#remy sleep
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.
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.
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.”
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’?”
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.
“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.
(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.
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!”
Centaur AU 10
The trip back to the stable was a more sedate jog, but no less enjoyable than the race had been. Thomas felt good. Soaked in sunshine and fresh air in a very pleasant way.
Even the having to stop and put on the harnesses again didn’t dampen his good mood. Though, he considered, he wasn’t the one most affected by it by a long shot.
Once back at the stable, he grabbed several curry combs and brushes. “If I brush Patton, since he’s going to have a party this evening, and then perhaps Remy and Emile would help each other and Roman and Virgil?”
“Awww… I forgot about that,” Patton said, a bit dejectedly.
Emile nodded immediately, holding out a hand for a comb, but Roman and Virgil looked far more confused.
Roman looked at Virgil, a thoughtful frown on his face. “I suppose… it always goes sort of the same way… I imagine I could…”
Virgil gave a helpless shrug, hugging his arms close.
“What, none of you have ever groomed each other before?” Remy asked, his tone bordering on rude, and his hands on his hips.
Virgil gave another shrug. “I mean… not properly. I’ve untangled knots, especially for Logan, since his hair gets all tangled, but not with a brush or anything.”
Roman seemed more offended than Virgil. “Look, it’s not like we were allowed to just go and do things like you’ve been.”
“Well, there’s always time to learn now,” Emile said, somehow gentle and decisive at once, holding out the softest brush to Roman.
Roman accepted it very tentatively. “Thanks.”
Word Count: 997
Ships: Prinxiety, logicality, remile, demus
part1/part2/part3/part4/part5/??
Warnings: Mentions of depression, self-hate, crying, coming out
Summary: In which Remy and Damien are supportive friends and care about Roman…
~~ I apologize for taking so long to get out =~=, I felt very unmotivated to finish this fic for awhile I’m so sorry- but expect many more chapters of this in the future!! :D (this one is a little short I apologize)
Recap from part4: “Guys…. I’m gay”
-
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He had been stripped of the air in his lungs, he felt exposed like he had cut open his chest and was showing them all the bloody parts of himself that he wished weren’t there. He looked down and stared at his thighs, a waterfall of cold tears fell down his face. He didn’t sob or shake, but his words wavered with an unimaginable fear laced within them.
“I’m j-just so tired of…. Lying, and p-pretending, and covering up…” He paused for a moment expecting Damien or Remy to interrupt him to say something like ‘are you sure?’ ‘Since when?’ ‘really? Nice one!’ He waited for them to laugh at him, or make jokes of it but … They didn’t, they waited patiently with eyes pleading for him to continue. They sat there and patiently let Roman take his time, they didn’t dare interrupt him. He couldn’t look at them, though, he was too terrified of what their expressions might be. Roman thought of their faces as disgust, hatred, amusement, or even boredom. Roman continued, “I’m just so exhausted and scared… I’ve been so scared for so long that no one would believe me if I came out, or just assume it was a-an attention grab,” he sobbed quietly, so relieved yet so devastated that this was out in the open “b-but I’m just too tired to care anymore…” He covered his face as he sobbed quietly. Waiting for them to say something, anything….
They were silent. Remy was the first one to move, wrapping his arms protectively and lovingly around Roman, then Damien as he hooked his arms around Roman’s waist in an attempt to comfort him. They both understood the fears of coming out, but they were absolutely stunned to see how long Roman had carried this with him. It had boiled within him for so long. They heard the guilt and self-loathing in Roman’s voice and it broke their hearts, they couldn’t stand to see their best friend in this state. Remy could tell that he had carried this like a weight on his shoulders for a long time, Remy was the first to speak.
“Ro, hon… We’re your friends, of course we would believe you. We know how hard it can be coming out. It’s okay, we still love you. You don’t have to pretend.” His voice was smooth and soft, like a parent comforting a child who scraped their knee for the first time, only Roman wasn’t exactly a child, and his wounds were much deeper than a simple scraped knee. Roman’s wounds were deep and emotional, wounds that he had hidden for so long and now he is finally lifting up his bandages for Remy and Damien to inspect the damage done by years of self hatred. Roman always acted so confident and over the top, they could have never imagined that he had been carrying this with him. He truly was an amazing actor. Remy rubbed comforting circles on Roman’s back.
Damien had no idea why Roman had felt he needed to keep this from them, he also had no idea what to say but he made up for his lack of words with physical comfort. He squeezed Roman’s waist, offering some grounding touch. He may not be the best with words or emotions but he did his best to give Roman what he needed. They sat there, huddled up against Roman offering words of encouragement as he sobbed quietly between their arms. Roman felt a weight lifted off of his shoulders, but that relief was short lived as a new found fear quickly made its way into his shaking bones.
“Please… Don’t tell anyone else… I- I don’t think I’m ready for that…”, Roman’s voice was soft and broken, almost a whisper as Remy and Damien had to strain to hear him.
Remy gave Roman a comforting smile, it was sweet, true, worried, and caring and it almost made Roman forget how absolutely terrified of this he was.
Remy answered him with unwavering support, “Of course, this is something very personal for you Ro. We would never tell anyone without your consent”
Damien said nodding, “Yeah, we would never out you to anyone Ro.”
That sat in calm silence for a few moments as the only sounds that filled the room were Roman’s soft sobs and sniffles. The silence was soft, not demanding to be filled, they just enjoyed the presence of each other. Especially Roman, as he bathed in the short lived euphoria this acceptance had given him. It was warm and tranquil, Roman eventually calmed himself of sobbing as he settled into just quietly sniffling. The quiet calmness of the room eventually lulled Roman into a slumber. Damien and Remy shared a pained look, both equally worried about the mental well being of their best friend. Roman was so loved by everyone in their friend group, he always wore a smile, so loud and happy, they had no idea that his seemingly never ending happiness had been an act. He always talked about taking up acting as a future career, but they would have never guessed that he was already doing it full time. Neither Remy nor Damien were going to even broach the topic of Roman coming out to the rest of their friend group, they didn’t want to rush him with anything. Even though they could see that this secret was killing him emotionally. They would possibly encourage him that everyone would accept him, but nothing further than that.
Eventually the calm silence had taken Remy and Damien off into slumber as well.
Roman didn’t know what tomorrow would hold, he didn’t know how he was going to approach the idea of Remy and Damien knowing his secret, he didn’t know how he was going to deal with the feelings. The only thing that Roman knew for sure now is that the memory foam bed felt damn comfortable on his heart ache.
~ To be continued
I am so so so so sorry for taking so long with this chapter, but I hope you enjoy it! It is a very hurt/comfort type fic, I hope you enjoy Remy being a mom friend lol :D This fic had been really fun to make so far and I look forward to writing more of it in the future, so I hope you’ll keep reading >///< I love you guys so much and I hope you liked this part!!
:3
Taglist~ <3
