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Chapter Text

The group of five were finally in England, driving to the little village situated in the middle of nowhere. The drive to the airport had been slightly tense. Daisy and Virgil had both fallen asleep, daisy leaning her head against Virgil’s arm, and Patton and Roman were attempting to make conversation with Roman.

Logan was nice but after a few hours of driving and listening to puns, he was starting to get a little frustrated. He hadn’t quite forgiven Roman yet and the tension from that was already very obvious to every conscious person in the car. The city there were driving through did nothing to calm him. Trees were calming. Hills were calming. The sound of birds chirping was calming. Nothing about the city did anything to lessen his aggravation.

Luckily for the nerd, the airport was coming into view, so he managed to control himself for that short amount of time. When they arrived, they parked the rental car in the designated area, everything needed to give back the car had been sorted out by Virgil before he fell asleep, and proceeded to wake up the unconscious passengers.

Actually, they decided not to wake Daisy. It was easy. Patton just picked her up and carried her through the airport, security, and lounges. Virgil was a little more difficult to manage. The others left the car area to double-check if everything was done but Logan stayed behind.

“Virgil, darling? Time to get up.” Logan gentle shook his husband who stirred.
“Mmm, fuck off ‘m sleepin.” He waved a hand, gently tapping Logan’s face.

Said man huffed and fixed his glasses, “Virgil I will buy you cookies if you get up.” He rolled his eyes but a smile was twitch at the corners of his mouth.
Virgil cracked open an eye, mumbled incoherently and then rolled off the seat. When he hit the awkward flooring of the car, he woke up completely and looked around before blushing when he realized what happened.
“Don’t say a word to the others.” He threatened but was not very intimidating as his face was bright red and he was hiding in his hoodie.
“I won’t.” Logan agreed, chuckling.
“I mean it. I will cut you!” He pointed his finger and started to get out of the car.

In response, Logan grabbed the wrist of the finger being pointed at him, tugging it forward and planting a kiss on the back of Virgil’s hand. Obviously, this made Virgil’s face go impossibly red and Logan to stifle more small laughs.
“Let's just go.” Virgil walked forward as Logan followed, still snorting to himself.

The couple soon found the rest of their group, in the baggage area.
“I just realized that none of us brought our things, minus our phones and wallets.” Roman stated, biting his lip.
“Well there are plenty of shops on the way to Sotherwood and Daisy’s court case, I’m assuming, will be happening back here. You can go back and get your things then. I take it you can survive without everything you own for a few months?” He raised an eyebrow.
“Yeah, we can.” Patton nodded, “But what if mum and dad, can we still call them that?”
“If you want to I guess you can.” Virgil shrugged.
“Ok, what if mum and dad throw our things out?”
“Many people lose important valuables, even their homes, in floods, earthquakes, robberies and much more. If they can manage that then I’m certain you are more than capable of living in a house with access to everything you need.” Logan deadpanned, slightly passive-aggressive, mainly because of his pent up car frustrations.
Patton stood still for a second, immediately sensing the tension and just nodded.

Virgil shot Logan a slight glare, with pursed lips. Logan caught the look and sighed, “I’m sorry that was rude, but you will be able to survive.”
“no no no, its ok Logan. I understand.” Patton waved off smiling, Roman nodded along at the look Virgil shot him when he was about to protest.
“Well then, Allons-y.”

Virgil rolled his eyes fondly at the phrase, knowing he had only wanted to learn French because of those words. They spent the next few hours going through security and visiting shops, Daisy miraculously remaining asleep. The last hour before boarding the plane, which was surprisingly easy to book, was spent lying on the uncomfortable chairs, eating lollies and chatting. Well, Logan was being reprimanded about manners by Virgil who was lounging over him after claiming that the chairs hurt his back and Patton and Roman were talking excitedly, but surprisingly quietly, about the new adventure awaiting them.

After they actually got on the plane Virgil was freaking out slightly. Yes, he had done this before and had been on a plane by himself a few days prior but that didn’t mean he didn’t freak out all those times as well. It wasn’t full out panic mode, but it kept his leg bouncing and the need to chew on his nails almost overpowering. Logan offered as much support as he could without being dishonest.

Virgil appreciated that because someone like Deceit could try and tell him that they would definitely not crash which was great and all but Virgil knew it was just to calm him down. Logan, on the other hand, would spit out the facts that told how unlikely it was and together they developed a plan for a large array of possibilities. It didn’t completely alleviate his fear but it did lessen it more than lying did.

After they had talked it out Virgil started on the next phase, stuffing gum into his mouth because the plane could take off at any moment and hurt his ears. Even after going on planes many times and understanding that he was probably going to go through two packs of gum before the plane even started to move, let alone slowly inch towards the runway and then take another ten minutes as other planes took off before actually beginning to fly, he continued to stuff his face.

When the did start flying Roman pretended to be flying the plane with both of his hands on the armrests, acting as controls. It made sense to no one but him.
The flight continued, Virgil forcing Logan to wait outside the bathroom every time he went and stealing majority of the blankets while the taller man was asleep. Roman was snoring so loudly that the flight attendant woke him up, to which he denied his snoring but watched movies anyway. At least until he ended up falling asleep in a position where it wasn’t quite as loud.

About halfway through the sleeping phase, Daisy woke up. She was in between Patton and Roman, across from Virgil, Logan and a spare seat. Daisy attempted to watch movies and eventually she did manage to set it up, albeit she had help from a flight attendant. She spent the whole-time watching things, stealing blankets and ordering drinks. (mainly apple juice)

The 9-hour flight seemed to fly by (in the words of Patton) and soon they were all driving through England, stopping by shops and restaurants as they got closer to Sotherwood.

