Hello!! This is my submission for Anaroceit Shipweek's prompt: Apology.
Summary: Virgil returns home after a quest to retrieve an invaluable gift for his partners takes far longer than he'd anticipated. How will they receive him? How could they forgive him after disappearing for 2 years? (note: Fantasy AU! Heads up for angst, this is hurt/comfort)
WC: ~3k || It’s on AO3!
@anaroceitweek !
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Apology
Virgil had no idea how he was going to explain himself. There wasn’t much he could say that would make this day easier. But he’d been psyching himself up for weeks and he was here now. But would they want him back?
Virgil stopped walking as the quiet forest opened into a grassy clearing.
He felt faint as he stared up at the little cottage backed to the stream on the other side. He clutched his walking stick hard to stay standing, exhaustion and longing and heartache battling it out in his chest. Guilt rose from his stomach and made him feel sick. His magic sparked at his fingertips from the increasing anxiety and he could only grip his satchel to his chest, protecting thd thing he’d fought so hard to retrieve. That would make a world of difference and change all of their lives for the better. He had to believe it would, or else this was all for nothing.
They…they’d accept him back, wouldn’t they? Once they knew why he’d been gone so long. He could explain it to them, and he’d do anything for them to apologize, to be pulled into their embrace, and he’d never leave it again if the asked it of him. If they wanted to hold him again.
Tears pricked at his eyes but he wasn’t allowed to cry over this. He had no right to. It didn’t matter how much he’d missed them or how many times in the months it took to get back to them that he wanted to give up the quest. He should have told them. He didn’t know he’d be gone this long, but he should have.
The sun was nearly gone behind him, casting long shadows of the trees on the house.
A light was on in their sitting room by the garden. Attention drawn to prolong the inevitable, it looked like they’d planted the new crops already in his absence. He wondered if Roman had helped Jan in his place this year. And last year.
He wanted to go in and hold them. He just wanted them to understand: prayed to whoever would listen that they’d understand why. Did he have the right to call this his home anymore after such an absence? Virgil doubted he’d be welcome, but perhaps that was just his own doubt clouding his mind.
Perhaps.
Virgil forced himself forward, hobbling carefully down the path. He looked as frazzled as he felt, and maybe he should have stopped in town to be presentable first. He’d bathed in the river regularly, but the clothes were old now, damaged from travel. Maybe they could forgive him for it, too, if they could with everything else. He hadn’t wanted to delay another moment once back in the safe lands of the kingdom.
The path hadn’t changed much, even if a little overgrown with grass and wildflowers that hadn’t been cleared in a long while. The porch still creaked on its second step. Roman had said he would fix it soon. The bench swing on their porch was not as white as it used to be, sun-damaged and with a few chips in the paint, but it still had a clean outdoor blanket folded over the back of it and was free of dirt or pollen like it was regularly kept up. They still used it, then.
He tried to imagine the two of them there, sitting and watching the sunset like they used to together on many nights. He wonders if they sat there together watching the path for him to return. He wonders how long they waited, assuming he would come back for months. Hoping he would come back. Guilt tightened in his chest as he stood there far too long, staring and lost in thought.
He did not realize he wasn’t the only one outside.
Roman’s sharp gasp followed by the loud clatter of his watering can on the stepping stones leading to the back of the house was the only warning Virgil had. Virgil jumped, nearly tripping over his walking stick in his haste to whip around and just as startled as Roman stared. He had changed so much quite visibly. Ro looked more hallowed, his eyes not as bright as they used to be with small creases underneath. He had longer hair than Virgil had ever seen him with, messily put up in a bun.
Roman was right there, and Virgil’s heart ached to reach out, to say something and make that shaken expression change.
“Virgil!” he cried out, and it was almost more of a wail.
He wasn’t able to say a word before Roman was rushing him. “R-Roman– I-I’m so sorry, I really– oof!”
