#prey!patton

[exsqueezememacaroni]

oh man i just remembered that Moonchild at Apolo Theater 2006 exists....

[from-memphis-with-love]

Magic Man

Summary: Elvis breaks in a virgin. Word count: ~2,200 words of pure, unadulterated smut inspired by this post. This is purely a work of fiction, and from what I have read of how Elvis actually treated his lovers in real life, is probably a lot less tender and loving than the actual Elvis would have been. But it's make believe and fun, so enjoy it! Warnings: 20 year age gap, dubious consent at some points, full intercourse, course language. Somewhat callous treatment of Elvis' taste for younger women.

His bedroom is a gilded cage, dripping with excess and the stench of hedonism. Elvis's entourage has left them alone, finally, after weeks of teasing glances and knowing winks. Tonight, it’s just him and his prey—sweet little Molly van Patton. All night, she’s tried to resist, but his primal aura is too strong to deny. He’s charming. Dangerous. A seasoned, world-famous rock star. And she's just a 19-year-old innocent, trembling on the edge of womanhood. Just like he likes ‘em.

Their meeting felt like some sort of strange, cosmic joke. She wasn’t a fan, hadn’t even intended to go see his show. But her best friend convinced her, one thing led to another, and now here she is, somehow lying in his colossal bed like a tiny helpless creature, her presence filling him with a burning desire to crush and destroy.

Now, he traces his lips down her neck, pausing to nuzzle at the hollow of her collarbone. Sweetly at first, then more insistently as she drags long, jagged breaths. Molly can’t help but gasp under the full weight of him, her body opening up in ways she’s never experienced before. It’s heady and intoxicating and dangerous and delicious and—

Oh. Oh. 

Each touch sets off an electric current, making her arch closer. She runs her fingers through the thick hair on his chest, feeling the cool metal of his gold lion's head medallion pressed against her own breasts. But as he reaches for her waistband, she hesitates.

“Stop,” Molly trembles. Heat flushes her cheeks. "I’m not… I don’t…"

Elvis nuzzles her neck. His hand is dangerously close to unzipping her skirt. He’s in a taking mood tonight.

“Please,” she pleads. “Won’t they know what we’re doing in here?”

Elvis chuckles, a low, deep rumbling sound that vibrates through her very bones. “Baby, they don’t care. They’re probably already placing bets on how long you’ll last.”

Molly's heart plummets into her stomach. Of course they knew. All those knowing glances and hushed whispers, they’d known all along. Her face flushes and it's all she can do to grab her things and run.

But Elvis doesn't give her time to process this newfound knowledge. His insistent lips find her earlobe, nibbling it lightly as he whispers lewd suggestions she can't comprehend but her body understands. Against her better judgment, heat pools between her legs, and she bites back a moan of desire. 

"Just one more," Elvis purrs, his voice thick with want, sending shivers down Molly's spine. "One more’n I'll stop.”

But one more turns into two, and then three, and before she knows it, she’s powerless under him. She feebly attempts to push him away, but his strong arms grasp her tighter. His grip is firm but not quite enough to leave bruises. Not yet at least. But she knows it’s coming. Braces for it. His lips find her neck again.

The heat between her thighs grows unbearable, and she clenches them together, as if that could stop the freight train that is Elvis Presley. As if it could cool the fire raging through her veins. She’s never felt so alive, so free, so needed and… so scared, as she does tonight in his arms. But as he inches lower, kiss by agonizing kiss awakening something primal inside her, Molly panics.

This is really happening.

She’s about to give herself to a man she barely knows, a man nearly twenty years her senior. One who could crush her like a fly if he wanted to. Her heart kicks into overdrive, adrenaline coursing as she manages to shove him off. 

“No!” she cries out, the word catching in her throat. Molly’s outburst gives Elvis pause. Hurt and confusion flash across his face as he pulls back, propping himself up on one elbow. 

“What is it?” his voice is gruff but not unkind.

Molly turns her face away, cheeks flaming. How can she tell him? That despite her adventurous friend and all the talk, she's never actually… that he would be her first. 

Elvis regards her steadily. Impossibly long black lashes curtain the genuine concern in his eyes. Molly's pulse throbs in her ears. 

"Please don't make me say it," she whispers finally. Molly squeezes her eyes shut, willing the tears not to fall. But a single drop escapes, trailing down her cheek. 

"I'm sorry," she whispers. "It's just… I've never…"

Understanding dawns on Elvis' face. He brushes the tear from her face with surprising tenderness. 

"Never been with a man before?" he asks gently. 

Molly shakes her head, a furious blush creeping up her neck. She expects anger, derision, rejection. For him to throw her out and call for the next girl. 

But instead, Elvis tips her chin up to look at him. "Oh honey," he murmurs. "Why didn't you tell me?" 

Molly's breath catches in her throat as Elvis regards her with unexpected tenderness. His hands, which moments before seemed so insistent, now caress her face and arms with featherlight touches. 

"I was afraid you wouldn't want me anymore," she confesses, her voice barely above a whisper.

Elvis shakes his head, a sad smile on his lips. "Oh darlin', that don't matter one bit to me. I want you, Molly girl. I want to make you feel real good." 

He drags his thumb over her bottom lip and Molly shivers. She knows she should leave, should find Doreen and book it out of there before she does something reckless. But the way Elvis is looking at her, like she's the only woman in the world… it makes her feel powerful. Desired. Dangerous.

She... likes it?

"Just relax and lemme take care of you," Elvis murmurs, his breath hot against her ear. With that, the last of her resolve melts. 

His hands, knowing and sure, explore her curves, leaving trails of fire in their wake. She moans, melting into him, her body betraying her. She's scared, yes, but she's also aching for more. He senses her hesitation, easing her back even further, parting her thighs with a tenderness belied by the impressive size of his hands. His eyes are hungry, admiring the perfect, trembling creature before him. 

"You're so beautiful," he breathes, running a calloused finger along her jawline. His words were like sweet poison, both thrilling and terrifying. "Shh, baby," he coos, "I gotcha."

He kisses her, his lips firm yet gentle, as if he can taste her innocence. Her first kiss, her first everything, all with him. She was born for him.

*

His lips trail down her breasts, leaving a path of fire in their wake. Molly arches into the sensation, the soft scratch of his stubble against her skin. His hand slides down to her stomach, fingertips tracing the sensitive flesh just below her belly button. 

"Do you want me to stop?" he asks hoarsely. She shakes her head, unable to form words. "Say it, Molly girl." He presses a kiss to her hip bone, nipping lightly at it. 

"No," she gasps. "Don't stop."

He smiles against her skin. "Good girl," he purrs before lowering his mouth to where she's aching for him most.

His tongue flicks forward, teasing her entrance and Molly cries out, her fingers curling into the silk sheets. She looks down at him—somewhere down there—through one open eye.

"Is that what... are you supposed to be—"

Before she can finish her sentence, his hands grip her thighs. Fear and desire battle within her, but desire wins out as curious pecks and licks turn into long, languid strokes. Bracing himself, Elvis feasts on her, like she's the most delicious thing he's ever tasted. She finally opens her eyes and there he is in all his glory: lapping at her, coaxing the desire out of her body and onto his waiting tongue. Wave after wave of pleasure courses through her. "Oh God," she whuffs out, her head thrown back in ecstasy. 

Somewhere in the back of her mind, a voice wonders what everyone else must be thinking. But then Elvis's tongue buries itself deep within again, soft and wet, and all thoughts vanish into thin air. His hands grip the soft flesh of her hips, guiding her closer to him as he laps at her vulnerable center. She's never felt anything like this before, the pleasure so unbearable it hurts. 

"That's it, baby," he growls into her glistening pussy, "ride it out."

And she does. His tongue flicks and swirls, plunging inside her, mimicking what she imagines is his impressive length. 

By now, the whole house must hear her moans, but she doesn’t care. She’s coming undone whether she wants to or not, and she’s never felt more alive.

“Oh, Elvis,” she moans, her voice high and desperate, “Oh, I—”

Molly van Patton shudders and bucks against him, her first ever orgasm coursing through her body like wildfire. He doesn't stop though, not until she's sobbing and spent, her juices coating his face. He looks up at her through hooded lids, a satisfied smirk on his full lips.

“I ain’t done with you yet.”

*

He moves up her body, his manhood hard and throbbing against her thigh. Her entrance flutters in anticipation, and Elvis smiles at the sight. He positions himself there, large and intimidating. 

“Relax, li’l girl,” he whispers in her ear. “I’ll be real gentle.” Molly looks up at him, eyes wide, pleading. 

“You sure you want this?”

She nods dutifully.

“Say it f’me, now.” 

“I want you inside me.”

That’s all he needs. Before she can take it back, he slides in an inch, and then another. He’s so big, stretching her so wide she’s certain she’ll split in half. Certain he'll pierce her and she'll never be the same again. Tears leak from her eyes, mixing with the mascara from earlier.

“Shh,” he soothes, “I got you.” His accent is thicker than usual, sweet like molasses. Slowly, bit by excruciating bit, Elvis works himself inside her tight heat. Molly bites her lip to stifle a moan, but it escapes anyway.

At that, Elvis groans, and then he’s entering her more and more until he bottoms out. He's still for a moment, ensuring she can truly take in all of his length. “Tell me how it feels,” he grunts, as he slowly picks up speed.

“It hurts,” she pants out. But it’s a delectable sort of hurt. He’s filling her up in ways she never thought possible. Each thrust has her teeth bitting his shoulder tighter.

“I know, baby,” he coos into her ear, “but it gets better, I promise.”

And somehow, it does. The pain eases and is replaced with a delicious ache that has her hips rocking towards his.. Heat pools in her belly as he claims her with every thrust, like she was made for him and only him.

“You’re so tight,” he moans. “Made for me.”

It’s a mantra, a vow, as a he pistons in and out, breaking her in with every stroke. Her climax from before was nothing compared to this. She’s soon whimpering, clawing at his back, an evil sob stuck in her throat. 

"That's it, baby," he pants, "give it all to me."

Elvis pulls out swiftly, leaving Molly empty and aching. In one smooth motion, he flips her over onto her stomach. 

"On your knees," he commands.

Molly whimpers but obeys, presenting herself to him on all fours. Elvis groans at the sight, gripping her hips tightly. 

He enters her from behind in one powerful thrust. Molly cries out, the new angle allowing him to penetrate her even deeper. Elvis sets a ruthless pace, pounding into her relentlessly.

The sound of slapping flesh fills the air as he claims her, his fingers digging into her hips hard enough to leave bruises. He hits a spot deep inside that has Molly seeing stars. She pushes her hips back to meet his brutal thrusts, unable to get enough.

"That's right, take it," Elvis growls. His breathing is labored in her ear, hot and ragged. Sweat beads on his brow, dripping onto her shoulder blades, but he doesn’t relent. “You’re taking me so good. You love it, don’t you?”

She does. Oh, God, does she ever. Fuck it. If this was wrong, she didn’t want to be right. 

He keeps pounding into her, and it's dizzying and intoxicating all at once. The room spins as she clings to the headboard for dear life, his name a curse on her lips, a talisman against the building pleasure-pain coiling in her core. His pace quickens, hot breath on her neck, and his thick chest hair tickling her back.

“El… vis…” she mewls. “Right there!”

He obliges, his expert hands massaging her swollen clit as he pounds into her from behind. 

“Yeah, just like that,” he rasps as Molly bucks against him, working the length of his cock with her slick and pushing her hips back to meet his brutal thrusts, unable to get enough. It shocks him how quickly she took to his cock. Elvis’ fingers dig almost painfully into her hips, urging her on. “That’s right, take what you need.” 

"Elvis, I..."

The pressure builds, coiling in her belly like a spring. “That’s my girl, let it go,” he growls in her ear, and that’s all it takes.

Her body explodes into a million stars, tightening around him as she screams her release. Just like that, it hits her all at once—from heaven and hell itself, crashing over her like a tidal wave and even more powerful than the first. Colors dance behind her eyelids. 

