Summary: Virgil is about to start university, and he starts living together with three others. Meeting new people and living in a new place is already overwhelming, but Virgil has another obstacle to overcome. After all, he is a little⌠different from his housemates. Winged!Virgil.
Triggers/Warnings:Â nervous thoughts (tell me if anything needs to be tagged)
Pairing: none for now, will probably end up as platonic LAMP.
Words:Â 1787.
A/N: Iâve been thinking about Winged!Virgil again. A lot. Way too much, probably. I tried to find answers to questions that I came up with as I thought, and I decided to work these into a fic. I have no big finale planned, but I wanted to explore the Winged!Universe for a bit. If you have questions or prompts, feel free to send them in.
This is going to be a little like Demi-chan wa kataritai/Interviews with monster girls and Centaur no nayami/Centaurâs life. Both are lighthearted anime series about people who are not human (vampire, dullahan, snow woman in Demi-chan, centaurs, winged people, snake people and merfolk in Centaur) and about how their world functions. It covers subjects like discrimination and handicaps that other species may have.Â
Virgil checked the paper in his hands for the fifth time, because he really didnât want to show up at the wrong house. The address matched with that of the house in front of him, just like it had the four times before. Well, now that he had⌠quintuple-checked it (was that even a word? Maybe double-triple-checked suited better? But thatâd suggest heâd checked it six times and- oh, now he had. Okay, problem solved), he should get going.Â
His heart hammered in his throat as he walked to the front door, the backpack feeling like a boulder. His wings shifted nervously underneath his hoodie and he felt so nervous and restricted that he might even throw up. He reached the front door without doing so and pressed the doorbell, then looked down at the bag in his right hand. Should he put it down? It was heavy and kind of uncomfortable to hold, but what would the person opening the door think if he just casually dropped his stuff on their porch? Or worse, what if they opened the door just as he was putting it down? What kind of impression of him would that give them?
A creaking sound brought him out of his messy thoughts and he snapped his head back up. âWhat a splendid service! Never before have you arrived so fa-â The guy opening the door stopped talking as soon as his eyes met Virgilâs and he blinked owlishly. âOh,â he said. âYouâre not the pizza guy.â
your writing is amazing, and i was just going through it all again when I say you were doing drabbles!! Just finished rereading It's Complimentary!! I love it so much!!! For the drabbles could you do âI donât do hugs.â and âEveryone keeps telling me youâre the bad guy.â. You could do it separate or together I just would like Virgil to be the focus. I can't wait to read through the drabbles you do!!! They will be awesome!!!
a/n: ahhhhh, thank you!!! <3
7. âEveryone keeps telling me youâre the bad guy.â and 56. âI donât do hugs.â
warnings: mentions of previous parenting issues, swearing, self-deprecating thoughts, insults, mentions of fighting
Virgil hears the creak of the porch behind him and tensesâPattonâs come looking for him. Well, whatever. What the fuck does that matter? What can he possibly say to make Virgil any unhappier than he already is? Oh, Iâm disappointed in you, kiddo or now, now, I expected better from you, orâor even maybe we should call your caseworker.
Whatever. Virgil doesnât fucking care. At least if Patton sends him back to the group home he wonât have to put up with Pattonâs other foster sons anymore. (And he is so terribly, terribly sick of dealing with themâespecially Roman, that fucking airhead.)
But Patton doesnât huff, or sigh, or even speak at all. He simply sits down beside Virgil on the porch steps, a couple of juice boxes in his hand. He offers one to Virgil, who narrows his eyes and shrinks away until his shoulder is pressed hard into the porch railing and snaps, âI donât want your fucking juice, dickhead.â
Patton should definitely shout at him for that, but he doesnât. Instead, he sets the juice off to the side and leans back on the palms of his hands. They sit in silence for a solid five minutes, staring out at Pattonâs yard as the sun sets over itâitâs scattered with foam swords and plastic shields, tiny model trains, colorful toy dinosaurs, and a pair of unsolved Rubikâs cubes. Itâs a house built for a family, and every part of Virgil recoils from living here. (Except, perhaps, the foolish part that utterly and entirely craves that pure belonging.)
