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phoenixyfriend · 3 years

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A Smattering of Ideas for a Neji Time-Travel Fic

[EDIT: okay so viewing the post on dash or sidebar blog completely ruins the bullet nesting for some reason. Please open it in a new tab.]

Okay so I actually wrote the first chapter or two of this like... almost a decade ago probably, but the concept was:

Neji, upon dying, gets sent back, and he's perfectly healthy again, pretty much exactly as he was just before getting mokuton-stabbed... except the seal damage wasn't reversed, so he's blind.

I think he ended up like riiiiiight before the Hyuuga Incident, so about of age with Kakashi & co.

But yeah like imagine telling Hiashi about it.

We have a new Jounin! It's a blind Hyuuga.

His seal is gone! He's technically your nephew.

He needs to be retrained for blindness! He needs to be protected for the information he carries.

He's a time-traveler!

Have fun.

The Hyuuga clan has like a million things going on but future Neji is just finding his younger self and Hinata to cuddle them.

He can't see shit but he Needs To Hug Baby Hinata

She's so small? She needs to be protected?

"Sir, you're blind now." "If Lee can be a ninja without chakra, I can be a ninja without eyes." "Sir. Sir that's--that's not the same thing, you can't--SIR." "I'll ask Hatake for advice." "He's still got half of his--SIR!"

Neji is a genius, if there's anyone who can pivot their entire fighting style from "I can see everything" to "I don't need to see anything" it's someone like him. Especially with the "I need to protect all these smols and be strong enough to force people to take my advice seriously if necessary" motivation

BUT But But for the first few days, it's just like. Sir. I understand you want to protect this small child, but you walked into three walls in the past hour. Please st--sir.

Fun option is "Neji spills all the beans... to Hiashi, not the Hokage."

Hiashi: Okay so like. Give me a few days to come up with a cover story for your existence. Neji: That's fair. Hiashi: Do. Do you want me to send in Hizashi or...? Neji: I'll tell him the truth if you do. Hiashi: That's, uh... that's fine. Neji: Then yes. Please. Hiashi, thoroughly unnerved for a variety of reasons: Right. I'll go do that.

Relevant: "Stop trying to convince me to put the Caged Bird Seal on a man who is already blind."

Since that's the ostensible reasoning of the seal, and like. You can't make that argument about keeping the eyes safe when the eyes don't... work.

Courtesy of @firebirdeternal, along with a bunch of other stuff but especially this:

ooooh feels moment: Neji starts his retraining to become Strong Enough without his eyesight, guess who sees him working his ass off to overcome a disadvantage and thinks "Oh, there's a person I should Be Friends With!"

Part of me just went "Gai gets injured on a mission and, while waiting out his medical leave, gets assigned to Neji as a guide/sparring partner"

Or, well, not assigned. He's just doing one-armed pushups in the training yard with a cast on half his limbs after breaking out of the hospital and zeros in on Neji like "Ah yes, medically inadvisable training, a Bonding Activity!"

Neji goes from "I can see everything" to "I can't see shit but if you're within arms reach you're fucked"

A lot of it comes down to Neji building up non-Byakugan sensing abilities, I think?

It won't help him read, but it'll sure help him avoid getting punched.

I think that's really the crux of his New Style, however he works it out, instead of having this Massive Range of perfect perception he just trains his other senses until he still has that perfect perception effectively, just in like a two foot radius around his person

and then he goes full Rock Lee and trains speed and reaction time until that two feet is enough

I want Daredevil-style bitchiness at some point, in the "Okay, I'm sure the contract is lovely, but do you have it in braille, perhaps?" sense

And Toph-style stuff

Genma, in the Jounin lounge: "Hey guys I think I've got a design finished for the new tattoo I'm gonna get, what do ya'll think?" 'holds up scroll' Kakashi: "Why would you get a tattoo of an ugly couch?" Genma: "It's not an ugly couch it's the Hokage Monument!" Neji: "It looks perfect to me" Genma: "Thank you! I worked really hard on-..... why do you feel the need to do these things."

Also I want Neji to have the same approach as Matt to a cane. He can make do without it, but it sure does make his life easier when he's off-duty.

Like, yes if he focuses his entire, highly trained person, on perceiving his surroundings, he can sense his way around. But that is very tiring

Like that is a lot of work to be doing, when you are just trying to get to the coffee shop for a bagel

Neji learns Sage Mode solely because he wants to be able to tree-hop again

Neji visits Kakashi like "I can't ask the Inuzuka for this because their dogs are clan-specific, but do you know where I can find a guide dog that can double as a ninken in the field?"