Virgil’s back bumped the door in a moment of distress, because so much that had run at him in these past years had been hostile and trying to kill him. Roman closed the distance faster than Virgil could sidestep and he flinched, almost expecting anger to greet him, but arms encased him, not trapping or to hurt, but holding him close, as if he were something precious. Roman held him fiercely, and it took Virgil several long seconds to realize he wasn’t the one shaking. Or maybe Roman just was more than him. Virgil let out a small wounded noise as all the words he’d had ready were stuck in his throat, and it was all he could do to hang onto Roman’s arm around him.
The front door swung open and Virgil could not see behind him as he was currently being clutched against Roman’s chest, the tall diefic being refusing to relinquish him as he somehow cradled Virgil to him while they were both standing. Roman was sobbing over his head.
Virgil collapsed forward unwittingly, too startled to stay upright. Roman held fast, sinking carefully down with him and not letting Virgil slip from his strong arms. Virgil was stiff, trembling as he didn’t know what to do with his arms.
Roman tried to speak through his sobs, as Janus both tried to console him and fuss over Virgil, reeling as well, but knowing he was needed by them both. That didn’t stop Virgil from seeing tears on his face as well, Janus pulling Virgil against his chest when Roman let up for a moment to fuss over his state.
Virgil clung onto him like a lifeline, shameful in how weak he was to allow it. They should be furious with him, but they were too kind to turn him away. They wouldn’t, even though he’d properly abandoned them. He’d told himself he wouldn’t cry– wouldn’t force their sympathy from past feelings for him.
“We’ve got you, love, it’s alright.” Janus said soothingly, and tried to pretend his voice didn’t hitch on the words. He cradled Virgil’s face in his cool palms, pressing their foreheads together as he just seemed to reveal in the sudden relief and change in their reality.
So many dreams of this very moment, a hope they’d shared in all its clear futility for two years now. Janus held on tight to make sure he was real, and refused to open his eyes for fear of waking up again.
“We thought you were gone,” Roman breathed out, pressing his damp face into Virgil’s wayward curls. “The–the pendants– stars, they told us you weren’t even alive– they didn’t glow when we reached out with thoughts of you, nowhere in the world…we t-thought you were–”
“I am so sorry,” Virgil whispered, clinging to Roman’s sleeve and pressing his face into the fabric desperately. He still smelled like canvas and that fruity spritz that Virgil always loved on him. He grimaced, trying to reign his emotions in, he couldn’t get overwhelmed right now. He had to tell them; needed to explain himself before they realized they should be far more upset. Though they had every right to be.
“I’m sorry,” he croaked out, louder this time. “I-I– I never intended to be gone this long– but I couldn’t give up and time passed so much faster than I–”
Virgil cut himself off, trying to calm down. He wasn’t trying to make excuses. Janus hated when people couldn’t even be accountable, but what could he even say?
Virgil clutched the bag to his chest and tried to pull back, however reluctant, to get his arm out. He managed to wiggle it free when Roman realized he was trying to get to it and let up a bit on his hold, not letting him go for even a moment.
“I– I got you this.”
Janus and Roman’s eyes widened at the curling amber circlet he pulled from his bag, Roman covering his mouth when he saw it held gently in Virgil’s hands in offering. The headpiece had unshaped Ecludite at its front, trapped by a translucent tesseract crystal. The chunk of metallic crimson was no bigger than a coin and nonetheless radiated the immense power it contained just from being exposed. It was invaluable and a thing of legend and entirely non-existent in this mortal realm. Which meant…
“Virgil– this is from Erok!” Janus exclaimed, nearly standing again in his horror.
Roman gaped, immediately turning to Virgil, who shrunk in on himself. “You went to Erok on your own?! Do you have any idea how dangerous and reckless that was? For two years!”
Janus was shaking his head, trying to steady himself. “We could have easily lost you even from meeting in the afterlife, do you have any idea what would have happened to your soul had you died there? What’s likely already happened to your Quintessence–”
“I-I know this doesn’t excuse me leaving!” Virgil said quickly, head bowed. “I know it was so stupid and I should have told you and that it was horrible to not even let you know where I was going the day I left– gods, I left a letter telling you I’d be back in a week…! I–I know this doesn’t make it up to you. For what I did before I left–”
“Virgil!” Roman tearfully cut in, horrified and not able to take just listening a moment longer. “Did you do this on your own because of that guilt? Did you truly think we would not care or would want you to ever go to that– realm of chthonian horrors?!”
