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candied-peach · 3 years

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ao3: “christmas baubles” rating: T warnings: platonic dlampr, some violent humor, food, christmas genre: fluff (tiny bit of angst) description: Virgil spends Christmas with everyone. It goes surprisingly well. (this is written for @potatopriestlord for @sanderssidesgiftxchange ! happy holidays ♡)

It's Christmas time.

It's Christmas time, and Virgil doesn't know how to feel. This year, Patton's invited Janus and Remus. "A new beginning," he claimed, and who is Virgil to argue? He wants a new beginning. He does, but he just-

Well, it's not quite the same. He's used to Christmas with Janus and Remus and he's slowly becoming used to Christmas with Logan, Roman, and Patton, but- Combining them?

His heart stutters at the thought.

Don't be such a dummy, he tells himself as he carries in one last box of Christmas finery for the tree. The lights have already been strewn, in white and gold. Multi-colored tinsel is densely packed in one box, ready to be flung over evergreen branches in a rainbow tapestry. All that's left, really, are the ornaments.

Virgil isn't sure he's ready for the ornaments.

They aren't regular ornaments, you see. They aren't shiny glass baubles or childish popsicle stick and Elmer's glue contraptions. They're memories.

And he's painfully aware of every memory destined to fit on the tree.

"You ready, Virge?" Roman asks, a candy cane sticking out of his mouth. Virgil nods, swallowing his nerves back. It will be fine, he reminds himself. Just because Jan and Remus are coming this time doesn't mean anything will go wrong.

Roman hands him an ornament. It's a delicate reenactment of a cabin, snow falling down the windows in little drifts. Virgil grasps it with shaking fingers, his mind already drawn into the bauble's memory.

It's his first Christmas with the other sides since childhood. He doesn't want to intrude, but Patton insists. They don't even know his name yet, think he's nothing but a bother, but Virgil goes anyway because Patton gave him that look and he can't resist it.

They've transformed the commons into what looks like the inside of a cozy log cabin. Patton beams when he sees Virgil's hesitant tread down the stairs.

"You made it!" Patton says cheerfully. Logan gives him a cordial nod. Roman ignores him altogether, too focused on putting the last finishing touches on the tree. There are heaps of red and blue ornaments in various shades, but no purple, yellow, or green. Not that Virgil expected any.

"Uh, yeah," he says, shrinking into his hoodie. He feels like an imposition. Desperately wishing he could go back up the stairs and take refuge in his room, Patton instead takes his sleeve and tows him further in, handing him a mug of hot chocolate. It warms his perpetually chilled fingers and he can't help but awkwardly smile in thanks at the moral side.

"Thanks," he mumbles, his cheeks flaming like the sunset.

"Sorry," Roman apologizes, his face tinted red. "I um, I wasn't very princely that year."

"It's fine, Princey," Virgil says with a shrug. "The feeling was mutual, remember?" The next ornament is an old one. A fragile one. One that Virgil thought had been lost.

"Patton found that one," Roman tells him. "I haven't checked it out myself."

"Oh," Virgil says, feeling dazed. His fingertips brush the childish blobs of paint that stain the ornament's surface.

"Come on!" Creativity says impatiently, hopping down the stairs two at a time.

"You're gonna fall," Caution warns, flapping an oversized sweater sleeve. "Be careful."

"I am careful," Creativity retorts, but Caution notices that he takes the remaining steps a little slower. "Come on, Curiosity's already awake!"

"What 'bout Lies?" Caution asks. Creativity shrugs.

"Not sure," he says. "We gotta get Heart up, too. He's such a sleepyhead. Doesn't he know it's Christmas!?"

"I think the whole mind palace knows," Caution says dryly. Then he steps into the living room and gasps. An enormous Christmas tree squats proudly in the corner, decorated with strings of multi-colored lights and loads and loads of tinsel. Not a single ornament adorns its fluffy branches, causing Caution to give Creativity a curious look.

"It's not done," Creativity admits. "I thought- I thought the ornaments could hold memories! Of all the Christmasses we ever have together! Or like...other times, maybe, I don't know. Doesn't that sound cool?" He enthuses.

"Y-yeah," Caution stammers. "That- that sounds neat, Creativity."

"Show us how!" Curiosity exclaims, storming out of the kitchen. "I'll make the best memory ornament the world has ever seen!" Caution bursts into giggles, covering his mouth with one sleeve.

"Virgil?" Roman asks, touching his shoulder and drawing him out of the memory. "You okay?"

"Fine," Virgil says. "I'm fine. I just. Yeah." He sets the ornament down, as gently as if he cradled a snowflake, and hurried to his box. Dust still gathers, thick and cloying, on a few of the ornaments, buried in the back. The ones with Janus and Remus. He swallows hard, stretching out a hand to pluck the nearest one free.

"Remus, I swear to all that is holy if you have decided to replace the tinsel with tentacles again-" Janus threatens. Remus laughs, dancing backward around the tree as Janus chases him. Each evergreen branch is heavily laden with a wet and floppy tentacle, making Virgil scrunch his nose when he walks in.

"Again?" He complains mildly. Janus looks up, his face brightening.

"Virgil!" He exclaims. "You- you made it."

"Uh, yeah," Virgil says, his face flushed. "Um. I didn't- I didn't know that you uh, did anything? For Christmas?"

"Well, I'm sure it's nothing compared to the others," Janus dismisses, with one light wave of a gloved hand. "But Remus and I try our best. And now you! What tradition would you like to bring to the table, my dear Anxiety?"

Virgil blinks.

"Uh, what?" He asks, completely nonplussed. Remus grins and bounces forward, flapping his hands to make the ruffles on his sleeves move.

"Janus came up with it!" He explains. "We each get a Christmas tradition, just for us. Janus's is singing Christmas carols- only the funny ones- and mine is decorating the tree on December first. What do you want yours to be? It can be anything!"

"Anything?" Virgil asks. Janus looks like he regrets all his life choices, but he nods anyway.

"Anything," he confirms.

"Could- could it be making Christmas cookies?" He asks, hugging himself and remembering Patton's baking with a pang. Janus nods in agreement, though his own mismatched eyes look shadowed.

"Of course," Janus says. "To the kitchen!"

"To the kitchen!" Remus echoes in a howl, galloping toward the kitchen and nearly tripping over a stray tentacle.

Virgil's throat aches when he returns to himself. Their cookies had burned that time, because Remus forgot to set the timer, and truthfully, Virgil still isn't sure if Remus managed to add anything inedible to them, but the experience had been-

Well, the experience had been magical.

"Virgil," Janus greets him carefully. He has a dusty cardboard box held tightly in gloved hands, and his face is carefully neutral. He glances at the cookie-shaped ornament still clasped in Virgil's hands and the faintest dusting of pink brushes his cheekbones.

"Janus," Virgil greets just as carefully. Tension dissipates as Remus thumps his way between the two, lugging his own box.

"Virgey!" Remus exclaims. "Ice to see you!"

"It's nice-" Virgil starts, before realizing Remus is holding an icicle towards him. He recoils, setting the cookie ornament back down into the box, just as Remus laughs and dramatically stabs the icicle against his own heart. Nothing happens. Janus rolls his eyes, a fond smile tugging at his lips, as he watches Remus's antics.

