A Giant Miscommunication chapter 2
A Small Point of Contention
First chapter | Masterpost | Next chapter
My discord | AO3
Warnings: Mentions of eating people, revenge, cursing
Words: 4155
Hey remember that one g/t one shot that ended in a cliffhanger that nobody paid attention to? You should have paid attention to it.
Virgil continued the walk back to his house with a sigh. He had certainly had an exciting day. And then night. And then day again. He shook his head with a slight upturn of his lips, amused by the turn of events everything had taken. Last night had been… stressful, to say the least. Not only had he been worried about making sure his guest- Roman- would make it, and be safe, but the things that he'd thought about Virgil's motives while feverish made him wince.
Of course, he'd woken with an almost completely different personality in the morning. Well, he amended, still dramatic, he thought with a chuckle. But he'd been personable, appreciative, really overly complimentary, and overall had just, seen Virgil for who he was as opposed to what he was. It'd been nice.
… He wondered if he was actually going to come back.
He shook his head back and forth slightly like he was trying to shake the thought out of his brain. No, he'd said that he would, and Virgil had to believe that. Even if he thought that there was a possibility that by the time all the snow melted Roman would either forget, or decide the trip wouldn't be worth it, or that he wasn't worth it, or- at any rate, Virgil definitely knew that he wanted him to come back. It wasn't like he had all that many friends. And he had enjoyed their time together.
With another sigh, he approached his house, realizing that he'd never finished cleaning up after the storm. Well, he might as well do it now.
~~~~~
He finished up outside, even shoveling a bit in case he had to go outside again, and was exhausted enough that he headed inside for a nap. He was just about as shocked as he was annoyed when he was abruptly woken up an hour later.
"HEY, GIGANTOR!" The voice called out, and Virgil shot up in bed.
"Wha- huh?" He blinked, bleary-eyed as he tried to focus on finding the source.
"Ha! Finally up, Sleeping Ugly?" The voice was vaguely familiar, and he looked down, finally spotting the human.
The very familiar-looking human. Roman.
"What?" His eyes widened and then narrowed as he processed what he was saying. "What are you doing here?" And why was he back so soon?
"Oh, don't play coy with me, I don't get along with fish very well." He saw him grin, wide and toothy. "I out-smell them." He walked closer to the bed wielding a large, even compared to a human, ball on a stick, covered in spikes, and he pointed it Virgil's direction. "Now, it's time for you to pay for your crimes!" Was that a weapon?
"What are you talking about?" He asked, instead, swinging his feet over the side, heart racing at the accusation. He didn't understand what was happening, even as he saw Roman take a few steps back from him as he started shifting forward to get out of bed.
"You heard me, Attack on Frighten," he puffed himself up, waving his weapon. "I'm here to give you your comeuppance, up your pants, for what you've done!" His insides felt like they were twisting in on themselves, and he stood, taking a few steps, intending to go towards Roman to try and figure out what had changed, other than seemingly his clothing.
He ran away instead, laughing loudly, right out of the room and Virgil's face fell completely. Maybe… maybe he'd been faking this morning. But that didn't make any sense, he'd seemed relaxed, he'd bantered with him, he'd complimented him, as mortifying as that'd been, he'd teased him with no trace of fear. Not that he seemed overly afraid now-
What if he was luring him into a trap? He'd known how the towns around the forest felt about giants, none of it good, but to go through all that, just to, what get an army to try and fight him? He hesitated, straining his ears. He didn't hear anything aside from the sound of Roman making noise as he ran through the kitchen. He was on edge, but he had to figure out what was going on. He sharply took in a breath and tried to regulate his breathing as he'd been taught. Well, that was better, he supposed.
He looked out his window and didn't see anyone else, and as he checked every window that he passed (admittedly not many), he found them all absent of people. So, Roman had come back alone, at least, although that didn't do much to assure him. He finally reached the kitchen, which felt like it took forever, and yet no time at all. He found him trying to clamber up onto the table from the seat of the chair via the backrest. With his weapon still in his hand. Virgil walked over.
"That's a little above your abilities, there," he sneered, feeling a little justified in his derision, "literally."
