Chapter Text
Brigid's curiosity, though it had been held at bay for some time, found a way past her filters. She went right up to Colfax, who looked down at her and awaited the questions he knew would come. And 3... 2...
"Big brother, when you came to visit today, how did you get here?" Colfax smirked faintly and pointed at the bag sitting near Charlie, and Brigid's eyes widened. That was like going around in a big soft house! "Did they pick you up? What does that feel like? Is it like a piggyback ride?"
Sawyer grinned. Brigid was adorably curious, and the opportunity was too good to miss. Somebody had to answer the bitty viri’s questions, after all. “It’s like this,” the tall human said cheerfully. Suddenly his hands were behind Colfax, scooping the viri up quickly but gently in a practiced motion. He held Colfax only a couple of inches off the ground, not wanting to scare the others too much. All the same he saw Gwen’s eyes widen as she took a startled step back, blinking as if she couldn’t quite believe what had just happened.
Colfax’s sister looked up at him with astonishment, her heart thumping from the unexpected action. The human had just grabbed him, something that would seem terrifying were it not for the genial grin on Sawyer’s face, the way he seemed to do it so casually, and… and the fact that her brother only seemed vaguely resigned by being moved about but otherwise nonplussed. He was sitting freely in the human’s hands as calmly as if it were a chair. Was this normal for them?
“Sawyer,” Charlie gently admonished, shaking his head in spite of the slight smile on his face. Even he had to admit, however, that the little girl had really set Sawyer up for that. Truly it was a miracle Sawyer had refrained for this long.
Elle put a hand in front of her mouth to stifle a gasp. One second Colfax was just standing there and the next he was in Sawyer's hands. The only reason she didn't worry more was the fact that he simply righted himself and rolled his eyes. Like it was a minor inconvenience but nowhere near terrifying. "He's... is he used to that?"
"Yeah," Adrian answered with a chuckle of his own. "I was just as surprised as you." He shrugged at the increasingly bemused look coming over his mother's face. She was doing a good job accepting everything, which made Adrian very grateful.
Colfax, by contrast, was mostly just grateful that Sawyer hadn't scooped him up as quickly as he normally did. So he was holding back. Colfax was almost impressed. He crossed his arms and shrugged at Gwen, almost certain that some kind of criticism was just waiting on her lips; but when Brigid approached the hands he sat on, Colfax's sharp focus immediately went to her.
She put her tiny hands on the huge fingertips in front of her, quietly amazed that her big brother was sitting so casually. Her smile slowly widened. It looked like fun. "Help me up, Colfax!" she demanded, suddenly bracing herself on the platform only inches above the ground. Despite a quiet "Oh!" from Elle and a surprised look from Adrian, the girl was determined. Seeing that she was scrambling a little with her legs, Colfax had to get a grip on her arm and help haul her up to sit beside him. Their mother was going to kill him.
Taken by surprise by her little sister’s boldness in approaching the human, Gwen almost called her back, but bit back the exclamation when she saw how steady Sawyer’s hands were and how comfortable Colfax was. Sawyer, for his part, had stopped breathing when the tiny viri stepped up and put her astoundingly bitty little hands on his fingertips. He could hardly feel them, but they were there, and as her slight weight pushed onto his hands when she tried to scramble up his eyes widened but his fingers held very, very still.
A soft, awed smile spread across his face. He felt honored- Brigid had chosen to climb up into his hands of her own accord, and didn’t seem scared of him at all. That kind of trust, from a child no less, made Sawyer feel very special indeed. He let out a gentle breath as she settled herself next to Colfax, completely enamored by the feeling of such a tiny viri sitting in the palm of his hand.
“Are you okay, Brigid?” Gwen asked, sounding only slightly worried about her little sister. After all, Colfax was up there and he seemed perfectly alright. Still, being in the hands of a human was not something any of them could have ever considered as being the least bit safe, so her protective side was still yelling for the young girl to get down and back on solid ground. Realizing that her question might have seemed unfair to Sawyer though, since the human was doing a shockingly good job of being mindful and careful with her siblings in his hands, Gwen looked up and added, “No offense, Sawyer.”
“None taken,” Sawyer breathed, giving her a quick smile but not daring to do anything else. He understood completely- it was one thing to hold Colfax, who apparently was as tall for a viri as he claimed, but Brigid… Brigid was tiny. Sawyer thought she was likely the most fragile, delicate thing he had ever held in his hands. The fact that she was a living, breathing, sentient little girl, and more so that she had put herself there, was still kind of blowing his mind. Next to him Charlie smiled softly at all three of them, proud of all his friends and their newly met families for doing so well with all of it. After all it was decidedly strange, for all of them.
