might drop this, doesnt seem like anyone’s really interested in reading it and i have a dozen other ideas. i do have some more ideas for chapters but idrk where to go with them. tbh, if anyone wants to team up on this lmk.
School was school. Some schools were worse than others, but at the end of the day, you’re trapped in a building with a thousand other teenagers for seven hours straight. At least in elementary school you get recess.
Patton was sprawled on his bed, going over the notes he’d taken. He had to spend time after school going around and talking to every teacher about getting up to speed with the rest of the class, which wasn’t fun. Additionally, he had to introduce himself to the entire class. Patton wasn’t shy, far from it, but even so, he never craved that kind of attention.
Luckily, he shared a few classes with the people he’d already met, although in his science class, he was all alone. He was thinking about what that class would be like, considering everyone else had already made friends —except for him, of course— when Janus returned from the bathroom, putting his gloves back on.
“How are you feeling?” Asked Janus, sitting near Patton’s head on the bed.
“Awful. My science teacher is a bit of a… pain. She expects me to just immediately start working on this project due in two weeks! And none of y’all have her, and I don’t know anyone in that class!”
“Listen, Pat, I may not have known you long, but it doesn’t take much to see that you make friends easily. I’m sure you’ll do fine.”
“Ugh, okay. But can you help me?” Patton asked sheepishly, “I already forgot all my teacher’s names.” Janus giggled and began going through the list with his friend.
The two studied and worked for a few hours before there was a knock at the door. “Hey kiddos, we leave in fifteen,” Patton’s father said, cracking open the door.
“Ugh. Why are they on a Monday, and why so late?” bemoaned the cat pixie, beginning to wrap up his work.
“Oh well, you know, it’s ‘tradition’ and they ‘don’t care about anyone getting enough sleep on a school night,’” Janus mocked, “It’s so annoying, my mom is so obsessed with things being exactly the same as they always were. It’s for the nature spirits or whatever.”
Patton giggled, “Well, it could be worse.” The snake shrugged and they headed downstairs.
“Is Virgil coming?” Asked the cat.
“Yeah. Normally he wouldn’t because he’s a shadow elf, but lately he’s been looking into magical apprenticeship.”
“That’s so cool! If I was an elf, I’d definitely wanna do magic.” Janus smiled at the other pixie. The two followed Geoni into the car, and they headed out. It was a short drive, just out of town, and took the family down a quiet back road.
“There,” said Janus as the car approached a parking lot on the side of the road. The fae noticed a slight yellow glowing. “It’s hidden by a cloaking spell, so only fae can see it.”
Geoni, who was driving, nodded and pulled into the lot, which was already quite full. He took a free space and the four climbed out. “Over here!” called Janus, heading out towards a glowing path. It was faint, but still easy to follow. The four walked for about ten minutes before reaching a large glowing circle. “Another cloaking spell. Just walk in.”
Patton stepped in with Janus, his father close behind. Suddenly, the sound of music, the smell of food, and the happy chatter of people filled the air around them. “Wow! Our circle was never like this!” exclaimed Patton as he looked around at the vendors, dancers, and musicians.
The snake smiled at him, “Do you want to have a look around?” The cat nodded excitedly before glancing back at his father.
“You two go ahead, I’ll explore on my own.”
Patton grinned and grabbed Janus’ hand, “Well?”
The snake blushed, “Follow me, I guess.” The pixie dragged his friend around the circle, showing him all the sights and sounds. The Brookside circle was known for its lively atmosphere, although Patton hadn’t really understood what that meant until he saw it.
After half an hour or so, the two stopped to eat dinner, getting some food from a vendor. They sat on the grass to eat and watched the pixies, fairies, and elves dance and play.
“Announcements are in like,” Janus checked his watch, “fifteen minutes or so.”
Patton nodded, gazing at the scene. After a pause, he looked at the snake, “Do you have to go up?”
“Nah.”
The two chatted about school for a few minutes as vendors started to close shop. After about fifteen minutes, the music slowed and stopped, and the fae began to take their seats as the stage was lit up. Janus’ mother—Ilani? Was it?—stepped up to a microphone. She began speaking, going over the events of the week. The magic levels in the forest, a strange creature that had been captured and was no longer a threat.
“This week, we have a very important announcement,” She paused, looking around to get the attention of all the fae. “We have word of a fae-hunting organization that is trying to lay their roots here. So far, it’s only… rumors. Although we do have a few confirmed anti-fae families. Be especially careful when talking to humans, and deny the existence of fae at any opportunity. At this point, we are not allowing humans to be newly alerted of fae presence. If a human does discover your identity, report it immediately to me or the council.” She gestured towards a table full of serious looking fae. She wrapped up the announcements with a few things about the upcoming holiday, and then stepped off the podium. The band began playing again, but the lively chatter was now dimmed and worried.
“Hey.”
Patton jumped, his tail straightening in shock. When he saw that it was Virgil who stood over him and Janus, however, he calmed and sat back down. “Sorry,” mumbled the shadow elf as he sat next to the snake.
