#platoniclamp

[batskulldrag]

Phoenix by Fallout Boy

here’s chapter fourteen, sorry for dropping off the grid

Trigger warnings for anxiety attacks and panic attacks. As well as abuse mentions

Also innacurate representation of a court of law. I pieced this together from all my research. But it’s probably wrong

Chapter Fourteen: Burn from the Hamilton soundtrack

 Patton buttoned the last button on his suit jacket. The deafening silence was not helping his nerves. He glanced over to Logan who was pacing dazedly from one side of their room to the other.  

“I haven’t worn this since my last job interview.” Patton added to the void. “I’m surprised it still fits. I’ve had a lot of cookies since then.”

“What?” Logan stopped walking and looked over as if he had been snapped out of a trance.

“I was just trying to joke.” Patton dismissed it. “Are you ok?”

“Of course. Why wouldn’t I be?”

“You’re stimming.”

“My pacing has nothing to do with Asperger’s.” Logan said quickly and unconvincingly.

“I’m scared too.” Patton looked at his shoes. “Not only does Payton have a lawyer, but he is one!”

“So? He can’t alter reality.” Logan shrugged. “And we have all the evidence. We can stop him from so much as looking at a picture of Virgil ever again.”

“I guess.”

“And I know.” Logan walked over and untied Patton’s tie. “Who taught you how to tie a tie?”

“I never learned how. I was busy and my hands were tied.” Patton smiled.

“I’ll let you have that one.” Logan sighed, retying the tie.

They were interrupted by Virgil screaming. They both sprinted over to him, and Patton burst inside.

Virgil was on the floor beside his bed staring at his arms in horror. Both arms, his face and neck were pink and covered with hives.

“I’ve been nuked!” Virgil yelled in dismay.

“It’s ok.” Patton said more out of instinct than optimism as he ran to Virgil’s side. “It’s probably nothing.”

“Virgil, do the hives itch?” Logan asked, kneeling across from him.

“Yeah?” Virgil replied, confused. “What are they? Am I gonna die?”

“If I had to guess I’d say they were stress induced.” Logan felt his forehead.

“I can’t show up to court looking like this!” Virgil gestured at himself. “They’ll assume stuff!”

“What will they assume?” Logan asked seriously.

“I don’t know! They’ll assume that I’m too stressed out here or something.”

“It’s ok sweetie.” Patton cooed, stroking his hair. “They’re not gonna jump to conclusions.”

“He’s right.” Logan continued. “The only assumption they are going to make is that a young man, who was diagnosed with severe anxiety, is having a reaction to the stress involved in testifying in court.”

“How can you be so sure?” Patton could feel Virgil’s heart pounding.

“I can’t. And I’m not asking you to trust the court, I’m asking you to trust us. We’re not going to let Payton get his hands on you ever again.”

“Sure, but there are limits to what you can actually do about this.” Virgil’s breaths started getting shorter.  

“And everything is in our favor.”

“He’s going to deny everything, he’s going to lie about you! He’s not just going to let this slide!”

“I know.” Logan pushed Virgil’s bangs back. “But he’s already been outed as a liar. And no one is going to believe his hearsay arguments so easily. Maybe people are inclined to believe the adult, but nobody believes the liar.”

“But we don’t know what he has up his sleeves.”

“Prison tattoos probably.” Patton chimed in bitterly.

“Payton had better have the infinity gauntlet under there if he wants to win.” Roman said from the doorway.

“How long have you been there?” Logan turned around suddenly

“I heard Virgil scream too.” Roman rolled his eyes. “I just didn’t have anything to add until now.”

“We’re going to find out that you’re just a ghost that haunts this place, aren’t we?” Virgil added.

“That’s the spirit.” Patton impulsively took the opportunity for a dad joke.

“Virgil.” Roman ignored Patton. “I have plenty of make up if you wish to cover up those irritants.”

“No.” Logan interrupted. “Make up would worsen the irritation.”

“I have baby lotion.” Patton smoothed Virgil’s hair back.

“Why?” Virgil looked dismayed.

                                                               #             #             #

“Boop.” Patton enunciated as he smudged a bit of lotion on Virgil’s nose.

Virgil didn’t seem too impressed with that. He just sighed and looked at his arms.

“Ok, Virgil, drink this and then I’ll give you one of your pills.” Logan added, placing a mug of warm milk in front of him.

“What’s this supposed to do?” Virgil asked skeptically.

“It’s supposed to settle your stomach and relax you.” Logan felt his forehead. “Given your history of throwing up when you’re stressed, I don’t want you eating anything heavy. But you shouldn’t be taking your tranquilizers on an empty stomach. And milk, especially warm milk is known to have calming properties.”

“Do you think I need one of the sedatives?” Virgil added, taking a sip of the milk.

“You did kinda break out because of stress, Kiddo.” Patton set the lotion down. “And you’re doing a pretty scary thing today.”

Virgil rested his head on the table and Patton started petting his hair.

“You can still change your mind at any time.” Logan added, putting a hand on Virgil’s shoulder. “You don’t have to do this.”

“I can’t just duck out at the last minute.” Virgil mumbled.

“Quack.” Patton added, looking down at his anxious little baby hopefully.

Virgil didn’t even crack a smile.

“I’m gonna do this even if it’s the last thing I ever do.” Virgil sat up with determination.

“Ok.” Patton wrapped his arms around him. “But you don’t have to. Ok? You don’t need to do anything that will make you uncomfortable.”

“I know.”

“Do you wanna take your bear with you? Or your hoodie? You know, to make you more comfortable.”

“I don’t need a security blanket.” Virgil looked disgusted at the thought. “Can you imagine? If Payton saw me walk up to the stand with a fricking teddy bear, he’d drop his bullshit and start reaming me out right there. I don’t wanna see that.”

“He’d lose the case in an instant though.” Roman added. “It is normally considered bad form to abuse your child in the middle of a custody battle.”

“That’s a valid point.” Logan somehow agreed with Roman. “Payton is completely incapable of hurting you anymore. His hands are tied.”

“Metaphorically?” Virgil looked up at him.

“No, they had him in hand cuffs last time I saw him.”

Virgil laughed at the idea.

“Ok, Kiddo.” Patton kissed him on the forehead. “You go get dressed. And I promise that everything is gonna be ok from now on.”

“How can you be sure?”

“I just can.”

                                                               #             #             #

The courtroom looked exactly like every court room from TV. Patton looked into the gallery and saw several strangers. Roman veered off from them and sat in the gallery as well. He shot them a thumbs up.

“Why are there a bunch of people here?” He quickly whispered to Logan as they sat down at their weird table.

“Most trials are open to the public.” Logan explained. “People can just walk in and sit down.”

“Why would you want to do that?”

“I don’t know. Trials are open to the public barring a specific order from the judge. It’s in accordance with the sixth amendment, a fair and public trial.”

“I don’t know any of those words.” Virgil shuddered from between them.

Logan silently checked Virgil’s pulse and felt his forehead.

“Am I gonna live?” Virgil said flatly.

“Very funny.” Logan sighed. “In half an hour you can have another pill. If you feel like you’re going to have an attack tell one of us.”

“And if you feel like you need to take a break, just say so and we’ll tell the judge.” Patton rubbed his shoulder.

“And deny the spectators such an epic show?” Virgil sneered.

“Never mind them.” Patton shushed.

Virgil dropped his annoyed expression and stared across the room in numb horror. Despite his rash his face went pale and he started panting and wheezing.

“He’s here.” Virgil squeaked.

“Shh,” Patton wrapped himself around Virgil like a shield, making sure to block his line of sight. “It’s ok, he can’t hurt you. Don’t look at him. Just don’t look. He can’t do anything.”

Logan made eye contact with Payton and stared back at him with a blank face. Payton’s empty eyes were no match for the cold stoicism that Logan wore so well. This mere lawyer had no clue how to intimidate him, nor anyone else that realized that he had no power over them. Payton didn’t look away though, he had a lot of arrogance for a man with no real control, no real power, no permanent impact. Foolish sociopath.

“All arise.” The bailiff ended their staring contest. “The honorable Jack Douglass Presiding.”

Patton continued to insinuate himself between Payton and Virgil as they all stood to attention. Familial attachment was flaking off of his conscience like an old sunburn. The idea that Payton didn’t want to be his friend started to harden him rather than hurt anymore. All that he really felt was the determination to make sure that no one threatened his baby ever again. And if Payton thought he was going to sit over there and shoot death glares at an innocent kid, then he needed to get used to disappointment and fast.

“Thank you, bailiff.” The judge snapped him back into the room. “You may be seated.”

The crowd sat down on command. It was kind of impressive.

“Mr. Pent.” The Judge looked at Janus “Yesterday I asked you if you were really going through with this. I’m going to ask again.”

“The defendant is insistent on having this out in court your honor.” Janus answered professionally.

“Is this correct?” The judge looked at Payton and his lawyer.

“It is your honor.” The lawyer answered.

“Alright,” The judge replied. “Proceed with your case. Why do believe Mr. Foster to be an unfit parent?”

“We have documented evidence of both physical and emotional abuse as well as neglect.” Janus pulled out a folder.

“Interesting.” The judge looked at Payton. “Mr. Foster, how do you respond to these allegations?”

“The claims against me are completely fabricated.” Payton said coldly. “I have never laid a hand on my son, nor have I abused him emotionally.”

“Why would your brother make up something like this?” The judge countered.

“I assure you. I have no idea.”

“Let’s see your evidence.” The judge, his honor? Turned back to them.

“I have with me a portion of the fire chief’s report from Mr. Foster’s home.” Janus read. “It states that Virgil’s bedroom had no door, which caused the fire to spread to his room much quicker than normal, and that his window was nailed shut.”

“Mr. Pent,” His honor looked annoyed. “Do you have children?”

“I do not your honor.”

“Did you have a window when you were a teenager?”

“Yes, your honor.” Janus was somehow playing this straight.

“Mr. Foster,” His honor turned to him.

“Yes sir, I mean your honor?”

“Since staying with you, has Virgil had access to a functional window?”

“Yes, your honor.” Patton shook, he had no idea what was happening.

“How about a door, does he have a door?”

“Yes. Your honor.”

“Mr. Pent, how about you? Did you have a door when you were a teenager?”

“Yes, your honor.”

“Mr. Foster,” The judge turned. “When you were Virgil’s age, did you have a functional window?”

“Yes, your honor.” Payton seemed confused as well.

“How about a door?”

“Yes, your honor.”

“Why is it that your son has neither of those things?”

“Virgil was in the habit of bringing friends over uninvited and sneaking out at night, I removed the door and sealed the window to prevent this.”

None of the three had it in them to be surprised by this anymore. They barely had it in them to be disappointed.

“Firstly, taking off the door won’t prevent any of that.” His honor retorted. “Secondly, he nearly died in a fire because you nailed his window shut. You’re either abusive or stupid.”

“Your honor.” Payton’s lawyer added. “Neither of these examples indicate abuse, making the evidence irrelevant.”

“That is fair, he could just be stupid.” His honor nodded. “Unfortunately, that kind of ignorant endangerment is still grounds to call him an unfit parent.”  

Patton saw Payton’s eye twitch, it must have been killing him that his current defense was ‘please, I’m very stupid’.

“Mr. Pent,” Judge Douglass turned to Janus “Give me something more relevant to your case.”

“Here we have documented images of the bruises Virgil sustained, and several hospital records detailing various injuries.” Janus held out the folder and the bailiff took it to the judge.

The judge looked over the documents quietly and stoically.

“Virgil,” His honor looked up. “You’re planning to testify as a witness, correct?”

“Yes…Your honor.” Virgil grabbed Patton’s hand.

“Ok, why don’t you come on up?”

“Yes sir. I mean your honor.” Virgil stood up and looked at Patton desperately.

“It’s ok, just don’t look at him.” Patton whispered, rubbing Virgil’s hand.

The bailiff took Virgil up to the box and they swore him in. The poor baby was visibly shaking.

“So, Virgil.” Judge Douglass was surprisingly gentle. “I’m going to start by asking you why your window was nailed shut.”

“Payton, my dad, told me he didn’t trust me to not sneak out.” Virgil said frankly. “So, he nailed the window shut. The door was a different thing entirely.”

“Well, what was the door about?”

“He found a journal that I was keeping for a class when I was about eight.” Virgil tensely rubbed his arm. “And he got mad at me for keeping things from him while also telling my teacher things that were none of their business.”

“If I may, your honor.” Payton’s lawyer added. “This is not relevant, nor does it prove abuse.”

“I disagree,” Janus argued. “It is important we know why Payton felt that there were aspects of their home life that were meant to be hidden.”

“In that case, maybe we should ask what secrets Virgil was willing to share with his teacher and not his father.” Payton’s lawyer countered.

“Absolutely.” Jan agreed. “Virgil, what exactly were you writing about?”

“I was eight.” Virgil looked around uncomfortably. “I mostly just drew pictures. I had maybe two passages about how my dad made fun of me whenever I wet the bed. and the rest was dedicated to talking about the Goosebumps series. I wasn’t allowed to read them, so I always figured that was why Payton was mad at me.”

“Taking the door off is kind of an extreme reaction.” Judge Douglass stated blankly.

“Excuse me, your honor.” Patton added timidly.

“Yes, Mr. Foster?”

“How would Payton know what Virgil was writing about unless he read the journal?”

“We’re just wasting time with this.” Payton interrupted. “Nothing I’ve been accused of so far is child abuse, in fact I admitted to removing the door. Because Virgil and I were having some trust issues, with just cause. And none of that is illegal.”

Payton made direct eye contact with Virgil while he was talking, and much to everyone’s surprise Virgil stared right back at him.

“Alright.” His honor stared at all of them. “Let’s move on to the allegations of physical abuse.”

Virgil bit his nails and pulled at his tie.

“Let’s start with how Virgil managed to get a perfect belt buckle mark on his back.” His honor’s eyes scalded anyone who looked directly into them.

“A question I have been wanting answers to as well.” Payton glared at Virgil.

“You mean to tell me that you don’t know how that got there?” His honor almost seemed to laugh at Payton.

“I can only speculate that Virgil bruised himself to frame me for abuse or that my brother put those marks there to further his own agenda.”

“And what agenda is that?” His honor spat.

“Since last month Patton has started a campaign to discredit me, starting by accusing me of lying about my past. I have no doubt that once he learned my son was in the hospital, he decided that the best way to ruin me was to accuse me of abuse.”

“Why?” The judge asked leadingly.

“I have no idea why. Perhaps because I managed to make something of myself while he’s still living in the house we grew up in.”

“You’re a member of the one profession that everyone hates.” Judge Douglass retorted. “You know what everyone told me about going to law school? They said don’t. As far as I’m concerned you made a mistake by pursuing law. Maybe other people are impressed, but I’m not.”

Payton looked like someone had slapped him.

“And the bruise in question was a month old when Mr. Foster was given physical custody of Virgil.” Janus pointed out. “At that time Virgil had no contact with anyone without his father knowing about it. In fact, by Mr. Foster’s own admittance Virgil had no secrets from him and no way of doing anything without his knowledge.”

“With all due respect, your honor.” Payton’s lawyer commented. “This only clears Mr. Foster from having caused that bruise. Virgil could have very well done it himself or received it at school.”

“Virgil,” The judge went gentle again. “Can you explain how you got this bruise?”

“Don’t bother asking him, we know what he’s going to say.” Payton snapped.

“When I want to hear from you, I’ll call you.” Judge Douglass pointed the little hammer at him. “Virgil, answer whenever you feel ready.”

Virgil looked as if he were about to be hit by a train. He shook his head and blinked repeatedly.

“Payton and I were arguing, and he grabbed one of my belts off a chair or something…” Virgil inhaled sharply through his teeth. “And he hit me with it.”

“Did he do that a lot?”

Virgil gagged and slumped back into his seat, breathing hard.

“May I have some water?” Virgil whispered.

“Of course.” Judge Douglass said gently. “Bailiff, could you bring him some water?”

“Your honor,” Payton interrupted. “With all due respect, you’re not really going to humor him, are you?”

“I’m interested in what you mean by humoring him.” Judge Douglass looked down at him.

“Humoring him in his so called ‘anxiety attacks’. He only uses them as an excuse, and now he’s using it as a pity ploy.”

“I’m really not.” Virgil panted, looking like he was going to faint.

The bailiff brought Virgil a bottle of water. He fumbled opening it. Patton started to stand up only for Logan to pull him back down.

“Are you feeling better?” Judge Douglass addressed Virgil.

Virgil nodded.

“Mr. Foster. The older Mr. Foster.” The judge turned again. “Virgil has been diagnosed with severe anxiety by two doctors and is suspected to have PTSD. The fact that you deny this is concerning.”