Adrian watched with a faint smile growing on his face as Brigid got herself settled on Sawyer's hands. The look on Sawyer's face wasn't lost on him, either. Sawyer might need to be reminded to breathe soon. Adrian glanced over at Charlie with a grin. "Knowing her she'll want a turn on your hands too," he warned conspiratorially.
"Honestly I'm surprised all she's doing is sitting right now," Elle remarked, a similar smile on her face. Everyone was paying close attention to the smallest member of their little gathering, though if Brigid knew she was the center of attention, she didn't act like it. If anything, she was just quietly pleased to be getting her way with so little resistance for once. No one had even scolded her for speaking so loudly!
"This is fun, Gwen!" Brigid decided, poking at the surface beneath her with a quiet giggle. She could feel the faintest twitch of the muscles just under the skin as they reacted to her contact. "His hands are so big!"
Colfax quirked an eyebrow at the girl seated next to him. She kept one hand clutching his sleeve just in case as she looked around. Colfax couldn't help but think about how right her simple statement really was. His first meeting with Sawyer had taught him with a terrifying grab that Sawyer's hands were big, big enough to contain the entirety of Colfax between them. It struck him that then, he'd desperately wanted to get away from the human, pushing and kicking at hands that he sat so casually on now. If Colfax were the type to be amazed, he would be.
Charlie chuckled softly at the little girl’s antics and his friend’s still awed expression, though when he spoke quietly it was in reply to Adrian. “Well she’s welcome to them,” he said politely, facing his palms towards the viri to demonstrate, “though they’re not nearly as big as Sawyer’s.” Indeed, Charlie’s hands were smaller and his fingers thinner, with many fewer calluses than his tall free-climbing friend. Still, they had been more than big enough to hold both Adrian and Colfax in the past, and if she decided to climb onto them Brigid would likely find them more than big enough for her.
Gwen, for her part, had been watching Brigid with a smile growing on her face. To be fair the whole thing was very unusual, a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to sit safely in the hands of something as dangerous as a human. Not that either of these humans seemed particularly dangerous, even with as tall as Sawyer was. They hadn’t even raised their voices, not once. Charlie had hardly moved.
As her little sister poked at the hands beneath her, earning a delighted grin from Sawyer, Gwen laughed and rolled her eyes. “Okay, okay, I suppose I should give it a try too,” she said, not so reluctantly. If she were honest with herself she was actually kind of excited to try it. Walking up to Sawyer’s hands she put one of her own hands on his fingertip, marveling at how even that dwarfed her own fingers, and looked way up at the human. “May I, Sawyer?”
Sawyer laughed lightly, a bemused expression on his face. A viri asking him for permission to be held in his hands… that was a new one. Usually it was the other way around, and even that didn’t happen all that often anymore with Colfax mostly healed. It was amusingly unusual. “Sure,” he told her with a grin, keeping his hands steady and low to the ground. “Go right ahead.” He watched with an excited smile as she hopped up lithely, taking a seat behind Colfax and Brigid and looking around with a mix of curiosity and uncertainty (but no fear, Sawyer was happy to see). With all three of them on – a new record, that one – Sawyer smiled and raised his hands a bit more. They were still less than half a foot off of the ground, but his arms had begun to cramp.
In a flash, both of Brigid's hands were clamped on Colfax's arm. The rising made her eyes widen first with awe and then with intrigue. That was a sensation she'd never once felt before! She inched towards the end of Sawyer's fingers, aiming to peek over the side. She paused when Colfax's hand got a grip on the back of her shirt for security, but the girl grinned and looked over the side anyway. With her brother hanging on she was perfectly safe. She waved at Elle and Adrian.
Elle waved back, endeared by the kid's enthusiasm. Clearly Sawyer knew what he was doing. He had three people in his hands and none of them were alarmed or squeezed or in any danger really. She glanced aside at Charlie's smaller hands. A sudden thought occurred to her. "Adrian... do they... I mean, do you sit in their hands too?"
Adrian smiled and shook his head. "Charlie caught me once when I fell, and Sawyer only picked me up when he thought I was Colfax," he explained with a chuckle. Elle looked amazed that two humans would have such respect and care for her boy's tactile issues, and that he trusted them enough that he could so easily brush off the few times they had touched him.
Charlie couldn’t help but think about the other time he had held Adrian, while rescuing him and Colfax from Felicia and Bryan’s, but wisely chose not to mention that incident. It wouldn’t do anybody any good to have that reminder. Sawyer, on the other hand, was hardly listening to the conversation. He was much more concerned with the small child hanging over the edge of his hands. When she had gone to the edge his fingers had curled up slightly, protectively, to keep her from falling. With Colfax having a grip on her shirt however (a sight that was somewhat amusing given Colfax’s still stoic demeanor) Sawyer relaxed his hands and allowed himself to smile at her adorable antics.