Chapter Text

As their car arrived in Sotherwood, Daisy was wide awake and playing eye-spy with Roman and Patton, much to Logan’s annoyance. They had picked up Logan’s car from a friend’s car park hours ago, in which the two youngest took naps, Daisy in between the other two and Virgil in the front. That peace was short lived as the child woke up an hour later, then waking Virgil up with squeals as she saw some horses.

Patton and Roman had, thankfully, both been able to purchase necessities in one of the towns they drove past, so they wouldn’t have to do too much shopping later. The sky was darkening with only a few slivers of sunlight shining on the horizon while the moon was visible through the cloud filled sky, a sight Daisy very enthusiastically pointed out an asked to take a photo of.

Virgil had been asleep for hours but the panic he faced during the flight had still left him drowsy. On some days his sleepiness showed itself throw clinginess, but this was not one of those days. He loved Daisy, he really did, but that girl could be as energetic as Remus, Emile and Patton combined and it was starting to get on his nerves. From his peripheral vision he could see that Logan was also getting irritated too. Logan caught his gaze and sent him a tired grimace, which Virgil returned with a pout.

The drive droned on for a few more hours, with the moon being high in the air. Eventually through they did turn into Sotherwood, winding on the small roads through a few houses and shops until they pulled up into the Cura households’ driveway.

The home was much smaller than any house Roman, Daisy and Patton had been in before, but it was nice. It was two stories tall and made of bricks. There were small flower boxes filled with overgrown greenery handing from the windowsills and the road leading to the front door had the driveway to the right and a little garden to the left. The garden was well kept and tidy while keeping a sense of wildness with a few plants growing up the side of the wall.

Virgil had, after many years of pleading and one petition, convinced his husband to put a stone bird bath in the garden along with a few chairs which added to the homely style. It was one of Virgil’s favourite spots to write, aside from the window seat in his room, which was perfect for the common rain days, filled with many pillows and blankets that he kept there. There were a few tree sparrows that often came around to bath in the bath and Virgil loved to spoil them with grains. He had given each one a name and could somehow manage to tell them apart, a feat only Emile had matched. There was Flos, Apricus, Caelum and Regina, all of which had been around for a year but Virgil still loved them.

“We are here.” Logan announced, glad to no longer be held captive in the car.
“It’s so pretty!” Patton gasped, just as he had been the whole drive.
“It indeed looks very homely. Not quite as grand as a castle but still a nice place for a Prince to rest.” Roman added, getting a giggle out of Daisy.

The little girl attempted to open the car door but sent a small, unthreatening, glare to Logan who had turned the lock on just to spite her for a few seconds, as a small revenge. She started whining and so Logan quickly unlocked the door, allowing her run outside. However, she immediately jumped back in as the cold air hit her.
“Its cold.” She pouted
“Welcome home.” Virgil chuckled, unlocking the door and grinning as the air washed over him.

Logan and Virgil both enjoyed the chilled night weather but had to face more complaining from the other three who were apparently very happy to stay in the heated car. Once Logan reminded them that it was off and wouldn’t be warm for much longer, they begrudgingly exited the car and rushed into the house. Virgil suggested leaving the bags in the car and getting them in the morning. One of the perks of living in such an unpopulated area was that crime was extremely rare. That was one of Virgil’s favourite things about Sotherwood.

The inside of the house was cosy but not small enough to be claustrophobic. It was mainly decorated in whites and blacks but there were hints of blue, purple, grey and pink. Of course, there were plants in basically every room. The first room was the living room with a small hallway leading to a bathroom and study while the kitchen opened behind it. At the end of the hallway was a spiral staircase and on the upper levels were the bedrooms. Logan and Virgil’s was the largest and had a view of the street, the back garden and a side view an en suite bathroom while on the right were two smaller guest bedrooms with a bathroom separating them.

Every group member, excluding Virgil who was still tired from panic and Logan who had barley spent any time in America anyway, was suffering from jet lag but they all, mostly without too much hassle, retired to the beds to try and adjust to the time change. Roman took one room while Patton took the other and they dragged out a mattress for Daisy. She insisted that it needed to be put in the hall so that everyone was around her. Apparently, she didn’t want anyone to feel like she was avoiding them, which they all assured her no one thought.

With everything sorted Virgil finally allowed himself to relax in his husbands arms.

Chapter Text

Virgil snuggled against a familiar warmth. Whatever he was lying on vibrated and a low rumbling sound surrounded him. He smiled when he felt Logan kiss his forehead and turned his head to meet the other’s lips.
“Morning V.”
“Mornin’ Loga.” He mumbled back.

They laid together, just enjoying the light fall of the rain. Occasionally Virgil would hum a small tune or Logan would mention something he read in a book but for those few minutes, maybe even hours, they just relaxed together.

That peace was disturbed when the door creaked open slightly and daisy popped her head inside.
“Daisy? Are you alright?” Logan asked.
“Are you coming down for breakfast?” She replied and shuffled her feet.

Virgil instantly realized that she seemed a lot less excited. He didn’t want to push her so soon, after all, it could just be how she adjusted to the sudden change, but at the same time, he filed it away for later.

“Yeah, thanks for telling us.” Virgil smiled and made a move to sit up.

Daisy sent them a small smile and walked out.
“Is she alright?” Logan brought up.
“I’m not sure. It may just be the change getting to her. If it gets worse or continues I’ll talk to her.”
“Good.” Logan sat up.

