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oatmeal-stans-the-trash-rat · 1 year

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Violets & Shy Gladioli

I was going to write this a long while ago, but I forgot. Whoops. So yeah, here's the nerdy!Roman & skater!Virgil oneshot thingy. It's more of a crackfic/drabble. Not something very serious but still fun to write!

EDIT: whoops, not a drabble. It got plot now. This turned into something else, my bad. Hurt/comfort alert. If y'all want a part two or something, just put in an ask.

{@goldnskyart hey, hey you. Yes, you. I did a thing. I hope you like the thing.}

Prompt: here (from @goldnskyart)

Pairings: romantic Prinxiety, platonic Dukeceit, Creativitwins

Trigger/Content Warning: borderline stalking? (kind of??), sexual commentary, very brief mention of vague past trauma, bullying, panic attack, slur (twice very briefly; censored at my own discretion), brief dissociation, murder threats (towards the bullies)

Description: Virgil is a skater at the local skatepark. He notices he has a lil nerd watching him.

Extra: Human AU, Highschool AU; set in goldnskyart's Skateboards & Jam AU; idk romance works, so it'll be kind of bad. I've never written a kiss scene before, so prepare for sappy cringe.

[Masterlist] | ao3 link | Next

[Read under the cut]

Roman is so unbelievably gay, like holy sh*t. Holy sh*t. He is so helpless.

Why must boys be so attractive?

At least, that's the reason he settles on as he watches a specific boy from behind a tree. It's at the local skatepark, where all the shakers and troublemakers tend to hang out. There are benches and a small playground nearby. The whole place is surrounded by oak trees and flowers. It almost feels like you're in another world there, but the sound of cars from the nearby road kind of ruins that.

It's very beautiful, oh indeed it is, and Roman is certain that the boy on his mind just makes it even prettier. Cause this skater boy is very pretty, and funny and kind- and oh, does Roman have it bad.

So yeah, there he is, watching the boy of his dreams from behind a tree near the skatepark.

No, it's not stalking- okay, it's close, but he promises that's not what it is. He's just nervous, okay? He's even tried talking to him at school, but it always ends with unintentional bickering and insulting jabs at each other. He hates how his nerves mess with his ability to function around boys. That, and the gay panic every time he sees him.

Virgil Cleome, a perfect array of purple jackets and snide smirks.

A skilled skater, by highschool standards. A baseball hat put on backwards in a cool fashion, a purple-patched jacket always on his shoulders, the one person who can wear eyeshadow under his eyes and make Roman fluster just from that. His eyes- oh, his eyes- are a heterochromic beauty. One dark green, the other something close to hazel or purple. Roman doesn't know if you could have a purple iris, but Virgil's is damn well close enough.

God, when he concentrates on something? When he's focused? Yeah, Roman could just die at that cute face he makes. The classic tongue-slightly-stuck-out. He also does this thing where he scrunches his nose up. Like, when he doesn't like something or when he's confused in a mocking kind of way. It's just- ugh. How dare he be so f*cking attractive and funny. And have you heard his laugh? Roman heard it once in passing, and he couldn't function for almost five gay minutes because of it. Like, holy hell. Jesus.

Like I said, Roman is helpless.

He feels like Eliza when he's around Virgil, and he wants him to be his Alexander.

So yeah. He's got it bad. He is entirely hopeless.

And that's why he hides behind a tree, watching his seemingly unrequited love have fun at the skatepark.

It's not like he ever notices, right?

...right?

~~~

Virgil definitely notices every time he's being watched by the cute nerd, too shy to actually approach him.

The fact that it's Roman kind of confuses him, since almost all their interactions are borderline hostile on a good day. At least, that's how it feels. Perhaps it's a rivalry, of sorts. Just bickering, insults, and weird nicknames that could pass off as pet names if you were an innocent bystander. But they aren't pet names, okay? Of course they f*cking aren't. Why would they be?

So then, why does Roman watch him shyly from a tree? He just... stares. It's borderline creepy, but that's not the issue. The issue is the fact that Virgil doesn't mind it. That he might like being watched by Roman- not in that way, don't make it weird- and likes his attention on him.

Also, how can Roman ever be so... nervous? Is that the right word?

Normally, when in school, he's always this pompous princely nerd with confidence pouring out of him. He knows what he's talking about. He's not very studious, not exactly, but he knows practically everything about theatre and its history. He knows a lot about history in general. And he's pretty great at the Creative Writing class they're both in.

His glasses are pretty cute, too. His smart little face, the red streak in his hair. The faintest of freckles on his cheeks and nose. The small moles on his neck. He's just so adorable-

Ack. Just f*cking- ugh. Why must Roman be so adorable yet so frustrating all at once?

Virgil is too gay for this sh*t. F*ck this. F*cking hell. Just- okay. He needs to chill out.

Just focus on skating. Ignore the cute little prince who keeps watching you. Just- jesus. Yeah, cause that's f*cking easy.

Virgil tries, he really does, but his mind keeps drifting to red bowties and clever comebacks. His skating buddies already know about his crush- not a crush, he tells them, he just thinks he's neat- and are frankly very tired of the obvious pining.

Hey, it's not pining- okay. Just- ya know what? F*ck you. Shut up.

Roman f*cking Solana.

Jesus.

It doesn't help that one of his friends, a fellow skater, is Roman's twin brother. So, he already sees Roman enough at school, but he also sees him whenever he hangs out with Remus at their house. They don't stay at the house for long, usually, and just go to the skatepark and meet up with Janus.

Yeah, being friends with Remus is always a new adventure. That also means the ungodly amount of innuendos and teasing just gets worse. Of course it f*cking does, it's Remus. As soon as he first heard about Virgil liking Roman in any romantic capacity, he would not leave the poor spiderling alone. That is, unless it got too close to a boundary line. Remus may have poor impulse control, but he'd never cross a boundary with his friends or family. He's not a monster.

He's a self-proclaimed freak, but not a monster.

Which brings them all to right now, a teasing Remus at the ready as Virgil messes up the same trick for the fifth time in a row.

"Dude, what's with you lately? You usually don't mess up that badly," an unnamed skater comments as Virgil gives up and sits down at a nearby bench.

Virgil rolls his eyes at the unnamed skater. Not worth his time. It's not like they're a part of his inner circle, anyway.

"He can't help it, little Virgey's distracted," Remus teases, wiggling his eyebrow.

"Shut up, Remus," Virgil grumbles.

Remus snickers at him.

"Aww, but it's so fun f*cking with you."

Virgil rolls his eyes again, this time at Remus.

"Then again, I know who you'd really like to f*ck with. Well, more like who you'd like to f*ck."

Virgil chokes on air for a moment, his face now burning red. The unnamed skater turns bright pink in second-hand embarrassment and shuffles away, deciding now is a good time to go back to skating. Virgil glares at Remus in his own embarrassment as the green-coded dumbass cackles at him.

"Remus," he scorns, voice cracking at the implication.

"Listen, you're so easy. I just- ha! You're so red!"

Virgil hides his face in his hands, groaning loudly in annoyance.

Where is Janus when you need him? God, the one time he gets too sick to come and skate with us. God f*cking damnit. F*cking bastard.

Janus is usually the one who Remus would listen to. Those two had been through thick and thin, in a lot more ways than Virgil had been with them. There are just some things, some very bad things, that unite people together in such a close bond. Going through trauma together is... it's something they hope Virgil will never experience. It's something that brought those two so close together, but both of them still wish it hadn't happened. The world tends to be a truly cruel place to those who just want to be.

Anyway, after a while of Remus tormenting Virgil, they go back to skating. Remus tends to do more dangerous stunts as if they were at a beginner level. Virgil sticks with what he knows, what he can't mess up, being what his friends call 'stupidly safe' and 'boring'.

Virgil still thinks back to Roman, who is currently hiding behind his signature tree. What he'd never admit is how Roman's attention on him makes his heart beat out of his chest. How his voice makes his heart flutter like a bunch of dumb little moths. How he makes him laugh and let himself exist. How this damned nerd makes him... just smile. He doesn't just smile for anyone. The stupid f*cking cherry-red bowtie. The spotlights in his eyes.

He and Remus may be twins, but they don't exactly look like twins. And that makes it so much easier to feel so cheesy about him. He could never feel cheesy, in any romantic capacity, about Remus or Janus. They're more like family than anything. Oh, but Roman...

God. He wanted to be the Jack to Roman's Sally.

Like I said, he feels so f*cking cheesy about Roman.

After a while of f*cking with each other like they always do, Remus decides to abruptly leave. Virgil asks where the f*ck does he think he's running off to, only to get a one-word answer. That reasonably excuses him.

"Janny!" Remus shouted as he skated away on the sidewalk in the park, heading towards the neighborhood.

Virgil shakes his head fondly. Janus doesn't even need to text or call Remus for the octopus-loving weirdo to know he needs him. A friend instinct, Virgil supposes. Part of their uniquely close platonic bond. Some weird ass sh*t.

Not wanting to skate without one of his friends, cause that just feels weird, Virgil decides to retire early for the day. He goes back to the bench he sat on earlier, setting his board wheels-up by his feet. Finally resting there for a moment, sighing as his back relaxes. He glances over at where Roman probably still is, but-

But he's... not there?

Maybe he had to leave for some reason? Like, his mom called him or something. That happens. Right? Yeah. It's probably fine.

I wish he was still here, though.

Virgil stops himself before he can pout.

Stop, stop it. You're not even friends. This shouldn't f*cking bother you. He's fine.

Why does it bother him?

It just feels wrong. Odd. He's just normally still there, and...

And he's grown attached.

Ah, f*ck me.

