Patton shook his head, looking apologetic. “No more open rooms. But are you okay? You get in a fight with your aunt again?”

“Something like that,” Remy said, waving a hand in dismissal. “‘s alright, I’ll just crash with Chase for the night.”

“Alright,” Patton said, and when Remy started to leave, he added, “Stay safe, alright?”

Remy smiled. “You don’t have to worry about me. I’ll be okay.”

Remy opened the front door and left.

“I did,” Logan admitted, “but I’m not sure how appropriate it would be to ask.”

“Ask anyway, they might not mind,” Remy said with a sip of his coffee.

Logan seemed to hesitate, glancing at Virgil and Roman. “Are you two actually brothers?”

Roman made a slightly puzzled face. “Yes?”

“But like, biologically?” Remy clarified for Logan.

“Oh, not biologically,” Roman said.

“We’ve just been stuck together for a while so it’s kind of like we are,” Virgil added.

“Stuck together?” Roman took fake-offense, but something seemed off, like he actually did take offense.

Remy scratched the back of his neck. "If you must know my problem with school, it's that I'm not going," he said.

Logan turned to stare at him. "You dropped out?"

"Not so loud!"

"Why didn't you tell me?" Logan frowned.

"Remy has known him longer than I have," Logan said.

"Yup," Remy said with a nod. "And I think we've both met his, like, cousin?"

Patton's phone started to ring. "Speaking of cousin," he said, checking the caller ID, "I'll be right back." He left to take the call.

After Patton left, Remy frowned in thought. "Come to think of it, I don't think he's mentioned family outside of him, actually," he said. "Has he?"

Virgil hummed but was quickly interrupted by Roman. "I've come up with so many nicknames for Virgil over the years," he said proudly. 

Virgil rolled his eyes. "Please don't get him started." 

"Patton sometimes shortens my name, or calls me 'little guy'," Logan said. "It's... silly, but I like it." 

"Sometimes I call Roman 'Ro' or 'Princey'. I think someone tried to call him a knight once, and he didn't like it," Virgil continued, smiling a little. 

"I am a prince, thank you very much," Roman said like he was still offended. "It's in my name!" 

Virgil rolled his eyes. "Uh..." He thought. "I've gone by 'V' before. 'Virge' works too." 

Suddenly Roman grinned widely. "Did you know, that in French--" 

Virgil tackled him and covered his mouth with his hand. "No you don't." He grimaced, removing his hand and wiping it on his pants. "Dude," he said, voicing his disgust. 

Remy watched with amusement. "Dork also means that, you know," he said. 

Virgil threw a hand up in almost exasperation. "Well now I have to find something else to call my brother," he said. 

Logan looked like he was about to ask something, but then refrained. 

"Anyway," Remy said, clasping his hands in a way that reminded Virgil of Patton. "Back to inconspicuous nicknames. Hmm. I have friends that call me 'Sleep' because I literally can't sometimes."

Patton came back with Remy’s coffee, in time to hear Remy’s last words. “You haven’t been able to sleep?” he asked, clearly a little concerned.

Name: Remy Sanders 

Age: 17 

Pronouns: varies, depending on his sunglasses

Likes: Starbucks/coffee, sleep, reality tv, cooking, knowing things 

Patton had enrolled Virgil and Roman into school, and afterwards, they went shopping for things the teens might need. Roman had no qualms about getting what he wanted, but Virgil only got what he thought he might need.

He didn’t want to do, or ask for, too much so soon.

Virgil tilted his head back and stared up at the ceiling. Just usual, boring ceiling plaster. He looked over in curiosity when he heard the front door start to unlock. Then it opened, and there stood someone wearing a leather jacket and sunglasses, with tape on the side. The tape was probably the most obnoxious shade of green Virgil had ever seen. 

He sat up, frowning at this stranger in confusion. "Who the hell are you?" he asked, none too nicely. 

The stranger looked at him over their sunglasses. "Who the hell are you?" he returned.

"Language!" Patton called from the kitchen, pausing in helping Logan to come see what the commotion was about. 