Neji asking Gai to help him pick out a feminine yukata because if ANYONE is going to not judge...

Listen I'm just really invested in what Naruto SD told us about how often Neji cross-dresses

Someone asked me which summons Neji learns Sage Mode from, and

I mean, Hashirama supposedly just. Learned it? Without summons?

So maybe Neji does that and just learns from Jiraiya or something

Though it's not... particularly safe.

Birdie had the best response

learning it Without a Summon is very much in the vein of Neji's past attitudes towards Special Secret Techniques, given that he learned the Kaiten with no help even though it was a Secret Technique of the Hyuuga.

"I know it's possible to do, so the hard part is already over, the rest is just figuring it out and doing it"

Neji: I'm here, I'm queer, I'm blind as fuck.

Neji hanging out with Gai and Kakashi is, admittedly, not that different from hanging out with Lee and TenTen

Kakashi is a bit more likely to join in on the shenanigans than Tenten was, but he's still just as available for "We're judging you" sessions

Neji, sipping tea as Gai yells: this is my comfort zone.

Neji with a white cane: This is my whacking stick. Hiashi: Don't you mean walking stick? Neji: No.

Because... what ninja wouldn't ensure that any normal part of their daily life was fit for battle.

Like if Karin can hide lockpicks in a photo and a knife in her glasses, Neji can ensure his white cane is suitable for battle.

(Going off the earlier Daredevil comparisons, I’d say this is similar to Matt turning his cane into billy clubs sometimes.)

Neji, assuming the role of Chief Babysitter for SmolNeji and Hinata, senses Lee and Tenten at the park. Nudges SmolNeji: "Go, be friends with them"

SmolNeji, watching Lee faceplant into the dirt while trying to jump off the swing while Tenten chases two boys around with a weird frog she found: ".... why"

Neji: "Just trust me"

Also consider older Neji giving baby Hinata shoulder rides

Baby Hinata is delighted by this whole affair.

More time with big brother, and a new even bigger brother? Best times.

Bigger brother needs help reading sometimes and Hinata is so excited to help. Hiashi even approves because helping older Neji read things like menus and the like is helping Hinata learn how to read, so it benefits everyone.

Consider also: Neji encouraging the smols to play with bby Naruto, a Hyuuga elder (or possibly Hiashi, but I want him to be a confused accomplice) complains exactly once and Neji exudes such a powerful "Do not test me" energy that he just kind of. Drops it.

Neji's attitude towards baby Naruto is somewhere between "They're good dogs Brent" and "I died for him once already, do you think I'd hesitate to kill?" and it depends entirely on how seriously he thinks you're talking shit about him

Neji plays with the smols, including smol Naruto, by just being the Perfect Straight Man. Just taking every nonsense thing Naruto says Completely Seriously and using deadpan reactions to chaos to make them giggle. This drifts into Feels for Naruto when he's the first adult who takes his "I'm gonna be the Hokage" completely seriously

"Of course, chibi-Hokage-sama"

Hiashi: "What.... are you.... doing?" Neji: "Ah, Hiashi-sama. Please exercise caution, the floor has mysteriously transformed into molten rock. I suspect enemy action, but have no further intelligence at this time" SmolNeji, Hinata, and Naruto: 'wild giggling as they dangle from rafters/stand balanced precariously on chairs'

Hiashi takes one step into the room and all the kids start screaming so loud he steps back out in shock

Neji out in Konoha just Causing Shit with plausible deniability

Listen. Neji is PETTY.

Someone describes Naruto as "the annoying blonde child with the whiskers, you know, the skin brat" and Neji says "I'm a sensor and have encountered no demonic chakra"

"okay just avoid the blonde kid with the whiskers"

"I don't know how to tell you this..."

"Sir, I know you're new in town, but that kid isn't really good news--" "A child can't be news unless they're recently born." "No, I mean, didn't anyone tell you to avoid the blonde kid with the whiskers?" "Naruto's blonde?"

Possibly "Hinata's blonde?"