When the silence becomes too much for Virgil to tolerate, he scowls at Patton and says, âAre you just gonna sit here all night or what, man?â
And Patton goddamn smiles at him. Itâs not his usual smile, though. Itâs not sunny and warm and blisteringly bright. No. This one is softer, quieter, andâand sadder. âI want to talk, kiddo.â
Virgil rolls his eyes. âGet it over with, then.â
Patton takes a deep breath and stretches his legs out in front of him, an image of picturesque relaxation. Virgil doesnât trust it for a second. âIâve already spoken to Roman about what happened, but Iâd like to hear your side of the story before I say anything.â
âRoman was being a fucking jerk and I got pissed and I hit him.â Virgil shrugs, but tension is a tight cord running through him. What is Patton going to do to him? He hit one of Pattonâs sonsâone of his real sons, one of the ones whoâs been with him for years, one of the ones who isnâtâisnât Virgil, isnât a blemish in their perfect little family, isnât unnecessary and unwanted.
âRoman did admit that he said some mean things to you,â Patton says, nodding slowly. âItâs okay if you were angry. Itâs okay if you are angry. But Virgilââ
Oh, there is was. But Virgil, I still have to punish you. But Virgil, hitting is completely uncalled for. But Virgil, youâre a fucking violent moron and weâre giving you back.
ââhitting isnât a healthy was of expressing that anger,â Patton finishes, and that doesnât comfort Virgil any. âYou really hurt Roman.â
Virgilâs shoulders hunch. He hadnât thought it was that bad. Heâd just socked the dumbass in the jaw when he kept yammering on and on about how fucking great he was, and how very much Virgil paled in comparison. Thereâd only been a little red mark.
âNot physically,â Patton continues, and that grinds Virgilâs thoughts to a halt. How the fuck else could have hurt Roman? âPhysically, heâs fine, although I know being hit did hurt him for a little while. I meant emotionally. Heâs feeling a lot of things right now, just like you are. I wonât betray his confidence with me, but maybe you could talk to him laterâonce youâve both calmed down.â
âNo way.â
Patton inclines his head but lets the subject drop. Theyâre quiet for a while longer, and Virgilâs fingers are starting to tremble. What the fuck are they doing here? What is Patton waiting for? What is Virgil supposed to do? Should he sit here and brood in silence like a moody brat, should he snap and insult Patton like a jerk, or should he try his hand at sucking up and try to get back into Pattonâs good graces?
Itâs not something heâs ever contemplated before. Usually, he couldnât care less about where he ends up or what his foster parents think about him. Theyâre all temporary, anyway. Everything is temporary. (Except, of course, his constant fear and lonelinessâjust his luck, really.)
But Patton is different. Not by much, but by some. He talks to Virgil instead of forcing him to stand in a corner or stay in his room orâor other things. He doesnât ruffle Virgilâs hair if he leans away, he doesnât sigh and roll his eyes if Virgil overreacts, he doesnât give Virgil those sad, disappointed looks when his grades arenât as good as they should be. Heâs different, and thatâs new and itâs scary and at times itâs stupid, butâ
Virgil grinds his teeth. But nothing. âSo when are you sending me back?â
Patton glances at him, surprised. âBack?â
âYeah. Back to the home. Keep up.â
And Patton lapses into silence again. He draws one knee up up to his chest and loops an arm around it, staring hard at the grass where itâs being ruffled by the gentle breeze. Some awful, terrified thing writhes in Virgilâs chest as he waits until finally Patton says, his voice low and quiet, âEveryone keeps telling me youâre the bad guy.â
Virgil doesnât flinch. He doesnât. âYeah, well. Big deal.â
âI donât think theyâre right, though. Youâre not a bad guy, youâve just been dealt a bad hand in life, but VirgilâVirgil, if youâll let me, Iâll do my best to change that.â
That startles Virgil into silence for a moment, and he shoots Patton a wary look. What?
âI want to give you a good life here. I want to make this place home for you.â
âBut?â Virgil says, scowling.