“Your honor, this disorder is merely him being overly dramatic.”

“Doctors would disagree.”

“Of course, they would, their entire business is based on humoring these people so they can take advantage. No doctor benefits from Virgil acting his age instead of behaving like a toddler.”

“Virgil.” The judge ignored Payton. “Did your father hit you often?”  

“Not very often.” Virgil inhaled sharply. “Just when he lost his temper. Like if I argued with him or if I got bad grades. He, he, uh. He normally just grabbed my wrists. And kind of, squeezed them really hard. Sometimes he dug his nails in, but he didn’t like to leave marks on a body part that couldn’t be covered up that easy.”

Patton quietly rubbed his own wrist, phantom pains returning.

“Do you have a clear recollection of when the hitting started?”

“Payton started hitting me when I was around ten.” Virgil squeezed the bottle, crackling the plastic. “I don’t really remember why he started. I just remember that he slapped me one time. And then he never stopped.”

“What do you say, Mr. Foster?”

“I maintain my innocence.” Payton said harshly. “Even if you they can prove that Virgil was injured, they cannot prove that I was the one who injured him. Which I was not.”

“Virgil says differently.” The judge countered.

“Virgil is thirteen! He’s a child, and most likely has been coerced into testifying against me.”

“That so?”

“Yes.”

“Really, because so far, he not only says you hit him, but is saying why you thought it was ok to hit him all those times. The only case that is falling apart here is yours.”

A cold silence hung over them.

“Mr. Pent, please continue.” His honor sighed.

“Certainly, your honor.” Janus didn’t blink. “I would like to call the court’s attention an event on the fifteenth of August that led to Virgil being hospitalized. The official claim was that he fell down the stairs, but his injuries suggest repeated blows, inconsistent with a fall. There is also the fact that the defendant claimed at the time that Virgil was morphine intolerant, while recent tests proved that Virgil has no such allergy.”

“Mr. Foster, would you care to explain that?” Judge Douglass asked.

“The official reports say that Virgil fell down the stairs because he fell down the stairs.” Payton insisted. “His doctors didn’t feel the need to interrogate me at the time. Which is telling of this case’s validity.”

“And Virgil,” Judge Douglass asked softly. “What do you say happened?”

Virgil inhaled tensely and closed his eyes quickly. Tears leaked out.

“I got held back in school.” Virgil exhaled. “Payton yelled at me the whole ride home. When we got inside, he slapped me. And… and… he just started hitting me. I don’t remember much, but I do know he threw me down the stairs.”

Virgil wiped away tears with a shaking hand.

“Ok, why don’t you go back and sit with your uncles?” Judge Douglass said gently.

The bailiff brought Virgil back to them and Patton instantly took him into his arms.

“Now, as to Virgil’s supposed morphine allergy?” The judge asked.

“I may have suggested the allergy in error.” Payton said. “I thought he was intolerant because both me and his mother are.”

“Medical records from your family disagree.” Janus argued. “Your mother received a good deal of morphine while she was ill. Patton was on several morphine related opioids after an accident that ruined his teeth. And you yourself received morphine during a surgery. Not only that but, Hazel Drake, Virgil’s mother, has no such allergy listed either. Records also show that Virgil had never been tested for this intolerance prior to his so-called fall down the stairs. So, you would truly have no way of knowing if he had an allergy or not.”

Payton had nothing to say. Patton and Logan breathed a sigh of relief. Virgil looked at them nervously. He was chewing on his sleeve. They each took one of his hands.

“Virgil has also been diagnosed with both severe anxiety and post-traumatic stress disorder since his stay in the hospital.” Janus continued, looking like a cobra about to strike. “So, I would like to call Dr. Emile Picani to the stand.”

Dr. Picani walked professionally to the stand and was sworn in.

“Dr. Picani, what was your diagnosis of Virgil Foster?” Janus asked coolly.

“Virgil is suffering from severe anxiety due to an extremely stressful home life and post-traumatic stress disorder resulting from physical and emotional abuse.” Emile began. “Over the course of our sessions I learned that Virgil had been wetting the bed throughout his entire childhood and up until now.”

Payton scoffed; it was clear that he didn’t think anyone would hear him. But all eyes turned in his direction.

“A very telling sign of emotional abuse.” Emile continued, ignoring Payton. “Virgil also reported daily panic or anxiety attacks, night terrors and a complete loss of appetite. The fact that he hadn’t been eating was obvious when he was admitted because he was roughly twenty pounds underweight.”

“Did Virgil mention any instances of abuse in any session?” Janus led.

“He told me that if he would wet the bed, his father would mock him severely. He also mentioned one instance, which we talked about earlier, when he tried to defend himself to his father and was hit with a belt.”

“Objection, Your Honor.” Payton’s lawyer stood up. “Dr. Picani is only repeating something he heard during this trial. There is no proof that Virgil told him this in therapy.”

“Overruled.” His Honor retorted. “The evidence that Virgil is suffering mentally still remains.”  

“Your Honor.” Payton’s lawyer continued. “Virgil’s bed wetting could be a result of being rehomed after the arrest of his father.”

“We already established that it had been happening for a long time before that.” Janus said smoothly.

Janus moved gracefully, almost as if he was slithering.

“In that case.” Payton’s lawyer argued. “it could be the result of a learning disability or a ploy for attention.”

“Dr. Picani,” Janus looked back to the stand waving a gloved hand. “What such disabilities would cause bed wetting at this late an age?”

Virgil looked down and covered his face with his hands. Patton noticed that his ears were turning red.

“It’s ok, Honey.” Patton whispered, petting him tenderly. “It’s nothing to be embarrassed about.”

“Any disability that would cause bed wetting for this long would be apparent in other aspects.” Emile answers. “Low functioning autism, severe Down Syndrome or Locked-In Syndrome to name a few. Virgil clearly has none of these. And the bed wetting gets worse when he’s stressed out. I can guarantee that it’s not an attention ploy because prior to receiving therapy Virgil was avoiding fluids altogether so he wouldn’t wet the bed. This led to him being severely dehydrated when he was admitted.”  

“Anything else?” Judge Douglass asked the room.

“Yes, Your Honor.” Payton’s lawyer continued. “Dr. Picani only has Virgil’s word that he had been having panic attacks or anxiety attacks regularly. The same goes with the night terrors.”

“Virgil nearly had a panic attack while he was testifying.” His Honor said deadpan. “And showed clear signs of having an anxiety disorder. As for the night terrors…”

He turned to Patton and Logan.

“Mr. Foster, Mr. Berry, has Virgil had any night terrors since staying with you?”

“Yes, your honor.” Logan nodded calmly. “He has had both night terrors and nightmares almost regularly. Both those and the bed wetting have decreased with anti-anxiety medicine, therapy and a less stressful environment.”

“Objection.” Payton argued. “We only have their word that Virgil has had such episodes. And there is serious doubt as to Mr. Berry’s credibility.”

“Why is that?” The judge asked.

“He is on the Autistic spectrum.”

“Mr. Pent, have you presented all the facts for your case against the defendant?” Judge Douglass looked to Janus.

“I have evidence to suggest neglect.” Janus added, coldly. “But I’ll make it quick.”

“Do it then.”

“Virgil was diagnosed with Strep throat when he was admitted. He had a severe case, due to not seeing a doctor about it. As Virgil’s guardian, Payton Foster would be responsible for taking him to a doctor, but it was revealed that Virgil had dealt with the illness for ten days. Virgil was also twenty pounds underweight. His father would have noticed this but did nothing. We also know that Mr. Foster, the defendant, denied his son pain killers based on an assumption of an allergy that he had never been tested for. There is also Virgil’s window being nailed shut and the fact that Mr. Foster, the defendant, had no smoke detectors in his home. Which led to Virgil’s nearly being killed in a fire. We also established that Virgil had a bedwetting problem that his father never sought medical advice for, and potentially mocked him for. Even if you doubt abuse, you cannot deny that gross negligence was at play.”  

“Alright.” His Honor nodded. “Mr. Foster, you may present your case.”    

[virgilisaneternalmood]

I'm so intrigued by this whole concept. Definitely requires a multichapter fic and quite some interesting world and character development. We know from Moving On that Virgil was always some kind of presence when Thomas was younger, but it was different from when Thomas was a teen, in which his Anxiety fully manifested. I think things could absolutely be tweaked to accomodate this idea about vigilance and anxiety.

It could include multiple perspectives and an eventual realization from the others about what happened to vigilance and anxiety (because vigilance, anxiety, and deception are all forms of self-preservation so that's another side to tackle). I'm think gratuitous platonicLAMP, machinations from Deceit, and all kinds of character building. Ooh this would be such a fun project

What is the difference between Vigilance and Anxiety?

Vigilance is a defense mechanism that kicks in to protect you. It is based on facts. Anxiety is an overreaction that distorts your reality, deceives you into thinking things are worse than they actually are.

Virgil only wants to protect, so what distorted him into the “villain” we all thought he was?

[batskulldrag]

Phoenix by Fallout Boy

SO, Deciet’s real name is Janus, so I changed his human character’s name to Janus. I’m not changing it in any earlier chapters. But it’ll be Janus from here on out. Chapter twelve it is.

Chapter Twelve: Hell to Your Doorstep from The Count of Monte Cristo musical

               Virgil ran his finger across the edge of the photograph he had stolen from Patton’s scrap book. He had been clinging to it for days now. It was the first image he had ever seen of his parents together. And there was such an uncanny feeling to finally seeing his mother.

               She didn’t look like someone who would walk out on her kid. Not that he really blamed her for it, Payton was probably one of those guys who threatened to kill themselves to get what they want. And she was most likely leaving him with his grandmother rather than his dad. And she was only like twenty, maybe twenty-one. Probably old enough to drink, no one would have sex with Payton sober. Hardly the image of good decision making.

               No, he wasn’t mad at past mom. It was present mom who had hurt him. It was present mom who didn’t want him. Present mom who had moved on and didn’t have room for anymore baggage. Any room for him.

               Payton had often told people that she rejected the idea of starting a family with him, it was a good sympathy play that cast him as the victim. She seduced him and left him with the baby. Another great victim claim. And of course, the pseudo rape story that had started most of this. Payton finally bit off more than he could chew with a lie that could be so easily disproved.

               Despite Payton’s lies to other people, Virgil had always heard the same story. His mom left because she didn’t want him. He never would have guessed that, that was the true story.

               “Blue skidoo we can too!” Dr. Picani sang as he popped into the room. “How are you today Virgil?”

               “I’m doing good.” Virgil quickly pocketed his picture. “I haven’t had to take too many Valium.”

               “That’s good. But you are taking the Prozac daily right?”

               “Yes, Logan is super on top of that.”

               “Good. And I heard that you’re spending time at the library while Patton’s working.”

               “Yeah, it’s a pretty chill place.”

               “Oh, I thought it would be warmer, it is summer after all.” Picani grinned.

               “Patton told that same joke.” Virgil smiled.

               “So, your anxiety is calming down. How about the nightmares, you still having those?”

               “Yeah.” Virgil looked away.

               “Has the bed wetting gotten any better?”

               “There were a couple more since our last session. Uncle Logan suggested I stop drinking after nine, and that helped a bit.”

               “Ok, that’s good. And it’s awesome that your uncles are trying to help you through this.”

               “Yeah.”

               “Have you talked to either of them about, well, Payton?”

               “I told Uncle Logan a few things.”

               “Do you feel ready to talk about them here?”

               “I can try, that way if I wuss out of going to court there’s still a record of it.”

               “Hang on, let’s get into the way back machine and start at the beginning of that statement.”

               “I want to testify against my dad. I’m done being afraid of him. And I want him to know that I know he’s just a mere mortal. Just like the rest of us.”

               “That’s pretty intense. Are you sure about this?”

               “I am. I’ve given it a lot of thought.” Virgil hardened his resolve.

               “Ok. Confronting your abuser is a massive step. And it’s one that a lot of people struggle with, even adults. So, I want you to be one million percent sure of this. Ok?”

               “I am.”

               “Ok, and if you change your mind, you can.”

               “Cool.”

               “So, if we are gonna talk about Payton, I want to try a different technique with you. It’s all in the technique.”

               “What are we gonna do? You gonna pull out one of those ‘show me where he touched you’ dolls?”

               “No, but those are extremely successful, don’t diss them.” Picani replied. “I want you to tell me about your dad, but I want you to tell the story backwards.”

               “Is this from a cartoon?” Virgil squinted.

               “No, it’s from a journal of psychology.” Picani sat up straighter. “And also, the backwards messages from Gravity Falls.”

               “That reminds me.” Virgil interrupted. “Where can I get Teen Titans, I can’t find any episodes on YouTube.”

               “I recommend the DVDs you can get bonus features.” Picani answered gleefully, before becoming a shrink again. “So, what do you think? Ya, think you can talk about Payton backwards?”

               “I’ll try.” Virgil hesitated. “Which story do you want to hear?”

               “You decide, it’s your hour.”

               “I’ll go recent.” Virgil sighed and thought hard. “So, when I looked at the bruise later there was a full-fledged belt mark. As always, I went to school bruises and all. It was at that point that he started hitting me. Sick of his bullshit, I told him to stop harassing me over something that wasn’t my fault. As he does, Payton mocked and yelled at me for wetting the bed like a toddler, saying if I keep this up, he is just going to order a crib for me. Payton came in and asked why I was screaming. I woke up screaming and noticed that the sheets were wet. It was April, and I had a debate meeting coming up and a chess tournament and all of my teachers were on me to talk to my dad about my grades, so when I finally did get to sleep, I had nightmares.”

               Virgil paused the memory didn’t seem so terrifying now. What black magic…?  

               “How ya feelin’” Picani asked curiously.

               “Ok.” Virgil responded, surprised. “What happened?”

               “Well, the idea is to be able to recall what happened backwards so that you can see the memory but not the fear associated with the moment. I think it’s using just your left brain, and then you can see the even without feeling that crushing weight. Like you get to know that it wasn’t the end of the world, process it and be able to move on. Cool, Huh?”

               “Very.” Virgil smiled.

               “And it’s not so bad seeing a thing in reverse. It’s almost kind of funny.”

               “Sure, if you watch a horror movie backwards it ends up being about a monster who brings people back to life.”

               “Exactly.”

               “How are you going to decipher what I’m actually saying?”

               “I’m recording our session so I can work it out later.”

               “Cool.” Virgil nodded. “Aren’t tape recordings not admissible though?”

               “The recording is just for me we’re not taking it into court.”

               “Ok.” Virgil looked at the ground. “What can we do if Payton accuses my uncles of abusing me?”

               “Well, unless your dad has proof it’s just going to be an accusation.”

               “Yeah, but then the accusation is still going to be there. And just that could ruin them. I don’t want that to happen.”

               “Virgil, are you worried that he’s going to claim that they have been molesting you?”

               “Yes. He’s literally the devil. He would totally do that. What can I do to counter that?”

               “I’ll call my friend Joan, they’re with the police, and they can probably help me get a few things together. Ok?”

               “Like what?”

               “We have screening tests to see if a person is, well, sick in that way, that we use mostly for cases like this.”

               “Ok.” Virgil looked at his skeptically.

               “And.” He hesitated. “Well, since you brought it up… they haven’t done anything like that have they?”

               “No.” Virgil went with the response that could never be taken out of context. “They have not at any point in time touched me in any inappropriate manner or tried to commit any sexual acts with me. It has never happened, and I am completely certain that it never will.”

               Virgil smiled at Picani after he finished talking.

               “Virgil, do you watch a lot of court room dramas?” Picani asked, giving him a side eye.

               “I’ve been watching a lot of reddit threads about custody battles.” Virgil looked at the floor, ashamed. “I’m scared.”

               “That’s perfectly normal.” Picani soothed. “You don’t want to go back to Payton, and you don’t want anything to happen to your uncles, am I right?”

               “Yeah, that’s about it.”

               “Well, we’re all going to try to make sure that doesn’t happen.”

               “Ok.” Virgil stared at him through his bangs.

               “We still have some time do you want to keep talking?”

               “I guess.”

               “Ok, and afterwards, can you send your uncles in?”

               “Sure.”

                                                                               #             #             #

               “I already had Patton take that screening as a part of his background test.” Thomas said from Emile’s monitor. “Logan too. They’re clean, at least as far as we can prove.”

               “Well, at least there’s that.” Emile responded. “Virgil’s pretty worried. And I think he has a good reason to be.”

               “We have a solid case, and at least three reasons for Payton to lose custody.” Janus added from his portion of the screen. “Four if we can charge him with neglect.”

               “Ok, Jan. We don’t have to wail on him.” Thomas scolded.

               “Maybe you don’t.” Janus rolled his good eye. “And I told you not to call me jan.”