He just, aggressively misunderstands that any insinuation about Naruto is about the Hyuuga heir instead

Birdie said they like the idea that he uses the aggressive deliberate misunderstanding to force people to either be embarrassed by how they're acting by having to spell it out or give up in quieter shame

Sometimes Neji gets tired of being obtuse and just lets Gai do it for him

Gai babysits on occasion, SmolNeji is aghast, Hinata mostly just confused, Naruto is delighted

Naruto is just Stars In Eyes about Gai

Kakashi: this is not the excuse I expected to have for visiting Naruto but I'm taking it

#Hyuuga Neji #Hyuuga Hiashi #Hyuuga Hinata #Uzumaki Naruto #Maito Gai #Hatake Kakashi #Naruto #mini fic #time travel #Hyuuga Clan #Blind Neji #Phoenix Babbles #Phoenix Posts

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wincestisasincest · 5 years

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2000 Man (A beatle!reader story) - Part 3: Anything You Can Do, I Can Do Better

“Okay, I said fluff, so here it is. I mean, there’s like hints of sex, but really it’s mostly fluff. I also said more John. Here he is, in all his glory.

I was absolutely fascinated with the concept of our reader being bisexual, so here’s a fic that plays around with it, and since the beatle!reader fandom has been very accepting of that idea, a lot of this will be more taking from head canons, and I will list the ones below that I use, as usual.

Also, as is the drill, credit to @casafrass for everything, though I doubt that you would find my blog if you didn’t already know hers, if that happens to be the case, please check her out. All the head canons are from her blog and its lovely anons.

One more thing, my dumbass finally realized that italics don’t actually appear on the Tumblr mobile app, so in the near future I will re-edit the two previous entries in this series to help out our mobile readers.

Description: It’s the year 2000, and y/n, the fifth member of the Beatles, is advertising her new book, Madam Beatle, in her first interview of the year. We see snapshots of her life, from when she joined the band, to the trials and tribulations, to the death of the band, and everything in between. Loosely inspired by Slumdog Millionaire.

Part: 1, 2, 3

Head canons: Beatle!reader being bi as fuuuuuuck, beatle!reader’s got game, female fans having a fat crush on our bi reader(also this one), beatle!reader stealing all the lad’s girls

Words: 2,747

Pairings: Okay, lowkey there is some John x reader here, though you super duper have to squint and, like always, you can look at it as friendship if you want to, and of course, there’s also groupie x reader

Warnings: S E X, like it’s implied, but they totally did it

“Alright, now, I’d like to move on to a slightly more... promiscuous topic. Y/n, and the audience, I’m sure you’ve heard about what’s become something of a phenomenon in recent years, more and more ‘groupies’, as they were referred to in the day, have been coming out and telling their stories of what their life was like back when rock and roll fan culture was born. Some of them share their thoughts and experiences on certain rock stars of their day, and you have not been excluded from it. We’ll come back to specifics later, but in general, what do you have to say on that?”

“Well, Harold, I think it’s a wonderful thing. Groupies were and still are an important part of the business that we reside in, and honestly, they made as much of a splash in the 60s as some celebrities did. I haven’t really heard any groupies mention me yet, but I suppose all I can hope for is that they were... positive reviews?”

“Indeed. Though, you do seem to have the most, let’s say, gender-equality in yours.”

“Well, it was the 60s. The skirts were getting shorter and shorter, women and men were becoming more expressive, and people just really stopped caring about the bullshit taboos that surround sex and gender. Though I may have been more well-known for it, it really affected all of the musicians that I knew on some level.”

“And how does it reflect in your own life story?”

“Well, I think especially in the early days, it had something of an effect on the fans. I was one of the main reasons why we drew a lot of male fans, but sometime later I discovered that I was also responsible for drawing in a lot of female fans. As time went on, and both our group and our fans got more daring with each other, one thing lead to another, and the next thing you know conservative Christian mothers are telling their daughters to stay away from girls like me, lest they succumb to their own feelings and not their parents need to be accepted.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“...in fact, some people are even comparing the Rolling Stones’ popularity to your own. Can you perhaps, tell us how you feel about that?” Like rats to cheese, the nosy reporters held their microphones and tape recorders up to the table where you and the lads were sitting, trying to comprehend the sea of petty attention that your career had garnered you.

“Well, there’s not really much to say,” John began, “They’re doing well for themselves and we’re doing well for ourselves. That’s really all there is to it, now. It’s not like we’re competing or anything, we’re on rather good terms.”

