Hello! Hi! I'll interact with you. Pick an au. Any au. Give us the rambles about it. If it has a fic please link the fic too
HELLOOO it took me too long to figure out what au to talk about aaaaaa I have far too many.
I have thoughts about the lesbians au I have tho!!
There's one short fic here, but I plan to write a lot more, this will likely end up being a scene in a wider fic.
And some art here!
In this au Roman is a college drop out who stayed in her college town to be nearby her friends (Logan, her former roommate, and Patton, the leader of the college's pride group), and Virgil is a french-canadian marine biology major who moved to America with her best friend (Janus). Janus moves in with Remus, who was also going to college here (with Roman), because they were online friends for years and the (probably fictional) city is very progressive/accepting of LGBTQ folks which they all are.
Virgil has her own apartment because as much as she loves Janus and Remus she doesn't think she could cope with living with them full time lol.
The idea of the actual storyline goes: Virgil is signed up to a lesbian blind dating event by Janus and Remus at a gay bar they frequent after she complained too much about being single. She gets matched with Roman and they pretty much immediately hit it off, and things go from there!
It's such a fun au that I love a lotttt thank you for letting me talk about this!!
Also some more doodles I did and never posted:
@swiftieroman you asked to be tagged in Yuri prinxiety content way back when I posted my first thing I hope this is okayy <33
I just wanted to let all of you know that this blog is once more up and running!!
Unlike before, I will be taking asks for any of my aus, so feel free to drop an ask if you liked one of my fics and have a question to ask a character, or just something nice to say!
I'm very bored, I'll probably respond to just about anything you send to me here, lol.
Hiiii - so this wasn't out like I planned for last week bc it wasn't actually finished, but it is finished now! So here you go!
I don't know yet whether the next chapter will just be the one final chapter as planned or if it'll be too long and end up split into two. But I guess you'll find out next week xP
Have fun >:3
-----
Roman followed Virgil through the ocean for a long time.
Two nights had passed, through which Virgil found them a ledge to sleep under or a cave to inhabit. During the day, Virgil went out to hunt before they moved on. He'd always come back with a small stack of fish, and Roman didn't know how he did it. Roman didn't think he'd be able to stand killing them.
At first, Roman hadn't even been able to stomach eating the fish at all. He hadn't hated sea food on land, but that was usually cooked. And not still moving.
In the end, Virgil had sighed and cut off their heads with his claws, before showing Roman how to eat around the bones. Roman had needed to explain just how different food was for humans. And that had been the first issue of many Roman had trying to adjust.
Swimming got difficult after so long. He found he couldn't swim for more than a few hours without getting tired and needing a break. He hadn't exactly been unfit as a human, and naturally merfolk muscles seemed to be stronger. But Virgil had mentioned being able to swim for days straight if he needed to. Roman was the only reason they kept stopping.
Neither he nor Virgil were sure why Roman struggled. There were a few theories - that he was adjusting, that he needed to build the skill, that lionfish just weren't built for extended fast swimming and thus Roman wasn't either. No matter the reason, Roman was struggling.
Roman had no idea where exactly Virgil was taking him, either. He seemed to know the way to whatever destination he had in mind. He'd told him it was a place his pod had once stopped over in. A place they could settle. But he'd never expanded more than that.
Almost all the time, they held hands. Virgil said it was to ensure that Roman didn't fall behind and get lost, but Roman was sure it was because he liked the feeling. Roman certainly did, he wouldn't stop holding Virgil's hand if you paid him all the money in the world.
Finally, after the long journey, they reached the beginnings of a coral reef. Roman first noticed the seabed sloping up to to meet them, and then the first few brightly coloured corals. It seemed Virgil was skirting around the outskirts of the reef itself, but even this part was more beautiful than anything Roman had ever seen.
"We'll have to stay on the outskirts here," Virgil told him, "The water's too shallow further in, and we risk being seen by divers and such - but it's a good trade-off for the amount of food and storm shelter here. It's safe."
Roman nodded along, "It's beautiful."
"That too," Virgil nodded, "And you don't get much out here that's gonna attack us - not like the open ocean."
----
It took all morning for Virgil to find the kind of shelter that they were apparently looking for, but eventually he found a cave, the entrance near entirely obscured by a large fire coral and a huge clump of reeds. Virgil had told him to wait, sitting him down on the sand outside whilst Virgil went about ensuring the cave wasn't already a home for some other creature - he'd evicted a a fairly disgruntled seeming moray eel - before leading Roman inside.
He'd expected to be unable to see a thing, but once his eyes adjusted to the level of light inside the cave it seemed to be perfectly clear. There were a few small holes in the ceiling letting in dappled sunlight from above that danced against the sand on the floor of the cave. Roman wondered - or maybe hoped - if they could make this place more homely eventually. He didn't know much about the furnishings available down here, but he was sure they could at least make something more comfortable as a bed.
"What are you thinking about?" Virgil asked quietly, settling down on the sand and curling his tail around himself. Roman didn't hesitate to cuddle up next to him, laying his head on Virgil's chest and sighing happily.
"Whether we can make ourselves a proper bed, or something more comfortable than sand," Roman said, "But you're comfortable enough."
Virgil laughed a little, "I promise we'll build ourselves a nest."
"A nest?" Roman asked.
"Mhm," Virgil said, "It's like - gathered sponge and moss and reeds and stuff, very comfortable."
"Oh, good," Roman said, "Because my scales itch."
"That'll be from sleeping on the sand," Virgil laughed, "Here, lemme preen you."
"Preen me?" Roman asked with a small smile - he'd only ever heard that term used for birds.
Virgil nodded earnestly, though, "Yeah - you'll have shed scales by now, some of them are probably stuck or have sand trapped under them, that's probably what's making you itch."
It did make sense, Roman supposed, though he wished he had any kind of sense for what preening was going to entail before Virgil started doing it.
"Okay," He said, nodding, "Um, what do I need to do?"
"just lay down," Virgil said, "Do humans not do this?"
"Um - no?" Roman said, tilting his head, "I mean - I guess sometimes people shower with their partners but that's completely different- or parents will help their kids I suppose, but-"
"So you don't preen each other's hair and- well I guess you don't have scales..."
"No, we have uh - chemicals? But like good ones, that we put in our hair to clean it."
Virgil made a face, "Is that why you always smelled funny?"
"Funny?" Roman asked with a soft laugh.
"Yeah, you sometimes come in smelling weirdly fake." Virgil huffed, "I couldn't ever figure it out, it was the same with the water, and just about everything else."
Roman hummed in agreement, "It must've been the chemicals or the deodorant I wore."
"Not even going to ask what that is," Virgil huffed.
"it's like... a sort of spray humans use to hide the way we naturally smell."
"Why would you hide that?" Virgil asked as he ran his hand over Romans scales, the cold touch soothing and gentle, "How's your pod supposed to find you?"
"Not uh... really a problem we have?" Roman said, not entirely sure what answer Virgil was looking for, "And a lot of people don't like the way we naturally smell."
"But what if a guppy gets lost?" He asked, looking genuinely upset. Roman frowned, moving closer and gently snuggling up against Virgil's chest.
"Well people will look for them - we've got cameras, which sorta... let humans see what's happened in an area previously," Roman tried his best to explain, "So if someone goes missing or gets separated they can be found that way, or through someone else bringing them back..."
"But if they get caught by a current?"
"Again, not really a problem we have out of the water, Vee." Roman said, gently nuzzling Virgil's chin.
"...right," Virgil says softly, "Well - don't hide your scent down here, okay? Or I'll never find you if I lose you."
"Of course not," Roman said, "I don't even know how I'd do it."
"Alright, alright..." Virgil said, "Preening?"
"Sure," Roman said, "do I need to move?"
"Just shuffle up and give me your tail," Virgil instructed, sitting up and gently nudging Roman away. Once Roman was in what Virgil deemed the correct position, he began to run his fingers over Roman's striped scales with more purpose. The way his claws scratched gently against the edges of his scales made Roman squirm. but he could already see loose pieces of sand coming free. It was an odd, foreign feeling, but ever so relaxing to the point where once Virgil was done Roman had almost found himself asleep.
Once he was done dozing off on his arms, he offered to do the same thing for Virgil in return. He had laughed, nodding, and when Roman had been hesitant he'd shown Roman how to clean off the scales and how to tell which ones were ready to shed. Soon enough, he got into a rhythm and Virgil started to relax. It was only when Roman reached a spot on the back of his tail with a whole cluster of stuck shed scales did Roman realise something.
"You... never had anyone to do this for you back there," Roman said softly as he carefully removed the dead scales, "How often does this need to be done?"
"Every week or so - but it's fine, I can do most of it myself-" Virgil said, before letting out a gasp followed by a sigh of relief that seemed to rack his whole body as Roman dislodged some debris that must've been bothering him for a long time, "there's just - a few spots I couldn't reach."
"If you'd let me know somehow-" Roman tried to say. Virgil shook his head.
"It was already hard enough to communicate," He said, "I didn't want you touching my tail when the only ways I had of telling you to stop was leaving or hurting you."
Roman's heart panged with sadness at the thought that Virgil had been suffering with all this grit in his scales and Roman hadn't been able to help. "Of course," Roman said softly, "It makes sense, and I wouldn't want to encroach on your boundaries like that - but is that why so many of your scales are dead back here?"
Virgil's face went purple with embarrassment, but he nodded an affirmative. "Most of the front I could do easily, We're pretty flexible sure, but there's some spots I couldn't reach - I did my best scraping against rocks and stuff, but..."
"Well, hey, at least I can help now, right?" Roman said, shifting forwards to nozzle Virgil's shoulder and overestimating how much power he needed and instead ending up smushing his face into Virgil's back, making the other merman laugh.
"Yeah, you're right," Virgil said, turning over enough to reach back and run his claws through Roman's hair, scritching over his scalp, the easy affection was something he was still getting used to, but it was quickly becoming one of his favourite things, "Tomorrow we're gonna work on your swimming, though."
Roman laughed, embarrassed but still so very happy.
