#background loceit

That was why Virgil and Remus were bewildering all their friends currently.

~

Roman had been one of the relationships that everyone aspired to. He and his husband were seen as the sweethearts of their state, the dreams who would reach out and help people find the romances dreamed of, whether that was in new relationships or ones they were already in.

He was also finding himself on the brink of divorce, unable to accept any more demands of charity work that had become thankless with the death of this romance god. Where before, he could flirt through them with Patton, and get praise and thanks as they finished, now he was faced with explanations over how it was only right to do what he was pulled into doing, and had his loving touches rejected as often as they were allowed.

And he meant allowed. There was no longer any real reciprocation in his touches or the sweet words he tried to keep saying. Roman saw Patton give more sweet words and loving touches to complete strangers than to him everyday and looking back, could be fairly certain that this had been the case for a long time, or would have been if Patton hadn’t before returned and reciprocated the times he reached out.

He visited Remus in the hopes of commiseration and understanding, after all, his brother had a similar relationship, even if it was only people into darker aesthetics that viewed it as a relationship to aspire to.

Finding there were none of the issues he was seeing everywhere stumped Roman entirely.

~

Logan had thought he and Janus weren’t a romantic couple. He’d thought their marriage as practical as it was loving. He’d thought that gods didn’t exist or at least didn’t influence the human world if they somehow did.

The spa nights Janus arranged for them were for self-care as much as they were dates surely, so why, with the news of the gods death, did Janus request time for themselves to do them now?

Contradicting that, were the lectures and science events Logan would take them both to. He’d always viewed them as dates, but now, when they usually separated during the larger events to find things that interested them individually, they were becoming more enjoyable. They were one of the few days the pair were happy to be married to each other, because they had someone to talk to about the various things learnt as they made their way home.

Why were the separate spaces Janus had once had to argue with Logan into agreeing to feeling like vital supports to their relationship, rather than a cruel distant put between them?

The god of romance dying had changed their relationship irrevocably, but Logan could sigh in the realisation that it didn’t seem to be broken yet. It was only stretching some to allow the distance between their interests space to exist.

Virgil invited him to visit, offering support after hearing of Roman and Patton’s troubles, but Logan could see nothing at all seemed to have changed between him and Remus. He had to wonder why all over again. Were the relationships everyone had truly that different?

~

“I think it’s because Romance is a god in disguise.” Remus decided, teasing their pet rat with his fingers but snatching them away last second. He’d let himself be bitten eventually.

Virgil scoffed, focused on cleaning the cage out. “Sure, let’s not give ourselves any credit for knowing how to have a relationship without the flowers and flattery.”

“Come on, Virgil, Don’t you want us to have our very own little god? Our wonderful goddess of romance to worship and feed.” Remus goaded.

He snickered, “Roman’s gonna steal her away if you say that around him. Besides, what makes us so special you think we’d need our own goddess of romance?”

“Because we aren’t!” came the cheerful chirrup in reply. “Roman always said nothing about us is romantic because we like muddy walks and making messes for our date nights over the things he swore by when dating Patton.”

“Then we don’t need Romance to be a goddess at all.” Virgil countered. “Perhaps we just never needed romance and the boiling pot of anxieties that becomes to love each other or want to share as many of our moments as we do.”

Remus gasped at him playfully, “Roman will scold you for suggesting love can exist without romance!”

“Romance is right there!” He snapped, gesturing to the rat before turning back to refilling her food and water. “And we’ve been telling Ro that she’s all the romance we need basically since we got her. He’s been planning out how to make us go on dates and be romantic when she dies for about as long.”

“He’s plotted our goddess’s demise? How rude! I shall revel in the destruction of his romance with Patton even more.” Remus cackled, leaving his hand in reach of the rat he’d been irritated for long enough she latched on with her teeth and his cackle turned into a laugh of delight.

Virgil shook his head, leaving the cage open, but ready to be closed if Remus decided to ensure Romance couldn’t escape for a while. “Maybe we’re just in a QPR with sex and that’s why this gods death didn’t impact us at all.”

"Of course I am paying attention," he says stiffly, and even the sound of his own voice makes him want to bow under the weight of it, because it's too much, much too much, and he has to struggle against the childish urge to stuff his hands over his ears. As if that would help. What would help is this pointless argument being over. They're only going in circles at this point. Should Thomas do this, should Thomas do that. Logan is tempted to say that he doesn't give a fuck what Thomas does, if he would just make a decision already, but the words remain trapped behind lips, teeth, and tongue, the drawbridge of his throat unwilling to open and unlock his vitriol.

Besides, Thomas looks almost as overwhelmed as he feels. It is not Thomas's fault the others can't agree. Or perhaps it is after all, since they are just metaphysical representations of his personality, but that gets into a philosophical argument that Logan doesn't have the patience for right now. Not when he has a burgeoning migraine, not when he feels like ripping off his own skin if the others would just shut up.

"Logan, what do you think?" Needles jabbing into his brain, stabbing his ears and slipping into the vulnerable pupils of his eyes.