"Oh, yes" he was breathing hard while struggling. "Very funny, ha," he panted, "freaking ha!" He gave up trying to climb up, "Well if I were really that short, would I be able to do this?!" And with that, he tried leaping from his position to try and land on the table. He was very obviously going to miss.
Despite how hurt and confused Virgil was from how he was acting, he didn't want him to be hurt in a much more physical way- heck, that was why they'd met in the first place. He immediately surged forward to cup his hands under him as he cackled out loud in a way that didn't suit the situation at all. He hit his hand with a small grunt, but seemed otherwise unaffected, judging by the grin on his face. Although…something looked different. Virgil moved his hands onto the table so that he could get off. Instead, he stood and wielded his weapon towards his face again.
"Thanks for the hand, Bigger-Than-Me Foot," despite his accusations, he stayed firmly planted in his hands, still for once, despite the waving morningstar, and Virgil was able to get a better look at him. And there was definitely something different about him. He squinted at him. When did he get a mustache?! "But now you're going to tell me what you did to my brother!" And just like that, relief washed over Virgil like a hot shower on a cold day. He exhaled so harshly that it blew Roman's- Roman's brother's hair all over, swaying him slightly.
"Brother?" He wheezed out. He was rewarded with a full-body eye roll.
"Yeah, Bohe-meathead, a guy that looks just like me, no mustache, not as handsome, and wearing something like this?" And he reached into his pocket, whipping something out, which made Virgil flinch. Roman's brother gave an unimpressed eyebrow raise, holding out what looked like a small (even relatively) scrap of a familiar bright red fabric. Virgil was trying desperately not to do something really stupid like shout in joy or cry from the relief, but instead, he just took a moment to breathe, evening out his oxygen intake, and lowering his heart rate, becoming un-tense again. Roman's brother started wriggling on his hands, impatient.
"Roman," Virgil eventually managed, and his brother raised an eyebrow.
"Remus, actually. We're twins." He blinked and then something occurred to him, and he took a step forward, speaking excitedly "So you have seen him!" His grin turned into more of a leer, and he stepped forward. "What'd you do with him? Crush him? Drop him from up high? Break him in half? Are these crumbs all over the table," he gestured at the mess from breakfast that he'd forgotten about, "little leftover bits of Roman?" He was now about at the heel of his hand.
"No!" Virgil scowled. "And if you're seeking vengeance, why are you so happy at the idea that I killed him," he challenged. Remus just rolled his eyes.
"Oh come on, mega Mondo, I may be a dumb, stupid idiot, but I'm not dumb," he waved a hand idly, "I figured out when I was younger that you weren't the image of the giant purple people eater everyone touted." He continued, looking more bored than anything despite literally being in Virgil's grasp. "Otherwise there'd've been way more missing people. And a lot more missing peoples' bones." He grinned suddenly again. "Unless you eat the bones, too! I'll bet our measly little femurs wouldn't pose much of a threat to those teeth, huh?" He looked like he was trying to grab at Virgil's mouth, and he brought his head back further out of range. "Plus, extra calcium. You're a growing boy," he practically cooed at him.
"Stop," Virgil spat, feeling his stomach churning at what he was suggesting. Which was of course why his stomach proceeded to growl. That stopped Remus in his rambling, becoming quiet, smile falling slightly. He blinked up at him.
"Holy shit, did you actually eat him?"
"NO!" He glared at him, trying to summon all his scare tactics; he growled, grabbing him around his middle all too easily as his weapon fell at the wayside, and loomed over him, dark, and foreboding, voice thunderous. "Now you listen," Remus wiggled lightly in his grasp, but then looked up, calmer than he'd seen- well, either of them. "Roman came here last night. He was sick, then he got better. He was on his way back this morning," he wasn't sure why he didn't tell him how involved he was with getting him back, but he didn't want to hear whatever garbage accusation that would surely come out of his mouth. "And then I assume he went home. But he's not here, so go away."