"Probably a good idea," Roman laughed, rubbing his nose before going back to preening Virgil's scales. It took longer than it had for Virgil to do Roman's even though Roman was bigger.
Once they were done, it was mid afternoon. After a little deliberation, the two of them left their new home to explore a little of the reef and collect some soft moss to make into a bed. Virgil promised he knew how.
The reef would likely all look the same to him for at least a little while, and Roman was still struggling in some aspects to swim, especially here, where the manoeuvres he'd have to do to avoid knocking into the coral were more complicated. He still sometimes thought of his tail as legs, and even more often he forgot just how long it was. Virgil promised he'd get a more in depth lesson once he'd gotten hold of the basics more strongly. Roman couldn't exactly argue, but it was still annoying that he couldn't just get it. Why didn't natural mer instincts come with the whole 'being transformed into a merman' package.
Still, he was able to help Virgil collect as much moss as they could without damaging the ecosystem of the reef and bring it back to their little cave. He helped Virgil in weaving parts together and burying the plants in the sand to create a little mossy patch in their cave. Virgil mentioned that with the light above them the mosses might grow. Roman wondered how true that would be if they were laying on them every night, but he didn't argue it. They would see one way or another.
As evening settled in around them, Roman found himself a little unsure as to what they would do for sleep now. The nights before this they'd spent huddled up together, and as much as Roman enjoyed being so close to the other, he was pretty sure it was mostly for their protection more than anything, Would Virgil still want to cuddle up now that they were safe?
They had kissed before, sure. But that was supposed to be a goodbye. They hadn't really… talked about it since. Roman didn't really know what Virgil saw him as. He didn't know what a kiss meant to seafolk. Based on the affection they'd traded so far, Roman didn't even think they did kissing. It didn't make sense underwater anyway. Until they talked about it… Roman wasn't fully sure where they stood, no matter what he knew he wanted.
His question was, thankfully, answered before he could ask it though. Virgil had settled on the moss bed before looking at Roman quizzically and opening up his arms. With more than a little relief surely showing on his face, Roman made his way over and fit himself snugly into Virgil's hold. Virgil hummed happily.
They'd have to talk about it at some point, but that didn't have to be right now.
"What were you worried 'bout there, sunshine?" Virgil asked, making Roman's face heat at the nickname. He glanced up at Virgil.
"Oh uh - nothing really," Roman said, immediately upset at himself for lying, he looked down at Virgil's chest and took a deep breath - the now familiar feeling of water rushing over his gills grounding him. "It's just- I wasn't sure if us huddling together was a... uh... something we were going to keep doing, or if it was just a defence mechanism when we were in the open."
"Well I- sorta assumed you liked it," Virgil admitted, a blush on his own face now, "It sort of is a defence thing, a lot of the time we sleep together in bigger groups when you've got a whole pod, it's easier to protect each other that way, but since it's just us, we don't have to - that's not normal for humans, huh?"
"Kind of?" Roman offers, "Uh, parents sometimes have their kids sleep with them, that's pretty normal, and it's seen as pretty normal for partners to do too."
"Partners like mates?" Virgil asked, tilting his head.
If Roman's lungs weren't already full of water, he was pretty sure he would've choked. As it was, he just made an embarrassing squeaky sound.
"Uh, yeah," Roman said, sure his face was flaming att this point, "But sometimes friends do it as well - I mean it's not as often that friends are sleeping together, but stuff like sleepovers are a thing-"
Roman didn't think people normally cuddled during sleepovers, but it was the platonic thing he could think of that was in any way similar to what they were currently doing. Virgil relaxed a little.
"Oh," Virgil said, frowning as he tried to work out what Roman was saying - honestly, Roman was a little confused himself, "Well - I don't wanna make you uncomfortable-?"
"Oh, no, I'm not uncomfortable at all, don't worry," Roman said, "I was actually worried you wouldn't want to."
"Yeah?"
"Yeah, I... like it," Roman said, even if he was at least a little embarrassed to admit it. Virgil smiled and pulled him closer. "It's... maybe silly? But it's something familiar to rely on when the whole world right now... isn't."
"That's very sweet," Virgil said softly, "Now c'mon, try to sleep, okay?"
Sleeping underwater had been yet another adjustment to Roman, who'd always had a somewhat strict sleeping arrangement. His blankets and their correct arrangement on his bed had always been precious to him, but it's not exactly like they could have a blanket down here.
He doubted anything had changed yet, but Roman couldn't help but wonder what would happen to his things. It's not like he could've taken any of them with him, but there were still things there that had been special to him. If he'd had more forethought he probably would've given his things to someone.
Were they looking for him? Surely by now he would be considered a missing person. Or maybe they thought he was on the run, harbouring a merman he'd stolen. He wondered how that conversation might've looked.
"What're you laughing at?" Virgil said, half asleep. Roman hummed.
"Nothing, really," Roman said, sharing his head, "Just what'd be happening back on land right now."
"Yeah?" Virgil asked, shifting a little to look at him properly.
"I was thinking about how they'd react to finding the tank empty," Roman said, "I think the looks on their faces would've been funny."
"Probably so upset they couldn't use their freaky little contraptions on me anymore." Virgil rolled his eyes, nodding.
"Did you know they were coming back?" Roman asked with a soft sigh, before nuzzling closer, "I was so scared I wouldn't get you out in time."
"I... knew something was going on." Virgil admitted, "I'd seen them around a couple times, mostly after you left for nights."
"Did you hide?"
Virgil glanced away, looking embarrassed even though Roman hadn't said it as though it were a bad thing at all. "Uh... yeah, I didn't want them to see me."
"Good," Roman said, startling him a little. His cheeks darkened a little at the outburst. "They should never have taken you in the first place, Virgil, they didn't deserve a single thing from you, not even a glimpse."
"...Thank you," Virgil said softly, "For that, and for getting me out when you did."
"You're welcome," Roman said, reaching to gently nudge Virgil's face with his knuckles. Virgil made a soft trilling sound that Roman was fairly certain meant he was happy, before snuggling closer.
The two of them fell asleep with their tails curled up together on their mossy nest, and drifted off with the thought that there really was nowhere he would rather be.
----
"Eat up," Virgil said, waking Roman with a start and presenting him with a handful of fish - dead, with their heads gone, just like Roman preferred. Sunlight from the sky above was dappling the floor of their cave, and Roman almost thought Virgil was about to announce that they had to move again, but then Virgil settled next to him and took some fish of his own.
"What's with the rude awakening?" Roman asked, a smile on his face to make sure Virgil knew he was being playful as he flicked Virgil with his tail. Virgil grinned back.
"Now that we've got a place to stay, you're gonna have to learn how to be seafolk properly," He said, "Which starts with teaching you how to defend yourself at least a little."
Roman hummed as he polished off the fish he'd been given. He knew he'd have to learn to hunt himself at some point, but he was grateful that today wouldn't be that day.
"That sounds difficult," Roman said tilting his head a little, "Can't you continue being my knight in shining armour?"
"Your.... what. In what?" Virgil asked, looking entirely perplexed. Roman scrambled to come up with an explanation that would make sense, but without any idea of any equivalents that might exist, he came up with nothing but a shrug.
"it's a human thing, uh, like a hero, basically," Roman said, laughing a little, "A saviour? I guess."
"Then it would make more sense for you to be that," Virgil said, "Since you saved me. But that doesn't mean you won't have to defend yourself - if we're ever separated or attacked by more than I can handle..."
"Got it," Roman said, taking a deep breath, "I'll be a good student, promise."
"Good," Virgil said, "I'll do my best to be a good teacher - but it's kinda hard, this sort of thing is stuff seafolk just know, usually. But you're not naturally seafolk, so I.... don't know how well you'll pick up the instinctual stuff? Maybe it can be trained but if not I'm kinda worried you'll be in danger-"
"Hey," Roman said softly, gently placing his hand on top of Virgil's, "If I can learn it, I'll learn it. If I can't, you'll protect me. I trust you - both in teaching and guarding. But I'll do my absolute best, alright?"
"...Alright," Virgil nodded, wrapping his hand around Roman's and squeezing gently.
"We'll consider today a tester, yeah?" Roman offered, "We can see what sort of instincts I have now and how I act on them?"
"That sounds like a pretty good spot to start," Virgil said, still looking a little uneasy. At least it wasn't the panic he had been dealing with before, "Are you done eating?"
"I am indeed," Roman said, squeezing Virgil's hand gently, "Shall we?"
----
The next few days were filled with intense training. They quickly discovered that Roman most certainly did have fear reflexes. Even though he was still getting used to his tail, his poisonous spines would still fan out dramatically when he got scared. He didn't have any of the reactionary instincts Virgil was used to when they tried a test fight. Even if Roman had known how to fight on land, he wouldn't have known how to translate that down here, especially not without a weapon.
Unfortunately, his only experience 'fighting', even on land, was a choreographed sword fight in his high school drama play. It left his attempts at fighting with his claws and spines and tail he could still barely use... severely lacking. Virgil had ended up toning down the training in the end when it became clear Roman wasn't getting it.
They'd realised he probably needed to be fully capable of swimming properly first. So the lessons had shifted in their focus. By the end of the week, at least, Roman was swimming... maybe not like he'd been a merman all his life, but at the very least it was starting to look and feel more natural.
It turned out that swimming was so amazingly freeing. He'd noticed it before, and he'd always loved swimming as a human, too. It was only now that he really knew how to do it that he truly understood. Gliding over the reef with Virgil was a magical experience, especially now that Virgil didn't need to guide him. Something about this just felt so right.
Now that he could swim well enough that he wasn't foundering, Virgil had suggested they try fighting again. Some of the moves Virgil was trying to teach him were still out of his depth. They'd quickly realised that Roman just wasn't built to move that fast. Lionfish weren't built for speed, which put him at odds with Virgil, who's long, thin tail was designed for sharp turns and quick movements.
Virgil's fighting tactics wouldn't work for Roman, which meant he had to figure out at least some things on his own. A few days of practice later, though, Roman finally managed to land a hit with his claws.