~~~

Roman is in theatre. He's almost always the star of the show, the central sun in a musical. When he's on stage, he truly becomes a prince. Whatever his role is, he is. It's a nice sight to see.

So yeah, he's in the Drama club, of course. What thespian wouldn't be? And they always meet on Tuesdays after school. So, as far as Virgil knows, Roman is still at school afterhours on Tuesdays. So is Remus, but that's only because their mom makes them walk home together.

Today is no different.

Virgil somehow managed to get an after school detention. He'd been too 'disruptive' during class (he was having a panic attack, how the f*ck-), and now has to stay in the library until all the clubs got out. Great. Just f*cking great. Another reason why he hates his dumb math teacher. Because of course, of course being emotionally distressed is less important than f*cking algebra.

Anyway.

So, there's very few people he knows who have after school activities. I mean, he's not the only one ever who gets detention, but apparently today is an exception because he's the only student there that isn't a library tech. He simply listens to music with his headphones on, doing homework so he doesn't have to deal with it later. He has one headphone out, but only so the librarians can't yell at him for it. They usually don't care, but detention students are some sort of disease or something because they eye him like a pack of f*cking vultures. To be fair, Virgil isn't ever really in there unless he has detention. And, you know, your classic stereotypes and narrow-minded assumptions you see from people who need a large heap of therapy. So yeah, not a great time.

Being watched by the librarians isn't helping Virgil focus, and he's two seconds from f*cking decking one of them. The library tech doesn't seem to care. They're just shelving books and minding their own damn business. Virgil likes the tech better.

Aside from the dumbass Karen librarians, there's some sort of commotion coming from the hallway. It could be the theatre kids; the library is close by the Theater. It's all shouty and sh*t, loud and all that. The future scholars in dramatics, otherwise known as actors, tend to always be loud and mildly disruptive. It's not anything new.

Virgil tries to scribble the last of a science formula down, wanting nothing more than the school day to be over. It's not over until he gets to leave. And he can't f*cking leave yet. Stupid b*tch of a teacher. Just- ugh. Math sucks.

Virgil startles when he hears something that sounds like a slap. He sharply turns his head to the doors, which are left open until the clubs are over.

What the f*ck.

He knows his school has bullies. In fact, he's had his fair share of dunderheads picking on him for sh*t he can't control. But most of the students are gone, and only ones who aren't are the theatre or art club kids. And the art room is all the way at the other end of the school. So, the only kids who'd be here... would be the theatre kids... but he's never known any of them to- well, he's seen more gay-ass motherf*ckers in there than he can count, and they sure as hell aren't ones to be assholes unless someone actually deserves it. Or to be funny, in a sassy and dramatic way. Which is the reason why Virgil doesn't mind them. They don't really bother anyone.

Another suspiciously violent sound and a cry of pain, and Virgil flinches. He stops his work. He can't focus with all that noise, and the fact that someone could be getting hurt right now.

"Stop being so dramatic. God, you'd think he'd learn by now?" one voice complains.

"I know, right? He's so annoying! You wouldn't be in this situation if you kept your mouth shut," a second one adds.

A poorly-concealed whimper.

"Okay, that's it. We're being nice, you know we are. But I am two seconds from making your day a whole lot worse," a third one threatens.

Virgil feels stuck in his seat. God, he wants to get up and march over there, and just- what poor kid are they tormenting? It sounds like there's three of them- bullies always travel in groups- and their victim sounds so hurt.