"Hard to go away if you're busy fisting me, Shyclops." He responded instantly, oddly sedate. Maybe he'd actually scared him. He didn't know how to feel about that, but he did loosen his grip, and Remus brought his hand into its own fist, and up to his chin. "So, he left this morning, huh. Must have missed him in the forest, plus there was that weird earthquake-y thing that…"
He trailed off, slowly raising his head to look up at Virgil, his grin returned, almost predatory. "Did you walk him home?" Virgil blanched. Was he going to run back to his town to get back up? To let them know he had been close? He put on a sneer again and brought him towards his face, trying to quell the rising panic he felt.
"Thought you didn't wanna be my dinner, but I guess you changed your mind, after all, huh." He boomed, not loudly; he didn't have to be. His voice resonated. Remus's eyes went wide, mouth slack, and then immediately filled with what could only be glee.
"YOU DID, DIDN'T YOU!" He shrieked, his face split into a grin, and then he leaned in closer. "Also, that thing you did with your voice was really cool, you should teach me how to do that." Virgil growled, bringing him right to his mouth. He opened it a little bit, just enough, and then-
"REMUS!" Virgil barely repressed a jump, and oh no, he knew that voice. He and Remus looked down at the ground, and sure enough, Roman, in the same clothes as this morning, was looking up at Virgil, and glaring, while visibly breathing hard. "What on Earth do you think you're doing?!" Virgil's heart sank, as he felt the blood drain from his face. The very thing he'd been worried about with Remus's arrival had surely been sealed by Roman walking in on him threatening to eat his brother.
"Ro Bro!" Remus called back to him in delight, apparently completely unconcerned by his proximity to Virgil's teeth. He turned back to Virgil, papping him on the fingers around his body with his hand. "Hey, Vore-acious appetite, lemme down on the floor." Virgil complied immediately, bringing him down to Roman's level, and opening his palm up to let him walk off. He glanced at Roman, who was still glaring, but was interrupted by Remus flying at him in a tackling hug.
"What- agh!" He inhaled, standing his ground, and hugged him back. "Yes, yes, very nice to see you, too. Now, what were you doing to Virgil?" Virgil stiffened. He…wasn't angry at him?
"Oh, sure, place the blame on your poor, innocent brother," he batted his eyelashes, "not the horrible, terrible monster that had me in his grip!" He put a hand on his forehead, going lax in Roman's grip. Roman dropped him. "Oh, so, hey," he seemed completely unconcerned with being on the floor, "was he telling the truth about being your nurse then walking you home?" Roman rolled his eyes and turned to Virgil.
"Sorry about him," Virgil flinched. Wow, he…really wasn't angry with him? "I appreciate you watching him, especially since you didn't know that I was coming to get him."
"Fuck you, I'm a delight!" That sounded familiar. He smirked and slowly raised an eyebrow at Roman, who flushed red.
"I- That's different, it's actually true for me," he huffed, crossing his arms.
"Mhmm," Virgil hummed, amused. Roman coughed.
"But anyway, uh. Thanks again." He smiled, then shifted. "Incidentally, you weren't actually going to eat him, were you?"
"No," he responded firmly and immediately, "I promise, I wouldn't-" but Roman cut off his protest.
"Good, because I'm pretty sure he's poisonous," he grinned up at him. A startled laugh slipped its way out of Virgil's mouth.
"I take that as a compliment!" Remus's smug voice cut through, and he rolled over on the floor a few times before he stood up. "How'd you know to come here, anyway?" Roman rolled his eyes.
"Oh, you know how mom and dad are," he waved his hand vaguely. "So I made it all the way home before I found out you'd gone out to look for me." He brushed off his shoulder a bit. "I wasn't sure that you'd wind up here, but at least I knew where Virgil lived, so I figured I could ask him if he'd seen you, or, uh, maybe if he wouldn't mind helping me look for you?" He turned to Virgil with a grin that he probably hoped was more charming than sheepish. "Sorry." Virgil snorted.
"Eh." He half-shrugged. "I pro'lly would've done it," he agreed easily. But Remus looked at him with sudden and extreme interest.
"Oh?" He purred at him, "is that so?" Ugh, what was that look he was giving him, this guy was so weird.
"Remus, stop that, leave him alone!" Remus just switched his head towards his brother, not changing his expression at all. "And wipe that grin off your face."