"I think that Thomas should do what we decided on an hour ago," he manages to say. "And with that, I am out, as they say." And without waiting for an answer, he sinks down to blessed quiet. His room dims at a thought and he collapses on his bed, fumbling for his weighted blanket and drawing it over himself. The pressure helps and he sighs in relief. He fumbles for his noise canceling headphones and slips them on, just in case one of the others decides it is a good idea to bang on his door or demand to know why he left. As if it wasn't obvious that logic was no longer required at the table. Logic hadn't been required at the table for most of the argument!

He sighs, giving in and rubbing his throbbing temples with one hand. He summons an eye mask, one that will cool his face, and gently places it over his eyes. His head still throbs and his stomach still sloshes uneasily, but he feels....better. For now. Until the next so-called debate.

Logan slowly drifts off to a welcome sleep. When he wakes, he will discover that his blankets have been straightened, his pillows fluffed, and his migraine medication set out on his desk, with a little snake plushie keeping it company, courtesy of his boyfriend. He will smile and down his medication, just to ensure that the migraine fully leaves, and place the snake plush next to his pillow.

"Says the snake man in the bowler hat, silk-lined capelet, and yellow spats." The other advanced his knight. "Glass houses, Janus ...," he murmured in a perfect mimicry of Janus' voice, a smile slowly spreading on his face. Janus narrowed his eyes. So he had been in the courtroom that day. Janus felt a flash of annoyance. The other's presence that day explained a great deal.

"It is merely an observation," Janus said smoothly, advancing his own knight and taking a moment to relish the small frown his unexpected move elicited from the other Side. "You typically prefer more functional attire. Less decorative and more -" he gazed pointedly at the large swathes of exposed skin on the other's chest and neck, "protective."

"Au contraire, mon frère.", the other murmured, moving a pawn to free his bishop. "These clothes will provide all the protection I'm going to need."

"I am not your brother, dear friend," Janus responded as he advanced a pawn, daring the other to capture it. He knew that if he could sufficiently antagonize the other, he was sure to take such easy bait. Janus ignored the second half of the other's statement, though, needing time to work through the riddle.

"Touché, touché," he said as he avoided Janus' pawn and moved one of his own pawns forward two spaces. "Speaking of," he sat back in his seat, watching Janus consider his next move. "How is frater meus feeling these days?"

Janus advanced his pawn again, threatening the other's knight. Then Janus leaned back in his own chair, as the other moved to protect his piece. "As you well know, he would be quick to insist that he doesn't fe-,"

Gripping the table on either side of the chess board so tightly that his fingertips whitened as they pressed into the surface, the other leaned forward, all teeth and sharp eyes. But his voice remained calm. "And that is why I am asking you and not him." He stared into Janus' eyes. "How is my brother feeling these days?"

Ignoring the question, Janus murmured, "You are asking me and not him because he doesn't even know you exist, does he?" He picked up a bishop and rolled it between gloved fingers before moving it across the board.

The other's eyes flashed a bright orange for a brief second. Janus's hands made fists and he closed his eyes, carefully counting out his breaths, grounding himself against the burning tightness that pounded inside his chest, roaring to be let out. Especially now that Janus was beginning to see the full extent to which the other had been involved in his recent failures, he refused to let himself be influenced in his own room. There had been enough of that the day of the Lee and Mary Lee's wedding. Gradually, the fire released him and Janus opened his eyes, easing his lips into a smile.

They sat in silence for a few minutes until the other finally spoke, bringing out his own bishop, "I know you are only trying to make me angry so that you can beat me at this game, Janus. Have you actually forgotten who holds those keys?" He watched Janus take his turn and then reached across the board, capturing Janus' newly exposed knight with a pawn. "That old ploy hasn't worked in years. What makes you think it would work today?"

Janus sighed, crossing his arms lightly in front of him. "I know that your concern for your brother has been making you sloppy. I've seen you in his room, more than once in the last week alone."

The other laughed, a rare, low rumble that Janus felt in his bones. "And what have you been doing in my little brother's room so often that you've perchanced to see me?" His grin grew at the flush growing on Janus' human-looking features. "Do I need to have a shovel talk with you?" The other's voice grew deeper, "And with Remus?"

Janus ignored the other's questions and their implications. "I also know that you and I have both observed a recurrence of the conditions which we thought we could prevent through ...," gesturing toward the other. Janus made a show of returning his attention to the game. He toyed with the idea of moving his bishop into the far quadrant of the board before reconsidering, steepling his fingers together as he stared at the remaining pieces. "And," Janus murmured as he castled his king, "I know that you were likely ... surprised that Roman's brother was introduced to Thomas before you."

"You mean you think that I was surprised when you released Remus before me?" The other Side stared until Janus bowed his head, granting the accuracy of the correction. "You make it sound like I resent dear Remus." The other crossed his arms and scowled. "His acceptance was justice at last. Who would I be if I begrudged him his righteous reward for silently carrying us through Roman's '0.5% for dreams' depressive episode?" He scoffed at Janus' stunned expression. "Oh, don't look so shocked. I pay attention."