"Janus, Remus!" Patton greets warmly. His words are only a little stilted when he realizes Remus is still holding a melting icicle, dripping all over the floor. Remus waves cheerily with it.

"This is a murder weapon!" He says, cheerful. Patton blanches.

"That's- that's nice," Patton says, recovering admirably. "I'm so glad you could make it!"

"Likewise," Janus drawls. He looks hesitantly down into his box of ornaments. Despite himself, Virgil cranes his neck to have a peek himself. He doesn't even have to touch it to be drawn into the first ornament's memory.

"Virgil, what do you want for Christmas?"

"Huh?" Virgil asks inelegantly, spinning around to see Janus leaning against the door of his bedroom, studying his glove with practiced casualness. He shoves his headphones down, curling around his neck, as he advances toward Janus.

"What do you want for Christmas?" Janus repeats. His snake eye gleams in the dim light. "It's a simple question, storm cloud."

"No, it isn't," he retorts, flustered. "There's so many things that are out there in the world, how could I possibly choose just one-"

"Who says it has to be one?" Janus's question stops him in his tracks.

"Be- because," he splutters. One side of Janus's mouth tips up in a crooked smile.

"We're figments of Thomas's imagination, we can have whatever we want," Janus says. Virgil doesn't point out that's not true, not really, doesn't mumble anything about wishing they could all have Christmas together for once. Instead, he stares at the ground and mutters something about new headphones.

"Well, that's easily done," Janus says lightly. "I'll ensure you get the prettiest lump of coal in your stocking, Virge. Unless Remus gets to it first." Virgil laughs despite himself and Janus's eyes light up, even as he saunters out the door.

The bauble, shaped like a pair of over-the-ear headphones, reluctantly lets Virgil free. He glances up to see Janus's own eyes, misty with memories.

"You kept it," Virgil mumbles. "You kept all of them."

"Of course I did," Janus says softly.

"Look at mine!" Remus exclaims, jostling his way between the two of them and shoving an ornament in Virgil's direction. It's shaped like a very misshapen pie and his startled fingers close around it, preventing it from clattering to the floor.

"Remus!" Virgil chases him around the kitchen, laughing only partly from frustration. Remus circles the kitchen island, cackling, holding the mixing bowl aloft.

"What's the matter, Fright Night?" Remus gleefully taunts.

"The matter is that batteries don't belong in pie crust and you know it!" Virgil exclaims, huffing out a breath and stirring his bangs.

"Sure they do," Remus says smugly. "They fit in here, didn't they?"

"That doesn't mean anything!" Virgil says, rolling his eyes. "A lot of things could fit in th- I mean-" Remus's eyes light up with a wicked gleam.

"A lot of things, you say?" He purrs. Virgil puts his face in his hands.

"Janus, how could you leave me with him?" He mutters into his palms.

"Because you can handle it," Janus retorts, appearing out of nowhere. He has a string of Christmas lights tangled around one arm. "Remus, put the bowl down."

"Yes, sir!" Remus says, saluting (thankfully with the hand not holding the bowl). The mixing bowl clatters to the counter.

"And help me with these lights for a minute, would you?" Janus implores. The wink he sends Virgil's way lets him know that he'll take charge of Remus, at least for a few minutes. Enough time for Virgil to fish out the batteries, if nothing else, and see if they need to start over.

"I remember that," Virgil mumbles. His cheeks feel like they're on fire. Remus beams at him.

"Good," he says. "Merry Christmas, Panic at the Emo."

"Likewise," Virgil mutters.

"Remus!" Roman shouts, startling all three of them. "Stop bothering Virgil and help me with these lights for the window."

"Same old, same old," Remus says, rolling his eyes in an exaggerated fashion and adding a little shoulder shimmy. He shoves his box of ornaments in Virgil's arms and dashes to his brother's rescue.

"Thanks," Virgil says dryly, looking after Remus's departing back.

"I can take them," Janus offers. Virgil sighs and shakes his head.

"It's fine," he says. "I wouldn't want you to drop anything."

"As if I would," Janus says, putting one hand to his chest in mock offense. It makes Virgil snicker. Janus smiles, a genuine expression of mirth that makes Virgil's heart twinge.

"Shall we?" He asks, motioning toward the tree with a jerk of his head.

"Ah, good," Logan says, adjusting his glasses with one hand. "I was wondering when you would appear, Janus. The twins are already hopelessly tangled in Christmas lights."

"Who put the ones on the tree?" Janus asks, looking amused. Logan smiles, a trifle smug.

"Me," he says. "Would you like to help with the tinsel?"

"Me?" Janus asks, clearly surprised. Logan nods.

"Is there some reason you shouldn't?" He asks.

"No," Virgil speaks on Janus's behalf, carefully setting down Remus's box of ornaments. "I'm gonna go see if Patton needs help," he adds and hurries away as Logan encourages Janus to set down his ornaments and pick up the first strand of tinsel.

"You're doing well," Patton murmurs, as Virgil stumbles into the kitchen. Red colors his cheeks like a candy cane.

"I guess," Virgil says, leaning against the counter top. "You uh, you need any help?"

"I think I've got it for now," Patton says. "But if you'd like to decorate cookies in a bit..."

"Sounds good to me, pop star," Virgil says, relieved. Patton rummages in a box on the table for a second, holding out an ornament.

"Remember this one?" Patton asks softly. Virgil's fingertips brush the smooth edges and he's helplessly drawn in.

"Caution?"

"Go away!"

"No," Heart insists, tiptoeing in the room and looking around. The spider curtains make him wrap his arms around himself and shiver. "You're upset. I can feel it. What's wrong?"

"Christmas," Caution mumbles. He's curled up on his bed, arms around his knees. "Christmas is what's wrong."

"What?!" Heart squawks. "What do you mean, Caution?"

"Thomas has so much stuff to do," Caution says. "How can he do all of them? It's just- I just-" His breathing speeds up. Alarmed, Heart crawls onto the bed, coming to a stop right beside him.

"Breathe," Heart directs, exaggerating his own breath into a gusty whoosh of air and making Caution's lips struggle not to form a smile. "Like this, 'kay? Follow how I sound."

It takes a few minutes for Caution to match his breathing, but he does. Both cheeks flush red as Heart smiles at him.

"Better?" Heart asks gently. Caution nods, playing with one of his sleeves.

"Will Thomas be okay?" Caution asks in a tiny voice. Heart doesn't even have to think about it for his next words to spill out, ringing with the sincerity of truth.

"Absolutely he will!"

Caution smiles, his hair flopping into his eyes. Heart reaches over and brushes it back, giving Caution an encouraging look.

"Wanna help me bake?" Heart asks. "I think I can make a pretty mean cookie!"

"Sure," Caution says, and laughs. "Why not?"

Virgil comes out of the memory slowly, his face flushed.

"I forgot about that," he mumbles, carefully setting aside the cookie-shaped bauble. Patton smiles gently.

"I never did," he admits, just as they hear a crash from the living room.