The two shared one more kiss before Virgil walked into the bathroom. Half an hour later, they were ready and walked down the staircase into the kitchen where they could smell pancakes.
“Hey, guys!” Patton greeted, “I thought since it’s been so long since I made pancakes that I would have another crack at it.”
“It smells delicious, thank you, Patton.” Logan praised.
“Aww, thanks.” He giggled and continued to cook.

Virgil could hear Roman and Daisy laughing in the living room and in a surge of emotion felt tears welling up. It’s been so long since he’d seen his family. He loved Logan and his friends with all his heart and their families always were nothing but welcoming but…he always felt that small part missing. He always longed to sit at the dining table while his mom and dad talked about how proud they were of him. He always wanted to have snowball fights with Roman and Patton until they got yelled at for being outside too late. He wanted a real, happy family. Now he had half of them but maybe they were all the family he ever had. Maybe now he’s finally found them all. That thought is what had the tears spilling down his face.

Virgil, not wanting to ruin the mood, ran into the bathroom and let himself cry, just a little bit. Things were working out and he had a right to be happy. After he calmed down, he fixed his face and went back to the kitchen.
“Sorry, I bit my tongue and got worried it was bleeding.” He laughed a little.

The others laughed, Daisy and Roman now at the table too.
“Well sit down, breakfast is ready,” Patton announced.

Breakfast was nice. That was really the only way to put it. It wasn’t exciting or spectacular, just nice. Just normal.

“So, what’s the plan for today.” Roman quizzed, mouth half full.
“I was thinking of taking you to the Butter Up. Our friends Remy and Emile own it. Remy handles the bar and drinks part while Emile does a little baking. He mostly acts as the town therapist though. After that maybe we could visit Dee and Rem. Dee will help out in a lot of the legal stuff and Rem…well I’m kinda excited for you to see him.” Virgil smirked.

Of course, this caused much more excitement and questions but neither Virgil nor Logan told them anything more. With that, the day began.

The group cleaned up the kitchen, unpacked the car, Patton helped Daisy chose an outfit (a light blue and grey stripy dress and red rainboots) and then they were all out of the house.

The rain continued to fall lightly. Usually, when the weather was like this (most of the time) Virgil and Logan would just run from tree to tree until they got where they wanted. Sotherwood wasn’t exactly a big place so they never got too wet. However since the others were there, they got out the umbrellas and started their journey to the café.

The walk was spent with Patton picking a few flowers while Logan stated all the facts he knew about them (he and Virgil were fluent in flower language). Roman and Virgil swung Daisy back and forth, holding her by the hands. Occasionally they saw a squirrel or bird around which was a pleasant not-so-surprise.

After a quick five-minute stroll they arrived at the Butter Up. An older lady was sitting at one of the tables inside along with a younger man. Virgil immediately went up to greet them.

“Hello Greta, hey Em.” He waved and gave the lady a hug.
“Hello Virgil, dear. I thought you were in America?” She smiled and hugged back.
“I decided to come back early.”
“Aww couldn’t stay away from us buddy?” Emile laughed
“Yep defiantly.” He smirked and gave him a fist bump. “It's way quieter here.”

They grinned at each other and then Greta looked behind Virgil and saw the others.
“Hello Logan, not going to give your gran a kiss?” She scolded lightly.
“Virgil ran up before me. I was waiting until he got out of the way.” Logan excused but gave her a kiss on the cheek anyway.
“And who are these angels?” She waved to the others.
“These are my brothers. Patton and Roman and that is my niece Daisy.” He introduced.
Emile gasped, “The mythical Fossier brothers and a princess along for the journey!”
Daisy giggled and waved while Roman and Patton smiled.

Emile got up and shook’s hands with them both and gave Daisy a little curtsey which she copied.
“I’m Emile and this is Greta. Sit down, sit down. I’ll get you something to eat and drink.

They sat down and Patton took in the sight. He’d been to bakeries and cafés many times before but most were done up and polished until everything sparkled. This one had light yellow walls and a light brown floor. The tables were white, and the chairs were an array of pastel colors. Plants were in the windows and the whole place felt open and airy but homely. Smells of bread and coffee filled the room, contrasting the rain and it was slightly heated, furthering the warm homeliness of it.

“Feel like anything in particular?” the overall-clad man asked.
“Can I have a hot chocolate please and maybe a Danish.” Patton supplied, eyeing the display hungrily.
“I’ll have a cappuccino and croissant,” Roman added
“A hot chocolate for me to please. And maybe a chocolate cupcake.” Daisy put in.
“The usual for Lo and I.” Virgil nodded
“Coming right up.” Emile grinned, turning to make the drinks.

“Where is Remy?” Logan quizzed.
“Oh, he got called back to Italy to see the family. Something happened to his mom.” He sighed, biting his lip.

That explained the lack of references, Virgil noted.
“I hope Angela’s ok,” Virgil muttered.
“Me too, but Rem said it was nothing too serious just a bit of family stuff.” He perked up, “he’ll be back in two days anyway.”