He smelled Virgil's blood in the water immediately. His victory cheer was immediately cut short as he rushed closer to make sure Virgil was actually alright. Virgil was clutching his arm, but there was a bright grin on his face as he looked at Roman.
"You did it," Virgil said smiling brightly at him. Roman's hand reached for his arm, and Virgil moved his hand away from the wound so that Roman could fuss over it, "Don't worry - it doesn't hurt that bad."
"You're sure- I could smell the blood, what if something else-"
"We can get back to our cave," Virgil said, taking Roman's hand, "Come on, we'll wrap it in moss and such, I'll be fine, I promise."
Virgil took Roman's hand with his uninjured arm and pulled him back towards the cave they shared. Back there, he let Roman fuss even more, pressing a clean stretch of moss to the wound to stop the blooding and then wrapping it for good measure.
As soon as Roman decided he was satisfied, Virgil reached out and pulled Roman into their nest, rubbing his cheek across Roman's face and neck.
"You did so well," Virgil told him.
"I hurt you," Roman said, wrapping his arms around Virgil anyway.
"We were training," Virgil said, "What did you think was going to happen?"
"Well I- I don't know! I thought I'd have more self control or- or just scratch you! Not draw blood-" Roman looked down at his claws, and Virgil put a hand over his to hide them from his view.
"Hey," He said, looking Roman in the eyes, "I can only assume humans are less violent than seafolk, but this is totally normal for us, okay? We have thick skin, and even training in pods involves at least a little hurt. It's how you know you're getting better at it."
"By hurting you?" Roman asked.
"You'd never have even been able to land a blow when we started, sunshine," Virgil said, bringing their joined hands up and nuzzling his cheek against them. "I'm proud of you."
"I-" Roman took a deep breath, gills fluttering and spines trembling a little at the praise and the nickname, "Thank you, Vee."
"You should be proud of yourself too," Virgil said, poking him gently. Roman couldn't help but laugh.
"I'll do my best."
----
It was only a few days later when Roman was shaken awake far earlier than Virgil would normally wake him. The dawn light was barely even breaking through the water's twilight haze when Virgil roused him.
"What-"
A hand was slapped harshly over his mouth, and Roman made a sound of alarm as Virgil put a finger to his lips. He tilted his head.
"There's other seafolk around," Virgil said, voice so soft it could barely be heard, "Can't you smell it?"
Roman took a second, smelling the water. It did smell a little... off. Their den, he had noticed, had started to smell like Virgil in a way that was so comforting. It had felt safe here since they day they had set up their moss bed. Now, though, the air was being infiltrated by another smell. One that wasn't familiar to him.
He nodded eventually, assuming that invading smell was what Virgil was talking about.
"Do you think they're friendly?" Roman whispered. Virgil shrugged.
"Could be, could not be," He said, "I guess we'll just have to find out - as much as I hate the idea."
"We have to go and find them?"
"Mhm, preferably before they find us and we're cornered," Virgil said, offering Roman his hand. Roman felt his heart hammering as he took it. If the other merpeople didn't smell him first, they'd most certainly hear his heart beating.
Virgil led him up and over the ridge that housed their cave. Roman followed, careful not to make any noise, until Virgil yanked him down behind a large piece of red coral that should camouflage Roman fairly well.
In the distance, his eyes zeroed in on two moving figures. He couldn't see too well from here, but one of them had a much longer tail that cut through the water almost like a snake, despite the yellow fins on the end and side. The other was built more like Roman, though his tail was slightly longer with angry, poisonous looking green stripes.
Virgil gasped beside him as they got closer, before letting go of Roman entirely and rushing forward towards the pair. Roman yelped, hurrying to follow incase Virgil was preparing to fight - or incase he was attacked. Roman wished to be there to help him.
It didn't seem like that was the case, though, because when he barrelled into the long-tailed mer, he was scooped up in a pair of arms and spun around, their cheeks smushing together immediately. Roman was startled, a little, seeing the clear gesture of affection between the two of them.
"Virgil!" The other chirped, throwing his arms around Virgil and rubbing his face all over Virgil's back. Roman halted in his approach. This people clearly knew Virgil. He wondered what they had been to them. The amount of affection being given made him think they were at least friends. But the way they were holding him felt intimate - where they closer? Roman had expected Virgil to have family he had be separated from, but had he had partners? ...Mates?
Roman felt his heart squeeze at the thought. Sure, they hadn't talked about it yet, but Roman had hoped. He'd hoped and wondered and imagined what it might be like to be with Virgil properly. He'd never thought to ask whether Virgil had mates he'd left behind.
The thought hurt more than Roman could possibly have imagined, and he wondered if this was where his happiness ended.
Well, he thought. He should probably leave them to their reunion.
He turned to swim back to their cave, wondering how he'd ever thought that this could work.
----
| <- Previous | Ao3 | Next -> |
Taglist:
@full-of-roman-angst-trash @your-local-random-dino @cutebisexualmess @glacierruler @roseianxiety @bella-bugatti-frogetti-baguetti @scalesfeathersnfur @oatmealdaydrea ms @littlerat2 @goldnskyart @virgeandhis-pocket-protector @amateurmasksmith @sleepy-nova-tea @queer-and-fearful (if anyone wants to be added, let me know!)
Links will be added as I post.
The prompts are colour coded based on which ones are in a series together <3
Red is a little canonverse creativitwins story, Orange is a mafia boss Roceit AU, purple is a superhero AU adoption fic! The rest are either canonverse or offshoots of my preexisting aus <3
Lies We Are Told
Thursday, Jan. 1: You're too much.
Friday, Jan. 2: You're not enough.
Saturday, Jan. 3: I love you.
Sunday, Jan. 4: You can trust me.
Lies We Tell Others
Monday, Jan. 5: Day off
Tuesday, Jan. 6: I'm fine.
Wednesday, Jan. 7: Day off
Thursday, Jan. 8: I love you.
Friday, Jan. 9: I don't love you.
Saturday, Jan. 10: Self-care day
Sunday, Jan. 11: He meant nothing to me.
Monday, Jan. 12: Day off
Tuesday, Jan. 13: Everything will be okay.
Wednesday, Jan. 14: Day off
Thursday, Jan. 15: This is a disaster!
Lies We Tell Ourselves
Friday, Jan. 16: I'll start tomorrow.
Saturday, Jan. 17: Self-care day
Sunday, Jan. 18: I need to fix this on my own.
Monday, Jan. 19: Day off
Tuesday, Jan. 20: He means nothing to me.
Wednesday, Jan. 21: Day off
Thursday, Jan. 22: I'm too broken to fix.
Friday, Jan. 23: Catch up day
Saturday, Jan. 24: It's my job to make everyone happy.
Sunday, Jan. 25: Love is for people who don't know any better.
Monday, Jan. 26: Day off
Tuesday, Jan. 27: I can quit anytime I want.
Wednesday, Jan. 28: Day off
Thursday, Jan. 29: If people knew the real me, they'd leave.
Friday, Jan. 30: I'm the only one I can count on.
Saturday, Jan. 31: Loving me is rotten work.
It's time to get the merman out of the aquarium. But Roman isn't quite ready to truly let him go.
----
| <- Previous | Ao3 | Next -> |
----
Warnings: None that weren't present in the rest of the fic
Notes:
Hiiii soooooo there's gonna be more chapters of this LOL. Currently thinking like 5? Perhaps. That's the current estimate with the plan going on.
Someone in the comments mentioned Virgil having a specific name for Roman in his language and I love you very much for that suggestion. Even tho I haven't added it in the previous chpaters I'm fully imagining it to be a thing now. Virgil's name for Roman translated is something along the lines of 'Bright light' or 'shining' similarly in tone to how they'd describe the sun's beauty.
Anyway enjoy the chapter :)
----
Roman spent the entire night researching.
At first he'd looked through textbooks and encyclopedias, but he'd very quickly figured out that that wouldn't be helpful at all. Aside from the scientists from the aquarium, there was no other official documentation of merfolk. at least not in any science journals.
So Roman had to switch gears. He was glad the local university library was open to alumni - it was where Roman had gotten his degree after all - and opened 24/7. With purpose, he headed away from the marine biology section and more towards the folklore and fairytales section. Roman had been sure the folklore wouldn't be able to help - because there were always so many different stories that Roman would have no idea which one would be 'correct'. Bot now he was less convinced.
Still, he needed the information and the scientific books weren't working for him, so he had to at least try it.
He picked anything off of the shelves that looked as though they'd be in any way relevant to merpeople, and he'd gone to one of the the private study cubicles and started reading. He made notes, anything about merpeople, any stories of people becoming them.
In most of them the merpeople spoke English, which wasn't useful here considering his merman most certainly didn't. There were stories of people going missing, people drowning, merpeople singing, snatching sailors, sinking ships... none of it fitted. And even the stories where a human became a merperson didn't explain how.
Until he came across a book full of old remedies with stories attached. They were old wives tales, so Roman hadn't prioritised it, but when he read through the book he actually found something that might help.
"A kiss from the folk of the sea given at the first ray of moonlight will turn her lover into the most charming of mer prince."
Okay, ignoring the blatant heteronormativity and the fact that Roman was almost certain he wouldn't become an actual price (as cool as that would be), maybe it was onto something? There was no way he was about to kiss the merman without his consent. That would be weird and so many levels of wrong no matter what fairytales said. Even if it did work, Roman was doubtful the merman would want anything to do with him after that.
But maybe there was a way he could ask for a kiss?
Maybe as they were saying goodbye, if the merman liked him that way... the same way Roman did. He had to wonder if his many attempts at communication had been successful. If the mer even saw him as anything more than just another human.
He must do, right? The way they'd been interacting the last few days... even if they couldn't speak to each other, their relationship had come a long way. Even if the merman didn't reciprocate his crush, Roman would want to accompany him as a friend. He wouldn't have done all of this if he couldn't accept the very real possibility that the merman didn't reciprocate his feelings. But if he was to kiss Roman...
Well it would prove that he feels at least some way towards Roman. And Roman could accept whatever that was once they could really speak with each other.
Even with a plan now in place, tomorrow came far too quickly for Roman's liking.