Virgil runs to the rescue, Patton hot on his heels. His mouth falls open at the scene of wanton destruction. The tree is still up (which is a miracle) and as far as he can tell, no ornament has been broken. But the tinsel lies in haphazard clumps all over the floor, and the same can be said for several strings of Christmas lights. A ladder sprawls on the ground, still holding a loudly protesting Roman.

"You didn't hold it steady!"

"Sure I did," Remus argues. His brows are scrunched tight in worry. "You overbalanced!"

"Well, it isn't like I did that on purpose," Roman says. Remus huffs.

"I never said it was on purpose!" Remus points out. Roman's face acquires a particularly rosy hue.

"Oh," he says weakly. Virgil snorts with barely suppressed laughter at the twins' banter, and all eyes turn to him and Patton.

"Roman fell off the ladder," Janus explains.

"Ouch," Roman tacks on. Virgil snorts.

"That would be an ouch," he says. "You better be okay, Princey."

"I will be," Roman promises. His expression turns irascible. "At least, I will when this bloody ladder is off me-"

"Oh, right," Remus says, his own face reddening. He reaches down and snags the ladder, carefully setting it upright. "There you go, bro."

"Thank you," Roman huffs. Logan gives him a hand and he cautiously makes it to his feet, breaking out in an enormous smile. "All is well on the Creativity train!"

"Please be careful," Patton implores, clasping his hands beneath his chin.

"I'm always careful, padre!" Roman exclaims, nearly slipping on a bushel of tinsel. Logan groans, snatching it up from the carpet.

"Ornament time," Patton says. "And then after that, I need help decorating some Christmas cookies!"

Virgil makes a beeline for his box, pulling out the ornament in the very back. Janus and Remus watch him as he delicately plucks it free, blowing away the dust.

"This one," he shyly requests. The memory plays, pulling them all in.

"Janus?"

Janus looks up from his idle place on the couch, a frown tugging at his face.

"Storm cloud? I thought you were in bed."

"I can't sleep," Virgil admits. He fidgets in the doorway to the living room, his eyes entranced by the Christmas tree (thankfully tentacle-free....for now).

"Come here," Janus coaxes, patting the couch next to him. Virgil shuffles over, his instincts screaming at him to go back to his room. Thankfully, he doesn't listen. He plops down on the sofa, and Janus tugs him closer, draping an arm around his shoulders. It should feel too tight and confining, but instead, it just feels...

Right.

"I can't sleep either!" Remus shouts from the hallway. Janus fondly rolls his eyes.

"Then come on out, Remus," Janus says. "I have two sides and six arms, you're more than welcome."

"Good," Remus says, but it's a subdued Creativity who finally slips out of the darkness and into the flickering colors of the Christmas lights. His eyes are red-rimmed. Virgil thinks he must have had a bad dream or something. He hardly ever cries otherwise.

"Bad dreams?" Janus asks, echoing Virgil's thoughts. Remus hesitates, then nods, as he crawls onto the couch on Janus's other side.

"Hark, hear the bells, sweet silver bells..." Janus sings lowly, elongating each phrase until the Christmas carol becomes nothing more than a lullaby, lulling both Virgil and Remus to sleep.

Virgil carefully hooks the ornament on the tree, front and center. He steps back, surrounded by old family and new, and nods to himself.

He's home.

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pinkmilkyblue · 3 years

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Hey there @hitmewiththatfanart33 !!

I’m your @sanderssidesgiftxchange Secret Santa!! Here’s a drawing of Virgil and Roman dancing from your fic, The Dark Prince. I loved the chapter and this moment where they get all flustered!

I couldn’t decide what background to go with, so I just posted both! I hope you like it, and hopefully it does justice to the super sweet and cute chapter you wrote!! You’re a very talented writer :)

Btw I’ll send you a copy of the drawings without my watermark via private message. Happy Holidays and have a good day!! ❤️💜

#sanders sides #roman sanders #virgil sanders #prinxiety #thomas sanders #roman x virgil #ts prinxiety #sanders sides gift exchange 2020 #I really enjoyed making this gift for you!#I really hope you like it!!#happy holidays again #my art #my post #fanart #ts art

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alexvidraws · 3 years

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Happy holidays to @sparkedawg :)) I’m your secret santa, and I hope you like this angsty comic I made! Thank you @sanderssidesgiftxchange for making this fun event :)

#roman sanders #remus sanders #creativitwins #sanders sides #ts art #TS fanart #sanders sides gift exchange 2020 #tw death #tw grieving #viana's art #sanders sides comic #ts comic

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logicfilledcreepycookie · 3 years

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#virgil sanders #sanders sides #thomas sanders #hurt/comfort #Anxiety sanders #Logic sanderrs #Logic sanders #virgil is a sad bean and logan is comforting him #lemons draws #Platonic analogical #sanders sides gift exchange 2020

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nightashes · 3 years

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And We Were Roommates

A/N: A gift for @who-said-i-was-asleep for the @sanderssidesgiftxchange. I hope you enjoy!!

Summary: Virgil is tired. So very tired. Luckily, he has the best roommate in the world. Who also might have a crush on him?

Warnings: food mention, creepy face mention

writing masterlist - ao3 version

***

The wood of the bunk was kinda weird. Virgil thought to himself as he laid in bed, staring at the grain of the frame above him. If he squinted and tilted his head just right, he could make out the image of a face. It was kinda unsettling, the way it stared back at him with it’s eyeless visage. It caused a shiver to pass through his bone-weary body. Virgil knew his exhausted mind was making it seem worse than it actually was. But his eyes were heavy and his brain was foggy. And the last thing Virgil wanted to see, as he struggled to calm his mind enough to rest, was the image of a haunted face made up of the sketchy lines of wood grain.

Virgil rolled his head to the side to escape the stare. The clock greeted him, blinking unforgivingly back at him. Six o’clock. Virgil slapped his hand against his forehead and let out a curse in frustration. Great. Another sleepless night. And another day of fighting to stay awake during class. Just perfect.

Above him, he could hear the beginnings of movement. His roommate climbed down from the top bunk. Virgil watched him attentively, what must it be like to be able to just sleep when you were supposed to? Logan stared back, no doubt noticing the growing bags beneath his eyes.

“You know, Virgil, your curses in the morning work better than any alarm clock I’ve ever had.”

“I hate you.” Virgil only half joked.

“Another sleepless night?”

His answer was a groan of pain and exhaustion. He pulled his comforter up and over his face, hoping to hide from a world that could be so cruel as to deny him rest.

“Do you want to skip our morning class again? Try and get at least a couple hours of sleep?”

“I can’t miss any more, I’ll fail.” He mumbled from beneath the blanket.

“I’ll grab you something to eat.” Logan shuffled off to dress for class.

Virgil laid there listening to the sounds of his roommate. Silently, in his mind, Virgil conversed with his body. It’s time to get up, he whispered to his legs that refused to move. Leaving the safety and comfort of his bed seemed to be impossible at this moment. Perhaps a compromise could be reached?

He rolled out of bed, taking his comforter with him, and flopped onto the floor into a messy pile. He laid there, breathing in the stench of old carpet. This is fine, he thought, he could live here happily, on the floor.