He hears frantic mumbling, and he wishes he isn't so anxious because he'd like to help now, thank you. The worrying thing is he recognizes the first voice. It's familiar, but also not, and that's not a good sign. It's familiar in a bad way, in a 'oh god please not be them' kind of way.

"You were just saying how we shouldn't do what exactly? Hmm? Aww, why so quiet now?" the second one continues.

"I think he's scared, Jackson," says the third one.

"Oh Kayla, I think so, too."

The second one, Jackson, snickers at whoever the victim is. More mumbling. Something happens, and the first one seems to speak again, but it's muffled. The third one, Kayla, laughs at whatever the victim's reaction is.

Jesus, what's f*cking wrong with them? I need to get up and get someone. What do I do, what do I do? I don't know what to do.

Virgil still feels frozen to his seat. He hates how he doesn't know. How he can't f*cking move. Why must his own anxiety paralyze him like this? He's not even the one getting bullied. It just reminds him... of someone. It's getting kinda triggering at this point, even though he can't pinpoint who it reminds him of. He just feels so f*cking stuck.

Someone shushes Jackson and Kayla. Probably the first voice, who's probably the leader of their cruel trio.

"Hush now, stop being a baby. You asked for this when you got in my way, you stupid attention wh*re," the first one lows their voices in such a cold, cynical way.

Virgil loses it when he hears that.

Omg, omg, omg. What the f*ck. They called them a f*cking slur.

He feels so mortified for whoever their victim is.

Okay, that's it. F*ck this, f*ck my stupid anxiety. That's not okay. Those f*cking b*tches.

Virgil blindly bolts to his feet, leaving his headphones and everything behind on the table. He ignores the librarians' steely eyes and quiet shouts for him to sit down. He runs out the f*cking library, nothing but pure adrenaline fueling him. It's all of a blur of him running over there, but luckily- or unluckily, cause how are no adults handling this- the commotion isn't that far. In fact, it's near the Theater. In the hallway in-between that separates it from the library. Where anyone could see.

Out in the open and no one's helping, dear f*cking god.

And Virgil isn't exactly quiet as he runs over. So, the bullies hear the footsteps rapidly approaching them. One of them mutters something like hey, maybe we should not get our asses caught, and what sounds like three pairs of footsteps scatter around. When Virgil gets there, all he sees is a heap of white and red crouched on the ground. They look shaky and small, so damn small, and their bowtie looks a little f*cked up.

Wait, bowtie? Red bowtie. Wait- omg. Oh sh*t.

That's Princey, the cute little nerd, looking small and terrified on the hallway floor. His glasses are the only thing that don't look damaged. His clothes look scuffed up. Tears are pouring down his face, from eyes that look too dazed. A hand mark on his cheek-

Those little assholes. I'm going to f*cking kill them. I'm going to sink Remus on them, and he's going to kill them. I-

Wait... if Roman is here, then...

Where is Remus?

Virgil shoves his thoughts away as he carefully approaches the poor little thing, crouching down to his eye level. He looks distant, almost like he's somewhere else. Maybe he is. Maybe he's mentally somewhere away from all that just happened. Somewhere that feels safer.

When Virgil puts a soft touch to Roman's shoulder, however, he flinches hard. He startles, turning sharply to face Virgil. His eyes are now very aware of where he is, frantic and panicked.

Oh, Princey...

Virgil takes his hand away, going slowly so Roman can see his movements. The poor nerd is panting like a cornered animal. Scared, he looks so scared.

"Hey, it's okay. You're safe now, Princey. It's just me, Virgil. You know me, yeah?"

He keeps his voice low and soft, easing just a little bit of the panic out of the poor thing's eyes.

That's better.

He still looks a little scared, though. It takes him a moment, but then recognition lights up in his eyes. He whimpers.

"Oh sweetheart, it's okay. I'm right here. You're safe now."

Virgil carefully cups the nerd's non-hurt cheek, thumbing away unnoticed tears. Princey flinches as soon as he feels touch- it's less, but still- but calms down as he realizes it's just Virgil.

Virgil would never hurt him. Virgil is safe. Virgil is good.

They may tease each other, but it's never to go as far as intentionally hurting someone.

Roman remains tense, but slowly melts as Virgil moves his other hand to card through his hair. He lets out an undignified whine, leaning into the touch.

"There, I've got you."

Roman leans against Virgil, resting his unhurt half on his shoulder. His face squished against him, letting himself relax a little more. Virgil moves his hand from his face, wrapping his arm around the poor prince. He holds him now, keeping close and cuddled in his lap. Roman's head falls until it rests against Virgil's chest. He can hear his heart beating. It sounds a lot calmer than his own. A hand still cared through his hair.

"You need to breathe, sweetheart. C'mon, breathe with me, okay?"

Roman slightly nods. He listens to Virgil's heart, trying to match his breathing to it. His lungs stutter a few times, but the constant stream of comfort and reassurance helps. After a while of finally breathing, he just collapses into a limp lump of exhaustion into Virgil's arms. He doesn't tremble or shake anymore- hardly at all- and instead focuses on the feel of warmth that his rival-friend-person gives. He doesn't know how to categorize them quite yet, but it seems pretty friendly right now.

Which makes him wonder why they aren't usually friendly like this. Maybe Virgil's just being kind. Maybe it's pity. At this moment though, he doesn't find the energy to care. He basks in the safe, safe, safe person holding him.

"There you go. Good job, sweetheart. You're okay. I've got you, I promise."

They just breathe together for a moment. Just co-exist and the world feels frozen, halted. Like nothing could get them, no harm could come their way, no evil could touch them. Roman's eyes droop, very much ready to fall asleep like this. He's all relaxed and calm now. He's okay. He's safe in Virgil's arms. His glasses screw up a bit as he somehow melts further into the purple-themed skater. He hears a soft chuckle from somewhere.

"You relaxed, Princey? All nice and cozy?"

"Mhm."

"Good, that's good. As long as you feel safe, sweetheart."

Had Roman been more awake than he is, he would've blushed at the pet name. But he isn't, so it flies completely over his head. He feels warm and floaty, and just all light. He likes this feeling. He doesn't want it to go away. Secure in safe arms. Safe, safe, safe.

A text beeps off somewhere. Roman idly wonders if his phone. He gets answered, unfortunately, as he feels Virgil move slightly against him. Probably pulling something out of his pocket. By the sound of it, it's his phone. Another text beeps. Sounds of typing. Virgil sighs, something like relief, and types more. Sends whatever he types to whoever texted him. Another text comes in. Virgil makes an idle hm noise. He puts his phone away.

