“Janus, what’s wrong?” Virgil squats down in front of the curled up snake on the couch. “Nothing ssseriousss..” he says, hoping he was keeping the tremble out of his voice. It was no use. Virgil knew him too well. “Something’s definitely wrong. Can I sit with you?” Janus manages a small nod, and tries to shift over. “No, don’t. It’s okay.” Virgil gently settles beside the distressed side, making sure to leave room in case he wasn’t okay with being touched. “Do you want some music?” Janus looks up, and sees Virgil with his phone out. “That would be nice..” With Janus’s favorite playlist queued, they sit in silence for awhile. Occasionally, Virgil starts humming, but catches himself and clears his throat to cover. After a time, Virgil looks down to see Janus tearing up. “Hey, hey, you’re okay, what’s wrong?” Janus shakes his head, as if to dismiss Virgil’s voice and to dispell the tears. For a moment, Janus stares into nothing, before launching himself into Virgil’s chest. Virgil is shocked at first, but as Janus begins to cry, he wraps his arms around the sorrowfilled soul and squeezes as tight as he dares. “I’ve got you, and I’m not going anywhere.”
