#is just as compelling to me and i think logan & roman would suit very well

[spoondrifts]

logince gay deceivers au. does anyone else see my vision

[repeterwiggin]

i decided to make notes as I watched POF (SVSR) for the second time and damn. it’s just as much of a rollercoaster even when you know what’s coming (warning this is long there’s a lot going on)

- wild to me how we jump straight in!

- lee & mary lee are adorable & also thomas at the wedding is a Mood literally me at all my friends weddings

- the flashback breaks my heart,

- Patton is still a really good trier... he’s so good and he tries so hard and I love him

- the way thomas rips off his suit jacket...

- the song that isn’t sung!

- Patton says “we four helped you” but there were five sides in svs hmm I feel like that’s probably significant in some way

- the ace attorney ref makes me very happy! there was a secret path of me hoping for for a professor layton reference but this is ehhhh kinda close?

- the fact that the first thing they say is “why didn’t we talk to lee and mary lee” like. yeah!!

- WE SHOULD START LOOKING I TO WAYS TO PREDICT THE FUTURE! he’s a little confused but he’s got the spirit

- patton and roman bffs!!

- feral cats,,, what a tangent i stan roman

- I like that we get some more context to the invite as well, like being asked face to face does add another element to the dilemma

- Dame Judy Dench = Queen Groovy Bench I see you using those Good Place swears, Roman

- “maybe they ... feel guilty” is like. I get where you’re coming from Patton but talking to them should’ve been step one imo like. I have been to lots of friends weddings and talking to them is important

- “I’m not sure there was a good ending to get” ... “for he’s a jolly good fellow!”

- them calling Patton out for how critical he’s been!!! very important!!! and I appreciate that Patton is trying “I’m just trying to help you be a good as you can be!” he still has more to learn but still im love him

- the bagel callback lol

- GameStore instead of GameStop lol Patton

- FROGGER

- “he eats fly for breakfast”

- We’re ten minutes in and there’s already so much going on

- Also I just want to appreciate that thomas is such a good actor I can tell which side is speaking just from their voice like the cadence is different and they way they say words ahhh it’s something I’ve thought about before but it’s really hitting me with these voice over segments

- Leslie Odom Jr lol if only we’d known

- The Pokemon battle format is so good and I love that it’s being used for a “do you give money to a homeless actor”

- The hotdog puns....

- Logan’s Lowdown!!!

- Roman mouthing “behoove” to Patton is very cute but I feel bad for Logan :(

- Pixel Logan is adorable

- The fact that roman immediately goes “ignorant” breaks my heart listen to logan!!! please!!!!

- Patton trying to soften his thoughts is kind of painful to watch

- “As long as that’s not the main reason you’re doing it!” Patton no,,,,,,,,

- Roman needs to be listened to more he looks so defeated when Patton doesn’t agree with him and only continues after serious prompting I feel like he’s been ignored too many times lately I’m very excited for a roman arc :((

- “Leslie Odom Jr’s....literal cake that he baked!!!”

- Logan’s fun fact popping up in the mario scene!! that’s my boy!!!

- Also the fact that roman is immediately painting deceit as the bad guy after they spent all of svs getting along......like, I feel like after the other sides decided that deceit wasn’t at all genuine or looking out for thomas’ best interests roman did a full 180* on him which makes sense for romans character but is also kinda depressing bc in is lying okay? and svs he was like “oh he’s not that bad!!” And now he’s like “scute bellied tyrant!!” damn

- Patton let’s him talk and then immediately is like “uuuuh no” yikes

- Roman targets all his insults at deceit and very carefully avoids being even playfully rude to anyone else hmm I really do think he’s trying to “make up” for siding with deceit last time and in the end it doesn’t even matter :((( bc he still feels like he’s disappointing people

- Roman seems like he’s genuinely trying to understand and Patton is really struggling to articulate his thoughts and that creates such a good conflict between the two bc it’s not like theyre really against each other it’s just solid interpersonal difference. or intrapersonal I guess

- The trolley problem!!!! A classic I love it

- The way it’s animated too is so good... the “Thomas is full of dread” the way the music cuts when the train appears how it cuts right before the train hits “is it over” ahhhhhh

- Also Leslie Odom Jr again lol

- “Maybe don’t depict scenarios where my friends die” and then later Patton is specifically like “it’s lee and mary lee!!!” lol wild

- “You know we don’t like to use the T word!!!” GREAT little aside

- “So it’s the how that matters” “yeah... and the why!!!” patton baby you’re trying so hard and I love you but it’s okay. you don’t need to have all the answers. you can just not know! I promise it’s alright!

- Thomas face after Patton brings up the “figment of your imagination” things KILLS ME

- I actually disagree with Thomas on the “putting more good into the world” as not being a compelling answer BUT I think that Patton is overlooking how feeling good/having positive emotions attached with those actions IS directly putting more good into the world. like, if doing good makes you feel good, that’s a good thing!! idk

- Logan disagreeing with Patton was good and we all know logan is my favourite but I think he could’ve handled that a little better

- PATTON HITTING SKIP ALL..... sweetie no :((

- everyone has already said this but that cane is the snake boy

- Roman even pulls back the insults on a philosopher who is not there

- Also Roman being like “your desires are getting in the way” again bc he feels like he’s not being listened to or appreciated bc there’s something about him that’s “wrong” and trying to shoulder the blame bc he feels bad that his desires (success, fame, love, appreciation) are inherently selfish :(((

- “that is the stupidest thing you’ve ever said” right sentiment, terrible delivery

- the way roman says “you’re just blowing smoke” is a Lot and very much like his fishing for validation but I don’t blame him for it, after what he’s just admitted it’s truly understandable that he needs that validation

- Thomas’ point about feelings motivating him is REALLY good bc we are all motivated by our emotions

- “Doing nothing is even worse!” i mean you’re not wrong but not in the way you think,,

- Logan/Deceit (I do think it’s deceit at this point) using the oxygen mask metaphor is really great to me!!! I love that metaphor & I was going to be a flight attendant so it’s something I thought about a lot. I’ll talk about it more when Deceit brings it up again lol

- “Uuuh I do need help” mood thomas mood

- “Temporarily put himself first” oof

- “It’s easy to say what we would hypothetically do...” hard agree

- Watching logan/deceit huff and roll his eyes solidifies for me that it is deceit like something about it feels unlike Logan lol I can’t explain why

- Roman nodding along with the explanation of why leisure is important makes me very happy

- “Oh is it not? Please correct me if I’m wrong” and the way the sprite pressing further and further and being more expressive with his hands and eyebrows like damn. that’s deceit!!

- Patton’s breakdown is Iconic I love the glitching and the way it zooms out to show the layout of the living room and the way he explodes ahhhhhhh so good

- why does the frog have abs that’s my one question

- lilypadton ahdhajfka I love it

- DECEIT EX MACINA THE REVEAL IS SO GOOD as soon as he started punning (cut through this bull...frog) I was like 👀 AND THEN THE LINES AND THE CAPE AND THE LORD OF THE LIES IM HAPOY TO OBLIGE

- “CODE YELLOW”

- the deceit sprite is so cute :))))

- Deceit pulling Thomas behind him we have to stan

- “Richer than Jeff Bozos” I LOVE that roman I love you

- Deceit calling him out and the way the words themselves turn into attacks is such a fun detail

- Frog Patton still punning even in serious moments is so on brand

- Deceit dodging while thomas gets hit is a solid metaphor

- “The plane is going down, you need to give thomas some room to breathe” oof like it needed to be said but oof

- The health bars changing to “Thomas’ mental health” OOF LADS WE’RE REALLY IN IT NOW

- the way thomas looks when he steps back into frame cracks me up

- “We can still beat him! We’ve beaten him before!” oh roman, but it’s not a fight against deceit :((

- the snakes on the plane ref lmao “I’m sick of this morality fighting snake on this metaphorical plane” whoever wrote that line... I want to give them a high five truly iconic

- Deceit is so much more playful and showing more diverse personality in this ep and I’m living for it

- final fantasy!! the og version turn by turn which is what I like to play lol also the villain they’re fighting kinda looks like Virgil and idk how to feel about that

- Deceit looking away as soon as logan pops up lmaoooooo

- “Not that any of you care...” logan baby no!!!!! I care!!!!

- Effective Altruism explanation and Logan making a point to go “it employs the heart and the mind” like ... reminding Patton that they need to work together and they’re on the same side I’m soft

- Deceit and Logan agreeing warms my heart they’re both so good and ahhhh

- “Emphasis on the ‘sometimes’ though, right?” “Yeah sure whatever — I mean yes! Of course!”