Elvis’ nails dig into her back, and she can feel the delicious sting as they break the skin. “Unnngh,” he grunts, “I’m fuckin’ close.” The filthy words spur her on, and she clenches around him, the fluttering of her walls easing up, and suddenly she’s slowly floating back to earth and back to life and back to his gigantic bed in his gigantic mansion in Memphis, Tennessee. She can’t breathe, can’t think, can’t do anything but feel.

He growls and buries himself even deeper, his thrusts erratic and desperate now. Harder and harder until he, too, splinters apart, shattering inside her like stained glass. He grunts, his release warm and sticky deep inside her.

Later, Elvis cocoons Molly in his strong arms and starts to rock her gently. As she drifts off to sleep, she knows there's no going back.

She's his now, body and soul. That’s the price she paid for giving in to her darkest desire.

[aliensubstance-xxx]

Sanders Sides x GN!Reader HC (& some General ones)

ahhh forgive me if this is a bit clunky! I don't usually do stuff like this but I need to get it out of my brain hah

What they're like kissing you:

Logan is by far the best kisser of the bunch! He starts off a little robotic or unsure, but after a while he starts to experiment, figuring out what you like most and getting good at it.

Prepare to be completely breathless and kiss-drunk and for him to just stand up properly, readjust his tie and go about his day. He's got a schedule to keep, after all.

Patton is a very silly kisser, he likes to press kisses to any and all bare skin (and covered!) he can reach, and will grab hold of you and just smother you in kisses :)

Be wary if he goes anywhere near ticklish spots- he will blow raspberries there

Roman is so dramatic when he kisses you- it's all big gestures, like dipping you or picking you up and pinning you to the wall etc. He kisses you so deeply you could swear you hear a musical crescendo in the distance.

Unless he's feeling more mellow, in which he'll still kiss you deeply, but just...quieter and softer, tipping you up by the chin and just breathing in your space.

Virgil is, obviously, quite a nervous kisser. He'll never settle his hands- he wants to have them all over you at once, on your hips, on your shoulders, clutching your hands to his chest, in your hair, anywhere. He gets flustered quickly too, he'll kiss you deeply and then bury his face in your shoulder (You can feel the heat of his blush even through you clothes) until he can kiss you again.

Oh, and he's a biter. Don't be shocked if you manage to spend some time making out with him and you end up in teeth marks and hickeys (and sore lips)

Remus is...sloppy is probably the best way to describe it. He's passionate and enthusiastic, so much so that your kisses will be all teeth, tongue and spit.

He will also lick you. sorry.

Janus is actually quite the reserved kisser- he's a little embarrassed about his snake mouth when it comes to kissing (He'll never say it out loud.). He does want you to enjoy kissing him as much as possible, so maybe after some snake themed compliments he'll take off his gloves and pull you in by the hips.

Catch him by surprise with chaste kisses as much as you can- he'll make a pleased little rattle/hiss (like a purr?) out of surprise. It's very cute.

General HCs:

Small TW for, minor angst & mention on injury, innuendo and reference to genital piercings on the last one.

Despite being identical, they all actually have very small differences! That being said (and totally making sense)

Logan has the biggest hands- noticeably. Man's hands could wrap around your entire being with ease. ahem sorry. Moving on.

Roman is slightly more muscular (still chubby though. good lord), and has one or two scars he got while in the Imagination and decided to keep!

Janus, obviously, has his scales and his eye. His scales go cross his shoulders, elbows, hips and knees- he's also got a little forked tongue and a glottis under said tongue. (The glottis is what snakes have a the back of their throat- it helps them breathe while swallowing large prey...and in Janus' case-)

Virgil has two tattoos- a ring of thorns around his right finger (Right ring finger for individuality, thorns for hardship and struggle) and an earthworm on his left forearm (Rebirth, especially to do with the life cycle. and he thinks it looks cool. He wanted to get a spider but he didn't want to frighten Patton.)

Patton gets a little cut right under his heart whenever Thomas is genuinely heartbroken- he has a little collection of scars there.

Other than their lobe piercings, Virgil, Janus and Remus all have other piercings!

Virgil has an industrial on his left, his secondaries, and two conches on his right ear.

Janus originally had snake bites (when Thomas was a teen. Janus wasn't always as refined as he is now) and one helix piercing.

Remus' has however many piercings he wants on any given day- he takes them out every night and re-pierces however he sees fit every morning. (This includes his frenum piercing. On his willy. look it up but be warned for penis.)

That's all for now! If you liked my stuff and want to request something (minific, or more hcs) feel free to shoot me an ask :) hope you enjoyed.

[loganslowdown4]

Since I can never get anything out on time whoops 😅

Here’s my thoughts about—

What Makes A Perfect Gift? 🎁❤️ (Part 1)

—————————————————

(Thomas may have said this was just a fun Easter egg but imma ignore that bc I believe) Janus knew the order the gifts were being opened because he matched each colour gift wrap of Patton’s gift to which side was getting a gift next 👀👀 AND his beautiful cursive was in GOLD font 🥹

In case you forgot, they are EVERYTHING to me 😭💙❤️

Also Logan asking for Roman’s help with his creativity is the Christmas miracle I didn’t know I needed but here it is and I’m going to go melt into a puddle 😭🫠💙❤️

Logan with his Santa hat on his head with his glasses on

Matching his sweater that has a Santa hat on a brain with glasses on-

😄 I see what he did there 👀👀💙💙🧠

Logan thinking he got a gift he didn’t want because he thinks they don’t listen to him-

Remus: 🧡👀

Janus reminding us all that snakes unhinge their jaws to eat their prey by swallowing them whole

Oh

Oh no 😅

Mr Fuzzy reminds me of the Yorp aliens from Commander Keen for some reason lmao ewww

More in part 2!

[intrulogical]

remus isn't dumb; a sanders sides essay

i've been struggling to make a cohesive post about this because i feel like most of what i want to say boils down to the same underlying message which is: remus isn't dumb.

i feel like a good chunk of this fandom understands what i mean, at least to a surface level point. but even then, i think too much of the fandom still misinterprets remus' character in a way that, they seem to understand different traits of his, but the way they execute it is still way off from what we see in canon.

(rest of the essay under the cut!)

for example, the biggest thing i see people get wrong would be the way they write remus "lol random" personality. it's true that remus tends to say whatever he wants at any given moment. but, the problem here is that people tend to think remus as random in function. i have no better way to describe this succinctly, so to expound: while remus tends to make left-field jokes a lot, he is shown to be incredibly deliberate, cunning, committed, and intelligent in very subtle ways.

truth is, remus is very goal-oriented, and when he has a goal, oh he strives for that goal. so far, i'm writing this with the last 5 years episode being the most recent substantial episode, so i can't really 100% say all my assumptions of remus are true. actually, i think the upcoming season finale will be the missing link when it comes to providing us with the whole picture of who remus is.

as for now, i just have to stick with my theory of; remus, as a side of thomas' heavily connected to insecurities and mental health issues, intends to shed light on the "darker" sides of thomas because he believes them to be beneficial. throughout dwit, we see remus continuously bolster the idea that his contributions are useful for thomas. this continues in wtit, but with the extra layer of remus wanting logan as well to be in touch with the darker parts of himself to get thomas in line.

it is also heavily implied that remus is well in on whatever janus' plan is to get thomas to be a.) more aware of his mental health issues, and b.) to get thomas to break out of his catholic black and white thinking. in forbidden fruit, it's janus who’s seen permitting remus to present himself to thomas. bigger evidence though, as i've mentioned in the previous paragraph, is the way remus seems to deliberately want logan to manifest his anger against thomas.

of course, we can always say that remus taunted logan "just for fun", but i feel like too much of what happened in wtit seem to point to remus having deeper reasons. for example, wtit exhibits how bad thomas' mental health is to the point that he gets irrationally angry at nico for not replying to his texts. this proves how thomas has been neglecting his mental health, and with the way patton, virgil, and roman held onto toxic selfless ideologies for the longest time, thomas would still, naturally, be lost on what to do. he would even seem to deny how bad things have gotten, especially with the way he acts like nothing bad is happening when he goes to his date with nico.

why am i emphasizing this? well, it's because something i find interesting about remus' character is how deeply cognizant he is of thomas' problems. what i mean by this is, no other side can call out thomas' issues more than remus can. i wrote an essay about this before if you want to check this out, but tldr: remus, as intrusive thoughts, is the most perceptive out of all the sides when it comes to calling out insecurities or problems. we see this come to fruition in wtit when all of the traps he laid out for thomas involved nico in some capacity.

while you can interpret his character as evil for preying on others’ insecurities, i think it's important to acknowledge that, in a sea of people who tend to refuse to talk about their issues, remus is the main guy who constantly brings them to the table. whether remus' intentions are good or not, there's no denying that remus' importance as a side lies in the fact that he serves as a mental health alarm clock for thomas. with the way none of the sides want to communicate with each other, we need someone like remus to cut the bullshit and say things as it is. 

again, we don't really know if he wants to help thomas. but i would like to emphasize that, yes, remus is not dumb. he does not merely make lewd jokes and calls it a day. he has the long-term goal of making everyone talk about more "taboo" topics with each other, and this includes talking about personal grievances the sides tend to suppress or refuse to talk about. lewd jokes are just part of the process.

i think this goal of his is also incredibly visible with the way remus treated logan in wtit. wtit is my favorite sanders sides episode because there's just so much to analyze between remus and logan, but you can check my other essays in regards to that. the main thing i wanted to point out is that what remus says to logan in the end, "woowee logan, now you're speaking my language. but who do you really want to scream that at?", proves he is more deliberate and cunning than he seems.

a lovely bit of analysis my friend orb (@orbmanson7) provided is that remus didn't just pop up in wtit to intervene with thomas' plans. he was there to intervene with logan's. if you've seen my other essays, i've talked about how logan as a side has been dwindling in terms of self-confidence and assertion. this has left a big problem of thomas being more reliant on his emotions, making him ignore the suggestions given by logan that may help with thomas' mental health in the long run. this is not to villainize thomas' mental health crisis, btw. all i want to say is that, remus recognizes how logan's self-restriction is doing no good and deliberately wants to push logan to become more assertive and angry.

that is why he says logan is speaking his language. he wants logan to recognize the merit in the way remus grabs thomas' attention. he wants logan to be like him and cause more havoc. again, we never know how much remus genuinely wants to help thomas, but we know that remus wants everyone to be more exposed to "taboo" things, and this includes logan being more in touch with his angrier side.

besides that, i'd like to mention how, in general, remus tends to be very committed to his goals more than how the fandom typically portrays him? in dwit, remus' main goal was to disturb thomas and the other sides. it's kind of just an introduction to his character. we're not sure if it's part of a bigger plan he and janus devised to get thomas to take care of himself better, but it is a possibility. the only time he gets too random is when logan begins picking apart his arguments. there we see remus only results to super left-field, continuous off-tangent jokes when he's desperate or placed in a lose-lose situation.

another, in wtit, we see how remus understands how to make very long, complicated traps. i think it's a perfect encapsulation of his personality, actually! throughout the episode, we see him make these multilayered traps with a ton of props and preparation just so he can bother thomas with it. it shows that remus is actually less impulsive-oriented as he seems. he even created a schedule he showed to logan detailing everything he wanted to do that day. again, deliberate! he is deliberate and very smart!

other thing i'd like to harken back to is the idea that he's in cahoots with the other dark sides to execute some Big Plan to break thomas out of his black and white thinking. while we don't know how orange acts like yet, we're Very familiar with janus by this point and we can see how long-drawn janus' plan of acceptance is. he's, again, sorry to use the word so many times, very deliberate. i don't even think his plan ends with svs.r, because it does seem like remus is well in on this plan too. in the 5 years video, he also seems to know more than thomas on what else is to come for the future of sanders sides, which implies he has some plans up his sleeve that no one else knows about. like i said, janus has the goal to break thomas out of his black and white thinking. and so far from what we've seen from remus, he also wants the same!