“Now, how long are you staying?” Grata suddenly spoke up.
“Oh um..” Patton stuttered, “It was kind of a spur of the moment decision to come here.” He laughed a little awkwardly.
“Ahh, I see.” She nodded, giving Virgil a little smile. “Did Virgil persuade you to come here? I know he really loves to show of Sotherwood…And his little house…and my grandson.”
“What! I-I do not!” Virgil blushed along with Logan while the rest of the table laughed.
“Gran.” Logan groaned.
“I’m just joking.” She teased, pinching Logan’s cheek before giving him another kiss. “But if you are planning to stay longer and need a place to stay until you find somewhere, you are welcome to stay at mine.” She informed.
“That’s very kind Madam.” Roman nodded, “We may have to take you up on that if Virgil and Logan need their space.”
“What is it with everyone picking on us today,” Virgil grumbled to Logan as Grata smiled and made some other comment.

A few minutes later, with Greta fussing over Daisy by doing her hair up into a braid, Emile came back with a tray full of food.
“Two hot chocolates, a black coffee, a cappuccino, a vanilla latte, a plate of danishes, a croissant, a chocolate cupcake, a vanilla cream puff pastry and a slice of carrot cake.” He sighed as he placed it down.
“Wow, Emile this looks amazing.” Patton gasped and beamed up at him.
Virgil chuckled, “Maybe Pat can help you out, he’s incredible at baking.”
“I-I’m not amazing,” Patton mumbled.
“That’s ok, I can always use an extra hand.” Emile smiled, pulling a chair up to sit with them.

Chapter Text

They talked at the bakery for a little while longer, finishing their drinks and snacks. After they were done they said their goodbyes to Emile and Greta and carried on around Sotherwood.

The trip was peaceful, all walking in silence, just thinking to themselves, but occasionally Virgil would point out something cool to Daisy. She was happily being carried around the town by her uncle, snuggling up into him and feeling calmer by his heartbeat. It helped to stop some of her thoughts.

The peace, however, was ruined by a rustling in the bushes.
“Is that an animal?” Patton looked over eagerly, Daisy following his gaze excitedly.

The rustling continued and Patton and Roman went to investigate. Virgil and Logan shared a glance, knowing exactly what the noise was. Virgil whispered to Daisy, “There may be a jumpscare, but it’s ok.”

She nodded and clung tighter to him, in response he also held her closer to him.
“1, 2, 3-”

“BOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!” Remus screamed, jumping out of the bushes, covered in branches and dirt.
“AHHHHHH!” Roman gave a high pitched, ear splitting scream with Patton jumping away with a yelp.

Daisy flinched slightly, as did Virgil, but it wasn’t too bad since they had been expecting it.
“At least that saves us the effort of finding you.” Logan rolled his eyes.

“Did I scare you? I bet I scared you enough to turn you on.” He giggled.
Patton let out a horrified gasp at the comment, Virgil glared as he attempted to cover the child’s ears and Roman was staring at the familiar face while trying to work out who it was.

“You’re familiar.” Roman pointed out, face contorted in concentrated confusion.
“I would say you’re pretty familiar too cousi-coo!” He grinned and pulled him into a hug.
“W-What?” Roman jumped back, looking even less understanding and awkward about being hugged by a stranger covered in dirt.

“Guys this is Remus…as in out cousin Remus.” Virgil explained.
Patton and Roman stared for a bit, neither comprehending the information until, finally, Patton managed to speak.

“H-How?” Was the eloquent question.
“He ran away like me. Well, he was kicked out a while ago but I guess family think alike because we both ended up in England. I actually found him while Logan and I were staying in a motel on our holiday and he was staying in the one next to us. Long story short we let him join us and ended up here together.”
“Yeah, great minds think alike and all that jazz.” He did a shimmy, “Ya know on my way here I actually found this ring in a cemetery!” He held up the object with a proud grin, “I think it would look great on you though Ro.” He placed it on the still non-functioning man’s hand.
“Don’t worry this isn’t a proposal or anything…unless?” He joked and got a kick in the ankles for it, “Unicorn shit V, it was only a joke.” He frowned.
“…What does that mean?” Daisy asked.

Remus instantly zeroed in on the child, “nothing, nothing, don’t worry about it.” He rushed, surprising everyone.
“It’s not good to keep secrets.” Daisy deadpanned and pouted.
“Yeah but – it’s a naughty word.” Remus tried to explain.

Daisy frowned and covered her ears before she pointed a finger at him and scolded him, “You should never use naughty words mister! It’s bad!”
“I know, I know…what if I make up for it?” He tried to amend.
“How so?”
“Remus no-” Virgil started
“Like this!”

Remus reached forward, snatching her from Virgil and throwing her up in the air. She yelped but was caught. She looked at him for a millisecond before giggling and yelling, “Again! Again!”
“Very well little monster.” He laughed and threw her up again.

Meanwhile Virgil was having mini heart attacks each time his niece was in the air and Logan was looking on in surprise. Roman had recovered and smiled at his cousin, feeling the most likely grave-robbed ring, and Patton was biting his lip.

Patton loved his cousin, he really did, but Remus Duke was known for being gory, uncensored and a bringer of chaos. His morals went against basically everything Patton believed in and it was very easy for him to make Patton uncomfortable. However, Patton also believed in optimism and seeing Remus’ interactions with Daisy he felt a little better about seeing him again. Not to mention it had been a long time since the last visit, not quite as long as Virgil but fairly close. He would be lying if he said he wasn’t happy to see him.

Roman was both exited and nervous. He and Remus had been very close as children but as Remus made more and more questionable choices, while not seeming to care about the repercussions or judgement, they started to drift apart. His mother had always told him how below him Remus was and even though he knew it was wrong, he couldn’t help but feel better about himself because of it.

He was always slightly insecure of himself; he knew his parents expected a lot from him and the fear of disappointing them played a large part in the treatment of both Virgil and Remus. It certainly didn’t help that he himself had been having thoughts about certain boys in his class at that time.

