[You fond seventeen garden gnomes lined up on your porch and catch a plot ninja putting an eighteenth one down. The minute you make eye contact the ninja vanishes in a puff of smoke, dropping the garden gnome. A fic somewhere has updated.]
[Some sort of Plot Ninja has entered your askbox. It locks eyes with you and holds up sixteen fingers before disappearing into the shadows. It appears Head-On Collision has updated at last]
the three viruses meeting for the first time? - au anon
I gave you a bit more than you’ve asked for, you lucky duck.
Arin was alone for a while. Not in the typical sense. There were lab coats following him around all day. Feeding him, taking care of him, poking him with needles. It was like having thirty different parents, all watching over you at once.
And there was Brian, who watched him and constantly asked him how he felt. If anything hurt. If he was feeling okay. If he felt ill. Arin always felt fine. Sometimes he felt a little hot, but Brian said that was normal. Sometimes he felt a little lonely, Brian said that was normal, too.
But Arin knew that there was more to all of this than he’d seen. He slept in a tube, liquid keeping him suspended and constantly bubbling around him. He slept in a tube between two other tubes that were just like his, albeit empty.
The day the tube on Arin’s right was no longer empty was an amazing one. Not only was there liquid filling the tube, the same translucent, pale green that filled Arin’s, but there was another something in there. He asked Brian what it was and Brian taught him the word ‘child.’ Later, Brian would teach him the word ‘friend.’
Barry was great. He was strong, though not as strong as Arin, and he liked jokes and talking. And Arin and Barry were allowed to run around and play together in a special room that was just for them. Arin liked that Barry made him feel smart because Arin could explain all the names for things that he knew and all the facts about life and people he could remember. But Barry asked a lot about the outside and he liked to look through windows a lot, which Arin tried to ignore. That’s what Brian had told him to do, so he did.
When Danny showed up, Arin and Barry had both become partial to the word ‘brother.’ They liked it better than ‘friend’ because it felt closer and warmer and safer. Barry and Arin were brothers and Danny was their third. They had been hoping the last tube would be filled for months. And finally, here he was, all dressed in blue and wide-eyed about the world.
Arin and Barry taught Danny like Arin had taught Barry and Brian had taught Arin. They showed him toys and running and lights and floors. They taught him numbers and letters and how to write and draw. Danny didn’t focus as well as the other, too, but they just had to be more patient with him.
Danny listened to Barry talk about the outside a lot. It made Arin nervous because Brian said that’s what he was supposed to feel. Danny and Barry wondered what clouds felt like and if trees were actually as tall as the ones in the books. They wondered what birds sounded like and if cats and dogs actually talked and sang like in the movies.
It took a very long time for Barry and Danny to make Arin curious. But they certainly did and now Arin wondered about outside, too. He mostly wondered why Brian had told him not to think about it and why Brian kept it from them. Why were they not allowed outside? But every time he asked, Brian wouldn’t listen, wouldn’t answer his questions.
The one time Brian got angry with the questions, Arin got angry right back. He fought and he punched and he kicked. Brian had to put him back in his tube early and Brian taught him the word ‘punishment.’
Barry and Danny didn’t like the word very much, but Brian had told Arin he deserved it, and so he sat in his tube and sulked. While Arin did this, Barry and Danny made a plan.
The next day, Arin was allowed out of his tube again and he was in a much better mood. Barry and Danny whispered the plan they had come up with to Arin and, at the first sign of being alone, the three taught themselves how to break a window. They climbed out quickly, leaving behind everything they’d known and let the feeling of wind and sun overtake their senses.
Finally, all three of them learned the word ‘free.’
@pocotippy went all the way back in our chat logs and found this!!! The first plot rant we did!! (This one’s 99% poco, though, so you know who to thank)
Poco: I think it’s a really inventive idea and has a lot of different like story opportunity. Like you could make some really good comics/fics about it. Heck if it wasn’t a game grumps AU it totally sounds like a legit cartoon plot to me.
Legend: Hahaha I mean, I could still make a cartoon if I really wanted--but yeah, it’s one of my more inventive plots I think.
Poco: Totally, plus I just really love the idea of like each of the little viruses going off on their own adventures and Brian going around trying to track them down. And like Brian gets a reputation as this mystery doctor type of thing. I could go on about my virus grumps headcanon stuff forever, dude.
Legend: What if I have forever and I want to hear all of your virus headcanons.
Poco: Dude sit down and prepare for some text spam. Ok first off, Dan has like a major sweet tooth so he ends up infecting a lot of candy shop owners and stuff (especially this one really nice candy shop lady).
Legend: I’m already into it. I might need to record this for the future.
Poco: Also since Arin infects by punching people he’ll just like climb buildings or hide under boxes like solid snake and then just jump on people liek a cat out of nowhere.
Poco: Since Barry and Arin are protective of Dan, they kinda baby him sometimes so Dan gets annoyed and he’ll like sneak out at night and explore/infect. So Arin and Barry wake up and Dan is just gone so they spend the day tracking him down.
Poco: Barry just kinda wanders around and he tries to be helpful, he really does, but it never seems to go quite right, think a series of unfortunate events type thing. Also one time Arin and Barry get caught by Brian trying to save Dan, so Dan actually has to focus and try to save them.