“Yeah,” Paul interjected, “And, I mean, I can’t speak for them, but all we’re here to do is make music that people will enjoy. If they enjoy us or the Stones, that’s not for us to decide.” That goddamned liar. Even the press had to know that they weren’t being completely genuine at this point, though the point that John and Paul had really been trying to make was clear: we’re not gonna give you what you want so stop asking.

Something chaotic woke up inside you.

“That Mick Jagger is pretty cute, though.” You commented into your own microphone. The crowd laughed, and you smiled, proud of yourself, and getting grunts and mock-angry looks from the lads.

You and the lads knew the truth of course. You and the Stones had a deep respect for each other, and were even close to becoming friends, but that wasn’t how this game was played. You couldn’t give the press anything too positive, or anything too negative. Just answer vaguely, and misdirect. And Paul did totally want people to like their music.

Brian muttered something to John on the side.

“Well, I’m being told that that’s all we can answer for now. Thank you all, and we’ll see you ‘round.”

You five cleared out of the chairs single-file and hustled out one of the side-doors. A small cloud of fans had already gathered, looking for either autographs, or touching or grabbing, or pictures, or just to tell the group that you were going to marry them one day. Brian had already told you that you would have just a few minutes for fans.

“Two girls coming directly for you.” George whispered in your ear, and you spun around to find a redhead and a blonde looking at you eagerly.

“Well, hi, girls! What can I do for you?”

“Oh my goodness, erm, hi y/n! We just wanted too, uh...” the redhead trailed off.

“We just wanted to say that we think you’re really cool, and you’re really pretty, and you’re a really good guitar-player, and um, we wanted to ask you to sign something for us.” They both stuck out a pair of white sneakers, which was admittedly something that you hadn’t been asked to sign before, though you weren’t complaining.

“Aww, well thanks, ladies, and it’s no problem,” You began to pull a sharpie that you always kept with you out of your jacket pocket, “Do you want me to sign both shoes, or just the right one, or...?”

“Um, both, if it’s no problem!” The redhead’s voice squeaked a little.

“Of course, why would it be a problem? Here.” You scrawled your signature on all four sneakers in the efficient manner that you were so used to be now, before looking back up at the girls and giving them a smile. The blonde one was beaming.

“Thanks, y/n, um-” it seemed as though she instantly stopped considering her actions, and in that moment, the blonde leaned in and kissed you right on the cheek.

You had to fight to hold back your blush.

“Aww, thanks girls, enjoy the sneakers, that’s a very stylish look if I do say so myself.”

“Y/n, get a move on!” John called at you as he was retreating from his horde. You could sense the disappointment in the mob that was following the girls, as they were all clearly waiting their turn to see if they could speak to you, but alas, time was too short.

“Wait, y/n, I-” someone behind the girls called.

“But I-” You had to evacuate.

“See you round, girls.” You flashed your million dollar smile before darting off to join John and the rest in your typical, sleek, black car.

Slowly, the mob began to speed up behind you as you were the last, sprinting towards that open door like it would be the last one you’d see in a while. As you reached the open car door, a pair of hands quickly pulled you in and another shut the door. You piled yourself next to George and Ringo, and directly across from John and Paul.

“I see y/n got some action, then.” Ringo poked your cheek. You noticed your reflection in the car window. That blonde had left you with a bright, red lipstick mark where your cheekbones looked their cutest.

“It seems I did.” Your cheeks flared up a little.

“Y/n, haven’t you heard, a marriage is between a man and a woman.” John snickered.

“Come off it, John. It’s not like that.”

“I’m not sure if I believe that, y/n.” Paul was joining in on the teasing, following John’s lead.

“Well, Paul, I don’t believe that I’m the only one of us who finds Mick Jagger attractive.” You shot back. George, Ringo, and yourself were the only ones who found it amusing.

“Very nice move you pulled there, by the way. Distracting them from the Beatles vs Stones debacle to have them writing about the Romeo and Juliet thing that you and Mick have going on. Quite the strategy.” John had put his glasses back on.

“Why should I care? The only newspapers that’ll be writing that are the same ones that say the Queen is actually a man.” You peered out the window, the mob of fans looking much like a collection of dolls now.

“And people read ‘em anyway.” George put his hands behind his head and leaned back in the seat, oddly relaxed.

- time skip because this is a thing that I do now -

The five of you had settled in a gentleman’s club for the evening. The club had a name, you were sure, but you hadn’t really bothered to check, as you were just here for the booze.

Even the lads weren’t really sure why we were here, but apparently, success had made us a part of the upper class, and this is what upper class people do. You’d think they would get a hobby or something.