an important factor of remus' character besides his deliberateness is his general need to subvert what "goodness" means. "good and bad are all made up nonsense," he sings in forbidden fruit. throughout dwit he continuously criticizes everything thomas thinks is good or acceptable. in the 5 years video, he argues about how there's no "correct way of sitting". i think this also proves how remus is important as a side because, while not every single one of his beliefs are morally acceptable, he is still able to pick morality apart in a way the other sides are unable to. also, i just think this proves his character as just. generally smart? he's able to pick apart the status quo and moral philosophies, of course he's smart.

just to pick up on a previous point, remus is scarily perceptive. i mentioned this earlier with how remus is able to pick logan apart, but i'd like to add onto it more since i think a lot of people underestimate how crazily perceptive he is. for one, despite not being too close with a bunch of the other sides, he seems to be able to read their insecurities and play them against them really well. we see it in the way he uses virgil's insecurities of being an ex-dark side against him. we see it in the way he picks on patton and thomas' morality crisis against them. we see it in the way roman describes remus as someone being able to show him things he doesn't like about himself. and most importantly, we see it in the way remus constantly reaps the fact that logan isn't listened to to the point that logan snaps. as intrusive thoughts, remus' job is to see what deepest darkest secrets thomas and the sides suppress and use it against them.

at the moment, we don't really know if remus has any weaknesses, although wtit sort of implies that he himself is also quite irritated by the fact that thomas doesn't listen to him. he does a good way of hiding, though, how much of that problem is genuinely affecting him. it makes me think he's also smart in the way he's able to hide his vulnerabilities and true intentions from the other side. he's silly and goofy and lewd and because of that, everyone thinks he's harmless. the sides think he's unserious, and so does the fandom. but deep down, remus really isn't that stupid. 

and LASTLY, when beta reading this essay, orb also mentioned to me about how remus possesses cognitive flexibility in a way roman doesn’t. this isn’t meant to discredit roman of course, but i think it’s important to mention that remus is the side with the least amount of restrictions when it comes to creative liberties. orb mentioned to me how remus is able to connect concepts easily in a way roman doesn’t because remus doesn’t operate under the same self-restrictive mindset. while this obviously would help thomas become more innovative as a creative, i think it’s also important to recognize how much thomas kind of needs it in general. much of the latter half of the series shows thomas dealing with restrictions, especially when it comes to doing good. it would be great benefit for thomas to be able to listen to a side who generally wants to Have a Good Time, and doesn’t abide by rules imposed onto them.

and yes that is my essay on remus 100/10 best character and is not dumb at all. very excited to see him in the finale and i hope y’all’s get your characterizations straight because i need me some good fics 

[chillykitty]

concept art for an amv idea i had

idk if im gonna make it or not, I'm doing art fight so itll be a bit before I do anything like that. it would focus on Patton and it'd switch between canon and an animal fairy tale esc visualization - like Janus preying on Roman since the ego is easily tricked being shown as a snake preying on a wolf

[an0thergl1tch]

Orange side Headcanons/Theories :

*There is a lot of debate on what animal the orange side will represent however I had a few ideas in my head that I wanted to discuss while I was stuck in a doctor’s office. (Not sure if I’m accidentally stealing these from somewhere)

*Looking at facts, we know that Thomas has said he is hoping on posting parts 1 and 2 of the finale by the end of the year. (As quoted from reddit which is by no means a reliable source.) If by chance this does happen, and the orange side is introduced in either of these parts, then this tells us that the orange side will either be a Leo, Virgo, Libra, Scorpius, Sagittarius, or a Capricorn. Although it is quite possible that Thomas will wait until the later parts to introduce the character, or even leave the orange side as a cliff hanger in the finale, in which it is uncertain what zodiac sign the side is. However working with this information I have a few ideas

*Lets take a look at the animals the other sides seemingly represent. Patton is represented by the green frog, as seen in selfishness vs selflessness, Janus is represented by a snake, Roman is questionable however lion seems to fit and its come to a consensus he’s probably a lion, Virgil is a spider however has cat like tendencies, and Logan as said by Thomas is some sort of bird of prey. (Don’t quote me on that I swear I heard that somewhere.)

*Looking at these animals, I suspect that the orange side will either be some sort of hoofed land animal or bird of prey. Both Patton and Janus are semi aquatic and seem to be almost siblings traits much like how amphibians and reptiles are similar, and the orange side seems more related to Logan as per Logan’s outburst at the end of working through intrusive thoughts. Its also arguable that Roman and Virgil match up as they both mildly resemble felines.

*Taking some inspiration I have a few ideas as to what the orange side could represent :

*Scorpion theory : If per chance the orange side were a scorpio it could be possible that the character would be loosely inspired by a scorpion. Its been theorized that Logan and the upcoming orange side are either siblings or one in the same so its quite possible Thomas will give them birthdays in the same month. In this case if he were a scorpion he would match up with virgil, who is a fellow arachnid, however would be startling as its clear Virgil’s history with the dark sides are tense, and to have them as counterparts would be quite a twist as Virgil has been known as the side that doesn’t have a side (hogwarts episode). However considering anger and anxiety tend to build off one another they would be quite the theoretical power couple if they were to team up. Scorpions often hunt spiders which would indicate that the orange side has major influence over Virgil, however unlike shown Logan would actually have power over the orange side as scorpions are often the prey of predatory birds. Scorpions often symbolize death and rebirth, and are in some traditions seen as guardians of the underworld. They also symbolize resilience, self defense, and the ability to overcome challenges, which would fit with logans upcoming character arc.

*Ares Ram theory : It has been theorized that due to Ares stereotypes surrounding their natures that the orange side will be an Ares, so its possible that the orange side will resemble the ram. Ares are typically described as having great leadership skills, creativity, and bravery, however struggle either impulsivity and are quite stubborn. Along with this ares have a reputation to run hot, having a hot temper and can sometimes cause outbursts, along with being associated with the god of war (sound familiar?) Viewing the orange side as the ares symbol the ram does have its strengths. It is questionable as to how this animal connects with Logan, however it doesn’t connect with the other sides either. It seems to be its own separate entity, much like Virgil, and would make sense considering how disconnected Logan feels currently from the other sides. The ram symbolizes sacrifice, power, heroism, strength, courage, determination, and leadership. However with the previous traits of an ares this symbolism turns into rampant impulsive dictator with a savior complex, which honestly does fit with how the orange side could be characterized. Plus imagine a tall ass dude appearing with ram horns and hooves out of a blazing building, you would be fucking terrified.

*Goat theory : this builds off the idea that the orange side could be an aries or a capricorn, another horned animal is the goat. I personally enjoy this characterization as goats themselves act like children, and are quite hot headed and impulsive (plus the capricorn symbol is a sea goat.) The goat symbolizes greatness and excellence, and also represent strength, courage, and divinity. However connecting to its divinity the goat sometimes has ties with the occult, which would fit the fiery impression the orange side has made so far. Plus I think GOAT meaning greatest of all time would be kindof funny considering whoever this will be will definitely go on a power trip.

*Bull theory : Another horned animal. Personally I enjoy this one. Bulls symbolize unyielding strength, untamed power, and vitality. In popular culture however, bulls are often characterized as hot headed brutes with steam coming out of their ears (may I being up Logan quoting the seething fire from the clue movie.) Plus imagine him with a septum lmao.

*Crow theory : Going off the fact that Logan is theorized to be a bird of prey, the orange side also being a bird of prey also makes sense. Crows symbolize transformation, intelligence, rebirth, opportunity, however are also associated with death and considered messengers from the other side. They are also associated with impending doom and pestilence, as being related to the plague. (If this dude is wearing a plague doctor mask I WILL freak out.) Along with this crows are known to be troublemakers and quite mischievous and I have a feeling he would play a few tricks on the others.

*Vulture theory : Going also off the fact that Logan is theorized to be a bird of prey, a vulture seems like a good counterpart. Vultures symbolize death, rebirth, judgement, and are often associated with impending doom. Vultures are crafty and resilient, and strike when their prey is down. Although pretty harmless he will attack anyone who gets in his way or anyone who is vulnerable.

[fanderficreader]

Sessions.

Characters: sides + Thomas in the beginning.

Ships: none.

(A/N) this is based on a dream I had, so hopefully it's good. Also... 1451 words!!! What?! That's crazy!! Apparently I clarified A Lot of things in this...😅

Patton was making dinner, when all of a sudden he heard noises coming from Thomas's room. He immediately ran upstairs to see what it was. When he opened the door he was not expecting to see Virgil tickling Thomas. Patton cleared his throat to get their attention. "Am I interrupting something?" He said with a smirk on his face. Both Virgil and Thomas looked over, and flushed. They were not expecting Patton to walk in on them.

Immediately Thomas pointed a finger at Virgil. "He started it!" "No I did not! And if you don't stop pointing at me, you're gunna walk out of here with one less finger." Thomas immediately retracted his finger at that. Patton scolded Virgil for threatening Thomas, and then walked out. "You two can continue, as long as you stay out of trouble!" He said and then closed the door. When he was gone they continued their antics.

And that kind of behavior would happen for the rest of the day. Every so often he would hear screaming and a few 'helps' followed by more laughter, and every time it happened he would get this pit in his stomach. Why you ask, well Patton was jealous of course. He was jealous because it sounded like fun, and he wasn't apart of it. So he was jealous. Did the other sides notice this? Of course they did. Cause Patton was super mopey and didn't really talk to them that much, and was all around just not being his normal happy pappy self. And the other sides took notice right away.

It all started when they were having dinner. Virgil was the first to speak. "Hey pat?" "Yeah kiddo?" He asked. "Why have you been so distant today?" Virgil said. Making every one at the table perk up. "Like, you haven't been talking as much, and whenever you do it's just to answer a question." Virgil noted. "Well, I dunno. I've just been feeling a little down lately, that's all." Patton responded. Virgil wasn't buying it. He knew when Patton was actually just not feeling great, and this wasn't it. He was hiding something. "Why do you think you're feeling this way Patton?" Logan inquired. "I dunno I've just not been feeling like my usual self. Anyways, can we get back to eating? I'm starving." Patton stated. Trying in vain to change the subject.

"You're hiding something." Virgil blurted out. Patton looked up from his food in confusion. (And a little bit of horror that he figured it out so quickly, but he was trying to hide that part) "Heh whatever do you mean, Virgil?" Patton said, trying and failing to not panic. "You know what I'm talking about. You're trying to hide something! What is it?" Virgil preyed. Patton was getting nervous and also red from embarrassment. When Virgil saw this, he preyed more. Wanting and needing to know what it was that Patton felt the need to hide from them, and him.

After a while of 'Spill it' and 'I wanna know' and a few 'it's something juicy isn't it?' He finally caved, and told them. All of them had a different reaction than the other. Logan's reaction:😐 Romans reaction:🫢 and Virgil's reaction:😏. They all were some what shocked as too hear that's what he wasn't telling them this whole time. While Virgil was interested in granting Pattons wish. "So that's what you were keeping from us? That you were jealous all day, because you wanted to partake in our tickle sessions??" Logan asked. Not really grasping the situation, but trying his hardest to understand. "Really Padre? You could have just asked when you walked in on Thomas and Virgil earlier. They would have said yes." Roman reassured. While they were all talking, Virgil got a devilishly brilliant idea.

"Hey guys. I think we should cut Patton some slack. I mean," Virgil started. "I can see where he's coming from. He was scared of rejection, and I mean, aren't we all??" They all gave slight nods. Well, except for Roman. He stared off into the distance while he agreed a little too aggressively. "Anyways... I feel like even though Patton isn't in the wrong for what he did. It still wasn't right for him to lie to us." Virgil stated. "So, how about we think up a good punishment to fit the crime." At this point, Virgil had stood up, and was now behind Patton. Gesturing something to the others that Patton couldn't see.