Patton giggled, blushing a little. “It’s okay, you just shocked me.” The elf smiled in response.
“So how’d it go? Did you talk to the teachers?” asked Janus.
“Yeah, I think I’m gonna start soon. I mean, I already learned some magic. My uh… my dad taught me, but yeah. I’m gonna learn with a proper teacher.” Virgil’s eyes stayed on the ground as he talked.
“That’s great.” said the snake, fondly playing with the other’s hair.
“So, there was that… um.” Patton mumbled nervously.
“What is it?” Janus turned back to the cat.
“Your mom, she said something about… fae-hunting.”
The air was quiet when he said that, and the snake looked down. “I… heard them talking about it, but I didn’t want to bring it up in case it was wrong.” The snake spoke to both his friends. “There have been fae-hunting groups here in the past, and we managed to deal with it. Besides, we don’t even know if there is an organized group. From what she said, it’s just a few families.”
“But… I didn’t even know there were organized groups against fae. I’ve always… lived in a really sheltered world. We were always told to just… never speak to humans. I— I guess I figured, with the way they kept us, that no human had even heard of the fae.”
“Honestly,” started Virgil, “it’s far from it. A lot of humans know about the fae, even if they don’t believe in them. But, more importantly, when you have a circle as big as this one, it becomes an easy target for fae-hunters. We’ll have to be careful. Spend less time with Remus.” The elf spoke softly, but the words were sharp in Patton’s head.
“Let’s… go home.” Janus pulled the other two fae to their feet and scanned the crowd for Patton’s father. The older pixie was already on their way to them, and it didn’t take long for them to communicate it was time to go home. They walked with Virgil to the parking lot, gave him a goodbye, and started driving home.
Janus stepped inside with Patton, the cat pixie giving a tired goodbye before heading up to crash. The snake stayed for a bit, talking with Geoni. The cat pixie listened to his friend and father discuss the news from the night, before drifting off to sleep.
I struggled a bit with this chapter, but hopefully it’s satisfactory.
“Listen if either one of you god damn bitches messes this up, I will personally find a way to make you suffer.”
“Damn, Janus, gay much?” Virgil snorted, leaning back on the snake’s bed.
“Don’t worry, we won’t scare off your little crush.” Remus giggled.
“It-- Is that what you guys think this is?”
“I mean you do be kinda actin’ special ‘bout him.” Virgil said, smirking.
Janus breathed in, “I. Do not. Have a crush on someone I met two weeks ago. It’s just that he’s new and… sensitive. I mean, he told me to watch my language when I said ‘damn’. And you guys… just, don’t scare him off. He needs friends, he’s been here for half a month, he’ll wanna know some people before school starts on Monday.”
“Alright, loverboy.” Teased Virgil. The snake simply cast a disgruntled look at the other before heading out the door.
The three waited for a few minutes in Virgil’s living room. When the doorbell rang, Virgil stood to answer, but Janus pushed him down. “I’ll let him in, you’ll thank me later, Anxiety.”
Patton was standing in the doorway when Janus opened it, and he was holding a plastic bag with some box in it. “Janus!”
“Hey Patton, why don’t you come on in.” The feral pixie stepped inside the threshold and looked around the room, smiling brightly at the two others. “This is Virgil,” Janus pointed to the emo-looking teenager with heavy bangs, who nodded shyly, “and Remus,” he gestured to the other one, who waved excitedly at Patton.
“I’m Patton, y’all and uh,” he stepped forward to Virgil, “Since this is your house, I brought you some cupcakes. My dad always says it's nice to give a gift of food when you enter the threshold of someone new, so he made me make these.”
“Uh, thanks,” replied Virgil in a quiet, deep voice.
“Aw, you're a bit shy, aren’t you?”
Virgil blushed, and laughed nervously.
“It’s alright sweetheart, I’ll put these in the fridge for you?”
The elf nodded and Patton went into the kitchen to do just that. As soon as he was out of earshot Virgil whispered to Janus, “I… take back what I said. He is so sweet I swear. You could get diabetes from talking to him.”
Janus giggled and Patton strolled back into the living room, beaming. “Shall we go?” The others nodded, standing up.
“I’ll drive us,” said Virgil, holding up his car keys. [AN: The legal driving age in this world is fifteen.]
“You don’t wanna take the bus?”
“Ha, I got a car now. I am never taking another bus in my life.”
The car in question was a bit old, but still worked fine. It was his late aunt’s, but she’d passed away a few months ago and Virgil became the owner of the car. The four climbed in, Virgil in the driver’s seat, Janus in passenger, and Patton with Remus in the back.
“So, Pat, you’re new in town?” Remus smiled at the pixie from across the car.
“Yeah! I just moved here with my family, better climate, less… traditional ideas.”
Remus cocked his head in confusion.
“Uuuuuh… I’m gay,”that certainly wasnt the reason he was here, but Janus, glancing back the the two in the back seat, couldn’t tell if it was a lie.
“Oh well, then you’ll fit right in.”