You took a long sip of your Proseco, and through the liquid you could see a blurred scene of all of the lads’ attention suddenly grabbed by something to the left. You set the glass down.

John wolf-whistled.

A tall, slender brunette stalked up to the table. She was wearing a long, green velvet dress with a slit that allowed her right leg to creep out, while at the same time perfectly hugging her curves. Her lips were pursed, but still full, and her eyes had the longest lashes that you had ever seen.

“I thought I smelled a rat.” Her voice was like chocolate, both sweet and luscious.

“Awwww, c’mon love, don’t be like that, have a seat.” John slid a little to the side and patted the vacancy next to him.

You took a drag out of your cigarette and made eye contact with her. Green, just like her dress.

“Johnny here forgot that you introduce yourself before sexually harassing someone.” She half-smirked, half-smiled, and you felt pride, of all things, so much that you didn’t notice John’s side-eye.

“Well, if he’s John, then that must make you Paul,” her manicured nails were parallel with Paul’s chin, “George”, parallel with his mouth, “Ringo”, parallel with his nose, “and (y/n)”, directly down the center of your eyes, as if she was aiming to kill.

“Well, now that we’re all familiar, I don’t think you’ll mind joining us for a drink.” John called the waiter over as she took a seat.

“I wouldn’t say entirely familiar, for I haven’t the pleasure of knowing your name.” You swished your drink around in your glass. Paul, George, and Ringo pretended to be caught in a different conversation while you two chatted, though you knew full well that John wasn’t the only one with side-eye.

“I don’t know, I’m not supposed to give that out to strangers.”

“But you know ours. It’s only fair.”

“All’s fair in love and war, dear. I’ll take a sweet Vermouth on the rocks with a twist.” The waiter must’ve always been there, because you did not see him show up.

“Well, now that that’s settled, tell me about yourself.” John put an arm around her shoulder, which just didn’t seem to match with her perfect, clear, skin.

This would be a long night.

- time skiiiiiiiiiiiip for the hot brunette, also if you don’t find the type of person i described hot, imagine her as anything you like, you’re the reader after all-

The tango that you and John were dancing for this brunette’s attention was certainly not the most graceful. You only felt satisfied when her gaze was back on you, and preferably when she was smiling. Something about her, if you will, made you want more and more of her. Know everything about her. John wanted the same thing, and for once, he wasn’t going to get it.

“Well, I must go powder my nose, but I’ll be back shortly.”

“Better keep to that, or I might have to go looking for you.” John and you watched her leave, the clacking of her heels on the hardwood floor slowly faded out as she disappeared into the hallway.

Oh, yes, you’d forgotten about the rest of the world. George, Paul, and Ringo had already disappeared with intentions of partying at some of the more lively places.

“Alright, (y/n), what are we going to do about this?” John’s eyes weren’t like hers.

“About what?”

“Oh, don’t act all innocent. You’re the only thing getting in between me and the best bird in town.”

“What if I enjoy her conversation? I have just as much of a right to that as you. There are thousands of girls who would sleep with you, and none of them are as engaging conversationalists.”

“What the hell are you on about? I don’t bloody care about conversation, I want her.”

“If you think that making me angry is going to convince me, then you don’t know me half as well as you think you do. Not all of us are here to fuck, John.”

“Concerning that, I suggest that you go find someone to sleep with to take your mind off of things. You’re not winning this.”

“Let’s just see who the lady picks, John. Waiter, excuse me, some whiskey please.”

The lady picked someone else, you guessed. After 20 minutes of waiting, she hadn’t returned, and though John would never admit it, his mood and confidence was not nearly as high as he would’ve liked. Your whiskey bottle was completely empty.

“If it makes you feel any better,” you offered as John stared into his drink, “I lost too. There are other birdies in the sky, y’know.” Normally, John would’ve been angry, but after he’d passed a certain drink threshold, he became sad drunk rather than angry drunk.

“Yeah, you’re right, (y/n).”

“But you should know I’m not going to-”

“Don’t waste your breath. I’m not apologizing either.”

“I guess Paul is right. We are both assholes.”

John chuckled, before ruffling your hair.

“Wanna head back to the hotel, birdie?”

“I think I will, but the night is still young, John, I’m sure you can find someone else. That girl over there in the black has been starting at you all evening.”