----
When he got into work, he was told that the scientists would be in early the next morning, and to report early. Roman nodded and agreed, though he hoped neither he nor the merman would be here tomorrow then they arrived.
He'd made his way up to the exhibit and, the moment he got in, the mer was waiting for him. Roman forced a smile despite his nerves and sat down, offering a hand. The merman took it, and pushed himself up to sit next to Roman. The bucket of fish was passed over, and the merman started to eat. Their regular routine, except the merman's tail was curled over Roman's legs, and he was pressed up against his shoulder. Could he tell how stressed Roman was? Or maybe he was stressed himself and seeking comfort? Either way, Roman hesitantly wrapped an arm around the merman's waist, and when he lent into it, he tightened his hold a little into something more natural.
Once he was done eating, instead of retreating back into the water, the merman dropped his head onto Roman's shoulder and nuzzled him. Yeah, definitely a little odd. Nice, but odd.
"Everything okay?" Roman asked, gesturing to the mer when he asked his question in hopes that he might understand. The mer trilled in response. He didn't vocalise much, and Roman wasn't sure if it was because he was naturally quiet or if it was because he didn't want to talk to Roman. Or maybe he just didn't bother because of the language barrier. This was a sound he made a lot, though. Roman wondered if it meant something specific he was supposed to understand.
Roman just hummed back.
The mer nuzzled him again, before gesturing around the room and then poking Roman in the chest. Roman wished he knew what the merman was trying to say, but he just tiled his head. Pulling away with furrowed brows and a frown, the merman gestured to himself, before making a wave with his hand, before poking Roman again and patting the sand, and then snuggling back up.
It took Roman a moment, and the merman still seemed irritated even as he cuddled into Roman. Roman couldn't blame him, the difficulty to communicate was hard on them both. Especially so when the mer seemed to have something important to say.
"You're upset about leaving me here?" Roman guessed, knowing the merman wouldn't understand the question. He just trilled again, a couple clicks. Roman really, really wished he could understand the mer, now more than ever when they were about to part forever. He just hoped it would all go well tonight.
For the rest of the day, the merman had been practically inseparable from his side. Eventually, he'd extracted himself from his arms, tentatively pressing a kiss to the merman's forehead. If it was all he got, then he wanted to take a chance right now. The merman's cheeks had flooded with purple and he'd ducked back into the water. Roman couldn't help but chuckle - and earned a splash for the sound.
Roman was really, really going to miss him if he couldn't go with him.
----
Logan and Patton met him around the corner on the side street near the delivery access doors to the museum. Patton had brought his beaten up old truck and Logan had opened up the doors for them. The three of them had to work together to shift one of the larges tanks - the biggest one that could reasonably fit in Patton's truck bed - and then Patton had set about filling it with water whilst Logan and Roman went to get the merman.
Roman had figured that Logan would be best, since the merman had met him before, and he could grant them access clearance higher than Roman's. Plus, Logan knew which sets of security cameras he'd disabled. So he was practically necessary for this whole plan.
The merman had immediately swam up when the door opened, peering out from the opposite end of the tank until he realised it was Roman and made his way over to them.
"Hey," Roman said softly, wanting to stay quiet even if Logan assured him that he'd make sure they weren't caught, "We're gonna get you out of here."
The mer didn't understand, but when Roman crouched and guided the merman's arms around his neck, manoeuvring him into a hold where Roman could lift him, he seemed to catch on and wrap his arms around Roman's neck. His claws dug into the back of Roman's shirt, but he didn't really mind the clinging.
They'd been worried that they would need two people to carry the mer, but the merman seemed to be perfectly content wrapping his tail around Roman once he was lifted, and Logan stayed away.
"Are you alright with him?" Logan asked. Roman nodded despite the effort it was taking to keep the merman lifted. He'd carried heavier before.
"Yeah - I mean, I think I can make it to the truck, at least, lets go," He said. The merman was heavy. Heavier than a person maybe, but the way the mer was clinging to him was helping with leverage. So Roman thought he could manage.
The mer didn't let go of him the entire way back through the aquarium, but Roman could see how curious he was about the area outside of his tank, he kept craning his neck to look at the other enclosures they passed. He seemed fascinated by the signs, even if he couldn't read them. Logan seemed annoyed at Roman stopping every so often and stepping closer to let him look at the fish and the pictures, insisting that they did not have time for detours. Regardless of their current mission, Roman just couldn't help but want to spend even a few minutes longer with his best friend before they might have to part for good, that was all.
Eventually, though, they did make it back to the garage where the truck was parked. Patton had finished filling up the tank and adding salt, as well as it seemed a couple mini coral decorations that made the mer huff in a way that Roman thought was amusement when he saw them.
"Hi!" Patton said with a wave when they came into view. The merman tilted his head and offered a little wave in response, making Patton's eyes light up with glee, "He knows what that means?"
"I try my best to always talk to him in the same way - so he's been able to figure out what certain things mean," Explained Roman, "Like greetings, and a bunch of other stuff too."
"That's so neat," Patton said with a bright smile as he jumped down from the truck bed and put the hose away, before climbing into the passenger seat of the truck to wait.
"Alright, Roman, if you can get him into the tank," Said Logan, "And express the importance of staying in there, if possible."
"I'll do my best," Roman nodded, hoisting the mer up a little, he was starting to get tired.
"I believe there is space for you to ride in the back with him, Roman, it may be for the better so you can keep him as de-stressed as possible," Logan said, "I can only imagine being in the open air when you've never properly seen a vehicle before will be stressful."
"Right," Roman nodded, letting Logan help support him as he stepped up into the truck and lowered the mer into the tank. He immediately curled up to fit inside, a little of the water sloshing out as he tried to get more comfortable. As comfortable as he could get when the tank was too small for him, at least. That much was obvious enough. Unfortunately a bigger one wouldn't have fit into the back of Patton's truck.
Not once did the mer let go of Roman's hand, even as Logan strapped the tank down and then closed up the truck. It didn't seem to matter to him that it put his arm at an odd angle. Roman sat down next to the tank on the truck bed, and the merman looked at him through the glass with wide, scared eyes.
"I've got you," Roman said as Logan gave him a thumbs up and went around to sit in the front of the truck, "We're taking you to the beach, I promise you."
The mer squeezed Roman's hand tighter, and Roman was just eternally grateful that he could provide a source of comfort when he needed it.
The truck started, and the merman let out a quiet sound and his grip tightened to the point where Roman was just a little worried about the state of his fingers. They started moving, and Roman shifted so that he could hold the mer's other hand too, hoping to help keep him steady as they moved. The drive was almost half an hour at the best of times, and Patton was driving particularly carefully considering the cargo he had in the back. So they would be in the truck for likely about forty minutes.
Luckily, the mer seemed to settle a little as he got used to the movement. He still looked absolutely terrified, and clutched onto Roman's hands tightly, but after a few minutes he didn't spook at every turn or light that passed them.
The merman perked up a few minutes before Roman himself heard the ocean crashing in the distance. Logan had confirmed which beach they had found the merman on, which led to them driving along the coast for about ten minutes to reach it. During which time the merman had let go of one of Roman's hands and pushed himself further up and out of the tank to look at the sea. He must be able to see more than Roman could in the dark. His hair was blowing in the wind, and Roman smiled at the beautiful sight. Watching his merman taking in the sea again. This was his home, Roman thought, it must've been so long since he had seen it. Roman wondered if he had ever seen it like this before, actually.
"It's beautiful, isn't it," Roman smiled, unable to help commenting on it. The merman trilled in what Roman understood by now to be agreement. He certainly looked like he found it beautiful, all lit up by the streetlights on the paths around the beaches. Seeing the beach at night was almost eerie, but in a soft, peaceful kind of way that Roman actually quite enjoyed.
Soon enough, Logan was parking the truck, and the mer loosened his grip on Roman's hand just enough for Roman to flex his fingers just a little now that the car was no longer moving. It seemed they weren't broken, at least.
"We're here," Logan said quietly as he lowered the tailgate, "Would you like to carry him again, or shall we work together to move the tank?"
Roman looked back at the mer, thinking for a moment how to actually go about asking the question Logan had posed.
Eventually, he gestured to the mer and then himself, before waving that off and tapping the tank, hoping to be clear that he was offering him a choice.
The merman hardly thought about it before reaching for Roman, his arms out in the same way he'd needed to when Roman had lifted him up earlier. He wasted little time on scooping the merman out of the tank, ignoring his clothes getting even more soaked than they already were and hefting him up into his arms.
Once Roman had stepped down from the truck, Logan closed it back up before switching on a torch and lighting their path down to the beach. It was a much more secluded one, more cove-like than the other nearby beaches. It seemed like a much more private space, though Roman could still see why people would come here, it seemed absolutely beautiful even if it was a little more rocky.
The sand they were standing on was only lit up by the near full moon and the bean of Logan's torch as he swung it around the area. Roman didn't hesitate in walking towards the sea, letting the waves overcome his boots until the waves reached his knees before carefully crouching down to place his friend in the water. The merman yanked Roman down with him using the grip he already had on Roman's shirt when he went to pull away. Yelping in surprise, Roman fell into the merman's lap. Now all of his clothes were well and truly soaked as a wave splashed against his back and made him shake with cold, but the merman was holding tightly onto him anyway, eyes sparkling in the moonlight as he looked up at Roman.
"Hi," Roman said softly, and the merman's lip quirked into a small smile, "I guess this is goodbye, huh?"
The merman looked away at that, claws digging tighter into Romans shirt. He clearly didn't want Roman to go, but it's not like Roman could come with him. Not if his plan didn't work, at least.
"I could come back here," Roman said softly, begging for once that the mer would be able to magically understand him like in the stories. He showed no signs of understanding, though. Roman would come back here, maybe. To see if he could find his merman again some day.
The mer trilled at him, leaning forward to nuzzle his chest gently. Roman wondered if he was saying goodbye too.
It was now or never, Roman thought. If he wanted that kiss he'd have to find a way to ask now. If it didn't work, then at least he would've kissed his love and best friend goodbye.