"Hey Pat," the stranger said with a grin and a wave. 

Patton sighed softly. "Remy, I gave you that key for emergencies," he said. 

 Remy shrugged, holding out and shaking a reusable coffee cup. "I was out of coffee."

Virgil watched this exchange in silence, until Patton turned to him and Roman, who had also decided to watch. "This is Remy! He's around your guys' age, actually. Maybe you'll see him when you go to school on Monday." 

Virgil didn't miss the way Remy shifted almost uncomfortably at the mention of school. Curious. Patton went back to the kitchen with Remy's coffee cup, presumably to get the teen coffee.

Remy turned to the brothers. "Remy Sanders, at your service," he said. 

Roman's eyes lit up. "Like the YouT--" 

Remy cut him off with an annoyed huff, like he'd heard this question dozens of times. "No, not like the YouTuber."

Roman looked hurt at the interruption and annoyance in Remy's voice, and Virgil was about to give Remy a look, but Remy was already apologizing. 

"Sorry," he said, waving a hand as if he could just wave the reaction away. "I've just heard that question, like, way too many times." Roman nodded like he understood.

Logan came in from the kitchen, apparently done with his homework for the day. "Hello, Remy," he greeted. 

"Hey kiddo," Remy replied, before taking a seat on the couch. “Nice tie.”

Logan smiled a little, fiddling with the tie, which surprisingly didn’t look out of place on the ten-year-old.

Then Remy turned back to Virgil and Roman. "So. Patton told me he'd be fostering more. Didn't know it was gonna be this soon. My earlier question still stands, though: who are you guys?" 

Roman spoke up eagerly. "I'm Roman, this is Virgil," he said, pointing to himself and then Virgil.

“Well, can’t say nice to meet you ‘cause I don’t actually know you guys yet, but, hey.” Remy gave a small wave.

Dinner had been something of an awkward affair. It had started off well enough, but it became silent when Virgil had replied, "Not your kiddo"  to something Patton had said. Conversation returned to normal soon enough, though. 

Patton sent Logan to bed at nine, and he advised the teens to go to bed around ten, saying they had a big day tomorrow, with shopping for new things and enrolling them in school. 

 Virgil snuck out of his room and went to Roman's. The other teen was asleep, but Virgil felt a little better just being able to see him and knowing he was okay. 

He sighed, watching him for a few moments before leaving him be and leaving the room. He closed the door behind himself. 

 "Virgil, what are you doing up?" 

Virgil froze before turning to see Patton, looking a little tired. 

Patton tilted his head slightly when he didn't get a reply. "Virge?" 

The nickname snapped him out of it, and he frowned and shrugged. "Can't sleep," he mumbled. 

 "Oh," Patton said. "Maybe tea would help? Or warm milk?" He started heading to the kitchen and Virgil just followed. 

"I guess I'll have tea, if you're offering," Virgil said, still clearly on guard. Patton just nodded and set water to boil, moving to the cabinets to get some tea. 

 "Logan gets anxious about his monthly doctor visits," Patton said, "so sometimes he has tea to help." 

"Monthly doctor visits?" Virgil asked. 

Patton just said, "Mhm," as he checked to make sure the water was boiling. 

"Why does he go to the doctor every month?" 

"Oh, you know," Patton replied with a lazy wave of his hand. 

Virgil really didn't.

If it was something that Logan didn't want known, Virgil could respect that. And if that was the case it was good that Patton wasn't saying anything. Maybe he wasn't bad.

Patton set a cup of tea in front of Virgil and lifted his own. 

"Why are you awake?" 

"I couldn't sleep either," Patton admitted. "But that's okay, I usually go to bed later anyway." 

They sipped their tea in silence and Virgil could almost relax. Maybe Patton wasn't so bad, but Virgil wouldn't know yet. For now, he would just have to do as Roman does, and hope.

Patton placed his empty tea cup in the sink. "I'm going to try and sleep again. You should too." Virgil hummed in reply. "Goodnight."

 Virgil nodded at him, and Patton left. 

Bonus- pre-AU Remy: