Was just doodling a character

He’s my of from Wynncraft :>

kieraelieson:

Making a Magic Harp 2 is finished!

Making a Magic Harp 2

https://ko-fi.com/post/Making-a-Magic-Harp-2-F1F441P0E

It’s already a rather hectic day. One of the students was messing with potions and it did not go well.

Though thankfully, enough people were helping that all Elora had to do was clean up the library from the mess they’d made searching for a cure. And then Asha invited her to a picnic dinner!

Elora was excited, and very happy, until she got back to the library to find that more students were now trying to recreate that terrible experience the one had already had.

Obviously, she needs to report this. Except that they don’t want to be found out, and try to chase her down to stop her.

kieraelieson:

This is an original story exclusively for monthly subscribers! Help support me and you can read it here!

https://ko-fi.com/post/Making-a-Magic-Harp-Z8Z63QRGA

Making a Magic Harp

Elora, who’s been blessed (or perhaps cursed) with wings, works in a library at a school teaching magic. Though the magic is Very dangerous, and she Certainly doesn’t have any training, she’s trying to make a magical harp.

Though her creating is hindered by her job, and also by meeting an extremely pretty woman named Asha.

You may be interested to know that this story is set in the same universe as the one Fanfiction I’m turning original, though about a hundred miles northwest.

kieraelieson:

Borrowers Can’t be Scared of Heights

Chapter Three

Seehere for previous chapters

Aisha was almost surprised when she saw Holli the next morning. For all that she’d tried to hide from her before, now that she’d been found, she didn’t seem hardly shy at all anymore.

Aisha didn’t really want to eat breakfast on the floor, though.

“How do you feel about surfaces?” She asked.

“What do you mean?”

“If you get up on the counter, will you still be scared of the height?”

Holli hesitated. “If—If I can’t see down to the floor, and if it doesn’t move, then it’s bearable.”

Keep reading

kieraelieson:

Affection Games

“I have an idea!” Patton yelled, running into the living room and waving a paper.

He was so excited he summoned the other sides that weren’t in the room.

“Owwww, Patton, you could be a bit more gentle,” Virgil complained, rubbing at the back of his head.

“Sorry! Sorry, but I have a game to play! Or a challenge! And I want everyone to hear it!”

“What’s going on?” Janus asked grumpily, rubbing at his eyes.

In hindsight, it waspretty early, and Patton probably should’ve just called them normally. But they were almost all here now!

“I’m here!” Remus said loudly, bursting through the door with an entire wave of suds. Which was… odd. But thankfully not gory this time.

“Ok!” Patton climbed up on the couch, waving his paper. “You remember Thomas is supposed to be practicing a lot more self-love right now?”

“Self love would be letting his sides sleep…” Janus mumbled.

Logan gave Janus a tiny little smile.

Patton forged ahead. “I know a way we can help!”

“I’m not sure…” Virgil said hesitantly. “I think this is one Thomas has to do on his own.”

“I might be inclined to agree with Virgil, Padre,” Roman said with an apologetic half-smile.

Patton sighed. “Let me— let me finish please. I know I called you all so suddenly, and I woke some of you up, but it’s a really good idea!”

“I’m still listening~” Remus said, wiggling around in his bubbles. Patton was quickly realizing that Remus was onlywearing bubbles.

He took a deep breath and said his whole plan all at once. “I wanted to try a game! An affection game. Where we all get to ask each other for affection, and if you ask, you get a point, and if you say yes when someone asks, then you also get a point, and then we play it the whole week and whoever has the most points at the end wins!”

Keep reading

kieraelieson:

A Baby Human

For@katelynn-a-fan as a part of @sanderssidesgiftxchange, and beta-read by @enby-phoenix. I really hope you enjoy!

 Janus is a baby and the rest of the sides are *insert creature not human here* and they are protective and may or may not teach him some… unorthodox thing

Warnings: past/offscreen child abuse, Virgil is a spider-creature, 

••^*^••

Roman let out a quiet sigh. Virgil hadn’t even said anything, but he could see his pinched, anxious look. “We’ll be fine.”

“I know we’ll be fine!” Virgil snapped, crossing his arms. “It’s just getting dark. And we don’t know what’s out here.”

“You’re the poisonous one! You don’t have to worry about anything.”

“Virgil is venomous,” Logan said calmly from his perch on one of the protruding spider legs on Virgil’s back. 

“Yeah,” Virgil muttered, a hand lifting to pet Logan, which Logan reluctantly permitted. 

Keep reading

noalthegorgon:

Petrified

Have to remember to make blood friendships with all the new little ones when we wake up

They’re called Dusters

We don’t want to turn the little ones to stone.

Yes, yes, remember to protect the Dusters before we freeze one

We need food

Remember

And more water

But food first. The water is still there

This room smells old

It’s a ruin, of course it does

I don’t like ruins

Better than open sand

We need to wake up and get food

There’s no food here it’s empty

That’s why we wake up and get food

We need sleep too

But we need food now! We’ve already been sleeping for so long

It hasn’t been long, just a night

We do need food

Oh! I see food! Wake up!

It’s food!

Yes, it’s right there

Food!

Food!

Wake up and get it!

Wake up!

Food!

Keep reading

kieraelieson:

Dance Break!

Written by @kieraeliesonand@stillebesat

Roman suddenly jumped up, a sparkle in his eyes, as he turned, seeking out the first person he can find and holding out his hand. “Dance with me!”

Virgil scoffed, firmly keeping his hand by his side, ignoring how it had begun to lift in response to Roman’s offer in the first place. He wanted to trust him, but at the same time it wasn’t easy to forget the possibility that Princey would just let him fall on his face.