They both nodded and Virgil made his way back into Patton's view. "Oh Patton~ I think we found a fitting way to get you back~" Roman said, in a very unsettling sing song voice. Patton got more nervous as the others made their way closer to him. He started giggling in anticipation, and the others all 'awwed' at that. "We haven't even done anything yet, padre." Patton knew that, but what he also knew, was what they were planning. That's why he got so nervous, so early on. They could all feel Patton's Lee mood radiating off of him -it was quite cute actually, how giggly he was at just the thought of that happening-

With Roman now so close to Patton, he was able to pick him up, and bring him to the couch for better access. Roman straddled his hips, Logan sat by his feet, and Virgil held his arms above him with on hand. While the other was ready to attack. "g'Guys, please. We c'can talk about t'this!" Patton managed through his anticipatory giggles. "Awww, you're already giggling, and we haven't even started yet. How cute." Roman rested his hands on pattons stomach. Watching his breath hitch and him tense up at the touch. "Oh, is your tummy ticklish?" He said in a borderline baby voice. "Hehe st-opp with the t-eeasing!!" He stuttered. Romans hands now started rubbing on pattons stomach, in a nice and steady fashion.

"Can we just get the party started already, princy??" Virgil was getting impatient, and Roman also wanted to hear those sweet, sweet giggles. So, he gave Virgil the go ahead, and let him start at pattons neck. Gliding his fingers up and down pattons neck and a little behind his ear. When Virgil would do that though, it would elicit a small squeak, followed by him scrunching his neck in that direction. Leaving his other side open for more tickles. Soon princy started up again, but this time drawing tiny shapes on his stomach with his left index finger. While the right one, was gliding up and down on pattons left side. Soon enough Logan started on his end too.

All Patton was right now, was a squirming puddle of giggles. But, when he felt his shoes being wiggled off, something flipped in him. "Nohohoo!! Dohhahont!!" As soon as he said that, Logan started at his feet. Nothing unbearable though. Just four fingers on one foot, going up and down his socked sole. But, that was enough for him to lose It. He screamed. -well not a 'ahh' scream. More of a girly squeal- he arched his back, and bucked wildly. That was enough of a signal to Logan to stop at his feet. So, he continued on his ankles. Surely he's not ticklish there. The logical aspect thought. And even if he is, it's probably not unbearable.

Logan started scratching at the moral sides right ankle, and boy was he wrong. Well, he was right, it wasn't unbearable. But, it still made him giggle a lot. After about 10 minutes of this he was getting tired. His laughs were more breathy and he started to hiccup every so often. That was a good sign for them to stop. He then just laid there for a few seconds, waiting for the ghost giggles to subside. When they were gone, Roman let out a hand for Patton to take, and he unhesitantly took it. Helping Patton up, he held firm on his hand, and pulled him into a hug. Which he accepted happily. Then they all got into a big group hug, and after a while decided to relax, and all watch a movie together.

(A/N) I really hope that this was good. If it was let me know what other scenarios or fics I should do, if you have any ideas. Also there might be a part 2 of this coming soon😏 so stay tuned for that. Anyways, I hope you enjoyed and I'll try and write again soon. Bye!! ✌️

[edupunkn00b]

Roomies, Ch. 5: Stitches on Old Scars

Prev - Stitches on Old Scars - Next - Masterpost - [ AO3 ]

WC: 4153 - Rated: T - CW: mental health, angst/comfort, see tags - Written for @intrualityweek 2024: Scars

Things start to change when Re returns from Thanksgiving Break.

“Hung like a pelt like some prey you had worn… Remember m—”

For the sixth time that morning, Re’s alarm cut off, snoozed. But Re barely budged, and stayed put where he was, huddled under the cocoon of blankets he’d built for himself on his bed.

Patton had been up since before dawn, bubbling excitement at Re’s return from Thanksgiving break pulling him from the comfort of his bed. He’d already showered and dressed, even changed his outfit twice after checking the day’s weather forecast. Each stir or sigh from Re’s side of the room stole his attention and he’d watch, intently, waiting to see if Re was about to wake or was just moving in his sleep as he did sometimes.

Thanksgiving break alone in the dorms had been long. And even lonelier than Patton had expected. It took every scrap of patience he had not to make a little extra noise and ‘accidentally’ wake Re before his alarm just so he could talk to him.

”Bring it in, Pattonting,” Ro had cheered, arms open wide, when Patton had gone to see the three of them off the Tuesday night before break. Logan was already buckled into the passenger seat, adjusting the air vents and tapping at his phone as he planned their rest stops on the way back to Re and Ro’s house.

Relishing the hug, Patton hid his face against Ro’s shoulder. He supposed Re and Ro’s parents’ place was all three of their homes now. “Enjoy the peace while the gremlin is with me,” Ro said, not quite as quietly as he could have. Patton peeked over Ro’s shoulder just as Re looked away, jaw clenched tight.

”I’m gonna miss you all but I know you’ll be back soon,” he said, still watching Re even as he hugged Ro tighter. He might’ve imagined it, but he thought Re’s face softened just a bit.

”We have a guest room,” Ro said, pulling back to meet his eyes. After much discussion over breakfasts, the brothers had approached their parents about dropping the façcade that Ro and Logan needed separate bedrooms. This trip home would be the first where Logan had officially moved out of the guest room and into Ro’s.

Patton pressed a smile onto his face. “Thanksgiving’s for family,” he said before clearing his throat, hoping it disguised the wobble in his voice.

Re moved a little closer, brow furrowed. “Thanksgiving’s for whoever the fuck we say it is.”

Patton shook his head, dropping his voice. “It’s Logan’s first holiday without… you know.” He stepped back and whispered past his tightening throat, “You all need to focus on him. I’d be a distraction.”

Arms crossed over his chest, Re had frowned. “You’re not a distraction, Pattycake. Besides, it’s kinda fucked up your parents picked this of all weeks to go on a cruise.”

”I told you,” Patton stared at the ground, the lie thick and sour on his tongue. “It was a contest. They couldn’t pick the date.”

Logan lowered the window and called to them, “If we wish to avoid the typical traffic on I-5, we should endeavor to leave now.”

”You are right, mi amour,” Roman purred, giving Patton’s shoulder one more squeeze before hurrying to the driver’s side.

That had left him and Re alone together outside the car. Re had stood next to him, hands jammed in his pockets. “We’ll be back Sunday night,” he murmured. “Probably late. But…” He’d grinned, a little dimmer than usual, but it had been a long day. Really, he'd been looking tired all week and Patton hoped he’d get the chance to sleep a little on the car ride back home.

Despite his exhaustion, Re had smiled and bumped their shoulders together with a little hum. “Breakfast together Monday?”

”You got it, Roomie,” Patton had smiled back. “Looking forward to it.”

After closing the drawer on the tee-shirts he’d folded and refolded twice already while he’d waited for Re to wake, Patton crept closer to his bed. “Re?” he spoke quietly, hoping he caught him before he drifted back to sleep while his alarm snoozed. “It’s after eight.” Toes scrunched against the fluffy throw rug Re had brought from home, Patton bit his lip. “Are you not feeling so good?”

Turned out he was awake. Re let out a heavy sigh from beneath the covers and poked his head out just far enough to reveal his eyes and a swath of wild green hair. His auburn roots were showing. Maybe they could go get more of dye downtown over the weekend.

Re shook his head but looked away before their eyes could meet. “I’m…” Face half-hidden beneath the comforter and weighted blanket, his voice came out quiet and muffled. 

Patton crouched down to better hear him.

“I’m just… just really tired,” he finished at last.

“You fell asleep as soon as you got in last night.” Patton frowned and, all on its own accord, his hand jerked closer to the tuft of hair poking out from the blankets. “Are you sure you're not coming down with something?” Forcing his hand back, he knelt and pressed both hands together in his lap.

Re shifted under the blankets. A shrug, maybe.

“Hang on,” Patton murmured and pushed up to his feet and rushed to the bathroom. After fumbling around a bit under the sink, he finally found what he was looking for, the thermometer that came with their little first aid kit. It probably wasn't super accurate, but it should at least show if he had a fever.

“Here, Re,” he said when he returned to his spot next to Re’s bed. “Lemme check your temperature, okay?”

“You don't hafta…” Re shook his head but watched him closely. 

“Please?” Patton gave him a half-smile. “That way we know what we’re dealing with.”

Re didn’t answer out loud. Instead he nodded and leaned his head a little closer. Patton’s smile grew and he touched the device to his forehead. After a second, it beeped twice and the screen glowed green. He pulled it away, knocking a mess of curls over Re’s eyes. Before he could stop himself, he tucked the hair back, the locks soft and damp against his fingers.

His hand lingered when Re closed his eyes with a low hum and seemed to lean into the touch. Then he looked back at Patton with big, red-rimmed eyes. “No fever,” he murmured, not asking.

“No fever,” Patton confirmed, shaking his head. Re nodded and burrowed deeper under the covers, leaving Patton’s hand hovering in the empty air. He knelt beside Re’s bed for a long moment before patting the blanket. “Do you wanna get a little more rest? I’ll bring you something from the dining hall.” 

Re poked his head out from the blankets again. “You really don’t hafta do that.”

“Will you be mad at me if I do?”

He shook his head, eyes soft. “Of course not, Pat.”

Patton grinned. “Then I’ll be back in half an hour with some goodies for you. A little nutrition will help you get your strength back.”

Re looked at him for a long while, expression flat and drained. Eventually he nodded and gave a weak smile. “Thank you.”

“Anytime, Roomie,” he grinned and smoothed out the blanket. His eyes caught on Re’s meds on the side of his desk and the half-drunk water bottle next to them. “Do you…” he started, reaching for the bottles. 

“Yeah… need to,” Re said, voice low as he sat up a little and accepted them, dumping out a few pills into his hand and swallowing them down with a sip of water. He started to twist the water cap back on but stopped when Patton raised his eyebrows.

Patton smiled again when Re took three good gulps. “Hydrate or die straight,” he chuckled.

“Can’t have that,” Re muttered and settled back into bed when Patton took the bottles from him and set them back on the table.

“I’ll be back,” he promised and, with a little wave, slipped out of the room and rushed down to the dining hall.

~

“Morning, Pat!” Ro gave him a half-hug from behind, curling over his chair to reach him. 

“Oh, good morning!” Patton hugged back as best he could, twisting his head to grin up at Ro and then at Logan. They were late, no doubt also recovering from the trip that had so drained Re. “It’s good to see you!”

Watching them settle into their usual seats across the table, it was easy to forget who was missing that morning.

For a minute at least.

“Re’s taking his time getting coffee, I see,” Ro muttered, scowling at the empty seat next to Patton.

Logan’s gaze lingered on Patton’s half-empty coffee cup before meeting his eyes. Patton shrugged. “Yeah, Re’s sleeping in today.”

“Oh? Is he ill?” Logan frowned and sat back as though Patton was carrying the same germs that had brought down Re.

“I don’t—“ Patton shook his head then tried again. “He doesn’t have a fever, but…”

Ro set down his fork and gave him his full attention. It was not nearly as reassuring as Patton might’ve imagined it would be.

“He said he was feeling… bad. Tired. Like sick, but…” Patton struggled to find words beyond ‘bad feeling’ to describe the way his stomach had twisted when he’d looked into Re’s eyes that morning. “Maybe like… mentally bad, y’know? I know he takes medication but…” Patton’s voice fell away, ashamed that after four months of living together he didn’t even know what Re took. Or why.

“Yeah,” Ro frowned into his coffee. “He… he gets into funks like that sometimes. It’s best to give him some space or he’ll just take your head off.” He pushed back his hair, revealing a tiny white line just above his ear. “I still have a scar from where he threw a book at me when I tried to get him up for school in eighth grade.” 

He kissed Logan’s temple before getting up and sliding into Re’s usual spot at Patton’s side. Ro squeezed his shoulder with a sympathetic smile. “He’ll snap out of it after a few days and be right back to his usual Dr. Frankfurter impressions in no time.”