âBut nothing.â
Virgil opens his mouth to speak, then shuts it again. What is he supposed to say? He needs to think of a witty retort, he needs to spook Patton away with his barbed tongue and bitter sarcasm, because this is all impossible and ridiculous andâ
âCan I give you a hug?â
Virgil recoils. âFuck no. I donât do hugs.â
âOkay.â Patton nods. âHow about a high five?â
âNo.â
âFist bump?â
Virgil stares at him, dumbfounded. âNo?â
âHandshake?â
âAre you an idiot?â
Patton shrugs. âNo, I donât think soâand you arenât either, Virgil. You know hitting Roman was wrong, so I donât expect you to do it again. How about you come inside and we can talk about some better ways to express our anger, okay? The mosquitoes out here are starting to really bug me, if you know what I mean.â
Virgil rolls his eyesâPatton is really stupid, sometimes, but sometimesâ
Sometimes, maybe, thatâs not so terrible. At least it keeps Patton from yelling at him. Sighing, Virgil pushes himself to his feet and grabs one of the juice boxes Pattonâs left sitting on the porch. (He ignores the surprised smile Patton offers him with steely determination. He doesnât do it to make Patton happy. Why the fuck would he do that?)
The two of them step back into the house, and Virgil sips on his juice and listens to Patton ramble and make idiotic jokes and (for a brief, temporary time) finds himself okay. Not happyâheâs rarely happyâbut okay, and thatâs more than he used to. He can only hope that itâll last. (It wonât, butâbut he can hope, dammit.)
My submission for the sanders sides fic exchange by @the-prince-and-the-emo I was assigned to @secretsanderssideblog Hope you like it!
Tag List of People I think might like this: @asexual-trashbag @princey-must-slay @what-even-is-thiss @mylasagnaisraw @analogically-prinxiety @prinanalogicality @prinxietys @thatsthat24
Prompt 1(sfw): Anxiety hurt/comfort with a side of Dad. not romantic, just platonic
It hurt, but then again almost everything did to him lately. From his so called family no longer being there for him to his panic attacks being harder to get over and more frequent. The cause of such attacks being unaware as they all slowly began to forget about his very existence, once again leaving him alone to wallow in his own misery and depression.
The change in the others demeanor had been gradual, so much so that he hadnât truly realized what was happening until it was too late. Unable to do anything but watch as the life he had become accustomed to living crumpled apart before his eyes. What made it worse was that Anxiety had no idea what it was he did wrong to cause the others to begin ignoring him again, yet another reason he had begun spending more and more time in his room. The bleak exterior doing nothing for his emotional state as the comfort the room had once provided was tainted with the memory of when the others had come searching for him and the first true moment he had been cared for. Yet, it was either the room where he was unlikely to be disturbed or risk the living room and subsequently seeing the others and being brushed off.
It had started with Roman, which wasnât a surprise to him as the Prince had been the last one to finally accept Virgil as a true part of the Sanders family. Their usual banter becoming one sided as rather than retort Roman would simply fall silent. His passion for arguing seemingly lost as his interest lied elsewhere until Virgil eventually stopped talking to him. If Roman was simply going to give him the silent treatment what was the point of trying if he would only be disappointed.
The next one the start ignoring him had been Logan, the logical side having often sought out Anxiety for help with video planning until the routine had been for Virgil to simply show up to help so that Logan wouldnât have to hunt him down. However, his input  was disregarded, Logan beginning to shoot down his concerns and worries about new videos with more force and overall harshness than necessary. The change in tone making it clear to Virgil that he as no longer wanted and therefore he simply stopped showing up unannounced, and Logan didnât come for him.
Finally, there was Patton, the cheery paternal figure having been the first to accept Virgil and therefore the darker trait had held onto the belief that his father figure would never push him out even if the others would. But his belief turned out to be false, slowly but surely, Patton began ignoring him too. At first it was small, the father figure explaining that he had to help one of the other two sides with a project or was busy making a new recipe in the kitchen. Even with Virgil offering to help him cook Patton would brush him off, explaining kindly that he wanted to expand his culinary expertise. Implying the Virgilâs company was unwanted, so Virgil stopped offering.
Now the dark trait remained in his room, the only time he left was to make ure he hadnât stopped affecting Thomas like last time. As he didnât want the others hunting him down because he couldnât do his job correctly, after all, if all he was good for was being a negative emotion like always he may as well make sure heâs doing it right. And after his latest check to make sure Thomas still felt his presence Anxiety returned to his room, and cried.