Remus never seemed to care about those things, he kissed anyone who let him and made comments that no Patton should ever here on a daily basis. It confused him and his family’s reactions taught him exactly what he shouldn’t be like.

On the other hand, now that he was a lot more understanding (although he could admit to himself, he was still getting used to it) he wanted to reconnect with his basically twin.

“I see you’ve arrived.” A voice cut through everything.

A man stepped forward in a bowler hat and gloves on. While that would be odd to most, the thing that really caught the attention of Patton, Daisy and Roman was the burn covering half of his face as well as a cloudy eye.

“Hey Dee.” Virgil greeted
“Hello hun.” He smiled, “I’m disappointed to see you and your family here safe.”
“Um, exCUse me.” Roman gasped out about to start a rant about being rude. No one has the right to insult him, let alone someone he just saw for the first time.
“Relax Roman, Dee occasionally likes to speak in lies.” Logan explained.
“Indeed. It makes it harder for people to know what I am feeling or saying. It confuses them.” He chuckled.
“Hmmpp.”

“Heya Snekey!” Remus grinned and blew a kiss with a wink.
“Oh stop you slu-oh a little one.” He saw Daisy, “Hello honey, I understand the situation and just know that I will make sure you can stay here with your uncle.” Deceit gave a genuine smile, bending down to her level.

Daisy seemed to sense this and gave a smile back, sticking her hand out to be shaken. Dee took it and gave it a gentle shake.
“Now. I haven’t been told you need more clothes. It just so happens that my own niece hasn’t gotten any bigger and sent her clothes to me for the children around the village. Would you like to come with me to find some clothes?” He questioned her.

Daisy looked to Virgil who nodded his consent, letting her know it was safe.
“Ok!” She grinned and followed him and Remus, looking back to ensure the others were following too.

She talked with the two new people and Logan explained to Patton facts about the local fauna and flora. During the walk Roman walked next to Virgil.

“Can I ask you a question?” He hesitated.
“Yeah, I guess, it depends what it is though.” Virgil responded.
“What happened to Dee?”
“That’s his story to tell.” Virgil rolled his eyes.
“Right ok…there was one more thing though.” He admitted, feeling very…weird.
“yeah?” Virgil prompted.
Roman took a deep breath, “Would it be alright if I was…gay?”
Virgil looked at him, slightly surprised but also not at the same time, “Of course it would be, Ro.” He answered softly and placed his hand on his older brothers’ arm. “I know it can be really confusing and scary and because of our ‘parents’ it can be hard to accept but…it really is okay. There are also other sexualities too. Like, bi, pan and ace. There is romantic attraction and sexual attraction which people can have different preferences for and that’s fine too. You don’t need to label yourself either if you don’t want to, but some people prefer it…no matter what though, you’ll have me.” He smiled, he decided not to go too in-depth about everything, so s to not overload Roman with information.

Roman nodded, taking in the new knowledge. He wasn’t ready to work it out himself yet but just having the support of his brother made tears build up.

At this another though struck him. Virgil must have craved this kind of acceptance and yet, no one in the family, excluding Remus, ever gave it to him. That made a few of the tears fall and he realised how much he didn’t deserve his brothers acceptance after the way he treated him.

“Ro? It’s ok, whatever you’re thinking, we’ll get through it.” Virgil tried to comfort.
“But do I deserve it?”

Chapter Text

Virgil fully stopped walking and turned to face his brother. The need to reach out near overwhelmed him but he resisted, still in unknown territory. Roman avoided his gaze, staring at his feet scuffing the dirt ground, leading to Virgil hitting him lightly on the cheek. When the older man did look up Virgil held direct eye contact and spoke with the seriousness of Logan talking about the probable existence of aliens.

“Of course, you do.”
“Sure Virgil. Thank you.” Roman nodded cynically and continued walking.

Virgil saw the guilt and confusion in Romans deep brown eyes. The confusion part was all too familiar, especially in the hinted context. Virgil would always remember those moments in his bedroom questioning why he felt no attraction to females, instead being far more comfortable at the idea of kissing one of the boys in his class. He remembered the confusion of seeing his family became irritated at the TV when it showed two people of the same sex getting too cosy with each other. He couldn’t count the tears he shed when the realisation drowned him but it was enough to free the world from thirst. It was impossible to forget the bite of the cold city streets in winter after fleeing the only place he knew. The cool English air sometimes brought him back to those moments but unlike in the city, it felt more like home. Still, there were times where it only stung him, mocking him with the knowledge that not everything was truly fixed in Virgil’s life.

There was so much pain. It was a deep pain that forced its way into everyday existence. One with the ability to consume even the most brilliant of minds. It was a shadow capable of encompassing the brightest of days. Virgil knew that pain all too well.

The worst part was going through it alone. If Logan hadn’t stumbled upon him, hadn’t saved him from himself and carried him through that cloudless yet dark sky, he wouldn’t have made it through that night where the air was, for once, too warm.

Although his body yearned to hold his brother to his side, ignoring the height difference, he let Roman walk in tandem with Patton and Logan, understanding Roman’s need to distract himself for the time being. He trailed along the back, keeping his eyes open for anyone walking around. Logan fell back in the group to meet him and gave a comforting smile.

“Is everything alright?” He asked gently, keeping his voice low in case Virgil wanted to talk about something private.
“Yeah, Ro’s just adjusting to the change of scenery.” He shrugged.
“Alright then.” Logan nodded.