“I’ll be back with food.” His roommate called. The door clicked shut and Virgil was left alone with the floor.

Coffee. He needed coffee. Virgil departed his friend, the carpet, with a reassuring pat to the polyester fibers. The room tilted as he stood. His head whirling from the movement. He steadied himself against the wall and breathed in deeply until his vision cleared. He slipped on a sweatshirt as the chill began to seep into his bones. His hands buzzed from exhaustion as he shuffled over to their busted second-hand coffee maker. It did not glitter but it sure did produce the finest gold, a hot cup of coffee.

He sipped at the steaming hot liquid, as he stared out the window, slowly forcing his mind to clear. It did not work.

Today was going to suck.

He took another sip.

Virgil slipped on a pair of shoes and groggily tied up the laces. His fingers fumbled as his hands buzzed, jittery and fatigued. Logan returned with a white paper bag of fast food. He passed Virgil a steaming breakfast burrito. Yummy. The idea of food was not a welcome one at this moment. Not that he wasn’t hungry. He was. But it just felt like too much. Still he forced himself to take several small bites. The taste was better than what his mind had expected. And once he got into the rhythm of eating, it became a little easier. He could do this.

They departed their dorm together and walked across campus in silence. Virgil hummed along to the tunes blasting through his earbuds, desperately clinging to the energy that the noise provided. Lost in his own little world, he tried to imagine a different one. A world without morning classes or sleepless nights or deadlines. A world full of pillowy clouds to drift to sleep on. He thought that would be quite a nice place to live.

Logan was attempting to read as he walked. His gaze flicking furiously from the page to the sidewalk and back again. Virgil wasn’t sure how much Logan could retain anything reading like that. But then again, it was Logan. If anyone could manage it, he could.

The TA greeted them as they entered the lecture hall. Virgil led the way to a seat in the back. No way was he sitting up close while this tired. He plopped down into a chair and allowed all the tension to drop away. He was here now. All he had to do was make it through this class and then he could try and sleep after.

The hush of chattering voices began to die down as the professor took command of the room. Her voice was soft and monotonous. The sounds of her chalk scratched against the blackboard. Virgil could feel his eyes begin to droop. He shook his head, forcing himself back to attention. He fiddled with his pen. Trying to move enough to keep his body awake, while also making sure to not draw the attention of his fellow classmates.

In the back of the class, he fought against his own mind. The fog that filled his head and softened the voices of rationality. He struggled to keep his eyes wide and open. He pinched at his skin, as if this were a bad dream that he could force himself to awaken from. But the room was warm from the packed bodies. It was warm and it was quiet. The lecture was a lullaby, a meditative chant that softened his gaze. As the hour ticked on, Virgil lost himself to the fog of sleep. He could feel his head bobbing. And then he lost his sense of presence.

Virgil drifted in consciousness. He knew a little about where he was and what he should be doing. But his body and mind were out of his control. He floated through the haze of thought. And in that classroom he slept.

The sounds of chatter jerked him back to awareness. Class. He was in class. He frantically swiveled his head, taking in as much as he could. What had he missed? Had anyone noticed him sleeping?

People were packing up their books. They were getting ready to leave. Class… he had missed the entire class. Virgil thumped his head against his textbook.

“You mustn't be too hard on yourself, Virgil. You were here, you were marked present. That’s all that matters right now.” Logan reassures him, closing up his own two notebooks. Wait, why did he have two notebooks?

Logan passed one of them to Virgil as he finished collecting his things. “Ready to go?”

Virgil stared down at the notebook in his hand. He flipped it open. It was full of lecture notes. Not just from today. The dates… they were from everyday that he had skipped so far and then today as well!

“What is this?” Virgil asked dumbfounded.

“You expressed displeasure at the idea of failing. This will help. It is everything that you have missed so far.”

“You copied your notes into a separate notebook?”

“Well, no. I formatted these slightly differently and included certain contexts that you would need after having missed the lectures… It should help.”

“Logan, this is incredible.”

A blush of pink dusted the cheeks of his roommate. “It’s no big deal. I just thought it would help.” He cleared his throat and cast his eyes about, “No one should miss out on the chance to learn, afterall.”

Virgil smiled at his roommate. “I was going to take a nap before my next class. But later on, maybe we could study together? If you want that is. I mean it’d probably be easier to just study on your own and I know I’m really behind-”

“Yes.” Logan interrupted the torrent of thoughts spilling from Virgil’s mouth. “I would love to go over the notes with you.”

He paused as if just realizing he had used the word love. Logan quickly tacked on: “I have a passion for teaching is all.”

“Of course,” Virgil rolled his eyes at the awkwardness. Logan was such a dork when he was flustered. Wait? He was flustered! Did this mean that… Logan liked him? Virgil cheeks flushed at the thought. “Uhhh… I’ll see you later?”

“Later then.” Logan stiffly departed the hall, leaving Virgil alone with a whirlwind of thoughts. His roommate had a crush on him? His roommate had a crush on him!

After passing out in their dorm for his afternoon nap, Virgil spent his next class with one thought and one thought only running through his mind. Logan had a crush on him. Logan: who had gone out of his way to take notes for him. Logan: who was one of the smartest people he had ever met. Logan: who had blushed!

Virgil wasn’t really sure what to make of it. All he knew was that with every passing minute, he was getting closer to their study date. Well, not a study date, more like a study session. Wait, was it a date? Could it be a date? Did Logan think of it that way? No. Certainly not. He had been flustered by even the insinuation of romance! But maybe… Maybe it could become one… eventually?

And that is how Virgil found himself, pacing their dorm clutching the gifted notebook to his chest, and worrying his lip, as the time for the study session drew ever near. Logan arrived only a minute late. He was weighed down with books from the library and he smiled tiredly at his roommate. Despite this a soft blush was present on his face.

“Hello, Virgil. Are you ready? I got some extra books that might help.” He plopped himself down at his desk, swiveling the chair to face outwards. Virgil followed suit, still clutching his notebook to him.

“Yeah. Yeah. Let’s do this. Ummm… how was your day?”

“Adequate. A small mishap in labs, but nothing I couldn’t handle.” Logan rubbed at the bridge of his nose.

“If you're tired. We can do this later. You know I would understand.”

Logan’s gaze locked onto him. “I want to do this.”

The heat in Virgil’s cheek was like a warning bell. He was in dangerous territory now. His heart was being stolen by a nerd in glasses. What a way to go!

“Alright, let’s do this!” Virgil smiled brightly.

They worked their way through the gifted notebook. Going over all the notes that were provided there. They stopped whenever Virgil found himself confused. Logan assured Virgil that no question was too small. And then he would beam at Virgil whenever he finally understood it. It made Virgil feel like he could accomplish anything. Virgil’s favorite part was when Logan would pick up a book to rant in depth about his favorite parts. His passion for academics was like a blazing fire. It flooded Virgil’s stomach with butterflies and made his heart race with the knowledge that he was falling hard. Eventually, they began to lapse into silence as they slowly got further into their own readings.