"So you don't begrudge Remus his acceptance ...," Janus carefully watched the other Side's shifting expression. "You just want to know when it will be your turn."

He waved his hands magnanimously. "And who better to ask than you, dear Janus, the keeper of gates and secrets himself?"

Janus met his eyes, staring into the the indigo irises ringed in amber. "You know I want you to be able to join us. He needs you." Janus pressed his lips together before quietly adding, "We all do."

The other Side rolled his eyes and looked away. Swearing softly, Janus ripped off his gloves in an effort to emphasize his sincerity. "I know better than most what it's like to try to serve a vital function while locked away from the light." He held out both of his now-bare hands, palms up, in a show of humility and vulnerability he knew the other Side couldn't mistake. "I've known for longer than anyone else." Janus took a deep breath, feeling the tension in his chest - and the rest of the room - unwind as the other finally met his eyes again. "It will be soon, my friend, I promise you."

"If it is happening again, if ... if all of this, if everything we did was just a deferment and he's still doomed to ...," the other's voice trailed off as he dropped his head into his hands, tugging at his hair, unwilling to give words to his fears.

Janus moved closer to him, pulling his hands from his hair and gently holding them. "I will not let him be harmed."

"Do you really think Thomas is ready?"

Janus stared into the other's eyes. "We both know he's going to have to be."

---

The Overture is complete and the first movement will begin in the TS Storytime Big Bang fic, Do Us Any Harm.

“Good morning!” Patton said, sounding chipper as per usual. “Roman! It’s great you’re back safe, kiddo. I was worried you were gonna be out roamin’ all night!” Logan cringed at the bad joke as Deceit groaned, but Roman just laughed.

“Hi Pat. It’s good to see you too.” He got out his mug of water and put the tea bag in it to buy himself a few precious seconds before turning to greet Patton with a bright smile. One that, despite his best efforts, fell just short of reaching his eyes. “So, how was Dee and your day on the mission?”

“It was pretty good. Better than I thought it would be, actually,” Patton replied as he got a carton of eggs out of the fridge so he could start making breakfast. Roman chuckled at Patton’s response.

“Spending a day with Deceit was that bad, huh?” Roman joked.

“No, I didn’t mean that,” Patton hastened to clarify. “It’s just that yesterday didn’t have any killing in it. And any day that there is one less death in the world is a good day for me.” Roman only nodded understandingly in response. “Logan, do you want any eggs?” Patton asked in a feeble attempt to change the subject.

“No thank you, Patton.” Logan took a sip of his coffee, completely oblivious to how his coworker’s hopeful gaze lingered on him whenever he looked away.

“I’ll help you cook,” Deceit offered. He, unlike the logical one of the group, had always noticed the longing looks Patton cast in Logan’s direction, but he knew it wasn’t his place to intervene. He knew that in time everything would work itself out.

“Thanks.”

“And Logan, I’m making you some eggs whether you like it or not. You can’t survive off of coffee alone,” Deceit insisted. Logan tried to look annoyed, but Deceit saw right through him like usual.

“Really Deceit, that’s not necessary -” Logan started but cut himself off when he saw the other man’s determined expression. Logan finally conceded. “Thank you for cooking for me.” Both Deceit and Patton caught the hint of a smile and ever so slight blush on Logan’s face. Patton quickly turned away, attempting to busy himself with the food in front of him, taking extra care to keep his expression as neutral as possible. Deceit sighed heavily, exhausted with how much was always left unspoken whenever the group was assigned on missions together. Despite what Logan seemed to think, Deceit wasn’t unaware of how Logan’s eyes always followed him whenever the man thought Deceit wasn’t paying attention. In fact, Deceit was rarely ever caught unaware about anything as he always made it his business to be the most informed person in the room at all times.

A loud, overly-dramatic groan in annoyance broke the silence that had fallen over the kitchen as Roman pulled himself up so he was sitting on the counter.

“You people have no sense of priorities!” Roman exclaimed, only pausing for a brief moment when he saw the confused looks he received from his teammates before continuing. “What happened with the target?” He was tired of being kept out of the loop for so long. He had finally finished making his tea, so he dropped in three sugar cubes before stirring it and took a large sip, waiting expectantly for one of the other three to answer him.

“If you’re talking about me, I haven’t been murdered yet, just so you know,” a sharp, unfamiliar voice answered for the others. Roman involuntarily spat out his tea in the direction of the new voice, drenching the bitter emo in it.

“Creativity!” Logan instantly scolded. Virgil sent a death glare in Roman’s direction as Deceit just tried to smother a laugh.

“Why is the target alive? And why is he in our kitchen?!” Roman demanded, the shock still evident on his face.

“So sorry to disappoint you,” Virgil remarked sarcastically. Roman regarded him with a cold look before turning his gaze to the others.

“Will someone explain what’s going on here?”

“It wasn’t mutually beneficial for us to eliminate Messana so instead of fulfilling our orders, I decided to spare him and take him in as a new recruit,” Deceit stated calmly.

“What? But that’s not your job. And you know we can’t just ignore our orders.”

“It’s not your place to question my decisions, Creativity.”

