange a look.

“Okay,” Remus says. Roman’s staring down at his dinner plate. Remus copies him, trying to seem properly repentant. He looks up just enough to see Pa chewing on the inside of his cheek.

“This is going to spoil that talking-to,” he admits.

“No, no, it won’t spoil it,” Remus says hastily. “You were very effective. Practically harsh, even. I feel real chastened.”

“Yes, definitely,” Roman says. “We’ve been told.”

A grin splits Pa’s face. “Who wants some s’mores?”

“Me! Me!” The boys cry out, and so they set aside the issue of Maddox entirely to enjoy their fire-roasted sweets.

⁂

“Okay,” Remus says. “We have to do something tonight. Something big. Maddox said he’s taking a sleeping pill; that give us a lot of ammo.”

Roman hesitates, scratching a fingernail against the artificial material of their tent.

“I’m not sure about this,” Roman admits. “Do you think Papa will get very angry?”

“Pa? He doesn’t really get mad.”

“He might,” Roman says anxiously. “He seemed upset when he caught us at it.”

“Okay, well,” Remus says. “Think about it. Which is more likely to make him upset? Us pulling a couple measly little tricks, or getting trapped in a loveless marriage with a man who’s only with him for his money, who’s bound to start trying to ship us off to military boarding school in Sweden or some crap, and getting Virgil to move out, which means Pa is going to be all alone with him and powerless to do anything, because he still thinks he loves him?!”

Roman’s face has gone paler and paler, while Remus feels himself getting madder and madder.

“And,” Remus pushes, “all the while, Dad is single and standing there as the worst the one that got away ever? Which one would make him more upset, Roman?! I think the tricks are pretty small fry compared to that!”

Roman sets his jaw. Remus meets Roman’s eyes, which have gone flinty and cold.

“Give me every awful idea you’ve got.”

And, gleefully unfurling the pages of his notepad, Remus does.

⁂

It’s very easy for Janus to get lost in his work.

The idea for a design there, a decent surface for him to doodle here, and suddenly hours have slipped away from him. 

Being in his ex-husband’s house apparently does not quell that urge.

Janus stands, stretching out his arms and wrists, wandering from his office into the hall.

“Hello?” He calls. “Hello, anyone home? Are you back yet?”

His voice echoes down the way; Janus pivots to examine the (surprisingly modern) tastefully decorated living room.

“Logan?” Janus calls. “Virgil?”

Still nothing. He goes, then, to the kitchen, where Logan’s spare glasses cloth is still waiting.

Clutter. Left on a counter. If Logan were here, it would be unheard of.

So he isn’t.

Logan, swept away on a date. For hours and hours.

“Unbelievable,” Janus mutters, and goes about scrounging for dinner.

previous chapter | masterpost | next chapter

#my fic #my fanfic #tpt fic

[withlovegvf]

watch you bloom | Danny Wagner

dad!danny x reader

summary: your son Titus gets caught doing something in his room and it leads to a heartfelt conversation with his loving parents

yns pov

As I am making dinner, Danny and I's kids Titus, Remi, and Ian come in from school. Titus is 16 and drives everyone to a from school. Remi is 13, she's in eighth, and Ian is in fourth. "Mom I got an A on that civil war essay." Titus tells me giving me a kiss on the cheek as a greet. I nod in approval and give him a hug. "Hi Mrs. Wagner." Titus's best friend Ben says hello. He comes over almost everyday after school when they both aren't working so I wasn't surprised he was here. "Hey Ben! Everyone I went to Costco and get a ton of snacks so eat up. Ben i'm making tacos for dinner and you are more than welcome to join us."

Ben nods, going through the pantry with all the other kids. "Okay Mrs. Wagner I'll text my mom and ask." The boys head upstairs and Ian goes to watch tv in the living room. Remi sits at the kitchen counter. "Alexa play Taylor Swift radio please." Remi gives me a small smile for turning off my music. I giggle and continue cooking dinner. "Mom you know that eighth grade formal dance we bought a dress for? Conner V. asked me to go with him. Can I?" I look up from the cutting board. "I'm sure that's fine. I'll tell your dad cause I know you don't want to." She lets out a big sigh.

"Oh thank you mom." I laugh "Also how many Conners are in your class you have to give him a last letter?" Remi thinks for a second. "Em last count was three i think." I laugh again and Remi gets up heading to her room, probably to tell Conner V. she can go with him. As I'm finishing dinner it is now 6:30 and just on time Danny walks in from his studio day.

"Hey baby." Danny places a kiss on my head with a hand on my hip. "Hey! How was work and the boys?" I tilt my head onto his chest. "Oh everything was fine. We worked out the kinks for a few songs on the new album so all good!" I nod resting on his chest for a moment of peace.

Ian comes in from the living to greet Danny. He gives him a big hug. "Hey buddy how was school?" Danny asks ruffling his hand through his curls. "I was good. Ms. Parker said we have career day at school next Friday. Could you come and speak to the class. And maybe bring your guitar because that would be really cool." We laugh and Danny nods.

"Of course I can bud. Not a problem." I say, "Okay Ian go wash up for dinner. Pookie can you go tell Remi and Titus it's time for dinner. I think Ben is eating with us too." Danny nods and heads upstairs to get them. Upstairs I hear, "Remi girl, Titus, Ben, dinner is served." After a second I hear Titus scream, "Dad get out!!" a few seconds later Remi walks downstairs with a surprised and sad look on her face. "Rem what happened?" Remi shook her head like she wouldn't tell me and headed to the table.

