#Patton Hart

[edupunkn00b]

Meus ex Machina, Chapter 11: Hesper

Edited public domain image of two hands reaching for each other, lit in deep blue and neon green.

Prev - Hesper - Next - Masterpost - [ AO3 ]

Logan meets Hesper and he's only left with more questions. Everything has a beginning, though, and not even Abracadabra was what it is now.

“Kiddos are all in bed,” Patton sighed as he settled into the seat adjacent to Luc, reaching over to ruffle his hair. Janus opened his eyes in time to catch Luc’s faux scowl at Patton’s tousle.

“Gorgeous as always, mon cher,” he whispered, smoothing Luc’s auburn curls back into place. “Simply gorgeous.”

With a blush that rivaled his hair, Luc smiled but quickly sobered and blew on his tea. “You said you had news?”

Setting aside the little flash he caught from Patton, Janus nodded and straightened in his seat. He took Luc’s free hand as he shifted away from the comfortable home he’d made nestled against his side. “I do,” he began, working to keep the worst of his worries shielded from the other two.

And from the children’s drowsing minds.

Luc and Patton’s expressions told him he needed more practice. “What is it, Jan?” Patton asked, reaching for his other hand as Luc gripped his brother’s forearm. Together, they made a little triangle as the night sky darkened outside the big bay window. “Is it bad?”

“It’s… an opportunity,” Janus licked dry lips and painted on something like a smile. His scars pulled at one side of his face, hampering the intended encouraging effect. “I was contacted by the new mentalists department at Abracadabra.”

“The start-up? How—“

Janus’ eyes flicked down to his own wrist and his great-grandfather’s antique Casio, an anachronism even in that time.

“The ‘Foundation…’” Luc sucked his teeth and he closed his eyes, likely hiding his battle for control. After a moment, he calmed and met Janus’ eyes with a crooked smile. “What did those capos want from you?”

Janus sighed, a low near-growl. “They offered me a job.”

“Me, too,” Patton whispered, rubbing little circles against Luc’s arm. “This morning.”

“You both said ‘no,’ right?” Luc’s eyes were wide as he looked between them. His smile faded at Janus’ silence. “Love, tell me you said ‘no.’”

“I…” Janus slid closer to each of them. Patton only tightened his grip on Janus’ hand. “I believe this is an opportunity we can’t discount. We—“

“We need to stay as far from them as we fucking can!” Luc’s fingers tingled against his skin and he moved up to grip Janus’ sleeve. Safer that way. But he didn’t concede. “You think just because they’ve stopped hunting Powereds we’re suddenly safe?”

“No. I think we’re safer together. I think we’re safer integrated into society rather than maintaining this us vs. them mentality. Let us be a part of the shared solution. We have so much to contribute, we—“

“Oh, open a fucking history book!” Luc closed his eyes, orange flickering beneath his lashes. When he opened then again, his tone was softer. Just barely. “Love, they’ve just moved on to co-option. Sure, now they want to work with the ‘right kind’ of Powerds like you and Pat and—“

“Luc,” Janus warned, stroking his arm. An itch at the base of his spine told him they wouldn’t be alone for long.

But Luc either couldn’t—wouldn’t?—hear him. He released Janus’ arm and had begun counting on his fingers. “Step two is when they tell us it’s only the ‘risky’ Powerds they need to tamp down on. ‘Four legs good, two legs better,’ right?”

“Luc!” Janus said more forcefully, casting a quick glance at Patton.

Both of the elder Powerd’s hands now gripped Luc’s arm and he tugged gently, keeping him seated. “Lukie, maybe Jan’s right. Maybe we—“

“What, we should heel at the corporation’s side? Strap on our own muzzles so we can duck step together when they figure out their final solution is cull the herd of the dangerous Powerds like—“

“Like Re?” Low and quiet from the hallway, Virgil’s voice managed to cut through Luc’s rant. 

Luc deflated, eyes glowing as he swallowed his next argument. “Yeah, Virge. Like Re, and maybe Ro, too. Anyone they think is dangerous and uncontrolled.” He frowned at Janus. “Or uncontrollable.”

“Dangerous?” Virgil asked, sliding into the room and sitting cross-legged on the coffee table between them. He jerked his chin at the pictures of Luc and Patton’s old orphanage. “Like you?”

“Now, Kiddo,” Patton began. “That fire wasn’t his—“

Luc cut him off with a sad smile and a little shoulder squeeze before turning to meet the teenager’s eyes. “Yeah, Virge, dangerous like me, too.”

Virgil’s memory of his truncated hospital stay flooded Janus’ mind, nurses sprawled on the floor, blood pooling from eyes and ears, soaking through their face masks.

“Yeah, I know it wasn’t his fault, Pops.” Virgil’s eyes were teary behind his floppy bangs as he turned to face Janus, hands shoved in his pockets. “What do these capos want you to do?”

~

“Tin Man, let’s go!” V called over his shoulder from the top of the stairs. Orange lights still glowed from the ceiling but at least the alarm had stopped.

Patton and Silvertongue had already run down to prep the transport and map their route. A low whine from the engines filtered up from below, a little shimmer to the air as dust kicked up from the lower landing pad. 

Behind him, The Prince huffed, loudly, as Logan struggled to get situated in his suit. 

Logan focused on breathing, ignoring the pounding behind his eyes and the ache in his arm. He briefly regretted not sleeping while he could, a regret that dissolved when he closed his eyes and The Muse’s shaky smile filled his vision.

Palm sweaty, his hand skid along the edge of the mech’s chest cavity but he caught himself, fingers wedged between the collar and chest plate. He pulled and pushed against the mech’s waist with his stronger stump, muscles trembling. 

“Sorry,” he grunted. “Almost got—“

“Oh, come on!” The Prince snapped, physically hauling Logan higher and depositing him inside the mech. Logan swallowed back a curse and glared at the Powered.

“Don’t ever do that to me again!” he growled.

The Prince rolled his eyes and pushed him toward the stairs. “Or what? You’ll fuck things up?” He glanced down at the mech’s heavy durasteel boots. “‘Sorry,’” he muttered, anything but. “Didn’t mean to step on your toes.”

Heat flooded Logan’s face and neck, hurt and rage warring just under his skin. “You son of a—“

“Princey! Mac! Now!” V’s beckoned from the stairwell, glaring at each of them in turn. “Or we’ll leave you both behind.”

~

The transport door clanged shut and they shot up into the sky and over the churning Atlantic. Logan didn’t know how much of his altercation with The Prince everyone else had heard, but save for a few quiet mutters between The Prince and Patton up at the controls, the team was silent. He felt the brush of Silvertongue’s questioning thoughts, a warm request, no, an invitation to share. Logan simply shook his head and concentrated on checking the mech’s systems.

Satisfied he was powered up and ready, he watched the screens at the front of the transport, following as they raced over greenish grey waters.

Before long, Patton banked right, aiming for a landing platform somewhere off the coast. Which coast, Logan had no idea. Before them stretched a sprawling city, bright lights casting a haze in the low clouds. Silver towers sparkled, rising up out of the jagged reefs of the drowned coastal city that had come before it. 

“I can’t tell if he’s still there.” Patton broke the silence, pointing to a screen where flickering orange lights blipped at seemingly random spots.

“He’s here,” Silvertongue’s eyes were closed but his voice was clear. “Prince? Can you cover our approach?”

“Happily.” The Prince tapped a different screen and it resolved into a view of the landing platform. His eyes half-shut as he watched the dozen or so deck crew move between the ships. Without warning, they ducked low and drew up neon-striped hoods. As though fleeing from a sudden squall, they all sprinted toward the big building at the center of the platform. 

All but one.

The last hold out shielded their eyes from some unseen attack and peered up at the sky. They staggered to the closest ship, a tool in their hand.

“Take her down quiet as you can, Popstar,” V murmured and moved closer to Logan, showing him a tablet. “Any idea what he’s doing, Mac?”

The image on V’s tablet followed their approach, zoomed in as far as it would go. V had set a split screen to infrared. The figure—Hesper?—wielded a gun-like tool, glowing orange under infrared, bright white sparking from the tip. This close, Logan could make out a welder’s face plate under his hood.

“Soldering something onto the hull?” Hesper moved a few feet, leaving behind a rapidly cooling palm-sized circle. He repeated his actions then jumped to the next ship in line. “A tracker, maybe?”

“Not an explosive?” V asked, frowning. 

Logan watched the screen and shook his head. “It’s too cold. And he’s using quick cool-solder. Safer for microprocessors but not as strong.” He shrugged. “Explosive casings are heavier, thicker. He’d need to use standard epoxy or… magnets, maybe?” 

After a long moment, V nodded. He slipped the tablet into his vest and opened his mouth as if to say more, but the transport shuddered under their feet. “Everyone ready?” Patton asked, hand hovering over a door panel.

The Prince nodded, eyes now closed as he moved to the doors, joining V and Silvertongue.

Logan lowered his own face shield and helmet. “Ready.”

Patton slapped the controls and the big door opened with a bang. Hesper didn’t even look up as they circled him, just pulled his hood lower over his head and shuddered.

Before Logan could ask what The Prince was doing to him, Silvertongue sent a single word, -“Now!”-

The Prince’s eyes shot open and Hesper spun around, the movement knocking back his hood to reveal form-fitting headgear.

He tapped the helmet, shaking his head. “Guess this wasn’t worth the price I paid for it if you could still get into my head so easily, dear Prince.” He tucked the soldering gun under his arm and then, finger by finger, peeled off his safety gloves. He left them where they fell and flexed his bared hands. “Glad to see you all came out to play. Well…”

Looking up at Logan, Hesper seemed to stare right through his face plate. “We know how it is. Too bad I have to take a rain check tonight.” He flipped on his solder gun and ran straight for Logan.

On his heels, Patton grabbed at Hesper’s jacket. He wormed out of it then dodged V’s attack. Overcompensating, Hesper slid and landed on his back, centimeters from the mech’s left leg.

Without thinking, Logan stepped up and down, foot pressed—slightly—on Hesper’s chest.

