An Archive of Our Own, a project of the Organization for Transformative Works
my entry for @sanderssidesfanfiction ‘s ts reverse bang! i was paired with @bee-nice-to-bees , whose work gave me a great prompt and idea to work with, so i thank both of you for letting me participate! sorry i’m a little late, and this sucks especially towards the end, but i’m just glad it’s all done.
~
Chapters: 1/1
Word Count: 7,670
Fandom: Sanders Sides (Web Series)
Summary: Remus tries to fight through the challenges of their childhood leading up to college. All they have to accompany them is their brother Roman and his cousin Virgil, who lost his parents.
Relationships: Creativity | Roman "Princey" Sanders & Dark Creativity | Remus "The Duke" Sanders, Anxiety | Virgil Sanders & Dark Creativity | Remus "The Duke" Sanders, Anxiety | Virgil Sanders & Creativity | Roman "Princey" Sanders. Dark Creativity | Remus "The Duke" Sanders & Deceit Sanders
Additional Tags: sanders sides reverse bang, ts reverse bang, rushed so the ending sucks really bad, Child Abuse, Domestic Violence, though it's kinda mild, Abusive Parents, Alcohol Abuse/Alcoholism, cursing, virgil is roman and remus' cousin, roman has a crush on deceit towards the end, deceit is ethan in this btw, Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending
Logan awoke from his nap to find it was already dark outside. Not a shocking development, as it was winter and the sun was expected to set at around five. His phone indicated it was a quarter to six, and the smell of dinner was enough to coax Logan out of bed.
Logan walked into the kitchen, where his parents were busy preparing the feast for them and the guests that were soon to arrive.
“Oh, hello Logan!” Mitch greeted his son. “Might wanna fix that bedhead of yours.”
“Where’s Remus?” Logan asked, trying to flatten down his hair. From what he remembered, Remus had gone grocery shopping with Mrs. Anderson for dinner.
“Oh he’s outside,” Maya said. “Probably playing with the snow again, silly boy.”
Logan nodded, but didn’t really make any move to leave.
Mrs. Anderson noticed this. “Is there anything you need, Logan?”
“Do you like Remus, Ma?” Logan blurted out.
Maya seemed surprised at the question. She mulled over it for a bit while chopping some vegetables.
“Well, I will admit, dear, I don’t quite understand his humor,” she admitted. “And the ones I get, they are a little… crude.”
“Ah,” Logan said.
“But… he does seem fun!” Maya smiled widely. “He’s very energetic, and isn’t afraid to share his thoughts… and ya seem happy around him. I trust ya and your choices, Logan. I raised ya after all.” She chuckled. “But really, I know you’re smart. If you choose him, then I do too.”
Logan nodded. “Thanks, Ma,” he said, really meaning it.
“Wow, not gonna ask your Pa his opinions on his son’s boyfriend?” Mr. Anderson said jokingly, shaking his head.
“I’m going to check on Remus now,” Logan said.
“Go to him, hun,” Mrs. Anderson said.
Logan smiled, and walked out the door.
~
He was expecting Remus to be jumping around, as usual, or maybe making another snow zombie. Logan wasn’t expecting to see Remus simply sitting on the snow, staring at the flowers and the street.
The snow was a bit thicker than from a few days ago. The streetlights cast a calming orange glow over the scene. Decorative lights were twinkling as they hung from different houses. Logan heard distant singing, probably from one of the neighbors. He hoped they didn’t encounter any carolers tonight. He could not stand them.
Logan sat down on the ground next to Remus, who he just noticed was balling up some snow he scavenged from the ground. Perhaps he was making a miniature snow zombie.
“We kissed,” Remus stated, before Logan could speak.
The latter nodded mutely.
“I.. I know you probably only did that to keep up the whole fake dating thing,” Remus continued, “But, uh… to be honest, I kinda, legitimately wanted to kiss you?”
Logan stared at Remus. “You did?” he muttered.
“I mean, I dunno if any of our other friends ratted me out, but judging from your reaction I’m guessin’ they didn’t.” Remus squished the snowball in his hands. “Like, I’ve had a crush on you for a while, so..”
“You did?” Logan asked, incredulous.
Remus cocked an eye at Logan. “Okay, look, I was really expecting you to catch on at some point but you’re acting super surprised right now. Did you not realize? I thought I was being obvious. I mean, everyone else saw right through me-”
“All of them?” Logan was close to hyperventilating. “And they didn’t tell me?”
“Would you be glad if someone ratted out your crush to… your crush?” Remus asked in a dramatic tone. “I would think not.”
“Fair enough.”
Remus shifted uncomfortably. “So, I know you don’t like me in that sense, but I had to get this off my chest first, or else it would become too heavy and crush my ribs,” he said, shrugging. “At least I got to be your kinda-boyfriend for a week! That was fun. Your parents are nice too.”
“I like you too.”
Logan didn’t hear himself say that. All sound was blocked out. Time stretched into millenia as his heartbeat thrummed heavily in his head. The tension seemed to press against Logan from all sides.
“You... do?”
Logan nodded slowly. “To be honest, it didn’t really surface until this week but… well, you’re fun, and astute, and… quite adorable.” His cheeks were burning hard now. “It was perturbing to me but… I couldn’t ignore it any longer.”
A laugh suddenly erupted from Remus. He fell on his back, giggling madly, while Logan simply stared helplessly.
“Why are you laughing?”
“It’s ridiculous!” Remus howled. “This is hilarious!”
“What?”
“Never, in a trillion years, did I think this would happen,” Remus chortled. “I think I’m having a euphoric orgasm, oh holy Krampus. This is amazing!”
“Are you just going to laugh or are you going to actually ask me out?” Logan blurted.
Remus immediately stopped laughing at that. He widened his eyes at Logan.
“Ask you out?” he mumbled. “But I thought you were the dom in this relationship?”
“I’m not good at romantic relationships, you know this,” Logan said.
Remus pouted, seeming to be lost in thought. “In that case, someone has to step up and ask first!” He stood up, plucked a flower from a nearby tree, and grinned down at Logan.
“Logan Anderson,” Remus began, raising a hand to the night sky.
“No need for dramatics, Remus,” Logan reassured.
“Nonsense!” Remus scoffed. “Please, let me continue?”
“Sure.”
“Logan Anderson, I have, for the longest time, harbored romantic feelings for you and your hot-ass bod,” Remus proclaimed.
He lowered his outstretched hand and offered it to his companion, smiling softly at him. “May I, Remus Reule, take you out on one, and maybe several more, very romantic dates that may or may not result in some rocking sex?”
“We’ll see about the sex part,” Logan deadpanned. “But as for the dating part…”
Logan accepted the hand, pulling himself up. Looking at Remus, who was grinning widely with joy in his eyes, Logan felt the strange feeling once again.