Patton was excited, after three weeks of careful preparation Virgilâs surprise party was finally ready. And with his dark son being none the wiser as despite how much Patton was eager to spend time with the emo he wanted to make sure the surprise party would indeed be a surprise.
The plan having been to make sure Virgil would be either with Thomas or in his room to ensure that the three sides had plenty of time to set up. Streamers and balloons covering the main area of the mindscape as a pile of presents lay waiting on the table. Patton putting the finishing touches on the cake as the black frosting spelled out âHappy Birthday Virgilâ in edgy looking letters that had taken the father figure a week to perfect. But to him it would be worth it as soon as he saw the smile on Virgilâs face once he saw the decorations in honor of his first video with Thomas and the day the others had chosen to celebrate his birthday.
âSpeaking of the others,â Patton thought to himself as he placed the cake on the table. âRoman! Logan! Are you two almost done?â Patton yelled out as he walked into the living room area where the other two were putting up a birthday banner.
âAlmost Patton, this birthday will be such a party it will put Cinderellaâs ball to shame,â Roman boasted as he secured the final side of the banner and joined Morality by the couch.
âThatâs fantastic kiddo!â Patton praised, âall we need is the birthday boy and we can get this party started!â
âI suggest you retrieve him Patton, it will be the least suspicious if you do so while Roman and I stay here,â Logan suggested.
âNow Logan, this isnât just an excuse for you two to sneak pieces of the cake away is it?â Patton questioned.
âOf course not, the sugar intake would no doubt decrease productivity,â Logan spoke.
âWell good because youâre sweet enough as it is without it!â Patton proclaimed happily, sinking into Anxietyâs room to the eye roll of Logan.
âHey kiddo, are you busy?â Patton questioned once he was in Anxietyâs room, only to pause as he realized his emo son wasnât there. Shrugging he simply continued on to the bedroom, assuming that he would find Virgil there. However, as Patton made his way up the stairs he felt his heart sink as he heard small sobs coming from the sideâs bedroom. Worried, Patton rushed into the room to discover Virgil who lay curled up on his bed, the side in question sobbing into his pillow.
The sight caused Pattonâs heart to break as he wasted no time in rushing over to his self-proclaimed son and quickly giving him a hug.
âItâs okay kiddo,â Patton spoke warmly as Virgil tensed at the sudden contact, âIâm here, just let it out.â
At the sudden comfort Virgil quickly wrapped his arms around Patton, sobbing into his shirt rather than the pillow as he let all of his loneliness from the past weeks finally show. Patton saying nothing as he simply held Virgil, knowing he would talk when he was ready.
âWhy did you avoid me?â Virgil questioned in between tears.
âOh kiddo,â Patton spoke sadly as he rubbed soothing circles into the teenâs back, putting the pieces together as he realized in his effort to keep the surprise party secret he hadnât been spending as much time with the darker side, âthatâs not it. Iâm so sorry, I got carried away thatâs all.â
âWith what?â Virgil questioned as his sobs died down, yet when he looked up at the fatherly trait his eyes were still watery.
âCome with me and Iâll show you,â Patton spoke simply, wanting to show Virgil the true reason everyone wasnât around as much.
âOkay,â Virgil spoke as he wiped his eyes, trusting Patton as the older trait led him to the main living room of the mindscape.
âSurprise!â Roman and Logan exclaimed once they appeared, Virgil jumping slightly at the exclamation as he looked around in confusion.
âWhatâs all this?â Virgil questioned as he looked around.
âItâs the reason we havenât been around as much,â Patton explained, âsee, itâs the anniversary of your first video with Thomas so I thought it would be nice to throw you a little party. But it seems in my effort to make sure it was a surprise I didnât spend time with you and for that I am sorry.â
âSo, you werenât trying to get rid of me?â Virgil questioned.
âGoodness no, the last time that happened everything was a mess, itâs far better if you stay with Thomas, Â J.Delightful,â Roman answered, a teasing smirk of his face which caused Virgil to give a small smile in return.
