#fander-secret-santa

[loganslowdown4]

So I had a bit of a break down because

APPARENTLY I’M FEATURED FANDER?!?

Hey that’s me! And my X handle hah

(Face reveal IG? lol)

Anyway, I made a reaction video of the episode and my reaction to the featured fander reveal is … well it’s a bit of a shock

Love ya @thatsthat24 💙

[blank-ace]

Here’s my gift for @mei-the-monster  for @fander-secret-santa ‘s gift exchange! Hope you like it!

I don’t really have the patience to draw flowers but that didn’t stop me from drawing a truckload of them anyway! ((*wispers* cliiiick on it!~))

Happy holidays, everyone!! <3

[2queer2deer]

@stuffsucks !! Merry Christmas!! I’m your secret Santa !! 

I hope this is ok ; 7 ; I decided to animate it a little bit, just because I wanted to make sure it was something I could put a some extra time and love into (and it would’ve been kinda boring without) I’m gonna be honest I got kind of hyped when you said black - just because it’s a colour I normally avoid for the most part so it was a nice challenge haha 

I hope you like it !!! 💙💙💙💙 

@fander-secret-santa

[alteridolriley]

Winter Warmth

A/N: Heya there everyone! This is my @fander-secret-santa gift for @thebeautyofthomas! They asked for a LAMP/CALM fic so I went with the Sides celebrating their first Christmas together… but not everything goes as planned. I hope you enjoy it!

General Fic Taglist: @availe, @anxious-patton, @ssides, @celiawhatsherlastname, @introverts-assemble, @pattonspuns (Let me know if you’d like to be removed or added!)

Word Count: 3,347 Ships: LAMP/CALM (Already established) Warnings: Nothing too particular I can think of except maybe some dark thoughts and talk of sickness/hypothermia.

Patton stared at his reflection in the mirror noting the black bags under his eyes and the fact his eyes themselves looked like they were dead. He shook his head; his bangs falling down ever so slightly behind his glasses but at the same time he regretted doing this action as his head began to spin too. The dizziness wore off slowly as Patton braced himself against the sink below the mirror.

It’s been such a long time coming… it’s our first Christmas together as boyfriends… as a single couple… as a family. I won’t be sick today!

He opened a drawer of the vanity cabinet, pulling out some skin tone colored foundation. It was at this point he was grateful for the times Thomas had participated in makeup videos. Patton applied the makeup under his eyes; the black disappearing. The others didn’t need to know that he hadn’t slept for more than 45 minutes at a time the past three nights, right? Right.

Patton returned to his room, putting his cat hoodie around his neck. Today was the day for decorations! The mindscape needed some holiday spirit and all four of them had agreed for today to be the day. Roman had conjured all kinds of lights and yard decorations for them to put up. Within this mindscape, the home was a single family home style and Patton had begged Logan to allow him to decorate it too, even though only the four of them would ever see it. It didn’t take much convincing as Logan had grown a bit softer, or at least allowed himself to relax more which Patton was so happy to see. They had all become a bit closer after the more recent events – Patton couldn’t help but smile thinking back on everything. His family was finally whole.

A coughing fit caught the moral trait by surprise, causing him to fall to his knees. It ended in a few seconds and he stood back up, clearing his throat. No more of that could happen today. Patton tightened his hoodie a bit and sunk down, arriving in the hallway just outside his room.

Christmas music filled his ears as he walked closer to the living space. Upon arrival, he saw Virgil and Roman building the tree in the corner closer to the window between it and the couch. It was an artificial tree so it had to be put together in pieces.

“There’s got to be one more blue tagged piece, Princey.” Virgil said, his voice tinged with just slight annoyance. It clearly hadn’t been the first time he’d asked.

Roman sighed. “I honestly don’t see it here anywhere. All of these are green tagged.” The prince pushed his bangs back with his free right hand, still digging through the box with his left.

“Maybe sort them outside of the box?” Patton questioned as he walked closer to them. His voice was a bit scratchy and he screamed at himself in his head. What if they noticed?

Roman and Virgil both turned to him. They both wore soft smiles on their face.

“Hey there Pat, welcome to the decorating party.” Virgil said, holding two branches in his hand. “And yeah, that does sound like a better idea.” Roman pulled the box closer to him as he sat down on the floor. “Also Patton, it seems Roman took the easy way out to hang the lights around the ceiling…”

“He didn’t need to know that, dark and brooding!” Roman whined, looking up at Patton. “I just figured we wanted to get done quicker…”

Patton put on his dad face, mocking disappointment. “We’re supposed to do everything by hand today, Roman. No snapping of the fingers or just conjuring it into place!” His voice was light and airy. “Christmas is about spending time with family! It means more if we take the time to do it ourselves!”

Roman’s eyes drooped a bit. “Yes, I’m sorry. I’ll remember for later.” His eyes widened a bit when Patton just smiled, patting his shoulder.

“It’s okay! I’m still proud of the work you two have done!” Patton assured him.

And sure enough, the lighting in the living room was outstanding. Stars, snowflakes, and christmas tree lights hung their way around the room where the ceiling and walls met. The staircase was covered in purple star lights and black garland with silver tinsel; the area around the TV was red stars with white tinsel and garland and finally the window had long icicle styled lights hanging down from the framing of the curtains creating a blue glow over the entire corner. Patton couldn’t lie – as he watched Roman and Virgil continue to build the tree together, the paternal side felt tears coming to his eyes. He remembered all the times the two of them would bicker and argue and to see them working together now on a common goal just made him so happy.

Patton turned quickly on his heel to go find where Logan was hiding. He immediately regretted that decision as his head began to spin again and his sight started to fail him. Patton ended up on one knee, holding himself up with his right hand on the coffee table. His fall had caused a loud thump which brought his plight to Virgil and Roman’s attention.

“Patton, hey you okay?” Virgil asked, his voice soft. He had walked towards him with one of his hands outstretched to Patton. Roman had also turned around.

The moral side stood back up on his own, forcing himself to ignore his thumping head. “I’m good, kiddo! Just tripped over my own feet in my excitement is all!” He smiled with his tongue sticking out a bit.

“Alright…” Virgil responded, one eyebrow up.

Patton knew he had to take it a bit slower. He refused to ruin this day with his sickness. As he walked towards the kitchen, the front door opened to reveal Logan bundled up in a navy jacket, blue cotton sock cap and black gloves. A light dusting of snow covered him.

“Oh, you’re up. Good morning, Patton.” Logan said, pulling off his gloves. “I’ve got the lights outside and the ladder is ready as well.” He shivered a bit. “However, I’m gonna take some time to warm up before heading back out. Roman made it very realistically cold outside.” Patton giggled at Logan’s slight frown.

“Excuse me, I think it looks amazing outside!” Roman chimed in as he walked up behind Patton. He threw his arm casually around Patton’s shoulder. “Patton said he wanted a winter wonderland outside and that’s exactly what I delivered.” He puffed his chest out. “I believe in realism!”

“This would be the only time you ever did.” Virgil piped up as he also entered the kitchen area. He ignored the dirty look shot to him by the prince. “Hey Lo, will you make me a cup too? It’s cold.”

Logan grunted as an affirmation, pulling another cup from the cabinet. He filled a pot with water and begun to boil it on the stove. “Well, Roman… if you love the cold so much…” The logical trait flicked his finger over his shoulder, which in turn changed Roman’s attire to a white puffy jacket with a red matching scarf, hat, and gloves. “…why don’t you help Patton with the lights outside?”

Roman looked down at himself and decided to just play along. “Yes! We will make the house look beautiful! Shall we go Morality?”

Patton snapped his fingers and changed his own clothing to a puffy baby blue jacket with his Watson scarf around his neck and a dog themed hat and earmuffs on. “Yes! I’m so excited!”

As soon as Patton and Roman walked outside, the cold immediately sapped all the warmth they had in their bodies. The wind was slightly picking up as they walked out to the yard to where the box of lights was sitting. It was covered with a dusting of snow which Roman brushed off cleanly in one swipe. Patton felt himself shivering even more than was probably normal. It was cold, but Roman seemed fine. The moral side ignored the thumping in his head that was starting to get worse and the fact that everything seemed like it was spinning.

“Patton!”

Patton snapped his head up to meet eyes with Roman. The prince was looking at him with concern. “Are you okay there, Patton? I called to you several times and you didn’t answer.”

Morality nodded quickly, biting his lip to distract himself. “Yes I’m sorry. I’m just really excited! That’s all!”

The prince didn’t seem convinced but he handed the lights he had pulled out of the box to Patton. “I think these would be good to hang from the gutters. They hang down like icicles but they change colors!” Roman explained smiling.

“Yeah they’re gonna be beautiful!” Patton responded, taking the lights.

He walked to one side of the house near where Logan had sat up the ladder. Patton grabbed hold of the ladder and carefully began his ascent to the top. With every step, Patton felt his head pounding.

No. I can do this. I can be sick tomorrow. I’m not ruining this day.

The moral side made it to the top, using the clips attached to the lights to snap them into place. Within seconds, and after untangling a few strands, the lights hung down beautifully in front of the house. Patton carefully climbed down the ladder and moved it towards the first peak of the home. Roman brought him another strand of lights. Patton reached out for them, grabbing and pulling only to realize Roman did not let go.

“Pat… are you sure you’re okay?” Roman questioned. “I can’t ignore it anymore.”

Please ignore it.

Patton used his chin to hide his face more behind his scarf. “M'fine.” He closed his eyes and smiled.

I’m not fine. My head is thumping so loudly it’s hard to hear you.

Roman’s eyes drooped. “Do you promise me?”

I don’t want to lie to him, but I don’t want him to worry either…

“Y-yes.” Patton pulled harder on the string of lights, jerking it from Roman’s grasp.

I’m not lying.

I’m fine.

He walked over to the ladder, taking a deep breath before climbing to the very top. The higher he ascended, the more his head thumped and his heart raced. Patton felt his head sway as he snapped the lights onto the gutter again but managed to finish. As he turned slightly to descend, he looked all the way down to the ground, seeing Roman untangling another set of lights.