Virgil was going over today’s lecture notes again. But he couldn’t stop thinking about the person beside him. The notes were written in a tight script. It was precise and easy to read. A sharp contrast to Virgil’s own chicken scratch. He traced his fingers over the blue ink. Virgil didn’t think Logan would be one to write with colored ink, but Logan enjoyed the color blue. The thought drifted into his head again. Logan liked him, right?

Virgil flipped a page.

Virgil liked Logan.

He really really did.

He should say something right?

Virgil looked up, the words forming on his lips, only to find Logan slumped over his desk. His face pressed into his arms, his glasses askew and digging into his skin. There was the smallest trail of drool beginning to form at the corner of his lips.

Virgil chuckled.

Now Logan was the bone-tired one.

Virgil stood from his seat. He carefully and gently removed the glasses from his roommate’s face. Pulling the blanket down from Logan’s bunk, Virgil draped it across his shoulders. And with a flick of the switch, the room is darkened.

Virgil readies himself for bed quickly and quietly. As he lays down in his bunk, he watches Logan at the desk. It couldn’t be comfortable to sleep at a desk. But selfishly, Virgil enjoyed seeing his crush asleep beside him.

He whispered into their darkened room, “Goodnight, Logan.” And promptly fell asleep.

taglist: @stop-it-anxiety @hexatrash @ollyollyoxinfree @battlebunnyteardropsinthesun @leiasolo77 @arya-skywalker @alexxadontplaydespasito

#sanders sides #analogical #food mention #logan sanders #virgil sanders #creepy face tw #ts fanfic #ts fanfiction #sanders sides gift exchange 2020 #sanders sides fic #my writing

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djpurple3 · 3 years

Text

Sanders Sides Gift Exchange 2020 - Gift!

@amatasia howdy!!! happy new year!! happy holidays!! I’m your giftmaker this year :) @sanderssidesgiftxchange

I’ve written you a fic about agere!Remus making a blanket fort with his family. Hope it’s alright!

in this, Remus age regresses (completely SFW), Logan uses they/him pronouns, Janus is hard of hearing, and Roman has chronic pain.

Summary: they’re all just VIBIN DUDE. mild angsty theme of dark sides being sad that Virgil left in the past but they’re chilling all together now :)

roughly 2900 words

--- --- ---

Janus swore he usually had more blankets than this. He liked the weight of layers when he slept, so he normally had a lot of them. But he was staring at his bed with his hands on his hips, taking in just how unpadded it suddenly was. Even his favourite blanket – yellow, soft and weighted – was gone.

He rubbed his face, and listened as hard as he could.

Ah. There. He could just pick up the faint sound of giggling.

He had a suspicion, now. He strode out into the corridor, towards the stairs, when he caught sight of Logan in his room, facing a very similar conundrum.

You see, Logan was a person who was particular to a good pillow. He probably didn’t seem like the sort of person who would be, but they had a large variety of pillows, that they liked to swap in and out on his bed, or on the sofa, or so on and so forth. They had their pillows colour-coded by softness and density. A pillow for every occasion. A few in the shapes of animals, too, though those usually did not leave Logan’s room even in the direst of circumstances.

Logan was very attached to their pillows. So it was particularly obvious when some were missing. Like… say, right now.

Janus paused in the doorway, leaning against the frame and smiling as Logan scratched their head and sighed. “Let me guess,” he called, making Logan jump. “Missing comfort items?”

“Maybe,” Logan smiled, rolling his shoulders and raising an eyebrow at Janus. “Any ideas?”

They heard another bout of laughter, and Janus snorted as Logan’s face fell into an understanding expression, and he started to nod.

“Yes, that’d do it,” Logan mused, and they paused together at the top of the stairs to see.

---

The lounge had been drastically rearranged from the last time either of them had been downstairs. The sofas had been dragged against the wall, the dining chairs moved in closer, and Janus could no longer see the floor for how many blankets were draped everywhere.

There was the smell of popcorn in the air. There was giggling coming from within the cave of blankets that had been meticulously erected in the middle of the room.

“I’m guessing that’s where my pillows went,” Logan murmured, making Janus snort.

“I see it’s movie time,” Janus smiled back, and he carefully began to descend the stairs. Logan followed him, and soon they were picking their way through a forest of pillows and blankets, and what they recognised as several of Patton’s soft toys, and even… some of Virgil’s hoodies?

When they reached the ‘entrance’ of the cave, that was sealed with a draped blanket, Janus and Logan looked at each other, before Logan started to reach for the blanket. “Knock knock,” he sing-songed with a smile. “Can we come in?”

The sound of whatever movie it was stopped immediately, along with a sharp gasp, and there was no response for a moment.

Logan paused, not pulling back the blanket yet, and when it was obvious that they weren’t moving on without a go-ahead, there was a little “uh-huh” from deep inside the blanket fort.

Logan finally pulled back the curtain, and the two of them kneeled down to see… Remus. Wide-eyed and huddled in what looked like Virgil’s old hoodie, with one of Roman’s sashes around his shoulders like a scarf, and Janus’ favourite yellow blanket draped over him. He had a sipcup in his hands that he was clutching tightly, peering over the top of it.

“Hi there, dear,” Janus smiled, noting with concern just how scared Remus looked at being caught. “Looks like you’re having fun.”

“…Mm-hm,” Remus mumbled, curling in on himself.

“Hey,” Logan said softly, reaching out to pat the ground reassuringly but making no move to close the distance. “We aren’t mad, little duke, alright? Just wanted to see if you were okay.”

Remus’ liquidy eyes melted in relief, but he still looked tense.

“Just be careful with your drink and your popcorn, alright?” Janus instructed, glancing around at the cosy interior. There were even fairy lights strung up, making the alcove feel almost magical. “Is there anything else you need?”

Neither of them mentioned how Remus had stolen their things. Remus’ lip wobbled a little, but he didn’t reply.

“Is there someone you want?” Logan added, patient. “We can go get Roman or Virgil or Patton for you.”

Remus hesitated, eyes flicking between the two of them, before down to his lap, where he was hugging one of Logan’s precious animal pillows tightly. It was a unicorn. Logan’s eyes flicked down to it briefly, as if he were checking it was okay, but they didn’t demand it back.

Remus was chewing his lip, before he mumbled something that neither of them caught.

“What was that, dear?” Janus queried, leaning in a little. “You’ll have to speak up for me. My hearing’s bad, remember?”

“Wan’ ev’ryone,” Remus mumbled again, a little louder this time, before haphazardly setting his sipcup down and burying his face in the pillow in his lap.

“Everyone,” Janus repeated, more to doublecheck he’d heard correctly. “We can do that, can’t we, Logan?”

“We most certainly can,” Logan agreed, getting to their knees with a little groan. “I’ll go get them and send them down.”

Remus looked up suddenly, and reached out towards Janus with grabby hands.

“Cuddle time?” Janus asked, and he scooted inside the blanket fort, smiling as Remus nodded insistently. It seemed he had not only regressed but gone mostly non-verbal as well. Which, if Janus may put on his concerned caregiver hat for a moment, usually only happened after Remus got very stressed.