Patton hissed behind him but grew still, arms loose and ready at his sides. Immediate danger passed, V inspected the devices Hesper had fastened to the ship’s hull. He scanned each with the tablet’s sensors before prying off the closest and crushing it under his boot. “Basic trackers,” he said, nodding to Logan, and they all turned to Silvertongue.

“What is all this, Hesper?” he asked, eyes hooded. He didn’t look happy at what Logan had done, frowning in his direction. But he didn’t stop him, either, so Logan just waited, foot locked on Hesper’s chest.

“My, my, my… My dearest Tongue of Silver,” Hesper purred. Head tilted, he managed to look down at Silvertongue even from his sprawled position on the cracked peri-ment platform. “You’ve brought along an extra army of one this time.” He thunked his knuckles against the mech’s ankle servos. “All for me?”

A not-quite shadow flashed over Janus’ face, quick, nearly too quick for Logan to catch. Even with Silvertongue’s back to him, The Prince must’ve felt it, whatever it was, because he stepped closer, eyes boring into Hesper’s obscured face.

“Release him, Machina,” Janus instructed, gaze focused on Hesper. “He’s clean.”

Hesper leapt to his feet with an acrobat’s grace the moment Logan lifted the mech’s foot. “Why, thank you.” He bowed his head with a flourish and Logan watched his mech’s reflection shift and warp on Hesper’s shiny helmet. 

With no way of knowing where Hesper was looking, Logan felt like it was everywhere at once.

For all his theatrics, Hesper now behaved as though they were nothing but a minor inconvenience, impolite visitors who crashed an open house. He hummed under his breath, easily picked up by his mic, and made a show of brushing off his synthcloth tactical pants and straightening an old vest that looked a lot like V’s. Sighing heavily, he produced a pristine white cloth and bent over to polish away a smudge from his boots.

Janus watched him with half-lidded eyes, hands flexing at his sides. “What are you up to now, Hesper?” He gestured around them, voice sharp. Acidic. “Why here?”

“And what makes you think I didn’t trigger your alarms so I could have a little company, hm?” He shrugged and carefully folded his handkerchief before secreting it away in a breast pocket. “You know… just like Re used to?”

“Wha—” 

Before Logan could finish his blurted question, The Prince stomped forward, hands splayed in front of him, a glowing haze forming between his fingers. “Take my brother’s name from your mouth, fiend,” he growled, drawing close to Hesper. “Or I’ll rip it out with your tongue!”

But as The Prince moved, the air… flickered near his right foot. The mirage tugged at Logan’s mind the same way the faulty Pickerbot had back at the DC, the first time, before he’d found the flaw in its circuitry. 

Remembering V’s concern about explosives, Logan flipped on his HUD infrared. Heat poured from the cracked peri-ment, far more heat than could be explained away by the underlying HVAC piping. The ground glowed in blinding purples and white, spiking well past 85° centigrade.

“Prince, look out!” he shouted and pushed his servos to a run. 

Patton’s call to Logan cut off and he copied him instead, half-carrying, half-dragging V and Silvertongue away in the opposite direction.

The Prince swore as Logan slammed into him and knocked them both to the ground. Arms locked around him, he pulled The Prince with him into a roll. He stopped, propped onto the mech’s elbows, erecting a cage of durasteel limbs and torso around the Powered just as the floor exploded behind them.

Precisely where The Prince had stood a moment before.

“Are you—”

“I’m good, Tin Man. Let me up,” he muttered, shimmying his bulky shoulders out from Logan’s mech suit shield. -”Thanks,”- he said in Logan’s mind as he stood.

“Anytime,” Logan said aloud and followed him to Silvertongue’s side. Patton crouched a few feet behind him, inspecting V’s hand.

“Tell me!” Silvertongue was demanding, eyes molten gold. “Tell me how you did that without—”

“Without you poking around in here…” Hesper’s laugh was crusted in ice as he waggled his fingers around his head. “Ma cheri! L’amour de ma—”

“Tell me!” Janus’ shout reverberated through Logan’s skull. Even The Prince took a step backwards, head bowed and one hand pressed to his temple. Patton slid closer, nodding quietly to V and Logan watched them all, waiting for any sort of hint of what he had planned.

Hesper just laughed again. “There was no guilt to sense, my dear Silvertongue,” He shrugged. “Not from me at least.” Hesper gestured, almost bored, at the jagged, steaming hole in the landing pad, then at The Prince. “It was his anger, his rage that triggered the charge. I wasn’t sure it would work, but our dear Prince of Dreams always did have quite the temper.”

He fully faced The Prince then. “Ever since you were a little boy.”

Patton reached out and just rested one hand on The Prince’s shoulder. Given the recordings Logan had seen of Papa Bear wrestling an activated Muse into control, he had no doubt a light touch was all he needed to keep The Prince steady.

“Enough with the games, Hesper,” V said from Silvertongue’s other side. “No-one believes you dragged us out here in the middle of the night for a parlor trick.”

Hesper shrugged again, backing away toward the edge of the landing platform. “Worried I’m going to make it a habit of interrupting your beauty sleep?” 

He stood on the ledge, one foot hovering behind him. “Besides,” he directed his attention to Logan again. “I know you weren’t all asleep.”

Face flushed beneath his mask, Logan’s fingers flexed against the controls but the suit remained still. Then Hesper stepped off the platform and onto a waiting airskiff.

“Ta ta, for now!” he laughed, voice amplified to carry over the roar of thrusters as he flew off into the smoggy night air.

[staledirt87]

These are my designs for the sides in the other human!au I mentioned in the tags of my last post:

Info under the cut:

Janus does have a hat I just forgot to draw it I'm sorry I realized after I had digitalized it.

Janus and Virgil are in high school in this au, they're not dating yet but they do get together eventually. They met Remus in the park while skipping class (Virgil was on the verge of an attack and the teacher was putting him on the spot) and Remus becomes a sort of guardian father figure to the both of them. Whenever any of the teens are having a bad day they go to the park and Remus always cheers them up, sometimes in questionably legal ways (trespassing, graffiti, shoplifting from chain businesses).

One day when they're all having a particularly bad day Remus offers to have a "spa day" which entails going to Remus' place and DIYing their hair. The hair ends up fine but Remus' bathroom does not.

Virgil meets the light sides when he's skipping school (didn't feel like talking to Remus and Janus was taking a test that period) and goes to a random cafe. Logan sees him and notes the time, realizing that hey, you should be in school. Logan points this out, and Virgil just flips him the bird. Patton comes over and diffuses the situation, asking why Virgil was skipping school. He shrugs and deflects the question, asking why they're so invested in a random teen. That's when Roman comes over with the drinks they ordered and sits confidently across from Virgil, handing him a black coffee.

Virgil's says he's not gonna pay him back and Roman replies that the reason he's here is payment enough. Patton protests but Virgil just sighs and concedes (English was too rowdy and loud). Having Logan as a friend they all understand. After that every time Virgil got overwhelmed and just wanted to chill he went to the cafe.

One day Janus comes with Virgil to the cafe and it turns out him and Logan had already met. Apparently Janus sometimes goes to the college the light sides go to and participates in the debate club. Logan heads that club and hates every time Janus shows up because he purposely chooses the losing side and wins by tripping up his opponent. Janus is the also the head of the Speech and Debate club in the high school and gets bored with the other teenagers and terrorizes college students instead. At the cafe Logan points at Janus just like "YOU" and Janus feigns ignorance.

After that hiccup it becomes a 50/50 chance for the teens to go either to the park or the cafe, to the point Remus is like "bro where are you guys half the time." Janus invites him to the cafe and this time it's Roman that has the "YOU" moment when Remus walks in and surpise! They're twins. It's a bit awkward because apparently Remus hasn't contacted Roman in like two years but they get over it.

Time for some random scenes I had in mind:

Logan is experiencing some heavy sensory overload so Virgil gives him his noise cancelling headphones.

At a pride parade Janus and Logan tag-team homophobes harassing people as Remus dirty dances next to them.

Remus and Roman become the wingmen from hell for the teens when it's evident they're both far too dense to realize their mutual pining.

Somehow the dark sides convince everyone else to do a horror movie marathon on Remus' shitty laptop and Roman and Patton have nightmares for weeks.

Roman gets into a musical and the other five are toeing the line between obnoxious and supportive the entire time.

They play mindtrap and Logan almost loses it with the ridiculous answers. Janus, who has all the answers memorized and is acting as if he's getting them logically is reveling in everyone's frustration. Virgil knows Janus has them memorized but doesn't care to tell anyone.

Not really a scene but info I think is important: Virgil is gay and ace, Janus is NB and gay, Remus is aro bisexual, Logan is bi and ace, Patton is FtM and gay, Roman is pansexual, and Logan, Patton, and Roman are all in a poly.

Random Facts:

Janus does have heterochromia, he just also puts a colored contact lense in the blue eye.

Janus has a pet snake named Alex so he can say stupid shit like "I forgot to close the lid to his cage properly so Alex got out and hid under the couch."

Patton and Roman work at the cafe they hang out at, Logan comes over to study and to spend time with them. Patton makes the pastries and Roman makes the coffees.

Logan is majoring in Astronomy with a focus on galaxy formation, Roman is majoring in Theater and Acting, and Patton isn't in college.

Remus gave keys to Janus and Virgil so now whenever he comes home from his job (probably a sex worker or stripper) he has to watch out for Virgil sleeping on the floor.

The best prank Remus ever did was sneak Virgil and Janus into the poly's shared apartment before knocking on their door. Roman's shriek and Logan's string of curses in several different languages when they saw Virgil sitting ominously on the counter will forever be worth it. Nothing will ever be better though than when Patton walked out to see what the commotion was and Janus grabbed his ankle from under the table he was hiding under. The first and only time they ever heard Patton threaten someone with violence.