He holds onto Roman tighter, a protective huff slips out. He pauses for a moment, glancing down at Princey.

"You comfortable like this, Princey? Not hurt anywhere, are you? Besides the, uh, the face."

Roman hums.

"Jus' the face," he provides.

The mark on his face still slightly burns, but it's manageable. Tolerable. Not hurt that much anymore.

"'Kay, good."

He readjusts to hold him tight again. Roman finally closes his eyes, nearly passing out from the sh*t that just happened. It doesn't process in his gay mind that he's practically sleeping against his crush. Yeah, a little too exhausted for the thought to even cross his mind.

"Hey, sweetheart. Remus is on his way, okay?"

"Mm, Re?"

"Yeah, Re. Your bro's on his way to help."

"'m fine, though."

"Princey."

"Mm, really. Safe now."

Virgil smiles at that, warmth spreading in his chest. And not from the fact that he has a body against him.

"Good that you're safe. But you went through something scary. We gotta talk about it."

Roman groans sleepily.

"If it makes you too uncomfortable, we won't. But we need to know who did the sh*t, so they can get their asses whooped."

Roman huffs out a laugh at the mention of 'asses whooped'. Not something he thought he'd hear from Virgil, but funny nonetheless.

"Little sleepy head."

"Not little."

"Could've fooled me, all sleepy and small like this. You're just a little puddle."

Roman makes a half-hearted noise of protest, but just drifts off after that. His breathing evens out, and now he's asleep. Virgil's heart melts because he feels safe enough to sleep in my arms, omg.

After a few minutes, he hears a worried shout.

"Roman? Roro?"

Ah yeah, that's Remus. Worried Brother™ mode is activated, isn't it?

"Ro? Vi, where are- oh. Okay, good. Right there. Okay."

Remus spots them on the ground as soon as he turns the corner. He barrels down the hallway to them, muttering about how they're right there, they've got each other, Virgil ain't gonna let anyone hurt him. He nearly crashes into them as he runs and dives to sit by Virgil and his sleeping brother.

"Whoa, hey. Hey, he's okay. I've got him. He's also asleep, so be careful, Rem."

The light chide dies on Virgil's tongue as Remus growls protectively at sight of his hurt twin. Virgil sighs, knowing Remus isn't going to listen to him while Roman is like this. He doesn't blame him. Roman comes first, always.

Remus catches the mark on Roman's face, and his growl intensifies. Virgil stopped carding a hand through the poor nerd's hair a little bit ago, instead just holding him like something precious. That being said, he sees the pure and horribly overwhelming worry in Remus' eyes. And decides to hand over the sleeping prince.

"Rem, here. He's okay now. He's safe and okay. Right here."

Remus takes his brother carefully. The sleepy Roman whines in protest as he feels Virgil let go of him. The emo skater makes a comforting noise and mutters about what he's doing so the other will be calm. Once fully in his arms, Remus hugs the life out of his brother and holds him in his lap. Roman lets out a pleased hum as he drifts back into a comfortable slumber. He nuzzles into his brother, clinging onto his shirt like a little kid. Remus rests his chin on top of his brother's head.

"...who the f*ck messed with him?"

Remus' glare is deadly and cold, but he doesn't look at Virgil. It's not directed towards him, anyway.

Yep, there's the Protective Twin™ mode.

"I don't know. He hasn't said anything yet, looked a little scared to."

Virgil's voice nearly matches Remus' in cold venom. It's low and cruel, and he's going to do horrible things to the people who did this.

Virgil glances at Remus as he kisses his brother's hair softly.

"I told him we need the name of those f*ckers. I technically didn't ask him, but he still seemed... he's just so tired, Rem."

Virgil's voice almost cracks with emotion near the end. Remus grunts in response. His grip on his brother doesn't waver, not even for a millisecond.

"I heard names of two outta three, though."

Remus sharply turns to him, demanding the names with nothing but a look.

"I- I heard it from the library. One of them is, uh, Jackson. The other one is Kayla, I think."

Remus' eyes wide slightly for a second at the mention of Kayla, and it doesn't take basic observation skills to realize that he may know her. Probably not for a good reason. Virgil doesn't ask.

"There were three?"

"I didn't catch the third's name."

"And where were you, then? How could you hear names but not stop this sh*t from happening?"

Remus' voice cracks mid-sentence. Tears prick at his eyes, and he glares at Virgil like it could be his fault. Maybe it is. Maybe if he wasn't a little coward, he could've stopped it. If only he didn't fail at such an important time.

"I- I was in detention, and- uh, and I heard noise and voices, but I froze and I couldn't move-"

Remus' face softens, regret flooding in as his friend stumbles over panicked words.

"Hey, hey. Sorry. I know you wouldn't hurt him."

Virgil simply nods curtly, easing himself out of his own panic.

"I found him, dazed and on the floor. Rem- Remus, he looked so terrified."

I should've got to him. Goddamit, why am I so f*cking stupid? Just- what the f*ck is wrong with me?

Remus bumps Virgil's shoulder lightly, bringing him out of his thoughts. His own tears threaten to spill. He simply sniffles and wills them away. At least, he holds those stupid tears in for as long as he can.

"...I'm gonna beat and kill their asses."

"I'll bring the bat."

The duo lightly chuckles at each other for a moment. They focus back on Roman, who looks so peaceful in his sleep. Peaceful and safe. It's almost surreal, in a way. He was just hurt by some dumbf*cks, and now he looks like nothing's wrong in the world. They almost don't want to wake him up.

He beats them to it though, groaning and slowly opening his eyes. He first notices purple patches across from him. Then the fact he's being hugged into the Aether, hugged by someone strong and... is that green on their weird vest thing? Wait, green...

He sees Remus' signature skull necklace, and everything catches up to him.

Remus is here. Re is here and I am safe. Safe. Virgil's here, too.

He feels soreness creeping in as he wakes up more.

Ugh... goddammit.

He groans in slight pain.

Wait f*ck- Virgil is here. Holy sh*t. Omg, omg-

And then a little bit of gay panic sets in.

Roman feels his face heat up slightly, and he hides it in Remus' chest. Remus, being the ever-loving twin that he is, just snorts at him once he notices him blushing. Virgil raises an eyebrow at him, but Remus just ignores it and snickers.

"Mm, f*ck you, Re," Roman mutters.

"Yeah, he's okay," Remus says.

"Pft- you good, Princey? What's got you hiding?"

Virgil's own tears are long forgotten as he watches Roman groan pathetically, oblivious to the fact he's a little flustered because of him.

"Seriously though, are you okay?" Virgil's voice softens again.