Meanwhile Gwen, who had sucked in an alarmed breath at the sudden ascension but quickly collected herself afterwards, glanced around. She’d been up higher, of course, on many trips out to get supplies. Standing on top of the kitchen counter was infinitely different from being held in a human’s hands, however. For one thing the counter didn’t usually move. Feeling more confident by the minute, thanks in large part to the continued realization that Sawyer apparently didn’t plan on doing much besides letting them sit there, Gwen smiled and shuffled over next to Brigid.
It was infinitely strange to move on Sawyer’s hands, feeling the warm, leathery skin give beneath her comparatively slight weight and the muscles shift beneath her knees. She didn’t let the weirdness deter her, however, and leaned over the edge of his fingers next to her little sister. “Hey there, Brigid,” Gwen greeted her with a grin, knowing Brigid was going to find such glibness amusing. “How’s it hangin’?”
Brigid grinned at her. "This is fun," she answered, sounding as delighted as she looked. She sat up again, pushing Colfax's arm away now that she wasn't leaning precariously. Looking up at Sawyer, she clasped her hands together and offered him a more reserved smile. "Can we go up even higher?" she asked him sweetly, in full knowledge that her charms were very effective on the human. Like they were on everyone. Even Colfax smirked faintly, recognizing that face.
Adrian had to snicker and put a hand over his mouth. He couldn't see Brigid's face from on the ground, but he had the exact picture in his head. That girl was easily turning Sawyer into a playmate. It was simple for her, and it was obvious that Sawyer wouldn't resist her charms if he wanted to. "Just be careful, Brigid, especially if you go on his shoulder," he warned.
Colfax shot Adrian a look when Brigid heard the advice. Her eyes widened and she looked at her big brother with both surprise and childlike intrigue on her face. "Colfax, does that mean you sit on his shoulder? Is that how you get around faster now? That's up so high! Higher even than the counters!" Colfax nodded slowly, his gaze flickering between his two sisters now. He knew Brigid was enamored of the whole idea. What Gwen thought of his turnaround was anyone's guess.
Gwen sat up next to Brigid and stared at her brother with an inscrutable expression. It was one thing for Colfax to sit willingly in a human’s hands, but sitting on Sawyer’s shoulder… it seemed much too daring for her conservative little brother. “Well, that’s mostly Sawyer’s fault,” Charlie added with a little laugh. A smile flickered over Gwen’s face and a kind of satisfaction settled into her eyes. So Colfax didn’t ask to, he just allowed it to happen, likely because he was too lazy to care. That, at least, made sense.
Sawyer, meanwhile, was still trying to get over Brigid’s polite prompting. She was so dang cute, who could resist that expression on such a sweet little face? Certainly not him. With a smile he said, “Okay, Brigid, we can go higher.” She should probably try that before even thinking about getting up on his shoulder. “Sit in the middle while we move, yeah? Just to be safe.” He trusted Gwen and Colfax could keep their balance and not fall off the edge of his hands, but the bitty child should be as protected as possible. Once Gwen helped Brigid settle in next to Colfax, and had sat down herself, Sawyer cupped his hands further around them and slowly raised the viri up to chest level, before making his hands flatter once again.
Back on the ground, Adrian and Elle were craning their necks. Elle, used to the dim lighting in the walls of their home, had to shield her eyes from the sun at that angle. Still, she couldn't help the tentative smile that came over her face. Brigid's face looked overjoyed, and the girl was practically ecstatic with enthusiasm. Elle couldn't imagine what it was like to be held up like that (nor was she prepared to try it herself, regardless of how kind these humans were). Even Colfax, somehow, was just sitting there with his almost unsettling calm about him. Unconcerned. Maybe a little aware to keep tabs on his little sister, but otherwise not frightened like most viri would be. There was no doubt that these humans were special.
Adrian didn't crane his neck for long. He knew the others would be fine in Sawyer's hands. Even Adrian had never risked falling, and he'd been in a near panic when Sawyer held him the first time. Honestly, it had been startlingly quick to come to the realization that Sawyer, as huge as he was, was perfectly safe to be around. He knew his limits- though Adrian suspected that came with experience with Colfax, the most stubborn of any of the viri present.