[exsqueezememacaroni]

I just read "Small Victories" and I'm really pissed that Patton as the only one from the band "opted to not being interviewed". Really? He couldn't get off from his high horse and give one f**king interview about a band that propelled his whole career?! F**k you! (I still adore him)

I get the feeling Mike's regard for FNM and the fame he had through that band is.....mixed at best. I imagine he appreciates that he was able to have a career in music through the exposure and fame FNM (and WB) gave him....but I also sense the actual psychological and physical shit that he had to go through as a young adult directly because of that fame has affected him for life. That he actively had to work to move past it while staying motivated enough to continue to make music....I wouldn't want to revisit it either....

It's honestly a miracle to me that he even did the reunion tour, and was contemplating the 2021 etc. tour....

but I am DEFINITELY armchair psychoanalyzing that dude....

(and I still adore him too)

[where-are-the-spooky-gays-2]

Are we still sharing last name headcannons?

Here are mine + explanation:

- Patton Hart (because he's Thomas' heart (didn't think much abt this one))

- Logan Holmes/Crofter/Sanders (all relatively self-explanatory)

- Roman Prince/Thorne (Thorne because he reminds me of Thomas Thorne from BBC Ghosts)

- Virgil Raynes (storm cloud)

- Janus Serpent/Evergreen/IDK something French (Janus I always get stuck on lol)

- Remus Prince/Duke/Thorne (Because He's Roman's brother, there's literally no other reason)

BONUS REMILE

- Remy Hypnos/Raynes/Picani (Hypnos is the god of sleep, Raynes because he's Virgil's brother in some AUs, Picani because Remile)

- Emile Picani

I don't see why not but OOOH!!! I like those!!! Also Vee's being Rayne is so cleverly underrated

[decent0distraction]

Hi! You may know me as the person who does all of those Our Flag Means Death AUs, theories, and posts that either ruin your day, make you laugh, or both. Mostly both.

But I have something else for you.

My take on family!Sanders Sides - based off of the whole family roles the Sides gave themselves in the Five Years video.

To refresh your memory, Patton labeled himself as the dad, Logan as the mom, Roman as the son (the hotshot), Virgil as the (gay, emo) cousin, Janus as the (sassy) aunt (who talks shit about everyone), and Remus as the (fresh out of jail) uncle.

BUT

This AU of mine is… messed up.

Ok ok ok SO

We begin with Janus Duke, who has just moved back to the town of Sanders Bay, a lovely seaside community.

Janus has spent the last 10 years raising their son (Janus uses they/them pronouns bc I said so), moving from place to place for reasons that Virgil doesn’t know about yet that we’ll get into later. Stay with me.

Virgil is 16 and on his first day at Sanders Bay Secondary Academy (what a name, huh?), his dad, Remus, is getting out of jail.

When Virgil was about 6, Janus and Remus had decided to walk from their house into town to pick up their son from the babysitter. They were about halfway there when someone attacked Janus, cutting his face (resulting in scars on one side of his mouth, eye, and cheek, resembling a snake like face). Remus reacted violently towards the person who just hurt his spouse, the cops are called, and it’s made out to look like Remus had hurt Janus, who was unconscious.

When Janus finally came to, they were in a hospital, being told that their husband had been arrested and arranged.

Cut to present day, Virgil’s first day is met with a slight complication when an idiot threatre-jock hybrid accidentally knocks into him, causing him to hit his head.

Roman Hart insists that Virgil allow him to escort him to the nurse, who just so happens to be his dad, Patton Hart.

Roman’s other dad is their home room and history teacher, Logan Hart.

By the end of the school day, Roman and Virgil are sort of friends. But when Roman asks Virgil if they’d want to hang out or something, Virgil explains that he has to get home because his dad is finally home.

Roman just assumes that Virgil’s dad is in the military. He doesn’t even actually get to ask, because Virgil is too busy running out to Janus’s car.

Everything is going fine for a little while. Virgil studies with Roman after school, or they go to the mall, eventually going to Roman’s house.

The Harts are the nicest people in town, and Patton simply adores having Virgil around.

Janus, one day, is waiting with Remus in the school pick up lane for Virgil. The two of them are having a nice, causal conversation that is interrupted by Janus seeing their son talking to them.

“Oh, my God!” Janus slammed his foot on the break and put the car in park. “It’s them! It’s them!”

Remus looked to see their son standing with another boy, while the boy’s parents talked to Virgil.

They were Patton and Logan Hart, two people the Duke parents were happy to never see again.

When Patton put his hand on Virgil’s shoulder, Janus struggled to rush out of the car. Remus followed.

“Virgil!”

The anxious teen turned to watch his mom run to him and pull him away from the Harts.

“Are you okay? Did they hurt you?”

Virgil was beyond confused. “What? No! I’m fine. What are you-“ He stopped when Remus started to approach.

“Dad? Dad, I don’t know what’s happening, but nothing happened. Dad!”

But the man ignored his son in favor of getting in Logan’s face. “You’d do right by you and your family to stay the fuck away from mine.”

Logan didn’t even flinch. “And it would be correct for you to avoid threatening my family.”

Virgil was ready to try to defuse the situation before Janus began to have a panic attack. “Mom?”

Remus is then distracted by his spouse needing his help. He gets his little family in the car and they get home, where the parents sit down and finally tell Virgil the truth.

The truth is, Patton Hart and Janus Duke were friends. When they were 20, and Janus had a child and Patton didn’t, he got upset. And when he saw baby Virgil, he decided that he needed that child.

He acted like everything was fine. He offered to babysit Virgil so the new parents could have some time to themselves. He paid for Janus to be attacked, for Remus to be framed.

But when Janus woke up, he called Patton, screaming, begging. He knew Patton had the baby.

And Patton knew that if he kept Virgil, everything could be traced back to him eventually.

So he returned Virgil, acting like he was just watching the child for his friend.

But Janus moved away, moving from place to place so that they couldn’t be found.

Janus was so desperate to have their husband and their son’s father back that they believed Patton and Logan had moved on.

But to see that man anywhere their baby, Janus couldn’t handle it.

Virgil knows the truth now. How can anything be the same?

Before they can try to figure it out, the doorbell rings.

Janus flinches and Virgil is still busy hugging his Mom to bother with the door.

“I got it,” Remus tells them, answering the door to a man in all black and sunglasses.

“Look, whatever you’re selling, we’re not interested. Try the neighbors across the street. A lot of packages. Maybe they like sunglasses, or whatever you’re situation is-“

“-I’m not selling anything, sir. I’m looking for Remus Duke.”

Turns out, this guy isn’t a salesman. He’s Detective Remy Dormir (idk, I got the name from a human!AU fanart), hired by Roman Hart to find his birth family. (He arranged for this a year before the Dukes moved back to Sanders Bay)

This eventually leads to the discovery that Remus Duke’s father, Romulus King, got a woman pregnant before his passing. By this time, his son Remus had moved far away and changed his name, never successful at pleasing the man.

So yeah, Roman and Remus are half brothers. Which means Virgil’s only friend in Sanders Bay is his half uncle, since Virgil is the biological son of Janus and Remus Duke.

Yeah, there’s no romance between Roman and Virgil. Sorry to disappoint you Roman/Virgil shippers. There’s nothing wrong with that ship, it just doesn’t work for this AU.

That’s all I have so far. If I find that I missed something, I’ll add it later.

[angeloflife]

Patton Hart from ffluerdelune' s band au on twitter stimboard with stims that match her

x x x

x x x

x x x

[thomas-sanders-shipname-glossary]

The Plan so far

So, this blog was a very spontaneous idea I had yesterday (very late in the evening). So I took some time to think it through today, as well as get some more lists from other Fanders.

The plan now is to first create lists for the separate facets of the Thomas Sanders fandom, i.e. Sanders Sides, Shorts Characters, Cartoon Therapy and Roleslaying with Roman. (I'm sorry that this means I need to split up Remy and Emile for now, we'll get to crossovers later.)

For that to work, I need a comprehensive list of characters first. So this is my call for your help! I'll put a list of who I got so far after the cut and you can reply to this post or send me an ask about more characters I can/should include!

I'm really happy with the positive reactions I got for creating this blog, thank you for your support! 💗💙💖💙💜💛💚

Sanders Sides:

Patton

Roman

Logan

Virgil

Janus

Remus

Orange

Thomas

Nico

King

Dragon Witch (unsure if I should include her but if I do, this is where she'll be)

I know King is most commonly used as a sort of fusion of Roman and Remus but for the purposes of this list, I will see him as an entirely separate character and as such include ships between him and Roman and/or Remus.

Shorts Characters

Remy - Sleep

Teal/Teagan - Teacher

Dayd - Dad

Pryce - Prince

Andy - Anxiety

Dice/Anton/Cedric - The Critic

Linda - Thomas' Cowlick

Missy - Misleading Compliments

Nathan - Crimefighter Dude

Detective Sanders (from this series which I found through this post by @loganslowdown4!)

Percy/Magenta - Printer

Harley/Hart - Heart

Immy - Immune System

Brian - Brain

Dean - Denial

Sabina - Spam Bot

Ishmael - Ice Machine

Jasper - GPS

Scot - Scam Likely

Wieland - WIP

Phaelan - Phone

Fane - Fan

Steven - Electric Stapler

Ace - Action Hero that can't catch things

Rian - Rain

Mike - Microwave

Nessy - Illness

Apollo - Sun

Jericho - Moon

Taz / Tucker - Task

Bouce/Boucy - The Bouncing Ball

Anton - Antagonist

Pranks - Disney/Pokémon Pranks

Asher/Rudolph - Christmas

Jasper - Thanksgiving

Months

Jaana - January

Fabian - Feburary

Mara - March

April - April

May - May

Junie - June

Julia/Julian - July

Augusta/Augustus - August

Seth/Ember - September

Toby - October

Nove - November

Demetri/Odessa - December

Zodiacs

Ariel/Ari - Aries

Leona/Leonard/Leo - Leo

Candace/Candy - Cancer

Phillipa/Pip/Pippy - Pisces

Schuyler/Sky - Scorpio

Tara - Taurus

Sarah/Sally - Sagittarius

Caprice - Capricorn

Gemma - Gemini

Virginia/Ginny - Virgo

Liberty/Libby - Libra

Quinn - Aquarius

Cartoon Therapy (as far as I know, all the characters in this series are adults)

Emile Picani

Elliot

Mitchel (I don't actually know if that's how you spell his name)

Dot

Larry

Sloane

Corbin

Kai

Lauren

Sam

Roleslaying with Roman

Roman of Reston

Youngblood

Noise

??? (Mike)

Flow

Britney

Djembe

Bob Normie

Criss

Cross

Mother

Bard King

Ryker

There are many more characters in the series of course, but I do not know which it makes sense to include here, so please let me know! Also if there is another part of the fandom I forgot to include entirely.