Virgil wouldn’t look at either of them. “If I thought for a moment at the start of all this that it would take me so long to get back, I swear I would not have gone like that, I never wanted to worry either of you, I wanted to do this for you! You both are so amazing and took care of me at my lowest– A-And I had to do something–I could do something, I could b-bring you Mindscape’s Gate–”
“You should have taken us with you!” Roman cried, nearly knocking one of the most powerful dimension-crossing pieces out of Virgil’s hands, much to their little mage’s fear. Janus was faster, quickly taking it and the bag Virgil had settled it on away, holding it in his lap. Janus ran a hand through Virgik’s hair, settling it there as he gazed at him hard.
“Virgil, you matter so much more to us than a portal back home. We would have found a way together, but to risk your magic being striped, your life– everything you are for this, all alone…”
They fell silent, save for Roman’s quiet soothing murmurs in their home tongue.
Virgil shook his head slowly, unable to hold the gaze. “I–I was selfish. I didn’t want to risk you, but thought…stupidly, that I could travel and make it after some lousy soothsayer told me how to get there. They never mentioned how hard getting back was and I was too desperate to ask. But you were just so terrified and devastated when the Di-Keep stole your connection to Home.”
“V-Vee, stormcloud, please, you’re–”
“Y-You both can go home again! You can see the others, so it was worth it, the risk, everything, it had to be worth it!”
Neither of them said anything for a long moment that time, and Virgil tried to pull away, but neither let him, Roman making a soft noise of protest.
Janus shook his head as he tilted Virgil’s face gently to meet his soft eyes. “You did…all that for us. It was amazing of you, and…and so brave, even if…short-sided.” he said carefully, sighing as his face fell. “But you must understand, you mean so much more to us. No matter what happened, we do not want you to ever put your life up for us. It is so much more valuable to me than anything we’ve ever come to find in this realm. You are our greatest treasure.”
Virgil felt himself trembling at the implications.
Roman pressed his nose against Virgil’s shoulder, holding him close as Janus pulled them both to him, the circlet miraculously having been shifted safely to the bench swing as if it were just a souvenir he had gotten them.
“We love you so much, our brave and selfless knight. We missed you deeply. We are so thankful the realm allowed you to return to us. If I’d known that’s where you were this whole time, we would have come for you, no questions asked. You must have been so scared…”
Virgil shuddered as his composure left him entirely, held so close between them and not wanting to let either go. He fisted Roman’s soft cotton shirt in tightly as Janus pressed a kiss to his forehead. “We have you now, my love. And we aren’t letting you go again.”
“I-I-sorry.”
“We know. All will be alright.” Janus soothed, and Virgil held onto the words meant to comfort him. They did not know if he would be alright again.
“I’m sorry– y-you mourned me.”
“You are here now, you are home.” Roman cooed, voice lulling. “You returned to us. Don’t you worry right now about how we will handle it. We are relieved.”
“I’m sorry,” Virgil sobbed, and he didn’t even know what specifically for. For everything that he knew they must have went through. They had to be relieving the pain he’d put them through, showing up out of nowhere like this–
Janus shushed him softly, brushing long damp hair from Virgil’s face as it stuck together on his pale cheeks. Being without sun for two years would have such awful effects on mortals. Janus made a note to have Virgil sit outside with him as he recovered.
“All will be alright, windstorm.“
It had all but set now, the shadows all-encompassing in their little clearing as the stream bubbled in the quiet. Crickets and fireflies started their nightly concert and dance in the tall grass, having a light show that didn’t compare to the constellations starting to come out above them. They sat there, letting Virgil cry out all his feelings of loneliness and longing and fears he would never come home, that they’d never even know what happened to him. He didn’t stop his garbled apologies until he was physically too exhausted to keep it up. Roman and Janus patiently reassured and comforted him the entire time until he finally fell silent, slumped against Roman’s chest as Janus held his free hand, stroking the scarred skin in his cool, smooth ones.