Poco: Whenever they get stuck in crowds and Arin gets overwhelmed Barry just kinda goes “welp” and like picks him up over his shoulder and continues on.
Poco: One time one of the viruses actually makes friends wth someone and they try really hard not to infect them.
Legend: The Barry carrying Arin one is amazing oh my god. Also them making friends ahhhh.
Poco: When they’re trying to steal food Arin is just like “ok listen, here’s the plan” and Dan is sorta listening, but mostly zoning out and while Arin is distracted with Dan, Barry just kinda walks up and takes some stuff while the shopkeeper isn’t looking and then he just goes back and continues to listen to Arin’s plan, which only works half the time.
Poco: Dan will sometimes just run around, like just run and zone out so he’ll just end up in these weird places. I really like the idea that Danny knows/has met the most people out of all the viruses.
Legend: He totally would know the most people oh my god
Poco: If Arin sees Dan or Barry shivering he’ll immediately just go up to them and start cuddling.
Poco: On time Brian loses the pills and he has to go through this whole ordeal to try and find them and then Barry/Dan find them by accident and return it to him secretly because they’re just nice dudes.
Poco: Brian is kinda like an action doctor, like he is super athletic and cool.
Poco: Dan sings and it does a thing, it could be comforting or something with his virus but I just want it to do something.
Poco: How ya liking them so far?
Legend: Oh my god, I love all of them and they’re so spot on??? Like you’re so good at this.
Legend: And for the singing thing: I imagine it would act as like a natural “immunity” (not quite that strong, but it would at least lessen) for the anxiety/depression that his virus produces.
Poco: Oooo! That’s awesome! Also I like the idea that whenever they steal from a place, Barry will go back later and leave a little apology gift.
Legend: Maybe that’s why they start stealing out of dumpsters exclusively. Barry feels too bad about stealing.
Poco: Ya Barry is too nice to do it so Arin is like “ugh fine!” and to the dumpsters they go.
Legend: And I mean, they can’t really have any kind of stomach problems so it’s not like gross/rotten food can hurt them anyway.
Legend: They just have to sustain those puny human shells, y’know?
Poco: Exactly, but they aren’t completely viruses so they still kinda prefer not spoiled food but they’re fine with the rotten stuff.
Legend: Right, right, of course. And they have their preferences (i.e. the sweet tooth on Danny that you mentioned)
Poco: Exactly. Also Dan knowing a ton of people not just in town but like everywhere cause like I said he kinda runs off on his own a lot. So like he’s actually kinda well liked by the people he’s interacted with that he didn’t infect.
Legend: Dan’s a wily one anyway. Like, he gets close to you in order to infect you, but sometimes I guess he just changes his mind and he’s like “actually nah, I’m cool with this one.”
Poco: Totally, I like the idea that Dan is like actually super competent. Like he’s awesome and stealth and he’s good with handling people and all types of stuff.
Legend: Yeah! He just gets zoned out sometimes, which actually helps when he’s trying to focus on something important because he’s DEAD FOCUSED until that thing is done.
Poco: I like the idea that in all of Brian’s files, he has them all analyzed and stuff and Dan is labelled as the most dangerous one.
Legend: I bet he is! Because Barry is totally benign. He only infects by pure chance and he’s pretty conscious of coming into contact with people. Arin is really predictable and most people run when a horned child comes running and screaming at them.
Legend: But Danny gets all up in your insecurities. He’s devious and sly. He preys on mothers and people who look lonely or trusting.
Legend: He’ll get into your head and make it so you just wanna give him a huge and then BAM infected.
Poco: But even though they get infected, Dan is still a nice guy so once in a while he will try and actually help them after he infects them so when they get cured sometimes they’re kinda grateful.
Legend: He’d especially feel bad for really intense cases because their anxiety would probably start slipping into paranoia and they’d be so depressed they wouldn’t wanna do anything. Even stuff they needed to do.
Legend: So Danny is like “Okay I’ll run those errands for you. You just stay in bed and get better.”
Poco: Exactly. Also one time the viruses find someone who’s already sick from something else so they can’t infect them, but the person is super nice and sweet to them so they purposefully lead Brian to them to make them better. And maybe Brian has the chance to grab one of them, but he realizes wha tthey’re doing so he lets them go just once.
Legend: I LOVE WHEN STOIC “VILLAINS” GIVE UP THEIR GOAL OF CAPTURING THE HERO BECAUSE THEY RECOGNIZE THAT THEY’RE DOING SOMETHING GOOD.
Legend: THE “JUST THIS ONCE” TROPE IS TO DIE FOR.
Poco: Jeez I’m rambled off a lot of things haven’t I
Legend: I enjoyed all of them, though. And we had a nice bouncing off of each other session too.
Poco: XD I’m glad you’ve enjoyed it cause I sure as hell had. Also for that just this once time Arin and Dan don’t notice, but Barry does so they just have this moment where they stare at each other and maybe Barry waves or Brian winks and then Barry runs and Brian goes to work.
I was, for no particular reason, thinking if ways to prevent colossus!Dan from getting infected and I came up with footie pajamas, mittens, a beanie, and a scarf. Only the skin near his eyes is visible. He is a Virus hugging machine.
oh my goodness that’s so cute. And the complete opposite of his usual clothing choices lol. But I’m sure the kiddos love it.