Pulling back gently, Roman tucked his fingers under the merman's chin and tilted his head up so that their eyes met. The merman's gaze moved over Roman's face, and he smiled a little. tapping his fingers to his own lips and then tilting his head a little. He wanted it to be the merman's choice. Roman would never, ever want to force himself onto him.
The merman hesitated, looking at Roman with eyes wide as saucers, before carefully detaching one hand from his shirt and reaching instead to press two fingers to Roman's lips, mimicking what Roman had done. He couldn't help but laugh a little. The mer tilted his head right back at Roman, as if returning the question. Carefully, Roman reached to gently touch the mer's lips, getting a play bite in response and making him laugh again. Roman risked tapping the mer's lips once more and then tapping his own.
Trilling again, the merman leaned forward, shifting his hand to Roman's neck to pull him in as well. It took Roman far too long to compute that the merman must've understood his message this time before their lips crashed together in a kiss. It was messy and inexperienced, and Roman could only imagine that merpeople didn't normally kiss like this. He tilted his head a little, pressing their lips together more firmly. As they kissed, Roman felt an odd sensation zing down his spine, almost like an electric shock. The tinging sensation spread down his arms and legs and Roman gasped. The merman trilled into his mouth, a concerned sound as he pulled away and looked around for what had caused Roman's distress. And when Roman opened his eyes he saw little but a bright light enveloping him.
Roman cried out in surprise as he felt an odd sensation come over his legs, as though they were trying to knit themselves together, there was an intense feeling of pressure in his back and sides and Roman was starting to feel like he was burning up. If he had been right about what would happen then nothing had prepared him for just how unpleasant it would be. The merman was clearly panicking too, pulling Roman closer and running his hands down his arms as if trying to figure out what was wrong with him. Eventually, in a move that made Roman startle in surprise, the merman used his claws to tear down the front of Roman's shirt, pulling it away and in doing so releasing the pressure in Roman's back as something sprung free.
Roman took a few deep gasps of air and something on the sides of his neck flared, he tried to move his legs and found they were stuck together. His trousers had torn on their own, and his boots had been pushed off by the tail that had replaced his legs getting longer and sprouting fins instead of feet. The merman was gaping at him.
"Oh great reef what did I do to you-" said a fairly deep voice to his left in a trilling, almost musical tone. Roman jumped, startled, and turned to stare wide eyed at the merman, who he could've sworn just spoke to him, which couldn't possibly be right considering he had been unable to understand him less than five minutes ago.
"What?" Roman said, elegantly.
"You- you-" The mer was clearly panicking, his hands fluttering over Roman, who was also quite entranced staring at the tail where his legs used to be, "What- I didn't know this would happen! How do I turn you back? Oh your landfolk friends are gonna kill me-"
"Woah woah-" Roman said quickly, "No-ones gonna kill you-"
"Wait-" The merman said, grabbing Roman's shoulders, "You understood me?"
"You understood me?" Roman asked, "I swear I'm speaking English-"
"Well you're definitely not!" The merman cried, "Did the fact that you have fins and a tail escape your notice? You can't make those sounds now."
"What?" Roman squeaked, "I- I can't?"
"No!" The merman said, shaking him a little, "Did you know this would happen?"
"I-" Roman started, before taking a deep breath, "Not really? Maybe?"
"The fuck does that mean?"
"I mean I read it in a book of legends! I had no idea it would work-" Roman protested, "I just wanted to say goodbye, really! It- the kissing is an expression of love for humans and I- I wanted to say goodbye to you properly 'cause I thought I'd never see you again, I was hoping the story was true but I didn't really believe it-"
"You- you wanted to come with me?" The merman said, eyes wide.
"...Yeah," Roman nodded.
"Even though it means leaving behind everything?" The merman asked, Roman really needed to get a name now that he could actually talk to the guy, "Your friends?"
Roman looked over when the merman gestured to Logan and Patton, who were still standing on the sand. staring at the pair with jaws slack and eyes wide. Roman gave them a sheepish expression, he'd almost forgotten they were here.
"I... I don't really have family, the aquarium management are awful people and those two are-" Roman frowned, "Well I guess they are my friends, but they're only here to help you."
"And you're... fine with leaving everyone, for me, who you've never been able to talk to before."
"I don't need to have been able to talk to you," Roman shook his head, "We've spent weeks together, we can get to know each other without talking. We have done that."
"....We have," The mer nodded, "It's hard out there, maybe that's why you got poison fins."
"Poison fins?" Roman asked, before looking down at his tail again and realising far too late that his patterning was reminiscent of a lionfish, along with his spines, "Oh god- I'm not gonna hurt you, am I?"
"if you're like an actual lionfish then no," The mer huffed, "Most merfolk are immune to the poison, I was confused when the ones you gave me didn't have the spines."
He prodded one of Roman's spines to prove his point, making Roman yelp at the foreign feeling. The merman huffed in an amused way at Roman's reaction.
"That's gonna take some getting used to," Roman mumbled, reaching to touch one of his fins himself.
"Uh- Roman?" Called a timid voice behind him - Patton, "I hate to uh, break this up, but what.... what's going on?"
Roman stared for a moment, suddenly trying to find words in english was proving difficult. He could perfectly understand what Patton had said, but the words to respond were what he was struggling with.
The merman - who's name he really, really needed to learn, nudged him gently.
"Can you respond?"
"Didn't you say I can't speak english anymore?"
"I don't know, you just turned into one of the sea folk, which I didn't think was possible either," He huffed, "Your friends are worried, though, so you should, you know, try?"
"Right," Roman said, before turning to Patton again, "Um, so, I'm a merman now?"
It took effort, like he was trying to speak a language he was only just learning. but the words got out eventually. They sounded wrong to his ears, and felt wrong in his throat, but Patton seemed to understand.
"Right, and um, can we turn you back? Do you want us to turn you back? What- what's going on here?"
"No I... I think I would like to go with..." Roman turned to the mer, "What is your name?"
He did that little huffy laugh again, "It took you long enough to ask - it's Virgil."
"Virgil! Yes, I'd like to go with Virgil," Roman said, excited to finally have a name to put to the face.
"Really?" Patton asked, "But... you're human! What if this isn't permanent?"
"I-" Roman hadn't considered that, "If it's not, I'll come back here and find you guys again - you'll - not abandon me, right? I mean - I know we're not really friends-"
"I consider you a friend," Logan said, and Patton nodded rapidly, "If you return, we will be here."
"Thank you," Roman said with a smile, "I... Really hope this'll be okay. I don't want Virgil to be alone."
"I understand," Patton said, with a small smile, "You go, I hope underwater is nice."
"Me too," Roman said with a laugh, before turning back towards Virgil, "Shall we, my dear?"
Virgil laughed, taking Roman's hand, "Do you even know how to swim?"
"Well as a human, yes," Roman said, "I might have to get the hang of it like this, though."
"Right," Virgil said with a grin, "Lets see what you've got, then, pretty boy."
"My name is Roman." Roman laughed as Virgil shoved him off of his tail and leaped into the water. A few seconds later, though, he popped up again, tilting his head at Roman in confusion.
"Aren't you coming?"
"I uh-" Roman said, looking around, "I'm gonna be able to breathe underwater, right?"
"You've got gills, so yeah," Virgil said, raising an eyebrow, before reaching out his hands, "C'mon, we'll go slow."
Roman reached out for Virgil's hands, and when he did he discovered that he too had webbed fingers and sharp claws like Virgil did. Slowly, Virgil pulled him into the deeper water, where he could move his new tail properly. At first he struggled, instinct telling him to kick his feet and keep his head above the water. Roman struggled, starting to thrash his tail and arms in panic.
Eventually, Virgil huffed and simply pushed him under the water. Roman made a noise and tried to hold his breath until he couldn't anymore. Pulling in water for the first time was terrifying and made his throat burn, but quickly he realised he really wasn't drowning. Slowly, his body settled and the adrenaline calmed, leaving Roman shaking and jumpy but... fine, really. The water flowed through his mouth and out through the gills in his neck. It was cold and weird and definitely a sensation he'd have to get used to, but it most certainly wasn't killing him.
"See?" Virgil said, his voice sounding a little odd underwater, "You're fine."
"You really had to drown me?"
"You were panicking! And you really had to just do it, you know?" Virgil huffed, "Now go back up there and wave goodbye to your friends."
Roman nodded, letting Virgil give him a gentle boost back up to the surface. At first he held his breath there too, but as the water left his gills he found himself able to breath normally again.
"Goodbye!" Roman called, waving widely to his two friends. Logan and Patton had been walking away, but they turned to wave and call out goodbyes of their own before disappearing from the beach. Taking a deep breath, Roman dipped his head back below the surface, to were Virgil was still waiting.
"Shall we?" Roman asked, offering his hand. Virgil took it, smiling.
"Yeah, we shall."
----
| <- Previous | Ao3 | Next -> |
----
Taglist:
@full-of-roman-angst-trash @your-local-random-dino @cutebisexualmess @glacierruler @roseianxiety @bella-bugatti-frogetti-baguetti @scalesfeathersnfur @oatmealdaydrea ms @littlerat2 @goldnskyart @virgeandhis-pocket-protector @amateurmasksmith @sleepy-nova-tea @queer-and-fearful (if anyone wants to be added, let me know!)
Roman's wandering in the woods leads him to a creature who wears his face like a mirror. Roman decides this makes them brothers.
Remus is pretty happy with that assessment, all things considered.
----
| Ao3 |
----
Warnings: None!
Pairings: Creativitwins
Word Count: 2833
Notes:
Hello!!! I'm like a week late for creativitwins week (by @astronomical-bagel ) and a day late on my own posting schedule (which I've pushed back a week for this fic.
Using the prompts Doppleganger/Reflection and Revenge from creativitwins week :3
This one is veryyy lighthearted and it's not using some of the darker omen-related mythology of doppelgangers but I think it's really fun and cute so I'm really excited to share it!!!
----
Roman was seven years old the first time he met the creature in the woods.