A/N: Here it is! My second fic for @sanderssidescelebrations‘ ts holiday month! Finished just before the last day of Christmas (in America). As such, this whole thing is pretty much raw and... unpolished. Sorry about that. Hopefully y’all find it decent lmao
~
“Oh yes, how could we have seen that one coming?” Nathaniel drawled sarcastically, lounging on the couch and exasperatedly watching Logan pace across the living room. “It’s not like your mom, who birthed a brainy powerhouse, also has a strong memory of her own, as she has demonstrated many times before.”
“Come on, Nath, give Logan a break,” Patton urged in a kind but firm tone. “It was a simple mistake.”
“A simple mistake I should not have overlooked!” Logan hissed desperately.
“See? He agrees anyway,” Nathaniel said, shrugging.
Patton sighed.
“Well, what are you going to do?” Virgil asked, zir feet draped across Roman’s legs. “You just gonna tell your parents you lied?”
Logan paled. “Oh, definitely not,” he said. “They hate it when I lie.”
“So then what, Single Bell?” Roman inquired, clearly entertained by Logan’s befuddled state. “Perhaps say you broke up with your mysterious lover. Holds up the lie while eradicating it completely at the same time.”
“No, just tell them you accidentally murdered your boyfriend!” Remus suggested gleefully. “And then make up a sob story as to why exactly you did it, along with a graphic description of how! I suggest gutting and decapitation.”
“But what if they find out you lied in the future?” Virgil asked, ignoring Remus completely. “You eradicate their trust that way.”
“They are… rather sensitive souls.” Logan grimaced. “There isn’t much I can do about this situation, is there?”
“How about feeding the lie?” Nathaniel proposed.
All heads in the room turned to him.
“What do you mean?” Patton asked.
“Bring someone along for the stay, tell your parents he’s your boyfriend,” Nathaniel elaborated. “And then say you broke up after, so you don’t have to keep up the act. Easy peasy.”
“You’re just stealing a very popular fanfic trope,” Virgil pointed out. “I believe that’s called a ‘Fake Dating AU’, wherein the two characters in a fake relationship almost always fall in love by the end. If you’re looking to avoid that, I don’t think that would be the best way to go.”
“Ah, but that’s in the fanfic world, dear Vee,” Nathaniel countered. “We-- wipe that scowl off your face Roman, it’s just a simple nickname-- We are not in a fanfiction, as far as I’m aware. And I think you’re forgetting that Logan here is a master at not feeling extreme emotions. Who says it won’t turn out differently? We’re just employing the tactic, not the plot.”
“That is a good point,” Patton agreed. “What do you think, Lo?”
“That could be a solution,” Logan mused. “But… are any of you available?”
Silence fell upon the room... for about a second before it was quickly broken by Remus.
“Ro-ro and Virgey-poo are busy platonically smooshing booties, Patton’s family are kidnapping him so they can go to the Philippines to talk with unfamiliar and uncomfortably prying relatives, and your mom loves eye-murdering Nathaniel, so I’d say most of us are unavailable.”
Logan stared at Remus for a while, carefully putting together the information. “So.. all are unavailable… except for you.”
Virgil coughed into zir sleeve several times. Patton’s eyes widened. Roman looked genuinely panicked. Nathaniel merely smirked.
Logan considered his option. Truth to be told, although Logan has hung out with everyone a decent amount of times, he’d say Remus was the one he was least close with. Remus was... endearing in a certain way, although Logan couldn’t really pinpoint why. The guy was honest, observant and had a very expanse knowledge of murder techniques, but that’s about all Logan knew about him.
“I’m a little worried you might… unnerve my parents,” Logan admitted. “Er, no offense but, your interests are very… disturbing to most.”
“Not to Jeffrey Dahmer they wouldn’t be.”
Logan sighed quietly. Was Remus really his only option?
“Aww, pwease Newdy Wowvewine?” Remus cooed, pouting and trying to make puppy eyes. “I pwomise I’ww be a vewy good boy in fwont of youw mommy! And even behind the doow! And on youw be-”
“Okay, you definitely cannot take him with you with that kind of behavior,” Roman protested. “Just tell your parents the truth, Single Bell Twunk!”
“You just made the same joke as Single Bell,” Virgil said.
“It was a variation! Logan, you are a very dear friend to me, and I will not see your dignity and reputation spoiled by my rabid gremlin of a brother!”
“Don’t listen to him, Tech Weenie!” Remus scoffed, casually raising his foot to behind his head. “I sincerely, candidly, earnestly, unequivocally-- you like that last word? It’s a big word, turns you on doesn’t it-- promise to pretend to be your boyfriend for your one week visit to your parents, in an appropriate manner, so their hearts will not be torn to shreds. Rip my heart out, cross it, and-” he giggled, “-swear to die.”
On that note, Logan needed a fake date to please his mother, and he supposed this would be a good opportunity for some bonding with Remus Reule.
~
Nathaniel sipped some sparkling wine begrudgingly, as the others did not want him to get drunk the night before he drove Patton to the airport. He still drank it out of a wine glass though, because that’s exactly the kind of bitch he was. Nathaniel listened to the clinking of the kitchenware and the stream of water from the faucet as Patton washed the last of the dishes. Everyone else had headed off to their respective rooms, except for Roman, who stayed with Virgil.
“Is it really a good idea?” Nathaniel heard Patton mumble from the kitchen.
“What is?”
Nathaniel saw Patton flinch a little, as if the latter wasn’t expecting someone to actually hear him.
“Er, the plan with… Logan and… Remus…” Patton trailed off.
Nathaniel hummed and took another sip of his drink. He savored the fizziness before swallowing, then went on to swirl the sparkling wine for fun. No, he totally wasn’t trying to buy more time so he could continue to stay in the room with Patton. That would be ridiculous.
What was Patton concerned about again? Oh, right.
“Logan can handle Remus alone for a week,” Nathaniel reassured. “Have you seen the man? Hardly anything disturbs him. He could find a corpse and go, ‘Oh someone was murdered here. That is normal. Better call the cops and assess the body for research. Bleep bloop.’”
“Naaaaath, that’s not nice,” Patton berated, though Nathaniel could hear a smile in his voice.
“I’m just saying, if anyone can stay with Remus for a week with no other company but their parents and not go crazy, that person would be Logan,” Nathaniel said.
"Although…" he continued, "I’m a little curious to see if there will be a sort of… romantic outcome, in the end. It is certainly a possibility.”
Both of the persons in the room knew the implications of what Nathaniel was talking about, but none bothered to voice the shared knowledge.
“If there is… it’ll be quite surprising,” Patton chuckled breathily.
Nathaniel raised the glass to his lips only to find it empty, not to his dismay at all. He sighed and brought it over to Patton, who proceeded to wash it as well. Small “goodnight”s were exchanged between the two, and Nathaniel headed off to turn in.
“Oh boy,” Patton said to himself as he heard Nathaniel’s door close, “Logan’s gonna have an interesting week.”
“Ooh, is that bacon I smell?” Remus asked excitedly as he stepped into the dining room, fresh out of the bath.