"Try chiseling it off, it'd be more effective," yet his face became haughty and smug, raising an eyebrow.
"Ugh." Roman looked at Virgil again, "once more, I'm so sorry for him, but we can leave now." He shifted on his feet. "I know it hasn't been that long, but it was nice to see you ag-"
"I'll walk you home," Virgil blurted out.
"-ain. What?" Roman blinked as he processed it.
"I can take you back," Virgil rephrased, ignoring Remus's face as his face started to burn with mild embarrassment. "Like I did before so that you don't have to walk through the snow again."
"Oh, well." Roman smiled, "I wasn't going to ask, but that would be nice, if you don't mind." Virgil shook his head.
"Nah, it's no big deal," he assured him. "Just, it'll be halfway again." Even with Remus being overall okay with him, he didn't trust being seen by anyone in the nearby towns.
"Thank-"
"Wow, you're dropping us off in the middle of the woods," Remus lamented, "what terrible service!" Roman smacked his arm, "Ow!" He said happily.
"Technically I'm the middle of the woods," Virgil shot back, "and sorry, but I'm not exactly eager to get swarmed by a bunch of lunatic giant hunters, or whatever." Remus scoffed.
"I'll have you know I've got my own special brand of lunacy. I'm one of a kind, here!" He looked at Roman and exchanged looks, "Well, alright, okay. I guess that makes sense." And he seemed to be unable to resist adding, "but I'm giving you only two out of five stars for service." He stuck his tongue out.
"Put that back inside your mouth, even you don't know where that thing's been." Remus waggled it at his brother petulantly, and then pulled it back inside with a schwip schwip schwip! Virgil wrinkled his nose.
"And again, no talking about me to anyone," Virgil reminded Roman, then considered the circumstances. "If you're talking to each other, do it when you're sure you're alone." Roman frowned, and Remus raised an eyebrow at him, but didn't say anything. It was a little unsettling, honestly. Then he realized that Roman was making facial expressions back at him, and Remus was also responding silently. Were they communicating? Weird. But kind of cool. He'd heard that twins had 'telepathy' but watching it in front of him like this made him really believe that it was real. He wondered if he could ask for more information from-
"Virgil," Roman stated, firm. His attention was drawn back to the scene in front of him, the two now looking up at him again. "About the whole 'tell no one about you exist' thing," he began.
"No." Virgil was just as firm.
"Would you just wait for me to-"
"No." He interrupted. "If people start to know about me, it'll affect me, and just be a bother." He shook his head slowly. "They won't believe that I don't mean any harm, and then they'll push my limits, until I do something bad," although he mentally shuddered at the idea of him hurting someone accidentally, "and then they'll use it as evidence against me, and I'll have to move, or worse." His mind helpfully supplied him with potential images of him in a comically small jail, or tied up in ropes, or chains, or- "Plus, even if some people know, it's not like the laws around this area would change," he snorted.
Just because he was on the edges of the nearby town, didn't mean that he wasn't informed. He knew that giants and other entities like him were considered enemies of the humans, and that the leaders of each town had it out for anything that was a potential danger, intent or no. Heck, that was where all the stories of giant-based terror had sprung from. Giants had been spotted and the people who encountered them had feared them, spread the word of their tales, greatly extrapolated, until they'd become just that; tales. Sure, some of the giants had probably fought back against those that had come to kill them, or even had been aggressive to start with.
But Virgil certainly wasn't. And the only other giant he knew was even less likely to hurt a human than he was. But the leaders of the towns acted like he'd personally destroyed their crops and poisoned their water supply, or whatever. And he wasn't going to get involved with that sort of thing again. So involved in his own thoughts, he missed Roman and Remus having another silent exchange of facial expressions.
"Well," Roman tore his eyes away from his twin, "What if…maybe we just talk to a few people?" Virgil looked down at him, unimpressed. "You're right, we can't change the laws, but we know people who can!" Virgil crossed his arms. "It's just- let us try and help you! There's no reason for anyone to harbor animosity towards you, and we can make sure that nobody attempts to hurt or hunt you!" Virgil was uneasy. It sounded good in theory, sure, but that was a lot of risk to take. And risk taking wasn't necessarily in his wheelhouse.
