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pencilpat · 6 months

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Sanders Sides: College AU - Part 3

Character sheets | Prologue | Part 1 | Part 2

Patton has a very bad night, like many before it, that quickly descends into a very nice night, like none they've had before it.

Janus seethes. Remus tries to help.

2,531 words

[CW: alcohol, manipulation, implied abusive father, nightmares, panic attack, religion, sexual themes/implications, unintentional misgendering

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It’s always the same sea. The dark, choppy water blasting foam into their mouth, tossed around and around in the storm.

Every night this dream comes, and even asleep Patton’s dream self has come to accept it, letting the waves toss them limply as they choke. Suddenly they are tossed onto a rock, and their drenched form lays naked on the cold surface. Shaking, they gasp at the freezing air, coughing up seawater. They drag themselves to their feet, stumbling down the rock, compelled by the same force as always. “Someone wants to see you,” calls their mind, driving each shivering footstep.

They make it to the beach, that grey sand cutting into their feet with torn bits of shell. There, as always, they collapse on the beach, subconsciously preparing themselves. There is a great sloshing of the ocean, and a shadow rises above them; they gasp wetly as it overtakes them. Patton sits up on the coarse sand, turning to look at the statue before them. “Hi, pa,” they whisper. The statue is silent, looming.

Hugging their legs, Patton looks up at the stone eyes. Their gazes lock, and they brace themselves.

Water gushes from the eyes, nose, and mouth of the statue, falling directly onto them in torrents, burying them beneath deep, dark water. They can do nothing but sob and choke, drowning, drowning, drowning.

They jolt awake, gasping. Patton grips their hand into the sheets just beside the body of their sleeping partner, glancing up at him through hurried breath to make sure they haven’t woken him. Virgil is sleeping soundly, thankfully, and they swallow hard as they sit up and stare at the wall.

Being in bed becomes too upsetting, and like many nights before this they stand up to go sit in the living room. They fall onto the main couch and drop their head into their hands. If they didn’t know any better, they’d think God was torturing them. But they know by now that He’s not watching close enough to care. Their face furrows up, and a few hot tears spill into their palm.

The house itself is upsetting. All of it is. They need to get out. They need to run! This swelling restlessness fills their gut, and Patton inhales sharply as they go back to their room just briefly to put on clothes. Virgil doesn’t stir in his sleep as they quietly dress themselves, throwing on one of Virgil’s black hoodies over their own clothes, perhaps to make them look scary, but more to make them feel scary. They glance at his black hair peeking out of the covers as they pass through the doorframe, but worry over him isn’t enough to unravel the storm twisting their gut and telling them to escape, somehow.

In Roman’s car, halfway towards nowhere, the world barely feels real to them. Patton listens to wind whistle against their ears from the window and zones out to the tune of yellow street lights and honking late night drivers. They even honk at people themselves, something they’ve never done before. It’s just the agitation, they tell themselves, rubbing their forehead. It’s just the lack of rest and the fact that I’m in the party side of town.

Rows and rows of bars line the streets, and Patton’s fingers tap the wheel anxiously. They chew on their lip, breathe in deep, and pull over on the street next to the first one appearing to be a gay bar – perhaps that will be safer? Having never gone to a bar in their life, Patton feels ridiculous and child-like on the sidewalk outside. Being an over 6 foot, stocky person brings them no comfort, and they bet they’d look small next to a 4-foot-nothing guy right now.

The door is pushed open onto music and mostly darkness. The only lights are underlighting the bar and the neon glow-in-the-dark dance floor and wall designs lit up under black lights. People are mostly dancing rather than sitting, so the bar has many available seats. Patton nervously shuffles onto a stool that glows with bright blue flecks under the lighting. Every seat is a seemingly random color, and they do admit the effect is very pretty – like bioluminescent sea creatures in the deep dark. The haze of bodies crushing and pulling and swaying makes them dizzy.

“Hey, buddy?” someone calls, fully tapping them. Patton startles, adjusting their glasses as they look up at the bartender. “I asked what you’d like to drink!” The bartender is an older woman with buzzed hair and black lipstick on, Patton would consider her very pretty if they were focused enough to process it. Instead, they stumble on an order.

“Um, how about, uh- I don’t know the names of drinks- Uhh a martini?” They laugh nervously, but manage to spit out the first drink they could think of.