“Do you want broken toes?” He asked, raising an eyebrow. “Find someone else.”

Roman kept his hand outstretched. “We can clear a space. Not a single toe will be in danger. Please, Virgil? Dance with me!”

He waved his other hand, which served to clear the room of almost everything in it.

He made it seem so easy. But it wasn’t like Virgil had ever danced with anyone before. He doubted Roman would be able to fully avoid Virgil’s uncoordinated feet from tripping them up.

And yet…Princey had called him by name. It lessened the chances that this was all a trick. That this might actually turn out…well.

Swallowing down the panic rising in his throat, he held out his hand. “The moment I trip I’m out.”

Keep reading

noalthegorgon:

Water

The problem with not being a part of the caravan anymore was that Noal no longer had any water, or any way of getting any. Not out in the desert.

Ymir had pointed out one cactus that had a liquid inside, and Noal had insisted she drink as much as she needed before they drank the rest, which wasn’t much even to start with.

That had been early in the morning. It was now evening, on the second day since they’d left the little caravan, and Noal was feeling concerningly light-headed and oddly heavy at the same time.

‘Lay down, here on the sand. Soak in all the warmth and become one with it. Sleep. Rest. In warmth and comfort.’

The voice didn’t seem to be one of his snakes, especially as Datura was angrily arguing against it. But it certainly was tempting.

Keep reading

kieraelieson:

Centaur AU 9

They were ready now.

Logan was settled back in his stall on a freshly mounded bed of hay, more than content to look up his own books to read on the iPad. Thomas had the cell phone, so that if Logan needed, all he needed to do was get to the phone, read the number on a paper there, and call him.

Everyone else had on halters and was ready to go. Except Remy.

“Actually,” Thomas said, setting aside the last halter. “If you don’t mind giving me a ride, I don’t think anyone would insist on a halter then.”

“I’d much prefer carrying you around to having a halter on,” Remy said forcefully, holding a hand down for Thomas.

Thomas grabbed on and pulled himself up to Remy’s back. “Then I think we’re ready!”

Roman pranced around in a tight little circle. “Can we race? At least once we’re out of sight and don’t have to stay close anymore?”

“I don’t mind racing at all,” Thomas said, grinning.

They had to go a bit slowly at first, so that he could at least pretend to be holding onto all the halter ropes, but once they got past the end of the paddock, they took them all off and tied them into a bundle that Patton offered to carry.

Keep reading

kieraelieson:

Centaur AU 8

When Thomas woke up, rather slowly, feeling itchy and groggy and much in need of a shower, it was to soft voices and little clops of moving hooves.

“And where is the rest of the food?”

“That’s all there is out here. Mostly we tend to eat the pre-made stuff.”

“I’ll have to put it on the list too then.”

Thomas opened his eyes, registering that Patton and Emile were talking.

Patton sighed. “It’s just… strange. I worry that with all of the new nice things that once Thomas leaves it’ll be so miserable and I don’t know how I’ll be able to handle it.”

“Thomas won’t be leaving. Or if he does, we’ll be taking you with us.” Emile promised.

Thomas nodded slightly, staying silent.

Patton moved, peeking over the shorter wall that separated his stall from the one Thomas was using as a bed, met Thomas’s eyes, and jumped back with a sound rather like a loud squeak.

“Oh, dear! I’m sorry, I didn’t think you were awake.”

Thomas sat up. “No, I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you.”

“It’s alright,” Emile said. “Little mishaps happen, you both are fine.”

Thomas stood up and stretched, gratefully noting that Emile was making breakfast for everyone. Between yesterday and now already this morning, he could tell he was going to greatly appreciate Emile. He was going to have to find some way to pay Emile back somehow.

Keep reading

100 G/t OC Prompts Masterlist

1. Ancient
2. Sticky Notes
3. “It’s a welcoming gift!”

kieraelieson:

Centaur AU 7

It turned out that setting up the rat cage was more complicated than expected, not because it would have been difficult, but because several of the centaurs wanted to help set it up, and with all of them crowding around a comparatively small space, they got in each other’s way more than helping.

But finally it was done, properly anchored so it wouldn’t have a chance of falling, and the four rats Patton had kept were placed inside.

Thomas, meanwhile, had been trying to think through the chaos. There were just too many of them to be all in the stable at once unless they were each in stalls. It was crazy, and loud, and just too many bodies all squashed into whatever space they were trying to be in.

He stood up on a bucket and raised his voice slightly. “Alright, I have a plan.”

Keep reading

Centaur AU Masterpost

Part One

Part Two

Part Three

Part Four

Part Five

Part Six

Part Seven

Part Eight

Part Nine

Part Ten

Happy Week: Part Eleven

Bonus Scenes:

Patton Wants to Give a Ride(now part of Happy Week)

Roman’s Mom Braids His Hair

AO3

kieraelieson:

Centaur AU 3

Thomas was more than a bit groggy, having gotten up quite a bit earlier than he usually would to make it out to the stable on time. He wanted to get there before the man would come back for Logan. He’d already called the police, and they should be there around the same time he was trying to be, to catch the people behind it all.

The sun was only barely up as he unlocked the door, whispering from inside cutting off abruptly as he swung it open.

“Wha— Thomas?” Roman said.

Thomas waved, hiding a yawn behind his hand. “Morning, guys. I had to get here a bit early to help the police.” He smiled triumphantly. “We’re catching those old grooms and the people they’re working with.”

“Yay!” Patton said in a half whisper, clapping his hands gently so they didn’t make sound.

“Is Logan still asleep?” Thomas asked, lowering his voice.

Roman nodded. “He’ll sleep until he’s woken up. So will Virgil, but Virgil just likes being asleep.”