The ground seemed so far away – Patton didn’t enjoy heights in general and with his pounding head and racing heart, everything began to sway in his vision.

Black rings began to distort his vision and Patton felt his grip loosening on the ladder.

It was so cold.

The wind was freezing all of his unprotected skin and his eyelids felt heavy.

The cold felt…oddly warm.

Roman struggled with the last set of lights, laying it across the box so it would not manage to tangle itself again. Suddenly, he heard a clatter of the ladder and he turned to see Patton at the top, unmoving from his position. The lights had all been hung. Roman was about to call up to the parental trait but as he raised his right hand up, his eyes widened and heart began to race as Patton began to fall backwards off of the ladder!

“Patton!”

The prince dashed from his kneeling position on the ground towards the house, just barely catching Patton in time. The force of the fall caused them to topple onto the ground with a rather large slam. Following suit was the ladder which had fallen sideways into the bushes on the side of the house.

Roman sat up, ignoring the pains on his body to see Patton sprawled on top of him. The moral side’s head had ended up on Roman’s chest. The prince’s first thought was how happy he was that he was able to catch Patton but his near instant other thought was how Patton’s eyes were closed and he wasn’t moving. Without a second thought, Roman lifted Patton gently into his arms, standing up.

“Patton! Patton, please answer me.” Roman felt his voice trembling as he shook Patton gently. Patton’s head shook back and forth but he didn’t respond. “Patton…” The wind picked up, blowing the snow from the ground and roof towards them. Roman’s eyes snapped up to the sky and within a millisecond, the snow stopped falling and the wind all but disappeared.

He began his trek through the snow as quickly as possible, and pushed his way through the front door. “Logan! Virgil! Help me!” he shouted as the door opened.

Virgil was sitting on the stairs, hood pulled up and his phone in his hand. At the sound of the door slamming open, he jumped into a standing position, nearly dropping his phone.

“Princey, what the-” Virgil started until he saw the unconscious Patton. His heart sank. “What happened?!” His eyes went from Patton’s closed eyes to his irregular breathing to his hands trembling.

Before Virgil could move, he felt a hand on his shoulder. It was Logan who had come down from upstairs.

“Roman, put Patton on the couch. Find several blankets and get him warmed up right now.” Logan instructed. His voice was firm but his expression showed nothing but worry. He walked over to them, placing the back of his hand onto Patton’s cheek.  “He’s showing signs of hypothermia. We need to get him warm but we cannot rush it. His body could go into shock.”

Roman took no time in following Logan’s instructions. He placed Patton onto the couch softly, cradling his head onto a pillow and then conjured a couple of blankets. As he tucked the blankets around the moral trait, he felt tears form in the corner of his eyes. Some prince he was, he couldn’t even protect his own family. Try as he might to not get upset, he felt his shoulders begin to shake with sobs. Suddenly Roman felt arms going around his shoulders gently and realized Virgil had walked up behind him, hugging him.

“Virgil, I-I…”

“No one is at fault here, Roman.” Virgil said firmly. “All we can do is try to help him get better. It’ll be okay.” The anxious trait released Roman before standing next to him, holding his hand and squeezing it gently.

Logan returned from the kitchen with a heating pad, what looked like some medicine and bottled water. The logical trait bent down, placing the heating pad near the center of Patton’s body, plugging it in under a side table. He felt Patton’s forehead with his hand, before shaking his head.

“What is it, Logan?” Roman asked.

“He should already be getting warmer, but I’m not feeling too much of a physical change.” Logan mused, crossing his arms.  

“What should we do?” Virgil asked, his voice barely above a whisper. “We have to do something.”

Logan sighed, pushing his glasses up. “He has to take the medicine. That will help. It seems he was already sick and the cold outside only made it worse.” Without warning, Logan grabbed the bottle on the side table, opening it up. He measured out the liquid in the top and took the medicine himself. Virgil and Roman both blinked in confusion before Logan leaned down to Patton, adjusting his head to flat, and he pushed his lips onto Patton’s, transferring the liquid. Logan wiped his mouth of lingering medicine with the back of his hand. “Drastic times call for drastic measures.”

Roman and Virgil met eyes and looked back to Logan in agreement. Virgil reached out and grabbed Logan’s hand, squeezing it gently. “I.. I think I have an idea, Lo. Can we try it?”

Logan looked back at him, one eyebrow raised. “Let’s hear it.”

“What about something better than a heating blanket? What about…us?” Virgil questioned.

Roman gasped, throwing his arm around Virgil’s neck and planted a kiss on his cheek. “Yes, my dark heart! That’s perfect! We can act as his heating pad.” He turned to Logan. “That’s okay, right?”

The logical trait looked down to Patton’s still form, brushing his fingertips over Patton’s hand.

“Yes. I think that’s a great idea.”

Within a few minutes, they had managed to pull out the fold out bed inside the couch. Virgil placed Patton in the center, covering him up with several blankets. Roman had moved the TV in front of the bed, putting on Patton’s favorite Christmas movie. Logan had gathered more pillows and blankets for them to share. Virgil laid down on Patton’s left side, holding his head up with his right arm. He stared at Patton who was breathing regular again, thankfully. Now that Virgil thought about it, Patton was always the one who took care of them all when they were sick. He took it upon himself to find medicines, make soup, and do all of their typical chores. It was now time for them to return the favor. Virgil grabbed Patton’s left hand and interlaced their fingers.

Roman finished his TV setup and took his place on the other side of Patton. “I know… you probably can’t hear me, but I’ve got your favorite movie playing, Padre. You keep resting and it’ll be here when you wake up… okay?” The prince adjusted Patton’s bangs with his fingers and placed a quick kiss on his forehead before laying down next to him.

Logan gave both Virgil and Roman their own blankets and pillows before taking his place at the head of the couch bed. He laid down with his chest at Patton’s head which caused his legs to dangle over the side of the couch just a bit but he didn’t mind. His priority was to stay as close to Patton as possible to be sure he could watch over his vitals. Logan felt Patton’s cheeks again, and this time, he felt a warmth to them he hadn’t within the last hour or so. A smile crept onto his face.

“This will work.” Logan said to himself assuredly.

Several hours passed, as the four boys laid in silence, the TV and Christmas lights around the room creating the only light as the afternoon turned into evening. The house was darken by the early winter sunset.

A release of breath came from the center of the cuddle pile on the couch bed.

Patton’s eyes fluttered open, his eyes rolling around a bit before they adjusted. He closed his eyes again, still feeling his head thumping a bit but not nearly as bad as before.

I’m so warm.

Wait… what happened?

I was outside with Roman…

Patton opened his eyes, being greeted by the sleeping face of Virgil. The anxious trait was cuddled into his arm, their fingers still interlaced together. Patton felt his racing heart calm nearly instantly. He turned his head slowly and was met with the sleeping face of Roman this time who had his arm laying protectively over Patton’s chest. The moral trait looked up and saw Logan, who was also calmly sleeping with a book laying on his chest as if he had fallen asleep reading. Patton couldn’t handle how his chest swelled with relief and love in one instance. Tears bubbled up in his eyes and he felt them rolling down his cheek.

“My boyfriends… my family…” he whispered. “Christmas is about more than lights, decorations…all the silly tangible things… Christmas… is about my family…and how much I love them and they love me…” Patton’s voice trailed off as sleep consumed him again.

It was their first Christmas together, and it wasn’t perfect. But as long as they all had each other, that was all that mattered.

[darksushimoon-moved]

Uncaring | Thomas Sanders

A present for @scaredysanders for the @fander-secret-santa !!!

words: 4020

AU: Human, high school, soulmate

Relationship: (Pre-slash) Prinxiety

Characters: Virgil, Roman, and Joan! Brief mentions to other characters.

Summary: Work sucks.

TW: drug abuse mention, death mention, vomiting, sensory overload! There may be more, and if you need it tagged just asked me.

Virgil was used to the greys, blacks, whites, and reds. Virgil couldn’t imagine the world in more than monochrome- would that be the term for it? Virgil didn’t care. His parents tried their best to explain it, before his father died. After his dad died, his mom didn’t feel much like talking about it. Or doing anything much at all, besides sleeping and taking painkillers. Some days, when she was feeling well enough, she would sit and talk to him, even talk to him about his father. She was born with colored sight, but with how much she loved him, she could have sworn they were soulmates. But, whatever Creator there was, said they may not have an eternal bond, but they had one during this life. They were only bodymates. They were not soulbound, either. There was a clear difference between being soulmates and bodymates. The difference was was that a soulmate was the soul inside your body had come across another, and fell in love. This happens a certain amount of times over different lives. When this number was reached, the souls couldn’t bare to be separated longer. The soul would then only allow the color of the other soul accentuate the current body’s vision. There is also a distinct difference between being soulbound versus not being soulbound.   If one was soulbound- that is, having a soulmate, they would be born color blind, to all but the color of the specific soul. Color would only come to the soulbound if they touched their soulmate. Virgil’s mother was not soulbound, and thus was born with colored vision. She may have not had a soulmate, but she had a bodymate. This means the body- in essence, you- had fallen in love with someone. You may spend your life with them, but there was no confirmation that you would meet in the next life. That’s what everyone and his mom, anyway. Virgil huffed. He didn’t need color. He didn’t need another person, in a romantic sense. It’s already hard to take care of one person, who did little else than sleep. Virgil had a hard time juggling two hardly above minimum wage jobs and his senior year of high school. The teen was able to work it out with his schedule, thankfully. This, of course, didn’t mean he had good grades. But he was passing. Virgil couldn’t ask for more. Well, actually, he could. Virgil could ask for a little more sleep. Virgil refused caffeine, even if he was more than exhausted. He knew it would enhance his anxiety, and wouldn’t wake up his mind anyway. He knew he usually could sleep during first period. No reason to complain. Speaking of first period, Virgil was awoken by a loud slam on the desk next to his head. Virgil shot up and fell out of the desk. He was terrified of loud noises, and hated them more than anything- well, not anything. Now they were all laughing. Great. Just great. Internalize and force yourself to be emotionless, like you always do, Virgil. “Mr. Virgil, did you have a nice nap?” The teacher spoke, and Virgil grumbled. “Yeah, great ‘til you woke me.” He mumbled. “Don’t back talk me, young man!” The laughter had died down into snickers. “Sir, I didn’t-“ Virgil was interrupted by the bell. The teacher had seemingly completely forgotten about Virgil. “Have a great day class! Don’t forget to study for our test tomorrow.” Virgil clenched one hand, and shoved his stupid binder into his stupid bookbag, slung it over his stupid shoulders, and stomped out the stupid door like a child. He didn’t care. He was one of the last ones out anyway. Virgil shoved his hands into his pockets, and tried to let out his anger by taking deep breaths. Today was going to be a long day.