               “Look, Virgil expressed a concern about this, and I want to be able to prove that we are doing something.” Emile interrupted, not wanting an argument. “I want him to see that he can trust people.”

               “I get that.” Thomas sighed. “The system messed him over just about as much as his dad did. Well, I covered all the bases. I’m not about to release a teenager into the custody of potential pedophiles.”

               “And we should get the results of Payton’s psych evaluation from the prison soon.” Janus added smoothly. “His bail hearing didn’t go as well as he would have wanted.”

               “He’s still locked up?” Thomas raised an eyebrow.

               “He doesn’t have anywhere to go.” Emile added. “He burned his house down, and he can’t stay with Patton because he’s not allowed to go near Virgil.”

               “That’s pretty much it. That and they were worried he may try to retaliate against his brother.”

               “How has no one helped this kid sooner?” Thomas said, his face buried in his hands.

               “I know.” Emile sighed. “I hate working with older kids. It hurts to think that they had to suffer for that long.”

               “We’re doing all we can.” Janus sighed, rubbing his temples. “And we’re helping him now. You can’t keep driving yourself crazy every time you get assigned to an older kid. I’m sorry, but we can’t save everyone.”

               “Ok, I have another session soon.” Emile looked at the clock in the computer. “I just wanted to see if everything was kosher.”

               “It is. Unfortunately for Payton, this isn’t our first time doing this.” Janus smiled.

               “Yeah, he’s really screwed himself.” Thomas added. “It’s gonna be a fireworks display.”

               “Ok. Keep me updated.”

               “We will.” Janus nodded. “I wonder if I can prove neglect.”

               Janus Pent or surprisingly cruel attorney logged off.

               “Damn, he’s vindictive.” Thomas sighed.

               “He’s a bit of a Bismuth, but he means well.”

               “Yeah, I guess we all have to cope with this somehow.”

               “You still good for our session on Thursday?”

               “Yeah, I’ll be there.”

               “Ok, bye.”

               “Peace out.”

               Thomas logged off.

               Emile closed his laptop. Thomas was a Steven all the way. He wanted to help, and usually he spread himself too thin trying to help everyone. And he’d beat himself up way too much over the ones he couldn’t help. But he was doing ok, therapy helped him. Mostly, it showed him that he needed to help himself as well.

               Janus or Pent or E.S as his plaque read, (they somehow misheard his name), or whatever he wanted to be called, was very different. He was a Bismuth. Passionate, skilled but very vindictive. He wasn’t a bad guy. He was just very empathetic towards the victims he represented and wanted to hurt their abusers right back. That wasn’t bad, in fact it was very normal. But it definitely needed to be kept in check.  

               Emile traced a circle around one of his cardigan buttons. He liked to think of himself as a Steven as well or maybe an Amethyst. After all, he went into medicine to help people. And as many people as he could. Sure, no one thought he was cut out for it. He always knew that. No one was more aware than Emile that he didn’t cast the most intelligent looking silhouette. And yes, he talked about cartoons a lot. But it worked.

               He had a decent success rate. And being a goofy goober made people open up to him. If he walked into a session with a fake persona then his patients would put their walls up too.

               “If I had been Mr. Stoic, Virgil would have never talked to me.” Emile said to himself. “None of the kids would have. Heck, most of the couples might not have.”

                                                                               #             #             #

               “Ok, we’ll be home in an hour, maybe more.” Patton said as he hugged Virgil. “Stay safe and be good for Roman.”

               “Uncle Patton, I’m thirteen.” Virgil sighed, hugging him back.

               “We shouldn’t be too long.” Logan sighed, patting Virgil on the head. “I’m giving Payton half an hour to threaten us, and the lawyers half an hour to negotiate. I’m hoping I can have them talk while Payton threatens us. It’ll save time.”

               “I’m sorry I got you into this.” Virgil buried his face in Patton’s shoulder.

               “You don’t have anything to be sorry for.” Patton kissed him on the head.

               “We’re almost out of this. The metaphorical light at the end of the tunnel.”

               “By the by.” Roman added, he was leaning against the wall casually. “Remus and I talked on the phone last week, he said if we need a diversion so we can run away with Virgil, he’s down for it. Said, he’s been practicing.”

               “We’re not using Remus as a distraction.” Patton said officially. “It’s not fair to exploit his, whatever is wrong with him. We’re doing this legally.”

               “Are we sure Remus is real?” Virgil asked. “I don’t wanna think that there’s someone that screwed up in the world.”

               “Payton is worse, he exists.” Roman countered. “Remus isn’t a bad person, he’s just insane.”

“We’re not talking about Payton right now.” Patton waved away the idea.

               “We should get going, I’d like to be early.” Logan squeezed Patton’s shoulder.

               “Ok.” He smiled up at him and turned back to Virgil. “I just want you to know that we love you and we’re proud of you. And everything’s gonna be ok.”

               Patton gave him one last kiss and left with Logan. They entered the car silently. Patton drove to keep his mind off things. As they left the driveway, he heard the rhythmic sounds of Logan slamming his hand on the car door.

               “Logan, honey, are you alright?” Patton glanced over to him.

               “I’m a bit nervous.” Logan answered flatly, still drumming his hand. “There’s a lot of feelings going around. I’m surprisingly susceptible to that.”

               “Do you wanna clap?”

               “Absolutely not.”

               “You can, I don’t mind.”

               “I’m okay with hitting the door.”

               “Do you wanna talk?” Patton reached over and took Logan’s free hand. “Is all the abuse talk making you uncomfortable?”

               “No, I think it’s just the stress of having a child.” Logan sighed. “It’s an adjustment, but I can handle it.”

               “You’re doing great. Virgil had so much fun playing chess with you last week, I think he’s really taken to you.”

               “You’re doing an excellent job as well.” Logan squeezed his hand. “I think Virgil’s almost used to having a loving role model in his life. And he certainly likes you.”

               “That’s good.” Patton smiled. “I know it’s only been about a month, but I can’t imagine life without our dark, strange son.”

               “Me neither.” Logan looked at the floor to hide his smile. “And we won’t have to. I have every right to be confident.”

                                                                               #             #             #

               The prison looked exactly like, well a prison. The five of them had been given a room to meet privately, rather than try to use the phone things.

               Payton stared at the three of them coldly while his lawyer looked on, the effigy of stoicism. Patton anxiously pulled at his fingers and Janus, as they found out was his actual name, looked on at their opponents unfazed. And Logan, Logan met Payton’s gaze with total eye contact. He could stare until his head hurt, but he would have to do a lot more than glare to get Logan to back down.

               “So, I arranged this meeting to see if we could avoid going to court altogether.” Janus began. “Do you think you three could come to an agreement?”

               “I’m willing to offer supervised visitation rights.” Patton said looking at the table.

               “Oh, do I have your permission to see my son?” Payton sneered. “How generous, will you let me write him a letter if I’m a good boy?”

               “Payton, this isn’t funny.” Patton didn’t look up.

               “I’m not laughing. First you ruin my campaign and call me a liar, you get me investigated by my old law firm and now you’re here telling me that I can only see my own son on your terms. Do you realize that I haven’t seen him since the fire?”

               “Payton, it is not our fault that you’re losing custody of Virgil.” Logan argued. “We are just trying to do what’s best for him.”

               “Do you think our terms are fair?” Janus asked the other lawyer.

               “No,” The lawyer answered. “My client wishes to maintain full custody of his son.”

               “He’s going to prison.” Patton looked up. “He can’t keep custody.”

               “That is not a part of this case.” The lawyer retorted.

               “This is ridiculous.” Logan sighed. “If you lose, we get custody of Virgil, if you somehow win, you are still facing jail time for a long enough period to lose custody anyway. Why are you doing this?”

               “I don’t want my son being raised by you two.” Payton said, mimicking a normal tone. “I don’t trust you to provide for him, so I’d prefer if he went somewhere else, should I not be there for him.”

               Logan looked on in shock. Payton actually thought that he could beat the arson case, he even thought he could get custody of Virgil. He didn’t see any reason that he was in the wrong. He had absolutely no clue that his actions were reprehensible. How? How could he see this as acceptable?

               “Payton, do you realize what you did to Virgil was wrong?” Logan asked.

               “Well, you’re sticking to your story.” Payton scoffed. “So, I’ll say it again. I have never harmed my son. I don’t know if it was him that started that horrid lie, or if you and Patton decided that it was the best way to get a kid, but it is still a vicious lie.”

               They way Payton’s eyes lit up as he lied was horrifying. They glowed with a cruel light that said, ‘I’ve beaten you’ and he believed that he had won. He was thrilled with the prospect of dragging this out. Patton looked back at the table. Logan didn’t break eye contact.

               “We are willing to offer you supervised visitation. Virgil is going to need someone to drive him out to see you anyway.” Logan repeated Patton’s original offer.

               “We sure are going through a lot just so you can pretend to stand up to your parents.” Payton smiled at him the freak might as well have had fangs. “I will not bow to these allegations, taking any deals would be like admitting that I have abused my son. I’m not going to stand up and say that you two are fit parents while I’m not. No deal.”

               “Well,” Janus stood up. “It looks like we can’t agree on anything. I’ll see you both in court.”

               The three of them walked out into the hallway and watched as a guard took Payton back to his cell.

               “That was suboptimal.” Logan sighed. “Unfortunately, it’s nothing more than I expected.”

               “I’ll make sure to get us in with a judge that isn’t a moron.” Janus added angrily. “If Payton thinks he has a case, he can kiss my ass.”

               “Are you sure he doesn’t have a case that can beat ours?” Patton looked up from the floor.

               “Doctors say that Virgil has been abused, Virgil says that his dad hit him, police say that Payton is going to jail for felony child endangerment and arson. And there’s all the shit he did while he was practicing law. He’s losing custody, in fact I hope he wins this case, so he can lose custody again when he goes to jail.”

               “I’m worried.” Patton grabbed Logan’s hand.

               “We’re going to be ok.” Logan squeezed Patton’s hand in return. “Everything’s gonna be ok.”

               “Well, now Payton doesn’t even get supervised visits.” Janus chimed in, trying to be funny. “Trust me, this is going to be one of the easiest child removal cases in history. Payton shot himself in the foot.”

               “Payton didn’t shoot anything he doesn’t own a gun.” Logan squinted at Janus

               “It’s a metaphor honey.” Patton rested his chin on Logan’s shoulder.

               “Right.” Logan looked at the floor.

               “Well, I’m sorry I wasted your time.” Janus sighed. “You two go home and relax. Rest assured that I know what I’m doing.”

               “Sure.” Patton sighed. “When do you think the rape allegations will show up?”

               “Probably in court, but Payton is already a known liar.” Janus smiled. “He’s not going to get very far with that.”

               “Ok.” Logan nodded. “Thanks.”

               “I guess we can call you ‘No prob Bob’.” Patton smiled.

               “No, you can’t.”

[batskulldrag]

Phoenix by Fallout Boy

Heads up, the beginning to this chapter in intense with angst. Trigger warning for abuse. 

After that it should be ok. and we finally get to see deceit. His human name is Ethan and he is their new lawyer. 

Chapter Seven: Hellfire from The Hunchback of Notre Dame soundtrack

               Virgil woke up in a sterile greenish blue room. There was a heart monitor beeping somewhere. It might have been his. He felt an IV in his arm, and a truck load of pain everywhere else. He tried to remember how he got here.

               Last thing I remember is…  His blood turned to ice water.

               The last thing he could recall was his father being furious. And hurting him, he had been thrashed within an inch of his life. He tried to look around, but he could only see out of one eye. The other one was swollen shut. He didn’t see his father though.

               Maybe he had finally gone too far, and CPS had stepped in. Maybe things were ok now. And he’d get sent somewhere else. And his dad would get sent to prison. Maybe it was over.

               A few doctors came and went, checking his vitals and stuff like that. None of them said anything about him of his dad. He had to know.

               “Why am I here?” He fought intense agony to speak.

               “Shh.” One of the nurses cooed. “Don’t try to talk, sweetie. You’ve had a nasty fall and you injured a few ribs. Just lie very still.”

               “Where’s my…” He felt like he had been stabbed with a hack saw. “My… Dad?”

               “He’s right outside. He’ll be in with you in a moment.”

               Whatever pain he was in was dwarfed by the crushing blow of disappointment. Nothing was ok. He felt tears falling across his face, seeping into open cuts and stinging like hell. Of course, they swallowed whatever excuse his father had fed them. And there was no way they’d ask for his side of what happened. No, he was just a prop. No one wanted to know how he said it happened.

               “It’s ok,” The nurse soothed. “You’re alright now. Everything’s going to be fine.”

               She didn’t know! Of course, she didn’t know! How could she even say that!? Didn’t she know that it wasn’t ok!?  

               It’s not ok! Help me!

               His dad walked into the room with a mask of concern that he wore amazingly. Nominate him for an Oscar, he deserves it. Even Virgil himself was tempted to think his father had an ounce of remorse.

               “How is he?” His dad asked in such a genuine tone, when did he find time to rehearse?

               “He’ll pull through.” The nurse assured him.

               “Oh, thank goodness.” He sighed. “I was so worried. He’s all I have after his mother left me. If something happened to him…” He trailed off. The fucker even shed a tear.

               “I understand.” Welp, he had her.

               “Is it alright if I stay with him now?”

               “Of course.” She said.

               NO TAKE IT BACK!! TAKE IT BACK!!!

               “In fact, he was just asking for you.”

               “Poor baby. He must be terrified.”  

               DON’T LAEVE HIM WITH ME!! PLEASE HELP ME!!!

               “I’ll leave you two alone.”

               NO! SAVE ME!! PLEASE HELP ME!!!

               She left. And more importantly she left him alone with his dad.

               “It hurts doesn’t it.” The mask came off. All that was left was the sadistic tone of his father. “I may have told them you were morphine intolerant.”

               “Why?” It came out as a whimper.

               “Well, I had to get my point across.”

               “Why?” He wheezed again.

               “Well.” His father started. “First off, I want you to know they’re not going to ask you if you can have morphine, they already believe me. And they won’t ask for a second opinion. And that goes for your little tumble down our stairs. You tripped and fell, and your frantic dad rushed you to the emergency room. And if you say otherwise, I think we know who they’ll side with.”

               “And even if they believe you.” He grinned; the monster might as well have had three rows of teeth. “They’re a bunch of doctors who didn’t repeat seventh grade. They’ll just say I went easy on you. You see the grown up isn’t just always telling the truth, but they’re also always right.”

               He pressed down on one of his ribs. Virgil yelped in pain.

               “So, don’t disappoint me again.” He hissed.

               Last thing Virgil remembers is everything going black.

                                                                               #             #             #

               “PLEASE DON’T LEAVE ME!!!!” Virgil cried. “PLEASE HELP ME!!”

               Patton and Logan both shot awake and bolted to Virgil’s room. They met Roman in the doorway; he had brought a weapon. They all ran in as Virgil continued to shriek.

               “SOMEBODY HELP ME!!!” He pleaded, thrashing around on the bed like he was being murdered.

               Roman burst in and Logan switched the lights on.

               “Get away from him!” Roman demanded of the empty room.

               Virgil screamed and fell of the bed. He then just laid on the floor whimpering and drenched with sweat.

               “My baby.” Patton yelped, rushing to his side. “Are you ok honey?”

               “…I-I-I’m fine.” He panted. “I just had a bad dream.”

               Roman hid his samurai sword behind his back.

               “It’s ok.” Patton cooed, pulling the younger man into his lap. “I’m here, Da- I’ve got you.”

               “Do you want to talk about it?” Logan knelt beside Patton.

               “No.” Virgil’s voice came out as a squeak.

               “Ok.” Patton gently rubbed his back. “You don’t have to. You’re safe now. You’re safe.”

               With that said, Virgil started sobbing. Patton looked at Logan in horror and mouthed out ‘what did I do?’. Logan shook his head in mutual confusion.  Roman sat down on the floor with them and stretched his hand out to Virgil.

               “It’s ok.” He said softly, running his hand through the child’s hair. “You’re allowed to cry. You’re allowed to feel this. It’s ok.”

               Virgil continued crying as he buried his face in Patton’s shirt.

               “They-they’re gonna…” He gasped from Patton’s chest. “They’re not gonna believe me.”

               “Who?” Logan asked, with a pretty good idea he knew the answer.

               “The courts or the jury or whoever.” He panted. “They’re gonna take his side.”

               “No,” Patton soothed. “No, they won’t. it’s just his word against, like mountain of evidence.”

               “But he said I’m allergic to morphine and I’m not allergic to morphine,” He rambled in short, ragged breaths. “And they just went with it, and no one asked me if I fell down the stairs or not. Cause he already said I did. And…and…” He gasped hard.