Roman peeks out from his hiding place, nodding.

"Hm. Then why don't we talk about it, if you're okay and all? We still have asses to maim."

The princely nerd huffs, sitting up in his brother's lap. He avoids their gazes as he speaks.

"'s nothing to worry about."

Remus gives him a the f*ck it isn't look.

"Nothing to- Roro, they left a mark on you. They hit you. That's something to worry about."

"Re-"

"He's right, Princey. They shouldn't be messing with you like. No one gets to f*ck with you like that."

A few seconds of tense silence.

"it's not like it's anything new..." he mumbles.

"Wait, what?"

"I'm killing them-"

Roman tugs on Remus as soon as he feels him try to get up, telling him to stay. Remus rolls his eyes affectionately, staying put and keeping a hold on his hurt brother.

"Fine. Later, then."

"Princey, I- what? Have they been hurting you for a while?"

"...I should be able to take it."

"Oh, no- no, sweetheart, that's not what I meant."

Roman blushes lightly at the pet name, but Virgil ignores it.

"Yeah."

"Oh, Princey..."

"Ro, why didn't ya just tell me? Or us? I could've used Ma's hunting knife on them! Perfect practice!"

"She would kill you if you took her knife, dumbass."

"Not if she knew it was to protect you."

Roman rolls his eyes. Virgil is about ready to steal their mom's knife himself because who the f*ck do they think they are?

Then, he remembers something he heard back when he was in the Library.

Wait, didn't they call him a- oh, oh sh*t. I'm gutting them, omg.

"Sweetheart, how long have they... called you things?"

Roman shrinks, knowing exactly what he's asking. He sheepishly shrugs. Remus makes a concerned, confused face.

"What are they calling you? Bro-bro?"

"...'s fine. It's not that bad."

"Not that- Roman," Virgil's voice bleeds with horror and worry.

Roman huffs stubbornly.

"Ro? What are they calling you?"

He stays quiet, still avoiding their gazes. He feels embarrassed about this entire situation. He should be able to handle it fine, shouldn't he? He's smart and charismatic. He's a prince, if theatre is anything to go by. Aren't princes supposed to be strong?

Isn't he supposed to be strong?

"Roman- Princey, can I tell him? If you won't, then can I?"

That nickname is sounding a little too endearing, and Roman is on the verge of giving in just from that. He meets Virgil's eyes, not expecting the utter weight of naked concern on his face. He bites his lip before nodding and hiding his face in Remus' chest again.

"They called him a slur."

Virgil feels ready to cry again as he speaks, and he's not even the one who got hurt.

"They did what?" anger bleeds through Remus' voice.

He holds Roman tighter, if that's even possible at this point. Roman whimpers as the smallest echo of the slur replays in his head.

"I'm killing them, I'm f*cking killing them. I'm burying them ten feet underground, and I'm killing them."

Roman grips Remus' vest as he tries to push the faint memory of the bullies did out of his mind.

"They don't have any f*cking right to-"

"Not new."

Remus stills. He almost pales as he processes his twin's words. Virgil, in fact, does go pale.

"Roro?"

"Oh, God-"

"Ro, bro-bro, they- they f*cking what?"

"I got a role they wanted. I always get a role they want. They don't like it when I get what they want. It's... 's fine. Nothin' new."

"Oh sweetheart, that's not fine. They- they shouldn't be calling you a slur over a cast role."

"Those b*tches-"

"I should be able to handle it. I'm- I'm supposed to be a prince, aren't I? Princes handle things on their own."

Princes are supposed to be strong, he thinks but doesn't say.

"That's... sweetheart, no. No, princes can ask for help if they need it."

"...but I'm supposed to be strong. Mom calls me her prince, and I want to be strong."

"Asking for help is strong, sweetheart. Strong is being scared and hurt, but surviving anyway."

"Ma calls you her prince because you are strong."

"She also calls you a gremlin Dorito because you have a weird obsession with demonic triangles."

"Cipher is f*cking funny-"

"He literally rips teeth from a deer, what the f*ck-"

Virgil spares a snort as the brothers briefly bicker.

"Not the point, Ro. She also calls me her duke because she said I was meant to be different from you. That you and I are both her precious royals."

Roman hums in response.

Virgil shuffles closer, sitting against Remus' arm. There's more silence. Remus is plotting death for those b*tches who hurt his brother. Virgil is probably doing the same, though he keeps glancing at Roman to make sure he's alright. Today was just total sh*t, huh?

"...they called me an attention wh*re."

Roman's voice cracks as he whispers, curling up in Remus' arms and wanting nothing more than today to have never happened. Remus growls protectively, resting his chin on Roman's head again. Virgil takes one of the nerd's hands, squeezing it softly. He squeezes back.

"Logan's dad knows the principle," Virgil says, rubbing circles on the nerd's knuckles. "Patton told me. We could f*cking get them."

Remus nods sharply as Roman seems to drift off somewhere.