It was weird, to come face to face with something wearing your face. Something that tilted it's head and stared at you without blinking. But it was a fun kind of weird. When he'd asked if the creature wearing his face wanted to make mud potions with him, it had nodded with a grin too wide for it's face and run after him when Roman hurried to the creek to find 'ingredients'.
Maybe he shouldn't have been allowed to free-roam the forests behind his family's house as a seven year old. But his parents had always been the types to let him roam free, and the creek wasn't even that far. He could even hear it from his garden if he listened really, really hard.
That day he spent hours out by the river, playing all sorts of games with the creature wearing his face, from pirates to princes, from knights to wizards. Though the creature hadn't always understood at first, after some telling of his stories he seemed happy to play a part, battling Roman with an imagined sword, pretending to fall when blasted with a spell and giggling in that slightly creepy way that only made Roman smile wider when they played the villain. Roman had hardly wanted to leave.
When the sun started to set that day. He'd trudged back home, caked in mud. He'd tried to get his new friend to come with him, but the creature who wore his face had shaken its head, looking downcast for the first time since they'd met. Still, when Roman had run into the house caked in mud raving about his new friend from the woods who wore his face, He'd been told 'that's nice, dear' and 'what an interesting imagination you have'.
He knew he hadn't made up his new friend. But it quickly became clear that no-one believed him. Not at home or in school.
All the better, he thought to himself firmly, it meant he could keep his best friend all to himself.
Roman had gone into the woods often enough before meeting the creature. But now he wanted to go every day, He was always there, no matter what, Roman's uncanny mirror image.
When he was ten, he gave his brother a name.
"We've been learning about Romans in school," Roman told him one day, sat on a log and swinging his feet.
"Like you?" His friend said back.
"No silly," Roman said, "I'm just named Roman, I mean the Romans, like the civil- civils- the people, like, the group? They had an empire."
The creature tilted his head.
"Well anyways," Roman huffed, "They had a story about how their big city was made, like, a myth, and it was about two brothers and they were called Romulus and Remus, and I thought Roman's kinda like Romulus, and it's what their city was named after - Rome - and then maybe since you don't have a name and you're sorta like my brother, you could be Remus?"
The creature seemed to contemplate for a moment, head tilted to the side and staring at Roman in that unblinkingly creepy kind of way he always had. Roman had gotten used to it by now.
"You don't have to! I never even asked if you had your own name," Roman quickly shook his head. Usually the creature wasn't so quiet, "So if you have a different name I can call you that! It was just- a thought..." Roman scuffed his foot on the ground, suddenly more anxious than he ever usually was. But this meant a lot! He's basically called the creature his brother. That was big! and sometimes big things were scary.
He just had to face them head on, like one of the knights in his stories.
"I like it," The creature - Remus - decided eventually, "I'll keep it! You can call me Remus."
Roman cheered and clapped a few times, before leaping forwards and pulling Remus into a hug.
"Now we'll never be separated, 'cause our names mean we're brothers!"
Even if his parents still never believed him when he spoke about Remus, he knew the truth, and that was enough.
----
As Roman grew up, Remus seemed to grow with him. It was almost weird when Roman hit puberty and Remus seemed to do so at the exact same time. The uncanny same-ness hadn't been something that hadn't bothered him that much when he was seven, but now he was thirteen. He'd started noticing how Remus' voice would crack whenever his did, and even the littlest things were the same.
He'd noticed it when he was picking at an acne spot just under his eye, and suddenly Remus had a matching one. He'd known Remus looked like him. He'd even referred to him as a face stealer at first. But now it really was like he was looking in a mirror every time he saw Remus. The uncomfortable bits and all. He'd never questioned Remus' existence before. What he was, why he was here, why he wore Roman's face. For a while he just wondered, didn't ask. It worked fine that way for the most part. Roman would tell Remus about school, his parents, his life. Remus would make comments about murdering his bullies that Roman would immediately shut down. It was the way their friendship worked.
"Why do you copy me?" Roman asked one day when finally curiosity got the best of him. The two of them were laying on a grassy patch near the river. Remus was tearing hunks of the green stuff out of the ground, and Roman was picking longer pieces and shredding them slowly. Remus tensed at the question, clump of grass falling from his hand.
"I've always copied you," Remus said with a laugh, "We're brothers, like you said."
"Well - yes, of course," Roman said, "but normally being brothers doesn't mean we have acne in the exact same places, and usually one brother doesn't live in the woods, either."
Remus huffed, "You got a problem with me being out here?"
"No-" Roman said quickly, shaking his head, "Of course not, I'm just - curious. About things. Like uh... what... exactly you are."
"I'm you!" Remus said brightly, "Or me, or anyone, I can be anyone."
"...Right," Roman said, tilting his head. Remus laughed.
"I'm a shapeshifter, silly. A doppelganger. I can look like anyone at all," Remus said.
"Then... why don't you make yourself look more like my brother?" Roman asked. Remus' expression turned confused, like the concept was foreign.
"What?"
"Like - well right now you're my reflection," Roman said, suddenly a lot more excited about this than he was a moment ago, "But if you can shapeshift then maybe we can workshop the look so you look like you could actually be my brother?"
Remus seemed to contemplate the idea for a moment, before nodding to himself and turning a bright grin on Roman, "Okay RoRo, makeover time! Tell me what you got!"
By the time they were done, Remus was half an inch shorter, he had added a few aspects of himself - his ears were slightly pointed as were his teeth - and kept a few aspects of Roman. His skin was just a shade more dull (apparently he enjoyed the more sickly look) and he now sported a shocking white streak in his hair and the very beginnings of stubble over his lip that Roman had meticulously shaved off every time he'd noticed it on himself. Now, when Roman took a photo of them together with his phone and showed it to Remus, they really did look like brothers.
"So!" Remus chirped once they were done and Roman had flopped back onto the ground, "What sorta stuff do normal brothers do? if they don't usually live out in the woods?"
Roman hummed in thought, "I'm.... actually not entirely sure? I mean, you're the only brother I've ever had, after all."
"Darn," Remus said, "Well, guess we're gonna have to keep messing around in the woods, then."
"Maybe you could come meet my parents?" Roman asked, instead of agreeing with him. Remus startled a little, frowning.
"You sure that's a good idea?" Remus asked, "Don't they think you made me up?"
"that's exactly why it is a good idea!" Roman said, "We can prove that you really are real! And that I'm not completely mad!"
"And they're gonna be fine with you having some weird fae brother?" Remus asked with a laugh, "I'm not gonna let them fuck you up, Ro. I know it'll make you sad if they're mean to me."
"I- I'm sure they wouldn't be," Roman shook his head, having... probably more faith in his parents than they deserved whatsoever. But his parents weren't cruel. They were odd and believed in letting Roman wander instead of taking care of him. They had been firm in their disbelief of Remus to the point that Roman had found it better to simply not bother talking about him anymore. Now that he was a teenager, they didn't try nearly as hard. They believed in him going out and making his own mistakes, even though that apparently meant them being fine with the possibility of him being captured by the fae that lived in the woods surrounding his house. Case in point, the one he was planning to bring back with him.
"Honestly," Roman said eventually, "I doubt they'd even notice you were there. They don't really pay all that much attention to me."
"Oo!" Remus chirped, springing up in a way Roman's own body could never move, "We should play a trick on 'em!"
"And ruin your chances of having them like you?" Roman asked, shaking his head, "No way. They hate that kind of stuff anyway."
"Consider it revenge!" Remus giggled, "For them not believing you! C'monnn it'll be harmless I swear! And fun!"
"Maybe… as long as you promise no-one will get hurt?" Roman asks, still tentative. Remus laughed, high pitched and slightly deranged. Roman was used to that by now.
"No-one's gonna be hurt, it'll be harmless, promise," Remus said, holding out his pinkie. Roman took it and shook on it.
"Okay, so what are we doing?"
----
Together, for once, the brothers made their way back towards town. Roman's house was the first one they reached, being one of a few who's back gardens opened straight up into the woods behind them. Remus hesitated at the tree line, and Roman hummed.
"Want me to check if they're here?" He asked. Remus nodded quickly, "Okay, wait here, I'll be right back."
Roman jogged out of the treeline and up past the house to the front, where his parents car would be resting if they were home. Once he was close enough to get service, Roman also pulled out his phone to see if they'd messaged him. They did at least usually let him know if they were going to be gone for more than a few hours.
There was a text from his mum telling him that they were going out shopping and would be back with dinner in the evening - asking if he wanted something from the pizza place a town over. He quickly replied that he'd take a meat feast, before pocketing his phone and jogging back to where he'd left Remus.
"Okay, they're not here," Roman said, "And they won't be until evening either, they went out for the day."
Roman wasn't at all bitter about not being told or invited. Perhaps he would've been interested in going to the shopping centre. It was hard to get anywhere in their little town when he wasn't old enough to drive. Whatever, it meant he got more time to spend with his brother from the woods.
"Hell yeah! Party time!" Remus cheered, running up to Roman's back door and bouncing on his feet at the top of the short set of stone stairs as he waited for Roman to come up and unlock the door. Remus sprinted inside once he did, marvelling at the kitchen he'd found himself in.
"C'mon, let me show you my room," Roman said, not caring that Remus was tracking mud through the carpet as he hurried upstairs with his brother following him. His room was cool - though most of the guys at his school probably wouldn't think so. One of his walls was painted red, with gold trees and patterns drawn across it that his mum had painted when they'd first been putting together a nursery for him. Roman was glad red had always been his favourite colour, because it would've been a shame to paint over. His bed featured a quilted blanket of patterned warm colours, and the other three white walls were plastered with posters from musicals and animated films he adored. He stopped Remus from going in with an arm.
"I don't care much if you track mud around the house, but not in my room," Roman said, "I have to clean that bit, and I don't wanna have to scrub mud out of the carpet."
"Fineee fine, but your room is cool, could use more rot and decay but I guess for a human place it's not that bad," Remus said, crossing his arms like he was critiquing it, "I like all the people pinned up on the wall, how did you trap them in there?"
"They're not-" Roman couldn't help but burst out laughing, "They're not trapped, it's photographs, like the one of us I showed you on my phone, but like - physical."
"Ooooh!" Remus said, "So who are they?"