Virgil wanted to go home, lay down, and curl up in a ball and die. He was completely exhausted. He hated school with a burning passion. He hated all the homework, the teachers, and the misunderstanding students. But the only thing that was worse than school, was work. And he headed there right after school. And his luck, it was after school now. After barely escaping two accidents, he found his way to the Walmart parking lot. He parked in the designated worker parking. This wasn’t actually designated, rather implied but whatever. He grabbed his work clothes, and got changed in the back of his car. He hit his head and hands more than once, but it was better than changing in those dirty stalls. The stalls had people crowding around him or some creeps trying to talk to him. Even worse, he had the feeling of the camera watching him. Here, at the expense of physical comfort, he could at least feel a little more mentally at ease. Whatever, he didn’t have to explain it. Virgil finally placed his name tag on reading Walmart at the top, and his name towards the bottom. He sighed.  He grabbed his keys and wallet and his phone. He checked the time. He still had a good ten minutes, but he wasn’t going to risk it. He walked through the automatic doors into the loud environment. He was already getting a headache. Unlocking the door with his key, he walked to the employee workroom, and he signed in. He sighed, and walked back out, and locked the door back. The teen walked towards his station, and turned on the light. Immediately, a crowd came rushing towards him, giving him a rush of anxiety. He withheld a groan and schooled his face into one of indifference. He finally got through several rushes of people, and it was several hours later. Virgil felt like he could curl up and fall asleep in front of his station. To tell the truth, he would, but his state mandated fifteen break was rapidly approaching. Might wake him up, he didn’t know. Virgil rubbed his hands together, trying to satiate his anxiety of talking to so many people. He checked the time on his watch- it finally read 6. It was time for his break. Virgil lifted his feet, which were almost glued to the place he was standing, and rubbed his eyes. He stretched, turned off the light to his lane, and started to walk off. “Sir!” Someone called. It had to be someone else. He was on his break. Virgil didn’t care. “You! You’re not allowed to leave your station so abruptly!” Virgil groaned and turned around, to see a man standing in the lane with a buggy. Virgil groaned. “I’m going on break, idiot. Go to some other lane!” Virgil complained, and the kid- dressed in all white with a bright red sash, who does that?- pouted. “I am not leaving this lane! I can get you fired!” Virgil almost hissed. He was done with stupid people for today. But, Virgil did need his job, and that threat did its job made him nervous. Virgil grumbled. “Fine, whatever. Don’t let anyone else in the lane behind you. I want to go get something to eat, mind you.” The white skinned boy grinned, and began to unload his shopping cart. Virgil didn’t pay attention as he checked each thing out. “Why were you so insistent on coming into my lane?” Virgil mumbled to the customer, though not expecting a response. “Because, I was already here.” The kid with grey hair said haughtily. “You should check your aisle more carefully.” He chuckled. Virgil furrowed his brows and frowned. He hated customers like this, who didn’t understand how hard it is to work as a cashier for minimum wage. The kid- well more teen, he looked about his age- inserted a card into the chip reader. “Debit or credit?” Virgil mumbled, and the customer proudly said, “Credit.” Virgil rolled his eyes. The bags were in his buggy, which made Virgil happy. This kid seems like the type to force others to bag his cart. This isn’t some fricking Kroger, or something, this is Walmart for a reason. “Have a nice day,” Virgil spoke out of impulse, then tugged the receipt out of the printer. “Here’s your receipt.“ Virgil shoved it into his hands, but Virgil then stumbled backwards. He got an immense headache, and stumbled backwards, screwing his eyes shut. The headache subsided faster than it attacked him, and he opened his eyes. As soon as he opened his eyes, Virgil was overloaded, with the new colors. Colors that were even brighter than white, and colors that looked close to black. He saw cool colors, warm colors, all these colors he didn’t know the name of. He felt like he could feel his heart beating, and he could definitely hear it. He could hear everything. He could hear a kid wailing from the cards section, and a lady bickering with someone in the clothing aisle. He could hear a receipt checker telling everyone to have a good day. It was so bright, and his clothing rubbed him the wrong way. He could smell the Subway from halfway across the store, and everything was so much. Virgil scrambled out of the lane, and began to scramble to the bathroom. Not now, not now, not now! His head was pounding, and he was about to puke. He was going to puke. He ran into the nearest stall, and the awful smell of puke filled the air. Virgil was crying, with snot everywhere. It was too much. He pulled off his work shirt. It rubbed him the wrong way, and its material was too grainy. It was too restraining. He ran a hand through his hair, trying to ground himself. He couldn’t think. Over all the ruckus, he heard a “Hello?” and he groaned. He slumped backwards, and he felt the cool, and grainy sort of warm grey tile of the ground. He was exhausted, and couldn’t breathe at all. His vision was going dark. And, as fast as lightning, everything cut out. —- Virgil first noticed the absence of the echos of the awful, dirty bathroom. Virgil then noticed the coolness of a rag on his head. Finally, Virgil noticed someone sitting beside him. Virgil felt the need to run, but his muscles were locked up, and he couldn’t move. “It’s me, uh, I don’t think I introduced myself.” It was the kid he checked out in line. Virgil’s body began to release tension, and he twitched a finger. “I’m Roman.” Virgil looked over to the other teen. Virgil found the white color was not actually quite white, but- a warmer color? How could he describe it? And his hair was in fact, not grey, it was a sort of- god, he didn’t know how to explain it, what kind of- color?- is that? And his skin was even more confusing. And the walls behind him were a cool, something he now saw, made him think of ice, color. Hold on, color? “Do you see it too?” Roman spoke in a loud tone, and Virgil’s head pulsed. “Don’t,” Virgil rasped, more quiet than a mouse, “Don’t talk. Or at least lower your voice.” Roman didn’t respond- or he nodded, Virgil didn’t know, his eyes were closed. It was silent for a moment, then Virgil spoke again. “What do you mean, it,” Virgil mumbled. “Co-“ Virgil winced at his loud tone, then Roman corrected his mistake. “I believe, the weirdness we’re witnessing is, er, color. Or at least I. Are you seeing color as well?” Virgil paused, then gave a gentle nod. “Is that why you freaked out?” Roman pushed. “I think,” Virgil didn’t know, “so, I, um,” Virgil couldn’t string together the words. “So you weren’t looking for a person to… Well, you know. I understand,” Roman’s tone turned cold. Virgil frantically shook his head, causing him immense pain. “Not that. I, uh, get, overloaded? A lot? Like uh, it, gets too bright, and all the uh, outside, um, stuff is too much.” Virgil rubbed his head, and forced himself to sit up. He immediately got dizzy and lightheaded from the pain. “Do you want some painkillers? Like, tyl-“ Roman asked, and Virgil cut him off. “No. I don’t, I’m fine.” Virgil bit. “If you’re sure.” Roman shrugged. They lapsed into a semi-awkward silence, and then Virgil stopped. “Where… am I?” He panicked. “Where’s my stuff? Where’s my car? Where’s-“ “Calm down there, panic-at-the-everywhere.” Roman cut him off, and Virgil huffed, his heart still beating out of his chest. “Where. Is. it?” Virgil took a deep breath. “I’ll start from the beginning, since it’s a lot.” Roman started. Virgil shrunk back. “So, like, I got an immense headache, then I opened my eyes, and saw a bunch of colors? And I was like, ‘What?’. I was confused, and stood there for a moment. Then I grabbed my bags, and chased you into the bathroom. I saw you run in there from the corner of my eye, and when I got in there, I heard retching. I didn’t get it? I called in there, like, ‘Hello?’ Then I heard a loud thud. I was like-“ Virgil cut Roman off. “If you say like one more time, I’m gonna… be mad.” Virgil couldn’t find a convincing threat, and instead went the wimpy way out. Roman snickered. In response, Virgil snapped, “Just continue.” “Anyway, where was I? Oh no, I’m going to have to start over since you cut me off!” Roman exaggerated his emotions. Virgil frowned. “You found me in the bathroom after I passed out.” Virgil rolled his eyes. “Oh, right.” Roman smirked. — Roman wandered towards the noise, and the putrid smell. I mean, it’s always gross in the bathrooms of any public place, but it smelt truly putrid. And the body- or at least the hand- poked out from underneath the stall. Did he just… up and die? Roman didn’t want to deal with this, he had too bad of a headache for this. But, with the revelation of this guy being his… possible soulmate, he couldn’t leave him there. Roman had stronger- well, he didn’t know how to explain it. He could see the auras of the souls in the bodies’, plainly put- that is, if they were purple. He could see purple everything, which was a strange color to always see. Yes, he can see the purpleness of a grape. But he couldn’t make out the color of an apple or a blueberry, which are reportedly the colors that mix into purple. What the heck? He tugged on the guy’s arm, and he gave off a pitiful groan. He felt a little bad for the guy, he sounded like he was truly suffering. At least he knew his soulmate- possible soulmate was alive. Roman tugged on his possible soulmate’s arm after readjusting him. After that, he tugged, and pulled him out from under the stall. Roman frowned a little. Now what? Well, he definitely isn’t going to be working for the rest of today, with whatever happened a moment ago. Roman cringed at the puke down the front of his chest. He didn’t want to touch that disgusting mess. Roman spotted his shirt by the toilet, and Roman cringed. Roman decided his first order of business was to clean his chest. He tore a few towels and wet them, and looked away as he rubbed away the bile. “Ew, ew ew ew,” Roman whined, and then when the guy’s chest was clean, he ran to the trash can and tossed out the towel. The employee had run into the first stall, so he had to go into another nasty stall to grab the shirt. Roman whined again. He hated feeling obligated to do things. He opened the stall door next to the stall where the cashier had been. Without touching anything to the best of his ability, he used his foot to pull the shirt and vest over to his feet. Roman then picked it up with his finger tips. He then left, and shook the shirt out of any disgusting bacteria on it. He placed it over the worker’s clammy unconscious body. He had to get this kid out of here. But, what did he have to do to get him out? He can’t exactly pull him out and have everyone think he murdered a man in a Walmart bathroom. He winced. That would not be good on his reputation. Well, he supposed he had to get him to sign out first. He didn’t know how these minimum wage workers signed in, or where they even went to sign in. Roman groaned. How could he ever do this? “ What the hell is going on here?” Someone behind him exclaimed, and Roman whipped around. It was an employee with a- beanie on? Is that within dress code? Roman didn’t care. “Uh, dude, I can explain, don’t call the cops please.” Roman pleaded, and the teen held onto their mop and water. The beanie-d person put the ‘Closed bathroom’ sign up. “You got three minutes, explain.” The teen said, crossing their arms. Roman launched into the quickest explanation he could muster. The person huffed, but looked like they understood. “Yeah, I guess I understand. Virgil can uh, well.” The person looked around. “I guess I’ll sign him out, or something. Please don’t hurt him, he has to cover my shift on Friday.” The kid bit his lip. “Just follow me into the workroom, and there’s an employee exit. Or rather, the fire exit, but it doesn’t work. I’ll clear you.” “Oh, thank you so much, Mr…?” Roman prompted their name. “Mx,” The kid spoke, and before Roman could spill out an extravagant apology, he continued, “and it’s Joan. Don’t worry about it. Just call yourself lucky Patton didn’t find you. Or my boss,” Joan snorted. Roman let out a nervous laugh. “Yeah,” Roman said shortly, “and sorry.” Joan waved it off, and began leaving. “Do you need help or something?” Roman heaved him up to make him look like he was standing, and was surprised at how light- what was it, Virgil?- he was. “No, he’s really light.” Virgil groaned in protest. Joan laughed under his breath, and removed the closed bathroom sign. “You may also want to put his shirt back on him before leaving.” Roman blushed, and nodded. “Right.” Roman had some trouble picking up the shirt. He had even more trouble putting it on the worker. His unconscious body refused to cooperate. But with some time and patience, he did it, and saw Joan waiting at the mouth of the bathrooms for him. He also somehow grabbed his groceries, pulling Virgil’s body beside him, and ran after them. The workroom was right next door, which he sort of thanked whatever higher being there was for. Joan began to type in the computer, and then nodded for a moment. “He’s signed out. Virgil’s car’s a Prius and it’s in the employee parking on the front right side. He has his keys in his pocket I think, he usually does. Have a good night now, don’t kill him, or anything-“ “How do you know this kid so well?” Roman cut him off before they could leave. Joan shrugged. “Friend of a friend, and he does a lot for me. That’s all. Not like it matters.” Roman paused then gave a single nod, and bid them farewell. Joan then left, then dug in Virgil’s pockets, with much difficulty, searching for his keys. God, this was such an odd situation. He almost regretted everything he ever did up to this moment. He finally found them, and grabbed the keys faster than the speed of light. Roman then hauled Virgil’s body out into the parking lot. Roman readjusted him, and approached the employee parking spaces. He hit the panic button, and watched the car light up. Virgil cried out, which Roman responded to by turning off the car’s alarm system. He approached the car, unlocking the doors. He then opened the back, and laid him in the back seat. The back seat which was covered with candy wrappers, clothing, and other junk. Roman didn’t bother to buckle him in, it wasn’t against the law or anything. Roman then hopped in the front seat, and shut the doors. He placed his bought goods in the front seat beside what he figured was Virgil’s backpack. Roman then hit a roadblock. He had no idea where the kid’s house was. Roman huffed. He guessed he had to just drive the kid to his house until he woke up. He didn’t even know how he was going to get his car. His house was a fair distance away from here. Roman groaned, slamming his head against the wheel. He would state it again, and again, and again. He hated being obligated to help others. He pressed the ignition button, and put the car in reverse. — “Then I brought you back here, and I did everything I could to make you comfortable. I thought you would be grateful I pretty much saved your butt, but no, my deed is thankless.” Roman finished, and Virgil crossed his arms. He glanced around the room, everywhere but Roman. Finally, he met his eye. “I… Uh… Yeah, that sounds like something Joan would do. They hadn’t even asked me to take their shift Friday yet,” Virgil decided on saying, grumbling towards the end. Roman didn’t respond, and they lapsed into an uncomfortable silence. “I uh-“ “I should-“ They spoke at the same time. “Sorry-“ They said in unison, and then both went quiet. Virgil gestured for Roman to go first. Roman gave a slow nod. “If you see color- I suppose you couldn’t see it before- and I see color, then what does that make us?” Roman enunciated. Virgil picked at the off white couch. “I don’t know, soulmates?” “So does that mean we’re like, dating, or something?” Roman spoke. He had always romanticized- no pun intended- romance. Virgil’s eyes widened. “No, no no no,” He spoke fast, and Virgil regretted looking at Roman, who now looked heart broken. “I just met you. I just… Want to become closer first, before we rush into… a uh… relationship, or anything.” Virgil finished. “Not that I don’t want to be with my soulmate. I want to, erm, know you before I date you. I hope that makes sense.” Roman was silent for a moment. Then, the melodramatic teen smiled with the beam of a million suns. “Yes, of course that makes sense! No one will ever be able to resist my charm!” Roman cheered. Virgil hissed. “We’ll see about that.” Virgil bit, without malice. Roman smirked. “Can we at least exchange numbers? So we can talk, y'know.” Roman offered. Virgil rolled his eyes. “Sure, whatever.” They exchanged numbers without a kink in the process. “I think I should be, uh, going. Want me to drive you to get your car?” Virgil finally said, and Roman nodded. “Yes, I would appreciate that, my love.” Virgil glared. “Call me that again, and you’re getting your own car.” Roman huffed. “Fine,” Roman whined, and it was Virgil’s turn to smirk. “Now hurry up. I have to get home to do my homework and stuff.” Virgil stole his keys from the coffee table, and twirled them. Virgil looked around the multi-colored room again. It was weird seeing new colors, and he’d definitely have to research each one. Virgil’s head pounded as he stood up, and he groaned. Aaaafter his headache went away. But seeing all this color, being finally being able to see it, he believes he can ignore the pain that comes with it. He was with someone who he had to spend his whole life with. A person who would most likely never leave. Even though that person was loud and obnoxious. Virgil supposed he could ignore the immense discomfort for now. He might not. Virgil didn’t know. Virgil didn’t care about everything going on right now, or how awful today was. For once, he was looking forward to the future.