               “Shh, shh.” Patton tutted. “It’s alright, no one’s gonna just blindly believe him ever again. He’s been branded as a liar. As he should be.”

               “Virgil.” Logan gently grabbed his shoulder. “No one is going to believe him over you. No one is going to believe him over evidence. This isn’t just he says you say.”

               Virgil mumbled something into Patton’s chest.

               “What?” Logan made a face like he had just been slapped.

               “I said.” Virgil sniveled. “What if they think he was going easy on me and I deserved it.”

               “Virgil.” Logan grabbed him by both shoulders and pulled his face up. “Look me in the eyes and listen to me. No one is going to say that. No one! You did not deserve any of what he did to you. Do you understand me!? You did not deserve that! And he did not go easy on you! He nearly killed you twice now! That does not quantify going easy on someone! No one is going to think that he was in the right, because he wasn’t! What he did was wrong! And nobody is going to think otherwise! Do you understand?!”

               Virgil nodded timidly.

               Logan sighed and pulled Virgil into a hug.

               “Ok.” He whispered. “I’m sorry for raising my voice to you. But you need to understand this. Your father…” He made a face at the title. “Payton was wrong to do this. And no one else is like that. This isn’t normal, and it isn’t right.”

               “I lied about what grade I’m in.” Virgil said. It was barely audible over his breathing. “I got held back. I’m starting eighth grade in the fall.”

               “I figured that out.” Logan sighed. “We got your school records last night.”

               “And you were asking all the questions about being held back earlier.” Patton added. “It was a really bad lie.”

               A long, tense silence filled the room.

               “We’re not going to do anything you expect us to do.” Roman broke the silence. “Please don’t lie to us again.”

               “Yeah, that about sums it up.” Patton wiped a tear off Virgil’s cheek. “We’d like you to trust us, and we wanna be able to trust you. Sound fair?”

               Virgil nodded.

               “Good.” Logan patted him on the head, it was unspeakably awkward. “Do you think you can fall asleep on your own, or would you like to take one of your pills?”

               “I’m fine.” Virgil sighed. “I don’t need to take anything.

               “Ok. But if you need your medicine come get one of us.” Patton fussed, pulling Virgil in and stroking his hair. “Do you want one of us to stay here until you fall asleep?”

               “No, I’m ok.” He paused and smiled coyly. “Trust me.”

               “We gotta get you some other bands to listen to.” Roman said unamused. “You can’t just keep quoting My Chemical Romance.”

               “My chemical Roman?” Patton quipped.

               “Patton,” Logan said calmly. “No.”

               “Absolutely not.” Roman agreed. “Never call me that again.”

               “I thought it was funny.” Virgil piped in, giving Patton a weak smile.

               “Well, at least one of us can appreciate humor.” Patton ruffled his hair. “You go ahead and get some sleep now. We’ll talk more in the morning if you feel like it.”

               “Ok.” Virgil yawned. “Thanks.”

               “It’s no trouble.”

               “I mean thanks, for.” He looked down and bit his lip. “Thanks for everything. All of you.”

               “That’s no trouble either.” Patton continued to pet him softly.

               “Don’t lie to me.”

               “Oooh, you’re feisty.” Patton teased. “Let’s get you into bed kiddo.”

               Patton helped him up and tucked him in, despite his protests the he was thirteen and didn’t need to be tucked in. Patton disregarded him without so much as going ‘uh-huh’ and pretending to listen.

               “Sometimes.” Patton kissed him on the forehead. “It’s nice to be tucked in.”

               As the three of them left the room Logan switched the light off and closed the door.

               “Poor little baby.” Patton whimpered as soon as the door closed. “How could anyone do something like that? He’s just a little kid.”

               “Some people are just rotten,” Roman patted him on the shoulder. “In a perfect world you’d be an only child. All we can do is be decent human beings to make up for the vile few who waste our air.”

               “I agree.” Logan nodded. “Just not as dramatically. Yes, there are bad people out there. And yes, all we can really do to counter them is act properly. There’s no point dwelling on what your brother did, all we can do now is work to help Virgil.”

               “I mean,” Roman gestured towards the door. “We already succeeded in not giving him night terrors. I’ll call that the minimum. So, we’re off to a great start.”

               “What the proverbial hell are you wearing?” Logan asked, only really looking at him for the first time.

               Roman looked down at himself. He was shirtless and clad only in red booty shorts that read ‘Royal’ across the butt.

               “It’s hot!” His face changed to match his shorts in hue. “it’s summer and we live in Florida!”

               “I think we all look silly.” Patton mumbled, tugging on the hem of his Pawton T-shirt.

               “I thought Virgil was being attacked by an intruder.” Roman argued. “I had time to either grab my robe or my sword!”

               “What were you gonna do, seduce the murderer?” Patton made a face.

               “Why are we having this discussion again?” Logan rubbed his temples.

               “Oh, we’re doing this?” Roman got defensive. “Because I happened to notice you were wearing seashell print underwear when you came to get me on Friday. And Patton had on dark blue boxers.”

               “So?” Logan challenged.

               “So, you don’t wear print underwear and Patton doesn’t own any without print.” Roman smirked sadistically. “I think you had on more than his shirt.”

               “Oh my God!!” Virgil screamed from the other room. “Get away from my door! I can hear you!!!”

               “I take back what I said about the nightmares.” Roman said flatly.

                                                               #             #             #

               The following evening was Patton and Logan’s turn to have to deal with the press. So, Roman was on babysitting duty. Given what would go down in infamy as ‘the booty short incident’ things were a bit awkward between the two. And now that Patton and Logan had left Roman was starting to feel a bit like the friend of a friend.

               “Do you think you’d like to be on the news once you’re feeling better?” Roman asked to ease the tension.

               “Sorry, what?” Virgil pulled out an earbud. He was curled up on the couch with his computer.

               “I was wondering if you wanted to be interviewed when you feel better.” Roman fought the cringe. “I’m sure they want to speak to you.”

               “I’m sure I’m not as beat up as they want me to be.” Virgil paused what he was watching. “Not too many bruises to exploit. Unless they want me to strip.”

               “That may not be so uncommon.” Roman said. “They asked me to strip last night.”

               “Really?” Virgil sat up and looked at him intensely.

               “Yes, I’m so gorgeous that everywhere I go people want me to take my clothes off.” Roman finished off the bit elegantly. “Mostly the ladies, but once the guys find out I’m on that side of the field… well. Let’s just say that they are not as weak as people think they are.”

               “I can’t believe I fell for that.” Virgil slumped back. “I’m an idiot.”

               “Well, maybe it’s just really believable.” Roman smirked. “I do have a god bod.”

               “You are like uber gay. Patton and Logan are married to each other and you’re still the gayest person in the house.”

               “How about you? Any crushes?” Roman turned the tables. “I bet everyone goes crazy over those eyes.”

               “Nah.” Virgil looked down and drug his hand across the rim of his laptop. “None yet.”

               “I guess that’s been pretty far from your mind.” Roman realized what he had done. “I’m sure you’ll be getting into it as you get older. Logan didn’t have his first until he was eighteen.”

               “Logan has…” He trailed off.

               “And you had other stuff to deal with.” Roman finished for him. “When you get your bearings, you’ll get your first crush, and if you never take an interest in romance, so be it. Different people need different things, and they need them at different times.”

               Virgil smiled softly at him, his lips only parting slightly to show a thin portion of his teeth.

               “And right now,” Roman stood up. “You need to watch Hunchback of Notre Dame with me.”

               “No way, I read that book, it’s horrible.” Virgil objected.

               “We’re watching the Disney version; it has a happy ending.” Roman explained. “Also, there’s a book?”

               “Yeah, it’s long.”

               “You’re in middle school, what are you doing reading stuff like that?”

               “I was in some kind of advanced reading class over the past couple of summers. You know, anything to eat up whatever free time I can get.”

               “So, you’re reading on like a high school level.” Roman pointed at him.

               “So, what, reading’s not hard. Like, everyone can read.”

               “Not on a high school level they can’t.”

               “Anyone who passed high school can.” Virgil countered, throwing his hands up.

               “Do you remember our different people chat from a moment ago?”

               “Just put in the movie.” He paused. “Wait, what time is your interview showing?”

               “Last night.” Roman shrugged. “It was pretty boring. And I decided that I hate it when the press tries to be clever.”

               “Go on.”

               “Actor Roman Lupine, known locally for his role as Mufasa in the community theater portrayal of The Lion King has found himself in a different kind of cast following the events of Friday night.” He recited.

               “That’s not even funny.”

               “I’m just thankful no one brought up my infiltration of the press.”

               “You’re the dude who pretended to be a reporter to troll my dad?”

               “I had to make sure they asked the right questions.” He defended. “And they didn’t. So, it’s a good thing I was there.”  

               “Yeah,” Virgil looked down. “Honestly, before you guys showed up the press thought the sun shined out of my dad’s butt.”

               Roman couldn’t help but laugh at that image.

               “Wow,” Roman coughed between laughs. “You are a word smith.”  

               “This movie another musical?” Virgil asked, stretching himself out.

               “All the best ones are.” Roman declared.

               Roman out the movie in and flopped himself down on the couch next to Virgil. The little one scooched away from him and curled up into a ball.

               “You don’t have to be afraid of me.” Roman smiled at him. “I may be gay, but I’m only attracted to people old enough to consent.”

               “Weirdly enough, I wasn’t worried about that.” Virgil said giving him a confused look. “I just haven’t bathed in a while, and I’m starting to smell.”

               “That’s you? I just thought my deodorant gave out.”

               “No, it’s me. I smell like death barfed up a bunch of old Band-Aids.”

               “Remind me why we haven’t bathed you yet.”

               “I can’t use my hands.” Virgil held up his gauzy paws. “Or get them wet or get my cast wet.”

               “Let me think for a minute.” Roman put his hand to his chin. “I’m great at creative solutions.”

               “Whatever you say, dude.”

                                                                               #             #             #

               Roman did come up with a solution. So, the two of them were now standing in Patton and Logan’s bathroom as that one had a walk-in shower with a grip bar installed inside. Roman unrolled a generous amount of plastic wrap.

               “So, we can wrap up your cast and hands really good with this stuff.” Roman smiled. “And then I can duct tape a back scrubber to one of your hands. That way you can clean yourself.”

               “I’m doing this more for entertainment than out of thinking this will work.” Virgil scoffed.

               “My kind are never recognized for their genius.” He feigned hurt and placed a hand on his heart.

               “Fine let’s do this.” Virgil sighed and held out his hands. “The smell is unbearable.”

               “Now, I’ll help you get your shirt off.” Roman said as he bound Virgil’s hands. “But your pants are your responsibility. I’m not getting my name put on any lists.”

               “You’re a saint.” Virgil said flatly.

               “Thanks for noticing.” Roman stood up. “Now, I find duct tape.”

               “Can’t you just put socks or something over my hands? It’d be easier.”

               “Now I go to get a pair of socks!” Roman rephrased. “Stay right here.”

               “Where would I go?”

               Roman returned with the socks, applied them and left Virgil one of his robes. With that done he left the bathroom. No way was he getting his name put on any lists. He sat on Patton and Logan’s bed, tracing the blanket pattern with his finger. It was creepily quiet.

               “Virgil,” Roman called. “Are you ok in there?”

               “Yeah, I’m fine.” He yelled back.

               “Ok. I’m right here if you need me?”

               “What the hell could I possibly need you for in here?”

               “I meant in case you fall. Weirdo.”

               “You’re weird.”

               Roman laughed to himself. This kid was terrible at name calling, at least in the moment. Roman softly sang to himself to break the silence. He looked around the love bird’s nest, they sure did like blue. He didn’t normally go into their bedroom if he could avoid it. Not that the room had anything wrong with it, it was the standard room with more plushies than would be expected scattered around. There was one desk, Logan’s, and it was home to many piles of books. As would be expected.

               “Sup?” Roman nodded at the large stuffed dog laying on the foot of the bed.

               “Roman?” A timid voice asked.

               “You can talk?” Roman grabbed the plushie. “Wait, I’m an idiot. What is it Virgil?”

               “Can you come in here?” Virgil sounded strained.

               “Did you fall? I’ll be right in.”

               Roman darted in and saw Virgil bunched up in one corner of the shower, covering himself with a towel. Thank god.

               “What’s wrong?” Roman asked, stepping closer.

               “There’s a bunch of weird spots on my skin.”

               Roman looked down at his chest and saw that it was peppered tiny irritations that were rough to the touch.

               “Ok.” Roman forced himself calm. “You come on out of there and put this on.” Roman held up the robe and looked away. “It’s probably just a reaction to the soap, or to not being able to shower for a while. You know, that kind of rash.”

               “Ok.” He squeaked. “I know it wasn’t here yesterday, so you’re probably right.”

               “Right. So, we’re just going to wash your clothes and see what happens.”

               Roman sent Virgil to his room and immediately called Logan. Logan answered surprisingly fast, he must have really not wanted to be interviewed.

               “Roman, is something wrong?” Logan answered, confused.

               “Virgil has this weird bunch of spots on his body, I don’t think it’s chicken pox, but it looks like scarlet fever.”

               “It probably is.” Logan said calmly. “That or he’s having a reaction to his antibiotics.”

               “WHAT!!?” Roman screamed into the receiver. “He’s going to die?”

               “Roman, scarlet fever is also known as strep throat rash.” Logan explained. “Both are caused by the same bacteria. I suspect he contracted it because his father didn’t take him to the doctor. Symptoms are the same as strep throat, and the first degree burns he suffered in the fire must have covered the rash.”

               “What do I do? Do I have to burn things? Is he going to live?”

               “He’ll be fine, just put some baby powder on the rash; we’ll take him to the doctor tomorrow to see if he needs his antibiotic dose increased or decreased based on what the rash is. Don’t burn anything, this isn’t the nineteenth century.”

               “Should I tell him?”

               “No, you’ll just freak him out.”

               “All this time scarlet fever has just been strep throat?” Roman mumbled, floored by the revelation.

               “Just wait until we tell you about what happened to measles.” Logan said blankly before hanging up.

                                                                               #             #             #

               “Just have a seat on the table and the doctor will be right with you.” The nurse said, holding the door for them.

               Virgil lurked in quietly with Patton and Roman both in tow. He stopped to look at them both and saw that Logan had also gone ahead and come in. Somehow, he had amassed and entourage.

               “I… Uh. Don’t think we all need to be here.” Virgil said, tugging on his sleeves.

               “We need to know what you have.” Roman defended.

               Virgil pulled himself onto the table and silently prayed that the doctor wouldn’t ask him to take his pants off. He was generally opposed to striping, but he was more against it now that he knew his audience wasn’t going anywhere.

               “It’s ok.” Patton rubbed his shoulder.

               “I’m not afraid.”

               “Oh.” Patton said surprised, not taking his hand away. “That’s ok too. You shouldn’t be afraid. It’s going to be alright.”

               “I regret telling them about strep throat rash.” Logan said to him. “I’m very sorry. I should have expected this kind of reaction.”

               “What other reaction is supposed to come with the news that he has a potentially fatal illness?” Roman protested. “Joy? We aren’t Barbra.”

               “The severity is dramatically decreased because of modern antibiotics.” Logan sighed. “Virgil’s not going to die from this. And it may not be strep throat rash, it could very well be a reaction to our detergent or his medicine.”

               “If he’s allergic to antibiotics that’s still a problem.” Patton objected.

               “How do you keep forgetting everything you learned in nursing school?” Logan sighed.

               Virgil chewed on his bandages, longing for the day when he could get at his nails again. Roman had kept his mouth shut about the idea of scarlet fever pretty well, but when Patton got wind of it, he freaked out. First kid and all that. Logan had been good about using the modern name, but of course Patton googled it and found out what it was. Virgil hadn’t had a moment’s peace since.

               Mercifully the doctor entered the room. Virgil knew this one, Dr. Talyn because they had been dealing him while he was still checked in. Nice to see a familiar face.

               “Hi Virgil.” Talyn said, clearly happy to see him. “How have you been?”

               “Recovering.” Virgil sighed. “How long do I need to have my hands wrapped again?”

               “I’ll look at the burns while I’m here, but I guarantee you that you still need to have them wrapped for at least another week.”

               “I know you.” Roman interrupted happily. “You’re the doctor who stood up to Payton that night.”

               “And you’re crazy twin guy.” Talyn nodded. “I’m a friend of Joan’s.”

               “You have one insane twin brother and that’s all anyone ever remembers about you.” Roman protested.

               “So, Virgil has a rash that you two are worried about?” Talyn turned to Patton and Logan.

               “I think it may be strep throat rash,” Logan explained calmly. “I just need to know what it is and if we need to adjust his antibiotics.”