"I don't know, Roman…" he shifted awkwardly. "What happens when it doesn't work? What's the fallout?" Roman huffed.
"If it doesn't work, we can both ensure that you'll be left alone," Roman assured him confidently. "But it will. I swear. Trust me?" And maybe it was just that his powerful belief that he could do it was contagious, but Virgil found himself agreeing.
"Only a few people," he sighed. "If you insist. I guess-"
"Woohoo!" Remus shouted, throwing his hands in the air. "Revolution! Fight the men! Overthrow the leaders!" He lowered his arms slightly, face becoming more serious. "Literally. Just go up and rip the house from the ground and shake." He mimicked shaking what was presumably the town leaders' houses.
"I take it back," Virgil deadpanned.
"No, it's fine, just ignore him," Roman physically waved Remus's statement away, hand flapping in front of his face. Virgil glanced outside, the weather looked okay, and it was still light enough out. He should really get started getting them both back to their home.
"So, Roman," he interjected through their bickering, "the way we traveled earlier," and that really got their attention, "will that work with two of you at the same time?" Roman opened his mouth to respond, then closed it, while giving his brother an appraising look.
"How'd you travel earlier?!" Remus asked excitedly, "giant horse? Paper airplane? Piggyback ride on Paul No-Funyan's shoulders?!" Virgil raised both eyebrows; one because ouch, two because there was no way that was happening, but Roman beat him to it.
"No, I'm afraid there'll be no dealing with Remus." He sighed dramatically. "He'll have to live amongst the trees."
"YES!" Remus double fist-pumped. "Finally! But you're wrong about the tree bit, I'ma burrow underground and become soil."
"As if you're not already," Roman shot back immediately, which just made Remus laugh that distinctive cackle that he'd heard before. Virgil sighed and decided to just awkwardly lean over and put his hands flat on the floor, palms up. Roman blinked up at him for a brief moment, then seemed to realize. "Ah! Thank you, Virgil." He turned to say something to his twin, but-
"WHEEEEEEE!" Remus shouted as he ran towards his hands, and Virgil almost flinched them completely away until he saw him spring up into a jump aimed right for them. Virgil caught him with a soft ker-pluf and he remained sprawled out in the position that he landed in. Where he started to pretend to swim. "All aboard the Humongbus!"
Roman sighed and silently climbed on Virgil's hands, nudging his brother over with his elbow none-too-gently as he sat down with his legs crossed. He only flopped his arm over Roman's face in response. He sputtered and batted it off angrily, and Remus rolled over and swung a leg on his lap while he was distracted.
"If you could maybe not do that while I'm walking you back so that I don't drop you, that'd be great," Virgil attempted to hide his nerves from how much this guy ratcheted up his anxiety.
"Aw, but think of how much fun I'd have on the way down!" Remus half-pouted, then became considering. "Y'think if I dropped from high enough my femurs would stab right up through my shoulders?" Virgil wrinkled his nose in disgust.
"Just hold on; I'm moving you now." And Roman clutched onto his thumb, Remus didn't do anything, as he slowly raised them both up, trying to guard the sides of two hands by moving them next to his chest so that they were more closed in.
"WHEEEEeeeeee……." Remus started at a shout but then trailed off. He felt a smaller hand smack at his palm a few times and Virgil jolted. "Faster, faster!"
"Would you cut that out?!" Roman smacked his shoulder with his free hand. "Stop antagonizing Virgil! He's being very nice and taking us back, and you're being all yourself at him, you mental Martin!" He glared at him. Virgil cleared his throat.
"Uh. Gonna start walking now," he said awkwardly. Then he started walking slowly enough to not jostle or disturb them too much.
"Hmmmmm…" Remus squinted at Roman. "Alright, then," he acquiesced after a moment. "I'll be nice to Cliff-feared and his Big Red D-"
"Don't you dare finish that nickname!" Roman screeched, turning bright red. Remus sputtered out a laugh, but otherwise stayed still, which was a relief. Virgil supposed that this walk back would be a lot different with a second passenger.
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