[oakleavesandcoffee]

Logan’s Kitchen

A/N: this is the best title I can come up with, sorry xD  This story was written for @theartsyskeleton for the @fander-secret-santa !! A drawing of it is in progress but I’m not that great an artist and I really wanted to upload this now, so you’ll get the “part 2″ later this month! Anyways, I hope you enjoy!

Taglist: @a-blog-just-for-sanders @pattonspuns

Paring: kinda platonic Moxiety, but the fic is Logan centric Genre: Christmas fluff Words: 972 Warnings: I don’t think there’s anything that needs warning, they talk about dogs and bake cupcakes

- 

Logan loved baking. There was something very soothing in measuring out the correct amounts of flour, sugar, butter and other ingredients and watching the tasteful creations appear, almost like magic. The kitchen in the mind palace was his precious escape when he needed to get away for a bit. Being the Logical aspect took it’s toll sometimes, there was so much he had to do. He didn’t hate doing it, absolutely not. He loved being Thomas’ Logic, but everyone needs an escape sometimes.

Logan had banned the others from the kitchen. Or more specifically, from baking. There had been multiple disasters leading up to that decision.

It started with Virgil, sleep deprived and hungry, wanting pancakes. Logan wasn’t awake anymore, the hour too late even for him. 20 minutes later he was definitely awake, woken up by the smell of burning pancakes and a frantic Virgil trying to douse the fire with the spatula. Logan made quick work of dousing the fire by putting a lid over it, effectively cutting of the oxygen. Banning Virgil from the kitchen after that wasn’t difficult after that. Virgil did not want to set the house on fire, thank you very much. He stayed away from the stove everything related after that, only trusting himself to make something simple like cereal or sandwiches.

After Virgil came Roman. Logan knew Roman meant well, but he was simply not cut out to be in a kitchen. His movements were too, well, grand. Every time he turned around he would accidentally knock a bowl or plate off the kitchen counter. Many dishes had met their end in that way. That specific morning when he officially banned Roman from the kitchen, Logan was tempted to just turn around and ignore the situation at hand. Roman wanted to surprise Patton with breakfast in bed, like Patton had done that so many times for the others and Roman wanted to return the favour. There was a broken plate on the floor, the area around it and the kitchen counter were covered in flour and Roman had his sword drawn. The noise the bowl must have made when it fell had probably startled him. Roman admitted defeat after that and after asking (demanding) that Logan helped him make Patton breakfast, he did as promised and stayed out of the kitchen.