They three stay there, in the empty hallway, as clubs end and other students decide to avoid the murderous looks on Remus' and Virgil's faces.

~~~

It's not even two days later when Jackson, Kayla, and Jackass Number 3 get expelled from school.

Not only does Logan's dad know the principle, but he also seems to be old friends to the district's Superintendent as well. Apparently, his dad knows some friends in high places. Good thing Virgil is intent on remaining on Logan's good side.

Roman and Virgil walk to school together, mainly because Janus is feeling better and Remus wanted to go f*ck some fences up with him. Plus, Roman's mom is even more insistent on him having a walking buddy now that she knows he'd been bullied. As overprotective as she can be, his mom cares a whole lot more about her sons than anything else.

She sneaked a wink at Roman when Virgil came over to walk with him, since his brother couldn't take him anyways. Remus must've tattled on his gay ass because now his mom kept giving this look whenever Virgil visited.

So yes, now he walks with his crush to school. As Remus is being a little criminal and doing God knows what, Roman is fighting a gay panic. Virgil's hand has brushed his twice already, and he thinks he might die if it happens again.

He drifts off into thought for a moment, wondering about a couple of days ago.

"Hey, Virgil?" his voice stays surprisingly steady as his heart thrums in his chest.

"Yeah, Princey?" Virgil glances over at him, and oh god, gay panic, now's not the time.

"Uh, when you... I mean, back when you found me in that hallway and helped me out, uh- well..."

Virgil's gaze softens. He offers a hand, and Roman takes it hesitantly. He squeezes lightly, causing the nerd exhale his nervousness.

"Um, when that happened, you kept calling me 'sweetheart'," Roman couldn't stop the smile on his face. "What was that about?"

His chest burst into butterflies as they both stop walking, and Virgil gives a fond smirk. He avoids Roman's gaze now, a light blush on his face.

"I- uh, sh*t. F*ck, sh*t," he mutters.

Roman waits, though his eager heart beats loudly against his chest.

"I, um... I care about you. You're important to me."

Hi, yes, hello. Uh, Roman's not here right now. He's currently bursting into a million fireworks.

"You- uh, what way do you mean?" Roman can feel how red his face is.

This is when Virgil looks at him, anxious and biting his lip. Flustered, he's flustered the skater boy. His face is red too, though debatably not as red as the nerd. No, Roman's face almost matches his bowtie.

Virgil takes Roman's other hand, shaking slightly from nerves. He stops biting his lip. He risks a brief glance at Roman's lips, and- omg. Omg, I'm going to die.

Both of their faces are burning bright red.

"You... want me to be your sweetheart?" Roman is breathless, and honestly a little overwhelmed by the fact his crush stared at his lips, oh Jesus f*cking Christ.

"Yeah, if you'd have me..." Virgil is just as breathless as they glance into each other's eyes, baring their souls and hearts to one another.

"I'd, uh- yeah, I'd like that."

Virgil moves one of his hands to hold the back of Roman's neck, and Roman's now-free hand rests on Virgil's shoulder. They both glance at each other's lips, hearts pounding and butterflies swarming their insides.

"Can I kiss you, sweetheart?" Virgil looks at him gay in the eyes, and Roman nearly melts.

"Yes," is all the nerd can muster.

They lean in awkwardly, considering they're inexperienced highschoolers, brushing their lips together. They each pull back from some initial shock, slowly leaning back as they gain what little confidence they have. They quickly peck each other, nerves turning into bursts of explosive colour and excitement in their guts. Roman looks at Virgil, his heart fluttering as he recovers from that. Virgil smiles fondly at him. His sweetheart- omg, he's his sweetheart now- smiling back. They're both in a daze. Faces bright pink, heads feeling light like clouds, and hands stay surprisingly steady as they gaze at each other.

It takes them a few moments before they realize that they're going to be late for school.

"Oh sh*t- uh, school's about to start," Virgil cusses as he takes his hand from the back of Roman's neck and looks at the time on his phone.

"Uh, yep. Yep, we should probably go an'- and stuff," his nerd awkwardly stumbles over his words, moving his hand off of Virgil's shoulder.

Virgil pockets his phone as they continue walking to school, picking up the pace a little. They still hold hands as they go. Gay panic roaring in their minds, a swirling mix of emotions leftover from kissing and confessing.

They don't part until needing to go down separate hallways for class.

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acingthistest · 1 year

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Prinxiety Week Prompt 2: Feathered Wings

This one’s not a fic, because i couldn’t think of anything when I started drawing. I keep rushing these cause I’m unprepared, I just love the stress 😀

Tags @prinxietyweek

#prinxietyweek2023 #virgil sanders #roman sanders #sanders sides #I hate drawing hands with a burning passion #backgrounds too #basically everything with drawing

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vash-the-trans-catboy · 2 years

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An Anniversary Worth Dying For

Summary: Tomorrow is Virgil and Logan’s fifth wedding anniversary. Logan has been hard at work creating Virgil a perfume that will have a calming effect to it. Unfortunately, the perfume and a poison Logan was experimenting with look very similar.

Pairings: Analogical (Virgil x Logan), background roceit (Roman x Janus)

TWs: Poison, major character death, grieving over death, hurt no comfort, warning this is an angsty one

Word count: 1358

Tag list: @prince-rowan-of-the-forest @ishipgenfics (let me know if you want to be added)

AO3

Logan has been locked away in his lab for the past few days. He is always secretive about his projects, especially when it has to do with me. Tomorrow will be our fifth wedding anniversary.

I walk past Logan’s lab for the ninth time today, hoping the door would be open. There is still a sign up that reads ‘Please do not bother me while I am working unless there is an emergency. An emergency only counts as one of the following: A fire has broken out in our house, you are seriously injured beyond needing a band-aid, or one of our close family members or friends has died or is in the hospital. If none of the above apply, please wait until I am finished to speak with me.’ It might not seem lovable at first glance, but Logan’s attention to rules has always been one of the reasons I fell for him. He has always been my stability in a world of chaos.

I let out a sigh when I see his door closed with the sign still up. I understand Logan’s work is important but I wanted to spend the evening watching a movie with him. It’s been a tradition of ours; Every year the night before our anniversary we would choose a historical movie to watch.

I’m letting the movie tradition slide for now, because I know he is currently working on a present for me.

As I’m aimlessly pacing around the halls, the door opens and Logan steps out. He looks disheveled, chemicals stain his lab coat. “Sorry I took so long. Were you waiting?” Logan asks before pulling me in for a quick kiss.

“I’m just a bit impatient,” I laugh as I answer.

“We’ll start movie night in just a few minutes. Let me shower and change out of my work clothes before we start.” Logan says before he disappears into our bedroom.

I know I shouldn’t, but curiosity gets the better of me. I look up and down the hall, making sure the coast is clear before I slip into Logan’s lab. The door gently shuts behind me.

On his work table, there are two identical bottles, both light purple in color, sitting next to each other. Near the top of the table is a label, in the same handwriting as the sign on the door, that reads ‘anniversary present for Virgil: Test number 67- perfume that smells like lavender while having a chemical compound that creates a calming effect to soothe nerves and anxiety.’ I smile to myself. I couldn’t have possibly picked a better person to spend the rest of my life with. Logan is the most thoughtful person I have ever met.