“Well you know better than to not listen to our Superiors! Now all our necks are gonna be on the line.” Roman crossed his arms resentfully. Virgil ignored their conversation as Logan handed him a dish towel to dry off the tea on him.

“Breakfast is done!” Patton interrupted, trying to stop their conversation from going any further. Luckily, his attempt worked. Deceit and Roman reluctantly kept their opinions to themselves, resorting to glare in each other’s direction instead. Patton served five plates with eggs and toast before handing each man their helping. “There’s water, milk, and OJ in the fridge. Feel free to help yourselves.” Patton opened a cabinet with glasses and served himself orange juice after getting it out of the fridge. He surveyed the others once before going to eat at the dining room table. Deceit and Logan each served themselves water before Deceit went to his room, still irritated with Roman. Logan hesitated for a moment, unsure of where to go, before deciding to join Deceit. Patton ducked his head ever-so-slightly to avoid meeting Logan’s eyes as the man passed by his seat. Virgil couldn’t help but notice so he opted to join Patton, leaving Roman alone in the kitchen once more.

“Thanks for making me food.” Virgil practically inhaled the food before him, along with the orange juice he had served himself. Morality smiled at his companion.

“I’m happy you like it, kiddo. But take it easy, your breakfast isn’t gonna sprout legs and run off your plate,” Morality joked good-naturedly. Virgil looked slightly embarrassed when he seemed to realize just how quickly he had gulped down the food.

“Right, yeah. Sorry. I’m just still pretty hungry.”

“I can tell. Just make sure you don’t get a stomach ache.” The pair ate their food in silence after that, until Morality finally decided to break it once they had both finished. “Virgil, I hope you know that when we first met, I really didn’t want to hurt you. And I feel really bad. I’m really sorry for almost…” Morality trailed off before quietly adding, “...y’know.” Virgil stayed quiet for a moment, unsure of what to say to Morality’s apology.

“But you still almost did,” Virgil finally said slowly.

“I know but I really didn’t want to,” Morality explained. “And please try not to hold it against Dee because I know he didn’t wanna hurt you either.”

“If you didn’t want to do it, then why did you almost go through with it? Why is following your ‘orders’ so important to all of you?”

“Because - “ Morality started before quickly cutting himself off. He seemed to be mentally scolding himself. Meanwhile, Virgil’s interest had been instantly piqued by what Morality hadn’t said.

“Because?”

“Nevermind,” Morality responded swiftly. He tried to give Virgil a reassuring smile though the other man could see through it. “Anyways,” he started again, attempting to change the topic, “You don’t have to call me Morality all the time. My name is Patton.” Patton smiled at Virgil again but this time it seemed genuine.

“Okay, Patton,” Virgil answered, trying it out. “Well, you already know my name, so..” Patton only nodded in response. He stood up and took their empty plates and glasses to the kitchen. Though the hero wasn’t in his usual costume like Deceit had been earlier that morning, Virgil noticed that Morality still wore his suit’s pale blue gloves. Though curious, Virgil decided against asking Patton about it. Virgil felt that he was already intruding enough as it was just by being there, so he wasn’t going to pry.

“You can go to the living room if you want,” Patton called back from the kitchen, where it sounded as though he was washing the dishes. Virgil took Patton up on his invitation, standing and walking through the doorway into what he assumed was the living room. He was relieved to see he was right.

Virgil walked into the room towards the couch in front of the TV, which was currently on a news channel. He had been planning on sitting on it to watch whatever the breaking news was, so to say he was surprised when he saw Creativity sprawled across it was an understatement. Though they had met in the kitchen less than twenty minutes earlier, he had been too tired to put together all the pieces of how he knew the man before him. Virgil felt like an idiot when he realized that this was the same man he had, quite literally, ran into yesterday at Wal-Mart. Even though at the time of their first meeting Creativity hadn’t had his cape nor his scarlet and gold Colombina mask, Virgil still mentally chastised himself for not having realized why the man seemed so familiar.

But yet, even after he placed Creativity as the world-renowned hero, there was still something about him that felt so familiar, so known to Virgil. But he knew that was impossible. After all, he reminded himself, he had never met an actual superhero before yesterday. Virgil took a step back from the couch, but his attempt to escape undetected was in vain as the strong man before him angled his head to study Virgil.

“How come whenever we meet you’re always leaving?” Creativity asked, a playful gleam in his lustrous gold eyes. “I get it, the mask can be a bit intimidating,” he added as he took off the intricate mask and set it down on his broad chest, at the same time almost imperceptibly putting on a mask of another kind. With the physical mask having been removed, his expression and tone merged to complete the reckless and cocky aura he was reportedly known for having. Virgil didn’t move, staying still as he stared at where said mask had been placed for just a bit longer than was socially acceptable. “I mean it, you might as well sit down and stay a while instead of just standing there reenacting what it must have been like to be a victim of Medusa.”

At last, Virgil caved, deciding that he might as well stay there and wait for Patton to come, regardless of how annoying Creativity was. And he especially wasn’t going to be scared off just because he was alone in a room with a stranger who was also annoyingly handsome.