“What sharp senses ya have, Remus,” Mrs. Anderson beamed. “You’re right, I made some bacon for breakfast, as well as eggs, and pancakes!”
“Yummy!”
Remus hopped over to the empty seat besides Logan, who had exactly one of each food on his plate and was already digging in.
“Geez, one pancake, one bacon and one egg?” Remus scoffed, scooping up several pieces of pancakes. “You wanna starve yourself?”
“I don’t want to risk stuffing myself too much,” Logan said, breaking the yolk.
Remus shrugged. “Alright, suit yourself. But don’t complain when you’re still hungry and you find I’ve eaten everything!”
Mr. Anderson walked into the room, stretching and yawning. “G’morning!” he greeted, leaning on the doorframe, which would normally be a cool pose if not for the fact that he was clearly still sleepy and trying to get a few extra winks.
“Mitch, be decent why don’t ya?” Maya scolded, walking over to her husband and pulling him into an upward position.
“How ‘bout a kiss first?” Mr. Anderson teased. “Maybe it’ll gimme some energy.”
Mrs. Anderson sighed, though a smile was on her face. Strangely, she looked up. “Well, I guess I have no choice anyway.”
Logan glanced to where his mother was looking and saw a mistletoe. At that moment, two words, and only two words, flashed through his mind.
Oh.
Shit.
Mrs. Anderson kissed her husband, then turned to grin cheekily at the couple.
“I—er, when-” Logan stuttered.
“Oh, y’all will get a chance later,” Maya assured. “Just finish your food first!”
Logan looked at Remus, who was busy shoveling his mouth with food. Logan wondered if the intense speed that he was intaking the pancakes was because of the mistletoe, or if it was because Remus was just like that.
Maybe… she will forget, thought Logan, although deep down he knew that it was unlikely. Perhaps we won’t have to do it. If one of us leaves first, and not at the same time, will that increase the chances of us evading the…?
The complex train of thought was merely just a distraction from the real feelings Logan was experiencing. And why wouldn’t he try to shove them down deep into the dark abyss of his soul? Real feelings were, of course, unacceptable. Preposterous. Abominations.
But of course, the thing about real feelings is that, you cannot simply get rid of them, like how you cannot get rid of atoms. They simply are, and that was frustrating to Logan, who was now thinking that maybe shoving his face into some eggs wasn’t such a bad idea.
~
“Are you done?”
Logan looked up from his empty plate. “Uh…”
How he wished he could say he wasn’t, that he was still hungry and reaching for another slice of bacon. However, Logan was very much full, and the food was all finished. And, to his… whatever emotion he was feeling (somwhere between dismay and… relief? What was this???), Remus was still there, staring blankly at his plate, being uncharacteristically quiet. He fiddled with his fingers, the hems of his shirt, and was bouncing his leg.
“So…” Mrs. Anderson said, gesturing to the doorway, “Don’t y’all wanna try?”
“Do you?” Logan whispered to Remus. He noticed that he, too, was fidgeting, fingering the edge of the tablecloth.
“...do you?” Remus whispered back.
Logan stayed silent for a minute. He analyzed his feelings, something he rarely did. Most of the time they would just be ignored. But this time… was different. Did he want to kiss Remus, even if it was to keep up an act? It shouldn’t be this big of a deal, right? Well, right now, it felt like it was. Why? Did Logan feel anything for Remus that was out of the ordinary?
Yes, Logan realized. Yes, I do.
Well, fuck. That settles it then.
Logan gave a small, tentative nod. “If you want to,” he said.
It may have been a trick of the light, but Logan could have sworn Remus’ eyes lit up at those words. A small smile appeared on his face.
“Alright, Mrs. Anderson!” Remus declared, standing up. “We’ll take you up on your offer, why not?”
“Great!” Mrs. Anderson cheered. “I’ll get the camera, this’ll be a great memory!”
Logan wasn’t surprised. Of course his mother would document this. She documents everything.
They made their way over to the doorframe, where the mistletoe hung. The plastic berries looked shiny, as they were made of plastic and reflecting the light from the sun gleaming through the window.
“Mistletoes are poisonous, y’know?” Remus suddenly said. “And they’re actually a parasite.”
Logan smiled, leaning against the doorframe. “That is correct. However, it could possibly be used to treat cancer.”
“Ooh,” Remus cooed, poking at the mistletoe. He grinned at Logan. “You’re very smart, Logie.”
“It’s simply random knowledge, nothing too impressive,” Logan dismissed, although he could feel his cheeks burning a little.
“Alright, I got it!” Mrs. Anderson called gleefully. “Now, ya two just pose and do whatever you want!”
“We… don’t have to kiss?” Logan asked, not noticing Remus deflating a little.
“Well it’s encouraged,” Maya said. “But I won’t force y’all.”
“Logan?”
The man in question looked at Remus. “Yes?”
“You said… it was alright anyways, right?”
Remus was… shy. His body held apprehension, which it rarely did. He didn’t make eye contact. Logan was rather taken aback at this.
“I did say that,” Logan affirmed.
Remus up at Logan, and a smile spread across his face, though he was still a little tense. “So… why not?”
Logan stayed silent for a few moments. He felt some sort of drumming in his head, and realized it was his heartbeat. Since when had it gotten so loud?
Warnings: death (although they’re technically resurrected after they die), descriptions of violence (but it’s nothing too graphic), drowning mention, suicide mention
AO3
Summary: After failing to fall asleep, Logan decides to venture up to the terrace, where an unexpected character awaits him.
A/N: Something for a small Valhalla AU I made up a while back :)
~
Logan carefully opened the door out to Floor 209 of Hotel Valhalla, wary of any possible witnesses. He stepped out and closed the door behind him. The moon shone outside the single window at the end of the hall, acting as the only source of light. Logan slowly crept towards the elevators and entered one. He pressed the button engraved with a single black "T". The doors closed and the elevator began to climb.
It was not unusual for Logan to be unable to sleep, but it wasn't common either. However, on nights like this he would normally do something else to pass the time, seeing as he took his insomnia as a sign of excess energy he needed to dispel. He would read, write, or think out battle plans and strategies just in case. Or "for fun", as Roman would tease. Logan always insisted otherwise, though.
"Nah, it's thy giant brain of yours, is it not?" Roman would jest anyway. "Too much intellect for your brawn-less person to handle?"
Logan still had no idea why and how he befriended a British fool from the 16th century who cried about Shakespeare's death every night and refused to adapt to the modern day tongue, though it was most likely Logan forgot. He wasn't exactly new either.
Logan also wasn't sure why he decided to do something different for a change. Was he feeling especially restless tonight? Was it to be more adventurous? Has his idiot friend's actions finally gotten to his head? Or was it purely to try something new and hoped it eased his mind a bit more than just putting it to work as always? He hoped it was the latter. Never in a million years was he going to morph into a clone of Roman. Though honestly, that was left up to debate. No one knows how long they're going to be staying there anyway.