- I also love how deceit addresses thomas directly they don’t do that a lot but it makes sense cause deceit is really trying to persevere thomas’ self

- Him calling roman noble and roman not believing it :((( deceit trying to be honest and ahhhhh I’m so sad

- “Selflessness isn’t always the answer” which was exactly what svs was supposed to be about

- “What do you almost all things?” “Oh you’re right we wouldn’t want to plant too many trees, imagine how much CO2 might absorbed”

- lmao why am I so impressed by Roman’s deceit impression when they’re literally the same person

- roman flipping out and attacking deceit is a Big Yikes but it’s totally in character bc roman has always been black and white even more so than Patton and it’s been building to an arc for a loooong time so I’m very excited

- Deceit taking off his glove.... saying his name......... I can’t process this

- JANUS!!!!!!!!!! It’s so good it’s perfect I love it I love him

- roman immediately laughing yikesssss

- “Oh roman thank god you don’t have a moustache otherwise between you and remus I wouldn’t know who the evil twin is” YIKESSS but also valid deceit is at a breaking point

- “I thought I was your hero” “you are!”

- I’m going to be thinking about deceit’s—JANUS’S—nod for a long time....was he agreeing with Thomas or was he saying that Thomas was lying ahhhhhhh

- “Everything’s going to be okay. We love you.” “...right” AH MY HEART

- I want to give roman a hug

- Patton asking Janus for advice like right away and Janus not being great at first but coming around quickly with the ever true “it depends” like I love the two of them together the DYNAMIC POTENTIAL

- Janus does seem fond of Patton which is cute I can’t wait for everyone to be friends again lol

- ACTUAL LESLIE ODOM JR I CANNOT

- how did they make that happen,,,, how wild

- the clapping

- “This sanders sides not odom sides,, I’m not threatened at all” that is, somehow, a mood

- “don’t kill, don’t steal, easy conclusions to come to” “even those can get iffy” “I don’t want to think about that... but maybe that proves my point!” you what we call that? growth

- “Giving too simple answers to complicated questions can do more harm than good” “mmhmm”

- “So I’m sorry! Again!” Poor boy is trying to hard and I love him :((( so much <3333

- “Oh yeah that’s cool, talk about me like I’m not here” I love you Janus!!!”

- “I’ll take care of him” and then immediately joking around and trying to make thomas laugh is very cute thomas needed something lighthearted after all of that ahhh

- “You’re not stuck with an EVIL snake boy...you’re just stuck with a snake boy!!” I LOVE YOU JANUS what an adorable nerd I would die for him

- and how excited he gets about being called right he deserves it

- “I love how much you like these constant dilemmas so please keep overthinking things” you know what I needed to hear that man

- “You can’t get doing good down to a science” WORD

- the message of treating yourself well & finding the right balance between that and doing good for others being a personal thing is very good and much needed

- Lee and Mary Lee are onscreen for like 3 minutes and I love them so much

- “So this is what you do for a living? Comedy?” “Yeah I’m a hack”

- Patton and Janus chilling on the same screen... I adore them

- “Seems like things worked out after all... I was wrong about everything!” “You and I both know that’s not true” and Patton’s soft little smile I love them!!!!

- “Odom sides would cool!” like actual Leslie Odom Jr said that.... I’m shook

- okay that’s the end it’s just as much a rollercoaster the second time around no I am not okay, thank you for your time

[snowdice]

Masterpost (Old As Of 4/7/20)

If you would just like to see all of my writing, I tag everything with #adriana writes on my blog. Click here for everything in chronological order of my posting. Click here for my AO3 account.

Completed fics are marked complete in their summary.

Sanders Sides:

The Prison You Deserve: (On hiatus while I edit the Sometimes Labels Fail Prequel Fic “Gaps in his Files.”) Virgil should have known better. Trying to help only ever ended badly for him. After a misunderstanding, Virgil gets thrown into the most infamous prison across all of the kingdoms, where the most evil criminals are thrown to get what they deserve at the hands of nightmarish creatures from the void. Luckily (for once) Virgil really didn’t deserve it. Trusting that this isn’t just a cruel trick and he isn’t actually going to be tortured though is going to take a while. (In which Patton is a eldritch horror, telepathic nightmare, and still is the sweetest thing on the planet and off it.)

AO3  Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Part 5

Is There Anything Left of Patton?: (Zombie AU; One-Shot Series)

Logan has a secret in his basement. Three months into living with him, Virgil finds that secret. He almost wishes the secret was a simple as he first thought it was. Almost.

AO3 

Something Left 

Someone You’ll Never Meet

Food You’ll Never Eat

Things You’ll Never Do

There are Things You Have Lost 

There Are Things That Are Missing 

Labeled Universe (A Superhero AU)

Sometimes Labels Fail: (Complete) Logan was good at labels, at categories. Logan sorted the citizens of his city into 6 different categories in his mind: heroes, villains, vigilantes, criminals, government authorities, and civilians, and knew how to deal with each. But… but what was he supposed to do with him. Virgil was just trying to survive, though he didn’t think the part of him that compelled him to throw himself into fights whenever he saw the superhero Bluebird struggling had gotten the memo. His English teacher was right; he really was stupid. When the villain criminal… when Shadow Caster gets injured while throwing himself into the line of fire for Logan, Logan can’t find it in himself to turn him over to be arrested. Luckily, he knows a doctor very, very well. Virgil is going to get kidnapped adopted by the end of it.

AO3 Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Part 5 Part 6 Bonus Features 

Sometimes Labels Shift: (Post Sometimes Labels Fail stories)

Two Dinner Plates: (One-shot: Complete) A muscle ticked in Logan’s jaw and Virgil tried not to flinch. “We seem to be coming from fundamentally different philosophies on how food should be distributed in a family structure.” In which we finally actually talk about Virgil’s thing™ with food. It goes about how one would expect it to.

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Back to School: (One-shot: Complete) It’s Virgil’s first day back to school after everything and he has some adjustments to make.Aka a blatant excuse to enact the hug Virgil initiative.

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Sticky Note Pandemonium:   (One-shot: Complete) There were also sticky notes on the kitchen counter, the refrigerator, Virgil’s backpack, and even the oven, not to mention every wall. There was even one sticky note stuck on Logan’s butt.His husband had gone on a rampage.

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Arguments and other ‘A’ Words: (One-shot: Complete) Logan and Virgil have a row. Virgil’s new family has a weird way of fighting.

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The Things We Haven’t Talked About: (Complete) Patton and Logan have noticed some concerning behavior from Virgil in their month with him. Beyond the flinching and haunted look in his eyes courtesy of his last foster father, there’s something else of concern for Patton and Logan and they really aren’t equipped to deal with it. They enlist some help from a couple of friends.

AO3 Part 1 Part 2

Wind Symphony (One-shot: Complete) Patton and Logan are still trying to figure out how to be parents and are worried about strange behavior coming from their new son as of late. Logan takes measures to figure out what is wrong.

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Coffee and Cinnamon Rolls (One-shot: Complete)  Remy meets his best friend/bosses new child and immediately has the must protect at all cost urges.

Virgil’s Birthday:  (Complete) Virgil has his first birthday with Logan and Patton and he’s going to get everything he ever wanted.

AO3 Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Part 5

Mini Fic Series: One Two Three Four Five Six Seven Eight Nine Ten Eleven

Relabeled; Refiled: (Prequels to Sometimes Labels Fail)

Coffee Shop Meet Cute  (One-shot: Complete) Is this what falling in love felt like or was Patton just about to pass out from exhaustion? Patton and Logan’s first meeting in the Sometimes Labels Fail Universe.

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Coffee Shop Incident Report  (One-shot: Complete) Patton and Logan’s first meeting in the Sometimes Labels Fail Universe, but what Logan put in his files about it afterwards.

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The Things We Never Mentioned  (Complete)  “Believe it or not, academia and relationships are not mutually exclusive.” That was likely true, Logan knew. It was also not the problem. The problem was his ability to move things with his mind, a blue suit he kept in his bag, and the mountains of red files he kept hidden in his apartment. No one knew that Logan was Bluebird, the cities resident superhero. He hadn’t even told his parents and he wasn’t planning on doing so. Sharing such a secret with anyone was a danger to everyone involved. He refused to do so. At the same time, he knew that starting a romantic relationship with anyone who didn’t know the truth, was unfair to that person. Inevitably they would find out and there would be a disastrous fallout, but beyond that, starting a relationship on a foundation of lies was a horribly cruel thing to do to another person. These two conflicting rules Logan followed had never posed an issue for him before recently, but…But he did like Patton.

AO3 Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 

Logan’s 25 Step Plan to Ask a Boy Out: (One-Shot: Complete) “No! Logan look,” she said. “He likes you and you like him. You don’t need a list or a plan or schematics for this. Just walk up to him and ask him out before you hesitate so much that he thinks you don’t like him anymore.” | Logan’s eyes widened. “Is that something that can happen.” | “Oh god, this is hopeless.” | How is Logan so good at, but simultaneously so bad at this?

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Gaps in His Files: Logan Berry has learned many things the last 10 years: a lot of math and physics, a bit of humility, and how to be a hero being just a few. Through his education, his experience teaching, and his exploits as the superhero Bluebird, he’s changed in a lot of small and large ways. He has recorded these changes in well-organized documents and files. He’s even had to create two new file designations: a red one for files about his moonlighting at Bluebird, and a light blue one dedicated to his boyfriend, Patton.When Bluebird is targeted by a memory device and all of those 10 years of progress suddenly disappear, Patton Sanders and Logan’s extensive files are left as his only resource to get those memories back. But what is Patton supposed to do when there are clear gaps in his files? And what does he do when he is one of them? 