The bartender gives them a look that seems to be pitying, and nods, going off to make their drink. Patton puffs out a breath and sets their forehead in their palm.

“You look nervous,” a smooth voice from beside them calls out above the bumping music. Patton startles, and turns to look at the golden flecked stool beside them. A woman with two toned hair smiles at them there, giving a little wave. She already has a drink, something that glows and bubbles under the blacklights. “Up here, honey,” she laughs, and Patton’s wide-eyed gaze meets hers properly.

“S-sorry! I… ah, geeze, I guess I am nervous.” Patton lets loose a high-pitched giggle, truly overcome with the nerves.

“Cute jacket. You look too old for this to be your first night out. Is it the being alone?” The woman sips her drink, animatedly glancing around the two of them as if looking for threats. “Don’t worry, I don’t bite without consent.”

Patton gapes at her open-mouthed, cheeks going dark with blush. The girl laughs smoothly, and also begins blushing. Patton can just barely see lighter patches of vitiligo under the lights, but every part of her skin aside from her face is covered somehow, mostly in skintight black clothing.

“You look like someone just puked in front of you or something, am I that bad at flirting?”

“Oh, oh no no, it’s not that! I’ve just- I never- This actually is my first night out. Um, ever. I’ve never even been in a bar before.”

The girl tilts her head to the side, her face seeming to wrinkle with confusion. “Wait, seriously?! Your first time ever?”

“Uh, yes?”

“Oh my gosh! Do you have a drink coming? I can help you choose a nice one if you’d like.”

“I- I’ll be honest, I ordered a martini on impulse, I don’t know any drinks.” Just as they were saying it, the bartender comes back over holding said drink, setting it before them.

“Oh, hey!” she calls to the woman. “Let me guess, you’re paying for this one? Or are you managing to sit next to a pretty girl and not flirt for once?”

Patton cringes at the girl comment, but they don’t expect much else from a stranger considering their presentation. The woman nods and winks, shushing her finger over her lips. The bartender laughs, definitely knowing this woman well. She must be a regular, Patton decides.

“Get two BJs for us, and then we’ll see.” As the tender walks off with the money, Patton glances at the woman cautiously. She looks at them as well, smirking. “Based off of that face I’m guessing ‘girl’ wouldn’t be best.” Patton startles, and the woman smiles wider. “You make expressions like a cartoon character, and you cringed the second that word left Katty’s mouth, love.”

“W-well… Yes, uh, girl wouldn’t be best. I’m nonbinary. Thanks for, um… noticing? I-I don’t know.”

“You can relax. You’ll be ok, um…?” The woman extends her gloved hand in question, stalling for a name.

“Pat,” they offer, shaking her hand. They know better than to give a full name to a stranger.

The woman’s smile chills over a bit, but she doesn’t say anything. “Call me J.”

“Jay, like a bird? Or the letter?”

She laughs, melodic and cool. “Yes, the letter. I mean, you know how it is with strangers and all.” Patton tenses up slightly, and turns back to the bar to stare at their martini. ”Are you going to try it, Pat?”

“I- I will, yeah,” they gulp, another nervous laugh worming its way out of them. They pick up the drink, and bring it to their lips shakily. It doesn’t taste nice, but it’s not horrible either. It does make them cringe slightly, and the woman definitely notices as Patton watches her black-stained lips curl up at the corners yet again.

“Didn’t like it?”

“It’s really… unique. I haven’t had much alcohol before. I don’t think anything else really tastes like this!”

“Unique. What a funny word for it.”

The bartender, Katty apparently, comes back with two shot glasses stacked high with whipped cream. The liquor inside is a light toffee color. “Here you go, guys! Make sure she drinks it right!” She walks off before any corrections on gender can be made, and Patton chalks it up to her seeming to be older, in her 50s at least.

J grabs the drinks and slides them to the edge of the table. “Stand up with me, there’s a special way to drink these – you can’t use your hands,” she winks, gesturing to her mouth. Patton flushes again as they watch her place her hands behind her back, and lean over the shot glass, taking it around the rim in her mouth and tilting her head up and back to knock the alcohol into her mouth. She sets it back on the bar with a flushed laugh.