“I-I’m going to lift you up, okay?” Roman warned right before Janus pulled back. It wasn’t even a second later that Roman took his place once more, easily lifting Virgil and standing with him, followed by more quiet fretting over how light Virgil was. Virgil could only curl into Roman, unwilling to pull away drained as he was. If they abandoned him now, he would simply lie there, unmoving until the Wyervins and scavengers found him. He had nothing left. He weakly clutched at Roman’s chest, chasing the dark thoughts away. Such thoughts had long haunted him in dreams of his return. They got to him, warping his memory of them and their love. Janus and Roman were not like that. Ro was bold in his outspoken declarations of adoration and love for them both. Jay was more subtle but no less sentimental and just as intense, showering them in sweet words and close contacts.
“I have you, little hero. You’re with us again.” Roman reassured as Janus got the door for them, sweeping the precious token up with his telekinesis once more to bring it and Virgil’s staff safely inside.
He made sure it was slid back into its bag and that it was set in the study, safe in the heart of their home. Many would kill or worse to get their hands on something so impossibly priceless, but they already had something worth more in their arms. They could discuss it in a few days or weeks, after they all had recovered enough and had a proper talk about all of this.
Jan was not so sure a complete recovery was feasible, no matter how many decades and centuries passed, but they could be okay again. They would get to a place they could function in normalcy, even if it was never gone. Maybe it should never be gone, as life-changing as it was. Neither he nor Roman were done explaining to their beloved just how much he meant to them, and they would get it through the cloud of doubt in his mind. They would dote and tell him constantly of that truth, and reassure his anxieties as much as he needed them to without question. He had been through something no one should have to face and survived it. He was going to need time and help recover from that. They’d be here to listen and help him get any residual soulmarks healed. They’d guide him through the trauma and how to cope with what he’d never be rid of. They’d do anything for Vee, for Virgil, as long as it meant they’d still be there to love and protect him. He was as much their home as Mindscape, and they’d never let him be isolated from them ever again.
“We will take care of you, darling. You can rest now.”
Hello everyone! Welcome to the Anaroceit Prompt Post for 2024! I only got two responses but there were just enough prompts to do two prompts for each day so so that's awesome! Feel free to use both, just one, or neither!
Roman is determined to prove that his friend Patton's fears of a spider cryptid in the forest was unfounded, so joined by his best friend (and maybe crush) Janus, he ventures into the forest at night. Surprisingly, the night takes a surprising twist.
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| Ao3 |
Warnings: Spider imagery, slightly creepy, and one slightly suggestive comment right at the end but nothing like, bad.
Pairings: Anaroceit
Word Count: 1336
Notes:
Hello everyone!!
This is a very short little fic for day 2 of @anaroceitweek!! This is for the prompt 'Conspiricy' which makes me think of Cryptids haha, and Cryptid Virgil is very very fun :3
This is a very silly short fic I wrote in one sitting haha - I still really like it though! I hope you do too :3
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“Why are we out here again?” Janus drawled as he pushed back a tree branch with his gloved hand, climbing over a root in the dark. Roman shone his flashlight down so that they could see where they were walking. The forest behind the suburbs where Roman lived was fairly thick and mostly unmanaged, so there weren’t any proper paths to follow.
“You’re the one who chose to come out here with me,” Roman huffed as he climbed down a little ridge, “You didn’t have to be here.”
“Oh certainly not, but seeing your face when Patton is proven right will be worth it I’m sure,” He said with a shrug and a grin as Roman shot a glare behind him at his best friend/maybe crush. It was hard for Roman to see in the darkness, so he wasn’t entirely sure exactly where Janus was, but he was sure that he’d seen the glare.
“Well you’ve wasted your time, then, because I’m right,” He said, hopping onto a boulder and then hopping to another one, “There are no weird creepy horrifying spider cryptids out here in this forest.”