“Really?” Patton gnawed at the corner of his lip. Re hadn’t seemed like he wanted to be left alone all day. The tiny smile Re had given him when he promised to come back had been fragile and shaky but… real. “I… I think I’m still gonna bring him something, y’know?” He shrugged, wrapping a napkin around the second breakfast burrito he’d snagged. Finally cool enough to handle, it was stuffed with eggs and cheese and mushrooms, plus an extra scoop of those bell peppers Re liked so much. Protein, vitamins. That’s what he needed. “He’ll feel better with something in his belly. Well,” he shrugged. “At least he won’t feel worse.”

“That is admirable of you,” Logan murmured before taking a bite of his own eggs. He chewed then adjusted his eyeglasses. “However, if Roman’s experience with his brother holds true and you need to metaphorically ‘steer clear’ of your room for a while”—He paused and caught Ro’s eye, continuing only after he nodded—”You are more than welcome to figuratively ‘crash’ in our room.” 

For the first time all day, Patton almost laughed. “Thanks, you two. I appreciate it. I’m… I’m gonna play it by ear.” The thought of Re back in their room, alone and huddled under the covers wiped away his smile. “Who knows… maybe he’s changed a bit? He…” The memory of Re giving Philip a gentle pat after he’d returned him filled his mind. “He’s not really the way he was back in high school.” Had he ever been? Patton shook the thought away and finished his coffee.

“If you say so,” Ro muttered before looking up at the wall clock behind Logan. “Ah, shit! I’m late for rehearsal.”

Logan checked his watch, nodding when Roman kissed his cheek and dashed from the table. “Indeed. I regret I must leave as well.” He nodded down at Patton as he stood and gathered his and Roman’s empty trays. “The offer stands, Patton. You are welcome if you need alternative lodging for a few days.”

“Thanks, Logan,” he nodded, tucking the still-warm breakfast burrito in his jacket pocket along with some fruit. The yogurt and extra coffee he could carry out without catching too much attention for taking food from the dining hall. And after a little extra rest, Re could fill up at lunch later in the day. "See you later."

~

By the end of the week, Re wasn’t any better. If anything, Patton thought he was getting worse.

Patton had just returned from dinner, a foil-wrapped packet of chickpea samosas hidden under his jacket on one side and a bottle of juice on the other. His pockets were filled with three applesauce cups, two bananas, and a short stack of macadamia cookies wrapped in a napkin. Re barely moved when he entered their room. “Re?” he whispered. “You awake?”

The room had gotten musty over the week, the scent of musk and sweat heavy in the air. Patton glanced at Re’s towel through the open bathroom door, still neatly folded and hanging from the rod.

Patton was pretty sure Re hadn’t touched it since before he’d left for break.

Tiptoeing in, he crept around Re’s bed and set down the food on his desk. Re had eaten only a bite or two of the sandwich he’d brought him for lunch, and the salad sat untouched next to it, the collection shelf-stable condiments still sealed in their packets. Half the juice was gone, so there was that, but Re had eaten even less of lunch than he had of breakfast that morning.

Patton gathered up the sandwich and the half-empty juice to put in the fridge. Neither would do him any good sitting out like that. It was only when he turned from their minifridge he realized Re was awake, watching him over the top fold of his blanket. “Oh, Re, you’re up,” he smiled and took his spot on the floor next to Re’s bed.

“‘M sorry I didn’t finish… you went to all that trouble and…” His voice was thin and tight, like it took nearly all the effort he had just to speak. “‘M sorry,” he said again and looked away.

”It’s okay, Re,” Patton murmured. “Maybe…” He scooted closer, peering at his friend. “Maybe you just need to work up a little appetite?” he said, voice rising at the end in a question. He offered a hand and broadened his grin. “Wanna go for a little walk around the quad? You can bring the samosas and munch while we—” He stopped when Re shook his head and retreated deeper under the covers.

”I’m a mess, Pat, I… Maybe tomorrow?”

Patton couldn’t tell if he really meant it or if he would beg off a walk tomorrow morning, too. Tomorrow was Saturday, at least, with the dining hall open later for breakfast and Patton wouldn’t have any classes to rush off to after trying to make sure he ate something. “Tomorrow,” he agreed, before holding up his hand. “Pinkie promise?” he asked, only half-joking. “And you have to try to eat something tonight while it’s still warm." He swallowed hard, pushing away Ro's scar and the voice in his head telling him what Re needed was space. "Okay?”

Re nodded solemnly, pulling one hand out from under the covers and hooking their pinkies together. “Promise.”

~

The sky was pitch black and only a sliver of the moon shone through the spindly bare trees out the window when Remus peeled open his eyes. They were so dry he swore he could hear them drag and pop with each blink. Everything ached, his head, his throat, his fucking skin. His limbs were heavy and slow, and it took several tries just to get his arm untangled from the blankets to check his watch.

He’d let the battery die. His phone had died, too, last night just before Pat came home.

Pat’s phone was probably where he usually set it on his own desk, propped up in that cute little night mode, dim clock announcing the time so they’d both be able to see it when they sat up in bed. Remus could see the glow but sitting up? Yeah, sitting wasn’t gonna happen.

He let his eyes click shut again, lids scraping. Probably dehydrated. Pat’d convinced him to have most of his juice last night but a cup and a half of fluid was a far cry from what he usually had and his body was screaming in protest.

He just couldn’t manage to drag his sorry ass outta bed to do something about it.

In the morning. In the morning, he’d get up. He’d get up and do more than dry swallow his pills. He’d take a shower and scrub the crud off his skin. He'd  go for a walk and email all his professors and find a way to pay Pat back for all he’d done and… 

Remus sighed. He’d get up tomorrow. He had to. He’d promised Pat he would.

Pat’s little smile and the soft warmth of his pinkie curled around his flitted through his mind as he drifted back to sleep.

Evergreens whizzed by out the window, miles and miles and miles of an unbroken fuzzy line of deep green and brown spreading out in both directions. Remus sat behind the driver’s seat in Ro’s car, forehead pressed to the cool glass of the window. Next to him was the empty passenger seat behind Logan, and out that window he spied the edge of the road, a narrow gully and a flimsy guardrail the only things separating the road from the cliff overlooking the distant sea. Grey water striped in thin peaks of white stretched out as far as he could see. 

The car ride was hypnotic, and after a while RoLo’s flirty banter faded away with the rhythm of the road, the passing trees, and the tires buzzing over the highway.

A rumble from the grooved sleeper lines jerked him to full alertness and he looked up.

Ro and Logan were gone, front seats vacant. But the car drove on, accelerating as it veered off the road and toward the edge. Remus yanked at his seatbelt, stabbing at the release button, but the catch wouldn’t budge. The door handle was frozen in place and as the car began to tip, a scream ripped up from his throat. He squeezed his eyes shut, bracing for the—

“Re?” Pat’s quiet voice tore him from his dream. The hand on his shoulder was gentle, a welcome coolness under the heavy duvet. Forehead scrunched with worry, Pat leaned over his bed, only half-dressed, jeans pulled on but unbelted. The squares on his unbuttoned plaid shirt reminded Re of the forest in his dream. “I’m sorry… It sounded like you were having a nightmare.”

Re sucked in a shaky breath. Freeing hands twisted in the sheets, he wiped his face with the back of his hand. Both were drenched with sweat. As if he couldn't get any grosser. “Yeah, “ he managed, tasting the rotten copper of own tongue. Whoever said you couldn't smell your own halitosis had never felt like this. He tugged the blankets up over his mouth in the stupid, stupid hope Pat somehow wouldn't notice how bad his breath smelled. “Yeah, I—I was.”

Pat scooted closer and gave him that same sweet smile he’d shared when he’d first offered to bring him breakfast. “Would it help to talk about it?”

Remus shook his head. He didn't even know where to start and the dream was slipping through his fingers with each exhale. “I’m okay.”

Lies.

He closed his eyes, the sadness in Pat’s big blue eyes more than he could bear. “I’m okay,” he repeated. “You should go to breakfast. I… I think I’m gonna get a little more rest.” Maybe Pat would ignore the tremor in his voice. He could ignore it and go have breakfast with RoLo and they could keep him company and they could make him laugh and help him forget his filthy, disgusting loser of a roommate who couldn't even manage to get to the dining hall in days, let alone actually attend one of the classes his parents were paying thousands of dollars a semester for and—

“No.”

Remus’ eyes snapped open. Pat stared back at him, eyes wide with fear, but his rosy lips were pressed together in a sharp, determined line. “What?”

“N—no,” Pat repeated, shaking his head as he held up his little finger. “Ro said you just needed space but you pinky swore you would go for a walk this morning and I'm going to hold you to that promise.” 

“Wha—what?” Remus said again, nearly not caring how dumb he sounded.

“You can hate me later, but I’m not leaving this room without you.” He stood and took one step back before looking down at his open shirt and blushing. “Well, and once I, uh, finish getting dressed.” 

Unsure if he was actually awake or only dreaming, Remus stared as Pat buttoned up and tucked in his shirt. He tightened his belt before squaring his shoulders and holding out his hand for him to take. The rest of Pat’s words slowly sank in, thorny vines spreading over his heart and spiraling up his chest and into his throat. “I could never hate you, Pat,” he muttered. Remus’ arm snaked up to push away the blanket and take his hand. The covers were heavy and he paused, shaking his head. “I just…” 

Soft hands closed over his and pushed the blankets down. A wave of foul, musky air rose up, his own filth threatening to choke them both. To his credit, Pat quickly smoothed away his grimace and his half-smile returned. “Well, good, because the first step for you is a shower.”

With more strength than Remus knew he had, Pat gently pulled him up to his feet. The heat of his touch pressed in fresh awareness as he looked around the room. 

Except for his eyesore of a bed, their room was spotless. Even the windows shone, cleaner than they’d been when they’d first moved in. The laundry bag of clean clothes he’d brought from home sat neatly in the corner of his closet, no longer half-dumped on the floor next to his bed. A small collection of sealed juice bottles and a bowl of fruit sat on top of their minifridge, along with a stack of packaged crackers and cookies. Re's phone, no longer under the bed where he'd dropped when the battery died, now sat charging on his desk.

When had Pat done all this?

His movements must have slowed because Pat’s hands firmed at his back, nudging him closer to the bathroom. “The hot water will feel good,” he promised. “Take as much time as you need. I’ll be right out here.”

”Wait—” Remus turned and reached for Pat’s arm before he could pull away completely. “Will you—” The bed called to him, safe and dark and warm. Soft, nothing sharp in sight. His eyes flicked toward the bathroom. Toilet cleaner, Pat’s razor, scissors. Matches. “Will you… Could you stay in there while I… Just to…” His voice failed and he hung his head, eyes on the floor. Fuck, even his toenails looked gross, untrimmed and curling in. He longed to shed his skin and hair and nails and just start all over again, to tear off the old and emerge wet and new and raw. 

Pat was quiet and Remus risked a glance at his face. Was he shocked? Scared? Disgusted? But Pat wasn’t looking at him, eyes fixed instead where he’d grabbed his arm. 

Remus’ nails were bitten to the quick, cuticles jagged and ripped, with nasty scabs where he’d torn too far into flesh and bled. His hand shook, but Pat’s arm was steady in his grip. He should let go, fuck, he knew he should let go but he just couldn’t force his hand to release him. Pat’s flannel was soft but thin, and the warmth of his arm bled through the material and into Re’s palm. 

Pat’s hand covered his and he closed his eyes, waiting for him to pry his fingers away and leave. Instead, Pat stroked Remus’ hand and slid his grip down, holding his hand between both of his own. “Okay,” he murmured, pink lips curled in a gentle smile. “I’ll stay in there with you. Whatever you need.”

Remus searched his eyes. Did he really just say yes?

He nodded and walked with him to the bathroom. “I’ll get your water started while you get undressed.”