Virgil started towards the couch again, trying to look more confident than he felt. Since there was no space on the couch thanks to the other man having his feet up on one arm of it and his head laying on the other, Virgil went to sit in a wooden chair near the edge of the room. In turn, the superhero in question quickly sat up, ignoring his mask as it fell onto his lap, instead motioning for Virgil to come sit by him in the now vacated space on the couch.

“You’ll be much more comfortable here.”

Virgil came closer yet again, this time sitting as far from the stranger as possible. The other man chuckled quietly to himself at Virgil’s actions.

“I swear I won’t bite.” Creativity regarded him warmly with a hint of a smile playing on his lips.

“Didn’t your eyes used to be purple?” Virgil replied as he looked back up from the man’s lips to his stunning eyes. Creativity frowned for a moment.

“Do you like the violet better?” His gold eyes instantly melted into the royal purple color Virgil recognized.

“You can just do that like that?” Virgil asked, clearly taken aback. “Just think about wanting them purple and - boom - they’re purple? It’s that easy?”

“Of course it is.” Creativity appeared slightly puzzled by Virgil’s surprise but he disregarded his confusion, choosing instead to talk about what he considered to be more pressing matters. “Now, I believe we got off on the wrong foot, Surly Temple.” Creativity flashed Virgil one of his most dazzling grins before continuing, “So how about starting over?” Creativity’s proposition was met with a frown from his companion.

“Do you always just go around giving people nicknames?” Virgil looked unamused.

“Yeah, pretty much.”

“And by saying we ‘got off on the wrong foot’, you’re talking about how the first time we met you ran into me and then chased me across a parking lot and how you spat tea on me earlier, right?”

“Technically, you were the one who ran into me and the only reason I chased you is because you ran when I called you. And as for the tea, it’s not my fault you just happened to be standing where I was facing. I think that one was really your own doing,” Creativity argued good-naturedly to an unimpressed Virgil.

“Whatever.” Virgil feigned reluctance for a moment. “I guess we can start over.”

“Fantastic.” Creativity gave Virgil another perfect grin.

“Are you usually this energetic?”

“Yep!”

“I guess I’ll get used to it,” Virgil said, sounding resigned though it was obvious he was just pretending.

“Are you usually this gloomy?”

“Yes.”

Creativity seemed to think this over for a moment before giving an overly dramatic sigh. “I guess I’ll get used to it,” he replied, mimicking Virgil’s former expression before beaming once more. “I’ll have to if you’re gonna stick with us for a while.” Virgil rolled his eyes and glanced in the direction of the TV to try and suppress a smile. “You are going to stay here for a while, right?” Creativity questioned, and Virgil could've sworn his tone almost sounded hopeful.

“I make no promises, but yeah, probably.”

“That’s music to my ears, Doctor Gloom.” Creativity looked proud of himself when he saw Virgil roll his eyes yet again. “Now, to the introductions. I’m Roman, though I’m sure you already know me as Creativity from the media and everything.”

“Yeah, I’ve heard about you before,” Virgil confirmed. Although he knew Roman already knew his name, he chose to say it anyway, just to make this feel as normal as possible. Well, as normal as meeting a real-life superhero and learning his secret identity could be. “I’m - ”

“Virgil,” Roman cut him off. Roman spoke with an excess of certainty and intimacy, as though they were old friends who had known each other for years. There appeared to be more than just confidence behind the name which seemed so natural to be said in his melodic voice. It was as if he had said the word a thousand times in a thousand different ways yet Roman knew there was never a day that would come when he would grow tired of speaking it. In fact, it sounded almost vulnerable, and though it was only the other’s name, it felt as if it was the answer to both a hundred questions and none. Roman got lost in Virgil’s dark brown eyes as his own took on a tinge of red that somehow complemented the violet perfectly. They stayed like that for close to a minute, their eyes locked on each other, neither wanting to look away first. But after that moment passed, they both quickly turned to awkwardly stare at opposite walls.

“I - um - they told me your name. My Superiors, I mean,” Roman said finally. Virgil uttered a simple ‘oh’ in response. The silence stretched on after that, Roman and Virgil both turning to focus on the TV as a distraction from what had just happened between them which neither of them dared to offer an explanation for.

“Turn it up, please. I would like to hear that report.” A clear voice rang through the room, cutting the tension the man speaking hadn’t known was there. Neither Roman nor Virgil had heard Logan enter. Both had been too absorbed in their own thoughts. Roman finally focused on what the reporter was saying as he grabbed the remote from a small coffee table near him.

“....there seems to be no telling when the authorities will be able to get this fire caused by the gas explosion under control. Until now, we can only hope that help will arrive for those in danger before it’s too late. Back to you, Jeff.”

Virgil’s eyes widened as he took in the raging fire behind the woman speaking before the image on screen changed to show the other reporter back in the studio. Virgil turned to the other two with a look of horror.

“What are you doing?” he demanded. Logan simply pulled the wooden chair Virgil had been planning on sitting in earlier closer to the TV so he could continue watching without responding. Roman shot Virgil a questioning glance.