Thomas nodded, and then turned, seeing cars distantly on one of the gravel roads that crisscrossed the estate. They seemed to be white, so they were probably the police. He hoped they realized that they would have to walk a good way to reach the stable, and wouldn’t just drive around looking for the turn that wasn’t there.

“I’ll go see if that’s them.”

It turned out to be a bit of a mess catching their attention and getting them to come back to the stable, but at least the jogging around and talking to people woke him up the rest of the way. The police wanted to hide in the stable and listen to what the man would say before they arrested him, though they did already have a warrant, based on what Thomas had told them the night before. So they parked the cars where they wouldn’t be as easily noticed, and hid up in the loft.

Then he just had to wait, and not even very long, before a car with a big trailer drove up. The man walked nearly halfway to the stable before he noticed Thomas.

“Hey, there. Didn’t expect anyone out here this early.”

Thomas shrugged, going over some of the questions he was supposed to ask. “I was just thinking, you said you got all your money betting on him. Until I get my cut, I might want to put some money in the ring too. Where is he going to do these ‘races’?”

Keep reading

kieraelieson:

Patton Wants to Give a Ride

(A bonus scene for the Centaur AU)

“Are you sure?” Thomas asked.

“Mhmm!” Patton nodded, hopping up a little bit like he did when he was excited.

“Just like this? Bareback? I don’t want to hurt you.”

Patton gave him almost a pouting look. “I can carry you! I promise!”

Thomas gave in. And really, he’d wanted to give in ever since the first suggestion. “Alright.”

Patton beamed, sidling up to the fence.

Thomas climbed the fence and carefully slid onto his back. Patton certainly seemed able to hold him, still managing to do his springy little hops.

“Hold on! Hold on, Thomas!”

“What for?” Thomas asked, but wrapped his hands around Patton’s waist.

Patton took off, almost immediately into a canter. They passed Roman, who was racing back in the opposite direction, and turned immediately to match pace beside Patton. “No fair! I wanted to be the first to give Thomas a ride!”

Something about the whole situation made Thomas very, very happy, and a laugh bubbled up and broke out. “I didn’t know you would actually want to be ridden.”

“Well not by just anybody,” Roman said. “But you’re different. Even Virgil wants to take you for a ride someday.”

Thomas glanced across the paddock, to where Virgil and Logan were both laying on the ground. Virgil was holding a fistful of grass above his head, and letting it fall into his mouth. He laughed again, not quite doubting.

“Let’s go see them!” Patton said, turning.

The three of them rushed up to the two, and Thomas felt like there was somehow a whole air of happiness following them, and spreading out as they stopped into a calm contentment. Roman plucked him off of Patton’s back, and Thomas let out a surprised squeak. But he was just set onto Roman’s back so Patton could flop down and roll.

He wished he’d brought a picnic lunch now. He could easily spend a long, long afternoon out here like this.

kieraelieson:

AO3 Link

“Alright,” Thomas said, satisfied that Roman was properly off to his competition. “Logan and Virgil are sleeping, and Patton, do you know if you have anything for today?”

“I don’t think so, but I don’t really know,” Patton said. 

“In that case, I’m going to try taking a quick nap and then maybe Logan and Virgil will wake up. If anything comes up, you wake me up, ok?”

Patton nodded. 

Thomas ended up flopping onto a pile of hay and dozing off. It wasn’t like him to take naps, but he’d been up quite late and then woke up much earlier than usual. 

Keep reading

Master Masterpost

More Than the Sum of Our Parts

Sanders Sides, Complete

The sides all have animal forms they shift into, but they’ve been hiding them from each other. Slowly, they each learn to accept each other and themselves, which leads to much fun and shenanigans.

Trust is Difficult to Give (But Easily Broken)

Sanders Sides, Complete

Virgil and Logan are cat hybrids, and meet Patton, who got a job at the pet store. Patton, and his roommate Thomas, adopt them and try to give them the best life possible, despite Many serious challenges.

Human/Fairy Relations

Sanders Sides, Complete

Thomas stumbles into a fairy circle, and gets kidnapped by Anxiety. He makes friends with Patton, another human kidnapped by a fairy named Logic. Together, they escape, and try to find a new way of getting along with the fairies.

February Prompts (G/t)

Sanders Sides, Complete

G/t Prompt fills, some connected, some not.

100 G/t Prompts

Sanders Sides, Complete

G/t Prompt fills, including several complete stories and many single or incomplete storylines.

100 G/t OC Prompts

Original, Ongoing

G/t Prompt fills using my original characters.

Noal the Gorgon

Original, Ongoing

Made together with @pizza-box-raccoon

Noal is a gorgon, and has been a slave since childhood. He meets a very small girl named Ymir who can shift into a jerboa, and who encourages him to escape.

Coffin

Sanders Sides, Complete

Virgil is a vampire, captured, and used as a part of the ‘final test’ for three vampire hunters, Patton, Logan, and Roman. They learn that the hunters are wrong, and many of them evil, and together with new allies, they all try to fight against them.

Searching for Home

Sanders Sides, Complete

In a fantasy world, with many different races and awful people everywhere, it can be very hard to find where home really is. Or who it’s with. Virgil and Dee, Logan and Patton, and Emile and Remy all are searching. Trying to find home.

Centaur AU

Sanders Sides, Ongoing

Thomas is hired as a groom to several centaurs, owned by an extraordinarily rich family, the Authiers. He finds that they’ve been treated awfully, and tries his best to help, but he’s only one person.

Making a Magic Harp

Original, Complete

Elora, who’s been cursed blessed with wings, is trying to make a magic harp. She’s distracted by students causing problems in the library she works in, and also by a beautiful woman named Asha who seems to really like her. But then things get to be a bit more confusing.