[fandombead]

Returning the Favor

Word count: 2,690 || It's on AO3!

Summary: When you help a fae, you are owed a favor of equal value. And fae do not forget their debts. Patton always just wanted to help, with no strings attached. That isn't how it works and maybe he's grateful for that, in hindsight.

════ ≪ ❈ ≫ ════

Chapter 1: Kind

[Prologue]

Janus’ heart pounded in his skull, a steady reprimand for the situation he’d gotten himself into. How could he have been so stupid? He’d allowed himself to get separated from his attendant, foolishly thinking he could handle an outing on his own. How quickly circumstances had gone awry. 

He pulled for the eighteenth time in vain against the spider web, and only seemed to get more of himself stuck in the sticky cross-strands circling the connectors of the web. It really was just bad luck: the young fae had been distracted trying to hide from a hawk overhead and, of course, the first bush he ducked into had a near-invisible massive spider web. 

He’d flown into it at full speed, and the recoil of it had gotten his limbs tangled in the fine threads. His poor wings had it the worst, as he’d made the mistake of trying to flap on instinct to get free and only pinned them directly into it. He had no leverage to push off of the web and he didn’t particularly want to deal with a pissed-off hungry spider. A shadow fell over him and he had to wonder if his luck truly sucked so much that the bird had actually found him.

“Oh! You’re– You’re not a butterfly.”

Janus blinked and found himself looking up, perplexed and dreading at the young voice…two giant blue eyes on a round freckled face stared down at him, a half-done flower crown carefully clutched in the hand sticking over the bush. Janus’ eyes narrowed. A human was the last thing he needed to get involved.

“Away with you! Leave, I don’t want your involvement.”

“But aren’t you stuck? I can help, I won’t hurt you.” the human replied, walking around the bush and kneeling behind Janus, which was unnerving. 

Janus scowled, trying to keep eyes on the human despite being trapped on his front. He renewed his struggle but all it was doing was making him tired. “I said I do not need it.”

The human sat back with a worried expression, but their big hands made no move to grab Janus. “Okay. I’ll make sure you get out safely, though.”

Janus craned his neck to squint at them unhappily, but they seemed intent on just keeping watch for the spider that was surely around. Janus scowled to himself, humiliated as his pulling and twisting did nothing to improve the situation. No matter how he tugged or tried to rip his arms free, the strands stuck to him. It was all he could do to not get his head stuck too.

He grunted in frustration, silently cursing this human for bearing witness to his vulnerable moment as he was quickly tiring but refused to stop on principle with the large, wide eyes occasionally turning on him with what couldn’t be worry. No, it was likely pity, as he struggled like a mere insect waiting to die as nature intended for small creatures like him: victim of his size and bad luck. He gritted his teeth, refusing to succumb to the hot frustration behind gold eyes.

The human suddenly squealed in alarm as the spider crawled down the web towards its net’s prey. “Careful!! It’s coming! Oooh– please—“

Janus flinched as he saw the massive spider crawl out onto the web. He struggled futilely to get a hand free as panic got to him. “Okay! O-Okay, get me– oof!”

Janus felt a gentle pinch of his sides and felt himself get pulled up. The web tore away easily, though he was still covered in it as he found himself in the human’s loose fist.

The child scampered back from the bush with the fairy cupped in their palm, looking around frantically for where the spider had fallen when he’d torn its web. He shuddered, trying to shove it from his mind after checking around for a long moment. He then looked down at the web-covered fae he’d saved and tried not to think about the web now stuck to his hands as a result.

“Are you okay?”

Janus ignored the question, electing instead to keep swiping at his arms and legs as he hopelessly tried to get the webbing off of him. It wasn’t so much too strong for his pulling as it was sticky, just getting more onto his hands as he knelt trying to get it off of him. 

The human let him stay in his palm as he watched, and Janus did not like being gawked at. If his wings weren’t still covered and weighed down by the webbing, he’d have already tried to take off. But he was rather grounded as he worried how he was going to reach and clean them himself. 

He frowned up at the human after a moment, more wary than upset. He’d accepted help without asking the conditions. It was foolish to let himself. “And what would you ask of me after doing such a priceless favor?” 

He hoped it was just that, a favor. He knew how valuable his kind were to humans in the trade for magic items. He didn’t know if a child would grasp the sort of value he had. Stars, even he didn’t know. Only his mother and caretakers had warned him of such things while venturing out, that humans weren’t to be trusted as they’d take him regardless of his age. He was just an object to them and now he’d gotten himself at the mercy of one. Maybe he should have taken his chances with the spider. If he got back home, his mother would surely never let him leave the kingdom again. 

If he called for help, he wondered if Emile would hear him. Would that only alert the human to more fae for the taking? He didn’t want to drag Emile into this, but he now wanted the teacher here to get him out safely. Emile would be upset if he just allowed himself to be taken for his sake, though. He’d know what to do and say to appease the human.

But while Janus had been spiraling down those thoughts, he hadn’t noticed the human shifting until he felt his stomach drop. 

He looked around in a panic as the human stood, the slightly crushed flower crown hanging in the crook of his arm as he focused on cupping Janus securely. “Um. I ask if you need some water to help get the strings off?” he answered a bit unsurely.

Janus blinked, staring blankly until he remembered the last thing he’d said. 

The fairy made an unamused face, but the human seemed entirely genuine. Janus shifted uneasily but knew that it would help. Still, he wasn’t keen on wracking up more unpayable debts. But how else would he get back to flying? And the longer his large wings were covered in the spider silk, the harder they’d be to clean. 

“Why?” he demanded, eyes narrowed. “So you can take me to the other humans that sent you and sell me??”

The other looked startled. “Wha– no! No, I didn’t even know you weren’t a butterfly,” he defended. “I really thought you were a poor swallowtail that got trapped. H-How else are you gonna get home?”

Janus studied him for a long moment, making the human squirm a little. “…okay.” he sighed, covering his face. “But don’t take me far!”

The other child perked up and nodded quickly, his caramel curls bouncing off his head with each nod. “No problem! There’s a stream right over here.”

The tiny fae grimaced. He already knew that, as it was the very one he’d run into minutes before. Emile was probably losing his mind on the other bank with worry. “Silly mortal. I cannot cross running water, let alone get in it. It is a wretched barrier to my kind.”

Blue-eyes looked perplexed. “How did you cross it in the first place, then? Did you fly really high?”

Janus sighed. “Of course not, that wouldn’t work. I…I rode a turtle swimming across.” he admitted, embarrassed. And admittedly he hadn’t thought it through until he was halfway across. If that turtle had decided to duck under... 

“Oh. You’re stuck over here?” the larger child asked, something like sympathy in his tone that made Janus bristle a little. 

“I just wanted to see what was on this side because I’ve never been, and I can find my own way back! And I’ll be cleaning my own wings, so you can keep your huge human hands to yourself.”

He chose not to acknowledge that he was already in the human’s palm, because then he’d be reminded of the little power he truly had. But maybe he could trick the human into not realizing that. At that, he added, “And I don’t even know your name.”

Even as they talked the human child still had been walking and stopped at the stream. He knelt beside it, looking across curiously before down at his passenger now only in one hand.

The child tilted his head, then opened his mouth eagerly before pausing. “My Ma says I shouldn’t give strangers my name,” he said apologetically and Jan smirked if only to hide his nerves and rolled his eyes. 

“Yeah, I bet she did, then. Still, I should call you something.”

The human thought for a moment, looking at the abandoned wildflower crown to his right. “You can…call me Blue? Like Bluebell— my family calls me that sometimes,” he explained, hoping that would work. 

Janus sensed no lie and he acquiesced. Not hard to see where they’d gotten that.

“What can I call you?” Blue questioned, eagerly leaning forward some. 

The young fae folded his arms and shook his head. “I did not agree to an exchange.” he deflected, and Blue wilted. 

“Oh. I suppose that’s true,” he replied, rubbing his arm awkwardly.

Jan eyed him for a long moment. “You can call me Jay.”

The human’s eyes widened and just as fast he shifted back to beaming. 

“Okay, Jay! Aw, it’s like the bird, right? That’s a little funny,” he giggled. “Blue and Jay. Blue Jay~” 

Jan shook his head at the antics. “Alright, Blue. Tell me what exactly your reasoning was for bringing me here?”

Blue set him down beside him. “I’m gonna help you clean off so you can fly and then I can get you back home across the river,” he explained before grinning. “No strings attached!”

Jay didn’t look particularly pleased. “I already said I did not want you to help with my wings,” he said, the black and yellow wings fluttering anxiously behind him as he tried very hard to not let them close on each other. 

Blue nodded. “Don’t worry, I won’t have to! Trust me, I have an idea.”

Janus eyed the human and then the stream. “I  cannot trust one of the same who have harmed my kind for centuries, no matter how naive. You will be just like them one day.”

“I refuse to be.” Blue insisted, not even wavering at the accusation while reaching into the water with cupped hands. “I can't prove it now but I can help you. If you let me,” he said, gazing over at Jan as he offered the carefully captured water to the fairy. “Just flap your wings in the water and the web should come loose.”

Jan stared up at him as if trying to find the answers written in the tan freckles splattered across Blue’s face. “Why would you just help me for nothing?”

“Because you need it. And I can give it. That’s enough reason to help. You don’t have to do anything but maybe trust me a little bit. It’s just like…like a favor. I don’t need anything back.”

Janus stepped closer, then looked down at the lightly dripping pool of water in Blue’s palms. He wouldn’t be able to fly until his wings dried, but he already couldn’t do that anyway. He wouldn't be any more at the human’s mercy than he was now unless the human planned on getting him sick. The idea was outlandish even to him.

He set his hand gently on Blue’s index finger. “…okay.”

Jay ended up sitting together with Blue for over an hour, after having dipped his wings into the water and to his relief, making them easier to clean. He didn’t like his wings being wet, but it would not damage them. They talked while Janus sunned for a bit, hesitantly at first then more at ease as it became clear Blue was keeping to his word.

The sun was getting lower in the sky and Blue set down the small flower crown he’d been painstakingly weaving out of a bunch of tiny purple wildflowers they’d found nearby. Blue offered it to Janus, who had been watching curiously as the human struggled with large fingers to not crush the plants as he worked. The fairy took it gingerly, then peered up at Blue curiously. 

“You wear it! If you want to. It’s a flower crown.” he explained, and Janus’s eyes widened. How had this human even known?

Janus looked down at it, before carefully setting it on his head and Blue looked delighted. “Aw, purple looks lovely on you!” he giggled happily, and Janus’s wings fluttered unconsciously.

Blue beamed before looking around, then down at his companion again. “Your wings look like they’re all dry, can you fly yet?” 

Janus blinked, looking back at them. He flapped testingly for any extra water weight and was able to get off the ground with no problem. He smiled lightly, nodding. “They’re dry,” he confirmed. “I could get home.”

Blue nodded back and stood, offering Janus his palms. “Let’s get you across, then. We don’t want your family being any more worried.”

Blue took him to a shallow, narrow part of the stream not too far down and carried Jay back across, simple as that. It stunned Jay how easy it really was. 

He looked back at Blue and gave him a bow as he hovered, intrigued by this strange human he would never run into again. Blue waved and did not follow as Jay zipped off to find his distraught mentor for the scolding of a lifetime.

A favor.

Such a simple phrase for something that was so valuable that he could not repay with anything he had to offer. Considering what could have happened had Blue not intervened, it was a life-debt. But that was the point, wasn’t it? Blue had chosen not to bind him to the deed and yet it felt like something he couldn’t be released from so easily, beyond the laws of magic and hospitality and dealings. 

He’d never heard of a human-like that before. And he couldn’t stop thinking about them long after he’d made it safely back home.

He set the flower crown on his intricately carved toadstool table beside his bed. It would stay preserved, as bright as the day it was created, forever. It was a reminder. A fitting symbol of a debt that was not something he could truly even repay, he knew, but that didn’t mean the opportunity would never arise. 