[paulinawoodpecker]

Tad and his friends voices and singing voices

@jakkiisthatboy2

Main Voices:

Tad: Trevor white

Sara: Alex Kelly

Mummy: Joseph Balderrama

Tiffany maze: Gemma whelan

Ramona: Pippa Bennett Warner

Victoria: Elena Sanz

Ramirez: Elena suarel

Reena Roberto Ramirez: Olivia Rodrigo

Flora peace: Ariana grande

Minnie wakanda: Kiki Layne

Snowy Moscow: Taylor swift

Jessie wakins: Tiffany haddish

Kelsey swells: Ariel winter

Chai Ming Kong: akwafina

Nagham hugh: beyonce

Lukas Williams: Patton oswalt

Indiana jones: Harrison ford

Princess kida: Jenny slate

Nathan drake: Louis C.K

Dora: keke Palmer

Tiffany mordon: Sheila Victor

Riña: Brittney spears

Blair: dove Cameron( also singing voice in the crystal’s odyssey)

Andrea: Christina Vee

Ying: Constance Wu

Max: Adam James

Jack: Ramon tikaram

Pickles: Gary Martin

Joya: Becky hill

Queen Rosalina: Christina apple white

Shanlina: Nicki Minaj

Sarafina: Catherine Keener

Amy Jefferson: Eden Riegel

Jasmine Jefferson: Ciara bravo

Singing:

Tad: ZAYN

Sara: Tori Kelly

Mummy: Joseph Balderrama

Tiffany maze: Taylor swift

Ramona: Bebe wood

Victoria: auli’i Cravalho

Ramírez: auli’i Cravalho

Reena: Olivia Rodrigo

Lukas: Justin Bieber

Tiffany mordon: Renee Rapp

Riña: Brittney spears

Max mordon: Adam James

Blair: dove Cameron

Ying: Constance wu

Andrea: Christina Vee

Joya: Becky hill

Queen Rosalina: Jennifer Lopez

Shanlina: phillpha soo

Sarafina: phillpha soo

Jasmine: Matilda(Ronald daul musical)

Amy: auli’i Cravalho

Other voices:

Elena: Aimee Carrero

Isabel: Jenna Ortega

Mateo: Joseph Haro

Gabe: Jorge Diaz

Naomi: Jillian rose reed

Felice: Elle fanning

Victor: Dane dehaan

Camille: Maddie Ziegler

Odette: Carly Rae jespen

Eep: Emma stone

Guy: Ryan Reynolds

Dawn: Kelly Marie Tran

Thunk: Clark duke

Tad’s army:

Asha: Ariana debose

Mavis: Selena Gomez

Claire: Lexi medrano

Tulip: Katie crown

Mario and Christopher: chris Pratt

Princess peach: Anna Taylor joy

Sonic: Ben Schwartz

Tails: Colleen o shaughnessy

Knuckles: idris Elba

Queen Amaya: Angelique carbal

Dahlia: Jennifer kumiyama

Simon: Evan Peters

Hal: Niko vargas

Gabo: Harvey Guillén

Safi: ramy youssef

Bazeema: Della saba

Dario: Jon rudnitsky

Kenny: Ken jeong

Kevin: Kevin hart

Ryan: Roger Craig smith

Anne: Philpha Alexander

Song list:

Runaway: one direction; (playing in the background when Tad’s late for work)

A different beat: little mix;(Rini’s cheerleading practice)

Do what you gotta do: dove Cameron: (pickles and Reena’s argument)

Meet the plastics: Renee Rapp (Tiffany mordons introduction)

Take look through my eye: Phil Collin( the mind of memories form first to third film)

Close your eyes: (mummy’s capture)

I’ll be there: ( Sara’s promise to get him back)

Born to be brave: Dane Rene, Olivia Rodrigo (Jessie wakins and Reena Roberto Ramirez helps tad convincing him that he was brave all along)

Welcome to this day: (the adventure begins)

World burn: Renee rapp (Tiffany Mordon’s villain song with dove Cameron; takes place to where she first meets Reena)

Shadows: (the ladies have a chance to cure him)

Granted: Olivia Rodrigo( rini realizes what she had done)

All of these things I’ve done: (the ladies realize what they’ve done to Rini)

Hearts of courage (Tad’s training)

This is really happening: (tad realizes for what Sara and Ramirez said)

Holding on for a hero (Tad’s training 2.0)

The final countdown( Tad’s final training)

Little Wonders (The Triple Team in new style)

Someday: (tad gets worried about mummy)

The rose song: Olivia Rodrigo and ZAYN (Reena cheers tad up)

Love always comes as a surprise; (Ramirez and Tad having fun together)

Go the distance: (rescue mummy time)

Can you feel the love tonight (Sara and tads romantic moment)

Mountain chase: (mountain discovery)

A whole new world: Olivia Rodrigo and Justin Bieber and ZAYN and Tori Kelly (the love between the two)

It takes two: (Elena, felice, eep, and their friends count on the team)

Rise to the heroes: Michael Rubino: (Tad’s upset stomach plan)

World burn reprise(1:44) Renee Rapp (Tiffany mordons villain song 2.0; she starts making everyone mean using her powers; her revenge on tad)

Love someone new (shanlina convinced tad to move on)

Wonder: Rachel platterns: (playing in the background during Tad’s transformation)

We’ll meet again: (mummy and Tad’s reunion)

The end of the world: (tad and Tiffany’s final battle)

Don’t go yet: (Mexican Independence Day, and the Chicago cats cheerleading squad)

A wish worth making: (end credits)

Empire: Ella Henderson ( playing in the background when end credits rolling)

[blowflyfag]

WORLD WRESTLING FEDERATION MAGAZINE : OCTOBER 1997

all you need to know

TALES FROM THE TURNBUCKLE

WHAT’S NEXT… A DRAFT?

Since the “reunion” of the Hart Foundation this past April, a bitter rivalry between fans in the United States and Canada has developed as a result of the anti-American propaganda Bret and his family spout so freely. While Americans see the Foundation’s remarks as a slap in the face, the people of the Great White North have sided with their countrymen in declaring, “The U.S.A. is not O.K.”

At July’s Canadian Stampede Pay-Per-View and the subsequent RAW IS WAR, the following night, Calgary, Alberta, and Edmonton, Alberta, erupted in support of Bret, Owen Hart, the British Bulldog, Jim “The Anvil” Neidhart and “Loose Cannon” Brian Pillman. Their posters and painted Maple Leaf faces told a tale of a nation that was set to declare war the moment Stone Cold Steve Austin interrupted their national anthem with a steel chair orchestra of his own.

The following week on RAW IS WAR, the fans in San Antonio, Texas, told quite a different story. From the program outset, the Saddledome erupted into a frenzy when the Lone Star native–evoking visions of General Patton while the American flag sailed proudly on the giant Titantron–stood side-by-side with Shawn Michaels, Psycho Sid, the Patriot and Ken Shamrock in defense of Old Glory. That night, patriotic support nearly blew a hole in the ceiling when Austin and partner Dude Love beat Own and Davey Boy to take home the tag team gold.

Not to be outdone by their neighboring country, Canada welcomed RAW IS WAR back with open arms one week later in Halifax, Nova Scotia. On this night, the stage was theirs to try to insult as many non-American superstars as possible. The jeering grew to a deafening pitch during an interview with Shawn Michaels and a subsequent match involving the Patriot. 

At press time, the heated “rivalry” developing between Canada and the United States is in its infancy, but one must wonder: Have Federation officials unknowingly started an all-out “war” that they might not be able to stop? The answer may lie at this year’s Survivor Series, when the entire Great White North will converge on the Molson Centre in Montreal, Quebec, on November 9. If this dispute is not resolved by then, World War II may pale compared to the onslaught that could occur at the pay-per-view. 

[nicolemaiines]

Hey! Would it be too much to ask for a alternate fc for Adelaide kane?

sorry this is late - meghann fahy, natasha calis, olivia cooke, conor leslie, jeanine mason, phillipa soo, sarah hyland, stephanie hsu, candice patton, kylie bunburym jane levy, shay mitchell, nicola coughlan, elizabeth debicki, rachel brosnahan, aiysha hart, emily browning, shelley hennig.

[ophium]

I love reading Sanders Sides fics that take place in the real world because its like okay Roman PRINCE. Patton HART. Virgil STORM, Logan BERRY. It's those last names like 90% of the time and I love that the fandom just collectively decided that those would be their last names. That's so fucking funny.

[edupunkn00b]

Meus ex Machina, Chapter 8: Reaching

A public domain image of two hands reaching for each other. The background is colored with indigo blue and neon green light.

Prev - Reaching - Next - Masterpost - [ AO3 ]

Rated: T - WC: 2472 - CW: non-graphic discussion of self harm

Some people can't help but reach out, no matter how many times they're burned. And maybe that's a good thing, in the past and now.

“And this is the kitchen, kiddo!” Patton grinned, arms open wide to show off the shiny new refrigerator and sinks he and Lucas had installed in the old house.

“I’m not your kid,” the boy muttered, hands shoved deep into patched and faded hoodie pockets. "And you're not my dad."

“Oh, well, yeah, I… I know that. I… I’m sorry. You're right.” The boy never spoke of his parents but, unlike Patton and Lucas, he'd actually known them before they abandoned him at the hospital. He almost squeezed the boy’s shoulder but pulled back at the look he—Virgil, Janus had called him—gave him.