With the sun beating down on them, Adrian and his mother both wandered a little closer to Charlie, settling in his shadow instead. Elle found a rock mostly buried in the ground and took a seat on it. She looked up at the milder human, her heart only fluttering for a second from instinctual fear from the size. That was something that'd be hard to get rid, of, and Elle wouldn't want to; fear of humans kept viri safe from them more often than not. Without it, any viri could have wandered right up to the ones that hurt Adrian and Colfax, not knowing the danger they presented.
"I haven't seen Brigid having such fun in ages," Elle admitted. Then, offering Charlie an almost conspiratorial smile, she added, "It's a good thing you brought Sawyer along as well as the boys."
Charlie smiled in return, immeasurably pleased that Elle continued to converse with him, and even better had trusted him enough to come closer and sit near him with Adrian. He whispered back, “Believe me, I couldn’t keep him home if I tried.” Once Sawyer had his mind set on something it was nigh impossible to stop him from doing it. Not to mention he wouldn’t have dreamed of missing the opportunity to meet (and hold) more viri. He certainly was coming in handy though (pun likely intended), as it was obvious Brigid was having a great time.
Sawyer glanced over and gave the three of them a grin. “I heard that,” he commented lightly, getting some satisfaction from the sheepish flush that colored Charlie’s cheeks before turning his attention back to the viri in his hands. Brigid looked completely enamored with the whole thing, which was good because Sawyer was definitely reciprocating that feeling. This was too much fun. Even Gwen seemed to be starting to enjoy herself.
Gwen lay back and settled herself against Sawyer’s palm, resting her hands behind her head and staring up at the bright blue sky dotted with fluffy white clouds. It was a sight she hardly ever got to see, and usually not without some normal stress about being outside. Though the circumstances were admittedly strange, she had to admit it was nice to be able to relax in the fresh air for once. Unable to help but see Sawyer’s face, since it was taking up a fair portion of her view, Gwen grinned at him. “I can see why little brother does this all the time,” she joked. “You’re a pro.” Weird but true.
Colfax rolled his eyes. He could hardly say he sat and relaxed like this in Sawyer's hands all that often. He certainly didn't do any cloud gazing. He thought about the one time he'd reclined in Sawyer's hands. Shivering from the cold after being dropped in the dishwater. Otherwise he'd sat in this very spot while Sawyer held onto the game controller. Colfax would be revealing neither to his sister; she didn't need any more ammunition against him for acting insane. Sitting there with both his sisters in a pair of giant hands, he couldn't help but think it was crazy.
"'All the time' might be a bit of a stretch," Colfax commented mildly, inviting no debate but knowing it might come anyway.
Brigid interjected her own opinion first. "Well why not?" she asked, grinning at her siblings before looking all around them with interest. She was outside, and she was seeing things from higher up! It was amazing. "It's fun! Why wouldn't you want to go everywhere like this?"
Adrian grinned, still able to hear the little girl's determined assessment. Though he knew Colfax would probably roll his eyes yet again, Adrian had to jump in himself. "He's playing it down, Brigid. It's not as much of a stretch as he says, he hardly goes anywhere on his own."
“That’s because he’s lazy,” Gwen automatically quipped, reaching out with a foot to nudge Colfax’s nearby leg. She grinned, knowing full well her twin would disagree. He liked to call it “efficient”.
Of course Gwen’s botherations only served as an invitation for Sawyer, who grinned and reached a finger over to poke the viri in the side. Gwen watched with wide eyes before a pleased grin of her own spread across her face. It was so much easier to get under Colfax’s skin with two of them, especially since one was pretty much a giant. “Yeah, Colfax,” Sawyer began. “Making me do all the work while you sit around. For shame.” He was joking, of course, and his expression gave him away even if his voice didn’t.
Charlie very nearly rolled his eyes himself. There they went again, teasing poor Colfax. Sawyer really had found a kindred spirit in Gwen, at least as far as making fun of the stoic viri was concerned. He didn’t know whether to be amused or almost nervous. Deciding on the former he smiled over at the four of them, knowing Colfax was likely to have a reply ready before he could.
Colfax ignored the jab in his side for the sake of nonchalance. He knew everyone was expecting a sarcastic snip out of him after that, and he had half a mind to remain quiet just to disappoint them. But, Colfax was wise enough to know that Sawyer or Gwen would get an answer out of him one way or another; letting them team up had been a dangerous move.
"You volunteered," he answered, shrugging once. Even that was a vast understatement to what had actually happened; but with Brigid sitting there giggling about the banter, Colfax wasn't going to elaborate. His sisters didn't need to know that Sawyer had “volunteered” for the first time by stuffing Colfax in a pocket and carrying him back to his apartment. At this point, that detail wasn't very important anyway.