Patton smiled. There was mild chatter in the car, mostly about what each of the teenagers had done over the break. After about twenty minutes, Virgil pulled the car into a parking spot and the four climbed out of the car and headed into the rink.
Pop music was being blasted over the sounds of roller blades speeding around the rink. A birthday party was happening on one side, so the sounds of children’s laughs filled the air. Virgil handed the money to the cash register and the teenagers, save for Patton, pulled out their roller blades.
“Hey Pat, you gonna go get your rentals? Unless you have skates I mean.” Said the snake.
“Uh no, I don’t-- Uh--”
Janus stepped up to Patton. “Have you ever skated before?”
“...No.”
The other pixie chuckled and took Patton’s hand, leading him to the skate rentals. They picked out some skates, with four wheels, for the young pixie, and then headed over to the benches to get them on.
“Do you need help?”
“Is this right?” Patton showed Janus the skates, and the snake gave a thumbs up before standing.
“So, you’ve really never skated before.”
“Nope.”
Janus smiled, “Okay, well, take my hand and I’ll teach you how.”
Patton nodded, and the other pixie helped him stand. “Don’t be nervous,” said Janus softly, “Just focus on me, and what I tell you.” The more experienced skater gently grabbed the waist of his companion. “We’ll just walk out to the rink, and I’ve got you, so you won’t fall.” Patton smiled at this, while still a bit nervous. Janus blushed, hoping the other wouldn’t notice.
The two stepped onto the rink, and the snake gently moved the cat’s hand to the railing. He rolled back a bit, holding just Patton’s arm.
“Just push your feet like this,” Janus demonstrated, moving a small amount. The other pixie copied him shakily, and they slowly travelled around the ring, Patton’s hand always on the railing and Janus.
By the time they got around the first time, the inexperienced skater had developed a slow but consistent rhythm, and was able to slowly skate. He barely touched the wall at this point. Janus couldn’t keep from grinning at the frankly adorable human.
“Hey Pat?”
The cat stopped, his focus broken. “Yeah?”
“You did really good. Do you wanna go around again? Maybe off the wall this time? I’ll still hold onto you though.”
“I--sure. And, thanks for teaching me, I was kind of hoping I’d just… figure it out somehow.”
“Of course! Now, do you wanna take a break first?”
Patton shook his head, so the two continued. During the second lap, Janus was still gripping onto the nervous skater’s arm, but by the third, they were merely holding hands and gliding freely. Look at me, holding hands with a cute boy while roller skating, thought Janus to himself.
They were soon beckoned by Remus and Virgil, who were leaning on the side of the rink. Carefully, they slowed to a halt and stepped off the rink, Patton’s steps wobbly.
“Do you guys want some food?” Asked Virgil upon the two teenager’s arrival.
The snake shot a glance at his feral counterpart who muttered a shy “No, thank you.”
“I could eat.” Declared Remus, patting his stomach. The group headed towards the small restaurant, chattering quietly. The group ordered one hot dog each, except for Patton, who instead chose a simple glass of water.
“So I see Jan here taught ya how to skate,” said Remus, finishing a bite of hot dog.
Patton looked up, nodding.
“Yeah, he learned very quickly,” Added Janus, casting a subtle smile towards Patton. The pixie returned it with a bright grin.
After they ate, the group returned to the rink. They did a few laps going slow for Patton, but after a bit Janus and Virgil decided to do some quickly. Remus, however, stayed behind with Patton.
“You know, Jan is totally into you.” Remus said, smirking.
Patton giggled, “I noticed. I don’t even know what I did!”
“Well you are pretty sweet,” the deceptively beautiful teenager lifted Patton’s dramatically and looked into his eyes. The pixie snorted, and Remus followed.
“So you aren’t as oblivious as may have been implied?” The silver-haired human implored.
“I may be… hm ‘innocent’ as one might say, but not oblivious, surely I’m not ignorant.”
“You know, I think you’re a lot more than people see at first glance.”
Patton smiled, and the two finished skating, chatting merrily as they went.
***
Virgil pulled into the driveway of Remus’ house and the four headed inside. “I’ll get the cupcakes!” Shouted Remus as he ran inside, leaving the door open for the rest of the party to get inside. The three of them shuffled into the living room and soon Remus came out bearing the tray of sweets.
“I hope it’s good. I’m not so good at baking, I nearly burned them.” Patton said, chuckling.
The three others took a cupcake each and ate it in their respective ways. A cam chatter ensued as Patton got to know the others better.
“Uh, Patton.”
“Yeah, Virgil?”
“The… They were really good.” The emo teenager gestured to the cupcakes, offering a nervous smile. Patton returned the smile.
“Thanks, kiddo!”
“Did you just call Virgil ‘kiddo’?” Asked Remus.
“Ha, yeah,” the pixie blushed, “I guess it’s just the dad instincts kicking in.” The group chuckled. The conversation went on for a bit longer, but soon it was time for the teenagers to go home. Virgil drove the pixies to their houses before heading home to his, and each had a lot to think about as they went to sleep.
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