But still, he scooted in, making sure to pop his hat on Remus head, which made him giggle, and laid back on the many, many pillows. He let Remus crawl over and flop on top of him, and rest his head on Janus’ chest.

“Hi,” Janus hummed, wrapping his arms out Remus as they squirmed and shifted and got comfortable, before Remus reached out and adjusted the laptop he’d been watching movies on somewhere better for their new position. “You comfy, my little thief?”

Remus whined, and buried his face in Janus’ cape.

“Oh, I’m only teasing,” Janus hummed, brushing Remus’ hair back and trying to coax him out of his shirt. “I don’t mind, my dear. Just ask next time, okay? I’ll even help you set the fort up. Did you make all this by yourself?”

Remus nodded into his shirt, and took Janus’ soft cape by the handfuls, kneading it like a cat.

“It’s lovely,” Janus smiled, honesty softening his voice. “I like the fairy lights.”

Remus hummed something that sounded like a thank-you, and kept stimming with Janus’ cloak. Janus was usually quite protective of his cloak and keeping it crumple-free, but… well, for little Remus, he didn’t mind a bit.

He probably spoiled the darling, now he thought of it, but he wanted nothing more than for his dear friend to be happy, and if this was part of it? Then this was part of it.

“Knock-knock!” came another declaration from the entrance of the fort, before the blankets were tugged back to see Patton’s smiling face. “I heard it was all hands-on deck for a cuddle pile?”

“Pa!” Remus perked up, lifting his head from Janus’ chest and holding out a hand towards him, grabby-handsing towards him too.

“Let me take off my shoes really quick, first, kiddo!” Patton chirped, before the curtain fell. A moment later, a shoe-less and glasses-less Patton was scrambling into the blanket fort to join them. He carefully navigated through the nest of blankets and rolled over to stretch out beside Janus. With a little oof, Remus rolled off Janus’ chest and wedged himself in between the two of them.

Patton reached up to muss up Remus’ hair, making him giggle again. “Logan’s just rounding up Roman and Virgil now,” he relayed. “Just a few more minutes now, hopefully.”

Remus shivered a little, and Patton sat up to tuck the yellow blanket around Remus a little more firmly. Remus accepted it with a couple slow blinks, mumbling something indistinct as Janus lifted his arm for him to burrow into Janus’ side.

“You seem tired,” Janus hummed, letting Remus cuddle in close wordlessly. “Did you get enough sleep last night, my dear?”

Remus hid his face in Virgil’s old hoodie, which was answer enough for them.

But what they didn’t expect was the quiet words Remus added. “Bad dream,” he said.

“Oh,” Patton cooed sympathetically. “I’m sorry, kiddo. Can I cuddle you?”

When Remus hummed his consent, Patton scooted in close and wrapped his arms around Remus’ middle, spooning him from behind. And the warmth and pressure of two close friends being nearby seemed to relax Remus a fair amount, but he was still tense under Janus’ arm.

Remus’ eyes were bright and alert, despite the heavy bags under them, and they were trained on the entrance to the blanket cave.

---

After a couple moments, filled only with gentle breathing and murmured questions between Janus and Patton, there was the sound of footsteps on stairs, before there came a mediocre impression of a trumpet, and someone declared, “Hark! We arrive!”

And the blanket was pulled back to see Roman’s legs, and a Virgil sitting back and pulling off his boots. Logan hunkered down as well, giving Remus a little wave from outside, which Remus returned. His eyes were trained on the three of them, but especially on Virgil, and he only really relaxed until Virgil crawled into the cave.

“Wow,” Virgil commented, pausing and looking around. “It’s a real party in here, huh?”

“Vi,” Remus whined, and reached out for him.

“I’m here,” Virgil said softly, and Janus was beginning to guess what Remus’ nightmare may have been about. “Where do you want me, kid?”

Remus patted the space above him, and Virgil obliged. As soon as he was in position, Remus took off Janus’ hat and put it on Virgil’s head, before plopping his own head into Virgil’s lap. Almost immediately, he relaxed. But he kept his eye on the entrance, and the fact that Roman was holding it open for Logan, who they could see taking off his glasses. As Logan entered the mix, Patton and Janus set about moving blankets and pillows to change it from a nest into more of a comfort den, until all of them were swamped in warm layers and cosiness.

But still, Remus wasn’t satisfied.

“Ro?” he warbled, and Roman slowly knelt by the door, an apologetic smile on his face.

“Give me a moment,” he said as he eased himself down. “Sorry… bit of a rough pain day today.”

Everyone winced in sympathy as Roman finally forged his way into the blanket fort, stopping to admire the atmosphere.

“Remus!” he gasped, exaggerated in that delightful way children deserve for their hard work. “Did you make all this yourself?”

Remus shyly nodded, half-hiding his face under the yellow blanket.

Roman sat back and clapped his hands, beaming. “It’s beautiful! And so cosy! I love it so much. The fairy lights are a wonderful touch. Now, before I join you, does anyone need anything more?”

“I’m good,” Patton mumbled from where he still had an arm or two wrapped around Remus. Janus shook his head.

“Nah,” Virgil shrugged as he played with Remus’ hair.

“I am fine,” Logan added as they kicked back, crossing his ankles and hugging one of his animal pillows to their chest.

“Fabulous,” Roman smiled, and he adjusted the laptop into a better spot. Then, he paused, before exaggeratedly glancing over his shoulder at Remus, who was watching him avidly with a growing grin. “Do you want a bigger screen, bro?”

Remus nodded excitedly before anyone else could protest.

“Oh-ho-ho!” Roman crowed, and he shuffled back a little. “Let us bibbity…” he swished his hands back and forth, “bobbity…” he twinkled his fingers…

“Boo!”

Roman jabbed his hands towards the laptop, and from his fingertips came streams of silver sparkles that shot out and surrounded the laptop. It shook once, twice, then they all watched it grow into a TV, which just managed to fit in the far end of the blanket fort. Suddenly, it felt like a very cosy cinema.

“I’ll change it back later, I promise,” Roman quickly added, noticing the look on Logan’s face.

Remus giggled, before reaching out for Roman too.

“I’m coming, I’m coming,” Roman fake-groused, scooting towards them until he ended up wedged in the gap between Remus’ and Patton’s legs, his head propped up against Patton’s knees. “Is this okay?”

“Mm-hm,” was all he got out of Remus, but Janus couldn’t help but smile softly as he noticed just how relaxed Remus now was with everyone close by.

---

And so they stayed like that. The six of them crammed into a cosy blanket fort. And honestly? They hadn’t just… hung out like this for a while. It had been a very busy time of year for them all. And it seemed, Janus noticed as he looked around their merry band, that many of them hadn’t been sleeping well either.

Because Logan was already fast asleep, slumped over sideways and head on Patton’s side, snoring softly. Patton kept blinking himself awake, but it was clear that he was about to doze off any second. Roman, who had been boisterous and jovial, successfully quoting Peter Pan almost entirely by memory for the past hour and a bit, was now oddly still.

Janus couldn’t see his face, but the steady rising and falling of his chest and the way his head had lolled to the side told him enough. Virgil was quiet, still smoothing back Remus’ hair.