“What do you mean?”

“I mean, what are you still doing here? Why aren’t you leaving already to go help those people?!” Virgil suddenly seemed upset at both of their lack of urgency.

“I heard shouting; is everything okay?” Patton asked in concern as he came into the living room at what felt to Virgil like long last.

“There was a gas explosion not that far from here and there are people in danger,” Virgil answered anxiously.

“Oh. I hope those people are okay. And that the firefighters get there soon.” Patton moved another wooden chair so he could sit by Logan.

“They just announced that the fire department arrived along with an ambulance,” Logan informed him.

“That’s good. The firefighters should be able to put out the fire soon then.” Though Patton meant well, Virgil tensed at his words, his hands helpless fists in his lap. The sharp pain of his nails digging crescent moon shapes into his palms was ignored as his face flushed, making his anger evident to the others.

“This is stupid. I can’t believe it. Any one of you could easily go there right now and save those people, but instead you’re all just relaxing and watching it happen. You should be saving those people's lives! You aren't heroes if you only save people sometimes and then the rest of the time decide to take a day off just because you feel like it. It doesn’t work that way. It can’t work that way! That’s just not right,” Virgil spat fiercely, glaring at each of them in turn.

Patton looked down, trying in vain to hide his shame by staring at the floor. Logan, on the other hand, clearly had words as sharp as knives seconds from spilling from his lips, but he instead swallowed hard and elected to say nothing, in favor of looking back at the reporters on screen in the hope that they would be able to avoid an argument. Roman was the only one of the other men in the room to return Virgil’s glare as he spoke indignantly.

“You make it sound so easy but it isn’t. You have no idea why we do or don’t get involved in stuff like this.”

“Well I know that from an outsider’s perspective, you look pretty heartless by letting these people get hurt!”

“You can’t just come into where we stay and judge and insult us without knowing the whole story!” Roman shouted with a wide gesture to the room at large, as if to prove his point.

“Then tell me what can be more important than doing what is basically the job description of a superhero.” Virgil crossed his arms expectantly, his eyes still flaring with anger.

“I don’t have to explain myself to you. You’re just a former target that we took in for some stupid reason.”

“If innocent people get hurt today, that’s on you for not doing anything when you could,” Virgil snapped coldly.

“Oh, that’s rich coming from you of all people considering you murdered two civilians in cold blood,” Roman fired back, internally regretting the low blow the second the words left his lips. Virgil’s gaze hardened savagely.

“Don’t you dare go there,” he warned. “You don’t know everything that happened that day.”

“See? There you go! You can’t call me a bad person when you don’t even know anything about a hero’s life or saving people!” Roman pushed his guilt to the back of his mind as he argued back, his grand gestures now bordering on frantic as he furiously tried to make Virgil understand.

“Stop it.” Logan’s measured voice interrupted Virgil just as he opened his mouth to retaliate.

“He was the one who started it! You know why he shouldn’t be saying stuff like that since you know how things are for us!”

“Frankly, I couldn’t care less who started what, Roman. It just needs to stop.”

“But - “

“Now.” Logan cut Roman off as he fixed his piercing gaze on his coworker. Roman glowered at the other man for a moment before crossing his arms and looking away. Logan turned back to the man on the other side of him with concern evident in his expression.

“Are you alright, Patton?” He murmured softly to the kind man who gave a small nod in response. Patton still looked guilty despite Logan’s quiet reassurances that he wasn’t to blame.

Virgil missed this quiet exchange, his gaze still fixed on the wall directly behind Roman. The hero hadn’t known it, but his words had struck a chord with Virgil. Virgil squeezed his eyes shut before slowly opening them again, trying in vain to focus on what he knew was actually before him and not what he saw and heard in the place of reality.

Ear-splitting screams shattered the peace of the night. The barrage of berating seemed endless. A shattered glass, an accident, had been the start of the nightmare that the night had become. A thousand apologies were given, but none was good enough. None would ever be good enough. He would never be good enough. Louder and louder, angrier and angrier, the night grew with each passing second. It was all too much. He needed it to stop. He couldn’t bear another minute. Tears streamed down his face but they had no effect on the others in the cramped room. A small, frail body hit the floor with an unnerving thud, bruised, unlike the hand that had struck it. Flesh touched stone, corrupting and corroding the cold surface with every encounter. A boom echoed through the night, the sound stretching to fill every formerly placid space, invading every secluded niche within the area. The body was thrown from the floor, blown clear across the street and landed with a sickening crunch of bones breaking. Night turned into day as bright light filled the atmosphere. Pieces of broken foundation decorated the orange sky for a moment before everything came crashing down on the two charred corpses still lying in the ruins of the childhood home. For one moment after all the chaos, the world was silent once more before sirens began to reverberate through the now empty space.

It was too loud. Everything was too loud. Virgil grabbed the remote in front of him, desperate to turn the background noise off. He was almost successful. Almost. Virgil watched in horror as the plastic corroded beneath his fingertips. Roman, noticing this out of the corner of his eye, immediately shrunk back from the now dangerous object. Virgil quickly dropped it onto the floor but it was too late; he had already had too much of an effect on the object. The remote control exploded before their very eyes. Patton recoiled at the cacophonous noise. Logan appeared just as startled for a moment before straightening his glasses in an attempt to regain at least a bit of his composure.