Danny came down a few seconds later and I gave him a questioning look. "Um well I walk in on Titus and Ben doing....um....sexual activities." My jaw drops and I cover my mouth. Soon after Ben is coming downstairs. "Um my mom actually needs me home so I'm gonna go. Thank you anyways Mr.&Mrs. Wagner." Ben starts speed walking out but Danny says, "Hey ben, You're welcome back anytime just leave the door open next time." I give Ben a sympathetic nod agreeing with Danny. Ben's facial expression relaxes.

"Thank you guys. I told him he had nothing to be scared of. You guys are the coolest." Ben walks out and we say our goodbyes. I look over at Danny, "You see, we're still cool." He giggles and smiles, but then remembers how Titus must be feeling upstairs. I walk over to him and put my arms around his waist. "How about I have Rem and Ian start eating and we can go talk to Titus?" Danny sighs and nods.

Once I have the kids settles eating downstairs, we head up to Titus's room. I hold Danny's hand as we stand together outside of his room. I turn to look at Danny, "D, did we do something that made him think he couldn't tell us? I thought we were doing a good job." Danny tsked and lifts my head to look in his eyes. "Baby this has nothing to do with us. It's all about his feelings and anxieties around the subject. I promise." I nod and we turn to look at the door. "Okay I'm ready when you are." Danny finally knocks on the door softly.

"Please go away. I don't wanna talk about it dad." my heart hurts for him feeling this way. I start to say. "T we need to talk. No one is in trouble and we aren't mad. We just wanna talk baby. Please open up and let us come in." After about thirty seconds Titus comes to the door and slowly pulls it open. His face is red and puffy from crying.

Without thinking the mama bear in me takes over and I pull him into a bone crushing hug. "Oh baby don't cry. We love more than we could ever express." Titus let's his tears flow and hold me close to him. Danny wraps his bigger frame around our smaller ones and holds us in his arm. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you. I knew it would be okay I just wasn't ready. Please understand why I didn't say anything." We release from our hug and Danny begins to speak as he leads Titus to his bed so we could sit down.

"T we totally understand. We want you to know whoever you love or want to be will always be fine with us. Your mother and I want our beautiful baby boy to be happy whatever that means for him. The only thing we're sorry about is that it didn't happen on your terms." Titus smile and brushes Danny off.

"It's not your fault. Usually Ben and I hear you or mom but I guess we got a little carried away." We all laugh and I pull him into another hug. "Oh baby I love you so much. But so help me god if I catch you partaking in sexual ventures in my house while family is here ..." Titus swallows hard. "Yes ma'am, only when alone got it" We all have a laugh at what he said.

"Okay, go eat dinner with Rem and Ian. Leave your mother and I for a bit." Titus nods and heads downstairs to eat dinner. Danny scoots closer to me. "Ugh I'm glad that's over. We did well with our kids huh baby?" I nod and lay my head on Danny's shoulder. "Yeah we did. Oh by the way, Remi is going to the eighth grade formal with a boy named Conner" Danny pulls away from me and my head drops from his shoulder. He shouts,

"What the Fuck!?!?"

.....

And poof another post done! Send me anonymous messages with ideas and who knows maybe I'll be inspired by one!

-withlovegvf

#danny gvf #dad gvf #gvf fluff #gvf masterlist #gvf #danny x reader #danny wagner

[horimiya-incorrect-quotes]

*fast forward a couple years*

ishikawa: man, you ready to see remi walk down the aisle sengoku?

sengoku: what do you mean

miyamura, sympathetically: remi left you the day before the wedding huh. i knew it

iura: finally

sengoku: *strangling iura* what no i’m walking down the aisle with her

sakura: *walks in with a suit on with remi in her arms* let’s go get married girls

#remi and sengoku melt right then and there #no more fire hazards #horimiya #horimiya incorrect quotes #sakura kouno #remi ayasaki #sengoku

[worldenough-and-time]

New chapter of True Blue is up! Sorry for the wait!

Chapter 23: Trust

“Moony,” Sirius said, a sympathetic sigh. She smoothed the hair away from Remy’s forehead, her fingers soft and cool. It felt nice. “What happened?”

The question seemed to fall from Sirius’s lips unbidden.

“You don’t have to tell me now, if you’re tired, I just…”

“It’s nothing,” Remy said. “Just a bad moon, that’s all.”

“Don’t do that, alright? Don’t lie,” Sirius said, her mouth forming a pout and her eyes narrowing. “You don’t have to tell me right now, but please don’t lie to me.”

Remy turned her face into their pillow, eyes shut, nausea enough of an excuse for what she knew was cowardice. “Silver.”

“How…” Sirius started. “Sorry. You don’t have to explain right now.”

But Remy abandoned her pillow, turning her face to see Sirius, earnest and desolate, backlit by the oppressive afternoon light. She looked right into those eyes that were so close to the color of the poison in her blood.

“If I tell you, you need to promise me you won’t do anything stupid.”

Read on AO3

Or start from the beginning

#the girlies are fighting in this one #the girlies includes James #fic: tough tried true blue #wolfstar #lesbian wolfstar #wolfstar fic #marauders #sapphic wolfstar #tttb