The elevator dinged as it arrived at its destination. The doors opened and Logan stepped out onto the terrace. It was much brighter here as the moon had direct contact. It shone onto the swimming pool and the shrubbery lining the perimeter. A bench sat a couple feet away from the edge, looking out onto the Grove of Glasir. And to Logan's surprise, a hunched figure already sat atop it.
Logan debated on whether or not he should leave and let the figure remain unbothered, or if he should join them. However, as he was deciding this, the figure suddenly turned and spotted Logan standing in front of the elevator.
Logan, noticing a pair of hazel eyes trained directly on him, panicked, and decided to speak: "Um, sorry if I bothered you, uh, I can go if you want-"
"Nah, dude, it's fine," the other interrupted. "You can sit with me if you like, I don't bite."
Logan relaxed at that.
"Well," Logan began, walking towards the bench, "I would be very surprised if you did, people normally do not exhibit the mannerisms of feral animals."
The stranger stared at Logan as he sat down, processing his dialogue and taking in his pinstriped pajamas before looking back up at the sky. "Huh. You must be an older one, right?"
Logan scrunched up his nose. "Yes, I suppose I am. Though I'm not exactly enthusiastic at the choice of words."
The other male chuckled, offending Logan a bit. "Yeah, I guess nobody would really like to be called 'old', huh?" He looked over at Logan with a small smile on his face. "Especially when you're not really old."
Logan nodded. "The immortality and the... Norse Gods... are a lot to get used to."
The other nodded in agreement and continued stargazing. Logan recognized this person. He had been admitted at the hotel several weeks ago for defending a girl from some kelpie. Why Logan remembered him so clearly when other einherji would fade from his mind in at least a few days, he didn't know.
Seems Logan had a lot of questions.
"If you don't mind me asking, you are one of the newer ones, yes? Virgil Santos?"
"Yep," Virgil confirmed. "You're...?"
"Logan. That was incredibly chivalrous of you."
Virgil only shrugged. "Strong choice of words, but yeah, that's the point, I guess. You're brave, you get into Valhalla."
"Well, that wasn't all, was it? You stopped her too."
Virgil didn't respond for a while. When he finally spoke, he only uttered a quiet, "Not really."
Logan was confused. "What do you mean? You did stop her from jumping off the bridge, did you not?"
Virgil bowed his head and was silent for a long amount of time.
"When the kelpie dragged me down, she went down to the dock to rescue me," Virgil finally answered. "I tried finding out what happened to her after I died. Turns out she..." He paused again, as if trying to hide his sadness behind silence. "She was dragged down soon after I was."
"Oh," Logan could only mutter. "I am sorry."
"Don't be," Virgil reassured. "There was nothing either of us could do."
Out of the blue, Virgil took a deep breath and began to sing quietly, "What will happen will happen, whether I'm happy or sad. What will happen will happen, whether I'm happy or sad. There are days to look out for, there are dreams to be had, what will happen will happen, whether I'm happy or sad..."
Logan was not expecting that. He was mesmerized, to say the least. Virgil's voice reminded him of the women who sang in the bars, whose voices were velvety and as smooth as silk.
Virgil saw Logan staring, and his eyes widened, as if he had just realized what he had done. He flushed. "Sorry, I just wanted to sing something... normally it helps me take my mind off things..."
"Huh? Oh, no," Logan rushed to say. "It-it was good. Nerts."
There was a beat of silence before Virgil broke out into giggles. Logan hated the fact that his face felt like it was on fire. His old slang had slipped. It probably sounded ridiculous to Virgil. He was laughing at him right now.
"Sorry," Virgil managed to force through his giggles, "It's just... nerts?" He had another fit (His giggles do not have to be that cute, Logan thought during this interval) before continuing, "What is nerts?"
"It's just a word... from my time," Logan muttered, too embarassed to say it any louder. "It just means I was... impressed."
Not the exact translation, but close enough.
The giggle fits stopped.
Oh no, Logan thought. I have done something wrong, haven't I?
He slowly looked at Virgil, who was staring back at him with wide eyes.
"Really?" Virgil asked sheepishly. "That was impressive?"
Well then, Logan resigned, I suppose I have to admit it now.
"Yes." Good, short and simple.
"Actually-"
Wait no-
"-it reminded me of the singers back at the bars downtown."
Goddammit Logan, can you not keep your trap shut?
Virgil stared at Logan for a bit before smiling and bowing his head shyly. "Thanks, nobody ever compliments me."
"That seems to be an oversight over their part," Logan said. Virgil's smile grew, as did Logan's sense of accomplishment.
"You know," Virgil said, going back to observing the stars, "I did consider doing the same thing that... girl was going to do. Nobody really cared about me, I didn't have anywhere to go, so... I decided I was going to do it sooner or later."
"You were going to jump off the bridge too?" Logan asked, mildly incredulous.
"Yeah," Virgil said. "Then I saw her, and for some reason... I wanted to stop her. I thought, 'No, she shouldn't do that,' and at that split second I also realized... if I didn't want this girl to jump, then someone out there... wouldn't want me to either."
"I'm sure of it," Logan assured him. "That was a good decision you made."
There was silence. A croak was heard from the bushes, followed by another.
"Tell me about your time."
"Hm?" Logan realized he was staring again and snapped out of it. He should stop doing that.
"Your time. Where you came from."
"Oh. Well." Logan looked up, trying to organize his thoughts neatly.
"I was born in 1902 in the South as Lucille Hampton. My momma- er, mother, and I moved up to the North in the early 20s. She managed to get a job at a bar as an entertainer. She sang for the customers. I managed to get ahold of books too. A friend of mine volunteered to teach me how to read.
"I never really went to any bar or speakeasy though. My body could never handle alcohol. No, I only went to one major event and one event only—the drag ball."
"Drag balls?" Virgil asked, intrigued. "You went to drag balls?"
"Yes, I did." Logan leaned back, a smile on his face. "That's where I got my friends. It was the only time I could be myself. I could even mingle among white people freely. Some spectators would watch us from above, but we wouldn't care. We would just dance, and… kiss, and have a good time."
"That sounds nice," Virgil mused. "Did you have… anyone?"
Logan thought for a bit before responding, "Well, there was one man, but we never really took it far. It was just for fun, I guess."
Virgil nodded slowly, pondering something, and asked, "How did you die, if you don't mind?"
Logan's smile disappeared as he remembered. Virgil saw this and immediately backtracked.
"Oh, well, if you don't want to say it's alright with me you don't have t-"
"No, no, it's quite alright," Logan said. "You told me your story, it's only fair I tell you mine."
Logan sat up straight again. Virgil watched intently, a soft and almost concerned look on his face.
"It was after a drag party," Logan began, "and my pals were quite zozzled-" He caught himself. "Drunk. They were drunk."
"It's fine if you use your old slang," Virgil said.
Logan looked at him. He got a small nod in return, as well as a comforting smile.