In which Virgil has taken lessons on how to demand affection

Sanders Sides, Complete

Virgil wants affection. And has been trying hard to learn how to get it. Finally he tries, and has far more success than he ever guessed he would have.

After Virgil’s success, the others decide to try their luck too.

See my AO3 for most of these plus a bunch of one-shots and smaller stories!

And look here for all my podfics!

Masterpost

(Labeled Universe is by @snowdice)

Virgil woke up in a bedroom that was definitely not his. And for some reason Patton had him trapped in a full-body cuddle. But what was stranger was that the room wasn’t Patton’s and Logan’s either. And Logan was nowhere to be seen.

Patton shifted and yawned, and Virgil startled back, because that was…. Those were fangs! In Patton’s mouth!

What had happened?! Had some villain managed to kidnap them both in their sleep? And do something to Patton? But why? And why just one of them? Unless he had fangs too. But a quick check assured him that he did not have fangs.

Patton let out a small groan. “Where’ you goin’?” And then his nose wrinkled and he opened his eyes. He looked up at Virgil, and his expression just got more and more confused with every second. “Wh… Who are you?”

“You don’t remember me?” Virgil asked, more and more questions about what had happened to Patton racing through his head.

Patton’s confused frown deepened. “No. You… aren’t… Are you Virgil? What did you do?”

Virgil was incredibly concerned that Patton didn’t know who he was anymore, or at least wasn’t sure. “Yeah, I’m Virgil. But I didn’t do anything. I think we may have been kidnapped. Do you remember anything strange about last night?”

Patton just squinted at him harder. “You aren’t Virgil.”

“I am. Whoever kidnapped us must have done something to your mind. Let’s get out of here, and then we can get you help.”

Patton still just frowned and squinted at him in an incredibly confused way. “Virgil isn’t a human.”

It was as if the last little bubble of ‘this makes sense’ in his brain had popped. “What— what else— what else would I be?”

“A vampire.”

Patton said it so casually, as if it was the one thing he was sure of in the situation. Virgil began wondering if this could be an incredibly elaborate prank.

“Where’s Logan?”

“Probably in the kitchen, why? How do you know Logan?”

“Cause he’s my—“ Virgil froze. This might not actually be Patton. It could all be a trick to get information from him. An incredibly strange trick, but a trick. He shut his mouth tight and slid off the bed, trying the door handle. To his surprise, it opened easily, but then Patton grabbed his arm, his grip somehow incredibly strong.

“Who are you, really? What did you do with V— with my Virgil?”

“Yeah, well who are you, really?” Virgil snapped, trying to pull his arm back.

Patton frowned slightly, in a very familiar ‘huh’ face that Virgil had seen a million times before, and was creeped out to be seeing now. He let go of Virgil.

“I don’t know what’s going on here, but we’ll find it out faster if we work together.” He even gave the same puppy eyes. “Yeah?”

Virgil sighed. Better a creepy not-Patton for a friend than an enemy. “Sure.”

He opened the door, easily finding his way to the kitchen, where Logan was cooking breakfast. Cooking it by hand. Which, while not necessarily suspicious, could certainly be suspicious.

“Logan,” Virgil said, watching closely and feeling like he was in a terrible 3D spot-the-difference.

“Yes—“

Virgil flung his hand forward, as if he were throwing something at him.

Logan flinched back, making a startled sound and scanning the empty air. “What?! What was that?”

Virgil’s face tightened, anxiety weighing heavy in his gut. If Logan didn’t have his powers either…

“This isn’t Virgil,” Patton explained. “Or not our Virgil. We’re both more than a little confused.”

“But why would you throw something, or pretend to?” Logan snapped, seeming more irritated than Virgil was used to. And…

Virgil spun to look at Patton again. He could hardly believe he hadn’t noticed sooner. all of the insane things, and this one had been staring him straight in the face the whole time and he hadn’t seen it. “You’re young.”

He turned to look at Logan. “Both of you are. You’re really young.”

They both just stared at him. As if he’d said something both dumb and deeply concerning.

“You look… maybe a bit older?” Patton said.

Virgil just sighed, sitting down on a stool and rubbing his face. “This whole thing makes no sense!”

As a last-ditch option, he tried making a shadow. And let out a relieved sigh when it worked.

“How did you do that?!” Logan exclaimed, and Virgil looked up to see both of them staring as if he’d grown a second head.

“It’s not that far out there. Even if you don’t remember me, at least you remember… you don’t, do you? People don’t have superpowers.” A horrifying thought was dawning on him. An impossible thought. Impossible other than the fact that it apparently had gone and happened anyway.

They both shook their heads.

Virgil groaned. “This whole thing is so weird!”

Patton shuffled around a bit before asking. “Did you figure it out?”

“Ugh, maybe? My best guess is that somehow a villain managed to get me into another dimension. But it shouldn’t be possible, and how are they supposed to get me back? Can I… what if I’m stuck here?” It was like a tight band closed around his chest, squeezing all the air out. “My dads are gonna be so worried. I have to get back. I have to!”

“It’s alright,” Patton said gently. “We’ll help you however we can. Do you think you maybe got switched with our Virgil? That he’ll come back when you go?”

Virgil groaned again, dropping his head into his hands. “I don’t know!”

“Logan?” Patton asked.

“I-I am also extremely confused. He’s right, this shouldn’t be possible, and yet somehow it has happened. I suppose— it seems likely, since it appears he has been switched with Virgil, that returning him will also return Virgil to us. But I have no idea how to go about that.”

The door opened, and a voice unmistakably Remy’s rang out. “Who’s the new human friend?”