Following Virgil’s lead, Patton tucked his own hands in his pockets and smiled just a little brighter. Man, Janus and Lucas were better with this kid than he was. He'd cast his eyes about the kitchen, looking for a distraction, when his eyes landed on the big mixer Janus had bought last week.

“You know," he said, sauntering over the kitchen and pulling out a box of Eggz and tin of margarine. "Even grown-ups get hungry.” He tried to hide it, but Patton couldn’t miss how Virgil’s were trained on the food. “How about we whip up a batch of my super-secret chocolate chip cookies?”

Virgil licked his lips, eyes narrowed. ""Chocko Chip' cookies," he said, pulling out his hands long enough to make air quotes. "Or chocolate chip?"

Patton grinned and pulled a heavy block wrapped in plasticene paper from the back of an upper cabinet. "Chocolate."

~ 

Soft footsteps announced Patton’s and V’s return from The Muse's room. V tapped an order into the cabinet and Patton spoke quietly with Silvertongue in the corner as they worked together to put away a tote of medical supplies.

Logan watched them from his med bed, eyes widening when he recognized a suture tray and a drained IV kit. V caught his gaze and gave him a little shrug. “I’mma go see how I can help Princey.” He shrugged, glancing at Patton with an odd expression. “Up on the roof. Glad to see you’re feeling a little better, Mac.”

“Let me know if you need anything, Kiddo, okay?” Patton called after him and V gave the three of them a little two-fingered salute before disappearing down the hall.

“How was he?” Logan blurted out once V had left. He gnawed at his lower lip, the barely controlled hurt on Patton’s face almost more than he could stand. The two Powereds exchanged a long look, then Janus inclined his head and followed the way V had gone.

Patton moved to Logan's side and patted his hand. The touch was warm, really warm, like holding a too-hot cup of coffee in an antique ceramic mug while waiting for it to cool. “The Muse needed stitches,” he admitted, jerking his chin toward the sharps disposal and the medical tote. “But you probably figured that.”

“Do his…” Logan’s hand twitched beneath his and Patton removed it, too quickly to stop him. “Do his powers cause him physical harm?” he continued, pushing away the ghostly echo of Patton’s warmth radiating through his skin.

“Well… Not… directly.” Patton pulled up the stool Silvertongue had used and folded his hands on his lap. His fingers were long but broad and strong-looking, with little nicks and calluses. He had a half-dozen tiny horizontal scars in various stages of healing over the backs of each hand. With a pang, Logan remembered tracing the fading scars on the backs of his own mother’s hands from her job at Entenmann's before they’d converted. 

Suddenly, Patton nodded and reached for Logan’s hand again, lightly brushing his fingers. He didn’t prod Logan’s scars, but he didn’t avoid them, either. He simply treated them like any other part of his skin.

Logan inched his hand closer.

“Did Silvertongue explain his powers to you?” Logan nodded and Patton took a deep breath before continuing. “The Muse sometimes… well, often behaves erratically when the rest of the world gets into his head. It’s—”

“Overwhelming,” Logan interrupted without really meaning to.

Patton gently squeezed his hand and didn’t let go. “Yes,” he nodded. “His room is protected, no sharps, no chemicals. He…” Patton tilted his head, gaze focused on Logan’s eyes. Assessing.

“Is he suicidal?” Icy slurry pooled in his stomach.

“Not directly,” he said again and the ice spread through Logan’s veins. “He… injures himself. I don’t believe he intends to hurt himself. His… his perceptions are…” Patton shook his head. “It can be difficult to follow all his thoughts when he’s activated. He’s told me he needs to reach the sensations he picks up. But it’s all in his mind. There’s nothing to reach.”

Logan stared down at his thighs and the stumps where his legs abruptly ended. The painkillers Silvertongue had administered dulled the ever-present ache of his phantom limb pain. But even ketorolac couldn’t free him completely of the pain of injuries in limbs he no longer had. ‘Nothing to reach,’ indeed.

He frowned. But stitches? IVs? Surely that part wasn’t from his own mind. “But how?” he finally asked. “How did he cut himself? The lower levels… What’s beneath it all? Cement?”

“Stone and wood. There were carpet tacks.” Patton stroked Logan’s hand but looked away. “We thought we’d gotten them all and replaced them with adhesive. They were… old. Zinc and non-magnetic aluminum alloy that won’t interfere with the EMF shield.” He met Logan’s eyes and continued at his little nod of understanding. “That meant we couldn’t use the sensors to double check we’d gotten them all.”

“So… nothing magnetic or… electrical can go in The Muse's room?” Logan’s eyes fell on his battery-powered wheelchair tucked in the corner. “And he can’t come out?”

“No.” Patton’s whisper still managed to sound sympathetic.

“I see.” Logan’s fingers curled a little tighter around Patton’s hand, his thumb tracing swirling shapes against the back. It didn’t seem to bother him, though, so Logan didn’t stop. “The… the next time you see The Muse…” Logan finally braved a glance up at Patton’s eyes. He smiled back at him, listening.

“The next time you see him, will you tell him how sorry I am?” Tears burned his eyes, the memory of The Muse’s pain sizzling through his brain. “I—” His voice cracked and he looked away.

“Oh, Kiddo…” Patton squeezed his hand back, voice soft. “The Muse knows it was an accident. He was in your mind,” he reminded him. “He feels bad for the pain he caused you.”

“He doesn’t need to.” Logan looked up, eyes wide. “It’s not his fault. I wish…” He looked down at the broken bits of a body he'd been left with. The only way he could see The Muse and speak to him in person would be in the arms of one of the team. Even if one of them were willing to carry him, his stomach churned at just the  thought of helplessly clinging to one of the Powereds, even one as kind as Patton.

He closed his eyes, head falling back against the pillow.

So worthless you can't even apologize to him. Can't even thank him for helping Silvertongue find you before the police did.

“I should let you rest,” Patton murmured. “Even with Ja—Silvertongue’s healing assistance, you’ve been through a lot and need to take it easy. Would you like me to lower the bed?”

His eyes snapped open. The med bay was like a fishbowl, surrounded on one side with the main common room, the other by the short hall to the cold steel kitchen. If he slept here, he’d be on display for the entire team. Good for people who needed close observation. Not good for him. He shook his head. “Would you bring my chair?”

“Of course.” Patton rushed to fetch it then stood next to it. “Can I—” He reached for him then let his hand lower. “How can I help you?”

Even with the med bed lowered, it was a bit of a drop down to his chair. But if he was lucky, he could make it on his own. “Perhaps… would you be willing to hold the chair steady for me?”

Nodding, Patton put one foot behind the wheel and locked his grip around the handles. Logan shimmied himself closer, scrabbling for a hold when he listed dangerously close to the opposite side of the bed. After a bit of work, he wiggled toward the edge, parallel to the seat, then pushed himself off the bed.

He landed with a quiet oof in the seat, grunting when his hip grazed an armrest.

“Are you alright?” Patton asked, hands fluttering closer before pulling them away.

Logan smiled, tight and not quite able to speak in a normal tone as pain radiated over his hip and down his phantom leg. He reached over his shoulder to pat the Powered’s hand and nodded.  “I’m good,” he managed and turned on the chair motors. “Thank you. For your help.”

“Absolutely anytime, Machina.” Patton gave him another smile. “Anything you need, please don’t ever be afraid to ask.” He watched quietly while Logan turned his chair and moved to the hallway. “I’ll call you for dinner in about an hour?”

“Actually,” he started, then turned around to face him again. Patton’s brow pinched with worry but he waited and listened. “Would you call me when it’s time to…” He shrugged and looked toward the common room. “Perhaps I can help set the table?” Logan tried to smile and moved his chair back and forth a few inches at top speed. “Use my unfair advantage?”

Patton chuckled and nodded. “You got it, Machina. I’ll call for you. Get some rest in the meantime.”

“I will. Thank you.” Logan’s smile strengthened, then he turned with a little nod and rolled down the hall. When Logan returned to his room, though, he didn’t lie down. Instead, he closed the door and wheeled himself to the window. 

The Prince’s Illusion only worked one way and though from the outside, Logan sat on the other side of a boarded up bay window, he could see perfectly through to the violets and daisies growing outside. The sill was nearly the same height as the seat of his chair and it had only taken him a few days’ practice to work out the best way to wiggle out of his wheelchair and onto the soft cushions.

He hadn’t yet worked out which of them had set this up. While the window frame was old, likely renovated from the original structure, the pillows were stitched from the same durable ecosynth cloth as the Mad Lads’ suits. Throughout the house, there were other window seats and benches, but none at this height. They'd built this for him.

Leaning back against the pillows in the deep window seat, Logan closed his eyes. If the prisoner in the basement wasn’t quite a prisoner, what did that mean for the rest of the team’s behavior? Was all of this, the accommodations, the care… Was it all… real?

And how would he ever make amends for not once, but twice, harming one of their own?

~

Despite Logan's best efforts to stay awake, it felt like only seconds later when Patton’s soft voice spilled from the comms speaker in his room. He jerked upright, hand reaching automatically for the spot next to his thigh for his chair’s control box. His fingers closed on air.

A half-second of panic later, Logan remembered where he was and took a deep breath. “I’ll be right there,” he called back. Moving carefully, he slid back into his chair and hurried out to the kitchen.

His stomach grumbled before he’d even gotten past the med bay, the aromas of fresh tomatoes and beans from the team’s backyard garden blending with cumin and cayenne. Patton smiled at him, stirring a bubbling pot, and gestured to a stack of bowls, napkins, and utensils on a low counter.

“If you meant it, it would be a big help if you set the table. Ultraviolet and The Prince are up on the roof and Silvertongue’s on a call.” 

“Of course I meant it.” Two at a time, Logan transferred the stack of bowls to his lap, then added the napkins. Taken together, he was able to lean and use his stub of a left arm to hold them steady while he steered his chair to the table.

He steadfastly ignored the way Patton pretended not to monitor his progress. He did appreciate, though, how he’d been spared the indignity of having to wait as he took down the dishes for him and placed them in his lap as though he were a child.