âOh my delusional Prince I wouldnât dream of having a repeat of my attempt to leave,â Virgil spoke.
âWell good because I donât think three of us can eat all this cake by ourselves!â Patton exclaimed as he brought the cake out.
âIâm sure we could, it would just mean more sugar intake thus resulting in a buzz that would result in a sugar crash leaving us at a lower energy than before the cake was ingested,â Logan spoke.
The comment giving Virgil comfort as the three other sides crowded around him in order to sing Happy Birthday. Virgil smiling in content as he thought of how glad he was that his family hadnât been avoiding him to get rid of him. As everything was now okay.
I believe itâs important to eat well, even when youâre strapped for cash. Itâs good for your health and energy! This cookbook is full of delicious and healthy recipes, the ingredients of which are fairly inexpensive.
I HAVE BEEN USING THIS COOKBOOK FOR MONTHS AND ITâS AMAZING 100/10 RECOMMENDING EVERYWHERE
(just to give you an idea, my food budget is 30 euro/week at most [about $38] and I have to maintain a healthy diet due to weird medication side-effects and yeah, basically this book is a lifesaver if youâre broke but need to watch what youâre eating)
What type of relationship: platonic and romantic
Ships: prinxiety, logicality, poly
Prompt 1(sfw): A day of laughter and fun at a park/lake (someone could end up in the lake) dancing under the moonlight.
Prompt 2(sfw): Â Waking up in the middle of the night to ask random questions with the sentence "I'm going to kiss you so you'll shut up now."
hereâs my piece for the fic exchange! virgil perspective, pre-existing logicality and developing prinxiety.Â
The sides go to a park. Roman gets in trouble.
--------
It's Patton's idea, of course. Or at least, it is at first.
âWe should go to the park,â he suggests at breakfast one morning. âIt's too nice out not to!â
âIt's really not,â Virgil says, rolling his eyes at Patton's excited face. He's more like a puppy than a person.
âI, for one, think it's an excellent idea,â Roman says, shooting Virgil a look. He rolls his eyes again.
âWe're gonna all get sunburned again.â
âOh, quit being so negative, Dr. Gloom,â Patton says, refusing to be deterred. âWe're gonna go to the park and have a good time and absolutely nothing bad is gonna happen.â
Which, of course, means something has to go wrong now. Sighing, Virgil drops his fork onto his plate. âFine, fine. We can go,â he says, holding his hands up in surrender. He glances over at Logan - surely he's not thrilled with the plan either? - but nope, Loganâs watching Patton with an uncharacteristically dreamy expression.
Ugh. Ever since they started dating, they were insufferable. Virgilâs glad he'll never be like that.
âGive me five minutes,â Roman says, running off to do who knows what. Sharpen his sword? Virgilâs not sure what kind of preparation could be necessary for a visit to the park. Pattonâs packing a picnic basket, with Logan stopping him every few moments to gently take the pint of ice cream or entire head of broccoli from his hands and replace it with some apples or oranges and other actually edible things. Patton beams at him, giving his boyfriend a kiss on the cheek.
âThanks, sweetie,â he says, and Virgil gags.
âReady!â Roman yells, stepping out of his room, carrying a sword, because of course he is.
The park is only a five minute walk away, luckily. Virgil keeps a few feet behind the others (Roman with his ridiculous sword and Patton and Logan holding hands) and hopes no one realizes he's with them. Patton and Logan are too sappy to look at directly. It's like staring at the sun, but with more lovey-dovey glances. Instead, Virgil follows Roman, watching his footsteps.
He's definitely not looking at Romanâs butt. Absolutely not.
When they get to the park, Virgil has to admit Patton was right. It's warm, but with a breeze, so he's not overheating in his hoodie, but he's not cold either. The sky is the colour of Patton's shirt, soft white clouds dotting across it. Best of all, there's not many people at the park, just a handful down by the lake throwing bread to the ducks.
Patton catches Virgil glancing at the picnic basket and grins, pulling several loaves of bread from the basket. âThis oneâs for ducks,â he says, tossing a whole grain loaf to Virgil, who smiles tentatively back.