AO3 Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Part 5 Part 6 Part 7 Part 8 Part 9 Part 10 Part 11 Part 12 Part 13 Part 14 Epilogue

The Origin Story of a Yapping Mop: (One-Shot: Complete) Virgil was not the first living creature Logan carried in his arms to Patton. This is how they ended up with a dog.

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Cops and Not Robbers AU:

You I’ll Come Back For: (Complete) They’d met in a jail cell, you see, but unlike now Patton had not been anywhere near trapped, not that Virgil had been aware of that fact. He’d just seen his sweet little cell mate who’d clearly not done anything to deserve being on that side of the bars. Virgil had said “What did you do to get stuck in this joint?” and Patton had started crying. It had taken zero lies and five hours for Patton to coax out the information he’d needed. He’d thought when he’d pranced up to the bars and told Roman he was ready to leave that the absolutely astonished expression which was quickly slipping into fury would be the last thing he’d ever see of the man whose crimes numbered enough to keep him in prison for the rest of his life. He’d escaped during his transfer to federal prison. (This was a dice fic. It also appears below!)

AO3 Part 1 Part 2 Part 3

Mistaken Identities: (One-Shot: Complete) Roman was just walking out of an ice-cream shop when an unfamiliar man’s irate voice made him pause mid lick and look up. “Dammit Remus, I told you to meet me two blocks that way and you’re getting ice cream?” | Now as an identical twin, especially one with a brother who had a… certain personality, he wasn’t exactly unused to this sort of thing happening. So, he promptly opened his mouth to say, “Oh no I’m not…” | “Remus, I don’t care right now,” he interrupted. “Get in the car.” | “But-” | The man snapped his fingers and a hand descended on his shoulder. “Get him in the car.” | Roman meets Deceit and later Logan when he is mistaken for his brother who is apparently doing SOMETHING with his life.

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Dilemmas One-Shots

Moral Dilemmas: (One-shot) “But that doesn’t make any sense!” he yelled.| “Patton,” Remus said evenly.|“It doesn’t!” he screamed turning on him viciously. “There’s a big difference between not being sad someone’s dead and… and… and no! No! I wouldn’t be okay with seeing someone I hated die. I wouldn’t!”| “Yes, you would,” Remus said, standing up himself. He pointed an accusatory finger at him. “You would! And you know you would! Do you think you are the only one who can get a read on another side when functions cross? Those thoughts in your head are my domain and I knew exactly what you were feeling when I asked that question!” Virgil was forcibly summoned immediately, eyes wide. Patton and Remus have a philosophical discussion and then will have to deal with the fall out.

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Ethical Reasoning: (One-shot: Complete) “What happened Remus?” Remus looked at him for a moment and then slammed the door in his face. “Okay,” Logan growled at the closed door. “I’ve had about enough of this. ”Everyone else has to deal with the fallout from the end of Moral Dilemmas. It isn’t pretty.

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Mismatched High Heel Shoes: (One-shot: Complete) The boys are having fun. (This was for the #magpie500 event.)

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Roll the Dice Event:

Buckets of Roses: (One-shot: Complete) As far as anyone knew, Logan was supposed to be in class right now. Which begs the question of why and how Roman is now in his room with him. (“And now that I have explained why I am currently in my own dorm room, would you care to explain why you are here?” “Not, um, not particularly.”)

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Touch Me Gently: (Complete) He had a total of four soulmarks: not an unheard-of thing, but rather rare. There were purple fingerprints on his wrist, looking like a day-old bruise from where someone had grabbed him too hard. What his mother had seen when he’d entered the kitchen was actually two soulmarks that overlapped slightly: a light blue one that darkened his lips and a yellow handprint that covered the lower parts of his cheek and jaw. The ring finger and the tip of the pinkie hit his lip, mixing with the blue to look like a sickly greenish-yellow bruise. What his dad had seen peaking out of the top of his t-shirt was a dark blue mark in the shape of fingers around his neck. Roman had been overjoyed when he realized what the marks were after the initial confusion. His parents had been a little less enthusiastic. (Roman meets his soulmates one-by-one and it’s not at all what everyone assumed when they first saw his soulmarks.)

AO3 Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Part 5 Part 6 Bonus Features

Markups: (One-shot, Complete) Roman leered down at him, clearly incredibly pleased with himself. “You,” he said as Logan did his best to swallow down the rest of his laughter, “have been criticizing my work all day. Which is basically like you’ve been criticizing me. So…why don’t I return the favor?” He wiggled the uncapped pen in front of Logan’s nose. “You wouldn’t dare,” Logan said lowly. (Logan and Roman do some editing.)

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Moral Dilemmas: (One-shot) “But that doesn’t make any sense!” he yelled.| “Patton,” Remus said evenly.|“It doesn’t!” he screamed turning on him viciously. “There’s a big difference between not being sad someone’s dead and… and… and no! No! I wouldn’t be okay with seeing someone I hated die. I wouldn’t!”| “Yes, you would,” Remus said, standing up himself. He pointed an accusatory finger at him. “You would! And you know you would! Do you think you are the only one who can get a read on another side when functions cross? Those thoughts in your head are my domain and I knew exactly what you were feeling when I asked that question!” Virgil was forcibly summoned immediately, eyes wide. Patton and Remus have a philosophical discussion and then will have to deal with the fall out.

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You I’ll Come Back For: (Complete) They’d met in a jail cell, you see, but unlike now Patton had not been anywhere near trapped, not that Virgil had been aware of that fact. He’d just seen his sweet little cell mate who’d clearly not done anything to deserve being on that side of the bars. Virgil had said “What did you do to get stuck in this joint?” and Patton had started crying. It had taken zero lies and five hours for Patton to coax out the information he’d needed. He’d thought when he’d pranced up to the bars and told Roman he was ready to leave that the absolutely astonished expression which was quickly slipping into fury would be the last thing he’d ever see of the man whose crimes numbered enough to keep him in prison for the rest of his life. He’d escaped during his transfer to federal prison.

AO3 Part 1 Part 2 Part 3

The Horror of Stereotypes: There had always been a certain stereotype about people like him for as long as anyone could remember. After the Heart War of 1963, those stereotypes had been legalized and places like this had been created to enforce the universal truth: everyone had a soulmate. One soulmate. No more and no less. At least they were supposed to. When Remus’s brother gets arrested because of his two soulmarks, Remus risks everything by infiltrating the facility he legally should be in as well due to his own two soulmates to save him. There he meets Logan and it turns out they have a lot in common: they both got hired this week, they both have two soulmates, and they’re both here for the same reason. Oh. And as it turns out, they’re each other’s soulmates too.

AO3 Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Part 5 Part 6 Bonus Features

Remains of Memories: (One-Shot: Complete) Patton is about to graduate high school. As his life changes, he figures it’s time to confront some memories with the people he loves. 

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Tea, Cookies, and Handcuffs: (One-Shot: Complete) Logan finds a strange man on his property and of course invites him in for tea.

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[dragonsaphirareads]

The Selfish Protector - Disney and Deceit (Chapter 1)

Crossposted to AO3

Link to Masterlist

Deceit joins the other sides for Friday movie night for a new game Roman creates, but Virgil and Patton aren't exactly thrilled with his presence.

“I’m so glad you two have come around! This is going to be so much fun, I’ve even devised a new game for us to play so we can get to know Deceit a little more!” Roman was smiling widely as Virgil and Patton told him they’d decided to come to family movie night like normal.

Virgil shrugged, and Patton felt a pang of guilt in his heart. Roman was so happy, happier than Patton had seen him in a while, now that he thought about it. Even now he had a spring in his step, bouncing between the kitchen and the living room, preparing food and drinks and changing around the common room to seat everyone comfortably.

It was for the best, he reassured himself. Roman was just blind with the praise Deceit always laid on him. They would save him before the snake could turn on him like Virgil told him he would.

“Of course! Is there anything I can help with, kiddo?” Patton offered, and Roman shook his head.

“Nope! I’ve got everything under control! You and Virgil can just hang out in the living room while I go get Logan!” The prince practically skipped past them and down the hall towards Logan’s room. Virgil and Patton sat down on the sectional, glancing at each other for a moment to reassure themselves.

“Virgil... this is... good, right?” Patton whispered, his throat tight. Virgil put his hand on top of Patton’s, squeezing it softly.

“You’re not sure?” The anxious side tried to hide his surprise - since when did Patton not know? He was Morality, that was his purpose.

“I mean... I just...what if they get angry at us for this?”

Virgil sighed. That thought had crossed his mind too, and it didn’t make him feel good. “As long as they’re safe, it doesn’t matter, right? It’s that, or they get sucked into whatever game Deceit is playing and we lose them completely.”

Patton nodded slowly. “Right... we won’t let that happen.”

The emotional side didn’t know if he would be able to handle Logan or Roman being angry at him, but Virgil was right - they had to keep them safe from Deceit.