Setting the table went slowly and by the time he’d finished and returned to the kitchen for cups, Patton had already transferred the chili to a serving bowl and was filling a pitcher with ice and the sweet electrolyte drink the team favored. Though reluctant to admit it, Logan had begun to enjoy it with their meals, as well.

What Patton hadn’t done, though, was pull down the drinkware from their high cabinet. After scanning the counters one last time in case he’d somehow missed them, Logan swallowed his dwindling pride and looked up at Patton. “Would you mind getting the cups down for me?”

“Oh, right!” He sealed the lid on the pitcher but didn’t move from his work. “We transferred them to the cabinet by the fridge.” Patton pointed to the low cabinets in easy reach from his chair. “Silvertongue mentioned your bloodwork showed signs of chronic dehydration. Figure it’s easier for you to drink more if you can reach them yourself.”

Logan opened the first cabinet. Recessed lights glowed, revealing stacks of cups and bowls and plates. The front of the shelf ended in an inch-tall lip and, experimentally, Logan tugged it. It rolled toward, putting the dishes in easy reach. He looked up at Patton, eyes wide.

Patton shrugged. “I’m still working on the rest of the kitchen, but we’ve got all the basics there.”

“This is…” Logan bent in his chair to look under the cabinet and slid the shelf back and forth. The rollers were pneumatically assisted, allowing him to use just a single finger to move it. “This is very thoughtful, Patton. Thank you.”

“We’ll need Ultraviolet to make more parts,” he said, picking up a dish of cornbread and the pitcher. Logan quickly followed and stacked the cups between his leg and the side of his chair. “There’s a lot more to do,” Patton admitted. “Maybe after dinner you could help figure out what’s the next best mod to tackle?”

“I—I’d like that,” Logan nodded and followed him out of the room, casting one last glance at the steel kitchen. The whole room felt just a little warmer. “I’d like that a lot.”

[staledirt87]

What if Human!Au

Janus is the father of Virgil and Remus

Patton is the father of Logan and Roman

Logan and Roman are both adopted, as is Remus but Virgil is the bio son of Janus and unnamed ex. The foster house Roman and Remus were in refused to advertise them as siblings as Remus was a "problem child" and Roman was a "golden boy" so Patton and Janus had no idea they were seperating twins.

A lot more under the cut:

There's always music playing in Janus' house, every day he comes home and puts on a jazz or classical record on the old record player he got from an antique store. On relaxed days Janus will come home, put on a record, and read on his armchair with Virgil listening to the music on his lap and Remus drawing at his feet.

Patton makes sure there's always fresh pastries in the Hart household. There's never a limit to how much they can eat as long as they eat an actual meal along with it. Logan always offers to do the measurements and Roman doesn't let anyone else do the mixing. It's a good day when there's flour everywhere, at least one egg got dropped by Roman, and there's warm cookies on the cooling rack.

Logan talks and talks to Roman who writes and writes about what he's told and they excitedly present their work to Patton who is always chest-bursting proud no matter what. Roman and Logan only ever fight when they play together and Roman's ideas are too fanciful for Logan and Logan's ideas are too boring for Roman. Only Patton can settle those arguments by either distracting them with something else or saying "actually, that can work if you do this!"

Virgil is really reserved around Remus at first, clinging to Janus' leg whenever he was near, but then Remus showed him his drawings of monsters and demons and Virgil pointed out a spider and then they were best friends. One day Janus gets called to the school because Remus punched a kid because they were bullying Virgil for crying over a spider and Janus makes this big act of being disappointed and saying "I'll make sure he learns his lesson" for the principal when really he takes them both out for ice cream afterwards.

Janus takes Virgil out record shopping as he refines his music taste, buying him whatever records he wants. As a birthday present Janus and Remus buy and paint a record player for Virgil's room. Whenever Remus runs out of paint or pencils Janus takes him to all the art stores he can and buys like a year's worth of supplies. The best gift he ever got wasn't even for a special occasion, on a whim Virgil composed a playlist for one of Remus' smaller sketchbooks and Janus payed someone to press a vinyl of it with the cover art being the cover of the sketchbook. They have movie nights on an old projector of classic slasher films.

Patton makes days of things. Roman wants to see a play? They're going to the mall afterwards and maybe even going to the aquarium. Logan wants to see the meteor shower that night? They're watching documentaries about deep space objects and meteorites all day until it's time to star gaze. Unlike in the Lis household where the main love language is quality time the Harts excell in gift giving and acts of service. Logan got the box set for all of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's works and a poster of the observable universe on a random Tuesday and Saint Patrick's Day respectively. Roman comes home one day to see all of his scripts edited in eraseable ink and his favorite sweets on the kitchen table. Patton never gets tired of telling them stories at night, taking suggestions from both kids and expertly weaving a tale of magic and science and evolutionary pathways of dragons until both are asleep.

The kids meet in high school and Roman and Remus immediately have a bond. They don't recognize eachother as brothers yet but there's something there that they both feel. They write comics together and commonly argue about the plot and designs, but their relationship never really falters. Virgil attaches himself to Remus' side and because of that meets Logan. Their bond strikes much slower than the twins' but eventually Logan becomes the #1 person Virgil goes to when he's having a panic attack or anxious about something: whether it's talking him through excersices or just being present Virgil always thanks him with a song recommendation or a sneak peak of a song he's writing.

Janus comes home from work (defense attorney) to Remus' embellished tales of the four's escapades and Virgil listening to music, somehow hearing and correcting every time Remus tries to make Virgil look stupid. Occasionally they'll vent about a teacher that took away Remus' figdet toy because it was "distracting" or forced Virgil to present in front of the class. On those days Janus will make them their favorite foods and put on the special jazz record he only ever uses when it's been a tiring day or one of the kids had a nightmare. Janus doesn't hesitate when Virgil is having a bad anxiety day or Remus can't get gory explicit images out of his head to call them out of school with a forged doctor's note.

Patton works at an elementary school so Roman and Logan walk there after school and do homework in his classroom until school lets out. After Patton is able to leave Roman starts telling them an equally embellished story of the day with Logan's occasional correction when it starts getting too outlandish. On bad days where the students were rowdy and Roman got his notebook taken away for writing in class and Logan got picked on for taking slang literally they'll go home and bake whatever they have the ingredients for.

As the friendship goes on they start spending more and more time with eachother outside of school, Remus and Virgil taking the time that Janus is still at work to join Roman and Logan at the elementary school or the Hart kids visiting the Lis house to chill and listen to music. Janus and Patton never officially meet until it's 3 am and they're in the police station because the twins convinced the other two to jump a fence and Remus' sleeve got caught in the barbed wire and their combined yelling alerted someone walking their dog.

They get to talking more after that and notice some similarities in the twins when they were younger. While Remus used to talk about his "brother at the foster home" Roman would mumble in his sleep about "how unfair it is the knight has to save the dragon." Janus does some digging and finds out the truth. They discuss how best to tell them before eventually deciding on a conversation over a laid-back dinner.

It doesn't stay a laid-back dinner, as soon as they sit down Virgil immediately realizes something is up, which means Logan and Remus realize, which means Roman also knows. Logan asks what's wrong and Virgil just points to Janus: "the snake is gonna tell us something." Janus looks impressed and him and Patton tell them what they found out. Roman and Remus freak out and are split between being pissed they didn't realize before or ecstatic at finally reuniting.

[greenninjagal-blog]

Here Come the Sun (pt1)

Sometimes I have aus in my archives for so long I can’t even think of something witty to put at the beginning of them. Anyway! Have a new fic!

Summary: Virgil used to dream about being a hero, but the combination of his best friend's and his lives being at stake forces him to do some things good guys don't do and, well... that sort of thing doesn't seem to be in the cards anymore. However, he also didn't count on the guy he was sent to kidnap being Patton Hart.

Words: 4606

Quick Taglist: @alias290 @chelsvans @coyboi300 @dwbh888 @glitchybina @faithfulcat111 @felicianoromano @holliberries @jemthebookworm @killerfangirl3 @musical-nerd18 @nonasficcollection @stricken-with-clairvoyancy @the-sunshine-dims @themagicheartmailman @thenaiads @treasureofpriam @vianadraws 

Read on AO3 || My General Writing Master List

Chapter One: Windy

The truth is Virgil Storm knew that he was going down a dark path long before it ever came to kidnapping the heir to a multimillion dollar cross country railway company. The writings had been on the walls, on the ground, carved in his skin from the moment he had first realized that no one was going to love that rain cloud over his head. 

He’d tried. Virgil had tried for a while! Really gave it his best shot, he swears! But in the end, food costs money and people hate when he stays around for extended periods of time and he had gotten sick of finding knives in his back (literally).

So he’s not a good person anymore. And he knows it even now while he’s threading down the cobblestone streets that usually would have been pedestrian only on a borrowed magic cycle, listening to the music of the rain landing and skillfully avoiding the puddles as he goes about his job, albeit at a slower pace than he really should.

He’d heard rumors that Magnolia was a bright and sunny place to be; Remus had come back from trashing Star Burst’s guild hall complaining about the cheerful people and the cloudless sky and how the sun had heated up his piercings and chains uncomfortably. It’s fitting that Virgil’s own trip to the town has been herald by thunderstorms.

Even with his poncho hood up, Virgil’s bangs are soaking wet and his jeans are plastered to his legs from the angle of the rain. He’s cold, as usual, always cold, and it makes him wonder after that allusive feeling of warmth that Remus talks about sometimes.

He understands it in theory: He can make water boil with a thought for tea when Remus’s inhuman immune system finally succumbs after three days of non stop traveling in the rain, he’s gotten close enough to fire for his body to start sizzling, and, of course, there’s that feeling of tingly-ness he gets when Remus tackles him in hugs after rolling around in the mud, despite his frantic yelling for him not to. 

But come on, Remus said there was a giant orb in the sky made of fire that makes everyone feel that tingly feeling when they're out under it. It sounds completely made up! If everyone didn't have the same delusion, Virgil wouldn't have believed him at all.