He went to sleep, with many questions and thoughts on the boy who had helped a fae for nothing in return and, not one to accept things for free, wondered if he really would continue to hold those beliefs or grow up to regret having not taken advantage of his finding as a foolish young one. Janus wondered if he himself would, in a swapped scenario. It only made Blue’s actions that much more perplexing. Maybe he could ask Emile. Maybe he would understand it after some years: this level of thoughtless selflessness.

He concluded it just had to be that the boy hadn’t understood what kind of offer he’d had. Janus figured he’d gotten very lucky for that: as the crown prince, he had much to lose being captured by humans. 

But the kind eyes and the easy conversation were hard to consolidate with simple ignorance. He would find out what it really was, someday.

((Thank you for reading!))

[ashs-random-writing]

Mushroom Circles

Chapter Twelve

Ao3

—

When an accidental blood sacrifice leaves him in a strange new world, Roman has to hide

Logan would like to know what has been eating all the fruit

—

Roman, against his moral compass, was actually quite happy at the appearance of another human.

Not that he was happy with the how, the why, or any of that stuff, but… it was nice to finally see another person. It had been a while since he’d been able to properly talk to someone.

His new friend looked like they’d just robbed a hot topic, but who was he to judge based on clothing? To be quite honest, he knew he didn’t look very well presented after (how long had he been there?) a while of being in this realm

When he had been left alone with Janus, he’d not been excited. He knew that Janus hadn’t done any actual life-threatening things in the past few weeks. But he also knew that the main cause of that was the other two faeries watching him often

When he’d heard Logan leave the house, and Janus walked into the room, he’d forced himself not to freeze up. Despite the fact that Janus had not been putting his life in danger for amusement recently, Roman had still been subjected to a few smaller misdeeds since.

Janus liked to mess with him. Liked to poke and prod him and occasionally push him over because apparently it was funny, how much power they held over him, but they only really did it when the other two were out, because they told Janus off for it.

Roman had stopped reacting. He figured his lack of reaction had bored them, considering the way they’d stopped bothering him quicker than usual. Who knew that pretending not to be scared could do such good?

Patton and Logan were nice, but Roman was much more grateful for the way they kept Janus from hurting him. When Janus messed with him, he felt far too much like a mouse that was being toyed with by a cat

Now, it seemed that that cat (that horrible, snakey cat) had brought home another prey to toy with.

Roman spoke quietly to Virgil, who seemed to want to know as much as possible about their situation (Roman couldn’t blame him for that- he’d have loved to have someone to tell him what was going on)

“Yeah, so there’s those two,” he pointed out “that’s Logan, they’re nice, but, uh, a little hard to read,” Virgil nodded beside him.

“And the uh, snake one?” They said, only stuttering a little, clearly still terrified overall

Roman felt for them, and he nodded “That’s Janus. They’re my least favourite, but the other two keep them in check, so, not as bad as they used to be,”

Virgil scooted back slightly, away from the faeries as they looked at the two humans.

Roman kept his demeanour in check; Virgil had much more of a right than him to freak out at this point, and Roman didn’t want to fall apart in front of him. He needed to be reassuring.

“Y-you, uh, you mentioned a third?”

Roman drew his eyes away from the faeries

“Oh, yeah… um, there’s Patton as well. They’re nice, but they can be a little overwhelming. I’m pretty sure that this is Patton’s house, actually..” he mused quietly

He hadn’t really been conscious when he’d been brought here, but it seemed logical that he’d be brought to Patton’s house, since it was the closest to his tunnel.

Virgil stared at him a few seconds “How?”

Roman looked back with a tilted head

“Hm?”

“How are you so calm?”

Roman pursed his lips

“I suppose if you’d really like to know,” he started quietly, bringing his hand to the back of his neck sheepishly “I’m not. I’ve just gotten better at hiding it,”

He still felt his heart racing every time one of the giants looked at him. He still couldn’t stop the mile-a-minute thoughts when he was carefully picked up, as though he was made of extremely fragile glass. Especially not when Janus was involved.

He and Virgil talked for a little while, before the sound of the door alerted them to Patton’s return. Roman watched the two other faeries, look at each other before hurrying towards the door, likely to explain their new find. Roman informed Virgil of everything he could understand from what they were overhearing (it wasn’t much, but still)

Patton had walked in with wide eyes, and thinly veiled excitement and perhaps concern. Roman knew firsthand how overwhelming it could be to be faced with three giants, so he didn’t comment on the way Virgil had frozen up behind him, or the way he could hear Virgil’s breathing speed up ever so slightly

——

Patton hadn’t known what to expect when he’d left Logan and Janus alone for the day. But this was certainly not on the list

He’d only gone to take care of plants for an old friend, he’d never expected for him to come home to the chaos that he did. Logan and Janus had rushed towards the door as he entered; Patton was almost expecting them to tell him about an argument they’d had

But for them to tell him that they’d found yet another tiny person (and that “Janus scared them quite badly when he found them”), and that Logan had found quite a big discovery on what exactly they were, and why Tiny had not shared their name

Patton didn’t have time to read any part of the old-looking book that Logan had shown him, before he was ushered into the kitchen to the table. The new tiny person (or “human”, as Logan had informed him) was even smaller than Tiny, almost hiding behind them with wide eyes as he approached

Patton was careful not to move so suddenly, or not to be too loud. He approached, trying to suppress his natural reaction of seeing something small and cute and trying to scoop it up to hug. He tried to hide his upset for the way they froze up, the way Tiny used to.

They were slightly paler than Tiny, though he wasn’t sure if that was natural or because of fear. He hoped it was natural.

He couldn’t find any words to say. He knew they wouldn’t understand him. After a few minutes of just watching them, letting them realise he wasn’t a threat (it was a bit like when he found a baby bird) and slowly calm down.

Logan carefully led him towards the living room, to where the big, old book was sitting. Logan flipped to a page near the end, and pointed him to a paragraph about names. Control.

Patton swallowed down his deep discomfort at the idea of controlling the little guys. Yeah, they’d have to stick with nicknames for now.

—

@betamash @a-chilly-pepper @da3dm

[typically-untypical]

Falling For You

AU: Fantasy

CW: Injury

WC: 1,595

Date: 12/16/2023

"Stay by my side," Janus called to Patton and Roman, completely dropping the titles he should have been using. This was so typical of him, waiting until the moment there were no onlookers and dropping any respect he was supposed to show the two kings. Honestly Roman didn't mind. For the past decade, Janus had been Roman's guard, protecting him whether he was on the ground or in flight. Even before he was a guard, he had been the kid that snuck in to see Roman. They had always been by each other's side, and why Roman was younger, he had naively believed he and Janus were fated to be together. He dreamed of Janus sweeping him off his feet, making a snide remark and whisking him away to the unknown, away to a place where they weren't separated by their class and they could be together without sideways glances.

However, that wasn't the role of a guard, and it certainly wasn't the place for a royal. Roman had the responsibility to carry on his family lineage, to hold his head high and be above reproach when it came to society. That didn't mean he stopped craving Janus' deep voice whispering in his ear. It just meant he got much better at hiding it.

Patton, Roman's husband, wasn't nearly as experienced in the ways of denying his emotions. Patton wore his heart on his sleeve and it was beautiful, but dangerous. He attempted to hide his sadness and pain but it was easy enough to see it, almost as easy to see the blooming curiosity his husband had for their guard. Janus had a way with words, a way of peaking people's interest and twisting them around him. That was how Roman had fallen, so completely enamored with the coiling twists of Janus' tongue that he hadn't realized he was ensnared until it was too late.

"My kings!" Janus' voice was loud, screaming through the wind as he threw himself and his alicorn in front of Patton and Roman. The blast came soon after, rocking Janus back. It felt like a slow spell had been cast as Janus slowly tipped off his mount, empty eyes connecting with Roman's before time sped up and Janus was free falling. 

"No!" Patton shouted just after, pushing himself from the safety of Roman's arms and diving into the sky to grab Janus. The were wrapped together, billowing cloaks in the wind as Patton struggled to grab his wand. 

There wasn't enough time.

 There wasn't enough time! 

Roman grabbed the reins hard, steering towards the two rushing to the ground. 

There wasn't time to think. 

He had to act. 

Matching his descent with theirs he scooped both into his arms, almost missing Patton's hand. They were safe. He was holding them. 

Roman leveled out but there was still a threat. Bolts of magic fired at the three of them while he tried to steer away. His chest was tight, running on pure adrenaline until he landed. 

"Patton get him somewhere safe." Roman jumped off the alicorn, pulling his own wand out of his pocket.

"But Roman, what are you-"

"I've got this handled." Landing might not have been the best strategy. He had less area to maneuver around this way, but he couldn't risk falling. He wasn't going to die here. He wouldn't leave either of them behind. Roman turned to look at Patton, showing him the softest smile he could manage. Was he frightened? Sure. Was he concerned about winning this fight? Possibly. However, nothing would be worse than him losing the two people he loved. For a brief moment Roman entertained the idea of being a gallant hero, of letting his name go down in history for saving Patton and Janus. The two of them would get together and Janus would be taken care of.

No, now wasn't the time for that. He shot Patton another look, and the man swallowed before nodding. He took the reins of the alicorn and flew away into the forest. They would be hard to follow there. Thankfully, the men after them went for the easy prey, flying toward Roman instead of going after Patton and Janus. There were four riders, two with wands and two with swords. His hand itched to reach for his own sword but he had to be strategic about this. The ones with the wands posed the most problems but if the two with the swords got any closer that could change. Roman waved his wand above his head, casting it down and creating a wall of ice between the two groups hoping to buy Patton and Janus more time. He then whistled for Janus' mount who had been aimlessly flying in circles without a rider to guide him. The Alicorns were very intelligent creatures, they knew when it was time to work and when it was time to play. Roman was lucky the bridal hadn't been knocked off as well or he might not have had a mount at all. 

"I'm surprise the four of you managed to knock my guard off his mount." They didn't speak the two with magic shooting at him but Roman was able to dodge with minor injures, shivering at the cold that latched onto his leg. "Your skills pale in comparison." Maybe taunting them wasn't the best idea. It was important he keep their attention. He could see the way they grew angrier with his jabs and the ice wall shattered. Thankfully just in time for Roman to throw himself onto the Alicorn and take to the skies. Patton and Janus were decently far away now. They should be safe. It was time to fight for real. 

He wished he could spare the griffins, the chosen mounts for his pursuers, but it was always dangerous to attempt to take in creatures that had been tamed by the enemy. Roman had to act without mercy. He slung spells at his pursuers, felling those who would try to hurt him, and when his mana was drained, he pulled out his sword, ready to attack with the horn of his alicorn and also with the fury of his own blade. The sun was setting by the time he was able to land. He allowed the alicorn to lead, knowing they were often drawn to others of their species. They walked instead of flying, making their way through the forests that protected the city, stumbling through the dark with only each other. As the last lights of day faded, Roman saw a light, a small campfire off in the distance. 

"Patton you have to let me go!" Janus was shouting, his voice pitched higher then it normally was a sound he only made when consumed by panic. "He could be in danger."

"You don't think I know that?" Patton sounded like he had been crying. "But he didn't want you to get hurt."

"And he also doesn't have many brain cells."

"That's not an appropriate thing to say about your king," Roman said as he walked into the clearing, smiling softly when he saw both of them were alright. Patton was already rushing toward him and Janus was straightening himself out, shoulders back, hands pressing down his guard uniform. It was like watching someone put on a carefully curated mask. Janus had always been good at that, but that only worried Roman more.

As soon as his husband was in his arms, Roman hugged Patton tightly. His eyes never really left Janus who cleared his throat upon realizing the intensity of his king's gaze.