“I’ve got him!” Roman called out as he entered the room, dragging Logan behind him. “Our resident nerd was once again planning on skipping on movie night!”

Logan rolled his eyes, pulling his arm from Roman’s grip. “I was planning no such thing, I simply lost track of the time. I’d appreciate you not implying otherwise.”

“Aww, so you do like spending time with us! I thought you thought Disney movies were annoying and childish?” Roman teased.

“They are overly optimistic and fanciful, not to mention unrealistic. However, they are a suitable way to pass the time if you enjoy not having to think for two hours.” It was both a compliment and an insult, but Roman took it in stride.

“Sure, whatever, you know you love it! Anyways, let’s get comfortable!” Roman waved his hand and his clothes shifted from his normal princely attire to his Christmas sweater and red sweatpants. Logan followed suit as he took a seat on the other side of the sectional, curling up in his sweater and pants and opening the book that he’d taken from his room.

Patton grinned and shifted as well, but instead of the Christmas sweater he shifted into his cat onesie, he had very few chances to wear it anymore and it was just so warm and cuddly!

Virgil on the other hand didn’t change. When Roman came into the room and set the snacks down he pouted, but Virgil shrugged.

“I’m already comfy enough, Princey.”

“But...”

Virgil raised his eyebrows, but Roman didn’t finish the thought, instead rolling his eyes at Logan. “Really, Matilda? Did you take that with you so you could ignore us?”

Logan didn’t look up. “No, I’m only reading until all of us are here. There’s no point in starting any activity you have planned until Deceit arrives.”

“If that’s the case, let’s get the party started.” The four of them looked up at Deceit, who’d entered the room while Roman and Logan were squabbling. The snakelike side took a look at the four of them and smirked slightly. “Looks like I didn’t get the memo about the dress code.” Deceit teased. Roman gasped.

“Oh, I’m sorry, I totally forgot to tell you! Ah, if you like, I can design a sweater for you too!”

Deceit’s mouth twitched for a moment into a genuine smile. “Really? You’d do that for me? Well, I suppose I can accept, on one condition.” He purred, and Roman nodded heartily.

“What’s that?”

“You design a sweater, but I get to change the rest. I’m rather creative too, you know~” Deceit winked, and Virgil could feel his chest burning when he heard the flattered giggle that came from Roman. The creative side thought for a moment before flourishing his hand towards Deceit, who snapped at the same time.

The result was a yellow and black sweater divided right down the middle. There were two snakes curled back and forth across the color divide, one black and one yellow. The yellow half was on the left and had black lines indicating scales all down the half of his chest and left arm. The collar, bottom edge and arm cuffs were the opposite color of the main sweater. The way the sweater was cut, it hung lower on his neck than Deceit’s normal outfit, and the others could see how his scales trailed down his neck, disappearing into his collar.

Aside from Roman’s very fitting sweater design, Deceit now wore black sweatpants, thick fuzzy yellow socks, and a yellow beanie with black stitching. He had, however, kept his signature yellow gloves.

Patton couldn’t help but admire the sweater design - Roman had clearly put just as much thought into this one as he had into the others, which either meant he was incredibly good at thinking up designs on the fly, or that when he designed the sweaters, he’d designed them for all of the sides.

Virgil on the other hand was not impressed. “Do you two always have to be so extra?”

Roman spun to spit some retort at him but Deceit stepped forward and patted Roman’s shoulder, grinning. “He’s just jealous that my sweater looks better than his. Incredible work as always, Roman.”

The prince glowed at the praise. “Why thank you! I was hoping you’d like it!”

Deceit nodded, then turned to the side and noticed Logan was watching him with curious eyes. The lying side smirked and put a hand on his hip, striking a natural pose. “Like what you see, Logan?”

“I’m certainly curious about your scales. Do they extend down the entirety of your body?”

Deceit could physically feel the anger coming from the other side of the couch and decided this was too good an opportunity to pass up. He licked his lips and wiggled his eyebrows. “I’d be happy to show you sometime, Logan~” Deceit purred low, and Virgil slammed his hands down hard on the coffee table, rattling everything.

“That’s enough of that! Roman, can we just start now? Deceit’s here now, unfortunately.” Virgil sneered as Deceit snickered at his outburst and sat down in the corner of the sectional. Patton cast a sideways glance at him, watching him with careful consideration as Deceit turned his attention to Roman, standing in front of them all, ready to explain his game.

“Ok! So, I was thinking about it, and I realized that we may all ‘know’ Deceit, but we don’t really ‘know’ him! So I’ve created a brilliant game, Disney themed of course, to help us get to know each other!” Roman waved his hand and conjured five patches, each a side’s logo. He shuffled them around like cards in his hands while he talked.

“I’ll hand out these badges blindly and once you have one, we’ll go around and you have to pick a Disney character that you think represents the person best!”

“What if we pick ourselves?” Patton asked.

“Then you choose someone to compare yourself to! Oh, and this is just Disney! No Pixar, Marvel, Star Wars, nothing like that! We’re staying classic!”

“Sounds fun~” Deceit hummed. Roman beamed.

“We’ll do a couple rounds. Once we finish one, we’ll pass to our right and go again! Now close your eyes and pick a logo!” Roman fanned them out and Logan humored him, closing his eyes and picking blindly. He drew a purple storm cloud which he fiddled with absently as Roman moved on.

Deceit drew a red and gold crest, Patton drew a brain with glasses, and Virgil drew a two headed snake. It left Roman with a heart with glasses, and he grinned.

“Alright, everyone’s got one, who wants to start?”

They were quiet for a moment as everyone thought, and Roman fidgeted as he started to worry that maybe the others wouldn’t play along with this game, wouldn’t enjoy it as much as he thought they would. Was this a bad idea?

Deceit saw the distress building on Roman’s face out of the corner of his eye and opened his mouth to start, but Virgil beat him to it.

“Easy. Deceit is the villain from Princess and the Frog.”

The lying side in question raised an eyebrow. “Dr. Facilier? Wow, Virgil, I’m so surprised you chose a villain to compare me to.”

“You’ve got a stupid hat, weird glowing powers and a look that puts everyone on edge. I think it fits you perfectly.” Virgil snarled, but to his annoyance Deceit just grinned.

“Aww, I’m honored you think so highly of me! However, it does give my suggestion an unwanted connotation. I was going to suggest that you, Roman, were just like Prince Naveen.”

Roman blinked. “Oh yeah?”

“A dashing prince who gets in a little over his head, who falls in love and spends his time trying to woo the person he’s been on the journey with, not to mention willing to sacrifice being with the person he loves to make sure that they’re happy? Oh, and fluent in a love language as well~” Deceit counted off on his fingers as Roman grew more and more red. Hearing Deceit explain his choice made his heart nearly burst from the praise, but he cleared his throat and tried to hide just how good it felt to hear his words.

“You make a compelling argument...”

“Oh, and his singing voice is rather divine as well, we can’t forget that!” Deceit added, and Roman nearly burst into flames. He coughed awkwardly, taking the opportunity to hide his wide grin behind his hand.

“Well, I, uh... I think Patton’s just like Cinderella’s fairy godmother.” He sputtered, moving the focus away from him. The side in question lit up, bouncing slightly in his seat.

“Ah, that’s sweet Roman!”

“W-Well, you’re sweet and you’d do anything to help someone like Cinderella achieve her dream, and you would totally make a pumpkin into a carriage!”

Patton giggled. “True! Bibbity boopity boop!” He sung, tapping Virgil’s nose to the other’s confusion. “Well, I got Logan and I thought of Mary Poppins!”

Logan pursed his lips. “Really?”

“Yes! She’s organized, and knows exactly what to do to make sure the kids get their work done!”

“She’s also calculated enough to realize when she needs to leave and detach from the situation to move on to the next problem.” Deceit added, and Logan blinked, considering it.

“I... suppose. Although I cannot imagine singing the songs in that movie, they’re somehow more ridiculous than any other Disney film.”

“Says the guy who spent almost ten minutes singing about a jelly brand...” Deceit muttered and Roman snickered. Logan kept his face neutral, though the tips of his ears did turn pink. He cleared his throat.

Logan looked at Virgil. “Well then, I believe that just leaves me. I believe Jack Skellington from The Nightmare Before Christmas is a good fit for you.”

“Is this just because I’ve got a poster of the movie in my room?” Virgil asked.

“Partially, yes. I know you enjoy the movie. However, I believe you do share some traits with the protagonist.”

Roman tilted his head. “Really? I would have put him as Sally, if I had to pick someone from that one.”

“Yes, well, I find it an accurate metaphor for your joining our little group.” Everyone’s attention was on Virgil, so nobody caught how Deceit’s jaw tightened ever so slightly at Logan’s words. “You were stuck in your own world, feeling isolated until you came across something new and exciting. However, your entry into this new world was... rocky, one might say. The details of the movie muddle the metaphor, and perhaps the ending isn’t truly reflective of our truth, but regardless, I feel it’s suitable.”

“Wow Logan, that was a... detailed analysis...” Virgil said slowly, glancing quickly at Deceit but seeing only his trademark grin on his face.

