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Virgil and Remus had never quite gotten along.
The creative trait had always been too vulgar for the emo. Too dramatic and loud and obnoxious to have somebody riddled with anxiety feel at ease around them.
Remus his booming voice and sudden outburst and Virgil’s snappy attitude had clashed from the beginning, arguing not an uncommon thing between the two of them.
Deceit was usually caught in the middle either trying to make a truce or simply sitting back, rubbing his temples or pinching the bridge of his nose like he could feel a headache building up.
The shouted at each other. Threw insults left and right and accused each other of the most absurd things over the smallest of incidents.
And Virgil was horrified to find that they had a lot of interests in common. He changed them deliberately after a while. Making sure to Never like the same bands or movies or not talk about them at the very least because Remus always found a way to make it worse. To ruin it for him.
Were it vulgar scenes that didn’t even exist in the movies or disturbing facts about the director and actors, Remus always found a way to sour his mood and his passion for the subject.
That's why, when Virgil realised he no longer had anything in common with the other, he didn’t even feel the slightest bit upset. Just happy that was another tie cut that still connected him to his past and moving right along with his day.
Now there’s a lie woven through that statement. Because while Virgil was happy with his new life and family (well as happy as he could be. Which isn’t quite as happy as you’d hoped) he also felt a twinge of yearning as soon as Remus made his introduction to the other sides and Thomas.
Like an itch that he couldn’t reach Remus nagged at his skull. Their broken friendship that had never been without cracks and sharp edges calling out for him to revive it. To try again.
So Virgil did. Pulling down his sleeves all the way over his hands and hissing as the fabric rubbed against his forearm before he knocked on the door that led to Deceit’s room.
He and Deceit had been slowly building their relationship up again. The foundation still there and Virgil only needing to break his walls down again to reconnect.
It had been nice. Retelling old memories and laughing about how stupid they had been when they were younger. Singing the lullaby Dee had thaught him and leaving with a happy smile on his face. Feeling like a mission puzzle piece he’d been looking for for ages had finally clicked in place
So now Virgil knocked. Waiting exactly 11 seconds before the doorknob turned and Deceit was at the door. His hat off, feet stuck in fuzzy rat slippers and his snake curled comfortably around his neck as he raised an eyebrow as if to subtly ask him why the hell he was at his door.
“Is Remus here? I Uhm… I can’t find his door.”
“It’s down the hall if you turn left there. He’s definitely here so I’d absolutely love it if you were to come in. Especially since it’s almost 1 in the morning.”
“Alright alright, I got the hint Nagini. See ya!”
“Goodnight Virgil.”
And Virgil wandered off again. Rounding the corner and walking down a hallway in a far worse kept condition than the main one.
The floors were creaking and the wallpaper peeling. Spiderwebs in the corners and splinters on the worn-out rugs as he walked towards the creeping darkness. Only a few flickering lights keeping him from tripping over the random broken objects on the floor.
“He could learn something from Deceit,” Virgil muttered to himself. Carefully pushing a broken doll missing an arm and seeming like it had been partly melted out of his path before continuing.
As he stopped in front of the door he took a deep breath. ‘you can do this Virgil. It’s fine. He’s not as bad as you think he is. Give him a chance,’ were the thoughts that shot through his head as he reached out, sleeve riding up slightly, and knocked.
He quickly dropped his arm again and moved his sleeve down. Wincing slightly at the feeling but quickly putting a neutral expression on his face as he heard a faint voice calling out.
“In a minute!”
Rapid footsteps and something soft hitting the floor came from inside the room. Giving Virgil a full 40 seconds before the door opened and Remus stood in the doorframe, visibly uncomfortable and trying to adjust the bathrobe he had just put on.
“Oh, Virge! If I’d known it was you I would’ve left the robe. To what do I owe the pleasure?”
Virgil cringed slightly at the remark but composed himself quickly. He could do this. He just wanted them to get along.
“Can I come in? I wanted to talk to you.”
“Oh so forward V! I would’ve cleaned myself a little more thoroughly if I’d known you’d be-” “That’s enough Remus.”
Remus seemed to mentally step back. Shuffling to the side and pulling at the underside of his bathrobe before motioning for Virgil to come in.
“Sorry for that I Uhm… It’s hard to control it when you don’t really have a filter.”
“Yeah. Guess Roman took that when you two split huh?”
Remus blinked a few times. Browse frowned slightly as if the mentioning of the split had physically hurt him.
“I… Yeah, probably. So uhm whatcha doing here hot topic?”
“Well I… Guess I wanted to catch up? We got off on the wrong foot so I just thought why not reconnect?”
“With me? You feeling alright there V sauce?”
“Ugh, you and Roman are just the same with the nicknames,” Virgil said. Smiling as Remus let out a snort, covering his face with both of his hands, at the same time making something strangely soft come out. Huh.
“So. What kinda stuff you into these days?”
“Oh well! I’m still in favour of biting and a little bondage never hurt anybody so-” “I meant outside the bedroom Re. God, I forgot how hard it is to have a normal conversation with you.”
“I still like Attack on Titan a lot.”
“Eh, too gory for me.”
“Creepypasta’s?”