And Remus. His dear Remus, who was alternating between watching the movie and watching Janus. Janus kept his eyes forward most of the time, but he couldn’t miss how many times Remus’ nearly fell asleep, before jolting himself awake. It was only when Remus started to pinch himself to keep himself alert that Janus moved to intervene.

He took Remus’ hands in his own carefully. “My dear,” he soothed, keeping his voice low for the sake of those who were sleeping, “is everything alright?”

Remus didn’t shake his head, but he didn’t nod either. He just looked up at Janus with big eyes – eyes that were suddenly threatening to leak tears.

“Oh, my dear,” Janus rushed, and rolled over and wrapped his arms tightly around Remus as Virgil made soothing noises, helping as best he could as Remus clung back. “You’re safe here. Your nightmare… it was just a dream, I promise.”

“Stay?” Remus finally warbled, his voice so soft and wobbly that it broke Janus’ heart right then and there.

“Of course,” he said immediately. “I’d never leave you, my dear. We’re here. We’re right here.”

Remus tilted his head up and looked at Virgil, tears leaking over as they made eye contact. “Stay?” he whispered again.

Virgil’s face twisted with grief, but he forced it into a smile, though the smile was far too raw an expression than he intended. “Yeah,” he agreed without hesitation. “I’m here, Rem. I promise. I’m staying right here, with you.”

Remus took a moment to wipe away his tears, pointedly using his brother’s old sash rather than Virgil’s hoodie or Janus’ blanket, before settling back with his head in Virgil’s lap. Here, framed by warmth and surrounded by family, he looked the happiest Janus had seen him in a long, long while.

“G’nigh’,” he mumbled.

“Goodnight, my dear,” Janus hummed, leaning over to press a kiss into Remus’ forehead, which earned him a sleepy giggle. “Sleep well. We’ll be here in the morning, okay?”

And Remus closed his eyes without any more argument, and almost immediately dropped off to sleep. His snores joined the gentle cacophony of unconsciousness that filled the blanket fort.

It was quiet. Peaceful, even. The sleepy atmosphere was contagious. Even Janus’ own eyes were feeling pretty heavy now.

“Are you going to sleep too?” he asked Virgil softly, tilting his head up to look at Virgil like Remus had before.

“Yeah, probably,” Virgil murmured, and Janus watched him hesitate for a moment, before his free hand darted over and started to smooth back Janus’ hair too. Janus stiffened for a moment at the contact, before relaxing – almost going boneless. He forgot how nice this was. And it was kind of funny to see Virgil in his hat. He probably hadn’t seen the sight since they were all teenagers.

Virgil seemed to think the same thought, and gently reached up to take it off and set it aside, with a carefulness1 that made Janus smile.

“Get some sleep, Jan,” Virgil whispered. “I’ll be here in the morning.”

The breath caught in Janus’ throat before he could figure out a reply, but between Virgil’s fingers smoothing his hair and Remus cuddling into his side and the warmth and safety all around him… it didn’t take long for sleep to claim him too.

And all was calm, quiet, and at peace. Virgil switched off the TV, before settling back with a sigh and a soft smile. He closed his eyes, listening to the even sounds of his family sleeping, and before he knew it, he was drifting off to sleep too.

And all was at peace.

--- --- ---

i hope you have a very happy holiday season, or what’s left of it, a very merry new year, and i hope that what i’ve written is good enough :)

#sanders sides #sanders sides fanfic #remus sanders #age regression #agere!remus #janus sanders #logan sanders #virgil sanders #patton sanders #roman sanders #hoh janus #chronic pain roman #sanders sides fanfiction #ts fic #sanders sides gift exchange 2020 #djpurple3's writing yo #hope this is alright

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sparrow-flies-south · 3 years

Text

The Most Wonderful Time Of The Year

Pairings: Dukexiety (Remus/Virgil) Summary: Virgil has a bad day. Remus makes things better, in his own way. Warnings: One line mention of transphobic relatives, Notes: Written as a gift for @rem-sl33p as part of @sanderssidesgiftxchange!

Thanks to @droidofmay for beta reading

Masterpost Read on AO3

It was one of those days that started off bad and got worse from there.

First, Virgil had slept through his alarm, and only woke up when Remus realised it was five minutes until he had to leave and he still wasn’t up yet. He managed to make it to work on time, but only barely. The same couldn’t be said for one of his coworkers, who didn’t bother showing up at all, so Virgil had to do the work for both of them.

And then there had been the rush of people trying to buy presents in time for Christmas, and his manager, who was exceptionally grumpy today, had kept snapping at Virgil for not doing things fast enough, even though he was doing the work of two people.

Then he’d been late leaving, so he’d missed his bus and had to wait in the cold for the next one – it started snowing, what the fuck – and then Remus had stopped answering his texts.

It took him a few stops to notice, and sure, Remus could get distracted sometimes, but what if he wasn’t. Look, Virgil knew what he was like, okay, he knew he could be an asshole at the best of times, and today certainly wasn’t one of those times. He scrolled back through the messages to try to see if he’d done anything wrong – was Remus annoyed he’d be late back, should he not have replied with that whole novel when Remus asked what was wrong, what if he’d gotten offended when Virgil replied K to one of Remus’ texts?

Yeah, he ended up with three more stops of panicking about that, before finally making it home. Theatrics really wasn’t his thing, but when he saw his door come into sight, he was about ready to burst into tears from relief.

Not that being home would solve the potential Remus problem, but still, he might be able to disappear under the covers and never came out after.

He was just about to open the door when it opened for him, and Janus stepped out.

Janus’ eyes widened –apparently he hadn’t known Virgil was out there. “Ah, Virgil. Hello.”

Normally Virgil would be happy to see Janus – they’d met in the same local trans group, and Janus had been the one to introduce Virgil to Remus, all those years ago – but right now, he just wanted this day to be over.

“What are you doing here?” Virgil asked.

A moment of hesitation, and then, “Remus and I are having an affair.”

Virgil rolled his eyes. “Congratulations. Can I get into my apartment now?”

Janus stepped aside. “I heard you had a long day.”

“Getting longer by the minute,” Virgil muttered, and crap, now he was doing the asshole thing again.

Janus just smiled, though. Probably because Janus was also an asshole, so it balanced out. “If you need help with that, let me know.”

Virgil rolled his eyes again. “Janus, when I complained about my cousins being transphobic, you told me to push them down the stairs.”

“I object to that, your honour,” Janus said. “The technical wording was ‘nudge’. And it’s advice that can be applied in many aspects of life.”

“Good bye Janus,” Virgil said, reaching for the door. He hesitated. “Hey, Janus? Did Remus seem, uh, annoyed? At me, I mean.”

Janus’ face softened. “Oh, Virgil,” he said. “Answering yes would be a lie too big for even me.”

Janus left, and Virgil was stuck staring at the door. This was fine. Janus had said Remus wasn’t mad, in his roundabout way of doing so. Unless Janus had lied, which he was prone to do, but not in situations like this. Or unless Remus had been hiding it from Janus, because Virgil and Janus were friends-

Okay, even Virgil could tell he was being ridiculous at that moment. All he had to do to figure out if Remus was mad or not was open the door. Then either everything would be fine, and Virgil could try to forget about his shit day, or Remus would tell him that he was upset.