Virgil looked up, and saw Remy. But not Remy. It was so much. All of it. Too much. He hated it. He hated seeing familiar faces and voices just off enough to be incredibly uncanny.

Remy seemed equally put off by him as well. “Is everyone here seeing what I’m seeing?”

Patton and Logan nodded.

The weight of everything was crashing over Virgil. It just didn’t stop. And then Roman walked in, looking to be in his mid twenties, and Virgil stifled a sob.

Patton grabbed his arm gently. “Let’s put you back to bed for a bit. This is a lot, isn’t it? It’ll be better once you wake up.”

Virgil allowed himself to be led back to the bedroom, and laid down on the bed. He didn’t think he’d be able to sleep, his mind whirring away so fast and his breathing speeding up to match it. But then Remy peeked in the room, and as soon as their eyes met a wave of calm and tired flooded over everything else, and Virgil’s eyelids dragged down.

• •^*^••

Virgil woke up groggy, and sat up in the bed frowning at the strange room for several minutes before he remembered why he was there. He let out a long sigh and wrapped a blanket around his shoulders.

He had a few options. He could try calling Logan and Patton, his Logan and Patton, in case this was all still a crazy hoax. If that didn’t work, he could try walking out as far as these people would let him go, unleash hell with shadows, and see if there was any kind of effect. Maybe a crumbling force field, or a portal opening, or something. And if that also didn’t do anything, he’d… well, he’d have to wait to be rescued.

But a large part of him didn’t want to leave the calm room. Didn’t want to face the people. They were just creepy! So close, but not quite, and then Vampires? Vampires?!

Well, easy things first. He’d just have to ask to borrow a phone.

Virgil got up, leaving the blanket and the illusion of safety behind, and opened the door.

No one was crowded behind it at least, though he could hear a murmured conversation from the living room with many familiar voices.

There was a hush, and Patton spoke first. “Virgil? You’re awake?”

There was no way Patton could see him, and he definitely shouldn’t have been able to hear him either. But everything else was so weird already.

“Yeah, I’m awake.” Virgil walked out into the living room, seeing a whole group of mostly familiar faces.

“We made you some food in case you were hungry.”

Virgil nodded. “Thanks. Can I… borrow a phone?”

“We’re sure he’s not just doing some kind of weird vampire magic?” Roman said, gesturing towards him.

Dr. Picani, even Dr. Picani was here??, smacked Roman’s arm lightly.

“Of course you can,” Patton said, handing his phone over.

Virgil accepted, trying not to let all the creepiness and all the pairs of eyes staring at him get to him too much. He took the phone to the kitchen, where there was a plate covered in plastic wrap with his name scrawled on the top.

He sat down, just holding the phone.

There was a part of him that didn’t want to put the numbers in. Didn’t want the confirmation that there would be no answer. But… but there could be. He’d try Logan first.

Virgil dialed the number and chewed on his lip while the phone rang.

An unfamiliar feminine voice answered. “Hello?”

Virgil nearly hung up immediately, but instead he took in a deep breath. “Is Logan Sanders anywhere near there?”

“No? I think you have the wrong number.” She hung up.

Virgil let out a heavy breath. He could still try Patton. Or maybe he’d messed up the number.

He dialed Patton’s cell phone number.

“The number you are calling is unable to be reached,” a robotic voice said.

Virgil set the phone down, frowning intently at the kitchen counter, as if it held answers of some kind. But it didn’t. He ate whatever was on the plate, not paying much attention, and then walked out the kitchen door.

Quickly someone was following him, but Virgil didn’t turn to look, just kept walking. He expected them to stop him, but when they still didn’t after several silent minutes he turned to see Not-Patton.

“Why does it have to be you?” He asked, not caring anymore about trying to be tactful.

Not-Patton frowned slightly. “Is it a problem? I can ask someone else to come out here instead.”

“It is! You’re– you look like my… you look like someone important to me. It’s creepy.”

Not-Patton’s face got very sad. “I understand. You look like someone very important to me also. And… I mean, not that I really want to kick you out or anything, but I’m on your side as far as I’d like to switch you back with him as soon as possible.”

Virgil nodded, turning back away from him. He was still trying to hold onto that slim thread of hope that he was caught inside of some mind-controlled, or reality-altering bubble. And that he’d be able to break out somehow.

He focused on a spot between two trees, and unleashed shadows upon the spot. He attacked with all he had in him, ignoring the startled and worried yelling from Not-Patton.

But finally, he had to admit that nothing was happening. The trees were a bit shredded and smouldering slightly, but there wasn’t anything that would indicate the ‘bubble’ he’d hoped for.

Virgil sank to the ground, burying his face in his hands. It wasn’t fair. It wasn’t fair for nothing to make sense. And for nothing to work. And for him to be the one here. He was dumb, he couldn’t find his way home. It should’ve been Logan. He’d be home by now, telling them the story of how he got out and stopped the person responsible from trapping anyone else.

He didn’t have any more ideas.

“Virgil?” Not-Patton asked, gently, and from a short distance. “Are you alright?”

Virgil shook his head.

Not-Patton made a wry well-of-course-you-aren’t-alright face. “Did you get hurt?”

Virgil shook his head again.

“That seemed like a whole lot of… whatever it was. Do you need anything?”

Virgil groaned. “It’s not fair that you’re so similar!” he mumbled into his arms.

Not-Patton chuckled slightly. “Yeah, I bet that’s pretty confusing. Would you like to come back to the house or would you rather stay out here?”

Virgil strongly considered staying put, exactly where he was, until something changed. But he knew it wouldn’t actually help anything. So he finally nodded and stood up. “We can go back to the house.”

Not-Patton offered him a sympathetic smile.

Virgil slumped onto the couch in the house, grateful that at least the house wasn’t the same as his.