“Careful,” Janus said, making Roman stop just before he walked face first into a giant spider web.
“Oh haha,” Roman said, turning so he could walk around the other side of the tree the web was attached to, “Next you’ll be telling me the spider creature made that.”
“Mhm,” Janus nodded, grinning a little as Roman frowned.
Well… there were certainly a lot of webs in this forest, Roman had never actually come this deep before. He was determined, however, to prove to his friend Patton that there were no scary spider creatures in the forest out to get him. For some reason Janus, who seemed to believe Patton’s theories for whatever reason despite how unfounded they were, had come along as well.
Roman heard something that sounded like a distant clicking and a woosh, as though something had run past. Turning to look in the direction of the sound, however, gained him nothing, even as he swept his flashlight around the clearing they were in. Other than the number of spiderwebs present, he saw nothing, and dismissed it as some kind of woodland creature, maybe a possum, those were creepy as hell.
“I wonder what that was,” Janus said, in a tone that Roman thought sounded incredibly condescending and honestly that was just unnecessary.
Roman shrugged anyway, though, “Probably just a regular, normal forest creature.”
“Mmmhm, if you say so,” Janus shrugged. The clicking sound was back, followed by a soft rumble and another few clicks, Roman whipped around, trying to figure out the source of the sound.
After a long moment of silence, Roman yelped and reeled back a little as his eyes met another pair in the underbrush - a pair with piercing white pupils and softly glowing purple irises - plus black sclera, as if that wasn’t creepy enough already.
“What the fuck…” Roman whispered as he noticed a second, third and fourth pair of the same eyes open, he took a step back and ended up grabbing onto Janus’ arm.
“Hello there,” Janus said, only then did Roman realise he was smirking, “You can come out, he won’t hurt you.”
Roman’s eyes widened as he looked from Janus to the eyes. He wouldn’t hurt it?? He was slightly more worried about the other way around, actually.
In a way that was almost shy, the creature stepped into Roman’s torch beam, making him gasp.
He was humanoid and tall - taller than both Janus and Roman by a long way. Roman thought he must be at least seven foot tall - he had to have been crouching before.
His hair was pitch black, but the texture looked to be curled, almost frizzy. In the light of the torch Roman could see that his skin was mostly a light, pastel purple, through which darker veins could be seen, making his skin look almost like marble, though down his arms his skin got darker and darker - until at his fingertips it was pitch black. His limbs too were oddly proportioned, in a way that looked just ‘off’ to Roman, he looked like a person, he was shaped like a person, but his arms and legs were too long and it gave Roman an odd uncanny feeling as he looked at him. Mostly, though, he was just…. Incredibly intrigued.
“Woah,” Roman said softly, staring wide eyed, “You’re uh… real?”
“Last I checked?” He said, seeming… weirdly nervous as all eight of his eyes blinked. Roman thought he should have probably found it creepy, the cryptid - because that’s the only thing that it could have been (Roman might have been wrong, but he wasn’t about to say that out loud).
“You’re… beautiful,” He said, to the surprise of basically everyone there as he slowly detached from Janus to approach. The spider guy looked shocked as Roman walked up, circling him before stopping to look up at him, “Wow…” He said softly.
“Wh-what?” the creature said, turning his head to track Roman but not fully turning around. Janus was smirking in the background, “Hey - you cut it out, stop smirking at me.”
“I told you he’d like you,” Janus said, sounding very smug. Roman looked back at him.
“You were in on this?” He asked, glaring at him, “You knew?”
Shrugging, Janus walked over, placing a hand on the spider’s arm, “Well I’d hope so, considering we’re dating.”
“You what??”
“Are you gonna be surprised by everything?” The spider guy asked, tilting his head.
“Well- I- yeah, actually, I am!” He said, eyes wide, the cryptid startled a little bit, “I just found out the spider cryptid in the woods is real and apparently dating my best friend!”
“And beautiful, don’t forget that,” Janus hummed, Roman went bright pink.