               “Scarlet fever can make people go deaf.” Patton interrupted. “Is that gonna happen?”

               “No.” Talyn looked amused at Patton’s panic. “And it’s probably not strep rash, it seems weird that it would show up after we started treating the strep throat.” They turned on Virgil. “Can you pull your shirt up baby?”

               Thinking he had a bright future as a stripper, Virgil pulled his shirt off. Life was hell. Talyn looked at the rash for a minute and went about the other standard doctor examinations.

               “It’s not scarlet fever or a reaction to his meds.” They said finally. “It’s just a little stress rash.”

               “Oh, poor baby.” Patton fussed, grabbing Virgil and hugging him.

               The demonic voice in Virgil’s head screamed so loud that it blurred his vision.

                                                                               #             #             #

               “Oh, poor baby.” Patton pulled his nephew into his arms.

               “Oh, thank goodness.” Roman sighed. “I thought he was done for.”

               “For the last time, he wasn’t going to die.” Logan added tiredly.

               “If you want, I can prescribe a topical cream for the hives,” Talyn continued. “But aside from that I can’t really do much. They’re just gonna have to go away on their own.”

               Patton brushed Virgil’s hair out of his face and paused. Virgil was being oddly still. He loosened his grip and Virgil fell limp onto him.

               “Guys! I think he fainted!” Patton yelled in abstract terror.

               Dr. Talyn took over and shooed him away. They laid Virgil down on the table, took his pulse and checked his pupils. After that they put a cold cloth on his head.

               “Doctor,” Patton asked softly. “Did we do something wrong? His anxiety is getting really bad around us. Did we do the wrong thing?”

               “No, I don’t think this is anyone’s fault.” Talyn checked Virgil’s pules again. “I think he’s just having a harder time adjusting then we thought he would. All we can really do is give it time.”

               “We already made him a follow up appointment with Dr. Picani.” Logan added guiltily. “I didn’t think we were causing him that much stress.”

               “You don’t need to be in a stressful environment to have anxiety.” Talyn explained. “And he may have PTSD after everything his dad did to him. And he’s only like five days into this transition. That’s not even enough time to get used to a school week.”

               “It’s not right.” Patton brushed his hand through Virgil’s hair. “He’s just a little kid.”

               Virgil murmured a bit the bolted upright.

               “No! Get away from me! Don’t touch me!” He yelped. He stopped and looked around then sighed. “Sorry Uncle Patton, I-I thought you were someone else.”

               Who? I wonder. The words burned themselves into Patton’s brain.

               “It’s ok sweetie.” Patton hugged him. “It’s ok.”

               “What happened?” Virgil pulled himself away.

               “You passed out a minute ago.” Logan explained. “Are you alright?”

               “I’m fine.” He crossed his arms and looked at the floor.

               Talyn cleared their throat.

               “Do you three mind if I talk to Virgil alone?” They asked.

               “No.” Patton sighed. “Go ahead.”

                                                                               #             #             #

               Virgil watched the other three leave and whished that he was going with them. Dr. Talyn closed the door behind them and the room suddenly seemed oppressively tiny.

               “I have to ask.” Talyn sighed. “Are they treating you ok?”

               “Yes.” He looked down from the ceiling that he swore he could reach up and touch. “And not just the bare minimum of not beating me into a coma. They’re all being really nice.”

               “Have they done anything that wasn’t physical? Any insults? Anything like that?”

               “No. None of that stuff. It’s like some kind of alternate reality.”

               “Are you happy there?”

               “Yes. I wanna stay…” He dropped the sentence and stared at the floor.

               You can’t though, it’s not gonna happen. You can’t stay. He’s not going to let you. He’s going to ruin this for you if you don’t ruin it first.

               “Ok then.” Talyn finished. “You understand why I had to ask you that right?”

               “Honestly, I have been asked that more in the past couple of days than I have in my entire life.” He sighed. “Yeah, I understand why you asked. I don’t understand why no one else ever did.”

               “Neither do I.” That wasn’t the answer he was expecting. “I’ll check out your hands, then you can go.”

               Talyn checked his hands over and rebandaged them so that they looked like mittens. They padded the thumbs loosely so he could use them and kept the rest of his hands covered. He looked down at his appendages and saw that three of his fingernails had come off. He gagged and looked away.

               “I know,” Talyn soothed. “It’s creepy.”

               They finished with him and sent him on his way. He lurked out into the other room and joined the others. Patton immediately hugged him. He sighed and slumped into the hug.

               I don’t want to go. I want to stay with you.

               “It’s ok sweetie.” Patton pacified.

               “It’s just going to take some time.” Logan rubbed his back.

#             #             #

               “Ok, we’ll be back in a couple of hours.” Patton said chipperly on his way out the door. “Are you two gonna be okay?”

               “I already watched him last night.” Roman sighed. “I can do it again.”

               “I don’t even really need a babysitter.” Virgil added. “Dad used to leave me on my own all the time.”

               Don’t blow up, it’s ok. We’re literally on our way to see the lawyer. Patton bit his lip.

               “Well, you’re still sick.” Patton smiled. “So, you ought to have a grown up to look after you.”

               “And you’re in an unfamiliar environment.” Logan added.

               “I’m not a cat.”

               “We’ll be fine.” Roman shooed them. “Don’t be late to your meeting. We still have as entire anthology to watch.”

               “Ok, but nothing that can, you know…” Patton mimed pulling a trigger on a gun.

               “I won’t.” Roman rolled his eyes. “I’m not stupid.”

               “It’s going to be alright Patton.” Logan squeezed his shoulder. “You don’t have to worry.”

               “Ok.” Patton grabbed Logan’s hand. “We’ll be back in a few hours, or less depending on what happens.”

               “Take all the time you need.” Roman was almost pushing them.

               Patton looked over and saw Virgil staring at him curiously from the couch. He knew something was going on, kids can always tell. Patton guiltily avoided his gaze, there was no need to bring him into this and stress him out even more.

               And I definitely don’t want to get his hopes up and disappoint him. A thought preyed on him.

               No, that’s going to happen. This is gonna work out. We’re gonna be ok.

               You couldn’t save him before, what makes now different?

               You shut up!

               You can’t save him. You already let him endure this for thirteen years.

               Stop it!

               Payton isn’t just going to roll over! You can’t just smile and hope your problems go away!

               “Ok,” Patton forced a smile and took another step out the door. “I love you. We’ll be back in a bit.”

               Patton and Logan walked to the car in silence. Patton stared out his window and caught a glimpse of Virgil looking out one of the front windows at them, trying not to be seen himself. Poor little anxious baby. Patton looked at his feet. He wanted nothing more than to hold Virgil and tell him everything was going to be ok, and just keep holding him until they were.

               “Logan,” Patton sighed as they drove into the street. “Do we have a chance?”

               “A chance of what?” Logan glanced at him.

               “Winning custody.”

               “We do, in fact I’m optimistic in spite of myself.”

               “Are you sure, Payton’s gonna fight us on this.”

               “Payton has been digging his metaphorical grave for years, and it is now too deep for him to get out. The evidence is in our favor.”

               “Are you sure?” Patton rubbed his arms, feeling a sudden cold engulf him.

               “Yes, and if you’re worried that he’s going to lie his way out of this… well I don’t think his silver tongue is going to help him here.”

               “I feel kind of like I’m kicking him while he’s down.”

               “This isn’t about Payton’s feelings. Provided that he can feel. This is about what’s best for Virgil.”

               “Payton’s not gonna like this.”

               “I don’t care.”

               “Maybe he’s gonna say we shouldn’t be parents because we’re a same sex couple.” Patton said worriedly.

               “He was running for mayor as a gay man who had suffered abuse for it.” Logan said blankly. “No one is going to want to hear that.”

               “What if he says we beat Virgil up to make false evidence?”

               “We can disprove that.”

               “I read that judges don’t like to break up families, like take kids away from their parents.”

               “With the exception of that parent being a violent sociopath, who may have tried to murder them.” Logan added, grabbing Patton’s hand. “Sound like anyone we know?”

               “I’m just worried.”

               “I know, I’m worried too.” Logan held his hand tighter. “But I’m not going to let it consume me or make me lose sight of reality.”

               “I love you.” Patton said quietly.

               “I love you too.” Logan smiled. “After all, I am having your baby.”

               “When can we start introducing him as our son?” Patton perked up a little.

               “As soon as custody is granted. And remember not to overwhelm him.”

                                                                               #             #             #

               “Ok,” Their new lawyer said after they finished their story. “It definitely sounds like you have a case.”

               Their lawyer was remarkable short and built entirely of muscle. Outside of that he was scary. Completely pale with light blond hair that he covered up with a black derby hat. He looked like he had albinism along with a massive scar that covered the left side of his face, leaving him a dead eye and a slightly dented lower jaw. The scar pattern looked like a waffle iron. Patton pondered how the poor man got it.

               The lawyer had a name plate that read “E. S. Pent”. No first name.

               “So, what we need to do.” E. S. said. “Is organize what we have now, police reports, medical records and testimonies. You said Virgil is going to be seeing a psychiatrist?”

               “Yes,” Logan answered. “Dr. Emile Picani.”

               “Ok, we should be able to get him as a witness. He’s done all this before.” E.S. sighed. His job probably sucked.

               “Is Virgil gonna have to testify?” Patton bit his lip. “I don’t wanna expose him to all this.”  

               “If he wants to, more power to him. But if not I’m pretty sure people will understand.”

               “Is there anything we need to be prepared for if he tries to counter us?” Logan asked.

               “Well, Patton already passed his background check.” E. S. looked through the papers. “I recommend you and your friend, Roman, both get one as well.”

               Logan looked around tensely and Patton instinctively grabbed his hand.

               “I, I have Asperger’s.” Logan sighed. “Is that going to cause any problems?”

               “No, I don’t think so.” E. S. smiled reassuringly. “Provided that it doesn’t make you violent or suicidal.”

               “No, all it really does is make me weird.”

               Patton mouthed out the words ‘I will fight you’ at Logan. Nobody talks about his husband that way.

               “Is it a problem that we’re gay?” Patton tilted his head.

               “It shouldn’t be.”

               “So, this is it?” Patton squeezed Logan’s hand.

               “Well you need to serve Payton papers, and set a court date. I’ll help you with the papers. And if you don’t want to face him, you can have a police officer, or a lawyer serve the papers for you. And I knew Payton in law school, he’s a prick. So, if you’d like, I would love to serve him the papers.”

               “I’ll give them to him myself.” Patton looked at the table. “I want to talk to him.”

               “Are you sure?”

               “He’s my brother, I can’t just turn my back on him. And if I’m going to do this, I’m not going to do it from behind someone.”

               “Alright.”

                                                                               #             #             #

               It was past nine when they got home. Roman was on the couch contentedly watching the credits of Aristocats while Virgil dozed on his shoulder.

               “Oh, thank goodness you’re home.” Roman teased in an air of mock desperation. “It was so troublesome to look after a sick teenager. We had to watch movies and then he fell asleep. The horror.”

               “Very funny.” Logan whispered, feeling Virgil’s forehead. “Last night you called me in a panic thinking he had scarlet fever.”

               “Which you confirmed.” Roman whisper yelled.

               “No, no. get away.” Virgil mumbled in his sleep.

               “Shh,” Roman purred. “it’s ok. It’s ok. He can’t hurt you anymore.”

               Patton leaned in and pet Virgil’s hair. Poor little anxious baby!

               “Has he been talking in his sleep a lot?” He whispered.

               “On and off.” Roman looked down at him. “Mostly saying the same things. ‘get away’ ‘stop’ and ‘I wanna stay here’.”

               “You can stay with us baby.” Patton continued stroking his head. “We’re not gonna send you away.”

               “No,” Logan smiled. “You’re here for good.”

               Roman covered the sleeping boy’s ears.

               “How did it go with the lawyer?” He asked.

               “I’m serving Payton the papers on Friday.” Patton looked down.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Author’s note, Deceit’s color was similar to the albino Burmese python, so I made his human alternate an albino. Also a went with a scar instead of scales. Ethan will talk about being trans in a later chapter.

[batskulldrag]

Phoenix by Fallout Boy

Trigger warnings for abuse mentions, I still don’ t know how to link my chapters

chapter eight, i’ll be honest, there are no Oc’s in this thing. everyone is gonna be a youtuber or a dream daddy character. if you look up dream daddy, you’ll see who cameos where. 

Chapter Eight: Gives You Hell by All American Rejects.

               Virgil looked around the office. This totally looked like a child therapist’s domain. The walls were littered with posters and every flat surface had a figurine or a plushie of some cartoon character. He absentmindedly pet the stuffed bear that shared the couch with him.

               Ok, I’m calling it. He concluded in the silence. I’m just gonna get one of my uncles. There’s no shame in that right?

               Yes, there is.

Damn it, you again. That voice was starting to sound familiar.

“Hey-ya Virgil.” The shrink beamed as he walked in the door. “I’m Dr. Picani, we’ve met.”

“Yeah,” Virgil sighed. “You prescribed the anti-anxiety meds.”

“How are those working out for you?”

“The valium makes me tired. But they said that it might.”

“Are you having to take it a lot?”

“Uncle Logan gave me one a couple of nights ago. They don’t really let me decide when to take them.”

“That’s fair. It’s pretty habit forming.” Picani nodded. “Like Krabby Patties, but drugs. Why did Logan give you one of your pills?”

“I…” He looked around, could he trust this guy? “What happens to this information after we’re done?”

“The society of the blind eye erases all of it.” Picani smiled. “I’m not going to tell anyone if that’s what you’re worried about. That’d breach my doctor/patient confidentiality.”

“That applies to minors?”

“I mean, I have to tell your guardians. But I’m sure they know what you know.”

“I had a nightmare that night.” Virgil focused on the stuffed bear. “I woke up screaming.”

“What was this nightmare about?”

“Stuff.” Virgil pulled his legs to his chest as a barrier. “The uncles burst in for some reason.”

“I’d wager because you were screaming.”

“Yeah. Anyway, they couldn’t calm me down. And honestly that’s all just a blur to me. But they couldn’t shut me up, so Uncle Logan gave me one of the pills. It was all kind of surreal.”

“In what way?” He held out a hand like he was giving Virgil the question. “It sounds like they handled it really well.”

“I wet the bed.” Virgil said harshly. “Like a fucking toddler.”

“That’s some pretty strong language there. Sounds like you had quite the nightmare.”

“That’s what Uncle Patton said. And that’s all he said.” He mimicked Patton’s voice. “That must have been a doozy of a nightmare kiddo. If you wanna talk about we’re right here, but if you don’t, we’ll just get you cleaned up and you can go back to sleep.”

“And that upset you? Do you feel like he was patronizing you?”

“No.” Virgil yelled, frustrated. “I feel like I still have bruises from last time my dad caught me wetting the bed!”

“And you’re upset because Patton keeps catching you off guard?”

“Yes. I don’t know what he’s gonna do. I-I think he’s probably gonna keep being nice, but what if he doesn’t?”

“Virgil, I like to equate my patients to cartoons to help them understand this.” Picani said, tipping his folded hands towards him. “And you are very much a Raven.”

“Like I eat roadkill? I mean ravens are cool and all, but I don’t follow.”

“Ok, Raven is from a cartoon called Teen Titans, it’s about teenage superheroes.” He explained. “Raven is a half demon born from a terrifying being called Trigon. He plans to use her as a sort of gateway to the apocalypse so he can rule their dimension.”

“Cool.” He perked up. “What does this have to do with me?”

“Well, Raven’s father saw her as nothing but a means to his end and would constantly torture her to control her. Mostly by haunting her mind, and this led her to be very guarded around the other titans. Because she didn’t know who she could trust.”

Virgil felt cold. The doctor suddenly seemed very far away, but still painfully close. Who was this guy? How could he sit there in his round glasses, his button up shirt, his tan cardigan and his frigging pink tie and read his mind? How?

“No?” Virgil whispered, balling himself tighter.

“No, she didn’t know if they would reject her, or betray her or what. Fathers are important and knowing you can’t trust the one person who is supposed to protect you can make you put your guard up. It can even make you try to guard yourself against kindness.”

The power of Christ compels you, get out of my brain!

“So, you can see the parallel, can’t you?”

“I guess,” Virgil pulled up his hood. “I mean, my dad just kind of used me as a prop. Signing me up for all kinds of academic stuff without asking me what I wanted. Because what he wanted was a kid he could show off. Someone who could be seen and not heard. Someone submissive. I signed up for wrestling without telling him just so I could have something that was mine. Something that didn’t fit in with his mold. But he found out. And he put a stop to it.”

“How, if you’re ok with me asking.”

“He went ahead and told the coach and the rest of the team that I was taking medication for bed wetting. Which there is for some reason a medication for. It didn’t work, I think it was a placebo.”