“Yes. I’ve noticed. Well, I’ll see you, (y/n).” John sauntered over to the bar counter, and you gathered your purse before exiting down the hallway.

You felt morose, though you really couldn’t tell why. It was just a conversation, and surely not the most interesting ones that you would ever have. Hell, you hadn’t even known her name.

“Took you long enough, (n/n).”

There she was, leaning against the wall voyeuristically, her fingers laced around a cigarette holder. You could’ve sworn the smoke was in your eyes.

“What are you waiting for?”

“I think you know.”

“Would you like to, um, continue our conversation back at my hotel?” You never said ‘um’, what was going on?

“That would be agreeable.” Her heels clacked closer to you, and she put her hand on your shoulder.

Oh. That’s what that feeling was.

- Last time skip maybe -

You made your way downstairs, wearing clothes that were way more comfortable that whatever fancy thing you had put on last night. Your feet were still sore from the heels.

You pushed open the door to the conference room, breakfast already laid out, with the rest of the band and Brian already munching.

“(Y/n), at last, you’ve decided to join us.” Brian really did not feel like not being sarcastic this morning.

“Sorry, I slept in.”

“What’s new?” The lads snickered.

“Busy last night, hm?” Paul’s eyebrows flickered.

“Well, weren’t we all?” You sipped your orange juice.

“Not Johnny ‘ere.” Ringo’s head was resting on his hand, amusedly staring at John.

“Look, I would’ve, if she didn’t get offended so damn easily.” John really wasn’t in the mood, which was, of course, reason to tease him more.

“She slapped ‘im. Across the face. While wearing a ring.” George was on his fifth piece of toast.

“That first bird wasn’t married. ‘Other birdies in the sky’ my arse’.” He gave you a look.

“Oh yea, whatever happened to her?�� Paul was all here for this drama.

“Left, without even telling us ‘er name. Bi-”

“Her name was Carla, John.” You cut him off. You loved John, but man had you had enough of his bullshit.

Paul had already put the whole thing together, a look of half-shock, half-waiting for John’s reaction, which at the moment was just puzzled. George nudged Ringo and whispered something. You smiled, and got up from the table to refill your plate.

John’s sharp voice cut through the room: “Wait a minute!”

#beatle!reader #beatles #the beatles #the beatles x reader #beatles x reader #john lennon #john lennon x reader #paul mccartney #paul mccartney x reader #george harrison #george harrison x reader #ringo starr #ringo starr x reader #60s #classic rock #madam beatle

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today-only-happens-once · 6 years

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Who You Are

Title: Who You Are

Word count: 1568 (ficlet)

Summary: Virgil learns something about Patton after a guy tries to pick him up in a bar. Platonic Moxiety, brief dash of Platonic LAMP/CALM. Demisexual!Patton.

Warnings: alcohol/drinking, crowded room, flirty guy at a bar that may or may not be kind of a jerk, platonic fluff, some discussion of sexuality (nothing explicit though), insecurity, cursing (kind of. Nothing too bad).

A/N: I have always felt that I struggle the most in writing Patton. I also struggle to write about my own sexuality, apparently. It’s just…. A hard thing to pin down or explain. But I read @reallyanextrovertipromise’s concept of a demisexual!Patton and figured I had to at least give it a shot. I don’t feel that this is my strongest fic by any means or stretch of the imagination, but here it is anyway. Not really edited much, apologies for any mistakes. Happy Pride Month, friends. Wherever you may be in your journey of self-discovery in relation to your sexuality/gender/romantic-attraction, I’m proud of you and rooting for you to be comfortable in your own skin and with who you are. Love all you guys, gals, and nonbinary pals.

Special shout-out to @princeanxious for his help with some much needed encouragement and reassurance. Additional special shout-out to @creativenostalgiastuff for her help in fleshing out this idea a little bit.

…

The music is loud and reverberates in Virgil’s skull with a booming bass. His roommates—Roman Prince in particular—had somehow talked him into going to the gay club close to campus. He isn’t sure how, exactly, he’d been roped into this or how he’d convinced Logan to join them as well, but surprisingly Patton had seemed the most hesitant about going. But now all four of them were in various locations at the bar. Roman was currently dancing to the pop song blaring from the speakers, Logan was chatting idly with a guy from his astronomy class in the corner, and Patton…

Virgil frowns and glances around the room from his position near the bar. Where is Patton?