Patton stares at their own, unsure if they can manage that feat. They try though, for the impulse of it, stanced with their feet to the side and leaning down. They can feel how intensely they’re being watched by J as their lips close on the glass, whipped cream already on their tongue. It hits them why it’s called a ‘BJ’ as they lean back and choke just slightly on the sweet alcohol. It’s nice, though, tasting like coffee and cream.

“Good job!” The woman claps her hands together once, chuckling.

“That tasted really good actually,” they admit a bit timidly.

“Of course you like the sweet stuff. You look that type.”

“What do you mean?”

“You look sweet as pie, honey,” she says, putting on a faux southern accent like a stereotypical cowgirl.

Patton laughs, bashful. They don’t get flirted with often, and in fact Virgil is their first partner ever-

Oh. Virgil. Patton tenses up, suddenly horridly ashamed at having felt attraction to anyone else. “Oh my god, I- I’m sorry, I forgot to say, I have a partner! I- Oh my gosh I’m sorry, I know you’re flirting with me but it’s-“

“Calm down, honey,” J laughs. “I could kind of guess, honestly. The hoodie doesn’t fit well… and it doesn’t suit you at all. Patchwork isn't your thing - very 'unique' though. One of a kind.”

Patton blanches slightly, staring at her, not for the first time tonight. “You’re really um… perceptive!”

“Hell, someone has to be on this miserable planet, right?” She laughs, then sighs. “Well, there goes my night.” A pause. “Or maybe not. You still need a bar buddy, even if the partner slot is taken. Who else would keep you safe among these scoundrels,” she hisses the last part, like someone telling a campfire story with intent to terrify. “You, Pat, are going to get all of the best drinks from the best bars in town or so help me god.”

Patton laughs, untensing and feeling a little more comfortable by J being silly to them instead of flirtatious. “Well, I mean, if you say so! I- I do probably need to go tonight-“

“What?” J calls, as a particularly loud song begins, covering up all speech between them. Patton huffs in frustration, and grabs her hand gently, tugging her all the way out of the bar. When they turn back to face her, standing on the pavement in the streetlights, she looks at them with a bemused smirk, friendly and open.

“I needed to get out of there. Look, J, how about you give me your number? You seem nice, and you’re very welcoming… I don’t drink often. Or really at all besides tonight. But maybe we can try other things?”

J laughs again in that musical, cold tone, touching her forehead. “You sure are something, Pat. Denying my flirting but still taking my number? How could you,” her tone is light and teasing, and she holds out her hand to receive their phone. She adds a number in, and texts herself. “There you go, Mx. Pat. If you don’t mind, I have more bars to hop. So… see you sometime, then.”

Patton nods silently, though they give her a genuine smile and a wave as she walks off down the street. They walk towards the car with a shaky breath to themselves. Patton looks down at J’s text to herself, and finds a simple heart emoji followed by a green apple as the contact name.

---

Janus slams the door as she steps inside, slumping against the wall, having no assistance of crutches tonight. Remus startles upright, mid mouthful of candy from her cupboards. “Hey, you’re back!”

“Ugh,” she simply offers, dragging herself along the wall. She wobbles, and semi-collapses down to the floor with her back against the wall. Remus makes a noise of surprise and rushes over to her, reaching out a hand. “I’m fine, Remus, stop. I just… need to sit here.” Her head spins, woozy with drunkenness. Her heart is beating so quick it sounds like pounding in her ears.

“Janus, you look like hell’s asscrack! Jesus, you reek of booze, are you okay?”

"I’m fine. Leave it at that.”

“But you just nearly fainted! Are you-“

“Yeah, my heart gets weird when I drink, asshole,” she hisses, putting her dizzy head in her palm.

“Jan, geeze, are you seeing doctors and stuff? You know I can help you out, money-wise, I make-“

“Shut up.” She grits her teeth, trying to breathe through the beginning of tears. A few more breaths and they disappear.

“Why? Can I not help you? You… you’re living so poorly, y’know, and I make enough to-“

“I don’t need to owe you something,” Janus seethes into her palm, eyes squeezed shut.

“Who said anything about owing me something? I can pay for it, rea-“

“I don’t need your fucking money, Remus. Just stop. Stop.”

“I want to help you.”

“You don’t even know me anymore.”

Remus is silent, and she leaves it at that, hauling herself up and dragging her way to her room without glancing back at him. Remus watches her go, watches her shut her door and leave him alone. Strangely, though, the sensation of a wall being erected before him isn’t there. There is openness, still, simply concealed under anger that is not his causing. He scratches at his facial hair, sighing. He resolves to check on her later, maybe talk about it when she isn’t exhausted and reeking of a night of drinking. He does know her, and nothing about her has changed.