“You were still wetting the bed in sixth grade?” Picani looked concerned.

“Yeah, they all thought it was hilarious too.” Virgil sneered.

“I don’t, that’s a serious sign of emotional abuse.”

“Really? I thought there was just something wrong with me.”

“Like what?”

“I dunno, a brain tumor or something.”

“No, there’s nothing wrong with you. You’ve just been under a lot of stress.”

Virgil pulled his hoodie down over his legs.

“Are you cold, or do you just not want to talk to me?” Picani smiled.

“I’m not sure yet.”

“Ok, we won’t talk about Payton anymore.” Picani offered. “We can talk about something else.”

“There’s nothing else to talk about.” Virgil clenched his fists. “I only exist as an extension of him. Only doing the stuff he deems proper, only talking to the kids that he allows. Which is a dwindling list. Like I said, I’m just his prop. It’s like, you know when a gay dude dates a girl because he doesn’t want to admit he’s gay. Even to himself.”

“Yes, I’ve seen a lot of those.”

“It’s like that, but one step further. He gets to show off what a smart kid he has, and that somehow validates him. Like his sperm is awesome or something.”

“Well, I’m not here to analyze your dad. We’re here to talk about you.”

“What about me?”

“Well, we know that, like Raven, you feel like you need to have your guard up. But within the show Raven started letting her guard down around her friends and they helped her deal with her issues with her father. They all even defeated him in the end. But the point is that she couldn’t have done it alone. She needed them to help her grow past what had happened.”

Virgil put his feet on the floor.

“How am I supposed to know when to let my guard down? What if I let it down for the wrong person? What if I get hurt again?”

“You don’t have to tear down all your walls at once. And you don’t have to do it for the first person you see. I’m not telling you to make a total change. No one can rewrite their entire personality after just learning something once.”

“Is that from a cartoon?”

“Yes. But it’s true.”

“I guess.”

“It is, and Raven didn’t do a complete one eighty right away either. She let her walls come down slowly. And that is what I want you to do. Ok?”

“Ok.”

“We don’t have to discuss the abuse in detail right away. And you don’t have to tell the whole thing to your uncles just yet either. I just want you to understand that if Patton or one of the others is being kind to you, it’s just them being nice. No motives, nothing you need to protect yourself from.”

“Ok.”

                                                                             #             #             #

Patton sat anxiously in his side of the glass. He thought these things only existed on TV. He watched guiltily as a guard brought Payton in. He was dressed in orange and had his wrists cuffed. Patton felt as if something just injected him with ice water. Payton sat down, glared at him through the glass and picked up the phone one his end.

“I figured you’d turn up eventually.” He said coldly. “Let me guess, you want custody of Virgil.”

“I wanted to talk.” Patton dropped his shoulders.

“What could we possibly discuss? The weather? Well, the weather in here is climate controlled.”

“Payton, I want to help you.”

“Bail is going to be set at something you can’t afford. You can’t possibly help me.”

“We can get you counseling or something. You don’t have to be angry.” Patton bit his lip. “You don’t have to lose your son. You can…”

“Change?” Payton finished for him. “That’s the problem. I don’t want to. I don’t see the problem with wanting a well-behaved kid. Or a promising career. Do you?”

“No, but…”

“Then why is the way I’m going about it so wrong?” He cut off.

“Because they’re investigating you for doing illegal stuff from when you were a lawyer. Because you got arrested for child abuse. Because your actions effect other people.”

“There it is.” Payton pointed at him. “By that logic, I can’t put a criminal in jail because being in jail would make him so unhappy. And defense lawyers are Satan because they defend bad people without thinking about the victim’s families.”

“Why is everything always an extreme with you!?” Patton stood up. “I ask you if you want help and you try to deconstruct society.”  

“Aren’t you worried that your anger is affecting other people.” Payton smirked.

“Pay, please.” Patton sank back into his chair. “I don’t want to have to do this. I want to help you.”

“I don’t want your help. Serve your papers and go.”

“Payton please! If this is truly just an act, then for the love of God drop it right now! You don’t need to do this to be powerful. You don’t need to be powerful. So, can you at least drop this smooth tough guy thing for me. You don’t have to act like this for people to like you. You can change if you want to. I don’t care that you don’t feel things the same way as everyone else, I just don’t want you to hurt people. You don’t have to be isolated!”

“Too bad you didn’t leave those papers sooner.” Payton said coldly. “Then you could have stormed off after your little speech. But now we both have to sit in it.”

Patton stared at his brother in shock. He felt tears leaking down his face. He was losing it, he was losing Payton, he was losing this argument.

“I’m sorry.” Patton choked. “I’m sorry you feel like you need to act this way. I’m sorry I have to do this to you. I’m sorry you don’t want my help. I’m sorry you don’t wanna be my friend. And I’m very sorry you don’t want to change.” He stood up. “I gave the papers to the guard. Maybe you and me will meet sometime between here and eternity. And you can apologize to me and admit you were wrong.”

Not wanting another snide comeback, Patton hung up the phone and walked away. He sat in the car and cried for a long while before going to join the others. Virgil was just coming out of his appointment as he arrived. Naturally, Patton ducked in and hugged him.

“You ok?” Virgil laughed. “I was only gone for an hour.”

“I just needed a hug, kiddo.” Patton smiled in response.

Logan grabbed Patton’s shoulder knowingly and Roman nodded at him. Virgil looked at them curiously his lips parted slightly and his eyes thoughtful. He clearly knew something was up, but probably not what.

“You ready to rebuild your wardrobe after a whole week of quarantine?” Patton ruffled the kiddo’s hair.

“Sure. It’ll be nice to get out of the house, I guess.”

“That’s the spirit!” Roman slapped him on the back, almost knocking him over. “Now, settle a bet between myself and Logan. Are mummies and zombies the same thing?”

“No,” Patton answered quickly. “I don’t even see a single similarity between a mother and the undead.”

Logan groaned. Not unlike a zombie.

“Ok, mummies and zombies are not the same thing. Like even at all.” Virgil explained.

“I know, zombies don’t raise you.” Patton agreed.

“Are you really going to keep that up?” Logan asked, murder in his eyes.

“They’re both undead though.” Roman objected.

“Vampires are undead, are mummies vampires?” Logan retorted.

“Look, if a zombie bites you, you turn into a zombie. If a mummy bites you, the worst that’s gonna happen is you get tetanus. And you need to hit zombies in the brain to kill them, to kill mummies you have to break the curse or set them on fire.” Virgil continued.

“Between this and the ‘Jack is the bad guy thing’,” Roman pointed at him teasingly. “I’m really starting to not like you.”

Virgil dropped his shoulders and looked shocked. Like, genuinely shocked. He wasn’t just playing along.

“No, don’t get upset!” Roman immediately yelled. “I was only kidding. I was just trying to be funny. I still like you.”

“I knew that.” Virgil blushed and looked at his feet to save face.

“Ok then kiddos.” Patton put his arm around Virgil’s shoulder. “Let’s get going.”

They rode in a pleasant combination of silence and joking around. Patton sighed. They were just like a family.

“Virgil.” Roman sounded surprised. “Someone wrote ‘you’re gullible’ on the ceiling.”

“Joke’s on them.” Virgil didn’t look away from the window. “I can’t read.”

“Roman, if you wrote on the ceiling, I swear…” Logan started angrily.

“I didn’t. The joke is you tell someone that you’re gullible is written on the ceiling, and when they look there’s nothing there. Then you smirk at them because they fell for an obvious lie and are in fact gullible.” Roman explained quickly and tiredly.

“Hey uncle Logan.” Virgil chimed in. “What did this Virgil guy do to wind up as hell’s tour guide anyway?”

“He was in purgatory for not believing in God, but he was considered a perfect person. So, he couldn’t go to heaven or hell. That’s why they had purgatory.”

“What did he do that was so awesome to be considered Mr. Perfect?”

“I believe Dante liked him because he was a poet when he was alive.”

“That’s it?” His disappointment was audible.

“Even I don’t like the writer character concept.” Roman sneered. “It reads like self-insert fan fiction.”

“Isn’t the inferno self-insert fan fiction of catholic doctrine?” Patton asked looking back at Roman and Virgil. The Italians as he would now call them.

“Ok, Patton broke literature.” Roman sighed.

“By that logic, which is perfect.” Virgil began. “All writing is fanfiction. It’s alternate universe fanfiction of real life.”  

“No.” Logan stumbled on his words. “I don’t like that.”

“I was wrong. Virgil broke literature.”

“Oh, good we’re here.” Logan sighed with relief.

Patton looked up at the front of the thrift store. It wasn’t too crowded for a Saturday.

“Ok kiddo,” Patton turned around to explain. “I know this is probably not what you’re used to, but we usually find cool stuff in here. We don’t have to replace everything at one place.”

Virgil looked at the store curiously, the back at Patton.

“Can I pick out my own clothes? He had a glimmer in his eyes.

“Yeah, we weren’t gonna do it. You’re a big boy.”

“It’s important to have your own style.” Roman added.

Virgil’s eyes lit up at the prospect of this newfound freedom.

Was there anything you were allowed to do? Inner Patton grumbled.

While they were in the store Virgil hung around Patton. The furthest he ever got away was about three feet. They bumped into each other a lot.

“Virgil.” Patton said softly. “You can go look at stuff. You don’t have to follow me.”

Virgil looked around tensely. He somehow had no idea what to do. Patton turned around and rubbed his temples. This wasn’t right.

“Let’s have the fashion orientated one help him shop.” Roman swooped in. “Nothing against you Padre, but you have three loud Hawaiian shirts and you still wear socks with sandals.”

“Just don’t dress him like Elton John.” Logan prodded, appearing behind Patton and wrapping his arms around him.

“I don’t dress like Elton.”

“You wore a feather boa on picture day.”

“You wore a dress to school once.” Patton added.

“I was Cinderella for Halloween.” Roman defended.

“How’d you find a dress your size?” Virgil mumbled, utterly baffled.

“Large and extra-large.” Roman moved his hands to the beat of the words. “Now let’s find you some new things.”

Roman led Virgil off.

“I thought you might need one of us to rescue you.” Logan explained.

“I’m really upset.” Patton said bluntly. “Virgil either acts like an adult or a little kid. It’s not right.”

“I know.”

“It’s almost like Payton broke him.”

“I know.”

“He’s so skittish around us.”

“I know.”

“It’s like he expects us to hurt him!”

“I know.”

“I don’t know if I’m doing this right.”

“You are.”

“I thought you were gonna say ‘I know’” Patton sighed.

“You knew that I know.” Logan hugged him tighter. “You needed to hear that you’re doing a good job.”

“What about this?” Virgil showed up out of nowhere, holding a purple, plaid flannel shirt.

“Where did you come from?” Logan looked at him startled.

“Virgil,” Patton sighed. “You can pick out your own clothes. You don’t need our approval.”

“What if I come back here with a dress?”

“We already established that Roman wears dresses sometimes.” Logan shrugged.

“That wasn’t a one-off joke?” Virgil leaned back. “He did that more than once?”

“Well, they made an issue about him wearing the dress on Halloween. So, he wore a dress for the rest of the school year.” Patton explained.

“And then more and more people started joining him.” Logan looked at the floor. “Including Patton and me.”

“And Remus started showing up in tight leather skirts.”

“Who’s Remus?” Virgil tilted his head.

“Roman’s twin brother. I told you about him.”

“They named him Remus?” Virgil squinted. “But Roman’s name is Roman. So, that makes them Roman and Remus. Like Romulus and Remus?”

“Hey,” Patton chirped. “You get it.”

“Their father was a history teacher.” Logan sighed.

“And their mom got no say in what to name them.” Virgil smiled sarcastically.

“I guess not.” Patton nodded. “Now, you go off and get some more clothes.”

“I’ll be back with a nice dress.” Virgil pointed sinisterly as he backed away.

“He is cute.” Logan agreed as Virgil left.

Virgil reappeared with Roman in tow. Roman looked a bit annoyed.

“What about this?” Virgil held up a black long sleeve shirt grey flowers going up the sleeves.

“You don’t need to sign off with us.” Logan sighed.

Roman looked at them as if to say, ‘now you know.’

“But is it ok?” Virgil really didn’t grasp this.

“Virgil, I draw the line at lingerie. Don’t come back here with sensual undergarments.” Logan explained flatly. “Aside from that, we trust your judgement on what you want to wear.”

“It’s beautiful.” Patton said blankly. “Go find some other cool things. And don’t worry about approval. Feel free to show us anything cool, but no more asking if it’s ok. Ok?”

“Ok.” Virgil nodded. He smiled at them and pulled up a grey shirt with a raven on it. “Quoth the raven; nevermore.” He recited happily.

“I didn’t know you were interested in poetry.” Logan smiled.

“Poe-atry?” Patton added. “Get it, pun intended.”

“Pun always intended.” Virgil added seriously.

“He’s a poet, and he didn’t know it.” Roman recited dramatically.

“Why must you always make dad jokes?” Logan sighed.

“Oh, lover’s tiff.” Roman teased. “We’d better let them have a moment alone. Come on Virgil, let’s find you some pants.”

The two walked off back into the aisles.

“While we’re here we should get some books on parenting.” Patton said flatly. “I have no idea what I’m doing.”

“I completely agree.” Logan paused. “On getting books that is. I think you’re doing fine.”

“I left Virgil to try a few things on.” Roman came back to them. “He seems to be having fun.”

“That’s good.” Patton looked at the floor.

“What did Payton say?” Roman said softly.

“He doesn’t want my help. He doesn’t want my friendship. And he doesn’t want Virgil.”

“Maybe that means he won’t fight us for custody.” Logan lied, and they knew he didn’t believe that for a second.

“Logan.” Roman sighed. “We all know that Clod Frollo is going to fight us tooth and nail. Whether he has a chance to win or not. Thanks anyway.”

“That’s just evil.” Patton stared intently at the ground. “It’s not like we’re fighting over a toy. This is a person. A person he’s more than willing to torture just to spite me.”

“What do we think of this.” Virgil interrupted, mimicking Roman’s voice.

Virgil stood before them in a floor length, strapless prom dress. The purple satin flowed off his gaunt shoulders like water. He held the top portion up with one hand as he modeled it cockily for them. There was a glimmer in his eyes that the other three hadn’t seen before.

“I know you’re joking. But you totally work that dress.” Roman’s voice got gayer. “But you probably need something with straps. You’re not as well-endowed as an eighteen-year-old girl might be.”

“Are you saying I can’t wear this because I don’t have boobs.” Virgil took on an effeminate tone and did several hand gestures.

Once he stopped holding the dress up it slid down around his waist. He went red and pulled it back up in an instant.

“I’m gonna go change before someone steals my clothes.” He said quietly.

“Well, it certainly is a good thing you don’t have bosoms.” Roman joked to lighten the mood. “Or you would have flashed the whole store.”

Virgil looked at him, beet red and pointed one hand accusingly.

“Don’t think you can get out of giving me one of those crappy beaded necklaces.” He said, barely holding back laughter.

Virgil walked off and Roman fell to the ground laughing as soon as he was out of sight.

“It looks like he’s gained a little bit of weight since he’s been with us.” Patton observed awkwardly.

“And that rash seems to have cleared up.” Logan agreed.

Neither of them wanted to be the one who was shocked at how skinny Virgil actually was, or to have to point out how many yellow bruises still marked his skin. No one really wanted to mention that he weighed all of ninety-five pounds. Not now, not while he was happy and acting like a kid again.

“I love him.” Roman broke the tension, wiping away tears. “Adopt him faster.”

“I’m glad he’s happy.” Patton smiled.

“We’ll pick up a few books on nutrition as well.” Logan added. “I’d like him to regain the weight healthily.”

Virgil rejoined them with an armload of findings.

“No dress?” Roman faked disappointment.

“It didn’t work with my hair.” Virgil mimed fluffing long hair.

“That’s ok kiddo,” Patton ruffled his hair. “We’ll find you a dress for prom.”

Virgil laughed softly and stared down at his feet. Patton pulled his hand back. These were always the moments when Virgil’s anxiety would pop up. Patton was tempted to think that he had post-traumatic stress disorder. And after thirteen years of that kind of abuse who wouldn’t.

“You ok sweetie?” Patton knelt to eye level.

“I’m fine.” Virgil looked up at him, his eyes were watery. “It’s just kind of dusty in here.”

“Ok,” Patton pretended to buy that. “How about we try to find you some shoes? You and Officer Joan don’t exactly have the same feet.”

“Shouldn’t we wait until I get the cast off?” Virgil rubbed one of his arms. “Otherwise my shoes are gonna wear out at different time.”

