Closer Than Before
Summary: Virgil comes back to find his apartment trashed and calls the police... but he didn't expect to have a history with the cop that arrived...
Pairing: post-romantic anxceit
Warnings: swearing, panic attacks, robbery.
Word count: 1,771
I'm late but this is my fic for the first day of @tss-anxceit-week Close & Distant, hope you like it!
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Virgil froze as he entered his apartment.
Clothes thrown on the floor.
Window shattered.
Drawers half open.
Everything's just a big mess.
This wasn't how he left it when he left for work… he… he'd been…
Robbed.
As the realization sank in, so did the panic. His breathing became hitched, his heart pounding in his chest like a caged animal trying to break loose, spots decorating his vision.
He shakily tried to take deep breaths as he reached for his phone and dialed 911.
He could barely get the words out through his panicked panting to explain what happened and tell them his address, and then they hang up.
And now he has to wait.
It felt like years passed when he finally heard the sirens and rushed out of the building to greet the cops.
But he definitely was not prepared to see an achingly familiar face coming out of the police car.
He barely had time to turn his back and pull his hood tight over his face before… he spotted him.
The universe must truly hate him.
Like, seriously? What are the odds, out of all the cops in the city… Why him?
"I take it you're the resident of the robbed apartment?" He said in his usual smooth voice.
Without turning to face him, Virgil nodded.
"Okay…" he said slowly, "I'm going to need your name and a list of everything that went missing."
Fuck, fuck, fuck… this is so bad…
Why him? Why him? Why HIM?
"Not much of a talker are you?" The teasing, followed by the familiar chuckle, and Virgil's sure his eyebrow is raised too. "That's too bad for you cause I can't help unless you cooperate. I promise I won't bite."
God he can hear his smirk behind the words… some things never change…
A warm hand on his shoulder.
"Hey, I know this is scary, but it's going to be okay, I'll do everything I can to help you. I just need you to work with me, alright?" And then… gentleness, so unexpected, so sweet… so needed.
With a long sigh, Virgil took off the hood and turned around to his ex's shocked face.
"Hey Janus…"
…
3 years ago
Virgil heaved a sigh as he dialed his boyfriend's number.
…and another when it went to voicemail for the 4th time.
He was sitting on the flat armrest of their couch, hugging his knees to his chest, staring at his phone as tears blurred his vision, 2 hours after Janus said he'll be home.
He's fine, he's fine, he's… he has to be fine…
Virgil knows Janus' job as a cop can have emergencies pop up that can delay him but… he can at least shoot him a quick text, he knows how easily Virgil's thoughts spiral.
He perks up when the door to their flat finally swings open to reveal his tired, but undoubtedly satisfied, boyfriend.
"You won't believe what happened!" Janus started as he closed the door behind him, "we got this random call that turned out to be just the clue we were missing and then… what's wrong?" Janus stopped, at last noticing Virgil's tear-stained face.
Virgil said nothing as he held up his phone to show the 4 missed calls, "I… I didn't know where you were… you didn't say anything I thought…" a choked sob cut him off and he wiped his cheeks with the back of his hand.
"Hey… I'm fine, see?" Janus said in that gentle tone of his that usually had Virgil melting… but not this time.
"A quick text is too much to ask? A small 'hey babe I'll be home late, don't stay up'? Is that really so hard? How am I supposed to know what's going on if you won't tell me?" Virgil hated how shaky his voice was right now but he was still recovering from the hours of imagining every worse-case scenario.
"Look, I'm sorry, there was so much going on I completely forgot I-"
Virgil held out his hand to stop him, "don't… just… don't, I can't do this anymore…"
Janus swallowed, voice wobbly as he asked, "what are you saying?"
Virgil stood up, not meeting Janus' eyes, "you clearly care more about your job than me… so lets spare you needing to choose… it's over, Janus, we're done." He turned his back to him, fresh tears streaming down his face as he walked out.
"Wait! That's not true!" Janus pleaded, grabbing his hand desperately, "please… give me another chance, I swear I'll do better!" His voice cracked.
Before he could lose his nerve, he shook free of Janus' grip, "you're out of chances…"
…
Now
"Virgil…"
Virgil couldn't read Janus' tone as he said his name, his voice full of emotion he couldn't place.
He wrecked a hand through his hair, "well… this is awkward…" he chuckled uncomfortably.
"You… you look good, I mean… you look like you're doing good… not that I don't think you look good good but um.." Janus mumbled then let out a sigh, "it's nice to see you." He finally said, giving him a small smile.