"People from films and theatre," Roman said, "Some of them are characters, others are celebrities, that kind of thing - anyway, we're here to prank my parents."
"Right! Pranks!" Remus said brightly, "You wanna spoil some milk?"
"...Sure?" Roman asked, he didn't drink it, considering he was lactose intolerent, but his parents alway shad a whole host of dairy products - milk, cheese, cream - in the fridge, "How exactly?"
"Magic, obviously!" Remus grinned wiggling his fingers at Roman, Roman pouted.
"I don't have magic." He huffed, "How'm I supposed to help?"
"Well you got me into the house!" Remus said brightly, "and you're gonna show me where the shit is I can spoil - and hey if you really wanna help spoil something you can put some lemon in it too!"
"Gross," Roman said, wrinkling his nose, "Lets do it."
The two of them raced downstairs, Remus following Roman as he pulled all of the dairy products out of the fridge and placed them down on the side. It was far more than Roman thought anyone had the right to have, and he had his oat milk in the fridge safe and sound. This felt like the one time lactose intolerance turned out to be a win for him. Remus cackled as Roman fished out the squeezy lemon juice bottle he had bought with his pocket money to use on pancakes when his parents were out, hurrying over to uncap the milk bottle and tip a few drops in, closing the cap again and shaking it up.
"This stuff's going to stink in the fridge," Roman huffed, setting the bottle back down and stepping back for Remus to do his work, "But they'll be back to deal with it in a few hours, so I can deal with it."
Remus nodded and grinned, stepping closer to the pile of products. Roman felt something crackle in the air for a moment and then grimaced when he smelled the telltale smell of spoiled dairy.
"Okay, help me get this back into the fridge before I throw up," Roman huffed, grabbing the milk bottle and putting it back into the door of the fridge. Remus quickly followed suit, putting things back exactly where they had found them.
"I'll have to remember that that fridge is basically gonna be a stink bomb," Roman huffed. Mostly from the open cream, which shouldn't have been left open in the first place so Roman's parents really had brought that upon themselves.
"There!" Remus said, slamming the fridge door shut with a rattle, "Revenge!"
"Revenge?" Roman laughed.
"Yeah! They're not gonna believe you about my existence, so I'm gonna show them! Now c'mon, back to the woods, you need an alibi."
"Usually for an alibi you need witnesses-" Roman said, before his arm was grabbed and he was marched back out of the house. He barely stopped long enough to shut and lock the back door behind him before Remus was tugging him back to the woods. With all the mud everywhere and the spoiled dairy in the fridge, it really did look like a displeased faerie had ransacked their house. Roman found himself cackling with his brother all the way back to their spot in the woods.
Maybe one day he could introduce his parents to Remus. But today was not that day, and that was fine.
----
Taglist:
@full-of-roman-angst-trash @your-local-random-dino @cutebisexualmess @glacierruler @roseianxiety @bella-bugatti-frogetti-baguetti @scalesfeathersnfur @oatmealdaydrea ms @littlerat2 @goldnskyart @virgeandhis-pocket-protector @amateurmasksmith @sleepy-nova-tea @queer-and-fearful (if anyone wants to be added, let me know!)
Every young person goes through changes as they grow up. They can be embarrassing, painful, or even liberating, but it's all a part of life. But as the personification of a grown man's anxiety, Virgil never thought this would be something he'd be dealing with. Of course, when had his life ever been fair?
When Virgil had joined the core sides, he'd thought the rocky road of change had been over and he could settle, but really the changes were only just beginning.
----
Or, five times Virgil struggled with changes, one time he accepted them.
----
| Ao3 |
----
Overall Warnings: Body transformation, spider features
Pairings: Platonic Virgil & Everyone
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Notes:
Welcome to the first fic we've written for Camp Cartoon : Dynamic Duos!
"This fic was written in collaboration by me and @manchasama, based on the prompt: Virgil's (animal trait) impacts more than looks with platonic Virgil and author's choice(s)" For @thatdesolatefander
Chapters will all be posted before May 15th!
----
Taglist:
@full-of-roman-angst-trash @your-local-random-dino @cutebisexualmess @glacierruler @roseianxiety @bella-bugatti-frogetti-baguetti @scalesfeathersnfur @oatmealdaydrea ms @littlerat2 @goldnskyart @virgeandhis-pocket-protector @amateurmasksmith @sleepy-nova-tea @queer-and-fearful (if anyone wants to be added, let me know!)
Roman is sick. He's sick, miserable and soaking wet from taking the trash out in the rain. He needs help, but when he won't let himself call his friends, someone else decides to step in on his behalf.
It just so happens that that someone is an Eldritch shadow creature.
Maybe it's better this way, though.
----
| Ao3 |
----
Warnings: None
Pairings: Anaroceit
Word Count: 3095
Notes:
Hello! this is a fic I wrote for a prompt event for discord! This one was a mashup of the prompts 'Deity/Eldritch' and 'A gentle “you don’t look well ..” trailing off into a “woah, hey, hey-“ as they lurch forward to steady, or perhaps catch, a most definitely sick character.'
This one is mostly just cute, I really really like it. There's some funky formatting so I hope it works lol.
Please enjoy! :D
----
Roman sat on his bed, shivering. It was pouring down outside. He could hear the rain lashing against his window despite the fact that he felt as though his brain was leaking right out of his ears. He had needed to go out in it. The trash needed taking out, and It had still been sitting there when he'd managed to drag himself out of bed for a cup off tea. Remus nowhere to be seen.
So he'd gotten the bags together, dragged them out to the outdoor bin in the pouring rain, and pulled them down the path out to the front of the house. Now, he sat on his bed, drenched, sniffling, with a blazing headache and knives in the back of his throat. he looked over at his altar - which also served as his vanity - and sighed.
He hadn't had the energy to pamper himself in a few days. The candles remained unburned, the various oils and creams he'd bought for skincare had gone unused, the face masks unopened. The yellow and back - not his usual colour preference, but it was his God's - scarf that served as a tablecloth had been undisturbed.
It made Roman feel a little terrible, but even getting up to eat had been a monumental task whilst he was suffering from this awful cold.
Remus wasn't helping him. Roman's parents certainly weren't helping him. His friend's contacts had been open on his phone screen multiple times. A message typed out ready to send to their group chat and then deleted. They didn't need Roman's woes and whining to bring them down.
So he was sitting on his bed, alone, suffering. Dinner crossed his mind, but his cupboards were bare. The last time he'd been shopping was a week ago, and his stock of easy to cook meals had been depleted to the point where he had basically nothing left. He needed to change his clothes, too. His brief outdoor excursion had left him sopping wet.
Unfortunately his lethargic limbs refused to co-operate. His feet hurt despite having done practically nothing the entire day, and the headache was really starting to get to him.
Wishing he had help was all well and good, but he knew full well he didn't deserve it. It's not like he'd gone out of his way to do anything to help his friends recently - especially not without them asking.
Sure, that was because nothing had come up that they'd needed his help with, but he should've been able to find something, anything, to do for them.
The truth was, he hadn't earned their love and care. So why would he get to ask for it?
Roman flopped backwards, only to remember that he was still soaked, and that meant his sheets were soaked now too.
It didn't really matter, he didn't exactly have the energy to change them. He could only kick off his shoes and pull the wet sheets over himself and curl up in despair.
Moments later, Roman felt something strange prickle down his spine. An odd sort of presence. When he peeled back the wet duvet to look around, he saw the shadows shifting around his room in a way they definitely shouldn't be. They seemed to curl and reach for him. Roman shrieked - the sound tearing at his throat - before scrambling away.
There was only so far he could go, though, with his bed surrounded by two walls. The shadows grabbed him, wrapping around his wrists and coiling around his body. Before he could scream again, the world tilted and went dark.
----
When Roman woke up, he was looking seeing all sorts of stars.
Not their stars. Not earth stars. There was something oddly different about them. The fact that they were all shades of purple maybe, especially the biggest ones, and much closer than they should be.
Whatever he was laying on was soft, a little fluffy, and definitely not anything he'd ever felt before. He slowly swished his hands through what he had imagined to be fabric, but in actuality found his hand passed right through. It was a little cold to the touch.
Waking up was maybe a strong term for what he was currently experiencing. Maybe he was still dreaming. This certainly felt like the setting to a dream. Or he was just making things up to make himself feel better about his current misery.
What he was well aware of, though, was how his head pounded with pain. The feeling radiating through his skull like someone had hit him with a brick while he was out. Even his teeth and jaw hurt. His nose was so stuffed up that he could hardly breathe, and sitting up felt like an impossible task at this exact moment.
And not only because he couldn't get a grip on the bed.
His whole body felt lethargic, like his limbs were made of wood.
There was something prodding at him.
It was cold, and smooth. It didn't feel like a hand or any part of a person or animal he could recognise.
Which was kind of a cause for freaking out, because what the hell was touching him?
He tried to lash out, but his movements were slow, the sickness clinging to his limbs like a thick honey. The something did start to back off, though, and Roman took the opportunity he had been presented with to rub at his eyes. Clearing them of gunk, he could finally open them and see properly, which helped him find a place for his hands to push himself upwards in a sitting position.
Shadows.
He remembered them, the tendrils of shadow from his bedroom. They were hovering around him now, projecting some kind of tension. Like they were worried about him, which was a crazy sentiment, considering Roman could only assume that they had just been the ones to kidnap him.
"Hello?" Roman called. The shadows stopped their slow shifting as if they had frozen in place, "Is someone there?"
The world answered with a weird rumble, and the sky ripped open like a seam. Roman stared in shock as all the stars twinkled in unison.
Wait.
Those weren't stars, Roman realised, but eyes.
Thousands and thousands of purple eyes on a dark black shape. Dark like shadow.
Roman opened his mouth to make some kind of noise, but found that nothing would come out. He felt like a mouse caught in a trap, like every survival instinct was screaming at him to run far, far away from this thing and never come back. Except whatever platform he was on was only solid where he stood on it, and trying to move seemed to do nothing to get him away from this creature.
Are you scared, little thing?