“Looks like you could use some training.”

Virgil jolted in surprise as he heard the unperturbed voice coming from the figure lurking in the doorway. None of them had heard him enter thanks to the small explosion, but Virgil was starting to get unnerved by the way Deceit just appeared in places.

“I'm sorry, I - ” Virgil started, but froze when he saw Deceit hold up a hand to silence him.

“We cannot train him. It is prohibited. We are breaking enough rules as is simply by taking him in.” Logan was the first to address what Deceit had said. Logan spoke in his usual, level tone and though there was truth behind his words, Deceit merely brushed off Logan’s concerns.

“Well we can’t exactly have him keep blowing things up all over the place, now can we?”

“I suppose not,” Logan conceded. “But we must take caution in the manner by which we go about it.”

“Of course we will. And since you’re so good at thinking things through and you’re great at planning, how about we work together on setting up his training? Would you like that?” Deceit knew Logan wasn’t likely to pass up on such an offer, so it was no surprise to him when the other man agreed. 

“Alright. I suppose it is acceptable that some training is conducted, so long as I’m there to keep everything in check. And it would help to learn more about Messana’s power. For research purposes, of course.”

Deceit smirked at the studious man. “Trust me, you won’t regret this.”

Next Chapter>>

Tag list: (let me know if you want to be added or removed)

/\/\

5 letters with address stamped on over another were in the mail. Virgil blinked at the pile ey'd been given. Beneath a few birthday cards from relatives and an official looking envelope, there were 5 almost identical letters with eir name stamped.

Curiously ey put the birthday cards to one side, looking between the letters and the official envelope for a few moments before deciding to open the official envelope first.

Dear Mr Virgil Stewart,

This is your notification of a soulmate connection that allows you to send letters to the other party connected to you.

The address to direct your letters to so they can be directed to your soulmate is below along with a list of rules and limitations to what will show in the letters you send. If the other person is older than you any letters they've already sent will have arrived alongside this letter and going forward will be sent straight to you after your name is added to the envelope.

Congratulations on your new soulmate.

Sincerely

Personal Connections Officer

Thomas

It took a moment after reading the letter for Virgil to understand what was happening. Ey had a 4th soulmate and a lot of letters to reply to apparently. Hopefully eir soulmate would understand that ey're younger than them so couldn't reply before now.

Dear Soulmate,

It's my fifteenth birthday and I can only assume that you are not yet fifteen given I received no other letters alongside the notification, so hello. If I'm wrong, then I must be offended that you haven't decided to reach out yet, but I'm well aware of how parents can be regarding soulmates. I hope you are able to reply soon though.

I'm not going to tell my parents about having a soulmate connection with you. It's nothing to do with hiding you and a lot to do with their attempts to interfere with the other connections I have that they know about. I hope you have multiple soulmate connections too. I know it isn't always guaranteed that we will share multiple soulmates but that does seem likely to be the path of fewest disputes.

We might have a few arguments anyway. I've been told plenty of times that I'm deliberately contradictory and overly sarcastic. Apparently that's a personality flaw, although I fail to see why. It merely means the times I mislead someone are often more obvious for people to see than when they themselves do so.

I can't write for much longer but I'll try to get at least one letter sent each week if you don't reply.

From Your Soulmate.

..

Dear Silent Penpal,

Apparently I need to be speaking up more in class to get the attention. Considering I have a few teachers who deliberately try to ignore me that will be difficult, especially since those are the teachers who have just told my parents I'm not speaking up. Why must the adults of the world do one thing but request we do another when they are the ones responsible for it in the first place?

I'm not sure what else to write to you today, but hope that when you begin replying that will be easier. I'll have something to respond to at least.

Until then, My Hand is in the Air

…

Dear My Darling,

I have visited an aquarium today. My parents were being insufferable and they constantly say I should be doing more with my days so I took myself out and decided the aquarium sounded wonderful.

Largely it was a chance to learn some more about the fishes and creatures of the sea, but the one in town also has a section for amphibians. I was hoping that the little frog I've had with me for years could be identified while going around it, but unfortunately, whether due to the incorporeal forms limitations, or simply lack of variety, I was unable to manage this. I do, of course, refer to a soulmate creature, rather than a living pet. Please do not suppose me an irresponsible pet owner who doesn't know the animal they look after due to ignorance.

I don't believe I told you before what the other soulmate connections I have are, but as I've just said, one is an animal, a small frog. The others are a timer counting down, which has a few years left until I meet them, and a ribbon. I've attempted to follow the ribbon numerous times since it formed when I was 13, but sadly am still bereft of meeting any of my soulmates.

Perhaps if we were all fish it would be easier to find each other and form our own little shoal, but then again, the ocean is a very large expanse.

Wistfully, Your Dreamer

…

Dear Stranger,

I wish you were old enough to write back to me. I wish I could find one of my other soulmates without waiting so long. I wish I could finally move out of this house.