But, to be fair, it's also not his fault he's never seen the sun. 

After all, it's not like he asked to be born. He came into the world kicking and screaming and his cries had caused lightning to hit the hospital, rains to pelt the windows, thunder to boom. 

“Inherent magic,” the doctors said. “One of the strongest cases we’ve ever seen! He’s a weather witch!”

And really after twenty years of hearing that repeatedly, it feels like a cosmic joke. He’s not a weather witch; the only thing he’s managed to do is make it rain harder. Not that anyone has ever believed him when he says it. 

He learned quickly to hide himself away when the other kids at the orphanage got restless from weeks inside and the abundance of rain because they liked to take their frustrations out on him. When he started travelling the country, he got used to the cursing of passersby caught in the sudden rain that followed him around. His first crush called him gloomy, his second called him dreary, the third told him to pick one to stay, him or the rain and that night Virgil had found out that he can’t drown no matter how much he tries. 

But Remus... Virgil doesn’t know where he’d be without Remus. It’s a double edged sword masquerading as a question; what would have become of Virgil if he hadn’t come to town at the same time as Remus had been leaving, and Virgil is a coward by nature so he avoids thinking about it too hard.

They had run into each other about four towns away, both of them just shy of eighteen and Virgil ghosting through the city alone, lone, lonely because his rain had driven everyone else inside. Remus had nearly bowled him over, in the middle of jumping in the puddles like he was getting paid to do it. He’d splashed Virgil and then when Virgil had snapped at him, he’d grabbed Virgil by his poncho and pulled him into another puddle face first.

With a mouth full of sharpened teeth and a laugh that sounded like he’d been eating industrial nails, Remus had managed to make Virgil smile for probably the first time ever. 

Remus is like a candle, unafraid of the way that Virgil's always doused every flame he’s come across, accidentally or not. He’s loud, he’s unconventional, and he’s absolutely insane. 

It had taken Virgil a while to understand why the locals called him “The Building Eater” but after watching Remus nearly unhinge his jaw and take a bite out of the steel frame of a half constructed building they were walking by with no warning at all….well it started to make sense. With his red eyes blazing with mischief and his tendency to create chaos just for his own entertainment, Virgil could see why anyone would call Remus crazy and run away screaming.

But Virgil had also seen Remus on late nights, half a barrel of wine gone, and his smile falling to something more lost and sad as they sat alone at the bar counter after having terrified the bar owner out of the building for the night.

“I don’t do friends,” Remus said once with the rain tap, tap, tapping on the windows behind them. “No point in it. Everyone leaves in the end anyway.”

“What a coincidence!” Virgil had responded, far more drunk than he’d ever meant to be because wine and water mix extremely well and somehow he always forgets that. “Hey, what’s your opinion on the rain?”

Virgil knows what it’s like to be sad and lost and alone. It's not a feeling he'd wish on anyone, especially not someone like Remus, who never once asked him to turn off the rain, who tilts his head upwards into the drizzle with a smile, who jumps in puddles and throws mud at anyone who says the downpour was ruining their day.

Everyone leaves, but not Virgil, but not Remus. They made a pact and however drunken it was, Virgil doesn’t go back on his word.

Which is why he’s in Magnolia. Kidnapping a guy.

For Remus.

Virgil blows out a breath and the rain thickens just a bit. The puddles are starting to flood the street, which is unfortunate, because he doesn’t think that the shop owners around here have flooding insurance. If there hadn’t been a startling lack of rain for the past few weeks, the river that flows through the middle of the famed merchant city would have already hit the flooding mark and he’d be driving through more than just a centimeter of water. 

If he wasn’t out of here in thirty minutes there was a good chance he wasn’t going to be leaving at all. And he was pretty sure the excuse of “Oh I have negative emotions about doing legally wrong things” was not going to fly with anyone if that happened.

He hopes that Remus is having a good time, because he’s very much not.

Once upon a time he had dreamed of joining Star Burst, of wearing that bright star shaped guild mark on his chest, of having billions of friends and taking on exciting jobs to help people all over the country and then coming back to a safe and welcoming home. But then again, who hadn’t dreamed of such a thing? Even the orphanage caretaker had a subscription to Sorcerer’s Weekly which kept a ranking of all the magic guilds in the country and personal interviews with members from the more popular ones. Virgil used to sneak reads of the magazines before she had caught him and told him that he should maybe aim a little lower than the nation’s top magic guild since he couldn’t even control his own magic and he was nearing twelve. After he hit the road, he had snuck looks at a couple news stands, just to keep up to date.

Thomas Sanders led the guild, having founded it from the ground up when he realized that the other magic guilds in the area didn’t click with him. He had a heart warming interview a few years ago about “a sense of belonging and family” being the central idea of his guild which Virgil had cut out and then drowned in a puddle until the paper had dissolved into sludge. Despite the sentimentality of their leader, the guild had quickly grown into the most powerful, most out-of-control magic guild ever.

People liked to joke that the Magic Council formed specifically to keep Star Burst in line. It had always struck Virgil as odd about how many countless times that Thomas had willingly gone head-to-head in the court to defend his members, much less how many more times he came out victoriously. Virgil knows that his own guildmaster would never, and even on his worst days, Virgil's monsoons had caused a lot less property damage than Star Burst had in their endeavors.

((For example: just a few months ago, during a job reportedly where they were supposed to deliver a package to someone at the top of a mountain that was bordered by somewhat dangerous Vulcans, several Star Burst members ended up stumbling on a secret Dark Magic Guild by the name of Cosmic Dust that had been experimenting on the local fauna with magic rituals, which the Star Burst members interrupted and caused a seventy foot tall raging plant monster to emerge and decimate four other mountains before somehow being stopped. Three different towns came together to applaud them for a job well done.

That same week, Virgil and Remus were hired to fight lizardmen in an underground sewer system and they nearly got fined for blocking the water system for three hours while they hunted down the last of the creatures.))

Thomas Sanders is charismatic, personable, amicable. When Virgil was a kid, he dreamed that Thomas would suddenly get this urge to adopt kids and that Virgil would somehow catch his eyes and Thomas would look at him with that just… stupidly kind expression and his thunderstorms would magically melt away and prove that it was never anything wrong with him.

Not that anything like that ever happened. Now it’s just an embarrassing memory: Thomas is just a guy, not some miracle worker and Virgil is tragedy incarnate, not something an average guy can fix.

But it helped that Thomas is one of the top ten most powerful mages in the entire world, wielding Celestial magic that allows him to call for aid from the beings of the constellations themselves. All that and it’s still without having any of the so-called most powerful gold keys; he redefined the world of holder-type magic by using the “lower powered” keys to build himself up into what he was.

Or at least that’s what the papers say. Virgil’s an inherent magic type, as is Remus. Their magic both originates from their bodies in strong enough bursts to form their own attacks and the idea of having conduit keys or cards or books or anything to focus their powers just sounds ridiculous.

But hey, if it works, it works, Virgil guesses. Thomas is considered formidable enough that Virgil is pretty sure if he ever came face to face with the guy, he’d probably explode into a puddle, kind smiles or not. He’s number one on the list of people that Virgil doesn’t want to have to fight, and considering that Magnolia is the home of the Star Burst Magic Guild, and Virgil is about to kidnap one of their mages… the possibility of facing off with their leader is greater than the usual zero probability Virgil likes to keep it at.

He hopes desperately that everything has been going according to plan with everyone else. Guildmaster Clay had told him that his target was likely going to be the only one that remained behind when Star Burst struck out for vengeance against Remus’s attack on their empty guildhall and subsequent hospitalization of two of the main healers from the guild, but in Virgil’s experience people’s minds can change just as easily as the weather can go from sunny to thunderstorms. If his target isn’t there he’s going to be screwed. If someone other than his target is there he’s also screwed.

Not that he can’t take another person in a fight. The Guildmaster said to be quiet and quick and if they wanted a lot of noise about this job… well anyone else from the guild probably would have been sent. 

Virgil takes the next corner faster than he probably should, skidding through a puddle, and feeling the water drip down his poncho, sliding off the waterproof surface and flying off into the empty air behind him. Thunder rumbles overhead like a dissatisfied customer, but no lightning yet, which is comforting if only because it means he’s got a little bit of control over his own emotions. He eases off the accelerator, flexing his stiff fingers in their waterproof gloves, and shifting his boots against the foot rests, as he ready his brakes.

Part of him hopes that maybe the info had been wrong; maybe this guy had actually been with the rest of the guild in a last minute switch! Maybe the rumors about Remus had freaked him out and he skipped town last night, never to be seen again. Maybe Virgil drove all the way out here, memorized the whole city layout, and spent all this time agonizing over doing this, all for nothing!

But as soon as he thinks it, he turns the last corner and glances up at the building that some of the Star Burst members have been set up in while repairs of the guildhall are discussed. There are lights on in the window, shading half the street in soft yellow light.

Virgil sighs, coming to a stop right outside the door. He takes one moment to glance up at the darkening sky, wishing that Remus was here, and then he peels off the magic cycle SE plug that powers it. Part of his arm is buzzing nervously in a way that feels remarkable like having electricity shot through him (which unfortunately Virgil knows what that feels like). He shakes it off and heads for the front door.

Locks and Virgil had a questionable relationship at best: he understood that locks were meant to keep people out, or other people in, but considering the number of times that the other kids in the orphanage had locked him in a closet to get him to stop the rain, or the orphanage head had locked him in his room to make sure the other boys could do something worse to him, or that he hadn’t been able to pay for a room at the local hotel when he needed just a bed to sleep in for the night….Virgil had gotten used to by passing all sorts of locks with barely a thought. 

After all, what were locks when Virgil’s body could condense into puddles on command? The gap between the door and the doorframe was near negligible, but he slips under and finds himself standing in a cute foyer, his poncho dripping sadly onto the rug.

If it weren't for the ache in his collarbone he could have pretended he was coming back home after a grueling but successful job as a mediocre mage that everyone at least somewhat respected. One of the Good Guys, with capital G’s who never had to do anything illegal and didn’t lie awake at night thinking about the possibility of dying tomorrow.