The shared a smile, although for Virgil it was more a smirk, and walked together with their hands intertwined.

Three minutes more of walking brought the group to a small home, none too dissimilar to Virgil’s and Logan’s. Ivy grew in rich green vines along one wall and a small wooden swing hung below a towering oak tree in the small, fenceless garden. The remnants of a stream picked out from behind the house, making it a hot stop for the local ducks. Daisy’s eyes grew wide, not at the ducks, but at the sight of the swing and she bounced up and down, trying to withhold the excited energy.

“You can play on it, dear.” Janus drawled, gesturing nonchalantly, though the grin was obvious on his face.
“Can I really?” Daisy asked, gobsmacked.
“Why would I have a swing if no one were to use it?” He laughed and gave her a light push in the swing’s direction.

Daisy needed no more persuasion, not even looking at Virgil for permission, as she raced forward.

“Well, while she’s busy I can take you inside and find some clothes for her.” He started walking forward, assuming the others would follow.
Remus bounced inside as usual, with no care for the noise he was making nor precaution for the expensive vases he nearly tipped over. Janus spared him a glance and eye roll but decided there was no point in making a scene, it would only encourage Remus further anyway.

The inside décor all seemed less cosy and more professional then the Cura’s, with exquisitely designed paintings lining the walls, a purely black and white colour scheme, and delicate trinkets on the tables. Though, the torn and slightly warn wallpaper, assortment of pillows on weathered leather seats, and abundancy of philosophy and law books spread around indicated that it was, in fact, lived in.

“Wow, this place looks great Dee!” Patton exclaimed.
“Agreed, you obviously have good style. The paintings could be from museums.” Roman commented politely.
“Who says they aren’t.” He smirked.

Patton’s face fell a little and went somewhat paler. Sensing this, Janus laughed and waved his hand.
“I’m kidding, I’m kidding. Thank you.” He calmed before being unable to hello himself and adding, “half of these are stolen from my enemies.”

Virgil would have informed his brothers that it was all a joke but he knew for a fact that Janus was only half joking, so he decided to stay silent, lest one of his earrings goes missing in the near future.

Janus exited from the room with his usual sashay, leaving the group with Remus bouncing on his feet.

“So, you guys are staying here forever and ever right?” He cheered, “We’re gonna have so much fun! I have so many great plans. Say, now that the little one is away, we could totally see who has the biggest dick. I think Patton may be hiding something, he-” Remus rambled on, completely unbothered by Virgil covering Patton’s ears, Logan sighing and Roman looking very awkward.

Their prayers were eventually answered as Janus stepped out from behind a door and strutted his was back to the front of the group, depositing the large pink bag on the coffee table.

“Shall we begin?” He smirked, waving his hand and untying the bow with as much refined, dramatic flourish as possible. The seamless way the bow untied was somewhat suspicious in Virgil’s eyes. Honestly, he wouldn’t be surprised if Janus had practised the move as soon as Virgil alerted him of the situation.

The bag burst open, thousands of vibrant colours juxtaposing the black and white of the room, and the group instantly dug in, searching for clothes that Daisy may like.

In the end they all settled on an outfit each, discarding the ones that wouldn’t fit or were deemed ‘to worn’ by Janus. Said man settled on a light orange dress and little silver boots, Virgil found a viridian hoodie and grey pants that were accompanied by black sneaker-type lace-ups, Logan decided on a simple blue shirt and black pants, Patton chose a pink skirt and stripy shirt, Roman found a simple white shirt and lilac pinafore with stockings and light brown boots, and Remus just grabbed a handful of random items with mismatch colours.

“Well, that should be enough for now. I’m going to the city for work in a few days so I can pick up some more clothes there. How about you take a magazine and she can circle what she wants?” Janus suggested.

“Yeah, that’s cool.” Virgil half-shrugged, now holding a bag full of clothing and struggling slightly due to the size. Thankfully, Logan reached over and took it from him before he dropped it, getting a little chuckle out of everyone and an embarrassed huff from Virgil. There may have also been a slight mumble about breaking kneecaps, but no one heard.

After that exchange it wasn’t long before the group bid adieu to Remus, who was planning on staying with Janus for dinner because he never managed to find time to feed himself, and the classy lawyer.

By the time night fell over Sotherwood, the fireplace was lit and provided warmth as the cool night air circulated outside. Patton had found the once hidden stash of marshmallows, much to Virgil’s greedy sweet-toothed chagrin, and insisted they roast them together as Daisy flipped through the magazine.

At one point during the night, Virgil looked over and noticed Roman staring intensely into the fire. The glow reflected onto his face, highlighting and shadowing the tense lines and clenched jaw. He lifted himself from Logan’s side and waved his hand to somewhat inform the other of what he was doing, or at least tell his husband not to say anything.

He gingerly sat down next to Roman and took hold of his wrist tentatively, breaking the spell surrounding his older brother.

“Hey.” He started awkwardly, knowing he sounded stupid.
“Hey?” Roman replied, one eyebrow quirked up.
“So…do you think you may…like guys?” Virgil finally asked.
Roman looked surprised for a second before his head fell down and he sighed, “Honestly? Yeah, I think so. I- Thinking about it I’ve always had some…moments?” He winced, “Well, no. I think I already knew, I just didn’t…understand what it actually meant. Then I saw how people were treated and I thought, hey this must be wrong, so I just pushed it away.” His voice cracked on the last word.

Virgil’s hand tightened on his and he let Roman lean on him. Despite the jumble of words, it all made sense to Virgil and he responded with his own speech packed with half-formed contemplations.