“I thought that was the point of this game?” Logan asked, confused.

“You did wonderfully, Logan. In fact, I think your choice was the most accurate out of all of us.” Deceit complimented him, and the logical side adjusted his glasses quickly.

“That���s kind of you, Deceit.”

Beside him, Patton could feel Virgil tense up, and he subtly nudged his leg up against the anxious side’s, trying to convey some encouragement through the touch.

“Well then, let’s pass to the right! This time, let’s put a new rule in place! You have to name a princess that the person is like! Or a female main character, even if they don’t have the title of princess technically. For this, characters like Pocahontas and Moana are princesses, even if that’s not technically their title.” Roman explained eagerly. That hadn’t gone horribly! And forcing them into a narrower focus, hopefully he could avoid a spat between Virgil and Deceit.

The sides all passed their badges to the right, and Deceit immediately smirked and held up his brain logo, leaning forward. “Well, this one is just too easy. Belle, Beauty and the Beast.”

Logan narrowed his eyes. “Too easy?”

“She’s the only one in town who reads, and also seems to be the only one with a smidge of common sense.”

The logical side groaned. “Yes, but she also fell in love with a monster who essentially kidnapped her and held her captive.”

Roman threw his head back and rubbed at his eyes. “We’re not starting the Stockholm Syndrome argument again! Not tonight!”

Logan shut his mouth, clearly he’d been about to argue that very point. “Fine then. Regardless of that, the very fact that she fell in love with him--”

“Oh, that’s right, I forgot you’re an emotionless robot who doesn’t feel anything. Unfortunately, there’s not many Disney princesses who are like that, so I had to make due with the princess who forces the prince to respect her as a person before she starts falling for him.” Deceit’s tone was more forceful than the others expected, and it startled them a bit. Logan especially leaned back, unsure to why he sounded so frustrated.

“I didn’t mean-- Belle is fine, I just...” Deceit waited, but Logan trailed off. “Nevermind.”

“Anyways, I have myself this round, and I just have one thing to say - Merida. That is all!”

The others rolled their eyes but let it be. It was a pretty decent fit.

“I’ve got myself too, but how am I supposed to pick a princess? They’re all way too... fluffy for my taste.” Virgil mumbled, flipping the patch over and over between his fingers.

“What’s wrong with being fluffy?” Patton asked, pouting.

“Nothing, it’s just not me.”

“Megara!” Roman exclaimed.

“Ooh, that’s a good one Roman.” Deceit hummed, and Virgil considered it as Roman explained.

“She’s smart, sassy, doesn’t take any crap from Hades, and she only does what she does because she made a deal with Hades to save and protect the one she loved. It maybe didn’t turn out well... but she got a happy ending!”

Virgil considered it, and seemed to accept it with a shrug. “Sure, whatever.”

“Patton, I have you, and I think Princess Jasmine from Aladdin fits you rather nicely.” Logan spoke, and Patton turned to him.

“Really? I love her, she’s so pretty!”

“Yes, well, one of her defining characteristics is her intense hatred for being lied to and treated like an object rather than a person.” Patton tensed up at the mention of lying, and he intentionally avoided looking at Deceit, who he could feel was staring at him. “Considering your own moral compass, it seemed like an accurate fit.”

“A-Ah, well, I guess so... I don’t know if I could be as brave as she is though...” Patton tried to deflect, then he looked down at the patch in his hands and realized he was the last one in this round. “Um, I’m sorry, I tried but I couldn’t really think of a princess for you, Deceit...”

Deceit’s slitted eye twitched.

“That’s alright, Patton! Let’s all think of something together!” Roman was quick to reassure him, then tapped his chin as he thought. “What about... Mulan? She lied about her gender so that she could join the army and protect her father. And even when she was revealed, she still did everything she could to fulfill her duty!” Roman looked down and saw Deceit was smiling softly at him, and felt heat rush to his cheeks. The lying side quickly schooled his features into a more neutral expression as the others looked to him.

“That works for me. ‘Hero of China’ is a title I would be more than willing to hold.” Deceit leaned back, throwing his arm across the back of the couch.

Roman sighed in relief - he’d felt the tension in the room rise when Patton didn’t have an answer, but thankfully he’d resolved it. “OK! Let’s go again! This time - Disney princes!”

They all passed and thought for a moment. Roman spoke up first, showing Logan his badge. “I’ve got one! You, Logan, are the spitting image of Milo Thatch from Atlantis!”

Logan adjusted his glasses. “Explain your thought process, please.”

“Easy! You’re a nerd, awkward and obsessed with learning! Plus, he has glasses!”

“You’re underselling him a bit, Roman. Milo is the hero of the story, all because he studied dead languages and a civilization that most people considered unimportant. If he hadn’t dedicated his life to it despite people telling him his study was pointless, Atlantis’ entire culture would have died out without anyone knowing.” Deceit added, and the other sides all stared at him in surprise. “What? I agree with Roman, but he wasn’t hitting on the important parts of his character.” He explained nonchalantly.

Logan blinked. Did Deceit just indirectly call him important for the work he does? “I, er, well... thank you.” He stuttered, cursing himself for his lack of coherency.

Virgil watched this exchange with clenched teeth. It made his blood boil, how smoothly Deceit could wrap the two of them around his little finger. One word that could remotely be construed as praise and they were practically falling all over him.

He wouldn’t fall for it. He could only hope Patton wouldn’t either.

“Well, Roman, I have you this round, and I know how much would you love to be compared to a strong, daring prince, so I’m not going to do that.” Roman gasped, a hand over his heart in mock surprise, and Logan smirked. “Instead, I’m going to say Roger from 101 Dalmations.”

Roman tilted his head. “Really? Wouldn’t Patton fit that better? He loves dogs!”

“You’re musical and you would absolutely compose a song about a villain, and if you were given the chance you would completely change the course of your life to take care of dogs.” Logan explained.

The creative side let out a huff. “Ok, I can’t argue on the song thing, but Patton would do the same thing if he had a hundred dogs suddenly show up on his doorstep.”

Logan rolled his eyes. “I’m just playing by the rules of the game you created. I don’t have Patton this round, I have you. And that’s my choice.”

“Fine! Virgil, go, you’ve got Patton!”

“Prince Eric.”

Roman gasped for real this time. “What?!” He screeched.

Virgil shrugged. “Patton’s the kind of person who would pick up some random stranger off the beach and invite her to stay in his castle as an honored guest. And then fall in love with her in three days.”

Patton squealed and tackled Virgil in a side hug. “Aww, you think so? Virgil, that’s so sweet!”

Deceit raised an eyebrow - that was an interesting way to react to that explanation. Beside him, Roman was huffing in annoyance.

“I could be Prince Eric! Patton, can’t we switch?”

Patton just giggled. “I don’t think that’s part of the game, kiddo! Anyways, this is funny, I have Virgil this round! And I’ve got the perfect one. Bambi!”

Deceit stifled a laugh, not attempting to hide how widely he was grinning. Virgil whipped around and stared daggers at him. “What’re you laughing at, snakeface?”

“Absolutely nothing. Go ahead, I’m dying to hear your reasoning, Patton!”

Virgil sneered but Deceit stayed quiet as Patton explained, putting his hand over Virgil’s to draw his attention back to him. “When you first started really joining us in videos, you didn’t exactly know what you were doing. A lot of stuff was new and you didn’t know how to deal with it so you didn’t at first. Not until you made friends who could help you!”

“I mean I guess...” It felt wrong, but he just wanted to move on rather than argue against it. “Alright, well, that’s it then, let’s pass and go again.”

“Hold on just a moment Virgil, Deceit hasn’t given his answer yet. This game won’t be as effective unless everyone takes part.” Logan pointed out, and Virgil inwardly cursed Logan a thousand different ways.

“I can understand your mistake, Virgil, we all know how forgettable I am.” The anxious side resisted the urge to hiss at him. He was trying to piss him off - Virgil wouldn’t fall for it.

“Aladdin.” Deceit answered.

“Ah right, the prince who lies and steals to get what he wants.” Virgil rolled his eyes.

Deceit turned to him, eyes narrowed. “A ‘street rat’ who’s been looked down on his whole life for who he is, something he was born as and has no control over, who was forced to steal and lie to stay alive in a society that treats him like dirt. Someone who is given a chance of a lifetime to turn himself around, but is forced to hide a big part of himself in order to integrate into that society and finally be accepted by someone who will love him regardless of his past or who he is.” Deceit met Virgil’s eyes evenly, his face a mask. Beside him, Patton was shifting uncomfortably, staring at his feet. It was an unexpectedly candid answer and he could feel the guilt stirring in his chest. The room slowly got colder as they stared at each other, the tension hanging like a thick fog in the air.

“How is it that you manage to be even more edgy than me?” Virgil quipped, and the room’s temperature rose again as Deceit laughed, a sharp noise breaking the awkward silence.

“I can only dream of being as edgy as you, my dear Virgil.” Deceit purred, and Virgil was glad Patton was between them because otherwise he would take a swing and knock that smug look right off his face.