Last was Patton. Who, technically, wasn’t really banned from baking. He was only banned from baking while Logan wasn’t there. Without Logan there, the entire kitchen would be covered in batter. There would be random bowls, which all had about three spoons too many in them, spread throughout the kitchen. After one particular incident involving a spider, Logan pulled Patton aside and practically begged him to ask Logan for assistance if he wanted to bake again. Patton had nodded like crazy, likely still scared from the spider, and pulled Logan into a bone crushing hug while mumbling something about spiders and ‘you’re my hero’.

In the present time Logan was doing some christmas baking, technically with Patton. Realistically it looked more like this:

Logan was measuring the ingredients and mixing them, while Patton sat on the kitchen counter talking to Logan about the dogs he saw on Instagram. “It was so cute, Lo! It was small and had a black and white fur and the fluffiest tail I have ever seen!” Patton rambled, not needing a response from Logan to keep talking. Logan still listened of course, it was the polite thing to do. Patton gasped and Logan looked up in alarm. Patton looked okay physically, what had lead him to gasp like that? “Patton, what’s wrong? Why did you gasp?” Logan checked again, Patton really did look perfectly fine. “Did you hurt yourself?” “I’m fine, Logan,” Patton smiled and patted Logan's shoulder comfortingly. “I just had the best idea! We should get a dog!” “No.” Logan said, pouring the cupcake batter into the tin. “Looo, why not? A dog would be so cute! We can ask Roman to summon it and I even know what I’ll call it!” Patton put on his best puppy dog eyes, hoping it would convince Logan. Not that it ever had in the past, but you never know. “No,” Logan was purposefully not looking at Patton, keeping his eyes on the batter and making sure to not spill any of it. Contrary to what the others thought, he could be convinced by the puppy dog eyes and would just refuse to look at the them when they tried. “Please?” “Patton, while I think you would be great with a dog, I also know who will end up walking it 99% of the time.” Logan looked at Patton pointedly. Patton nodded. “I know, but I promise I will walk it!” “Patton, you’re lovely and I know you would love this hypothetical dog very much,” Patton nodded frantically at this, “but you have to face the facts. You might walk it for the first week and then I will end up doing it.” “No Lo, I promise!” Logan put the cupcakes in the oven, thinking about it. A dog has been proven to raise moods, it’s happy energy having positive effects on the humans around it. They might not be humans exactly, but Logan thought they were close enough for the dog to have the same effect. “Okay, I will regret saying this won’t I?” He mumbled the hypothetical question to himself. “Maybe, not now. Definitely not now, but I do think it would be good for you later on.” “Aaw…” “You know what, we can summon some extra cupcake decoration supplies, and you can decorate the cupcakes like dogs. Will that satisfy you for now?” “Yes!” Patton hugged Logan, who was happy he found a good solution to their problem.

“Don’t think I forgot that you said maybe.”

[sanderssides-secretsanta]

2020 Sanders Sides Secret Santa!

It’s that time of year again! The Sanders Sides fic/art gift exchange for the 2020 holiday season! Which is not specifically Christmas related or themed.

Schedule (roughly)

- Sign-Ups will open this Saturday, Nov. 7th at 10AM ET! They will remain open for one week, closing at 10pm ET on Saturday November 14th. Tell your friends! You may sign up anytime between those dates here!

- You will receive an email telling you who the recipient of your gift will be and what they had wanted by Wednesday Nov. 18th at 3:30 pm ET. At that point, you get to start working! Note: do not inform this person that you are their secret Santa!! That defeats the purpose :(

- You will be able to share your works for two weeks in December, from Sunday 12/13 to Sunday 12/27 local time. You may upload at any time between these endpoints, or simply share it with your recipient by the end of the time period. You are more than welcome to post to accounts on other platforms like Instagram or Twitter. Please tag all posts created with #sanderssidessecretsanta2020 and tag this account so I can share them)

If at any point you need to drop out, let me know as soon as possible via email or DM so that I can make sure your recipient still gets a gift and the person making a gift for you will still get to create something.

If you have any questions, feel free to ask! I will be available by Tumblr’s Ask feature, DM, and eventually email (for participants only).

Thank you all!

-Admin Alex

[runaway-horses]

Merry Christmas, Logan

Hello lovelies! This is my gift for @really-sleep-deprived-nerd as part of the 2018 Fanders Secret Santa! I hope you like it, I sure had fun writing it!

Word Count: 2.2k

Warnings: Fluff! Minor hurt/comfort, but really it’s all fluff. Google Translated Spanish.

Read on AO3 here!

Logan neatly stacked the papers on his desk and slipped them into their appropriate folders. His classroom was quiet, a rare occurrence given it was typically filled with the raucous sounds of high schoolers. He put all the folders in his briefcase and gave his classroom a final glance to ensure nothing was left behind before he left. While Logan would enjoy the break, he had to admit that he would miss his students.

Well. To a degree. Most of them.

Satisfied that he wasn’t leaving anything behind, he turned off the lights and shut the door, letting it lock behind him.

“Oh hey Lo-lo!” Logan couldn’t help but sigh at the sound of his flamboyant coworker. “Hello Remy.” He greeted, turning towards the voice. Remy was leaning against his own door, a mischievous grin on his face. “Oh girl, you look tense. Wanna grab drinks? Flirt with some cute guys?”

“Remy, you’re asexual. And in a relationship.” Logan deadpanned. Remy waved his hand dismissively. “So you’ve seen through my clever ruse to get you out. C’mon Lo, doesn’t your routine get boring?”

“Quite the opposite Remy, I find my schedule pleasant. And what makes you think I am lacking in companionship?” Before the art teacher could respond, Logan was already heading for the door. “Have a good break Remy!” He called over his shoulder, ignoring Remy’s spluttering.

•••

The drive home wasn’t long, really. 25 minutes. Logan would be home before it 6:00. It passed quickly, and before he knew it he was pulling up to his apartment.

When he opened the door to his empty apartment, he couldn’t help the pang of loneliness in his chest. He found himself wishing he had taken Remy up on his offer, if only for some company for the night. It wasn’t like he didn’t know he was coming home to an empty house, but...well.

He placed his bag on the kitchen counter and put the kettle on the stove to make himself some tea. As he waited for the water to boil, he unpacked his briefcase. He had assignments from his students to grade over the break, but not so many that his break would be strenuous.

He hadn’t assigned anything over the break other than asking his students to try to glance over their notes at some time. While he had enjoyed school when he was a student, he understood the need for breaks from the pressures of high school. He could only hope his coworkers hadn’t assigned too much work.

Once everything was out of his bag and on the kitchen table, vaguely organized by grade and  Logan already starting on a ninth grader’s paper, the kettle whistled loudly. Logan started slightly, before pulling it off the heat and pouring the boiling water into a mug with a tea bag already waiting in it.

He went back to the table with his mug in his right hand and the paper in his left, prepared to work away the loneliness pricking at his skin.

•••

And work he did. He had almost finished the stack of ninth grade papers before he looked at the clock and realized it was past eleven. It was then that he noticed how heavy his eyelids were, and how his neck ached from bending over the table for so long.

Logan stood up and stretched, feeling his back pop from the change of position. He poured out his (cold) cup of tea, and neatly stacked the marked papers on the corner of the table. Pleased with the amount of work he had completed, Logan looked forward to falling in bed and, hopefully, falling asleep quickly, before any unwelcome emotions found their way back into his thoughts.

His phone dinged from its spot on the table, and he opened it to see a text message from Roman.

From: Roman

oh my god

lo

logan

code rainbow

i repeat: code rainbow

shit lo he’s looking at me

Logan sighed and instead of attempting to decipher his texts, called his dramatic friend, who picked up almost immediately.

“Roman, where are you? What is ‘code rainbow’? Who’s looking at you?”

“Hay un chico lindo aquí y me está sonriendo! Logan, I’m too gay for this. I will die, right here, on this barstool, of a gay heart attack.” Logan rolled his eyes at his friend’s antics. He could hear the loud music thumping on Roman’s end of the speaker. “I’m guessing you’re at a club?”

“As a matter of fact I am, and everything was fine until he decided to start staring at me with his gorgeous eyes and pretty lips and precious freckles! Like I said, this will be the end of me. It was nice knowing you, Pocket-Protector. Do me a favor and make sure they put “Too gay to function.” as cause of death or me.”

Rearranging himself so he was sitting on the couch, Logan pinched the bridge of his nose lightly.

“Roman, you are simply too dramatic for words,” Logan kept speaking as Roman made an offended noise from the other end of the call. “But I know you know how to flirt. Go dance with him, offer to buy him a drink, and tell me about it in the morning.”

“Logan, was that a compliment?” Logan cut him off as he could hear the glee in his friends voice. “Goodbye, Roman.”

“Now hang on here Microsoft Nerd-” But Logan hung up before Roman could finish, quite uninterested in whatever smug comment Roman had prepared.

Logan and Roman had known each other for years, and while their personalities clashed somewhat frequently, at the end of the day they enjoyed each other’s friendship and found the friendly banter to be fun.

And for as long as he had known him, Roman had been a notorious flirt, and his good looks and lovely Spanish accent made him quite popular among the single population of their town. And more importantly, he was a really great person, if a tad too dramatic for Logan’s taste.

Logan shifted on the couch to get more comfortable as he picked his phone back up. It was nearing midnight. He really needed to get to bed soon.

But surely it’d be ok if he sat there for a minute longer…

•••

Someone was moving him. There was cold air hitting his skin where the blanket fell away and even barely awake Logan could feel his neck aching.

“Mmnhh.” He moaned, expressing his displeasure with being disrupted.

He heard a warm chuckle. “It’s ok darling, it’s just me. You fell asleep on the couch, your neck is going to hurt if I let you stay here.” The familiar voice of his husband had a deep part of his soul settling down in peace and happiness.

“Virgil,” Logan sighed out, pushing into his embrace, still half asleep and not aware enough to be self conscious about his behavior. Virgil pushed his fingers into Logan’s hair gently, scratching at his scalp.

“Hey Lo.” Virgil’s voice was warmth, the calm familiarity of a loved one, the comfort of a hot drink during a cold day, warming you from your soul out. Logan wanted to pepper his face in kisses and sit up and talk with him, but sleep was pulling too heavily on him.