"Well, we passed an alley and we saw something." Logan fidgeted with his thumbs. The scene came back to him, a little blurry but still distinguishable. "We decided to move forward, see what was going on. It was a couple of white men, beating up another black guy. I tried to interfere, but..."
Logan heard the voices now, random sentences from that night replaying like a dirty record.
"Hey, stop!"
That was his voice.
"Who's this egg? A bulldigger?"
"They turned on me. Called me all the usual things, since I wore a suit..."
Loud, boisterous laughter. Taunts and slurs, all directed at him. Logan saw their previous victim slowly get up and try to crawl away. At least he's safe.
"My friends tried to pull me away, but I..."
Logan felt hands clawing at his shoulders, trying to pull him back. But he was stubborn. He shrugged them off and threw a punch towards the leader, determined to at least break something.
"...I wanted to fight."
Logan's fist collided with the bully's face. His hand may have hurt more than the guy's face, but Logan didn't care. He punched him. That was an achievement.
"So I did. I pulled punches, I tried kicking them. Soon my pals were joining in. I thought I could keep it up forever."
His adrenaline coursed through his entire body. It was chaos, and Logan loved it, maybe more than he was supposed to.
"I couldn't."
But then he felt something. A force more powerful than he had ever felt before. It was blinding. Logan wasn't even sure where it hit him. The pain traveled through his body and suddenly, Logan was aware of how frail it was.
Logan chuckled dryly. "Honestly, I don't think my melee spree lasted even a minute."
There was a tug on the collar of Logan's suit. He felt himself being lifted up.
"Someone picked me up, I believe it was the leader-"
Logan felt a trickle down his chin. He felt groggy and light-headed. He still heard grunts and shouts, signifying that the fight was still going on, churning around him like an angry sea. Or a hurricane. And he was in the eye.
"-and laughed in my face. He told me only men can fight."
"You think you can fight, little girl?" he taunted.
"I... ain't a girl," Logan protested weakly.
The bimbo snickered. "Tell that to Sweeney, bulldiker. You know only men can fight." He laughed loudly, resonating in Logan's ears.
"He punched me in the face... and threw me on the ground."
Sharp pain penetrated Logan's body, seeming to come from everywhere. He heard several loud crackles before passing out.
"...that's it?"
"That's it."
"Wait," Virgil said carefully, trying not to overstep any boundaries, "you died by being thrown on the ground? How?"
"Well, I had a fragile body," Logan explained. "He probably broke all my bones, and I wasn't healed in time."
"Ah," Virgil intoned. "Okay then... so after that, you woke up at Valhalla."
"That I did."
"So... you died because you wanted to prove yourself." Virgil nodded understandably. "You were so pressured to prove you were male that you were willing to fight someone, though they clearly outmatched you. You also wanted to protect that guy who they were beating up."
Logan nodded.
"...so what did you do once you got here?"
"I was confused and frightened, for one," Logan explained. "They weren't even sure if bringing me in was a good idea. But they kept me in the end. So I trained. Not just in combat, but in strategy as well. I learned, and I learned quickly. Befriended someone new too. Roman, some idiot from Britain."
Logan heard a snicker from Virgil at that, and a warm feeling surfaced.
“Thanks for sharing your story, Logan,” Virgil said. “I’m… very sorry you died like that.”
“It’s quite alright,” Logan said. “It was decades ago, I have become much better now.”
Virgil sighed inwardly. He glanced at the moon. "I hope I can... I dunno, survive? Here? I just..." A pause. "I dunno if I can live up to their standards. A building-" he gestured wildly, "-full of warriors, and intelligent people, like you-" he gestured to Logan, who blushed involuntarily, "-and me, some guy who managed to run into murder horses."
“You defended a girl against those, quote, ‘murder horses,’ unquote,” Logan argued. “You have as much of a right to be here as any of us.”
“How do you know?” Virgil muttered.
“Our stories are similar,” Logan noted. “We both rushed to protect someone’s life, even if they were a stranger, and were killed trying to do so.”
Virgil was silent.
“If you do not belong in Hotel Valhalla, then going by that logic, I do not either.”
“You do deserve to be here,” Virgil said quickly.
Logan gave Virgil a knowing look. The latter saw this, and after a while, cracked a smile.
“Alright, I guess you got me there,” Virgil chuckled. He allowed himself to relax again and focus on the sky. “I guess we all have tragic backstories here, huh?”
Logan smiled, relieved that his companion was glad once more. “Yes, I believe we do.”
“Maybe that’s the real requirement for getting into Valhalla,” Virgil jested. He mimicked writing in the air. “‘Must have sad cause of death. No murder, no entry.’”
Logan laughed softly at the joke.
It would be a while before sleep would come back and bring him back to his room, but as of now? Logan wouldn’t mind if he spent all night on the terrace with Virgil Santos.
~
A/N: I'm thinking of making more for this AU because I love Norse Mythology and the concept in general, so please feel free to give a few suggestions!
Prompt: Fake Relationship for the Holidays, Snow Day
Warnings: sympathetic remus, mentions of being eaten (by raccoons), mentions of kidnapping, extreme pining
Pairings: Eventual romantic Intrulogical
< First >
AO3
@sanderssidescelebrations
~
Dawn of the Third Day.
“Logan.”
“Mmmmm,” Logan replied.
“Logan.”
Logan half-opened an eye. “What time is it, Remus?”
Without his glasses, Remus looked like an incorporeal blob, but Logan could tell he was very excited about something, if the jerky movements were to suggest anything.
“Oh, it’s like… eight.”
“Hm.” Logan shut his eye again and buried his face into the pillow. He heard a huff of disappointment from Remus.
“Come on, aren’t you supposed to have your sleeping sched all correct and stuff?” Logan heard Remus complain. “Why are you so tired???”
“I don’t maintain my sleep schedule all the time,” Logan groaned into his pillow. “Now, if you will kindly let me be, I’ll be going back to sleep.”
Once again, Logan slowly turned his head to look at Remus. “What do you expect me to do about it?”
“Let’s look at it!” Remus said, starting to tug on Logan’s sleeves. “I wanna eat some of the snow!”
“Then go,” Logan mumbled. “Just put on proper attire or you’ll catch a cold.”
“But I want you to coooooomeee,” Remus whined.
Logan begrudgingly turned to look at the half-naked gremlin staring him in the face. “Why?”
“I—come on Nerdy Wolverine!” Remus plopped onto the floor and wriggled around in what seemed to be a tantrum. “I don’t wanna go out alone! What if the raccoons eat me? Or someone kidnaps me?”
“You’re perfectly capable of defending yourself, I’ve seen you handle a possum as if it were a cat.”
“That’s only because I thought it was a cat,” Remus argued.
“You’ve defended me and several others from harmful people before.”
“I didn’t do much-”
“You bit them. Many times.”
“Well-”
“And kicking them in the balls is always a favorite move of yours.”