Janus has always been a liar, after all.

#college au #sanders sides #sanders sides au #tss au #ts au #janus sanders #patton sanders #my writing #sanders side fanfic #tss fanfic #moceit #dukeceit

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randomnameless · 2 years

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Fic ideas for TS?

Well...

Bad Liberty ending :

Brother Serenor and Benedict are ruling over Glennbrook and are, they think, doing a splendid job, and to accomodate their ally Gustadolv, they give him back his bride, Cordelia.

Add to this a good dose of Gustadolv still biding his time because, duh, if Benedict is living his "Destra <3" power fantasy through her son, he buys Gustadolv's act of pretending to quit the "unification of Norzelia" under his banner.

Benedict and Serenor paid no attention to Cordelia - she can't be used to bolster Serenor's rise to royalty for Benedict so she's useless + Serenor is still not over betraying his BBF and actual brother Roland to get the throne so he doesn't feel comfortable talking to Cordelia - who's "suddenly" expecting Gustadolv's brat (not so suddenly, as we all know she "followed him to bed").

Aesfrost giving a lot of thoughts to the issue of children being legitimate - Cordelia and Gustadolv were totes married, thus the kid is Gustadolv's legitimate heir.

Of course, Gustadolv is an ass and can't help but brag about it and Benedict is honestly pissed, because if that brat sees the day, he'd have a claim to rule over Norzelia - at least from the Aesfrost side. Benedict's to go modus operandi is to get rid of it - Cornelia being, unfortunately, like her full blooded brother, a sad consequence - but at this point even Anna balks at the thought of killing an unborn kid and Cordelia.

Gustadolv and Cordelia, for the first time in their "totes happy" couple strike a common deal, against the Wolffort-bastard Glennbrook - Gustadolv because only Gustadolv can rule over the world (he wants to take Benedict's role as his brat would be the puppet ruler Serenor is), and Cordelia because she still cannot forgive how Serenor, Roland's BFF, threw him away and ruined his name to take over the throne (obviously she's not privy to everything that happened, TFW you can't vote) + the tidbit where he "returned" her to Gustadolv and the ultimate tidbit where he betrayed what Glennbrook stands for (or so she thinks), protecting the weak from the strong, and not adopting the "might makes right" Aesfrostian vision.

Cordelia's true goal is to smoke them all (Gustadolv+Serenor/Benedict) by making her kid the kind if benevolent and kind ruler Roland would have been (just like, she thinks, Regna was).

Of course it's never going to work, because this world doesn't work this way.

Aesfrost Jr thus has to compete for the united Norzellian throne with Wolffort/Glennbrook/Aesfrost/Rozelle Jr - Serenor's kid can count on Benedict and the former Wolfforts to support them, but Gustadolv managed to rally the former Hyzantese to his (kid's!) cause, by deriding the Rozellian heritage and saying they're an uncivilised bunch, destined for petty theft and crime - look that's what they've been doing since they were fred from the False Goddess.

In the end, the second Benedict dies, Gustadolv (as old as Benedict in the current game?) swipes in, terminates his nephew and puts his brat on the Norzellian throne - Cordelia "befriended" Layla and while they try to help the needy and downrotten, Layla's still looking for her son (Benedict promised her he'd let her see him if she worked for Serenor - Quahaug is long dead seen as a potential threat - something Layla takes 10 years to realise) but it fails become Aesfrost Jr is more Aesfrost than Glennbrook, even if they share their uncle Roland's trademark braid.

Speaking of the devil, Roland returns to put an end to Gustadolv's ambitions - and yet not being able to ally with Serenor who's no better than him, since he didn't care about the people anymore - but cannot kill his own nephew/niece - something Aesfrost Jr has no qualms doing, because in the brave words of Aunt Erika, Uncle Roland was a "worthless" uncle "to the end".

Norzelia is fucked up.

The (bad) end.

#anon #replies #triangle strategy #triangle strategy spoilers #TS AU #Frederica ran away to Centralia abandoning the Norzellian mess #Gustdolv wins AU #or not since he'd the kind of asshat to pit his children against each other to come up on top #the second he dies everything falls apart

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