Actually that last one will be coming true soon enough. I've been saving for years really. Distrust in my parents has only been growing since I turned 6 and had soulmates explained to me so the moment I understood living on my own would take money I began saving, taking on chores and since I turned 15 part time work when possible to be able to afford my own place. I think I'll have enough by the time I'm 17. Of course that's over a year away now, but it's soon. I have to believe it's soon.

I had an argument with my parents today. Somehow they've figured out I've been saving and are pressuring me to use my money to learn to drive as soon as I turn 16. I stand by that if they want me to do so, then they can pay for the lessons. It isn't like our family is struggling for money.

In fact, if I did know how to drive I'm fairly sure my mum would be trying to come with me every time I left the house, just in case I was going to follow the ribbon around my wrist. Getting away from them has to come first.

I hope wherever you are your family is more supportive of your independence, Dear.

I'll run to you one day,

Your Confidante

…

Dear Soulmate,

I've been thing of ways I could tell you enough for us to be able to meet up. We're told from the beginning that letters breaking the terms won't be sent, and while I've definitely tried, those were returned. My parents tried to read them and when they couldn't scolded me for writing swear words or sexually explicit letters to a school penpal which was frankly amusing to listen to.

I believe I should be able to describe areas and let them get through however. I mean the letter about the aquarium trip got through and that did describe an exhibit that seems relatively unique to my town. Most aquariums don't have an area for frogs and other amphibians, did you know?

Perhaps when you are able to reply you can try describing where you live, or landmarks near it so that we can learn how close or far apart we live.

Yours Scheming,

J

Virgil read each letter immediately after the one above it, smiling at the connection with eir soulmate actually being a way to get to know them. The latest seemed to be written fairly recently too, and ey could just imagine eir soulmate being frustrated to have the letters breaking the restrictions returned to them.

Ey wasn't certain about what to say, even with 5 letters to reply to, but ey would get something on the page.

Dear Soulmate,

I'm not sure that there is anything I'd call a landmark in this town. It's exhaustingly boring. The museum is cool, I guess. It has an Egyptian exhibit with a few actual mummy's in. I always think the entrance is trying to look like an old Roman building with its columns and the shaping of it.

Sorry you've had to wait for me. I'm writing this as soon as I've read all 5 of your letters on my 15th. I do have 3 other soulmates too. One of mine is a timer connection that's got a few years to go still, and another means I can't see purple or green any more. The last one is their name on my wrist which I assumed meant they were male, my mom thought they were female so I'm not sure of anything beyond their name.

I'd be terrified of hurting a soulmate animal. They do better if you look after them, right? It sounds difficult looking after a whole other being. Convincing myself to look after me is difficult enough.

Sorry again you had to wait for me,

Your soulmate

V

It wasn't the letter ey thought eir soulmate deserved but ey didn't want to write too much, not with eir first letter. Maybe when they know each other better ey can write more. Besides, at least now they both knew each others first initial.

/\/\

No matter how much J had described of their home town, or how much they convinced Virgil to describe neither of them were certain where the other lived, even after years of writing to each other and moving away from their parents. Virgil knew that J had their own place and was working and studying still, as well as that they had met their other soulmates already. In fact J had even met the soulmate of one of their other soulmates according to their last letter.

Ey was grateful to finally be able to share the same.

Hey J,

I met my neighbour yesterday and he'd one of my soulmates too! The name on my wrist actually.

We spent a wonderful evening together and I think you'd really like his intelligence. I was struggling to keep up with some of the rants he went on.

Plus he could keep up with my sarcasm and said it almost reminded him of one of his other soulmates too. I wish I was as lucky as you and he have been over finding my soulmates.

V

It was just a short note sent off on eir lunch break, and ey didn't entirely expect a reply.

Ey definitely didn't expect to get a note even shorter than eirs the next morning, delivered just before ey left for work which was unusual for eir postman to manage.

V, That sounds like one of mine who had a similar story. Might have found you. If so, see you tonight. J

Virgil wasn't sure if it was good or bad to be found by J because ey'd mentioned Logan, but if that was what had happened, ey couldn't wait to finish work that night.

/\/\

“Janus, I don't see why you were so insistent on coming over but now refuse to come in at all. If you wish to meet Virgil, I'm sure we can wait in my apartment until ey've arrived home and have relaxed for a while.” Ey could hear Logan saying while climbing the stairs, too impatient to wait for the lift.

“I just want to know if ey're mine too, Logan. You know the desire to find your soulmates, just as well as any of us do.” The voice replying was smooth, deliberately calm Virgil thought as ey hastened eir steps.

The pair must have heard em on the stairs then since they fell silent, already watching the stairs when Virgil reached eir floor. “Hello?” Ey asked, tentative, curious.

“Hello, I'm Janus, Are these letters you've written?” The stranger stepped forward, holding out familiar pages covered in eir handwriting.

Some part of Virgil wanted to wrap this oh so familiar and known stranger in a hug immediately, but ey instead just hugged the pages, nodding. “You found me.”