At that Sawyer laughed lightly, himself knowing how much of an understatement that was, and glanced over at Charlie. “He’s got me there,” he admitted. Charlie laughed as well, recognizing the truth when he heard it. Sawyer had volunteered to cart Colfax around in the same way that a thunderstorm volunteers to get people wet. It hadn’t been so much decided on as already happening.
“Really it’s a good thing Colfax doesn’t mind,” Charlie whispered conspiratorially to Elle, leaning over just slightly- not so much that he felt like he was looming, but enough to give the effect. “I think if Sawyer couldn’t hold either of them he’d get very mopey.” That, and Charlie would probably end up being his teddy bear to make up for it. Sawyer looked over, not having heard the details but gotten the gist for sure, and stuck his tongue out childishly at Charlie. He couldn’t argue, though, mostly because it was true.
Gwen laughed at their antics, thinking the humans were more amusing than she had expected. It was more casual with them around than she had ever thought it could be.
Elle chuckled quietly, endeared by the antics playing out overhead. Never once in a million years would she have imagined she'd sit calmly in the shadow of a human, while another even bigger human held three of her kind in his hands; but Brigid was delighted, and Gwen was relaxed. Colfax, well, he wasn't irritated so he was probably fine, too. "Doing your human a service, I see," she quipped at the young man.
Colfax rolled his eyes. Things were really out of hand if even Elle was teasing him. So nice to visit home. "I can be charitable," he answered back, disappointing none of their expectations. He was supposed to sass, after all. Anyone that asked for it got it. Brigid giggled, her hands over her mouth as if she'd witnessed a minor scandal. Big brother might be grown up, but he'd sassed a more grown up adult!
Adrian laughed aloud, from the deadpan look on his friend's face and from a sudden strike of how relieved he was by it all. Colfax's injuries were so close to mending. Adrian felt better every day, and he owed a lot of it to how accommodating and patient his human friends had been. Despite the horrors Adrian had experienced at the hands of humans, Adrian didn't feel in any danger here. That was worth a smile at least.
"All that aside," he finally said, looking up at the three relaxing on Sawyer's hands. "Your mom will want to know you're okay, Brigid. I know you're having fun but you probably should come down soon."
Gwen sat up, knowing that meant her too, and gave her pouting little sister a smile. “That’s right, kiddo. Time to go.” She herself was almost a bit disappointed, considering that meeting the humans for the first time had been much less terrifying and much more fun than she had expected. Still, their mom was probably sitting in the house nearly having a heart attack at the thought of them being out here, so it was best if they went back sooner rather than later.
As Sawyer lowered his hands to the ground (and pouted about it himself) Gwen wrapped her arms around Colfax and hugged him from behind. This way he couldn’t get out of it, the stubborn dork. “You guys better visit again soon,” she said with a grin, not giving him any choice in the matter. With that she let him go and stepped off of Sawyer’s hands gracefully, helping Brigid down once she was on solid ground once more.
“Don’t worry,” Charlie said softly, giving both of Colfax’s sisters a smile. “I’m sure we’ll bring them back quite often.” He was confident that Adrian, at least, would want to visit his family regularly now that he could; and with Sawyer having made so many new friends, there was no way they were staying away for too long.
The humans watched as the viri stood up and said their goodbyes, chiming in themselves when appropriate. They waited for a few minutes outside the pipe, as presumably Adrian and Colfax walked their families back and said goodbye to the rest of them in the house.
Not too long after, their own particular viri friends reappeared, and Sawyer and Charlie offered smiles to both of them. “I think that went well,” Charlie said cheerfully, and Sawyer nodded. Looking down at Adrian and Colfax, Charlie asked, “Are you guys ready to go?”
Colfax just nodded while he brushed some dust off of his shirt. Brigid had all but tackled him in her last hug before he left. While his parents were a little surprised that he and Adrian would be returning with the humans, no one protested. After hearing firsthand from Gwen how kind the humans were (with enthusiastic confirmation from Brigid), they weren't so worried.
Colfax himself was surprised to find he wasn't worried either, about anything befalling them. Weeks ago he'd have dismissed someone outright for suggesting he'd be where he found himself now: in full knowledge that a human would probably scoop him off the ground soon, and not the least bit concerned about it.
Adrian shielded his eyes as he looked up. "It went really well. You both made good impressions." He chuckled faintly at how happy his mother had seemed, telling everyone about how Charlie had said he'd bring them tea when they visited again. "Brigid will be even more excited to hear from Colfax now that she knows how adventurous he is." Adrian wouldn't be surprised if his aunts and uncle, as well as Colfax's parents, worked up the courage to visit the humans next time. The fact that there would be a next time, almost guaranteed, cheered Adrian immensely. For now...
He smiled contentedly at his friends. "Let's go home."