“Shoes don’t wear out at the same time anyway.” Roman swatted the idea out of the air. “My left shoe always disintegrates at least a month before the right has any problems. And I’m a dancer, I go through shoes twice as fast.”

Virgil looked at him as if he didn’t know what to say.

“Well.” Logan clapped his hands, which made Virgil jump. “There’s no harm in looking. And whether you choose to wear the shoes before or after you get your cast off is up to you. But you need shoes regardless.”

“I’ll help you look.” Roman hooked his arm around Virgil’s shoulders. “I know it’s tempting to just get the cheapest shoes you can find, but pricier shoes are much cheaper in the long run. Shoes are an investment.”

“Mama always said that if you’re gonna spend money you should either get new shoes or a new bed. ‘Cause you’re always in one or the other.” Patton added happily.

“And Patton says to get the cheapest pants you can find, ‘cause you know you’re gonna take them off as soon as you’re in the door.” Roman teased.

“Not in front of Virgil.” Patton mumbled harshly.

“Why not?” Logan stabbed him in the back. “If you plan to continue taking your pants off Virgil is going to see it at some point.”

Virgil looked up at them questioningly, there was a glimmer in his eyes. Probably hope.

Maybe we should just tell him. Inner Patton suggested. But I don’t wanna tell him and end up losing him. That’d be the ultimate blow. To make that kind of promise and not be able to keep it. I can’t put him through the stress of a courtroom drama. And I certainly can’t give him hope just to take it away. And I really can’t do any of those things in the middle of a thrift store.

“Come on kiddo.” Patton ruffed up his hair, which was very soft now that it was clean. “Let’s find you some edgy footwear.”

They walked in silence towards the shoes.

“Hey Kiddo,” Patton looked down at his nephew. “I bought shoes from a drug dealer. And I don’t know what he laced them with, but I’ve been tripping all day!”

Virgil beamed up at him and laughed his poor little repressed laugh. Roman sighed; Logan face palmed. Life was good.

“I like that your drug dealer is your go-to guy for shoes.” Virgil smiled. “Is he your sole supplier?”

“Yep, he always gives me good shoes and some drugs to boot.”

“How are his prices? Would you say they had high tops?”

“Some are stiletto sharp.”

“I hope he’s not too Sketchers-y.”

“No, he’s a really Nike guy.”

“Does he know how to shoe the cops away?”

“He sure Adidas.” (Addi-Does).

“I will end you both!” Roman stopped them. “No more dad jokes.”

“Agreed,” Logan added. “That was painful.”

“You two never did get my sense of humor.” Patton pretended to sob.

“Maybe their shoes are too tight.” Virgil offered flatly.  

Patton ruffled Virgil’s hair once more.

“Glad to see you’re swimming in my end of the gene pool. The fun side. The side with all the pool floaties.”

Virgil smiled at him in return. Could this be it? The moment he isn’t body tackled by fear when he was with them? Was he finally comfortable? Virgil rubbed his arm and smiled awkwardly. The uncertainty danced in his eyes. Maybe next time.

They reached the shoes and found a familiar figure dressed in gothic attire. His shoulder length black hair draped over his pale face as he examined a pair of boots. Similarly, his black cloak draped around his white shirt and black vest, enveloping him in a shadow.

“Damian!” Roman called out to him happily.

“Salutations fellows!” Damian returned eagerly, holding out his arms. “It has been ages since I’ve seen you.”

Patton darted over and hugged him.

“I know,” He sighed. “We’ve been swamped with things and we were kinda under quarantine. Did you know scarlet fever and strep throat are the same thing?”

“Yes, I did learn that they were one and the same.” Damian smiled. “I was a bit disappointed.”

“Oh!” Patton suddenly looked over his shoulder. “You haven’t met Virgil yet!”

Patton saw that Virgil was standing right where he left him. Virgil stood there, mouth agape and eyes sparkling. He radiated pure awe.

“Looks like you have a fan.” Roman commented shooting a grin in Damian’s direction.

“Virgil,” Logan said calmly. “This is our neighbor Damian.”

“You look awesome!” Virgil yelped. “You look like one of the cool vampires! Or, someone straight out of Henry James! Did you time travel here, or are just awesome in the present?”

“I assure you I’m from this time era.” Damian smiled warmly. “And I am charmed by your appreciation for the gothic subculture.” He bowed with a flourish. “You must be Virgil.”

“I am.” Virgil squeaked, still star struck. “I’m staying with my uncles until…” He looked over his shoulder at Logan, then he looked at Patton. He shrugged. “Until something happens, I guess.”

“Well, I do hope your stay is pleasant. And that this unforeseen event is a good one.”

“I’ve had a good stay so far.” Virgil perked up. “Hey! We have the same color eyes.”

“I noticed. But I’m afraid mine are colored contacts.”

“I don’t think I’d have the guts to poke my own eyes.”

“It’s not quite that bad. And one does get used to it.”

“Say, Virgil.” Roman added eagerly. “Damian has a son around your age.”

“Really?” Virgil looked between the two of them. “Is he ok to hang out with?”

“Well, he has the occasional rebellious teen moment.” Damian said, trying to mask concern. “But he is a really sweet young man. And I’m sure you two would get on like a…” he paused. “I’m sure you two would get on.”

Virgil looked to Patton for permission. Patton smiled and gave him a thumbs up. Maybe he just needed reassurance this time around. Maybe he won’t be like this every time like he was with the clothes.

“Cool.” Virgil turned away from Patton. “I’d like to meet him sometime.”

“Will the four of you be attending Jenna and Julian’s barbeque for Memorial Day?” Damian asked, turning to Patton.

“I hope we can make it.” Patton smiled. “It’d be a good way to introduce Virgil to everyone.”

“That is true.” Logan adjusted his glasses. “Food often softens the blow of social interaction.”

“We’ll make a goth out of you yet, Logan.”  

“Maybe you can get some kids to sign your cast.” Patton ruffled Virgil’s hair.

“Yeah, that does sound cool.” Virgil smiled at him, a pensive look in his eyes.

They continued their banter with Damian and managed to find a pair of black sneakers in Virgil’s size. With their clothes mission finished Patton took Virgil for a lap around the miscellaneous section to see if he could find anything to spice up his room.

“Do I need to have stuff in my room?” Virgil asked, trailing a bit behind him. “I don’t know how long I’m gonna be here.”

Patton paused. Did Virgil really think there was a chance they’d ever let his dad get him again?

“You’re gonna be here a while Kiddo,” Patton reassured. “At least as long as I have a say in it.”

“Ok, but I read that kids in foster care normally end up back with their parents.”

“Who said you were in foster care?” Logan emerged from behind them. “You’re staying with us for at least another seven years. That’s the minimum sentence for arson in this state.”

“So, he’s really going to prison?” Virgil looked skeptical.

“Well, he did break the law.” Patton put a hand on Virgil’s shoulder. He flinched and relaxed.

“But don’t people like him always get off with stuff? He a huge list of people that he was blackmailing, and no one caught on. His law practice is dodgy at best, no one said anything. And…” He trailed off. “No one did anything.” He whispered.

Tear started showing in his eyes and he trembled at the thoughts coming at him.

“No one did anything when my grades dropped from A’s to F’s. They just assumed I was stupid. No one did anything when I lost twenty pounds because a can’t eat without throwing up anymore!”

Patton wrapped his poor anxious little baby in his arms.

“It’s ok. It’s ok. You’re safe now.” He soothed, stroking Virgil’s hair.

“What about when he dislocated my elbow?” Virgil’s voice became a sob. “Or when I ‘fell down the stairs’ they didn’t even check if he was lying about the morphine. There was no way he’d know if I was allergic to it because I’d never had it before. They could have checked!”

“Patton maybe you should take him out to the car.” Logan said quickly. “Roman and I will pay for everything and be right with you.”

Patton nodded and gently pulled Virgil towards the door and managed to get him out without a struggle.

[batskulldrag]

Phoenix by Fallout Boy

Here’s a fluff finisher. No real warnings, I know I don’t believe it either

Chapter Sixteen: Phoenix by Fallout Boy

               “Ok sweetie.” Patton ruffled Virgil’s hair. “Why don’t you go lay down for a little while? And when you get up, we’ll celebrate.”

               “Aren’t I a little old for naptime?” Virgil protested.

               “No. Naps are awesome. Just wait until you get older, all you’re gonna wanna do is nap.”

               “And you did just take some pills that are meant to make you tired.” Logan interjected.

               “Alright.” Virgil pulled on his sleeves. “Maybe I should, you know, just to be doing it.”

               “You’re right, you need to stop resisting a rest.”

               Virgil smiled at that and walked up the stairs and into his room, they didn’t hear his door close. But Virgil was prone to forget to close his door. And as long as he didn’t sleep naked or something ridiculous like that, it was fine.

               “Logan, we’re parents.” Patton pounced his husband with a hug, almost knocking him over.

               “Oh, my gosh.” Logan said, stunned. “We’re parents. What if I’m a bad parent? The only example of parenting I’ve had was those two cavemen! And what if he is straight? I can’t give him advice for that!”

               “Logan, you’re already a great dad.” Patton didn’t let go. “You even got Virgil to open up to you about Payton. And he really likes you. Just because your parents were the worst doesn’t mean you’re gonna be a bad dad.”

               “He’s right, Calculator Watch.” Roman agreed. “Your only parental flaw is that you don’t like dad jokes.”

               “But what if they were right!?” Logan pulled himself back to look Patton in the eyes, clutching his jacket so hard that he was probably digging holes in it. “What if they were right!?”

               “Logan, we’ve been through this before.” Patton gently framed Logan’s face in his hands. “They were wrong. There’s nothing wrong with you, you’re not broken or damaged. And you don’t think it’s a good idea to hurt people who don’t fit in your mold. You’re already a great dad, and a way better parent than those useless circle queens.”

               “And relationship advice isn’t tied to gender.” Roman rolled his eyes and slapped Logan on the shoulder. “You and Padre are relationship goals, all single people study at your feet. Except me, I’m an expert in my own right.”  

               “I thought you moved in with us to study us.” Logan smiled at him.

               “No, it was just because the rent is cheap.”

               “Ok.” Patton kissed Logan’s nose. “Come help me make a cake.”

               “I was waiting for you to pull out an excuse to make dessert.”

               “Well, if our baby isn’t something to celebrate, then what is?”

               “You think you’re so cute.” Logan rolled his eyes.

               “I am.” Patton grabbed his hand and pulled him into the kitchen.

               Logan quietly watched as Patton pulled out his baking supplies.

               “Ok, do you think he’ll want chocolate or vanilla?” Patton bounced up and down with his recipe book pressed to his chest.

               “Chocolate.” Roman said confidently. “Everyone likes chocolate.”

               “Logan doesn’t.” Patton argued.

               “He eats dark chocolate, it’s just sweets he doesn’t like.”

               “I tend to abstain from desserts in general,” Logan intervened. “I’m not exactly the best example.”  

               “I know he liked chocolate when he was a baby.” Patton considered. “But he hasn’t had any sweets since then. His tastes may have changed.”

               “Good point.” Roman put his hand on his chin as if he were thinking.

               “Go see if he’s asleep yet and ask him.” Logan sighed.

               Patton set his book down and scampered upstairs. On his way he kicked himself for not thinking of asking Virgil in the first place. He found Virgil’s door slightly ajar (funny, he could have sworn that it was a door) and knocked on it gently.

               “Honey, are you awake?”

               “yeah.”

               “Ok, quick question, what kind of cake do you like?”

               There was a brief pause.

               “Chocolate, I guess. It’s been a while.”

               “Ok, and would you use chocolate frosting or butter cream?”

               “I don’t know, chocolate too.”

               “Ok.” Patton beamed. “You get some rest I’ll see you in a bit. I love you.”

               “Thank you.” Virgil said sincerely from his end of the door.

               Poor baby. Patton thought sadly at that remark.

               He really wanted Virgil to be ok, but that was going to take a lot of time. He could almost hear Logan telling him to be patient. He dumped his jacket and vest on the couch as he walked back towards the kitchen and rolled up his sleeves. He almost wished that they had stayed at the courthouse long enough to see Payton taken out in hand cuffs. But he had decided that they had punished his brother enough.

               “He says he wants chocolate.” Patton chirped as he picked his recipes back up.

               “I told you.” Roman announced triumphantly.

               Patton gathered what he needed and contentedly mixed the cake batter. Logan just kind of watched with a pensive expression. But Logan usually looked like he was thinking about something.

               “Patton.” Logan finally spoke. “I don’t want to be the one to do this to you, but I’m really the only one who can.”

               “What do you mean?” Patton looked around in terror, did Logan want a divorce? But everything was perfect, they were comfortable with each other. They just adopted a kid.

               “I know you’re probably hoping for Virgil to start calling you dad.” Logan continued, what a relief, he didn’t want a divorce. “But that may take a while. Until now the word ‘dad’ was used to describe a villain who wanted to hurt him. So, that’s not a label he’s going to use anytime soon, especially on anyone that he likes.”

               “I hadn’t thought of that.” Patton looked down into the batter and back up again. “But I’ll wait until he’s ready. I wasn’t just going to insist he call me dad. But if a ‘hi hungry, I’m dad’ opportunity comes up, I’m taking it.”  

               “Even I would be sad if you didn’t.” Logan smiled  

                                                                               #             #             #

               Virgil stared up at the ceiling and absentmindedly ran his hand over his stuffed bear. This was it. It was really over. His dad had finally lost custody of him. And sure, he was still worried about how things would play out between him and his uncles but nothing bad had happened yet. For now, at least, he would just have to trust that they believed child abuse to be wrong.

               Besides Patton seemed thrilled to have him, and despite being hard to read, Logan seemed happy as well. And they even still thought that they loved him. Virgil moved the bears arms up and down.

               “Maybe…” He said out loud to make it real. “Maybe they actually do.”

               He sat up and pulled the picture of his birth parents out of his sock drawer. As he gazed at the couple, he could be sure that Payton was just using her. But he didn’t know whether she was using him as well. Granted, Payton probably didn’t have anything she wanted, he certainly didn’t have anything he wanted. Not anymore. Neither of them did anymore.

               It was pointless to want something from someone who wasn’t going to give it to you anyway. And while he had to admit that he did want it, he could safely say that he didn’t need it from them anymore. His mom could have her happy family that he wasn’t a part of, and Payton could rot in prison for the next decade. He didn’t need them. He didn’t need them to want him, he didn’t need him to love him.

               And as far as Patton and Logan went, at the very least they did care about him. Hell, maybe they did love him. For the longest time he had thought something like that was impossible. But he had also completely believed that people would believe Payton’s word over his. And today the exact opposite happened.

               He set his bear on the pillow. His pillow, in his room. What a thought. He was home. He ran his hand over his door as he walked out of his room. A true luxury item.

               Virgil lurked downstairs and wandered into the kitchen when he couldn’t find anyone in the living room. The three of them were laughing and joking about something while Patton mixed frosting.

               “Virgil.” Patton called happily upon seeing him. “Come have some frosting.”

               “Are you feeling any better?” Logan asked, feeling his forehead and grabbing his arm to check his pulse.

               “I’m fine.” Virgil laughed.

               “Hi fine, I’m dad.” Patton yelled ecstatically.

               “Well, he did it.” Roman sighed.

               “We knew he would.” Logan shrugged.

               “That wasn’t a one off.” Patton pointed his spoon at them. “I’m gonna do that forever.”

               Virgil laughed at Patton’s level of enthusiasm and Patton beamed at the idea that someone liked his jokes.

               “Logan,” Roman put a hand on his shoulder. “Get ready for twice the number of dad jokes.”

               “That’s twice the number of fun.” Patton dabbed a bit of frosting on Virgil’s nose. “And Virgil nose it.”

               “Hey, that’s batter-ry.” Virgil teased, taking a step back.

               “Well on you it’s dark chocolate.” Patton grinned. “Get it? ‘Cause you’re an emo?”

               “I get it.”

               “Ok, how can you tell if a cake is sad?” Patton bounced up and down.

               “How?”

               “It’s in tiers!”

               “What do you call a fake noodle?” Virgil laughed.

               “What?”

               “An impasta.”

               “What do you call man with a broken leg?”

               “What?”

               “An ambulance!”

               “I’m in hell.” Logan interrupted.

               “Ok we’d better stop.” Virgil smiled. “He might be tempted to pull out a lo-gun.”

               Patton and Roman both doubled over laughing while Logan stood quietly.

               “Of all the things to be genetic.” Logan smiled and ruffled his hair. “I’m tempted to think they gave you to the wrong brother when you were born.”

               “Well, we fixed that.”

               “I have one.” Roman announced, wiping away a tear. “What does Payton have in common with a vacuum cleaner?”

               “Well they both suck.” Virgil speculated.