((Virgil’s doing great. Thanks for asking.))

It’s quiet inside, nearly silent if it weren’t for the rhythmic sound of rain hitting the outside of the building, dancing on the window panes, drumming on the roof itself to be heard. If Virgil listens faintly he can even hear the humming from upstairs and the accompanying footsteps that cause the ceiling to creak and groan. Virgil reaches behind himself and flicks the lock knob to open in case things go poorly, although he doubts it’s going to. 

It doesn’t take him long to show himself around: the building is really only made for maybe three people although he thinks that four have been living there since Remus wrecked the guild hall where most of them lived. There are pictures on the walls of various members that Virgil recognizes from magazines and framed photos of people that Virgil thinks they might have helped over the one year that he’s been at the guild. They all look stunningly happy and pleased and Virgil drags his gaze away before the guilt in his stomach makes him throw up or the jealousy in his lungs makes him drench the whole apartment.

The pantry is decently stocked for the amount of people that must live there and Virgil helps himself to a granola bar that he likes and shuffles over to the kitchen drawers. It takes him a few minutes to find the one with the silverware, but he grabs all the spoons they have and stuffs them in his pockets for Remus to delight over later. There are sticky notes around the kitchen with little reminders and a few recipes that someone was trying out, a large sign on the microwave to “Logan” about it being a food microwave and not a science one. A bowl of fruit is on the counter with fresh yellow apples.

Virgil snags one as he walks by replacing it with his granola bar wrapper, heading towards the living room which has a cute little news lacrima and several bookshelves. The couch is covered in blankets and pillows and a suitcase sits packed by the side out of the way, confirming the idea that there’s an extra person staying there for the time being, but who had cleared out with the other occupants to avenge the despicable act done against them and their pride. Virgil tries his best not to roll his eyes at their predictability. 

Instead he takes a bite out of his apple, skimming over the book titles in an attempt to slow his rapidly beating heart. Lightning flashes outside, followed by a grumble of thunder so loud it shakes the house.

In a way, it reminds Virgil of Remus’s laughter, the heavy and deep noise that’s also boisterous and booming. It’s a comfort, not that Virgil would ever stoop so low as to tell Remus that; he could just imagine all the ways that Remus would think to terrorize him with the incessant mocking.

The books are mostly magic books: scholarly textbooks that define different types of magics, a few demonology encyclopedias, and at least three versions of a scientific journal covering the ideas of parallel universes. A few of them are more well loved than others, and Virgil can tell by the number of creases in the spines and markers between the pages. He’s never been interested in learning different types of magic like these books seem to promote, but Virgil thinks he has the same copy of “History of Arcana for Dummies” in his chest back at the guild. He takes another bite out of his apple as he plucks the book from the shelf to see what the members of Star Burst have to say about the Water Magic chapter and then--

“Oh!” A voice behind him says. “Hello!”

Virgil whips around biting his tongue instead of the apple piece in his mouth and nearly choking in the same movement. He hadn’t realized the humming from upstairs had gotten drowned out by his rain until he comes face-to-face with the owner of the humming himself, standing in the kitchen apparently finished with whatever task he’d been doing upstairs.

The picture hadn’t done Patton Hart justice.

The picture, of course, had been a few years old and Patton hadn’t been smiling at all; his professional monkey suit and the glossy covers of the picture had made him look like an untouchable doll in a display case, to be shown off but never played with. The smile had been practiced and courtly and looked so rich that Virgil’s teeth had set on edge. He had looked like the type of guy who’s emotions were store bought.

Now he looks nothing like that picture. In fact, Virgil thinks he looks like an actual person: cheap factory made clothes, knee high cat themed socks and shoes that had seen their way through at least three hiking trips based on the scoffs. His knees each had a brightly colored band aid on them and his arms had an array of braided friendship bracelets made with care and precision and something else equally foreign to Virgil.

Honestly, Virgil wouldn’t have even pegged him as a mage if it weren’t for the hip packs that held his deck of magic cards and the star shaped guild mark on his right hand.

And if it weren’t for the freckles and the bright blue eyes, Virgil might not have even recognized him as the runaway heir. ((Virgil wishes he had run a little further than just seven towns away, and that he’d maybe even used a different name when he was hiding. Come on, man.))

“Oh dear!” Patton says as a sheet of rain slams against the walls of the house from all sides. “Did you slip in here trying to get out of this storm? You poor thing, you’re soaking wet! Here, let me get you some dry clothes before you catch a cold. I can put on some tea to warm you up--”

The idiot didn’t even reach for that deck of cards at the sight of an unknown, possibly dangerous stranger in his home. Virgil doesn’t know if that makes him feel better or worse. 

“Just so you know,” Virgil says, cutting into the kind babbling, “I am really sorry about this.”

Patton blinks at him from behind those black glasses. His eyes are so innocent and naive and  “Hmm? Sorry about what? Breaking in? I’m sure it's just a misun--”

“Waterlock.” 

At Virgil’s focus and spell, the floor under Patton bursts into the familiar magic circle spell, glistening with his deep sea indigo-blue color and flooding the room in the sudden light. Water explodes from everywhere: the command pulling droplets from the air, dragging the rain from outside under the door, the pipes groan and ache where the faucets burst and it all crashes down on Patton without a warning, wrapping him up in a sphere of unbreakable water.

The Star Burst member’s mouth opens to scream reflectively, but the water just pours down his throat and strangles his lungs. He thrashes against the lock, and Virgil watches somewhat guiltily.

“I’m sorry,” Virgil says again. “Don’t fight it, please. I don’t want to hurt you. I’m really sorry about this.”

Lightning strikes outside, and the lights in the house flicker threatening to plunge them into darkness. Patton fumbles for his cards, but Virgil’s been drowning people since he was sixteen. 

“It’s like falling asleep,” he says, as Patton goes limp and three of his cards float aimlessly in the sphere next to him. “It’s like a really bad way to fall asleep. I’m so sorry. But it’s going to be okay. I swear.”

He lets the spell drop, and catches the weakly coughing Patton in his arms before he can hit the ground. The heir tries to push him away, but he’s too weak in the end to do much more than slump over, spitting out water, and let Virgil hold him while he wipes the area clean of those droplets that don't belong there.

“That’s it,” he murmurs softly. “Go to sleep.”

Patton makes a pitiful noise that sounds like him fighting it, but he’s unconscious before it forms actual words that can stab Virgil through his bleeding heart. Virgil sets him carefully on the floor, running his hands through the air over him to pull the water from his clothes and his hair. He takes one last bite of his apple before dropping it and the book on the bookshelf and getting out the rope from his small hip pouch. 

Tying up the Star Burst member is unfortunately very easy. He doesn't stir at all while Virgil maneuvers his arms behind his back and begins the knots that he’s decently practiced in. Making sure that the bonds aren’t too tight, but still prevent him from moving, Virgil leans back and unhooks the hip bags that contain his cards and leaves them on the sofa, because the last thing he needs is for Patton to somehow get out and manage to get his cards and force Virgil to actually fight him.

Also Virgil doesn’t try to be an asshole. Card Magic isn’t technically inherent, but even Virgil knows it’s tradition to pass down cards from from generation to generation. If they made it back to the guild it was likely someone would appropriate them for some quick cash, and Virgil feels bad enough about this as it is.

He sighs, checking the clock in the kitchen. He knows that he’s cutting his window for the kidnapping close (“Quick and Quiet”), but he’s also not a monster, so he takes the time to find the closet and picks out a raincoat that looks like it would fit Patton and secures it over the guys back, flipping the hood up to cover his dirty blond curls. 

“Sorry,” He says one last time, as he picks up the heir. “Really, if I had another choice I would have done that. I swear.”

Patton probably doesn’t care, and definitely won’t in the future when he realizes what exactly is going on here. Part of Virgil aches for the narrative that Patton had thought was going on: that he was just a traveler caught in the storm having gotten turned around and lost and walked into the first place he found for solace. Tea with Patton sounded like it would have been lovely, homey, and cozy in a way that Virgil had never experienced before-- a dream that he had spent most of his teen years wishing would actually happen when he crawled his way into a new city.

He opens the front door to the house and carefully steps out into the rain again, making sure to regulate his internal water temperature to something he thinks might be “warm” enough to keep Patton from freezing on their journey. 

His magic cycle is waiting patiently and Virgil sets both of them up gently with Patton sitting in his lap, with Patton resting against his chest, sleeping soundly with the rain hitting the hood of his jacket softly. Virgil straps on the SE plug again, hits the ignition, and swings back into the road, back the way that he had come into town without a single person peeking out of their curtains.

“For Remus,” Virgil whispers to himself. “Rule Four, for Remus.”

Luckily there’s still a two hour drive to Chimera Tongue’s Secondary Guild Hall, and Virgil can spend all of it imagining the faces of Patton’s friends when they come back to find him missing without a trace.

[Next Chapter]

[where-are-the-spooky-gays-2]

my last names HC’s are kinda basic but~ •Logan Berry

•Virgil Storm

•Patton Hart

•Roman and Remus Prince

•Janus Lopez

I have no clue where Janus’ came from but here you go! <3

Basic or not they're still pretty good!!! Never seen Lopez for Jan before but it oddly suits him XD

[thecrowslullaby]

Of friends, foe and fae

read on ao3 Wonderful drawings of @8beez here and @pompomqt here

Dance with Deceit

Dollhouses, butterfly nets and other deadly traps

Childhood, chatter and cyanide

Love, death, and other mysteries of life 16.9

A guide to catching fae by Patton Hart 20.9

On how to welcome a guest 23.9

When social standing brings nothing but trouble 27.9

Different forms of affection 30.9

From the sidelines of the dancefloor 4.10

Old friends and new enemies 7.10

Plans and memories 11.10

Of broken trust and ribs 14.10

Of deception, logic and morality 18.10

Knockouts, insults and other romantic gestures 21.10

Of deception, logic and morality 25.10

To love a liar 28.10

The first lie 1.11

A poor host 4.11