“Would you rather I hang around, or leave you alone?” Not-Patton asked.

“Leave me alone please.”

Not-Patton nodded. “I’ll ask the others to stay out too.”

Virgil grabbed a pillow, put it in his lap, and buried his face in it.

• •^*^••

“Hey…”

Virgil looked up, unsure of how long he’d been sitting there, and saw Not-Roman. “Hi,” he said, tone completely flat in hopes of discouraging whatever this was.

“I… wanted to apologize. For assuming you were playing a prank on us.”

Virgil snorted. “I wish I was.”

Not-Roman offered a wry smile. “But anyway, I was thinking, maybe, while we still don’t know what to do, you’d want to do something? Make the time pass faster?”

Virgil shrugged. “Like what?”

Not-Roman shrugged also, even his shrug just as exaggerated as Virgil was used to. “I don’t know. I mean… I have paint? I don’t know if you’d care for that.”

Virgil just shrugged silently.

Not-Roman sighed, and sat down, clearly trying to think of something else to do.

“Did Patton put you up to this?” Virgil asked.

Not-Roman’s face told him all he needed to know.

“You don’t need to entertain me.”

Not-Roman looked a bit embarrassed. “Well, even if you didn’t look like Virgil, it wouldn’t be very right to leave a guest moping on the couch.”

Virgil glared. “I wasn’t moping.”

Not-Roman shrugged with a teasing grin.

How dare he look so much like Roman. It wasn’t fair.

“At the very least I could turn on the tv,” Not-Roman offered.

“Only if it’s a movie. I don’t want to know any more about… vampires. ”

Not-Roman bristled immediately. “Why?”

Clearly it was a touchier subject than Virgil had thought. “They don’t exist. At least not where I come from. It’s weird.”

Not-Roman relaxed a bit. “Well, yeah, I guess if they didn’t exist. Just, be careful what you say. Several live here now, and they can hear you.”

Virgil shrugged. He didn’t want to offend them or anything, but he hoped he’d be gone before he had a chance to. “Ok.”

Not-Roman nodded. “So, do you think you have the same taste as our Virgil in movies?”

That seemed to be the first actually interesting question yet. “I don’t know. What does he like?”

Not-Roman sort of shrugged. “Well, we haven’t gotten too far into the list yet, but we’ve got the Black Cauldron and The Nightmare Before Christmas. And he doesn’t seem to mind most Disney.”

Virgil nodded. “Yeah that’s pretty close, as far as it goes. What’s stopping you from getting farther into his movie list?”

Not-Roman’s face sort of twisted, emotions flickering across quickly. “It’s complicated. Mostly it’s time. We haven’t had all that much downtime.”

Virgil nodded.

“Well, why don’t I just start one of these!” Not-Roman said, a fake energy infusing his tone in an attempt to change the subject.

Soon the movie was playing, and Virgil was content to just sit and watch it. He was a bit surprised that it was still the same, though it was also a relief. There wasn’t even a surprise strange ending or anything.

“Dinner’s ready,” Patton said cheerfully from the other room, timing perfectly with the end of the movie.

Virgil sat up, and realized, as more people kept coming, that this was probably a ‘family dinner’ kind of dinner. And that meant that he had to sit next to all of them, and maybe even make conversation.

It had been alright with just Patton, or just Roman. He could try to pretend that they were a stranger, and just not look at them or pay attention to their voice. But with so many of them it would be much harder. And he ‘knew’ so many of them.

It made for a long, awkward silence. Especially since several of them weren’t eating.

“I’m afraid we haven’t discovered the reason for the switching, or a good option for reversing it,” Logan said.

Virgil shrugged, eyes on his plate. “Neither did I.”

Then there was another, far more awkward, silence. Virgil wanted to run away. Hide back in the bedroom until he fell asleep again. Just whatever to stay away from these people and get away from the incredibly awkward feeling.

“One possible option,” Not-Dr-Picani said. “Is to compare stories. Perhaps there’s a clue we know but can’t recognize, or vice versa. Or perhaps you don’t know all of us, and one of us is the key… er, somehow.”

Virgil shrugged, gesturing in a way that hopefully wasn’t rude at one person. “I don’t know you.”

The man blinked. “I’m Thomas. It’s nice to meet you.”

“You know Dee though?” Not-Logan asked.

Virgil shrugged, hating how every pair of eyes was now fixed on him. “Not exactly, but kind of.”

“This is intriguing,” Not-Logan said, fidgeting in a very familiar I-need-to-record-this-somehow-where-is-my-paper? way.

Virgil just shrugged, getting more and more uncomfortable, as if the air was pressing down on him. “I’m done eating, can I go?”

“Of course, go ahead,” Not-Patton said gently.

Virgil escaped to the bathroom, breathing clearly once the door was locked. He felt like his thoughts were scattering, floating out of his head before he could even think them. He didn’t know what to do. Not what to do to make things right, or even what to do right now, other than turn the sink on to cover the sound of his harsh breathing.

Well. At least that gave him a start. He turned the sink on and tried to get control over himself again.

It hadn’t even been that long when someone knocked on the door.

“Just a minute.” Virgil said.

“Oh, that’s fine. I was just checking. Are you alright?”

Virgil wrestled down the sudden annoyed reaction. “I’m fine.”

He opened the door to see Thomas standing there, looking rather embarrassed. “Sorry. We uh… we’d like you to be more comfortable, and since you didn’t know me… ugh, it barely makes sense.” He shook his head. “Is there anything I can do? Maybe hang out? Or keep the others away from you?”

Virgil just shrugged.

Suddenly Thomas’s eyes lit up. “Oh! Um… what about,” he fumbled in his pocket. “I have a game on my phone, if you’d want to play with me. It’s kinda dumb, but it’s fun anyway.”