“It’s alright. I won’t lie and say being gay, or bi, or pan or whatever is easy. It isn’t, you’ve seen how some people treat us, but it isn’t something you can change or should…feel guilty about. It also doesn’t matter what you thought about it before…well it kinda does but you fixed your thinking and that’s what really matters.” Virgil attempted to comfort and still stay truthful, though sometimes that’s the hardest thing to do when reassuring.

“I also know that I don’t blame you. You grew up in a place that shaped your thinking and when you realised that was wrong you made the effort to change it, that’s a hard thing to do Ro. If you were having those thoughts as a kid then…well, that makes me realise why you did some of the things you did. I don’t blame you for that either. It couldn’t of been easy and you were under a lot of stress from our parents.” He continued.

“Yeah but you went through it all as well.” Roman counted dejectedly.

“I did but I also wasn’t perfect. I acted out at people as well. I said things I shouldn’t of. We were all under a lot of stress. That doesn’t justify anything we did but it does provide an explanation and now we need to work towards bettering ourselves.” Virgil admitted.

Roman sighed deeply again and then gave Virgil a smile, though it was more a grimace, but Virgil got the message.

“Thanks for your support Virgil. I-I think I want some time to think about it now but, maybe we can talk a little more about this later?”
Virgil smiled softly back, “Sure Ro.”

Chapter Text

That night brought memories, for Virgil who lay safely tucked into his husband’s side, and Logan who held him. Logan’s night shirt was shaking as Virgil clenched it tightly, stifling his cried into the others chest. It pained Logan to see his husband in such a state but he understood Virgil’s need for quiet comfort. He could read exactly what Virgil needed, all the moments in the past spent holding him close and offering small reassurances that he was indeed safe and loved leaving him well educated in Virgilology. So, he didn’t offer any verbal advice, just stayed by his side and stoked his head as tears wet his shirt.

Neither slept, Virgil overwhelmed and Logan aiding in comforting his love. At some point, a while after Virgil’s tears had run dry, they put a movie on. A studio Ghibli film; Princess Mononoke. It wasn’t their favourite but served as a source of comfort for them. It was the only movie they could watch in Virgil’s motel, when they first found one another.

“L?” Virgil murmured against Logan’s chest.
“Yes, love?” He uttered back.
“Thank you for being there that night and staying with me for so long.” Virgil looked up, a small smile plastered on his face and eyes glowing with affection.
Logan met his gaze, smiling to match his husband, “And thank you for giving me a life filled with more joy and excitment then I ever imagined. You have my heart darling, now and eternally.”

Their faces were close enough to feel the breath of the words and Virgil didn’t hold back as he surged up to crash his lips to Logans. The two lover’s lips moved against each other, gentle and adoring but still filled with passion. At least it was gentle until Logan bit down on Virgil’s lip, eliciting a gasp and letting his tongue slip in.

Virgil groaned out, letting Logan take control but pulling Logan over him as he laid down on the bed. Logans hands found their way inside Virgil’s shirt, moving up as the kiss broke and Logan layered kisses to Virgil’s jaw.

As Virgil let a small breath escape, the door opened, revealing a very awake Patton who blushed and turned away instantly.

“Oh gosh, I’m so sorry, I was just going to slip a note in to say I’m going for a walk since it’s your house, I’m so sorry.” Patton rambled, waving his hands and note around with his back turned.
“Patton it’s fine.” Virgil brushed off, despite his voice being high-pitched and having his red face buried in the chest of his equally red-faced husband.
“You said you were going for a walk?” Logan tried to change the subject.
“Yeah, I woke up and decided I would go for a walk around, but I didn’t want anyone to wake up and get worried about my whereabouts.” He chuckled awkwardly.
“That’s quite thoughtful, thank you. I suggest you put the letter on the kitchen counter?” Logan offered.
“Yeah, okay, I’ll do that. Ummm…sorry again.” He muttered, only turning slightly to close the door.

Patton ran down the stairs quickly, trying to remove the last events out of his mind. He opened the door without any struggle, surprised to find it unlocked, just another difference in lifestyle he supposed.

Sotherwood was different than anything Patton was used to, the cool and clean air hitting him serving as a reminder of that. Their parents had taken them on trips as children but it was always to cities, mainly due to business trips.

Patton looked up, being able to see the stars and moon clearly, a sight he’d only experienced for the first time a day ago. It really was beautiful. He didn’t want to wander to far, although he supposed it would be hard to get truly lost, and so he laid down on the grass and stared up at the sky.

His mind had been racing the past few days. Actually, if he was being honest it was probably ever since Lottie had told him she knew Virgil. That was when he had to confront a lot of emotions, ones he had taught himself to forget for a long time. He couldn’t do that now. Patton closed his eyes, adjusting his jacket tighter around himself and sighing.

“You practising corpse roleplay?” A shrill voice cackled, forcing his eyes open.
“Remus?”
“Hey there dickfrog didn’t think you’d be out here at this time of night? You lookin for something.” Remus grinned widely, clunking down next to him.
“No Remus, I just - wanted some fresh air.” Patton explained, trying to ignore the comment.
“Yeah, the city is just crawling with pollution, not to mention the people can be pretty…dangerous.” He laughed with an eye wiggle.
Once again ignoring the ‘jokes,’ Patton focused on the first part, “Yeah, it’s pretty nice out here. It’s a lot more quiet and free I guess.”
“Yeah, although I like a bit of bondage every now and again though.” Remus shrugged.