Which would also be fine. Probably. Hopefully.

“Fuck it,” he muttered at last. He swung the door open, because that way he had to go inside, otherwise Remus might see and know that he was lurking in the corridor like a weirdo.

He managed to take one step over the threshold before freezing.

The room was dark – the lights were turned off, and the curtains were drawn – but Remus had strung up fairy lights, which let out a gentle red glow. As for the rest of the room-

“Are those the Halloween decorations?”

“Fuck,” Remus said, from where he was knelt in front of the TV. “I was meant to hear you coming.”

Fake cobwebs had been hung on the walls, and a cluster of fake pumpkins surrounded the TV. Sat on the sofa was the skeleton Remus had stolen when he’d worked at a haunted house. Fake animal skeletons were dotted around the place – an anatomically incorrect spider on the TV stand; a rat with ear bones on the coffee table; a snake on the arm of the sofa.

Remus quickly got up and hurried to Virgil. “Okay, so, you were meant to be blindfolded at this point.”

“Hard pass,” Virgil muttered,

“And I would be holding your hand, like this-“ Remus reached out and took it. Just the press of contact made Virgil feel better, like some of the day was sliding away from him. He shifted closer to Remus – probably more than needed, but the smell of Remus’ cologne let him know that nothing could touch him here.

“And then I’d take the blindfold off, and you’d say-“

“Is that the Halloween decorations?” Virgil repeated.

Remus grinned, andVirgil’s heart squeezed at the sight. “Okay, so, I want you to have the best day ever, and I figured, what day could possibly be better than Halloween?”

Virgil laughed, because that was so incredibly Remus.

“I even got candy!” Remus added. “Or, well, Janus did. He says hi, by the way.”

“I know, I saw him. How did you even have time to do all this?”

“Eh, I’m fast when I want to be,” Remus said with a wave of his hand. “But, hey, you haven’t even seen the best part!”

Remus dragged Virgil into the room and to the sofa. Virgil followed, because there was no good trying to stop Remus when he was like this – if you tried, you’d just drive yourself crazy. Virgil had long since learned to just grab hold of Remus’ momentum, and wait to see whether he’d end up in a nerf gun war or trying to make the Best Birthday Cake Ever ™.

(Fortunately, Patton hadn’t minded the mess that one had resulted in.)

“Let me guess,” Virgil joked. “You’ve killed every annoying customer from today.”

“Oh, shit,” Remus said. “I didn’t even think of that. We could release them all into a forest and hunt them for sport.”

“Let’s table that idea for later,” Virgil suggested.

Remus pouted. “Fine.” He brightened again, “But look what I planned for tonight!”

Virgil looked to the TV, which already had films queued up to watch.

“Velocipastor,” Virgil read aloud. “Cat People; Attack of the Killer Tomatoes. These are all terrible.”

“I know, right? We can make fun of them together.”

“You mean I can make fun of them,” Virgil corrected. “You will spend the whole time trying to figure out how to recreate the practical effects.”

“Hey, that’s my biggest hobby. Just like how insulting things is yours.”

“We make such a good couple,” Virgil deadpanned, before freeing his hand from Remus’ grip so he could stick them both in his pockets. What he was about to say next was sappy, and Virgil didn’t do sappy. “Seriously, though, thanks. For all of this. You didn’t have to.”

Remus looked confused. “What do you mean?” he asked, as if Virgil had just told him he didn’t have to breathe. Like the thought of not going out of his way to cheer Virgil up hadn’t occurred to him, never mind that Virgil was always having bad days that put him on edge and made him unpleasant to be around.

“I mean, it was just a crappy day,” Virgil said. “Not the end of the world.”

Even if, sure, there had been times when it had felt like the end of the world.

“But I don’t want you to have crappy days,” Remus said petulantly.

“Pretty sure it doesn’t work like that. That’s just- kinda the way I am.”

“I know,” Remus said. “And I love the way you are, except for how you sometimes think you’re not a good person, because I kind of want to fight the parts of you that say. But I also want to give them a hug and tell them that everything will be okay, which is kind of terrifying, actually, because wow, I am not an ‘everything will be okay’ kind of person. More of a let’s brainstorm how to make things worse kind of person.” Remus blinked, apparently realising his train of thought had gotten so far off the rails it had destroyed a small town, and shrugged. “Anyway, I want to make your bad days better, but I’m not as good at this kind of thing as you are, so-“

“Wait,” Virgil interrupted. “What do you mean not as good at this as me? I’m rubbish at – pretty much everything involving emotions, basically.”

Along with everything else, some part of him whispered, but he ignored it. The part was quieter than it had been all day, anyway.

“But you’re not!” Remus protested. “I know you’re not, because when everything goes wrong and my thoughts are too loud, you’re always there. And you make things better, just by being there. So that’s why I’m doing this. To make things better, because you deserve better.”

“Oh,” Virgil said, unsure what to say. It was terrifying, at times, the depth of Remus’ love. Like standing at the edge of the Grand Turk drop-off and watching the ocean fall away beneath you.

“Yeah,” Remus finished, smiling sheepishly. “So, uh, I panicked and decided to recreate Halloween in the middle of December. Surprise.”

And then Virgil couldn’t stop himself from laughing, because only Remus would even think to do something like that. And only Remus would manage to pull it off so well.

“So, uh, are we done with the emotional thing now?” Remus asked. “Because we’d better get started if we want to finish these movies by tomorrow.”

“Fuck yeah, emotional time is over,” Virgil said, wiping at his eyes. “But, uh,” he hesitated, something squeezing his chest and whispered he won’t want to. He’ll think you’re pathetic. Virgil pushed it down. “Can we cuddle, first? Just for a little while?”

“Of course,” Remus said. He held out his arms, and Virgil melted into them.

Remus was warm, because he was always warm, and he smelled like the too-strong cologne he always wore, the only that Remus had once joked was Pickled Poo-Logs flavour. One of his hands reached up to run his fingers through Virgil’s hair.

“I got ya, Fright Night,” he murmured. “I love you.”

Virgil’s heat skipped at that, the way it always did, because some part was always convinced that this was it, this was the point where Remus would decide to just stop loving him. And every time, Remus proved that part wrong, without even realising what he was doing.

“I love you too,” Virgil mumbled, and then the waterworks opened, and he couldn’t stop crying.

“Ah, shit,” Remus said. “Did I do something? Fuck, I’m sorry, please don’t cry.”

“You gave me Halloween,” Virgil said, smacking him lightly. “Don’t you dare act like you could have done something wrong. That’s – fuck, that’s probably the best thing anyone’s ever done for me.”

“Okay, we’re going to have to have a conversation about the height of that bar later,” Remus said, and Virgil snorted and buried his face into Remus’ chest. “For now, uh, let it all out, I guess? Better out than in, I always say, though I normally say that about something else.”

“Thanks,” Virgil muttered, but the tears were already starting to ease off. He stayed where he was, nestled against Remus, able to feel the rhythmic rise and fall of Remus’ breathing.

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