“It’s not like I killed them,” Remus concluded, a victorious grin on his face as if he had made a great statement that Logan couldn’t possibly negate.
“And you’re expecting me too?” Logan negated. “So that you could eat snow?”
Remus blinked, his grin unwavering.
“Don’t have an answer for that?” Logan smirked sleepily.
Remus stayed silent for a while, though his face became a tad redder. Logan didn't think much of it, thinking it was probably because Remus was shirtless despite the rather low temperature.
“Mmk,” Logan said, turning over. “Enjoy the snow, I’ll be going back to sleep.”
Logan heard a loud scuffling of feet before seeing Remus fly onto the bed beside him, face-first. He wiggled around to turn to Logan.
"Pleeeaaaaaseee?" Remus pouted and projected puppy eyes once again. "I don't wanna be looooooneeeeelyyyyyy."
Logan shut his eyes. "Let me sleep, Remus."
"Loooooooooooooooo."
A groan.
Then, Logan finally sat up. "Alright, I suppose I could accompany you for a bit." He yawned, rubbing his eyes. "As long as I can go back to sleep after."
"Yaaaaaaayyyyy!!!" Remus cheered, shooting out of the bed.
"Don't shout, you'll wake my parents."
Remus giggled and booped Logan on the nose. "Okay. Come on, Hugh Jacked-man!"
Remus ran out of the room.
Logan's half-asleep brain tried to process everything that had just happened, especially the boop on the nose. That took way longer for some reason. Once he realized it, however, a strange feeling had built up in his chest.
"No," Logan mumbled, very not at all panicked, and tried to push it down. "Not today."
He buried his face in his hands and, unable to do much else, screamed rather mutely.
~
"There you are!" Remus grinned at Logan, who had just stepped outside. He now donned boots, and a sweater was worn over his onesie. Another sweater was draped over his arm.
“I see you’re already engaged,” Logan remarked, amused.
Remus rolled around in the little snow on the ground, clearly reveling in the experience.
“There’s hardly any snow on the ground,” Logan noted, only just remembering that the South did not get as much snow as where he’s been living for the last few years. “You’re just covering yourself in mud.”
“It’s still fun!” Remus said. “And the ground is frozen anyway, so I’m not getting too dirty!”
“Put on a sweater first, we must reduce the chances of getting some form of disease,” Logan sighed, holding out the sweater.
Remus got up, snatched the sweater from Logan’s hands and quickly put it on. “Ooh, it’s very soft,” he gushed. “Like a baby butt! Thanks, boyfriend!”
Remus ran back out into the yard and continued running around, trying to catch the sparse amount of snowflakes falling from the sky.
Logan sighed and took a seat on the front porch. He was used to the sight of snow, having lived in the higher parts of the country for a while. But he had not seen this much snow in his hometown in a long time. While it was just a thin layer on the ground, Logan still felt a kind of comforting feeling, like he was witnessing something not seen everyday. Though, of course, with Remus there, it was to be expected.
Speaking of which, Remus was now scooping up a mix of snow and dirt and attempting to make some sort of mutilated snowman.
“Logan! Help me!” Remus invited.
“I’m… still a little sleepy,” Logan said, waving a hand.
“Well okay, just leave me to make a snow zombie all by myself.”
Snow zombie. What a ridiculous concept. So why, in this unreal expanse of a galaxy, did Logan find it so adorable?
It was completely irrational, Logan knew. Oh, he knew. Remus would never, in a million universes, be considered “adorable”. Yet Logan saw him that way. As well as fun, and quite intelligent, and… ughhh.
Logan heard the door creak open, snapping him out of his thoughts—thank god—and a familiar voice said, “Well, I see ya boys are havin’ fun!”
Maya Anderson was smiling at the couple outside. She was bundled up considerably more than either Logan or Remus. “I’m makin’ breakfast right now, so be sure to come inside in a few.”
“Alright, Ma,” Logan said.
Mrs. Anderson smiled and went back inside. Logan sighed again.
“Well,” he said, “There goes my extra sleep.”
“Sorry Logan!” Remus called, having heard him. “Maybe you can sleep in the snow, it’s comfy!”
“I’d… rather not, but thank you Remus.”
Remus grinned and did another somersault. “If you say so!”
Finally have the courage to make my own au and release it into the world so here it is: an animal brides au inspired by overly sarcastic production’s latest video and cosmo sheldrake’s “the moss”
(Warning: murder/hunting mention, death mention, gun mention, lmk if there’s anymore)
Setting: a mythical world similar to ours, but quite different because I didn’t want to worry about where specific animals lived. so basically the only differences is where all the animals live
Characters
Logan Tala
species: human
sexuality: aromantic asexual
gender: male
raised in an orphanage run by nuns
graduate of The Saint Teresa College, also run by the nuns he grew up with
having been brought up in a catholic school with a mostly conservative staff, it wasn’t until he met Sister Tanya, a closeted lesbian asexual nun, that he started to accept his sexuality.
loves nature and space, but is strangely indifferent to robots, stating that “The truly compelling kind of science, is the kind that was not created by mankind, and therefore can never truly be understood.”
he’s poetic like that
while very intelligent and appreciative of the goals and services the educational system provides, he also (rather surreptitiously) absolutely hates it due to its outdated method of shoving information down students’ throats without giving any real thought or care to keep the pupils interested. not to mention the fact that homework and projects can keep a student up late at various hours, thus throwing off their circadian system and not letting them get the required time for sleep
is the kind to scroll wikipedia for hours
Patton Uycoco
species: human
sexuality: bisexual
gender: demiboy
went to the same school as Logan, and is his closest friend
also struggled with their sexuality as well as their gender, not really experiencing dysphoria but feeling like something was off
was introduced to Sr. Tanya by Logan, who helped them come to terms with their orientations
loved animals, but mostly just mammals, birds, and cute fishes. anything creepy-looking or said to be dangerous (snakes, spiders, nautilus, sharks, octopuses are a bit in-between, etc.) were squicks for them
cartoon and musical lover!
loved Dodie (yes she exists in this au because I can and also she’s basically a goddess and deserves to be in every universe) as well as some other mainstream artists (still loves 1D, cried when they broke up)
Roman Sanders
species: therianthropic (deer)
sexuality: gay af
gender: male
brother of Remus Sanders
ADHD
half therianthropic, half human. his mother was therianthropic, a deer capable of turning into a human. she fell in love with roman’s father and married him, giving birth to Roman and Remus shortly after. however, only Roman inherited her (technically) shape-shifting powers
his mother was killed by a hunter when he was 15
was homeschooled by both his parents along with his brother, but after his mother died was educated by his father only
not incredibly fond that his “spectacular skill” consists of turning into a deer. often wishes he could be something more “brave and dangerous”, like a lion or bear. has even occasionally said he’d settle on a horse, because “at least those beautiful creatures can knock a b*tch out”
not that he disrespects his mother, of course
Roman really misses her
loves his brother, but is also incredibly creeped out by him so he never admits it
loud
loves (hyperfixates on) musicals, the occasional video game, cartoons, mythology, greek and latin history and architecture, and literature
met Logan at a history convention, swapped numbers and eventually became close friends. was introduced to Patton shortly after and bonded over their shared love of cartoons and musicals
Virgil Noctis
species: therianthropic (leopard cat)
sexuality: panromantic, asexual
gender: genderfluid
hard of hearing due to a gunshot they heard when they were very young
ran away in a panic and ended up at a small cottage owned by a sweet farmer lesbian couple
was adopted by the lesbians and grew up under their care
attended Greenfield for grade school and high school, but never attended college as they didn’t have enough money to afford it
very very anxious, especially about their disability
(they can’t hear people, though they can read lips well, what if they react wrong? they can’t even hunt properly, what if they get eaten in the wild?)