So he simply allowed himself to fold into Virgil’s body and drift back to sleep, content that he was here.

Before letting sleep reclaim him, he felt the gentle press of lips to the top of his head.

•••

Logan woke up in his bed, and was momentarily disoriented. Hadn’t he fallen asleep on the couch?

Then memories of last night came back to him, and he sat straight up, scanning the room for Virgil. He wasn’t in their room however, and Logan allowed himself a brief moment of disappointment that he had woken up alone, again, before getting out of bed to search the house for his husband.

He didn’t have to go far. Virgil was awake and moving around their kitchen with his back turned to Logan, who caught the scent of coffee in the air.

“Good morning Virgil,”

Virgil turned around and smiled at him, and Logan wasn’t one for emotions but damnit he had missed that smile. He felt small pricks in his eyes indicative of tears, and whatever emotion he was experiencing must have shown on his face because Virgil came forward and pulled him into a gentle kiss.

Home home home love warmth Virgil.

Logan sighed into the kiss, a happy little sound, and felt Virgil’s responding smile against his lips. Virgil started to pull back, and Logan made a noise of protest and put his hands on his face to keep Virgil where he was.

“Hello love,” Virgil said, disconnecting their lips to rest their foreheads together. Logan opened his eyes to look at Virgil and felt his heart give a little flutter.

“Hello,” Logan murmured, feeling his face flush at the pet name despite his best efforts. “Are you hungry?” Virgil enquired without pulling away from him.

“Yes, I am a little hungry,” Logan admits.

With another quick peck to his lips, Virgil pulls back to move whatever he was cooking off the heat. “There’s coffee in the pot.” Logan made a humming sound of appreciation and pulled two mugs out of the cabinet.

There’s a calm quiet in the kitchen as they move about their respective tasks, and Logan feels more content then he has in weeks.

They settle on the couch to eat, something they rarely do with Virgil’s need for cleanliness, but it seems unspoken that today they want to be as close as possible. They exchange coffee and plates and Logan smiles at the French toast and scrambled eggs that Virgil has prepared. He’s been eating mostly breakfast bars and cereal since his husband left.

It’s quiet for a bit as they eat their food, but eventually Logan is no longer hungry and has questions. “What are you doing home? I thought you’d be gone for another week at least.”

Virgil shrugged. “The editor that I went to meet wasn’t suited for the job. I discovered rather quickly that we wouldn’t work well together and wrapped up the interview. I caught the first flight out of L.A. and came home. I would’ve called but it was so last minute. Plus, I wanted to surprise you.” Virgil said the last part almost shyly, as if Logan could possibly take issue with him being home.

“Well I’m glad you’re home. I missed you rather badly,” Logan was loathe to admit just how much he had. He knew this trip had been necessary for Virgil’s job and he didn’t want to make his husband feel bad because he was lonely.

But Virgil knew anyway. He was always good at reading Logan.

“God, I missed you too Logan. So much. I’m not doing another of these trips for a while, ever, if I can help it.”

“But your books, your publicist, you can’t just stop-” Logan protested. “I can do whatever I like, I’m the writer.” Virgil cut him off. “Besides, I don’t even like these trips. You know how much I hate public speaking.”

Logan sighed. That was true, but he still felt a twinge of guilt at the relief that washed over him.

“Lo. I can hear you thinking,” “That is a scientific impossibility-” “You know what I mean you nerd.” Virgil pressed a kiss to his forehead. Logan quieted and smiled. “You’ll talk to Thomas?” “I will talk to Thomas,” Virgil confirmed. Logan gave a tiny nod and Virgil smiled.

“Now that that’s settled… Are you doing anything today? Cause I was hoping for a Netflix marathon. Oh wait, do you have school stuff to do? Stuff to grade?” Logan shook his head.

“I did quite a bit of grading last night. I don’t sleep very well in the empty bed so…” He trailed off

awkwardly and saw a pained look pass over Virgil’s face before his husband pulled him up into his lap. “I know darling, I’m so sorry it’s been so long,” Logan leaned contentedly into his warmth. “It’s okay, you’re here now.”

Virgil set his chin on top of Logan’s head after pressing a kiss to the soft hair.

“I am. And now I’m going to take a page out of Roman’s book and spend the next few days wooing you.”

“You don’t need to ‘woo’ me, you already have me.” Logan objected with no real bite, a smile hidden in his voice.

“You can’t argue your way out of this one Logan. I’ve made up my mind that I’m going to romance you for as long as you’ll tolerate it.”

Logan huffed out an annoyed breath, but the effect was slightly ruined by him burying himself in Virgil’s chest. He threaded his fingers in Logan’s hair and played with his hair as he queued up Netflix.

And, if he was being honest, watching his husband be ridiculously over the top for the next few days sounded quite nice.

As long as he was here in the warmth of their home, with the love of his life, Logan didn’t need anything else. It was perfect.

The end! Happy Holidays to everyone, and here’s to a better New Year!

-Athena

@secretsanders

[thomassandersfander]

I wonder if the Sanders Sides would ever do secret santa with each other..? Patton would definitely be the one to coordinate it.

Maybe if you guys are interested I will do a post closer to Christmas on how I think that would go down.

[fanartfunart]

Welp. To an airport I go. Yayyyy.

[artfromthevoid]

A gift for @strider-of-irony for the @fander-secret-santa gift exchange! I actually have another thing for you that I’ll be posting later as well,,,, but for now I hope you enjoy this!

[loganslowdown4]

Extras & Headcanons 2023

That’s The Tea Logan Photo

Zapp Brannigan/Roman Meme

Twin Snakes/Janus Candy

Zodiac Meme Logan/Remus

Logince Meme

Double Trouble/Janus She-ra Comparison

Old Thomas Pics

Maybe New Janus & Remus Sketch Coming?

Never Ending List feat. Janus

One Ticket To Barbie feat. Logan

Turn Down Music feat. Virgil

I’m Sick feat. Roman

Thomas Channel Header July 2023

They Returned Me Logince Meme

Farmer Thomas Photos 🍆

Roman 🎧

Those Hero Shots (Redux)

Sound Off Sanders Sides

Patton and Janus Tropes I Love

How Logan Feels Love (Canon)

Patton Flips Off

Logan’ sLow down

Thomas Pic 2020

Logan Missing Poster

1000 followers!?!

Young Wholesome Headshots

Sweeney Todd Casting (Aug 2023)

Theories In A Cafe (Ft. Deceit)

Anime Opening Logince Stuff

Talyn’s Coffee Order (from patreon livestream)

Over The Garden Wall Comic/Sides Detail

Logince Drabble (based on my quote)

Sanders Sides Stills w/Eye Colours

A Lil Logince Youtooz (Sep/23)

Crofters The Musical Appreciation Post

Accidental Renaissance Painting (DnD Slide Short)

SaSi Draw Your Squad of Accidental Renaissance

‘JUST Good Friends’ Stills

Getting Choked Up Over ‘JUST Good Friends’

2022 Calendar Art SaSi (& RWR Crack Theory)

Logince in SaSi Kids Cereal Mini Youtooz

Me As Quil Logince

Pre-Fanders Quil (Only SaSi Kids Cereal Mini Youtooz Plush)

Sweeney Todd Father/Daughter Selfie (Oct /23)

Green Screen BTS Shots from Anime Opening (Patreon Oct /23)

Daily Remus/Astrology Bot

Janus & Logan Created The Devils Plan (Netflix)

Patton Silly Meme

Nico’s 3rd Birthday (Oct 10/23)

Mini Plush Logince Moment

Sanders Sides + Text Posts Part 5

Logince Green Screen Junk

R&P Fan Cast

Sanders Sides + Text Posts Part 6

Sanders Sides + Text Posts Part 7

LNTAO 5th Anniversary

1st Anniversary Of Into The Unknown

Duality of Man Oct 2023

Equally Stupid Royality

Lee Calls BS

Roman Heels

Logan’s Birthday Message 2023

November Meme (Mean Months)

Inside Out 2 Anxiety

My Roommate Is Hades B99 Meme

Logan Pics Different Looks

Dreamy Thomas (floral shirt 2020)

Janus Shirt (Literally Don’t Care)

Fandom Ranking Tumblr 2023

Happy 4th Kill In The Blank/Detective Sanders

Scott Pilgrim Meme

When Logan Is Roman’s Secret Santa (Nov 23 Patreon Livestream)

Helios/Janus Lore Olympus Vol 5

Spamb0t Meme

Ncuti Sides

Sanders Sides All The Extras 4

What’s Going On In My Head Meme

Cool Dad Far Side Mug (Short)

The Smile The Reason Meme (Logince)

Mindpalace Lilly’s Birthday Dec 19

TS CHARACTER BIRTHDAY LIST 2023

The Smile/ The Reason (platonic anxceit)

I’m Featured Fander/Perfect Gift Reaction Video

Lego Fortnite Livestream Shoutout Dec 2023

Janus Hoodie (yellow skull flowers)

Incorrect Quotes Meme

New Banner 2024

Just Minding Your Own Business meme

Surrounded By Idiots (Logan Book)

Back To The Grind (WTIT Meme)

[leesacrakon]

(Fic) Can’t Help Falling In Love

@not-lonely-but-alone here’s your Christmas present for the @fander-secret-santa! I hope you like it!

Your request: LAMP cuteness. 

This is a songfic and a Human!College!AU, I hope you don’t mind. 

BOLD WORDS ARE THE SONG LYRICS

Fandom(s): Sanders Sides, Thomas Sanders, YouTube

Warnings: food mention, some fear/anxiety and self-deprecation, homophobia

Ship(s): Polyamsanders/LAMP

Virgil could still remember the day they all met. Roman and Patton were walking hand in hand, Logan was rushing down the sidewalk, and Virgil was walking slowly, hands shoved deep into his pockets, earbuds in his ears and turned up as loud as they could go. Virgil had looked up and seen the three other men, his heart skipping a beat in his chest and his face heating up. They all looked so...so perfect, so amazing. He recognized them from their college campus.