“I- Oh my god, I’m sorry-” He said, looking between Janus and the thing, “I didn’t mean to hit on your cryptid boyfriend.”
With a snort, Janus shook his head, even the spider was smiling.
“It’s fine,” He said, “And I’m Virgil, by the way - um, if you really want to hit on me you can.”
“What.”
“I mean, I’m just saying, I don’t mind,” He defended, “I mean - it’s fine if not, I know you humans are weird about monogamy sometimes, but-”
“No no no - that’s not the problem,” Roman said, raising his hands, he was perfectly happy with polyamory, he’d experimented with it before in a relationship and found it appealed to him (though the lack of communication in that particular relationship had put him off a while)
“I’m okay with it too,” Janus said, “If that’s the problem, you are… fine.”
“That’s Janus talk for ‘I like you’,” Virgil translated, making both Janus and Roman turn beet red.
“So, wait,” Roman said, putting up his hands, “Let me figure this out.”
Both of them nodded.
“So you,” He gestured to Virgil, “Are a spider cryptid who lives out here in the woods?”
“Mhm,”
“And you,” He gestures to Janus, “Are dating him?”
“Yes,” Janus nodded.
“So…. was this whale thing just a ploy to get me out here?”
“Potentially,” Janus smirked, Roman groaned, “Well - Patton’s fears are very real, of course, and him asking you for help was simply convenient, so I talked to Virgil about it - because normally you wouldn’t have found anything.”
“He told me he had a really cute friend he thought I’d like who was coming out ‘cryptid hunting’ in the forest tonight so I agreed to actually show up.”
“And?” Roman asked.
“And…?”
“And… do you like me?” Roman asked, leaning forward a little, Virgil smirked.
“Yeah,” He said with a shrug, “I believe so, do… you like me? Janus said you would.”
Smirking, Roman nodded, “Yeah, I’m pretty sure I do - but uh… I’ve never dated a cryptid before…”
“Oh trust me, it’s a lot of fun,” Janus grinned, making Virgil blush a deeper, richer purple colour. Roman giggled.
“I’m looking forward to it.”
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Tags: @full-of-roman-angst-trash @your-local-random-dino @cutebisexualmess @glacierruler @roseianxiety @bella-bugatti-frogetti-baguetti @scalesfeathersnfur @oatmeal-stans-the-trash-rat @littlerat2 ( if anyone wants to be added, let me know!)
It's boring being a ghost. At least Virgil has two lovely boyfriends to spend his afterlife with.
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| Ao3 |
Warnings: non-graphic talk of death
Pairings: Anaroceit
Word Count: 1008
Notes:
HELLOOO
@anaroceitweek day three is here! The prompt here being 'Ghost'.
This is genuinely just short, cute and fluffy, I love it.
Honestly, being a ghost sucked, for the most part. Virgil couldn’t touch anything, he couldn’t interact with the living beyond causing a chill in the air when they walked past him, he couldn’t read books, he couldn’t watch TV, he couldn’t even clean the dusty ass master bedroom he slept in.
At least, amongst all of that, he wasn’t lonely.
“Virgil darling!!” Came the booming voice of his partner through the house, “It’s raining out! Your favourite! Would you like to go for a walk?”
Virgil floated through the ceiling to appear downstairs before his partner - Roman, a victorian actor who had died mid-way through performance, leaving him in the dress of the woman he had been portraying. Roman wasn’t actually upset by that turn of events.
“Hello love,” Roman said, voice quieter now that Virgil was in the room with him, “It looks like we’re in for a bit of a storm, let's hope that old tree doesn’t come down…”
He looked out of the window to see the old, gnarled tree that Roman was talking about - it looked primed and ready to fall on the falling apart conservatory the last owners of this house had build.
“Well - no point dwelling on that,” He said brightly, “What would you like to do? We could go out for a walk in the rain, reenact sad scenes of your ‘movies’ you liked - we could even drag Janus out of his corner to cuddle together on the window seat of the library if you’d like!”