Virgil just shrugged, trying to ignore his pounding heart, "still a cop?" He half stated, half asked.
"What? This?" Janus gestured to his uniform, "nah, it's just a costume."
Virgil was surprised to find himself chuckling, making Janus smile at the sound. He always had a knack for making Virgil laugh.
Janus cleared his throat, "so um… you were robbed?"
The question brought Virgil back to the present and images of his trashed apartment flooded his mind.
His panic from earlier made a comeback as well. He was robbed. Someone snooped around his personal space, stole his things!
"Virgil? Hey, deep breaths okay? I promise it's not as bad as it seems just… breathe with me alright?" Janus took him by the shoulder, taking deep breaths to demonstrate and Virgil did his best to follow his lead…
Just like old times…
"There you go, now why don't you show me your place so me and my team can search the scene of the crime?" Janus said gently and Virgil nodded, anxiety still spiraling but at least he was breathing now.
The next few hours were a blur of Virgil watching the cops work and answering their questions and, before he knew it, it was just him and Janus again.
"Okay so, we'll check the security cameras to see if they got a glimpse of the robber and I'll contact your insurance so you'll get your money back for the TV they stole and the damadge to the apartment" Janus said, checking things off his list before closing his notebook and offering him a smile. "Everything's going to be okay."
Virgil breathed a sigh of relief, feeling himself finally calming down, "thanks." He said lamely.
"So um… how've you been? It's… been a while…" Janus asked hesitantly.
"Don't you have work to do?" He intended it as a genuin question but it came out snappier than he meant, probably reminding Janus the main reason they broke up.
Janus breathed out sharply, nodding, "okay, yeah, I deserved that."
There was an awkward pause after that that seemed to stretch for hours but was probably only a few minutes.
"I've… been good." Virgil said slowly, "got a pretty good gig at a nearby pet store, pays well enough and my boss is obnoxiously sweet." Virgil said with a slight smile as he remembered Patton's freckled face smiling at him, "I guess that makes sense, given the fact he literally owns a puppies and kittens business." Virgil added, before briefly looking at Janus.
"How about you?"
Janus chuckled nervously, toying with something familiar on his wrist that Virgil didn't notice up until now.
His voice was thick when he asked, "you're still wearing it?"
Janus' cheeks flushed a deep red as he looked down at what his hands were doing, playing with the bracelet Virgil made him for his birthday back when they were dating. "I… never took it off.." he admitted, the red on his cheeks deepening.
Virgil felt an ache in his chest, "I'm sor-"
"Don't," Janus shook his head, "you were right… I was a total jerk to you… I didn't have my priorities straight back then." He explained.
"And, to answer your question, I'm doing pretty well too. I'm pushing to get a promotion soon which would hopefully let me have more control over my hours so I can spend more time with Logan." Janus answered, his voice going soft on the name.
Virgil raised an eyebrow, "Logan? Who's that?"
Janus cleared his throat, "no one! Really!" He added when he saw Virgil's skeptic look.
Virgil chuckled, "if you say so Lover Boy." He laughed harder when Janus flushed once again at the nickname.
This was… this was going surprisingly well. Sure, it was a bit awkward at first but… he forgot how easily it felt to just.. Be, when he was with Janus, regardless of the nature of their connection.
And he was also relieved that he didn't seem to hold on to the same feelings he felt before towards Janus.
"I missed you." Virgil was surprised to find himself saying that, knowing it was true.
Janus flashed him his signature smirk, "couldn't stop thinking about me huh?"
Now it was Virgil's turn to blush, "you wish… Though I did have a thought or two about all those hoodies you stole from me."
Janus pretended to be offended, "you gave those to me!"
"I let you borrow them because you kept whining about how cold you were every time we were going out." Virgil corrected with a smirk of his own.
"Well sucks for you, I have no idea where they are." Janus insisted, tone still playful.
"Liar." Virgil snorted.
They smiled at each other when Janus' phone suddenly rang.
He shot Virgil a regretful look before going to the side and answering, coming back after a few minutes.
"Sorry but… I gotta go now." He said through a sigh.
Virgil shrugged, "that's fine… it was… nice to see you too, Jan."
The use of the familiar nickname seemed to light up Janus' face, "yeah… I'm glad I came here." He turned to leave.
"And hey, don't be a stranger, alright?" Virgil shot him a small smile when he turned around, his expression a mixture of relief and surprise.
"I won't… and, you have my number… I'll see you soon." And with that, he finally left.
They were never going to go back to the way they were… but maybe this was better, healthier…
Closer…