Virgil shrugged, but less dismissively.

“We could go to my room. No one will try to come in but Dee.”

Virgil wasn’t just going to move, but Thomas made a come-on kind of gesture, and Virgil followed him.

Thomas didn’t press him to talk, or try to sit near him. They sat on a rug on the floor, and Thomas started the game, which was basically trivial pursuit, but set up to run endlessly, racking up points instead of winning. They passed the phone back and forth, mostly silent, Thomas sometimes laughing slightly at the questions when they seemed dumb or needlessly difficult. And as it went on, Virgil relaxed. Thomas seemed pretty cool. A bit overdramatic, but in a friendly way.

It was quite a while later before there was a soft knock at the door.

“That’s Dee. Oh. Gosh, it’s late.” Thomas said, standing to open the door.

“I just needed some things,” Dee said, almost ignoring Virgil past a brief nod. “You don’t need to stop your game.”

“It’s late anyway,” Virgil said, also standing. “I’ll get out of your way.”

“Your—“ Thomas said quickly, reaching out quickly, but stopping before he grabbed Virgil’s shoulder. “Sorry. Our Virgil sleeps in the same room as Patton, but you seemed uncomfortable around him, so he offered to let you switch with Dee and stay in here for the night.”

Virgil looked between the two of them. “You don’t need to do that, I’ll let you have your room.”

Before they could keep protesting, he walked out the door into his counterpart’s room.

“Maybe I’ll switch back overnight…” he mumbled, shutting the door and making his way to the bed in the dark room.

“Maybe,” Not-Patton said, very quietly.

Virgil’s first reaction was to leap onto the bed, scared out of his skin by the surprise voice.

“Sorry.”

Even though he wasn’t Patton, he still had that same tone of pretending he wasn’t sad. If the lights were on, Virgil could have probably seen him fighting back tears.

He couldn’t handle Patton being sad. He couldn’t. And apparently that extended to Not-Patton.

“Um… you’re… I mean, not you, but the you in my… world, I guess. I don’t really know. You’re um… you’re my dad.”

There was a brief silence. “I am?”

Virgil nodded, forgetting it was too dark to see. “My adopted dad, actually. It’s… it’s been hard, today, cause I’m used to… I mean, I don’t go to him, he mostly comes to me when I’m upset. But, it’s so close, and, and you’re just not actually him. It creeped me out, and then I was rude to you. Sorry. It’s not like it’s your fault this happened.”

“Oh, it’s ok!” Not-Patton said immediately.

There was a silence, but it was much less awkward now.

“You know, I kind of…” Not-Patton started. “I mean, I haven’t adopted him or anything. He’s older than that anyway, but… I’d adopt Virgil, if he didn’t mind.” He chuckled lightly. “Maybe I’m too young though. He’s only about seven years younger than me. But I care a whole lot for him too.”

Virgil nodded. “I could tell. I’m sure he’s really happy here with you guys.”

“I hope so.”

Virgil laid down and stared up at the vague shape of the ceiling.

“I hope you sleep well,” Not-Patton said.

“Thanks. You too.”

There was a very faint chuckle. “And I hope when we wake up tomorrow that you aren’t here anymore.”

Virgil chuckled also. “So do I.”

• •^*^••

Virgil’s eyes opened, and he saw his ceiling. His blankets. His bed. His room.

He bolted out of the room. “Dad!”

“Virgil?!” Logan asked, looking both startled and relieved.

Virgil grabbed him in a tight hug.

Patton turned the corner, running to see them. Virgil grabbed him into the hug too.

They both hugged back, tightly, as if they were just as relieved to see him as he was to see them, and everything was alright.

Masterpost

Patton was very, very excited! They’d decorated the living room and kitchen in the best way he could think of for Virgil, and Roman had bought a cake, and they even had some presents hidden away.

“I think we’re all set up!” Patton said excitedly, bouncing up on his toes a bit. He was very ready for Virgil to get back! Maybe it was a little anxious too, but mostly excitement!

Emile smiled in a much calmer way. “I’ll call them then.”

“Do we hide?” Thomas asked.

“It is kind of a surprise party~” Remus said, an inflection in his voice that instantly convinced Patton.

“No, we don’t need to hide.”

There was a loud whistle from Emile that Patton could hear very clearly despite him being outside, and it was only another minute before Virgil was bursting through the door and Patton grabbed him in a hug. “Happy birthday!”

Virgil grinned, looking a bit different somehow. He was standing up a bit straighter, and looking Patton right in his eyes. “Thank you so much, Patton.”

Patton couldn’t resist grabbing him in another hug. “You’re welcome!”

“Let’s eat cake!” Remus said excitedly.

Virgil’s eyes went wide, and a little wet. “You got me a cake?”

Patton nodded excitedly. “And presents!”

Virgil’s jaw dropped, “You— you didn’t have to— when even—but—“ he hugged Patton tightly.

Patton bounced a bit in the hug. “Just wait till you see them!”

Virgil finally pulled away, his eyes dry, but only just.

Logan had put the candles on the cake and was just finishing lighting them. “Making a wish before blowing them out is customary,” he said, lifting the cake and holding it in front of Virgil.

Virgil grinned, closing his eyes for a moment before opening them and blowing out the candles.

Patton, Emile, Roman and Thomas cheered, and Patton started up singing Happy Birthday, which everyone joined in. By the end of the song, Virgil was red right up to the ears, but grinning still.

Emile took the cake, cutting it into pieces with a cheap black plastic knife. “Now, you vampires can try to eat cake, or wait for the humans to get a sugar rush and then drink.”

“That works?” Roman asked.