Reenacting movie scenes was definitely tempting, though neither of his boyfriends really ‘got it’. Roman was better than Janus, being an actor, but he always ended up slipping back into that fancy old talk that he was used to when acting. Virgil didn’t fault him, but it made playing pretend a little awkward when Virgil barely understood what he was saying - Virgil had slacked off when they studied Romeo and Juliet in highschool.
Janus was even worse at it, he had barely even grasped what the concept of a movie was, being some kind of con-man (Virgil hadn’t quite figured out exactly what he had done) in the early 1700s, he was definitely a shady guy and Virgil had never managed to get his profession out of him. Virgil liked him anyway, but no matter how much he tried to explain certain modern concepts, he simply refused to understand. Part of Virgil thought he was messing with him.
Virgil was the most modern of the ghosts, in fact he had only died a few years ago - an embarrassing story, certainly, he had been exploring the ‘haunted house’ and he’d tripped over something and fallen down the stairs and died. He could never work out what exactly had tripped him - he must have fallen over his own feet.
He didn’t exactly like being dead, but it did certainly have the perks of two beautiful boyfriends to spend eternity with.
“Hm…. Kinda feel like cuddling right now, if Janus wants to,” He said, taking Roman’s offered hand. At least they could persuade him to join him.
“Wonderful!” Roman said, grinning as he lead Virgil towards the stairs - Roman had always preferred going the alive way, if it was Virgil’s call they would’ve just floated up through the ceiling to go and find him, “Oh Janusss-!” Roman sang, peeking into the study where Janus preferred to hang around. They were right, he was sitting in the chair by the window with one leg crossed over the other. Janus looked up and tipped his hat to the two of them.
“Hello you two,” He said with a smile, “To what do I owe the pleasure?”
“It’s raining!” Roman said excitedly.
“Isn’t that when you two usually do your strange modern tragedy reenactments?” Janus asked, tilting his head and glancing out of the window.
Shrugging, Roman walked over to plant himself in Janus’ lap, wrapping an arm around his neck and smiling when Janus looked flustered - it was hard to make Janus flustered, Virgil grinned, “Our darling dark little stormcloud wants cuddles instead.”
“Oh really?” Janus says, smirking at Virgil before shoving Roman off of him so he could get up and walk over. Janus was taller than Virgil by, a bit (not a lot, at all, Virgil wasn’t short, shut up) so he was easily able to lift him up and spin him around, making Virgil squeak in surprise.
“Hey! Put me down, asshole!” Virgil cried, whacking Janus’ arm and making him laugh.
“Awee,” Janus said, kissing Virgil’s cheek before putting him down, “The library?”
Nodding, Virgil took Janus’ hand and reached for Roman and led the both of them to the library after Roman took it. It was a little sad, in his opinion, that they had so many books and they couldn’t read any of them. Roman could interact with the environment just a little, but not nearly enough to lift a book from the shelf. He was working on it, but he still couldn’t quite get it.
Janus’ power was by far Virgil’s favourite, he could be heard by the living - as a whisper - though it wasn’t exactly helpful in finding activities for them to do whilst no-one living was there.
Thunder rolled outside and Virgil really hoped that today wouldn’t be the day that the old tree finally fell, but right now Virgil wasn’t trying to worry about it. Right now, Roman was sitting down on the cushioned bay window seat and opening his arms for the other two. Virgil happily followed Janus into his embrace, cuddling up between him and the window so that he could watch the sheets of rain fall down over the countryside beyond the land on which this house sat.
Janus curled up to Roman’s other side and draped himself across them both and even though none of them were warm anymore, Virgil still felt a warmth in his chest as he closed his eyes and curled up with the lovely, beautiful, boyfriends he had to spend his afterlife with.
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Tags: @full-of-roman-angst-trash @your-local-random-dino @cutebisexualmess @glacierreblogs @roseianxiety @bella-bugatti-frogetti-baguetti @scalesfeathersnfur @oatmeal-stans-the-trash-rat @littlerat2 ( if anyone wants to be added, let me know!)