In the hallway, I hear our bedroom door open and then close. Logan’s voice blends into the background. I vaguely hear him calling my name. Before I sneak out of his lab one sniff of this perfume won’t hurt. Tomorrow I’ll pretend as if I have never smelled it before.

The door to the lab opens as I take a sniff of the bottle to the right. I quickly put down the bottle as he walks in.

“Virgil, what are you-” Logan stops short when he sees me holding the bottle. His face looks very worried, “Which bottle did you just smell?”

Oh shit. I didn’t want Logan to know I knew about his surprise. The room starts to shake, most likely from the anxiety of being caught.

“The right one. Why?” Some of my vision goes dark for a second. The room is spinning now.

“No. No. No. No.” Tears start rolling down Logan’s face as he rushes towards me. “This can’t be happening.”

I don’t understand what’s going on. The floor slips out from under my feet. I black out. A second later I woke up in Logan’s arms. His face is blurry as is everything in the room.

“L-Logan? What happened? Why are you crying? How did I end up on the floor? Why won’t the room stop spinning?” Red spots coat my vision. I take a deep breath only to feel a burning sensation in my lungs. I start to cough to try to get rid of the pain but it only makes it worse.

“I’m so sorry. This wasn’t meant to happen. Why did the bottles have to look so similar? I knew it was stupid to keep this failed experiment lying around.” Logan sobbed as he held onto me.

Every breath was excruciating. It felt like there was a hole burning through my lungs.

“I love you, Virgil.” My vision blacked out again as Logan repeated ‘I love you. I love you’ over and over again.

I tried to say it back but my vocal cords felt like someone lit them on fire.

“I lo-” After two syllables my voice cut out. Everything went dark for the last time.

………………….

The day before our fifth wedding anniversary was the worst day of my entire life.

I walked into my lab to find Virgil staggering after he sniffed a bottle of deadly poison. His death was completely my fault. Next to the poison was a bottle of anxiety-calming perfume. I was the idiot who put them side by side.

I ran over to Virgil. Tears already streamed down my face. Right as I reached him, he collapsed in my arms. Words tumbled out of my mouth. Streams of apologies. But no apology will ever make up for this. The love of my life is dead, and I have to live with the memory that I killed him.

I held him for 15 minutes before he died. His breath sounded like someone was strangling him. His face turned bright red and tears ran down his cheeks. His body convulsed as the poison took effect. His lungs breathed in a pattern that should not have been possible for a living being. Even during Virgil’s panic attacks, his breathing had never sounded this haggard.

15 minutes after smelling the poison, Virgil went limp in my arms. I pull his body closer, crying over his corpse. “I’m sorry. I’m sorry. I’m sorry. I’m sorry. I’m sorry. I’m sorry. It wasn’t supposed to end like this. We had our entire lives to spend with each other. I’m never going to hear you laugh again. I’m never going to hear you make a snarky comment again. I’m never going to hear your dry humor or your sarcasm again. Please let this be a bad dream. I’m going to wake up and you’ll be there next to me alive and well, right?”

The funeral was small. It was only Roman, Remus, Janus, Patton, and myself. Virgil was never close to his family. We didn’t bother telling them he had died. I don’t remember much of the ceremony. I sobbed through the entire thing. Everyone held me tight and cried with me.

After a week I couldn’t stand the quietness anymore. At 3 am on a Tuesday, I rang Janus and Roman’s doorbell, then hysterically cried on their doorstep until they answered. Worried faces greeted me as they pulled me inside. Everything has been duller since you left. Roman wrapped me in a blanket. I sat sandwiched between the two of them for hours crying until I finally fell asleep. It was the first time in a week I slept more than 5 minutes.

The next morning when I was half asleep I heard Janus whispering on the phone. Two hours later, Patton and Remus arrived with a few boxes. Roman sat with me, running his fingers through my hair as they unloaded my stuff into the guest bedroom.

“We all think it would be best if you weren’t alone for a while,” Roman whispered to me.

My voice was hoarse from all the crying and screaming. The first real sentence I spoke in a week came out broken. “T-this isn’t re-real, r-right?”

Janus took my hand and gave me a look of pity, “I’m sorry, honey, but it’s real.”

I closed my eyes in defeat. There shouldn’t be any universe where I have to survive without my Virgil.

#thegayemo writing #sanders sides #virgil sanders #logan sanders #ts logan #ts virgil #ts roman #ts patton #ts janus #ts remus #roman sanders #remus sanders #janus sanders #patton sanders #analogical #background roceit

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dotemakesthings · 6 months

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Chapters: 4/? Fandom: Sanders Sides (Web Series) Rating: Teen And Up Audiences Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: Anxiety | Virgil Sanders/Deceit | Janus Sanders, Anxiety | Virgil Sanders & Creativity | Roman "Princey" Sanders, Creativity | Roman "Princey" Sanders & Dark Creativity | Remus "The Duke" Sanders, Minor or Background Relationship(s), Anxiety | Virgil Sanders & Logic | Logan Sanders, Anxiety | Virgil Sanders & Morality | Patton Sanders, Logic | Logan Sanders/Morality | Patton Sanders Characters: Anxiety | Virgil Sanders, Creativity | Roman "Princey" Sanders, Dark Creativity | Remus "The Duke" Sanders, Deceit | Janus Sanders, Morality | Patton Sanders, Logic | Logan Sanders Additional Tags: Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Soulmate-Identifying Marks, Alternate Universe - Human, Friends to Lovers, Enemies to Lovers, Identity Porn, Alternate Universe - College/University, Childhood Friends, Bad Parenting, Fist Fights, Insults, Minor Logic | Logan Sanders/Morality | Patton Sanders, Depression, Recovering from a Massive Fuckup Summary:

Virgil’s soulmate, Dee, writes to him on his arm almost every day. He’s supportive, sweet, and everything Virgil could want in a soulmate.

He’s glad for the support when he has to deal with this absolute *asshole* in his English seminar named Janus.

Chapter 4: Virgil gets a little help from people who love him.

Taglist under cut:

@awitchbravestheverge

@sometimes-love-is-enough

@prince-rowan-of-the-forest

@fangirlwriting-stories

#tss fanfic #tss anxceit #sanders sides fic #virgil sanders #patton sanders #logan sanders #sanders sides fanfic #sanders sides #platonic moxiety #platonic analogical #background:#tss logicality #anxceit #(the fic is anxceit but it has no real appearance in this chapter)#dote writes things

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halfhissandwich · 3 months

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That video @warnadudenexttime made of plushie analogical on a cruise is now my favorite video on the internet so I had to draw it

#sanders sides #logan sanders #virgil sanders #analogical #I hate backgrounds #also accidentally posted this on the wrong blog at first #sorry

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snowdice · 2 years

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Wind Symphony: The Sequel (Sometimes Labels Shift Series)

Fandom: Sanders Sides

Relationships: Logan & Virgil, Logan/Patton

Characters: Logan, Virgil, Patton

Summary: Virgil gets his first ever clarinet. This is a very stressful day for him. He doesn't even know the prices!

This is a dealing with events set after my story Sometimes Labels Fail.

Notes: Superhero AU (not that it matters), past child abuse