Roman shrunk back at the sound. The seam in the sky moved with the words, but Roman heard them as if they were spoken straight into his ear. The voice was low and loud and three different voices layered over itself. It did wonders for his terror, that was for sure.
"Well obviously I am!" Roman yelled back. He tried to stand, but his legs were too shaky both from sickness and from fear that he couldn't, "Who- what- what are you?"
I am V̵͙̆̄̀͝i̵̡͔̝̮͒r̸͕̘̹̦̿̅͛̇͝g̷̢̢͔̐̐̒͊̈́ḯ̶̬͚͓l̴̥̻̬͈͆
Roman heard the static in his head like an explosion that made him flinch so hard he ended up back on the ground.
"Um," Roman said, still trying to recover from his ringing ears. At least it had unblocked his nose, "You wanna try that in words that don't make me feel like my brain is melting out of my ears?"
There was a long pause then, before the shadow monster began to shrink down and down, looking almost as though they were being sucked up by some cosmic force, until something stood before him that was at least slightly more humanoid. The sky full of eyes had shrunken down to just 10- or was it twelve - maybe just eight? It must keep blinking. With two bigger ones in the centre almost mimicking a person.
The rest of them, aside from the white seam like mouth, was still made up of pure black shadow, though it now wisped away from it's 'head' to mimic hair, and bulked up around it's pretend body like clothes would.
Sorry.
"S-Sorry?" Roman asked, going for slightly confused and coming out pathetically perplexed.
I didn't mean to scare you. I want to help. My name is Virgil, to your people. I forgot your fickle mind wouldn't be able to understand my true name.
"...Right," Roman said, frowning down at his feet. He was wearing fuzzy socks. He'd been kidnapped by some shadow creature. The name Virgil was familiar. Wait. "...Why is your name familiar?"
I often work with the one who looks like you.
It took Roman a second to realise he was talking about Remus.
"You're the crazy thing Remus works with?" Roman near yelled, his voice cracked halfway through the words and he choked off into spluttering coughs. He tried desperately to get his lungs back under control, "Don't tell me he sold me to you or something, I won't have it- I don't want to be some demon's pet-"
i am not a demon.
The shadow creature actually seemed quite upset by the comparison.
I am a being beyond your comprehension, and I took you because you're hurt. You need help. I will do something about it.
Roman leaned back on his hands, looking up at this shadow creature named Virgil who supposedly worked with Remus on all his stupid magic pranks, involving making Roman's life hell on the regular. This shadow being that supported his brothers hexes and curses that scared and messed with people. Virgil looked back down at him, eyes blinking every few seconds. Roman couldn't read anything from him.
"Why?" He asked.
Because no-one else was doing it.
That stopped Roman short. No-one else was doing it.
"I was doing it," Roman pointed out.
Were you?
That question made him stop and think. Was he? He'd been doing the bare minimum to look after himself - what he could being so sick. But was he really helping himself?
"Helping yourself would've been asking others for their help." Came another voice. A new one. This one didn't quite ring in his head like Virgil's, but it still echoed around the place,"Virgil, dear what's going on here?"
The human was sick.
"You know we aren't supposed to interfere with that sort of thing."
Roman couldn't properly see who was speaking. Virgil still seemed to be looking at him, but now there was a bright golden light behind him. Shining brightly and wavering as though something was waiting to manifest.
He was so alone. I couldn't help it.
"You couldn't have contacted me?"
Just look at him, J̵̫̫̭̼̈́͠a̷̭̠̍n̴̢͇̲͗̀̊̍͝u̴̖̫̍̄͜ͅs̴̘̬͍̦̓̉̇̉̈́, He's so alone and sad. None of the other stupid humans will do anything.
Once again the name sent shock waves through Roman's skull that would've knocked him flat had he not already been on the floor.
"Well perhaps they would if he'd been more selfish and told them so."
Oh come on, we have to look after him.
"Who is this we you speak of?"
There was a silence and Roman realised far too late that Virgil was doing what he could only describe as puppy eyes at the golden light.
"...Fine, fine, you win, only because that little form is adorable. What does it need?"
I didn't get that far. I was going to ask it.
"Hey! Um, I'm still here," Roman called out. causing both of them to turn and look at him. Having both of their gazes on him made his skin prickle uncomfortably, "Could I be somewhere that's not this weird little cloud thing? Also who... are you?"
"Who am I?" The golden light said with a gasp of offence, "I would've thought you'd be able to recognise the deity you are patron to."
It still took Roman a second. The brain fog was really starting to set in.
"...Janus?"
"Well done!"Janus cheered, hands clapping as he finally materialised from the golden light. Even in a more human-like form than Virgil, he was easily double the size. Most of his mountainous height was made up of the coils and coils of snake tail that he sat atop of, the very end of which was reaching out to him,"Now, lets get you somewhere far more comfortable than Virgil's realm."
Hey! I got him out of there!
"I said nothing forbidding you from coming with,"Janus grinned, his coils slowly wrapping around Roman and lifting him closer until Janus could scoop him into five gentle arms, "Shall we?"
A hand covered Roman's eyes, and his stomach started doing flips like he was on some kind of crazy rollercoaster. When his eyes were uncovered again, he was standing in what could maybe be considered a bedroom.
It was lavishly decorated, with carpets made of clouds and a giant nest of sorts in the centre. The nest was piled up with blankets and cushions of all colours and sizes, though there was clearly a preference for yellow and black in the banners that hung from the pillars placed around the rest of the room, each of them ornately carved and decorated with golden snakes and vines. Between the two pillars opposite him grew the most enormous apple tree Roman had ever seen, which provided dappled shade to the space and also seemed to be growing the juiciest apples. The 'room', Roman realised belatedly, wasn't one at all. What he thought were walls behind the pillars was in fact just empty space. An expanse of blue sky and nothing. Perfect for sunbathing, Roman thought blearily.
"Come, dear, lets get you laid down," Janus said, carefully placing him on the ground. From beside him, Virgil made an irritated hissing noise. Roman's head whipped round - he hadn't even known he was there - to find the shadow thing looking much smaller and pathetic in the warm midday sun.
"Ah, here we go," Janus said, waving a hand. As he did so, the sun began to race across the sky towards the horizon. The darker the sky got, the more Virgil seemed to grow back into the form he'd had before. Not only that, but little golden orbs lit themselves around this little home, casting a warm glow across the nest.
"This is- This is beautiful," Roman said softly, a sneeze interrupting his sentence halfway through, he rubbed at his nose.
"Oh dear- well thank you, but sweetie you really should go lie down," Janus said softly,"You really don't look well- woah, hey, come here, my little mortal, let me hold you."
Roman had taken one step before his legs gave out and he pitched forward, only to find himself supported by smooth, cool golden scales. He mumbled something unintelligible about the cold feeling nice against his too hot skin, and Janus chuckled, scooping him up in coils and bringing him over to the nest. It took barely a minute to get settled, with Roman nestled in the coils and his god laying at his side. Janus' fancy outfit was surprisingly comfortable. He'd expected the gold, navy and black ensemble to be course and stiff, but the black cape worked well as a blanket. It, the coils, and three of Janus' arms created the near perfect balance of warm and cold. Something was missing though.
"Where'd Virgil go?" Roman asked, voice feeling hoarser by the second. Sleep was trying to claim him now, with how cozy and nice he felt as well as the lovely warm lighting. But Virgil was nowhere to be seen.
"They've gone to get you soup, dear," Janus said, reaching to run fingers through Roman's probably greasy hair. He reached up to check, but his hair felt soft and silky, as though he'd just showered, "We may not be allowed - cosmically - to heal you instantly, there are smaller ways we can help."
Janus was smirking. Everything they'd said so far had already made Roman suspect some rule breaking going on here, but that really just confirmed it. They were bending the rules for him. To make sure he was comfortable and happy.
Roman felt tears well up in his eyes.
I was gone for a blip, how have you already made him cry, you asshole.
The reappearance of Virgil made Roman jump. He rushed to wipe his eyes.
"It's nothing," Roman shook his head, "Just- nice to be cared for?"
"You know, you'd also be cared for if you were willing to ask you friends and brother for help."
"I can't do that," Roman shook his head, though he took the bowl of soup that was offered to him by shadowy tendrils, before Virgil popped up and settled next to him.
Why not?
"Because! I don't deserve it," Roman huffed, "I haven't done anything for them recently after a-"
A hand grabbed his chin, fingernails gently pressing into his cheeks as his head was turned to bring him eye to eye with Janus.
"I am the god you've chosen to follow, am I not?" He asked. His tone was deadly serious, and Roman almost wanted to cower, but Virgil was right behind him.
"Yes..."
"And what do I teach?"
"....Self care?"
"Selfishness, sweetheart," Janus said, the s's were sibilant in his voice.
"I think maybe I need a few more lessons in that one," Roman sighed. It was, maybe, an aspect of devotion to Janus that he ignored on occasion. He loved self care, and pursuing his dreams, but it was hard for him to be selfish. Especially when he needed to be, in times like these.
You have us now.
"Virgil is right," Janus hummed,"You've caught our attention now, we won't let you get in over your head."
"Does that mean I get to keep being cuddled after I heal?" Roman asked, finally relaxing into Virgil's presence and letting the shadows snake around him too as Virgil joined the hug. They were comfortably cold, a nice balance. Now it was perfect. The soup Virgil had given him was delicious and perfectly warm too, It was chicken flavoured.
"Of course it does."
Yeah, I guess. You know our names now.
"Just call them when you need us. Understand?"Janus asked, tucking a strand of hair behind Roman's ear and pressing a kiss to his forehead.
"Yeah," Roman said with a yawn, finally letting his eyes drift closed, "Got it…"
----
Taglist:
@full-of-roman-angst-trash @your-local-random-dino @cutebisexualmess @glacierruler @roseianxiety @bella-bugatti-frogetti-baguetti @scalesfeathersnfur @oatmealdaydrea ms @littlerat2 @goldnskyart @virgeandhis-pocket-protector @amateurmasksmith @sleepy-nova-tea @queer-and-fearful (if anyone wants to be added, let me know!)
