âJanus, whatâs wrong?â Virgil squats down in front of the curled up snake on the couch. âNothing ssseriousss..â he says, hoping he was keeping the tremble out of his voice. It was no use. Virgil knew him too well. âSomethingâs definitely wrong. Can I sit with you?â Janus manages a small nod, and tries to shift over. âNo, donât. Itâs okay.â Virgil gently settles beside the distressed side, making sure to leave room in case he wasnât okay with being touched. âDo you want some music?â Janus looks up, and sees Virgil with his phone out. âThat would be nice..â With Janusâs favorite playlist queued, they sit in silence for awhile. Occasionally, Virgil starts humming, but catches himself and clears his throat to cover. After a time, Virgil looks down to see Janus tearing up. âHey, hey, youâre okay, whatâs wrong?â Janus shakes his head, as if to dismiss Virgilâs voice and to dispell the tears. For a moment, Janus stares into nothing, before launching himself into Virgilâs chest. Virgil is shocked at first, but as Janus begins to cry, he wraps his arms around the sorrowfilled soul and squeezes as tight as he dares. âIâve got you, and Iâm not going anywhere.â