               “Almost,” Roman corrected. “They both suck and they both have dirt bags inside.”

               “Roman that’s mean.” Patton scolded.

               “The truth hurts sometimes.” Logan added.

               “Logan that was low.” Patton gasped. “gun.”

               “Why is that so easy for you?”

               “Oh, just try to be a guy named Roman and sit through a history class with him.” Roman rolled his eyes. “Or with anyone. Oh, your names are Roman and Remus, like Romulus and Remus. Are you going home to the wolf?”

               “Someone should tell him.” Patton said quickly.

               “Not it.” Logan held up his hands.

               “Tell me what?” Roman demanded.

               “Ain’t nothing but a heart ache.” Virgil took his chance.

               “Tell you what Lupine means.” Patton said softly.

               “I know what it means.” Roman rolled his eyes. “It means wolf, ha, ha, ha.”

               “So, was it a hard birth?” Virgil asked. “Was your mom upset?”

               “They were born conjoined at the chest.” Logan answered. “Like all conjoined twins who survive to term they were born through C-section.”

               “Had to cut them out, isn’t that easier?”

               “No, it’s major abdominal surgery.”

               “Oh, that’s why she was mad.” Virgil nodded.

               “Ok, your name is Virgil.” Roman accused. “They named you after a poet that I guarantee neither of them ever heard of.”

               “I’m sorry, but I’m named after the perfect human, as explained in The Inferno.”

               “You were named after Static Shock.” Roman rolled his eyes. “No teenager has read Dante’s work. Or Virgil’s.”

               “My work is under rated,” Virgil nodded. “I need a publicity stunt.”

               “Not you, Static Shock.”

               “Cool, I get to be the perfect man and a superhero. Anything else you want to give me?”

               “I think Virgil’s a great name.” Patton interrupted.

               “Yeah, you yell ‘Virgil’ in a crowded mall or something and maybe two kids will turn around.” Virgil nodded.

               “Yeah, and you’re both of them.” Roman muttered.

               “Because we love him twice as much?” Patton beamed, wrapping himself around him.

               “Words are losing their meaning.” Logan rubbed his temples.

               “Sorry.” Patton looked up apologetically. “We’ll stop repeating that word for now.”

               The timer on the oven went off and Virgil jumped a mile at the intrusion.

               “The cake!” Patton let go and ran to the oven.

               Patton gently set two round trays on top of the oven and switched it off. He clapped happily and bounced back over to the group.

               “It needs to cool off for a while.” He announced contentedly. “How about we watch a movie while it chills out?”

               Halfway through One Hundred and One Dalmatians Virgil’s eye lids started feeling heavy. He rested his head on Patton’s shoulder, relishing that warm safe feeling that he had first been introduced to in the hospital. Now he could accept something that he hadn’t dared to so much as hope for in the past. He could accept that this was normal. This was how things were supposed to be. He slid his head into Patton’s lap.

               “You getting sleepy kiddo?” Patton cooed, running his fingers through his hair.

               “Just a little.” Virgil mumbled.

               “Well, you have had quite a day.” Logan added. “I think we’ve all earned a rest.”

               “You’re gonna be ok from now on.”

               “Thank you.” Virgil sighed.

[batskulldrag]

Phoenix by Fallout Boy

home stretch kiddies.

warnings for discussion of abuse. Emile briefly discusses confronting an active shooter, but no details are used. Payton used homophobic and transphobic views. 

 Chapter Fifteen: Pompeii by Bastille

               “Your Honor.” Payton’s Lawyer stated. “Our case will not only prove that my client is a fit parent and that the plaintiffs are unfit to parent.”

               “Present your evidence.” His Honor waved his hand.

               “I would like to call to the stand Mrs. Lefant, Virgil’s English teacher, to the stand.”

               A pleasant looking lady made her way up. As she swore to tell only the truth Patton felt Virgil’s grip on his hand tighten.

               Patton silently rubbed his back. He didn’t have any words of comfort to offer. In fact, he was panicking. They didn’t have any witnesses to call up. Now it really was their word against his.

               “Mrs. Lefant,” Payton’s lawyer began. “How would you describe Mr. Foster’s relationship with his son?”

               “Well, from what I saw he absolutely doted on the boy.” She answered. “Payton was always at parent/teacher meetings, supervised class trips and brought Virgil to all his extracurriculars.”

               “Did Virgil ever express any problems with his home life?”

               “No, in fact we all asked him if anything was the matter when his grades started dropping, and he insisted that everything was fine.”

               “If I may, Your Honor,” Janus rose, much like a snake when it’s being charmed. “I would like to inquire if Mrs. Lefant noticed any bruises on Virgil or any signs of anxiety.”

               “You may.” The judge nodded.

               “Mrs. Lefant?” Janus looked straight at her.

               “Well, he was usually nervous later in the day and was very afraid whenever he had to present something to the class. And we expected that anxiety was the reason he went from A’s to F’s.”

               “That’s quite a plummet.” Janus nodded. “What did his father have to say about that?”

               “Payton insisted that everything was fine at home, he was sure that Virgil just wasn’t applying himself like he used to.” She made a face. “Mr. Foster was adamant that mental illnesses didn’t exist, and that they need to be ignored rather than treated.”

               “Did Virgil ever have any anxiety or panic attacks?” Janus glided forward.

               “Yes, he had a panic attack in the middle of a debate once.”

               “And as a mandatory reporter, if you had thought that Mr. Foster’s attitude was problematic you would have reported it.” Payton’s lawyer added quickly.

               “I did.” She replied. “But nothing came of it. So, I just assumed that I had overreacted.”

               “Meaning that Child Protective Services had deemed Mr. Foster a fit parent after all.” Payton’s lawyer finished off.    

               “I suppose.” She nodded.

               “No further questions, Mrs. Lefant.” Payton’s lawyer nodded.

               “Mr. Pent, do you have further questions?” The judge asked.

               “No, Your Honor.”

               “Then.” Payton’s lawyer added. “We shall call our next witness.”

               “Another one.” Virgil whispered shakily. “I’m screwed.”

               “It’s ok, baby. It’s gonna be ok.” Patton shushed.

               Payton brought up several more of Virgil’s former teachers. They all stated that Payton doted on Virgil and that they had no idea that any abuse was going on. Janus asked each of them if they noticed any bruising on Virgil or had any indication that he was anxious. They all agreed that they thought he had anxiety and that Payton insisted that he did not.

               The pattern was broken when Virgil’s old wrestling coach came to the stand.

               “Mr. Seller.” Jan cross examined. “Virgil mentioned that he quit wrestling, do you have any idea why?”

               “Virgil was being teased by the other boys.” Mr. Seller replied. “I tried my best to put a stop to it, but in the end he just quit.”

               “Why were they teasing him? Was he not good at the sport?”

               “No, he was fantastic, and he really seemed to enjoy it. The teasing started after his father came to pick him up one day.”

               “Oh, so they teased him because his dad always came to get him. And that made him a kind of daddy’s boy in their opinion?”

               “No, actually that was the first time Payton had picked him up from practice. Before that, Virgil had always gone home on the late bus.”

               “So, why would they tease him?” Janus bobbed like a dancing cobra.

               “Payton let it slip that Virgil had a bedwetting problem. And of course, we all know how kids are.”

               “Odd that he would bring up something so personal the first time he ever came to a practice.” Janus tapped his fingers together.

               “I found it a bit weird as well. Virgil clearly wasn’t comfortable with him bringing it up. But Payton came off as a bit naive at times, so we all assumed that he didn’t mean any harm.”

               “Did you find it odd that Virgil was wetting the bed at that age? Isn’t that a serious symptom of emotional distress?”

               “Of course. But when I asked him if everything was alright at home, he was very adamant that everything was fine. And he refused to talk about the bedwetting altogether.”

               “Did you find that odd?”

               “Yes, but I assumed that he was just embarrassed.”

               “So, just to make sure I have this all down.” Jan smiled. “Virgil was on the wrestling team, Payton was not involved in that, and the only time Payton shows up he lets out some very embarrassing information. Am I correct?”

               “Yes.”

               “Did Payton do anything to counter this bullying that happened?”

               “No.” Mr. Seller looked surprised. “Not that I know of.”

               “Interesting.” Janus slid back to their table. “No further questions.”

               “What else do you have for your case?” The judge looked to Payton and his lawyer.

               “We have evidence that will cast doubt on the credibility of both Mr. Foster and Mr. Berry as well as Dr. Picani and their lawyer.”

               “Ok.” Janus sighed, rising to his feet. “Your Honor, if I may hazard a guess, they are going to bring to light an incident in which my then boyfriend got himself high on mushrooms while we were camping with some friends. I myself remained sober, and had my face bashed in for my troubles.”

               “Are you?” His Honor looked at them.

               “Yes, Your Honor.” Payton’s lawyer nodded. “But I was also going to bring to light that after graduating law school, Mr. Janus Pent, changed his name.”

               “Your Honor.” Ethen added. “I used to be a woman. I changed the spelling of my name from j-a-n-i-c-e to J-a-n-u-s. The earlier spelling didn’t really suit me anymore.”

               Patton felt himself blush and looked around at everyone else. They looked uncomfortable too.

               “In that case, Janice couldn’t commit to a gender, doesn’t that raise questions about “his” credibility?” Payton added.

               “No.” Judge Douglass said. “What else do you have to say?”

               “As stated earlier, Mr. Berry is on the Autistic spectrum.” Payton’s lawyer tried to save face.

               “And this makes him an unfit parent why?” He looked confused.

               “People on the spectrum have difficultly taking care of themselves, you couldn’t in good conscience let one have a child.”

               “Mr. Berry.” The judge looked at Logan. “Stand up please.”

               Logan rose.

               “What do you do for work?” Judge Douglassr asked.

               “I teach a high school statistics class, Your Honor.” Logan said stoically.

               “Has being Autistic ever hindered you in any way?”

               “I don’t understand metaphors or sarcasm. Aside from that I am fully able to take care of myself. I worked my way through college and made passing grades.”

               “Are you violent or suicidal?” The judge asked.

               “No, Your Honor.”

               “That is all, be seated.”

               Logan sat back down. He looked at Janus for help.

               “We’re doing pretty good.” Janus whispered to them. “I think he’s almost done.”

               “We also have proof that the younger Mr. Foster was diagnosed and takes medication for clinical depression. And that he is prone to sleepwalking.”

               “So?” His Honor said blankly.

               “So, susceptibility to that kind of diagnosis is telling of how gullible my brother is.” Payton added. “You wouldn’t hand a child over to a man who sent money to a Nigerian prince, so how is this any different? His so-called illness shows a weakness of character.”

               “Mr. Pent.” Judge Douglass looked down at him. “That’s stupid. Is that all you had to discredit your brother with?”

               “No, Your Honor.” Payton said. “Patton went to pieces after our mother passed away. I was worried for Virgil’s safety, so I left with him. And ended contact with my brother.”

               “Why were you worried for your son’s safety?” The judge sighed.

               “Patton was unstable, and I couldn’t be sure that he didn’t, well, put Mom out of her misery, so to speak.”

               Patton tried to jump up, but Virgil was in his lap.

               “Objection Your Honor.” Janus jumped to his feet. “That is unwarranted slander.”

               “Hold on.” His Honor put a finger up. “You mean to tell me that you suspected your brother of murder and did nothing?”

               “Well… I… didn’t think he’d do it again.” Payton stumbled.

               “Then why was your son in danger?”

               “I…”

               “Objection sustained.” The judge looked at Janus.

               “Furthermore.” Payton continued. “Logan was kicked out of his parent’s house because he wouldn’t get a job.”

               “Logan’s financial records show that he was working at CVS from the age of sixteen until he was twenty-three. He was the assistant manager by the time he left to pursue teaching.” Janus countered. “Records also show that his parents disowned him when he came out as gay. There is a police report of the assault.”

               “Was that your final claim?” The judge looked deeply unimpressed.

               “We would also like to call to question the dependability of Dr. Picani, seeing as he both diagnosed Virgil and cleared Mr. Foster, the younger one, and Mr. Berry for adoption. Records prove that Dr. Picani, during his residency, stabbed someone.”

               Judge Douglass growled in his throat.

               “Dr. Picani, please stand up.” He sighed.

               Emile stood up sheepishly.

               “For the benefit of the court and to keep anyone else from bringing it up today, would you please tell the story?”

               “While I was a resident at the hospital, a man came in with a gun. He was unstable and openly firing at people. I was trying to get people out of the hallway, and he came across me and a patient. He aimed at us, so, I stepped in front of my patient and tried to talk him down. Then I stabbed him in the ear with a pen. He dropped the gun and I took it. Security took him away.”

               “What was the official verdict of the stabbing?”

               “Self-defense.” Emile said, fidgeting with his tie. “I got a medal.”  

“Very good, you can sit down now.” The judge looked back at Payton and the lawyer. “I assume you read the police report. So, why, after reading this report, did you think it would help your case?”

“In my defense your honor,” The lawyer said. “Confronting a shooter unarmed is not exactly the psychological profile of a stable individual.”

“Neither is yours.” The judge said flatly. “Custody is awarded to Mr. Foster and Mr. Berry.”

His honor hit his hammer on the desk thing.  

“Wait, that’s all?” Patton mumbled as they stood up.

“We had more than enough.” Logan put his arm around him. “I told you.”

Virgil looked between them as if he were entranced.  

“You were very brave up there, sweetie.” He pulled his anxious baby into a hug.

With shaking hands, Virgil grabbed his jacket and clutched it until his knuckles showed.

“Virgil,” Logan put a hand on his shoulder. “Do you understand what just happened?”

Virgil nodded from inside Patton’s jacket and Patton felt him go limp in his arms.

“I think he fainted again.” Patton tightened his grip.

“I’m still here.” Virgil mumbled. “I-I can’t feel my legs.”

“Yeah, he’s having a panic attack.” Logan nodded, feeling Virgil’s forehead. “We should get him home.”

Nodding in agreement, Patton picked Virgil up bridal style. He was a little heavy, but still only about a hundred pounds.

“I can walk.” Virgil protested dizzily.

No one really acknowledged his saying that for many reasons. The most obvious being that it clearly wasn’t true. They walked outside and Patton set Virgil on one of the steps. He had hoped that the fresh air would be good for him, but it was summer in Florida and the air was so thick that you could see it.

Once he was sitting down Virgil put his head between his knees and continued to gasp and cough.

“Are you ok baby?” Patton asked rubbing his back.

“Yeah…” He strained. “I’m fine.”

“Ok.” Logan pressed a pill into Virgil’s hand. “Take this.”

Virgil silently complied and Logan handed him a bottle of water.

“You two and water.” Virgil snorted.

“Water is a natural tranquilizer, and the most necessary thing for the human body second only to air.”

Virgil slammed half the bottle and put the lid back on.

“I’m sorry.” He mumbled, wiping his mouth with his sleeve.

“What in the world are you sorry for?” Patton pulled his anxious baby into his lap.

“I wasn’t supposed to freak out.” Virgil slumped into him. “I think I was supposed to be ecstatically happy or something.”

“Are you happy?” Logan asked, untying Virgil’s tie and unbuttoning his collar.

“Yes, I can’t remember ever being happier.” Virgil scoffed.

“Then what’s the problem?” Patton asked, punctuating it with a kiss.

“No one is asking you start singing songs from Annie.” Logan pushed his bangs back. “We both just want you to be content that it’s over now.”

“It is, isn’t it?” Virgil laughed. “It’s finally over.”

With that said, Virgil wrapped his arms around Patton like an octopus and started sobbing. Roman appeared and took a picture of the three of them on his phone.

“Really?” Logan looked at him blankly.

“Yes. The framing was perfect, and we need something for Patton’s scrap books.” Roman justified.

“It’s ok sweetie.” Patton cooed. “I know it’s a lot to take in. But now you have two dads instead of one rotten dad.”

Patton paused as the weight of what he had just said hit him. He was a dad! He had a baby now! Virgil really was his dark strange son! His baby, their baby! He and Logan both, they were dads now!

“Logan.” Patton squeaked, feeling tears already trailing down his cheeks. “We’re parents!”

“I realize that.”

“We have a son!”

“I know, I was there.” Logan laughed.

“We have a son, and his name is Virgil, and he’s ours! He’s our son!”

Logan wrapped his arms around both of them and started laughing. Roman took a picture of that too.

“Why are we laughing?” Virgil sniffed, pulling his head out of Patton’s chest.

“Because we’re happy.” Logan said quickly, ruffling Virgil’s hair.

“Are we now?” Virgil teased.

Patton put Virgil’s chin in his hands and peppered his face with dozens of tiny kisses.

“We’re as happy as we’ve ever been before.” He sniffled.  

“I am too.” Virgil sighed, nestling himself into Patton’s chest again.