they can, in fact, communicate and hunt well :)
often uses their phone to communicate with others
was very nervous when they came out to their moms about being genderfluid, and while their parents were confused at first, they eventually learned to understand and accept their child’s gender orientation
needs to have headphones or loud speakers in order to listen to music
likes emo music (mcr, tøp, p!atd etc. because those exist here too yay) as well as dodie, tessa violet, orla gartland and lauren aquilina
(plus billie eilish of course)
very interested in conspiracies
met Roman while hanging out in the woods
(they saw him turn into a human and freaked out before remembering that it was a thing some people did sometimes and oh yeah they are one of those people)
Remus Sanders
species: human
sexuality: aro-spec, a-spec (questioning)
gender: trans male
twin brother of Roman Sanders
actually a bit jealous of Roman for getting all the cool powers, but still loves him nonetheless
also loves annoying his baby brother to death
(yes, baby brother, albeit by an hour)
also misses his mother a lot, though he’ll admit he was closer to his father
dysphoric, always tries his best to feel like a guy though he hates polo shirts or... anything with a folded collar
loves creepy/scary animals, movies, games etc.
watches conspiracy videos on the daily like Virgil, but likes to focus more on paranormal activities
speaking of Virgil, when they first met he did creep them out a bit, but discovered they both watched conspiracy videos and bonded from there
met the others through Roman
Dante
species: therianthropic (timber rattlesnake)
sexuality: queer
gender: agender
human contact whats that
yeah so basically they only learned how to speak from the passing hunters and hikers in the forest as well as the other therianthropic animals
sometimes they would obtain and collect books (doesn’t matter where from and how, not important) and eventually taught themselves how to read
kinda sick of being the kind of animal that humans screamed at and ran away from upon seeing them
and if it wasn’t that, it would normally involve being captured
he always escapes of course
the first time they were handled by a human without malicious intent was by a 16-year old Remus, who tripped over them while on a leisurely stroll to find some tarantulas
Remus brought them home and housed them kindly
he was the first person Dante revealed his human self to
long story short Dante moved in with the Sanders family and perfected their English during their stay there
also Roman screamed like a little girl upon seeing Dante for the first time
he denies it’s ever happened
Remy Diaz-Picani
species: human
sexuality: gay
gender: deminonbinary
a nature photographer
married to Emile
Emile Diaz-Picani
species: human
sexuality: gay, aceflux
gender: male
a zoologist, works in tandem with Remy
married to Remy
Anyways, that’s all I got for now, I might add some stuff later on. Also if I made any mistakes regarding Virgil’s disability or the like, please let me know, this would be my first attempt at writing disabilities in a (hopefully) pretty big project like this.
The car pulled into the driveway, the sound of crunching following it. Logan ignored a comment from Remus (“The tires are grinding into the ground!”) as he concentrated on not hitting anything.
“You know,” Remus mused, twirling his moustache, “rockets are already very phallic-looking.”
“mhm.” Logan looked into the side mirror to make sure he wasn’t going to run over any of his mother’s flowerpots.
“So what if there was a dildo shaped like it? It’ll even have its own launchpad, and when you activate it it’ll shoot up your-"
SLAM!
Remus and Logan froze as the car reversed in full speed, then screeched to a halt, causing them to lurch forward.
"A little excited, aren't we?" Remus turned to grin at his companion, only to find Logan's forehead perched on the wheel, both his hands gripping it. "Uh oh-- Logan???"
That's when Remus noticed Logan's shoulders shaking, and small noises coming out of his mouth. It took Remus a while to realize, to his surprise, that Logan was suppressing giggles.
"Are you broken, dork?" Remus whispered.
Logan straightened with a small snort, then tried his best to wipe the smile off his face. "Apologies, it's just--" Another giggle out of his mouth, which he covered with his hand. "Your idea, it got me there, I have no idea why-- oh my god."
In a flash, the laughter was gone, and so was Logan, who had rushed out of the car in the drop of a hat.
Remus blinked, trying to process what had just happened. "Geez, does he like to do everything so fast?" he wondered with a smirk, removing his seatbelt. "I think I like that."
Outside the car, Logan was inspecting the rear, which had bumped into the flowerpots. There was not much damage; only one pot had been cracked. The rest were just knocked over by other pots, or tilted. Nonetheless, Logan didn't think his mother would fly into a rage if she saw the state of the flowers, just exasperated.
"Wow," Remus whistled, "you didn't have to get that excited over my concept of a rocket dildo, Logie. Turned on much?"
"Don't be ridiculous," Logan simply said, turning to re-enter the car. "I was just caught off-guard."
"But I was making jokes like that the whole trip!" Remus reminded him.
"You were asleep for half the ride."
"I was making jokes like that the whole time I was conscious!"
Logan advanced the car a bit, making sure to keep a distance from the flowers. Afterwards, he turned off the ignition, grabbed the luggage (with Remus helping), and started towards the house.
"Come on, Remus," Logan called. "It's about time you met my parents."
Remus squealed and ran towards Logan with his baggage-filled hands in the air.
Then he tripped and face-planted into the ground.
Logan found a smile creeping onto his face. He replaced it with a sigh and an eye-roll. Hopefully Remus could control himself around Logan's parents, unlike in the car.
The weird thing was, Logan didn't really seem to mind Remus' gruesome and lewd thoughts. On the contrary, he even found some of them to be quite amusing. Not in the "haha dicks" or "haha murder" kind of way, but rather in the way one would be amused by a child's nonsensical ramblings. It was… cute.
Cute?
"Alright, Logan, I'm here and at your service!"
Remus was already beside Logan, who had just realized he had been staring at the door for a while. Logan turned to his "boyfriend" (oh, that's right, Remus was going to pretend to be his significant other), who was grinning, every inch of his face filled with excitement.
"You called me 'Logan'," the respective person realized.
"Yeah? Whudaboutit?"
"You mostly call me by a teasing, rather ridiculous nickname," Logan said.
"Oh, well, I figured those nicknames weren't going to be pleasurable to your folks, so I figured I'd call you by your real name, warm up a little." Remus' arms swung back and forth. "That's smart, isn't it Lo-lo?"