Virgil had seen the ones who were a couple walking through the halls. They were friends with the one who always wore a tie. Virgil had ducked his head down again, only to have Logan collide with him a second later, papers flying in all directions and scattering throughout the park. Virgil was apologizing over and over and Roman and Patton had rushed over to help. Logan was in tears, upset and frustrated, and Patton had given him a big hug. When they were done, Logan had invited them all for coffee as a thank you. And that’s how Virgil met the loves of his life.  

It didn’t take Logan long to fall in love with him. They were the most similar after all, and Virgil connected with him the most. He thought he would be satisfied with Logan’s love, but every time he would see Roman and Patton, his heart would feel....empty. 

Wise men say only fools rush in But I can't help falling in love with you

When Virgil had proposed his plan to Logan, he was terrified that the smarter man would think he was disgusting. He stood in the kitchen of the apartment that the two of them shared, eyes closed, tears welling up in his eyes. Virgil flinched as he felt Logan cup his cheek and caress it gently, and he tried to relax, but it was difficult. 

“Well, isn’t this an interesting situation,” Logan said with a soft chuckle, pressing a kiss to Virgil’s forehead. “I was going to propose the same thing. I suppose great minds really do think alike, don’t they?” he added quietly. Virgil opened his eyes in surprise, looking at Logan in bewilderment. 

“You...you were going to...?” Virgil spluttered, unable to get out a full sentence. Logan rolled his eyes and took Virgil’s hand in his, face turning pink slightly at what he was about to say. 

“Yes, I was. I love you, Virgil, so much, but I always felt as if something was missing from our relationship. It knew it wasn’t your fault, and then I remembered...the day the three of us met you, how everything felt right. That’s what was missing,” Logan murmured, sighing softly and shaking his head. 

“Do you...have a plan? We can’t just rush into this. What if...What if they don’t want to be with us?” Virgil asked fearfully. “What if they think we’re freaks?” 

“That is a likely response, what with society’s views on such things, but in all the years I have known Roman and Patton, they’ve always been open to new things. They will most likely respond positively, if only for experimentation's sake,” Logan mused, absentmindedly running his thumb over Virgil’s knuckles. The anxious man flushed at the odd affection and smiled. 

“So...should we invite them over? For dinner or something, I mean? Maybe tomorrow?” Virgil asked quickly, spelling out ideas for Logan to consider. The bespectacled man smiled widely at his current lover and kissed him quickly, squeezing his hand before rushing over to their collection of cookbooks. 

“A brilliant idea! I’ll look to see what I should make.” 

Oh, shall I stay, would it be a sin Oh, if I can't help falling in love with you?

Everything was prepared. Logan and Virgil had set the table, cleaned the apartment, and the macaroni and cheese with bacon on top (one of the group’s favorite foods to get at a local restaurant and share) were just about to come out of the oven. Logan’s hands were shaking slightly as he pulled the pan out of the oven and set it on the counter, quickly taking off his mitts and setting them to the side. Virgil opened his mouth to reassure the other man when the doorbell rang, signaling the arrival of Patton and Roman. The two lovers exchanged a nervous glance, taking each other’s hands and squeezing tight as they made their way to the door. 

When the door was opened in bounded a happy Patton carrying the chocolate cake he had promised to make and a somewhat wary Roman, glancing around suspiciously as if he were looking for some sort of trap. Virgil’s heart leaped nervously into his throat at the sight but tried to push his fear aside. They were going to go through with this, whether it ended well or crashed and burned. 

“Thank you so much for inviting us! Everything looks delicious,” Patton said cheerfully, taking his seat at the table. Logan gave him a thankful smile and took his seat at the head, while Virgil sat beside him (across from Patton), and Roman sat at the end. Soon they were digging into plates piled high with macaroni and cheese, talking and laughing together just like the day they’d all met. Virgil was holding Logan’s hand under the table, bouncing his leg up and down nervously and trying to take part in the conversation despite his worry. Just then Roman cleared his throat, catching the attention of the other three. 

“While this has been nice, something doesn’t feel quite right. You two have been tense all night. Is there something you wanted to ask us?” Roman said, looking at Logan and Virgil expectantly. Patton’s ever-present smile faded as Virgil visibly paled and even Roman looked a bit unsure. What if he’d been overreacting? No, that couldn’t be right, he’d always known when something was wrong with his two friends before. 

“We were going to wait until after dinner....but I suppose we could discuss it now,” Virgil said quietly, letting go of Logan’s hand and folding his own in his lap. Patton perked up, interested, and Roman had a smug smile on his face. Virgil bit his lip and glanced at Logan, inviting him to speak. The bespectacled man sighed and stood up, placing his hands behind his back and looking at the other three occupants of the small kitchen. 

“Virgil and I have been talking. Lately, the two of us have felt as though something was missing from the relationship. It’s been nice but...not quite right-”

“Are you breaking up?!” Patton asked, horrified, eyes widening in shock. Logan quickly shook his head. 

“No, Patton, of course not! I didn’t mean that! Virgil and I are quite happy together, we just...want to add a few more elements to our relationship,” Logan replied quickly, heart pounding in his chest. He tried to keep from looking at Roman, Patton, or Virgil, afraid that his emotions would get the best of him and he would become a bumbling mess. Roman and Patton exchanged a confused glance, and Virgil smiled encouragingly at his lover. Logan took in a deep breath before continuing. 

“You...You see...both Virgil and I have...ugh...feelings for other people, the same people, and we wish to...enter a polyamorous courtship.” Logan could see it click in their minds. Patton let out a small gasp and Roman slumped back in his chair, face pale. Logan’s fists clenched behind his back and Virgil had ducked his head, looking as if he were about to burst into tears. 

“This has to be a joke,” Roman murmured, looking at Patton, a surprisingly happy twinkle in his eyes, a smile breaking out across his shocked face. Patton let out a small giggle, face turning bright red. Logan’s eyebrows furrowed in confusion. 

“A...A joke? No, I am not joking. Virgil and I had been wondering if you wanted to be in a relationship with the two of us. If you don’t we understa-”

“No, no, it’s not that. We were going to ask you the same thing!” Patton interrupted, clapping his hands excitedly. “We’ve talked about it tons of times! We were going to ask just you when we were friends, but then we met Virgil and everything was absolutely perfect! But then...you two got together, and we were too scared to ask,” Patton added, giving Logan a sheepish smile. Virgil gaped at him, mouth hanging open in shock, and Logan had slowly sat back down, his heart thumping even louder in his ears as if it was going to burst out of his chest. 

“So...So you want to be with us? Both of us?” Virgil asked. Roman frowned at what the last bit possibly implied and reached to the side, taking Virgil’s hand in his and pressing a soft kiss to the knuckles. 

“Yes my dear, both of you, if you would have us,” Roman said sweetly, and Patton made a small ‘aw’ sound. Virgil’s face heated up but he didn’t snatch his hand away. He looked at Logan, who was hiding the grin on his face with the back of his hand. That was enough confirmation for him, and he leaned over to give Roman a kiss, eyes tearing up with droplets of blissful happiness, his heart finally feeling full. 

“We would love that.”  

Like a river flows, surely to the sea Darling, so it goes, some things are meant to be

Today would be their first official day all living together. They had found a house close enough to campus that they didn’t have to walk too far, and it was big enough for all of them. There was a kitchen, four bedrooms (only one would probably be needed), a living room, a basement, and an attic. It had almost seemed too good to be true, but the college students that had been living in it before had graduated, and the rent was cheap after the condition it was in. 

Virgil stepped into the worn out house with his last box in hand, glancing around at the peeling paint, chipped tile floors, and walls stained with unknown substances. Patton and Logan had come a few weeks earlier and Roman and Virgil packed everyone’s things and had cleaned the place up tremendously well. Even still, Virgil could see that the place needed a lot of work. 

“Home sweet home,” Patton sang from upstairs, making Virgil crack a smile. He quickly headed up, stooping a bit at the slightly low ceiling on the stairs and making his way towards ‘his room’. Patton had already gotten to work setting up his bed with Roman, and Logan was taking a few things of the last remaining unpacked boxes. Virgil grinned and gave each of his lovers a kiss before joining them in setting up the room. 

“Can you believe it? We’re finally going to be living together! Like, really! Not just visiting!” Patton squealed, jumping around like a child on Christmas Morning. Logan let out a rare, hearty laugh and took the lamp that Patton was holding out of his hands, not wanting his to drop it and make a mess. 

“Isn’t it amazing? Just a year ago we were going out on our first date together,” Roman said dreamily, clasping his hands together and resting his cheek on them, staring at the other three fondly. Virgil’s lips twitched into a small smile and he continued to take the last few remaining knick-knacks from his box. As Patton came up behind him, wrapping his arms around him in a hug and pressing a kiss to the back of his head, Virgil practically melted into his arms. This is where he was meant to be.

Take my hand, take my whole life too Oh, for I can't help falling in love with you

“Are you guys sure about this?” Roman asked nervously, glancing at each of his boyfriends in hesitation. Patton, Logan, and Virgil all exchanged a glance before nodding, each of them taking each others’ hands and intertwining their fingers. Logan held his free hand out to Roman, face blank but eyes filled with love and support. Roman swallowed, grabbing his hand tightly and holding his head high, marching forward with his lovers towards the front door. 

The four boyfriends had already opened up about their relationship with Patton, Virgil, and Logan’s parents, all of which had gone well. The three had very accepting families, but Roman? Not so much. Roman had grown up believing that he would burn in hell for liking other boys, and that God hated him for who he was. His parents had shunned him when they discovered he was dating Patton, and now he was dating two other men as well. If this didn’t make them completely despise his existence, he didn’t know what would. 