Patton took a deep breath, trying not to feel to upset about the talk and stayed still for a while. Eventually he turned his head to his cousin.
“I-I’m sorry if this is rude or sudden but, why did you leave? How did you leave?”

“Oh,” Remus looked at him, “I left cause our family is a bunch of boring shit-stains. I just couldn’t handle them honestly, not to mention they didn’t even try to understand me. They put me through a lot of pain – that I’m not going into - and so, I just kinda left. I stole their money, hopped on the train and jumped from place to place. To be honest it was a spur of the moment decision, I was just coming home from school and decided, fuck it, I’m not putting up with their bullshit anymore.

It was fun though. I had to steal a few things and I could only use cash most of the time in case they tried to track me or something, not that they really tried considering I didn’t see any missing kid report on the news or a wanted poster anywhere. I don’t know what they told the school or really what happened to them. Although Virgil said that he thinks they’re doing pretty fine, no consequences or anything.” He was smiling at the end of it like it was a fond moment and not a sickening situation.

Patton nodded, “I’m sorry Remus.”
“Eh, you can’t fix anything and I have tons of fun stories now! It was a pretty fun adventure but I’m glad I found Virgil and this place. I do wanna travel more though, Dee and I were thinking about going together.”

Patton looked up and hesitated but spoke, “so, are you and Dee a…a couple?”
Remus made eye contact for a second before bursting out into laughter, “Na na, we’re just great pals although I wouldn’t mind being fuckbuddies. He ain’t interested though. But na, I don’t do romance, just not my thing.” He beamed.
“Oh, I’m sorry for assuming.”
“It’s all good, a lot of people do, it doesn’t really matter much to me.”
“Huh.”

A silence settled over the two, Patton staring intently at the sky and Remus feeling the grass while rocking and humming happily.

////

Daisy heard more then saw Patton leave. She had stayed the night in the room Roman was in. He seemed like he needed a little cheering up that night and Daisy wanted to comfort him a little. She had been dozing off while roasting marshmallows, which was extremely tasty, but was woken up by the movement of everyone else going to bed.

While she and Patton were eating, Roman had been looking at the fire and was a lot quieter than normal. That’s why Daisy thought she would stay with him, cuddling next to him and making sure he fell asleep.

Daisy herself couldn’t really sleep though. She thought she may have slept a few times because she would suddenly be more aware of where she was then a moment before, but no matter how many times she tried to close her eyes, she couldn’t fully sleep. She wanted to move around and a small part wanted to cry but she reminded herself that crying and waking people up wasn’t good behaviour and instead sucked on her thumb, no one was awake to see her after all.

She knew she was good, not great, at controlling herself, but that control didn’t stop her from letting a small whine pass her lips. She didn’t like the bad feelings she had tonight.

Then her breathing stuttered as steps sounded outside her door. Her parents were definitely there, they must have heard her. She clung closer to Roman and hoped that they would pass. For the first time, they did.

She cuddled even closer as the footsteps stopped, although froze once more at muffled words being spoken. The conversation didn’t last long though and soon Daisy heard the steps creak a little. She kind of liked that noise, it wasn’t too loud from where she was and the sound of creaking stairs had been described in a lot of the books she’s heard. She didn’t have creaking stairs in her house though, so it was nice to know where other people were going in this place. She still felt uncomfortable, but it settled a little more when Roman mumbled something about a dragon in his sleep.

////

That night Janus found that he didn’t want to sleep. Remus had left his house a mess before bouncing off to the outside world after midnight, although he was thankful that he could now occupy himself with cleaning. He’d dealt with a few cases similar to Daisy’s and he knew, technically, he probably wasn’t supposed to be as emotionally connected to his clients as he was, but he was only human. Though he advocated for law outwardly, in truth, he was much more interesting in messing with the corrupted system in any small way he could.

Once the house was tidy and nothing was left to do, he turned on his laptop and watched a black and white film, mentally criticizing some of the themes. His glass of wine, or more accurately, glasses of wine, relaxed him enough to stop his racing mind.

Just as he began to lean further back into his couch, a hiss interrupted him from his drink and movie. He jerked, the wine sloshing but thankfully not spilling and he hissed back at the monstrosity that was his hognose snake, Steerpike.

The snake had moved itself from Janus’ room and instead, into the living room where she hissed for attention. With a sigh he walked over and scooped her up, allowing her to climb up his arm but walking at an odd crouch so that if she fell it wouldn’t harm her.

Janus eventually settled on the couch, snake curling up on his lap and obviously enjoying the warmth.

“You miss, are luckily to be the love of my life. If you weren’t, I would’ve sent you on your way for disrupting my break.” He cooed affectionately to the snake that was now ignoring him. “Sssuch a two-way relationship.”

He could admit, as much as he loved Steerpike, she wasn’t exactly great at conversing, and while Remus was fun to be around and make plans to corrupt the government, he did want a bit more. Sotherwood was a wonderful place and one where he rarely received odd stares, like he got when he travelled for work, but there weren’t many people.

Perhaps that is why he took an interest in Virgil’s brothers and Remus’ cousins. They were new, exciting and not yet aware of who he was. Good. He liked being a mystery every now and then. He was well aware that Virgil most likely spoke about him at some point but it still gave him the opportunity to study them.

Based on their interactions and they way Virgil and Remus speak about their family, he expected that they were likely very coddled in their view of the world and it was always a pleasure to break that down, show them truth. Yes. He would have fun with them and perhaps gain more - definitely not friends - assets.