“Ok, let’s move on!” Roman broke in, passing his badge over. They all swapped, though Virgil was grumbling the whole way that this whole idea was stupid.

“This time let’s do side characters! Comic relief, background characters, anyone but the main characters!”

Deceit smirked and held up the badge he’d received, and Virgil braved himself. Great, what horrible character would Deceit compare him to to piss him off now?

“Eeyore.” What? Virgil glanced at him - that was tame. What was he playing at?

“Why?” The anxious side ventured cautiously.

The lying side smirked. “Always looks on the dark side and brings up the negatives to every decision--”

“And he’s still loved by his friends despite that!” Patton interrupted Deceit, putting his arm around Virgil and pulling him into a tight hug.

“And he’s still loved by his friends despite that.” Deceit parroted quietly, and while Virgil and Patton missed it as Virgil struggled to get out of Patton’s grip, Logan and Roman caught it and shared a look.

If Deceit was upset or angry, he didn’t show it as he looked over to Roman and grinned widely. “Your turn~”

Roman, who’d been debating, hit his fist against his palm and grinned. “That’s it! The Cheshire cat!”

“That’s a rather surface observation, Roman. Are you just referring to his smile?” Logan asked, and Roman shook his head.

“No! Well, yes, that’s part of it, you have a very unique smile, but it’s more than that! In the movie, the cat appears just to confuse Alice and say things that make sense to him, but nobody else.” Roman grinned a little like a cheshire himself. “You always keep things to yourself and get us to run around in circles trying to understand you!”

“Oh but it’s much more fun that way!” Deceit snickered.

“See? That’s what I mean!” Roman gestured, and Deceit took it in stride.

“You’ve got me all figured out, don’t you~” The lying side humored him, and Roman shrugged, happy with himself.

“Tinkerbell.”

The three of them turned to look at Virgil, who was staring at Roman intently. “I beg your pardon?” Logan asked.

“Roman. I choose Tinkerbell.”

“Because I’m magical and wonderous? Why thank you Virgil!”

“Because you’re only pleased with yourself when someone pays attention to you. Otherwise you sulk or throw a tantrum.” Roman’s eyes widened, and he leaned back, trying to play it off with a laugh.

“I only wish for the world to recognize my talents!”

Deceit’s eye twitched again.

“Yeah right princey.”

“I have myself this round! And I think I’m like Mrs. Potts from Beauty and the Beast!” Patton broke in, holding up his heart patch joyfully. “She’s kind and a mother and she always looks on the bright side and tries to cheer up Belle when she stays in the castle!” He said all in one breath, and the others nodded along. If any of them would be able to comfort someone in the situation Belle found herself in, it would be him. The irony wasn’t lost on Deceit that he’d compared Logan to Belle not half an hour earlier.

“That leaves you, Logan! You have yourself, right?” Patton asked, and Logan nodded, holding up the brain patch.

“Yes. I think I’ll choose Sebastian, from The Little Mermaid. He’s organized, task-oriented, and his plans are always ruined by someone who decides to go running of on an adventure.” He glared pointedly at Roman, who just rolled his eyes.

“Life is so boring the way you live it! I have to keep you on your toes!”

“I could certainly do without it.” The logical side grumbled.

Roman glanced around and realized they’d all gone. “Well, that went faster than I thought! We can start a movie now, if you want--”

“Just a moment, Roman. We still have one more rotation. And I have the perfect idea~” Deceit interrupted him, and his tone put Virgil immediately on edge.

“Oh, yeah? What’s... what’s that?”

“Well, we’ve done princesses, princes and side characters. But we have one more rotation, and one more group. Why don’t we do one last round and pick from Disney villains?”

Roman chewed his lip, looking over at Virgil nervously. “Ah, well, I... I wasn’t going to... I mean, Virgil...”

“Right, right, I understand. You don’t want to compare dear Virgil to a villain, given his history. But if we all do it, then it’s fair, right? We won’t single anyone out.” Deceit’s voice was smooth, convincing, and Roman would be lying if he said he hadn’t thought about the villains in this game.

“W-Well, what do you guys think? We don’t have to if you don’t want to...” Roman turned the question on the rest of them, unsure what result he himself wanted.

“I for one believe it would be a good exercise. Disney villains especially have a wide range of characteristics and motivations, exploring those darker themes could be interesting.” Logan put in, shifting in his seat to get more comfortable.

“And it’s just a thought exercise, after all. We’re not saying anyone in this room is actually a villain, right?” Deceit added, watching Patton’s reactions carefully. He knew Virgil wouldn’t agree with him just on principle, but Roman and Logan were both for the idea. It would be majority vote...

But Roman wouldn’t dare go against his beloved fatherly side. If Patton said no, Roman would change his mind to please him. It made Deceit crazy.

Patton knew he was being watched from all sides, and he bit his lip. On the one hand, he wanted to push Deceit away and just start watching a movie - at least then, he wouldn’t have to talk to him anymore. He could lean against Virgil and try to forget he was there at all, and try to ignore the butterflies in his stomach that just wouldn’t go away.

On the other hand, Roman was looking at him with such raw hope in his eyes that he couldn’t bear to say no. “Well... I guess it is just a game we’re playing.”

Roman lit up - he hadn’t realized that he’d been holding his breath until he felt his lungs burning. “Uh, ok then, let’s do it!”

They passed their badges, and Patton realized as soon as Deceit took hold of his badge what he’d gotten himself into. He felt his heart stop. How had he forgotten who exactly Deceit would be answering for!?

“I suppose I’ll start then.” Logan said after the room fell into a tense silence. “Deceit, I believe you fit Tamatoa from Moana well.”

That actually caught Deceit off guard, though he hid it well enough. “Really? Please, elaborate on that Logan.”

“Certainly. To begin, while Tamatoa is certainly an antagonist in the movie and his actions towards the protagonists aren’t exactly excusable, upon many viewings,” Logan cast a glance at Roman, “I can conclude that the main motivation for his actions is selfish desire. He gathers shiny things and keeps them in his cave, and doesn’t let anyone touch them.”

Deceit resisted the urge to rub at the scratches that were slowly healing on his face. None of them had mentioned it until now, and it wasn’t for lack of noticing, he was sure. He narrowed his eyes curiously. “Interesting. Are you calling me selfish for how I keep my room, Logan?”

Logan wasn’t intimidated, and merely shrugged. “It’s simply a comparison. Am I incorrect?”

There was a pause.

“Not entirely.” Deceit answered, tugging at his hat that had begun to slip down on his head.

“Alright then. Virgil, would you like to go next? You have my badge.”

Virgil shrunk in on himself. “C’mon Teach, I don’t wanna compare you to a villain--”

Logan gave him a soft, rare smile. “It’s quite alright. This is just a thought exercise, Virgil.”

The anxious side took a breath. He damned Logan - if only he could have kept his mouth shut, he wouldn’t need to deal with this! “Uhh... I guess... maybe... Frolo?”

Logan raised an eyebrow. “From Hunchback of Notre Dame? Interesting... why?”

Virgil stared at his shoes. “I dunno... he’s smart, and he doesn’t show his emotions easily.”

“Hmm... Well, I don’t believe I’ve ever displayed the... lust he does, but aside from that I understand where you’re coming from.”

“Yeah.” Virgil shrugged, uncomfortable. Patton nudged him subtly with his elbow, and Virgil turned up a corner of his mouth to show him he was alright.

“Roman, why don’t you go next?” Logan encouraged, taking over the activity since Roman was sitting still, staring at the small storm cloud badge in his hand.

“I, uh... I mean, Virgil...” He’d lost any and all bravado he’d had before, and now he just stared across the sectional with apologetic eyes.

“Just get it over with, princey.”

“Uh... Maleficent. Technically, yes, she’s the villain, but if you look at the original story, it was actually the king and queen who insulted her first. And she even gave them a chance to fix their mistake, and only cursed them when they did it again. Not to mention she gave the princess an out for her curse!” Roman explained quickly, like the very words burned him as he spoke. Virgil shrugged, though inwardly he felt a small prick of warmth. He did everything he could to make his choice a good one for him, and to not offend or scare him.

When had Roman gotten so careful about not offending him?

“Oh, does that make it my turn then?” Deceit hummed as Roman fell silent. The lying side grinned widely, leaning forward into Patton’s personal bubble and twirled the heart patch between his fingers.

“I thought of the perfect one for you, Patton. How about Hans, from Frozen?”

“W-What?!” Patton exclaimed, jerking away from Deceit. “But... he’s horrible! He lies to Anna and tries to kill her!”

“He tells her everything she wants to hear, encourages her to go after her sister, her only living family, and that he can manage her kingdom by himself while she’s gone. All. By. Himself.”

Patton shrunk slightly under the intense gaze from Deceit’s golden eye. “I... don’t understand...”

“What’re you playing at?!” Virgil growled, his voice low. Deceit didn’t spare him a glance.

“He took over, and he did it all under the radar. Nobody ever suspected what a horrible person he was inside. He kept up the facade as long as he needed to to get what he wanted.”