“Ro, You’re shaking,” Logan murmured, squeezing Roman’s hand and pressing a kiss to his cheek. Roman blinked and quickly forced a smile on his face, and tried to keep his hands from shaing. He was fine. This was fine. Everything was fine. All the color drained from Roman’s face as the four of them stopped in front of the door and he bit his lip, fighting back tears. Raising his free hand and clenching it into a fist, knocking loudly on the door. He jumped slightly as it swung open almost immediately, revealing Roman’s mother, Violet. 

“Roman? What are you doing here? Christmas isn’t for weeks, you should still be at college,” Violet told her son, looking at him with a puzzled expression on her face. Roman swallowed hard, gripping Logan’s hand tighter. 

“I-I know, mother, but there’s...there’s something I need to tell you and father,” Roman said, his voice barely above a whisper. Violet blinked and then her eyes narrowed. She looked at Patton, Logan, Virgil, and Roman, eyeing their intertwined hands with an expressionless face. 

“I see. And how long, exactly, has this been going on?” Violet asked coldly, turning her burning gaze to Roman. Roman was trembling from head to foot and Virgil looked about ready to bolt, with Logan looking about nervously and Patton with an angry expression that could kill. 

“I...three years. We met my freshman year of college and....and we-” Roman was cut off as the door was slammed shut in his face and the sound of his mother screaming unintelligibly ringing in his ears. Roman felt tears slipping down his cheeks and his breathing became shakier. He felt arms wrap around his shoulders and was turned around gently, led back to the car that Patton, Logan, Virgil, and he had driven here in. 

“I’m sorry, we shouldn’t have come. I’m so sorry,” Roman choked out as Patton opened up the door for him and buckled him up. Virgil slid in next to him on the other sides, and Patton and Logan got into the front seats. Virgil rested his head on Roman’s shoulder, nuzzling into his neck and taking both of his hands in his. 

“Don’t apologize, love, it’s not your fault. You were so brave,” Virgil murmured, smiling ar Roman and wiping the tears that still trickled slowly down his cheeks with his thumb. Roman closed his eyes, melting against Virgil. Logan began to drive and Patton glanced back at Roman and Virgil sadly. Roman’s shoulders were still shaking slightly and the color hadn’t returned yet to his face. 

“It’s going to be okay Roman, I promise,” Patton whispered. Roman smiled at him weakly, still not opening his eyes. 

“I love you all...so much,” Roman sighed. Even if he wasn’t accepted by his parents, he knew that these three beautiful people would always be by his side. 

Oh, for I can't help falling in love with you

That night, the four lovers sat in front of a crackling fireplace, telling stories and cuddling up close together, enjoying each other’s company and love that would last forever. 

And there we be! Sorry if this isn't what you wanted per say, but I hope you still like it! I hope you’re having a good holiday season! 

[availe]

Here’s my @fander-secret-santa picture for @checkered-rox ! They asked for platonic Patton and Virgil, so I hope they’ll like it. Merry Christmas and a happy new year!

[sidewritings]

Fortunate Negotiations

Prompt: This post here

Pairings: Analogical, Royality

Genres: Fluff, romance,

Warnings: anxiety mention, college education mention

Word Count: 1370

Author’s Note: This is my gift for @analogically-prinxiety .  Happy @fander-secret-santa !!!  For quality control, this fic was edited by the wonderful @tinysidestrashcaptain who was also good enough to help me devise a title for this story.  Enjoy!

Logan straightened his tie one last time, checking his reflection in the full-length mirror on the back of his bedroom door. He and Virgil were going to dinner at a moderately upscale restaurant with Roman and Patton, and while the four of them usually got together at least once a week for informal hangout activities, this was their first time going out as two couples on a double date.

Logan frowned at his reflection, picked up a comb, and started fixing his hair. Roman and Patton had gotten together a month into their first semester at Uni and been a couple ever since. He had met Patton in an ethics class and been introduced to Roman shortly thereafter.  Logan and Virgil had met at University as well in an English class where they had been partnered for peer editing exercises. The four of them had quickly become close friends, even sharing an apartment for the last couple years of their undergrad programs.

After graduation,  Roman and Patton had purchased a house together. Patton had gone on to open Pattonly Adorable, a daycare service for children, with his double major in business and child development. Roman had gotten a job running the local theater and occasionally helped Patton with the daycare run out of the first floor of their home.

Logan had gone on to graduate school for a masters degree in astronomy and had taken a job at the University's planetarium immediately after receiving his second degree. He'd kept the apartment the four of them had shared, taking out a four-year lease on the place after Roman and Patton had bought their house, and asked Virgil to stay with him. Virgil had a degree in web design and could work from home, designing, maintaining, and fixing websites and social media accounts for various companies.

Logan checked his hair in the mirror and, satisfied, reached for the lens wipes to clean his glasses. Logan had only admitted his romantic feelings for Virgil to himself a year ago, but Virgil had been dating a nice young librarian at the time and he'd kept his feelings to himself. When Virgil had come home strangely quiet and very early from one of his dates, Logan had watched Steven Universe with him over tubs of ice cream and let Virgil tell him about his breakup. He still hadn't said anything. He'd only asked Virgil out a week ago when Virgil had made an account on Grindr.

He wasn't proud of it, but Logan had made an account too, and asked Virgil out through the app. Not his most shining moment, but it had worked. Virgil had shown up for their date and had not been at all surprised when StarProf72 had turned out to be him. They'd been together ever since that first awful date. Logan had spilled hot coffee on both of them, it had started raining while they walked home together, Virgil had tripped and headbutted Logan instead of a good night kiss. They both laughed about it and Virgil had made a joke that he was definitely the right person, since he still wanted to be with him after that terrible date.

Logan checked his glasses and put them back on. His appearance was satisfactory and he was determined that this date would go much smoother than their first. He would not order hot beverages or anything that could stain fabric if spilled. They were taking his car (Virgil didn't drive) and there was an umbrella in the trunk and one in the glove compartment. There wasn't really anything he could do to prevent Virgil from tripping but he intended to stay alert for any and all mishaps tonight and be prepared for anything.

Logan went to Virgil's room and knocked on the door. There was no answer and a quick peek inside showed that Virgil wasn't there and the bed was stripped. Odd, Virgil usually did laundry on Monday. Logan frowned a bit and closed Virgil's door. They should be leaving soon, perhaps he was already waiting for him. He went down the stairs and turned into the living room only to stop abruptly at the sight before him.

Well, he'd found Virgil's blankets and what looked like every pillow and cushion from the living room. There was an elaborate blanket and pillow fort complete with LED string lights inside taking up most of the living room floor.

“Virgil?” Logan asked.

He wasn't surprised when Virgil's head appeared in what he guessed was the 'door' to the pillow fort.

“Logan!” Virgil smiled at him, not an uncommon expression these days, but it was too forced and too bright. “I just finished the fort, what do you think?”

Logan noted the bags under Virgil's eyes, the slight edge to his voice, and the absence of creases at the corners of his eyes. He was definitely faking the smile and probably struggling with his anxiety again.

“It's a very well-constructed fort,” Logan replied, “you should be able to enjoy it when we get back. Are you ready?”

Virgil's smile vanished as he ducked back into the fort. “Not really feeling it, pocket protector. Go without me.”

Logan frowned. He understood Virgil had social anxiety which from time to time made him anxious about spending time with people, but these were their friends who had seen each other through illness and panic attacks and sleep deprivation and all manner of difficulties. Logan had thought they'd moved beyond this.

“That would rather defeat the purpose of a double date,” Logan replied, sitting at the foot of the stairs. “Virgil, please get out of that pillow fort. We’re supposed to have dinner with friends!”

“Counter-offer,” Virgil's voice came from inside the fort, “you join me, we rule this pillow kingdom together, watch Hocus Pocus, and eat popcorn for dinner.”

Logan chuckled, the offer was tempting but they'd made plans. At least Virgil was bargaining now; he could work with that.

“Counter-Counter Offer: You come out of there, we go to dinner as a couple with our friends, then we come back and cuddle in the pillow fort and watch any movie of your choice.”

“Counterproposal to your counter-counter offer: We cancel fancy dinner plans with Sir-Sing-Alot and the love of his life and just do our normal hang-out this weekend, then order takeout and cuddle in the fort, my treat.”

Logan groaned. Negotiations were not going his way at all.

“Why don't you want to go to dinner, Verge? Is it the restaurant? Is it...” Logan didn't want to voice that terrible little thought in the back of his mind, but it was a concern he'd have to voice to get rid of, “Is it me? Is it that you don't want to be seen as a couple with me?”

Virgil crawled out of the pillow fort and over to Logan who he hugged tight.  Now that he was out of the pillow fort, Logan could see he was wearing a nice pair of black slacks and a plain black tee shirt.  

“Of course not, Logan. You're my boyfriend, and I'm proud to be with you.”

Logan took a slow steadying breath, “Okay, then why-”

“I got makeup on my last clean shirt that's nice enough to wear to this restaurant.”

Logan looked at Virgil to see if he was joking. At the earnest expression on Virgil's face, Logan tried unsuccessfully to stifle a giggle. Next thing he knew they were both howling with laughter, clutching each other and gasping for breath.

“My pillow fort for a clean shirt.” Virgil deadpanned when they'd both finally calmed down enough to speak.

Logan sniggered and stood up, pulling his ridiculous boyfriend with him.

“Come on, you can borrow one of my shirts. We're going to be late.”

“Fine,” Virgil said, still smiling as he followed Logan back up to his room, “but we still get to cuddle in the pillow fort afterward, okay?”

“We'll resume negotiations after dinner,” Logan said, but he knew they'd be cuddled up in Virgil's blanket fort later. The rest was just enjoyable banter over the details.

Tag List: @aikogumi @justanotherpurplebutterfly @anxietyisahufflepuff @tinysidestrashcaptain @logan-must-be-serious @myspace-anxiety @andy-the-anon @starving-for-stability @celiawhatsherlastname @emo-space-trash @irish-newzealand-idian-dutch @silver-owl413 @bubblycricket @sanderssunshinesides @bbcanimephangirl

[sanderssides-secretsanta]

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