Maybe this wonât be so bad. Virgil sits cross-legged on the grass, ripping up the bread into small pieces before throwing it at the ducks, who quack enthusiastically. When he turns he can see Patton do the same, Logan half hiding behind him.
âSomething wrong?â Virgil asks, snickering at the fearful look on Loganâs face.
âIt bit me,â Logan says unhappily. Patton kisses his cheek.
âI'm sure you'll be fine,â he says, voice so sweet that Virgil can't deal with it anymore. He looks away from the two, trying to find Roman.
It doesn't take long. He's battling a goose. Not only that, he's losing. His white outfit is covered in mud and the goose is honking fiercely at him. He's putting up a good fight, at least, dodging the birdâs attempts to bite him and punching it a couple times, but the goose has him cornered. He's close to the water, standing on the ledge that separates the lake from the land.
âGo away!â he shouts, brandishing his sword. The goose takes another step closer to him, Roman takes a step back, the goose follows, and Roman falls into the lake.
Virgil doesn't think. He jumps to his feet, jumping into the lake after Roman without hesitation.
The water is dark and cloudy. It's not too deep, but it's deep enough that standing is impossible. The bottom feels miles from the surface, and the bottom is where Romanâs stuck. His footâs caught on something, a tree root, and the woodâs so waterlogged that Romanâs sword is doing nothing. He looks at Virgil, panic and desperation in his eyes. Itâs cold, to the point that it burns, knives darting across his skin with each movement.Â
Virgil swims over to him, trying to free him, but it's hard when he canât breathe and can barely see. He canât feel his hands and his hoodie is weighing him down, heavy in the water. His lungs burn.
Virgil pushes and pulls and nudges and finally, miraculously, Roman is unstuck. He seems in better shape than Virgil somehow, wrapping his arms around him and kicking off the lake floor to resurface.
Who knew air could taste so good? Virgil takes a deep, desperate breath, then another, thinking over what he just did.
He could have drowned.
Roman takes him by the arm, pulling him to the shore, then up onto the bank so only his legs are still submerged. The air is freezing, but itâs a thousand times better than the icy lake.Â
âYou saved me,â Roman says softly.
âYeah,â Virgil agrees.
âWhy?â
âWhat do you mean, why?â Virgil asks, raising an eyebrow.
âI thought you didn't like me.â Romanâs voice is uncharacteristically quiet. Normally heâs so loud and confident - itâs odd hearing him this way.
âThat's called âjumping to conclusionsâ. I never said that.âÂ
âSo you do like me, then?â
âMaybe,â Virgil says.
Roman turns, studying Virgil's face like a new script. âCan IâŚâ His voice drops, and he pauses. âYou're the real hero, you know.â
âAm I?â
âYou saved the prince. The real hero of any good fairytale has to save someone.â
âMore of a damsel in distress than a prince, right now,â Virgil says, and to his surprise, Roman actually laughs.
âWell. Prince in distress.â He smiles confidently. âAnd you know what damsels in distress and their saviors usually do, right?â
â....Kiss?â Virgil asks, confused, then realizes what Roman means. âOh.â Roman goes red. Virgil feels his face go hot, realizing Romanâs been flirting with him this whole time.
âI mean - only if you want to, you know, I don't want to - I mean I don't mean to be pushy, I just -â
âI'm going to kiss you so you'll shut up now,â Virgil says, and he does. It's a few moments of bliss, between Roman's lips being too busy kissing his to talk and the warmth of the sun on their backs and the overwhelming sense of peace in Virgilâs heart.
It doesn't go away when they stop kissing, or when they return to Patton and Logan for the former's bizarre lunch, or even after the sun goes down.
There's a warmth in his heart that night as Virgil holds Roman's hands, slow dancing with him under the soft gaze of the moon, and Virgil thinks it's happiness.
brooklyn nine nine is legit the best sitcom i have ever seen and there are so many memes that are b99 jokes and they still only have about a million viewers a week i donât get it
so many people tagged this like âi want to watch it but i havenât yet,â like please watch brooklyn nine nine. itâs such a good show in every way, itâs feminist, diverse has lgbt rep and HILARIOUS. and they were quite literally on the verge of being canceled last season so please tune in this fall if you can. i promise you will not regret it at all.