Logan felt the half-smile on his face once again, but didn't really bother to hide it this time. "Yes, I suppose it is."
Remus' grin suddenly shrank into a small smile as he glanced down at their hands.
"Should we? We are supposed to be rubbing holes, after all.”
“Are you ever going to use the term ‘dating’?” Logan asked.
“Oh, should I not do that either? Okay!”
Logan smirked and slowly took Remus’ hand in his. “Well, shall we?”
Logan saw a tint of red covering Remus’ face as the latter stared up at him, but assumed it was from the cold. “You bet your sweet ass ass we shall, new boyfriend!” Remus exclaimed.
The two walked to the front of the door, ready for a week of pretend. Logan pressed the doorbell, and the ringing tune that sounded throughout the house suddenly seemed to ground him.
He was there. At his parents’ house. With Remus, his boyfriend.
Boyfriend.
Boyfriend.
Boyfriend.
Boyfrie-
The door creaked open.
“LOGAN!”
Oh boy.
“Hi ma,” Logan greeted with a small smile.
“Oh, hello my dear, I’ve missed ya!” Maya Anderson cried, wrapping her arms around Logan. “Welcome home! Oh, I hope your journey wasn’t too tirin’, was it?”
“No, ma, we’re fine,” Logan reassured her.
Mrs. Anderson detached herself and smiled, cupping her hand to Logan’s cheek. “Well, I am sure relieved. And this…”
She grinned as she turned her head to Remus, who, Logan realized, had straightened his back and was smiling kindly, as if trying to look presentable. The aura around him had shifted considerably, although, Logan remembered, Remus was related Roman, so he probably picked up some acting skills from his brother.
“This must be your boyfriend!” Mrs. Anderson squeed as she moved closer to Remus to inspect him.
“Pleasure to meet you!” Remus said. “I’m Remus!”
Maya giggled. “Hello Remus! My, what a funny voice ya have! And Logan, I didn’t know ya had a thing for facial hair.”
She patted Remus’ cheek before turning to head back into the house. “Come now, sugar, come in! There’s some afternoon snacks waitin’ for the two of ya, we better eat them before they get cold.”
Mrs. Anderson walked into the house, calling, “Miiiitch! Lo-lo and his boyfriend Remus are here!!!”
A muffled, deeper voice seemed to respond from deep inside the home.
Logan and Remus followed Mrs. Anderson into the house. She led them to the living room, where a cream-colored couch and a recliner surrounded a wooden coffee table, all in front of a television screen attached to the wall. Several paintings and pictures decorated walls and shelves. Various DVDs, board games and books were arranged on a standalone shelf located under the TV, beside more pictures.
“Take a seat, why don’tcha?” Mrs. Anderson invited the two. “Let me bring your bags to your room, and I’ll get the snacks and tea. Mitch will be comin’ down in a hot minute.”
Maya hummed as she made her way to the other room, presumably the kitchen. Remus made himself comfortable on the couch, flopping down onto it and rubbing his body all over.
“At least make some space for me, Remus,” Logan said, sitting down on the far end.
“Ughhhh, I’ve barely done anything and I’m already so tired,” Remus complained, kicking Logan’s legs, which Logan hardly appreciated. “How do you stay so stoic and boring all of the time? How???”
“You don’t have to act so formal,” Logan said. “You can be as energetic as you wish, as long as you don’t act barbaric.”
“Your definition of ‘barbaric’ is much tamer than what it actually means, Hulk Hoe-gan,” Remus huffed. “Making jokes about dildos isn’t as horrifying as--gasp--” Remus straightened up, putting a hand over his mouth and widening his eyes in a comical fashion, which was admittedly quite funny to Logan, “murdering someone!”
“But you joke about that too,” Logan reminded. “And it doesn’t matter which is more disturbing, the fact remains that my parents wouldn’t find it favorable if they thought I was dating someone who thought about rocket-shaped dildos and gruesome killings on the daily.”
“Not on the daily!” Remus corrected, feigning offense. “I only thought of that rocket dildo today! To make you laugh!”
“Me, specifically?” Logan asked, an eyebrow raised.
“I mean, you’re the only one in the car with me, so you’re automatically my audience!” Remus stuttered a bit, seemingly trying to get his rapid thoughts in order.
"That is true," Logan said. "But, please try to keep up the effort? You don't have to hide your energetic self, just refrain from speaking of things that will perturb any normal person."
Remus flinched a little, but quickly recovered. “At least… some light jokes?" he pleaded.
Logan thought about it for a moment. "Alright, as long as it's nothing extreme."
"Yay! Thank you, Daddy-o!" Remus exclaimed.
"No-"
"Did I hear someone say 'Daddy'?"
Mitch Anderson stood in the doorway, staring down at the two on the couch with a smile. "I hope you kids aren't getting too naughty, what with the lack of adult supervision.”
“Pa please,” Logan grumbled.
Mr. Anderson chuckled and ruffled Logan’s hair. “Don’t get so riled up now Logan, y’know I’m just messin’ with you.”
“Hi Mr. Anderson!” Remus greeted.
“Hiya,” Mr. Anderson said. “You must be Logan’s boyfriend!”
“Pleasure to meet you,” Mr. Anderson said, taking a seat on the recliner. “Have y’all been doin’ okay?”
“Yes, we’ve been doing quite fine,” Logan affirmed.
“Gotten into any fights?” Mr. Anderson asked with a grin.
Logan sighed. “Why must you inquire me that every time?”
“Why, is it wrong for a father to wonder if his son had stirred up any trouble?” Mr. Anderson took the remote from the coffee table and turned on the television. “It’s interesting!”
“Mitch, don’t pressure your son like that, now,” Mrs. Anderson berated her husband, entering the room with a plate of cookies and setting it down on the table.
“Logie has been in a fight once!” Remus said, suddenly straightening himself.
“With whom?” Mrs. Anderson asked, curiosity—and perhaps worriement—flooding her eyes.
Logan shrugged awkwardly. “Er, it’s been a while, I can’t remember.”
“It was Cthulu!” Remus blurted. “He insulted my mustache so Logan here punched the daylights out of his face!”
Logan flinched, quickly turning his head to look at his parents’ reactions. They simply blinked.
“O-Oh! It was merely a joke!” Mrs. Anderson chuckled rather nervously. “What a funny man ya are, Remus.”
“Though, it would have been impressive if Logan here was able to take down such a monster,” Mr. Anderson jested.
Logan smiled apprehensively, and turned to Remus, who was grinning widely despite the lukewarm response.
“I’ll get the tea now,” Mrs. Anderson said, turning to leave the room again. “I’ll be back in a jiffy.”
“Well,” Mr. Anderson said, “anythin’ else you boys want to tell me about?”
“There sure are!” Remus said cheerfully.
Logan took a cookie and allowed himself to fully relax into the couch, thankful for the shift in atmosphere. Maybe this week won’t be so stressful after all.