"I am thankful you're alright," he hesitated, voice hanging in the air before Janus bowed, whispering, "your highness." That simply wouldn't do. It was only the three of them and Roman preferred the man who argued and challenged him to one that quietly followed orders. Gently putting his hands on Patton's shoulders, Roman pushed him away, kissing his cheek lightly. He was about to do something they had talked about for a while and outside the confines of the castle and society, Roman was willing to take a risk. He had almost lost Janus today. He wasn't risking this again. Roman marched over, twigs snapping under his feet.

He was face to face with Janus, in a manner of speaking, but the other man was still bowing, head dipped in reverence. That really wouldn't do. Roman lifted up Janus' chin, tilting him toward the sky.

"Come now Roman, I know you won't behead me for such a simple faux pas," he was trying to smile, but there was a hint of doubt in his eyes, a hint of something else. How could Janus doubt him? After so long?

"Will you shut up for once in your life?" He leaned forward, kissing Janus with as much heat as care, pulling the man in closer as he second hand went to explore Janus' body. Roman wanted to touch him as much as he wanted to verify the knight was okay.

When they finally separated for air, Janus was smirking, a look of love sickness in his eyes. "That wasn't an appropriate thing for a king to do," He whispered and Patton giggled, causing Janus to blush just a hint. 

"I don't care, you aren't allowed to leave."

"Can I have a turn?" Patton asked, resting one hand on Roman's arm and the other on Janus'. He had a pout on his lips that barely hide a smile. They would figure this out together, society be damned. Roman wasn't going to lose him.

@tsspromptmonth

[rel312]

What I loved about the last 2 episodes of WWDITS S5 (SPOILERS!!!):

Episode 9:

“The intoxicating elixir to the weary mind” everything Laszlo says is mesmerizing

Nandor using a book as an excuse to not go to The Guide’s art gallery

They have a car???

The vamps being carried around in a pet carrier as bats

Colin Robinson’s mustache

Perdita not even being there

“Six?”

This is all just set up by The Guide right?

The little moment between Guillermo and The Guide

Laszlo’s fencing joke

Laszlo not even moving while The Guide is going crazy

Everything about Laszlo’s fencing scene

His little “oh shit” at the end

Nandor and Colin Robinson playing chess but neither of them know how

The Guide making paintings of the vamps and wanting to show them off to her new friends

None of the vamps caring about the art

The Guide very clearly leading Nadja to the wrong place

Nadja calling Laszlo her best friend 🥹

Nadja pushing The Guide in front of her and The Guide just going “let me go first to keep you safe”

Nadja running away as she says she’s coming to help

The hunt being humans

Nandor thinking college athletes are the “most challenging prey”

Nandor’s impressed “look at him go”

Guillermo just chilling in the house

Nandor bird calling to hunt humans

Nandor literally treating Guillermo like a dog

Nandor actually trying to help The Guide by finding a stick

And then immediately running away from her when the humans come

Colin Robinson’s facial hair

“Predict-ament”

Colin Robinson being convinced everyone disappearing is Guillermo’s fault until he has like 2 seconds to think about it

Guillermo being so gentle with The Guide

The Guide ignoring Guillermo cause she’s trying to make a point

So it was The Guide!

“Glad onion”

Nandor still not understanding what’s happening

All of The Guide’s grievances being with Nadja in the flashbacks

Nadja still making it about her

We were right! The Guide did set up the hex!

I did not have Colin Robinson saying “Did not have that on my 2023 bingo card” on my 2023 bingo card

Nandor sticking onto “taking matters into his own hands” and everybody being like “what???”

“I didn’t want to tell you because I didn’t wanna hurt you”

Nandor’s sad voice asking to make sure he heard it right

“You could’ve asked me” stop it stop it stop it

Babygirl is so sad

The fact that Nandor knew right away what was wrong with Guillermo’s turning

Also whoever called it being the Van Helsing thing was right

The fact that Laszlo knew exactly what date they all said nice things about The Guide

The way Laszlo draws out that “loveeeee”

Guillermo being so proud he turned into a bat for the first time

And then Nandor being upset that he’s rubbing it in

Laszlo protecting Guillermo from Nandor

Nandor’s scream for Guillermo

The way the nice conversation was just to set her up with Colin Robinson so he’ll move out

Episode 10

Guillermo going to Derek

Guillermo telling the crew to come in

Derek not understanding it was the crew that followed him

Nadja tracking Guillermo down

Or… I guess Derek just telling her lol

Wait she went to find Derek specifically to find Guillermo!

Nadja telling Derek her name was Detective Policeman

Nadja trying to protect Guillermo

Nadja going to stop the couple but then joining them

That was… a very personal way of describing Guillermo’s death Nandor

“I have been watching the one place he will return to eventually… Panera Bread”

“He can run, but he cannot run very far. Because he has very short legs”

Patton Oswald????

“Do you know John Slattery?”

Nandor not realizing there’s more than one Panera Bread

Colin Robinson asking Nadja where Guillermo is to find him

Colin Robinson doing an exit interview

“Mr. De la ‘Cruzz’”

“At times almost articulate” the awkward handshake

Nandor going to eat with Payton Oswald at Panera Bread

Laszlo coming to Guillermo too

“I must apologize, Gizmo, I feel like I’ve let you down” he cares

Laszlo starting to be sweet but getting distracted by the tv

“I’m just more afraid of losing the vampires. My friends” STOP he loves them so much

Nandor bringing Patton Oswald to the rooftops

And Nandor kicking him off for suggesting he doesn’t kill Guillermo

The Guide even coming to see Guillermo

Also the animal clones coming to see him

Guillermo telling them there’s no room at the “farm”

Nandor going to Guillermo’s mom to get to him

Nandor deciding not to kill Guillermo because he didn’t like killing Patton Oswald

Nandor’s word as a warrior

Guillermo hypnotizing his mom not to kill Nandor

Nandor telling the others he’s making Guillermo an equal and all of them hating it

Colin Robinson being so concerned on Guillermo possibly taking his seat

Laszlo being so upset that he didn’t think of giving Guillermo human blood

Also Nandor being smarter than Laszlo

“Drink bitch”

Guillermo fully turning and being so excited

Colin Robinson’s “FOMO”

The vamps draining a while restaurant

And Guillermo not wanting to kill anyone and genuinely getting so emotional about it

Nandor having heard the whole convo

Oh my god Nandor was never waiting cause he was fucking with Guillermo or some messed up shit, he was waiting for Guillermo to be ready

THE DJIN!!!!

Of course he ran out of wishes

“I wish I could help you”

Nandor really wanted to fix it though

Nandor tenderly tying Guillermo’s cape

The Baron and the Sire coming to the ceremony

Guillermo wanting to be a human

Did… did the Sure just say “thank you”??

Everyone except for Derek taking off their hoods

Guillermo just… turning back

And growing facial hair in a second

And Nandor carrying around Guillermo’s real glasses

Nandor pronouncing the t in Home Depot

Laszlo offering to Guillermo

Them bringing Derek to the necromancer

Derek having only spent $270 from Guillermo’s money on “vampire clothes” from hot topic

Derek coming back as a zombie

TOPHER????

[heroofshield]

Silly Game Time: What is the current (or what was the most recent) thing to really capture your interest? (For me, it's the 2017 space horror game "Prey".)

those that know me know that I'm never off my Stardew Valley bullshit, also I'm getting back on the Dragon Age train with the release of the DA4 gameplay trailer. And this past weekend I've binged watched Manhunt on Apple TV, which is an adaption of a book (same name) that focus's on the hunt for James Wilkes Booth post-assassination of President Lincoln and was required reading in both middle schools that I used to work in.

(he also did books on the JFK & Martin Luthor King Jr assassinations. I've read the JFK one but not the other yet)

Highly recommend the book & show if you don't know much about the aftermath of the hunt for Booth or want to see Patton Oswolt with a magnificent beard & in a Union Army uniform.

[ariesgamesandminis]

Huge restock for BattleTech from Iron Wind Metals has hit the shelves!

10-036 Word of Blake Omni Mech Pack I 10-039 Recon Lance 20-227 Locust IIC 4 20-248 Donar 20-252 Red Shift RDS-2A 20-257 Firestarter FS9-O 20-258 Scimitar 20-280 Heavy Wheeled APC 20-299 Schiltron 20-387 Mining Mech / MOD 20-390 Fortune 20-395 Manteuffel 20-405 Great Turtle GTR-1 20-418 Huron Warrior HUR-WO-R4L 20-438 DI Schmitt 20-5008 Flamberge 20-5014 Dark Crow 20-5023 Hyena Salvage Mech HYN-4A 20-5025 Mad Cat IV "Savage Wolf" 20-5047 Incubus II 20-5099 Bruin 20-5166 Prey Seeker PY-SR10 20-5204 Stormwolf 20-623 SRM Carrier 20-633 Naga 20-684 Shootist ST-8A 20-687 Thunder Hawk TDK-7X 20-749 Goblin 20-750 Rommel / Patton 20-783 J. Edgar 20-983 Mad Cat Mk II 20-9122 Battleforce Hex Base 99-600 Small Missile Launcher AC-002 Small Space Base AC-007 Multi Hole Fighter Base BT-008 Void Battle Armor BT-037 Claymore BT-074 Corsair Micro Fighter BT-078 Slayer Micro Fighter BT-084 Cheetah Micro Fighter BT-101 Centurion Micro Fighter BT-114 Sparrowhawk Micro Fighter BT-134 Gray Death Legion Battle Armor BT-142 HellCat Micro Fighter BT-202 Rogue Bear BT-280 Charger CHR-1A1 BT-286 Procyon Quad BT-302 Gurteltier MBT BT-370 Kurita Infantry BT-371 Davion Infantry BT-382 Kanazuchi BT-393 Kage BT-408 Loki II A BT-439 Black Wolf OP-097 Generic Missile Launcher OP-098 Missile Launcher Front Panel OP-099 Gauss Rifles OP-102 Inner Sphere PPC's OP-104 Extended Range Lasers and PPC OP-116 Equipment 20-326D Loki Anti-Personal Pod

[djs-horny-blog-lmao]

Okay, but honestly? I think up until the point where Logan learns about Guardian, he's probably worried for his secretary (just because of company secrets, of course. Totally not because he's falling a tiny bit for the poor, pathetic man who tries his best to please Logan in all things, no matter how much it hurts himself in the process)

But after he learns? Logan is more-than-willing to do whatever it takes to get Guardian off the streets. And if that means shattering Patton's hopes of any sort of redemption or normalcy returning, well...

At least he looks pretty when he cries, right?

...I think the way i wrote Logan in Part 2 accidentally oversold just how much Logan cares about Patton, and that's on me.

To me Logan doesnt really care about Patton Foster, the guy. He cares about whether his employee, y'know, His Secretary/PA, is fit to work at the very high standard that Logan has come to expect. And sure, Patton is pretty, but Logan doesn't actually watch or care what Patton does as long as Patton's doing his job. That's why Patton has been able to get away w/ the double act so well so far, I think.

But yes, if/when Logan finds out about Patton being Guardian, he would be interested in taking Patton off the streets, but I think (and it doesn't help I havent written the other 'plots') that Logan in his villain outings has been focussed on a different hero (Remus), so he might actually end up reconnecting with Janus to... discuss a business proposal :3

This is NOT to say that Logan won't end up bending Patton over his desk to rail him. He will. But i think Logan is smart and cautious, and knowing Patton is Guardian, he knows Patton actually is very clever too. So he wouldn't fuck with Patton if he wasn't fully assured it was... safe. If by this point, Guardian wasn't going to interfere with Sanders Inc or whatever.

I think this may mean Logan strikes a deal of sorts with Janus/Siren to leave Patton impressionable enough that he won't question Logan making sexual advances on him. And it'll help turn Guardian into an edgeslut so Janus will be happy to help, for a good deal of course ^-^

Patton would end up being easy prey for Logan. And I think that Logan likes a puzzle. He likes a fight. He likes someone who he can... dissect. Metaphorically. And this is why i think the intrulogical will be kind of insane.

This is way too long sorry and forgive the lateness of my reply, I was busy getting hammered over New Years.