“That’s it you piece of shit!” The anxious side exploded, pushing Patton to the side as he stood up and grabbed Deceit’s collar, pulling him to stand face to face. “You’re not allowed to insult him! You’re saying all this stupid shit about Patton when really, you’re the one you’re talking about!”

“Virgil, please calm down! Violence will not solve anything!” Logan stood as well, trying to step forward but Deceit held up a hand.

“Don’t worry, Logan. Virgil’s just a little too into this game, that’s all. Isn’t that right? Come now Virgil, it’s just an exercise - I already said we aren’t the villains we name. Don’t you think you’re overreacting?”

Virgil hissed, but was suddenly acutely aware that the rest of the sides were staring at him with bated breath, waiting to see if he would really take a swing. Against all his instincts, he didn’t run away nor did he punch the daylights out of Deceit. He forced his hand open and let Deceit fall back into the couch.

“Now then, we only have one more to go, don’t we? Patton, you’re the big finale~”

Patton shied away from Deceit, holding the red and gold badge against his chest. “I... I can’t compare Roman to a villain! He’s a prince, that’s just... wrong!”

“Yeah, why don’t we just call the game here?” Virgil jumped in, but out of the corner of his eye he saw Roman deflate just a little.

Deceit caught it too. “Well that’s not fair, we can’t leave Roman out of this round! But I’ve got an idea, if you need help Patton.” The deceitful side offered sincerely.

“We don’t need--”

“How about Gaston?”

Roman turned his head. “You think-- I mean, I--”

“You’re strong, handsome, and loved by all.”

The prince sucked in a breath. “I... Those aren’t really... what make him a villain...”

“We never said you had to relate to the characteristics that make them a villain, Roman. Are you so upset by that arbitrary label that you don’t want to associate at all with any of the things that make him the character he is?”

Roman stared at him, confused. Where did that come from? “I...”

Deceit smiled. “There’s a bit more to life than pure good and pure evil, Roman.”

Then Deceit stood and stretched, ignoring how the rest of the sides were staring at him. “I’ll be right back, why don’t you all start the movie without me?”

He walked out, into the bathroom down the hall. The four of them sat in stunned silence.

“So, uh... what movie should we watch tonight?”

[pllandcompany]

From Now On

Summary: Human!AU. From the outside, Roman Prince had it all. Good looks, charm, popularity, romance. So why was he so unsettled? And why did the sarcastic nerd make him question risking it all?

Pairing: Roman/OC, eventual romantic Logince

Warnings: implied nsfw-ish scene, anxiety, repression of sexuality, a swear or two, spoiler alert! teen pregnancy

Tagged: @ziallwarrior @thefallendog Message me if you'd like to be tagged!

Notes: I literally cannot write romance without angst; it's not physically possible for me. It's a long one but hopefully, it's worth the read. As always, feedback is appreciated! Enjoy!

They were the ideal “it” couple, the envy of every nerd, prep, and jock at Hamilton High. Roman Prince, the varsity quarterback and senior class president. Laurel Hudson, the head cheerleader and unofficial theatre queen. They met doing a show their sophomore year after Roman convinced his coach that dancing would be adequate conditioning for football. It was Grease and they were the quintessential Danny Zuko and Sandra Dee, her blond curls and his strong arms sweeping them across the stage in perfect sync. From then on, their love story played out beyond the stage curtain while everyone watched in awe and envy of her seemingly ideal romance. It wasn’t until the start of their senior year that the wheels of their well-oiled machine began to rust when a single conversation and a pair of wandering eyes became their downfall.

“Roman?” Laurel was hesitant, twisting her hands into the down of Roman’s comforter while he distractedly flipped the pages of Vogue (when did he start reading that? she wondered).

“Hmm? Yes, my love, what is it?”

“Why haven’t we had sex yet?” Roman nearly choked on the gasp of air that misrouted its way to his lungs at that statement. “Love...we-we said we were going to wait until we were both ready.”

“Are you ready? Be-because I was talking to Millicent-”

“Why are you taking advice from that shrieking harpy?” Roman quipped, tone dripping with a casual sarcasm. “Because she’s my friend, you clod, don’t be mean!” She playfully tossed a pillow at Roman’s overly styled coif, mussing it slightly and earning a dramatic noise of offense. “I’m being serious, Ro…I think I’m ready. Millie’s been having sex with Ben for months now and they’re barely in love. We’re literally perfect in every way. We should…take the next step.”

“Laurel-love…if we’re perfect in every way, why do we need to complicate things with sex? I love us the way we are.” Laurel’s face crumpled. “She was right. You don’t find me attractive. I knew it. You don’t want to be with me, not that way.”

Roman sat up quickly, alarmed at how close his girlfriend was to tears. “Babe, no, no, you’re wrong, that’s not it at all. Of course I think you’re attractive. Besides, it’s not like we haven’t done anything, we’ve…fooled around.” He ran his hand down her back comfortingly. “I just…still need to wait, okay love? It has nothing to do with you or how beautiful you are. I just want to know that I’m ready, all right?” Laurel nodded silently, still looking unsure but accepting his answer. “Come here, let me hold you.” Laurel climbed over and crawled into his arms, curling into Roman’s broad chest. He let out a sigh of relief, strangely feeling like he had dodged a bullet.

****

It was strange, honestly. Roman had seen Logan Fields around school before plenty of times. They had even spoken. But for some unknown reason, today felt like the first day he noticed him. He noticed his thick rimmed glasses that framed his face perfectly. He noticed his formal dress that so appropriately suited him. He noticed that he was tall.​ Tall, dark-haired with piercing grey eyes, long legs and broad shoulders...

Why was Roman thinking about these things?

Better question, why was he thinking about these things instead of watching where he was going? The distraction of Logan's limbs caused the two to collide like linebackers in the endzone.

"Oh my God, I am so, so sorry! Here let me help you," Roman grabbed at Logan's papers frantically, purposely avoiding eye contact.

"Well. That explains why your percentage of sacks taken in the pocket is so high."

Roman froze. "Excuse me?"

Logan smirked proudly. "You obviously have poor peripheral vision if you couldn't see me walking towards you."

Roman barely processed the slight jab once he locked eyes with the alluring smug on Logan’s face. He couldn’t believe himself as he stammered around his next sentence: Roman Prince was actually flustered. Him at a loss for words, a novel concept. “You, uh…you follow my stats? I didn’t someone like you would be interested in me- uh, football! Interested in football, I-I mean.” Nice going, Prince, really smooth.

“I don’t care about football. I enjoy math. Football has a lot of statistics and physics elements that interest me. But no, I have no emotional investment in whether you win or lose. Although,” Logan leaned in and lowered his voice, slipping a notebook into Roman’s hand, “you are compelling to watch on the field. Your passion is…admirable.”

Should hearts beat this fast?  Roman didn’t think it was healthy to actually feel the blood rush through his veins. “Oh…thank you. It means a lot that you…notice that.” Why he did feel such a strong urge to compliment Logan back? He should be saying sorry and leaving, nothing more. Damned if he couldn’t make his feet move, though. “You know, I’ve watched you from the sidelines as well. At the poetry jam session.”

Logan’s eyebrows shot up.  “And I’m supposed to believe that Roman ‘Mr. Popular’ Prince spent a Friday night in the school’s basement listening to poetry?”  It was Roman’s turn to purse his lips into a smirk. “That you are, Fields. I do have other interests than sports, you know. And even more shocking, I actually enjoyed it. Your piece especially was inspired.”

 “Well…thank you. That’s very kind of you.” A beat went by before Logan spoke again. “Roman? May I have my binder back? You still have it.”

“I’m aware. It’s in secure hands; you should know that from my pass percentage.” The quarterback winked at Logan’s annoyance, feeling the control shift back to his realm. He cocked his head to the side casually, purposefully ignoring the poet’s indignant expression. “Hey, we have history together, right? Third period?”

“I’m aware,” Logan fired back. God, he was pretentious. Roman shouldn’t find that so attractive.

Wait. He shouldn’t find that attractive at all.  

“Well then, calculator watch, you won’t mind if we sit next to each other? We have those projects coming up and I’d like a shot at a decent partner. Besides, I owe you for practically flattening you in the hallway just now.” What the hell are you doing? Give him his binder back and shut up! Roman was too busy berating himself to notice the small smile pulling at the corner of Logan’s lips. “I suppose that is satisfactory. Maybe working together will make our mutual admiration for one other a little less…distant.” Was…was he… flirting? It couldn’t be. Logan wasn’t gay…right? It doesn’t matter, you dunce, neither are you-

“Hi, baby,” Laurel walked up placed a kiss on Roman’s cheek and snapped him out of his reverie, the squeak that escaped him reddening his face even further. “You okay? You’re awfully jumpy. And you look a little flushed.”

“Good morning, Laurel. I’m fine, just recovering from a little collision with my…with Logan here. Logan, this is-“

“Laurel, your girlfriend, I’m aware-“

“Aware, yeah, I know.” Roman tried for another smirk but Logan’s face had suddenly slipped into something cold and impervious. “So…see you in class?”