(Original prompt from @carolofthebell a looooong long time ago.)

Virgil flinched at the sound of the bell as another customer exited the store. He couldn’t help but be jumpy considering the amount of expensive merchandise within accidently elbowing distance.

He’d been usure about this venture from the beginning and was even more so now that they were actually in the music store.

Virgil had auditioned for and made it into the intermediate band for the spring semester, a step up from the lowest level band he’d been in before. Both Logan and Patton had congratulated him for this more than they probably should have and then had taken him out for ice cream.

It wasn’t until about a week later that Logan brought up the topic of buying him a better clarinet.

“The school rentals are of good enough quality,” Logan had explained, “however, if you’re going to play more seriously, it would be beneficial to get you a better one. It would also afford you the opportunity to practice during the summer, so you can audition for the senior band next fall.”

Considering Virgil had only just managed to get into the intermediate band, he thought that was moving very, very fast, but Logan had shut down that protest by reminding him that even if he didn’t manage to get into it next year, he surely would in his senior year, and it was an investment. Virgil’s protest that said “investment” was far, far too expensive was also ignored by both Patton and Logan.

Now they were here in a music shop on a Saturday morning, and Virgil didn’t know if he’d ever been this stressed. (And he’d been shot before.)

He’d never been in a music shop before, and he couldn’t help but tug anxiously on his sleeve as his eyes darted around to all the different, very very expensive instruments hanging on the walls. He didn’t even want to touch the shelves of sheet music, worried that he’d somehow knock them over and trigger an avalanche of costly equipment.

Patton and Logan clearly did not have the same anxieties, strolling through the shelves like this was a Good Will instead of a specialty shop.

Virgil followed them with a caution befitting a man creeping around a sleeping dragon to steal its eggs.

“Hello,” said Logan upon making it to the very back of the store where an older man with wide rimmed glasses was standing at a counter.

“How can I help you?” the man asked.

“We’re looking for a beginner’s clarinet.”

The man’s eyes instantly drifted to Virgil. Virgil chose not to dive behind the nearest shelf (since it held pricey looking ticking metronomes) and instead attempted to hide in his hoodie.

“I have a list of brands that are of interest,” Logan said, pushing a list over to the man.

The man glanced at the list and blinked, seeming surprised. Virgil was sure Logan had been shockingly thorough in his research.

“However,” Logan continued. “We’d like Virgil to have a chance to make the final decision.” At that, Logan looked back at Virgil and noticed he was hanging back a good 10 feet. He waved Virgil forward and Virgil reluctantly shuffled over.

“Of course,” the man said, his eyes on Virgil even more now. “I’ll get a few down for him to look at.” The man turned away to walk into the back and Virgil let the breath he’d been holding out.

Patton settled a hand on his shoulder and Virgil almost jumped out of his skin. The hand jerked back.

“Sorry,” Virgil said.

Patton hesitated and then, careful to choreograph his movement more this time, he returned the hand to his shoulder, giving a reassuring squeeze.

“You don’t need to be stressed, honey,” Patton said. “It’s just a clarinet. It won’t bite you.”

“It’s expensive,” Virgil stressed.

“You don’t need to worry about the cost,” Logan said. “I have already budgeted for more than enough to cover any expenses we incur here.”

But why he had done that was still a mystery to Virgil. He didn’t bother asking. They’d already tried to have that discussion many times before.

“Speaking of, is there anything else you need?” Logan asked.

Virgil shook his head.

Logan raised an eyebrow in response. “Reeds?” he asked. “Cleaning equipment?”

Virgil shrugged. Technically, yes, he probably did need those things.

Logan nodded as though hearing Virgil’s thoughts. “We’ll make sure to get all of that as well. Patton, why don’t you go look around the store for things you think he’ll need while Virgil and I test out the instruments.”

“He’ll buy the entire store,” Virgil pointed out as Patton almost immediately turned to start looking at the store’s offerings. Patton glanced back at him with a teasingly annoyed expression. He was not distracted from his task for long, however.

“He surely will,” Logan confirmed. He always said things like that with more fond amusement than actual annoyance, Virgil had noticed in the months he’d lived with them. Today, it wasn’t even that. He seemed happy that Patton was probably going to drop a bunch of cash on useless things in this store.

The man returned after a few minutes with three different clarinets. The brand names meant nothing to Virgil except that they were all ones that had been on Logan’s list. He wished he’d done his own research since none of the cases had priced on them, and he didn’t know which was the most expensive. All he knew was they all probably costed a lot.

Even beginner clarinets were expensive, he knew. That’s why most kids, even ones not in foster care, rented instruments. Even rich families often didn’t outright buy an instrument until they were sure their kid was going to stick with it.

Maybe some of the kids in Virgil’s grade with rich parents, a lot of skills, and opportunities to play at non-school functions had instruments of their own by now, but people like Virgil did not.

Yet, Logan and Patton had insisted and now here Virgil was.

The man talked briefly about the differences between each clarinet (not the prices) and what each was good for before letting Virgil test them all out briefly.

If it were up to Virgil, he’d have just messed around with each for a couple of minutes, so this venture didn’t cost as much time as it did money, but Logan insisted he play each for around 15 minutes to really ‘get a feel for them.’ The worker seemed to approve of this suggestion.

They’d been at the store for over an hour by the time he’d tried all of the offered clarinets out to satisfaction. He still wished he knew the prices, but without that, he just had to blindly pick which one he’d liked the most.

Patton returned with two baskets of merchandise ranging from useful (swabs, cork grease, and reeds) to unnecessary (a music stand and some books of sheet music from Disney movies) and inane (coasters with clarinets and musical notes on them).

Upon confirmation that Virgil had picked a clarinet, he dumped this all on the counter in front of Logan and promptly (gently) manhandled Virgil out of the store so Logan could pay.

“I wanted to at least know how much you guys just spent on me,” Virgil groused as the door closed behind him.

“You are absolutely never knowing,” he said.

Virgil bit his lip.

“Really, Virgil,” Patton said. “We want to buy it for you. The cost doesn’t matter.”

“What if I break it?” Virgil asked.

“Considering how gently you treated the rental?” Patton asked, “I don’t think you will, but even if you do, it’s fine. It’s just an object.”

“An expensive object.”

“We can afford it,” Patton said with a shrug, “and we want to give it to you because we care. Let us do this for you.”

There was an earnestness to his expression that made Virgil have to swallow. “Fine,” he agreed reluctantly, “but did you have to get the coasters?”

“Those are for me!” Patton declared. “I’m going to take them to my office, so if someone asks about them, I can brag about the fantastic clarinet player I have at home.”

Virgil blushed at the thought. “Do not do that.”

Patton just smiled.

“Patton don’t do that.”

In the years to come, Patton would very much do that.

#adriana writes #sometimes labels shift #labeled universe #virgil sanders #patton sanders #logan sanders #background logicality #platonic moxiety #platonic analogical #past abuse

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