“Remus, I’m anxiety.”
“Oh!” Remus jumped up from where he’d sat down next to Virgil on the bed then. Bathrobe flaring up with his excitement and Virgil seeing a flash of red under the fluffy green fabric.
Probably just his boxers.
“What about Tim Burton!! You always liked that guy didn’t you?”
“I guess yeah. Nightmare Before Christmas is a classic.”
“The Sweeny Todd is the best!”
“Doesn’t beat Edward Scissorhands though.”
“Gasp! You offend me, Virgil, that film was a masterpiece!”
“So was Edward!”
They kept on bickering. Remus getting more and more excited and occasionally pulling at the bottom of his robe to pull it down over his legs while Virgil relaxed on the bed, a small smile playing on his lips as he kept pulling down his sleeves when they rode up.
Neither of them thought anything of it.
Remus got overly excited when he and Virgil started on the debate about if the stop motions or films with people were better when Remus began to forget about why he had been trying to hide his legs. Jumping and pacing around the room as Virgil looked at him fondly.
That is when the bathrobe flapped and revealed the leg Remus had been hiding.
It is the moment that Virgil realised that Remus his boxers were, in fact, black and that the red had been something else entirely.
It is also, the moment that Virgil realised that of all things they could have had in common, he’d much rather it not be this.
Remus stopped pacing when he noticed how Virgil hadn’t responded to him in a minute. The room falling quiet as Remus stilled and looked at Virgil.
The anxious trait was white as a sheet. Staring at something below Remus his waistline. Was he looking at- no. Wait. He had-… Shit.
“Vee?”
“Remus, what’d you do?”
“Excuse me?”
“You leg, Remus, did you-…”
Remus pulled on his bathrobe again and Virgil could’ve hit himself over the head. It was so obvious. So so obvious.
So obvious that Remus must’ve noticed his own behaviour as well.
“Can I-… Do you want to talk about it Re?”
Remus stood very still before he slowly moved to sit next to Virgil. Adjusting the robe again and looking at his knees for a good ten second before he answered, voice strangely quiet.
“I don’t know how to explain it.”
“You don’t have to tell me I… I know how hard it is.”
“You do?” oh and now he sounded worried. And Virgil nearly started crying right then and there because while Remus was the one that should be worried about, now the creative trait looked at him which such worry that he didn’t dare lie to him.
How had they gotten this close all of a sudden?
“I… Yeah I’ve had my moment. It's not pretty.”
“I normally like blood but yeah. It isn’t. I think I just felt… Wrong. If that makes sense. Unwanted twin and all that. ”
“Of all the things we could have had in common.” Virgil huffed. Half laughed at it and Remus laughed with him.
Neither of them found it funny. Not even mildly amusing really. But they didn’t know what else to do so they laughed.
“I know it doesn’t help but… Well, can I treat those at least? They look nasty.” Virgil said as he looked down at Remus his leg where the robe had slid off again. Revealing a few angry red lines over a lot of white ones.
“Can I… Can I check yours too then? To see if ya need some bandages too I mean. Gotta return the favour somehow.”
And Virgil didn’t know why but he nodded, feeling like he wasn’t quite in his body as they walked towards the bathroom and Remus flipped the robe aside while Virgil shrugged off his jacket, leaving him in a t-shirt only.
The bathroom was silent as they looked at the scars. It was silent when the tab was turned on and the gauze was put on newer scars.
They didn’t speak of it again. They didn’t speak at all when Virgil left after having put on his jacket again. Only giving a nod and returning to his room.
Ignoring Deceit calling out for him when he passed his door, asking him about why he’d needed to visit Remus. Asking what the hell Remus had done that he looked so out of it.
-
After that day Remus and Virgil were strangely close. The others looking on in worry, Patton in slight disapproval and Deceit simply happy that his two favourite people were getting along.
And Remus and Virgil checked up on each other every week. Asking how the other was doing and nodding when the response was 'six’ or 'seven.’ smiling when it went up to eight or higher. Asking if they could do anything when it got below a five.
And slowly the numbers got more stable. Slowly, a five or higher became the norm.
Slowly, Virgil stopped having to tug his sleeves down and Remus began to wear his shorts without leggings again.
The first time Virgil walked into the living room with a t-shirt Patton had cried due to the healed up scars on his arms, Roman looking at him with that strange look he’d always had when Remus walked in with extra thick leggings.
Logan had nodded. The pleased smile of someone who finally saw an issue being resolved while Deceit simply looked away. Only Remus noticed him quickly wiping away the few stray tears.
Remus had smiled at him and given him one of his half-burned pieces of toast and a tight hug.
And when Remus showed up in his poofy shorts and knee-high socks for the first time in years nobody had said anything.
But Deceit had given him an extra piece of chicken for dinner. And Roman had asked him if he wanted to go on a duo mission to the imagination again. And Virgil had cleaned up the hallway with him, putting new wallpaper on the walls and repairing all the broken toys before they watched some Tim Burton movies with him, the both of them arguing about why this one was better or worse than the others the entire time.
And scars never faded fully. But friendships became stronger and families grew closer.
And maybe some days a 4 was the highest they’d get.
And that was alright.