Logan nodded stiffly. “That you shall. You two have a pleasant day.” The taller boy sped off, long strides carrying him away with purpose.

“What was that with you and the nerd about?” Laurel inquired. “You two seemed tense.” Roman swallowed thickly, ignoring the…tension he felt swimming in his gut and wrapped his arm around his Laurel-love. “Nothing, darling. He’s fine, let’s go to English.”

That day, when the envied popular couple read the balcony scene of Romeo and Juliet for the class, Roman fought visions of himself looking up, directing the dramatic declarations at Logan.​

****

"I'm ready."

Those were the two words Roman uttered after discovering that he and Logan lived in the same neighborhood two streets over. After they had spent almost every day together since the project was assigned, researching and bantering about the history that was and wasn't in their textbooks. After weeks of discussions that trailed off-topic to shared and unshared interests, worldviews, beliefs, and philosophies. After one particularly heated conversation that left Logan red-faced and flustered and Roman wanting to lean over and kiss the incredulous look off the intellectual's face. After Logan closed the gap and Roman melted into him for only a split second before he remembered that he couldn't and broke away frantic, dashing out of the door and sprinting to his house with Logan calling after him. "I'm ready," he panted to Laurel over the phone, who said that she'd be over in fifteen minutes.

She was there in ten. He was still panting. Laurel just took it as excitement. Roman was terrified.

Kissing Laurel felt nothing like kissing Logan.

When it was said and done, they both laid on the bed in silence, feeling something had forever changed between them.

"You didn't enjoy it," Roman said blankly. Laurel said nothing. "I can do better," he pleaded, turning to face her. "It'll get better." Silence persisted in favor of Laurel rising to leave. "Wait! Will you at least say something to me? Tell me what did I wrong? Did I hurt you? I'm sorry."

She turned around slowly, unshed tears threatening to spill at any second. "You called me Logan," she whispered brokenly. Wide eyed, Roman watched her leave without another word, nausea rising in his throat, choking out any excuse he could have offered.

She broke up with him the next day. News of the demise of the most coveted relationship spread like wildfire. Roman spent the majority of his day numbly fielding question after question of why and how and what happened. He couldn't answer any of it. Truthfully, he didn't know how to answer any of it. Fortunately, Laurel had enough grace to suffer in silence as well as he heard no rumors of his unfortunate...slip-up. Confession? What did it even mean? What did he feel? What did he want? Why wasn't he more heartbroken? He loved Laurel...right? Did he love Logan too? Could he? Roman found himself under the bleachers during seventh period with a tornado of questions spinning in his mind.

Just in time for one Logan Fields to walk by and catch his eye.

"Shouldn't you be in class?" Roman called out. His tone was flat, empty. Logan turned his head to witness a disheveled and red-eyed quarterback staring back at him. He walked under the metal bars and sat next to where Roman was perched, hunched over in some sort of pain. Logan could guess it was far worse than physical.

"I have this period free. I usually study. Today I feel like going home. And you?"

"Came out here to get away from the damn stares and questions long enough to freaking think."

"Mmm, and how's that going for you?" It was said without malice or sarcasm; Logan felt genuinely concerned. Roman exhaled shakily. "Not well. She broke up with me."

"I heard, unfortunately. Damn high schoolers with nothing better to do than revel in someone's misfortune. It should just be your business, no one else's." Roman looked up at Logan, grateful that he understood. "And what happens next? Is that...my business too?"

"I'm not sure I understand what you mean."

"We had sex, Logan," the ravenette visibly stiffened, "and I...I called her by your name. I said your name, not hers." Jealousy broke way for shock to inhabit Logan's body. He quickly regained his composure and swallowed the torrent of emotions that confession stirred up. "I see...well, what do you think it means?"

Roman stood up suddenly and took up a rhythmic pace back and forth. "That's just it! I don't know what I want it to mean! I'm not...I've never been...attracted to men before, Logan! I've loved Laurel since sophomore year! But then you come along and-and confuse me with your razor-sharp wit and your gorgeous eyes and your...just, you! You confuse me and I feel something that I've never felt before but I can't give in to it, I want to but I can't, I don't know how-"

"Roman. Stop. Breathe. Look at me and breathe." The intellectual allowed Roman to search for his eyes who finally managed to calm himself once they found each other and the glaze of fear began to dissipate. "The only person scared of this is you. I have no expectations. I am not pressuring you to be anyone you're not ready to be nor will I ever do that. So the only question is...what do you want?"

Roman stared into the grey pools that glistened with such care for merely a second before he knew the answer.

"I want you."

This time when they kissed, Roman didn't pull away.

****

They kept their relationship private out of respect for Laurel who unfortunately seemed to be spiraling. She had been absent frequently after a prior perfect attendance record. She quit cheerleading. She had lost weight. Roman was wracked with guilt, here he was living in bliss with Logan Fields while she was burning herself to the ground. It wasn't fair; he might not be in love with her in the same way anymore but he still cared. So he tried to talk to her. And tried. And tried. Nothing ever came of his efforts.

Until one day she showed up on his doorstep unannounced, tears streaking down her face.

"Laurel-love," the old nickname slipped out at the heart-wrenching sight in front of him, "what is the matter? You can tell me, I've been trying to call for weeks-"

"I'm pregnant."

Roman's world ceased to rotate. Alarm bells rang in his ears. His heart threatened to mutiny and exit his chest along with the contents of his stomach. He did only thing he could think to do.

He ran.

He sprinted two streets down to Logan's house and slammed the doorbell repeatedly. His parents weren't home, only Logan would answer. A perceived eternity later, the poet came to the door, an expression of bewilderment gracing his features. "Roman? What are you doing here?"

"She's pregnant." He could barely speak around the gasps of air marching from his lips.

Logan went stone-faced. "What...did you just say?"

"Laurel, she's pregnant. She just came over and told me and...and I just ran like a coward! God, I am trash! I'm a quarterback, I'm supposed to be a leader, a hero but I just fucking abandoned her like the trash I am! And I don't know why I'm here telling you but she just dropped a bomb on me and I had no idea what to do, Logan, I have no idea what to do-"

A deafening crack sounded through the air.

Roman grabbed his cheek, stunned both by the stinging of his skin and the expression of fury and pain outlined on Logan's face. He shook with rage but his eyes told the truth: he was hurt.

"That," he said sternly but evenly, "is for making me love you while you screwed around and got a girl pregnant and then left her on a doorstep!" Roman swallowed thickly, fear freezing his vocal cords. Without warning, Logan stepped forward and brought Roman into a passionate kiss, one he barely reciprocated due to the overload of shock and relief flooding his senses. Logan finally pulled away and rested their foreheads together, both breathless and shaking. "And that...was to show you that I still love you and we will figure this out. But right now, you need to go to her. Don't worry about me, I'll be fine. You are not trash but if you want to be a hero, then you go to her. Now. Go!" Roman nodded and took one last longing glance at Logan before he turned the corner. Logan watched Roman's sprinting figure fully disappear before he shuffled inside, shut the door and slid down the frame, collapsing under the weight of how quickly and unfairly things had changed.

****

Laurel and Roman agreed that adoption was the best choice for both of them. She left school to finish her senior year from home with her aunt, the potential of stares and mocking too much for her to handle. Roman visited her as often as he could although it broke him every time to do so. Logan spent weeks convincing Roman that he wasn't getting away with anything, that this was the best outcome of a difficult situation and she was going to be fine and have a life just like Roman would. Logan kept him focused, kept his grades up so he could earn the eventual full scholarship to college with his intelligence and his athletic talent. Laurel chose to go to nursing school nearby, the experience making her realize just how much she wanted to help young mothers going through similar struggles. Roman breathed a sigh of relief when he saw the light turn on again in her eyes. They were forever changed but they weren't broken, even when Laurel had the baby three weeks early and Roman dropped everything to be right by her side, holding her as she cried when the beautiful baby was finally taken away. Their shared pain was terrible, without question, but also survivable because they trusted the love they had for each other. A love that Roman finally accepted was different than the love he held for Logan, who on that same day waited for him in the lobby, holding Roman through his tears when he was done being strong. What should have torn the two apart pulled them together in a way most would only describe as miraculous. Their relationship remained private, mostly for Roman's sake as he learned to accept himself for who he was now in spite of his past. The journey was a difficult one with many battles but their combined resilence persisted and it too proved to be survivable. At the final poetry session of the school year, Roman signed up to present an original work to the sheer surprise of his (now) boyfriend. He slowly ambled to the stage, more nervous than he had ever been for any performance prior, leaned into the microphone and began to speak.

"Good- good evening. I'm Roman Prince and this is an original piece I wrote when I was going through the toughest time of my life so far. Before I begin, I'd like to dedicate this to the two most important people in my world today: my first love, Laurel Hudson and my truest love, Logan Fields. This is called How to Become a Hero."

Logan placed a hand over his chest to steady his pounding heart, overwhelmed by the frankness of Roman's declaration. His eyes filled with tears of pride and love as Roman began the first line of his poem.

"It began in a shroud of darkness and deceit. It ended in illuminated joy and the most brilliant honest love I've ever known."