Both Remy and Dee nodded.

Remus shrugged. “I’m eating cake!”

“Well there’s… more vampires than humans now… it’s not really fair for us to eat so much, is it?” Virgil asked hesitantly.

Logan shook his head. “Particularly if Remus does not intend to drink blood we’ll be perfectly fine. Human blood replaces its bulk within a week of being drawn. The cells won’t be fully replaced for another six, but that does not seem to be a problem for vampires. Consequently, you take proportionally less of what we need with more frequent feedings. A single human ought to be enough or nearly enough for a vampire to eat properly without harm to either.”

There were several more or less confused nods, and then all of the humans and Remus got cake. Patton was more than a bit sad about no cake, but he didn’t want to feel all yucky and throw up.

“Oh! While you’re eating we can give presents!” Patton suggested.

It only took a few minutes for them to all migrate to the living room and the presents to be pulled out.

“I want to go first!” Patton said excitedly.

Remy chuckled. “No one’s gonna stop you.”

Patton eagerly handed the bag to Virgil.

Virgil opened it, pulling out the stuffed animal and holding it delicately.

Patton still felt a bit self-conscious about how lumpy it was, but the careful way Virgil was holding it made him sure that Virgil didn’t mind. “It’s a bat! And I know it’s not as fluffy as it could be, but I made it! Emile showed me how.”

Emile chuckled lightly. “He learned a lot this week, and was so worried it wouldn’t be finished in time, or that you might find it.”

Virgil silently spread out the little wings, holding it up at eye level. “I love it, Patton,” he said quietly, his voice rather hoarse-sounding, as if he might cry.

Patton leaned against him in a slightly more subtle hug.

“Can I be next?” Roman asked, holding up a wrapped box.

Virgil nodded, sniffing once and handing Patton the bat. “Can you hold him for me?”

Patton just smiled brightly, holding the bat carefully.

Roman brought the box over and handed it to Virgil.

Virgil opened the box by unsticking the tape and unfolding the paper, instead of ripping it, and finally unfolded the cardboard flaps, peeking inside. “Paint?”

Roman nodded, grinning. “I’m not exactly the best painter, but I dabble some, and you seemed to really enjoy the little bit we did a while back, so I figured maybe we could do it together? Make it into a hobby?”

Virgil nodded immediately, smiling wide. “That sounds amazing. Thank you, Roman.”

Roman also nodded, a happy, proud smile covering his face.

“I don’t exactly have a present,” Logan said. “But I would like to extend to you my assistance in whatever you might need. I’ve—“ he reached into his pocket as Roman suddenly snickered. He frowned at Roman, face turning a bit pink. “I suppose ‘coupons’ are not, in fact, traditionally given as signifiers.”

Virgil nodded quickly. “They are actually, I gave them to my mom several times growing up. I’d love them.”

Virgil’s sincerity, coupled with Patton’s and Emile’s glares, dried up Roman’s laughter, and Logan handed Virgil a small slip of paper.

“Thank you, Logan. I’ll be sure to ask you if I need help with anything.”

Logan’s blush grew just slightly, but his little smile was devoid of embarrassment as he nodded.

“We’ll be next,” Remy said, standing up and holding out a phone to Virgil. “It’s from me and Emile. It’s all clear, no one should be able to track you, and it has everyone’s contact information and pictures of us all.”

Virgil’s eyes went wide. “And I can keep it?”

Remy burst into laughter. “What else is a birthday present for?”

“But it’s a phone! It’s expensive!”

Remy waved away his concern. “I’ve had hundreds of years to earn money, let me spend a bit on you.”

Emile also nodded firmly, which effectively cut off any more protests Virgil might have.

“So, from Dee and I, it’s not quite a present either, but we can show you how to get some of the ‘hunter stink’ off of Logan and Roman, which will make things better for you with eating,” Thomas said.

Virgil nodded very seriously. “Thank you.”

“I’d be pretty interested in seeing that too,” Remy said, leaning forward.

Dee glanced to Thomas, and then shrugged. “As long as it doesn’t leave this group.”

“But we can do it later, or tomorrow,” Thomas said. “Let’s keep today for birthday celebration.”

Patton agreed quickly.

“My present for you is still in the mail,” Remus said gleefully, leaned back in his chair, with frosting on his mustache.

“What did you order in the mail ?” Logan asked. “And how?”

Remus shrugged. “Courier, anyway.”

‘Courier?’ Roman mouthed, frowning in confusion.

“Well thank you,” Virgil said.

Remus grinned proudly, and then stood up abruptly. “I’ll get out of earshot before I puke.”

Patton grimaced, though he was glad he wouldn’t have to hear it.

“Is that all the presents?” Roman asked.

Patton nodded. “Yep! I think so.”

“Thank you guys,” Virgil said, his voice choking up a bit again. “This has been the best birthday I’ve had in years!”

Patton hugged Virgil, who sniffed and hugged tight, smiling even while teary.

• •^*^••

“It was really a good birthday?” Patton whispered.

They were both laying in their beds, feeling pleasantly full and very warm.

“It was.” Virgil said firmly. “I haven’t had a party since… I think since my mom died. It was fantastic. Thank you.”

“You’ve missed out on that many birthdays?” Patton asked, frowning slightly.

Virgil shrugged. “I still had the birthday, just not a party.”

Patton frowned more. “Well then you better brace yourself, Kiddo! Cause next year you’re getting a way better party!”

“You don’t need to go that far—“

“I will! Every single friend you make until then, and a massive cake, and you’ll be drowning in presents-“

“Patton! I would die of embarrassment if you did that.”

Patton chuckled evilly. “That’s why I said brace yourself.”

“Patton!”

“Mwahahaha!”