A few moments later, Virgil sees him sitting down the bar. Another young man about their age is leaned beside him with his back against the counter. He’s kinda hot, Virgil admits to himself. Sharp jawline, dark hair, bright green eyes. His white t-shirt clings to his chest in all the right places and shows off his slightly toned arms. But when Virgil glances at Patton again, he sees his friend shift uncomfortably and Virgil immediately starts to shoulder his way through the crowd towards him.

The club is crowded, and Virgil does his best to weave his way through the people. As he gets closer, Virgil thinks he’s figured out why Patton looked suddenly uncomfortable. The guy has his hand on Patton’s thigh, leaning in closer to say something that Virgil can’t quite catch.

“Hey, Patton,” Virgil says to announce his presence as he steps up to the two of them. He shifts his weight to position himself slightly between his friend and the newcomer.

The new guy smiles brightly at him. “I take it you’re a friend of this handsome guy here? It’s awesome to meet you! I’m Eric.”

Virgil’s gaze narrows almost imperceptibly before nodding. “Hey.”

Patton seems to brighten a bit at Virgil’s sudden appearance. “Hey, Virge!”

“You doing okay, Patton?” he asks, leveling a cold look at Eric. His bright smile falters a little under the sudden scrutiny. His hand falls off Patton’s leg and Virgil sees a flash of relief cross Patton’s eyes.

“You bet,” Patton tells him with a smile that doesn’t quite reach his eyes. Virgil nods and takes a sip of his drink. Something tells him he should stick around a little longer.

There’s an awkward silence—or, as much as silence as there can be in a crowded bar on a Friday night as an EDM song blares from the speakers—and Eric shifts a little closer to Patton, a brief flash of confusion crossing his expression when Virgil refuses to yield his position between them.

Eric gives Patton an admittedly charming smile. “Can I get you another drink?” he asks.

Patton glances into his almost empty glass. “Oh. That’s okay,” he says. “Thank you, though.”

A flash of disappointment crosses Eric’s green eyes. “Would you like to dance?”

Patton shifts again, his gaze falling and his usually bright expression dimming for a moment. Internally, Virgil winces sympathetically. Patton had never done well with letting people down. Virgil wanted to help, but suddenly wasn’t sure how to. Luckily, a familiar voice interrupts the conversation.

“Virgil! Patton!” Virgil glances up to see Roman—a little bit sweaty, his eyes bright even in the dark club—grinning at them as he hurries over. Roman stops short at the presence of the stranger and gives him a small, flirty smile.

“Another friend of yours?” Eric asks, in a voice that sounds a bit tight to Virgil.

“Roman!” Patton says, apparently not hearing Eric’s question. With a huff of annoyance, Eric grabs a pen from the bar and scribbles ten numbers on a napkin and slides it over to Patton before turning and disappearing into the crowd.

Roman’s expression gets even brighter and he teasingly elbows Patton. “Hey, Pat. Looks like someone likes you.”

Virgil can sees his friend’s blush under the flashing lights. “Oh. I… I guess so.” Patton sets his drink on the napkin, the ring of condensation smearing the numbers. “I think he was looking for a hook-up, though.”

“Well he’s certainly a good looking fellow,” Roman says appreciatively. “You could certainly do worse, Patton.”

“He made you uncomfortable,” Virgil says flatly. Protectively. “Was he pressuring you?” Something darkens in Roman’s expression at the insinuation even as sudden concern alights in his eyes.

Patton shakes his head quickly. “No, not exactly.”

“Salutations,” says another new voice. Logan materializes through the crowd to stand beside Roman. “Is everything satisfactory?”

“You bet!” Patton says. “Everything is awesome. You guys don’t need to worry about me.” Virgil only feels his concern deepen.

“Hey, Pat?” he asks suddenly. “It’s getting kinda crowded in here. Wanna go outside with me for a bit? I could use the fresh air.”

Patton tosses a twenty dollar bill on the bar and sets his glass on it, making eye contact with the bartender before looking back at Virgil. “Sure thing, kiddo.” It doesn’t escape Virgil’s attention that Patton makes no move to pick up the now damp napkin with Eric’s phone number on it. Over Patton’s head, Virgil catches the worried looks Logan and Roman both give him. Virgil nods. You guys stay. I’ll talk to him.

Virgil leads Patton through the crowd and out the front door. He keeps walking until he reaches the bench half a block down the street. He takes in a deep breath of the cool night air, enjoying the sudden quiet of the street compared with the thumping music and shouting voices of the club. He takes a seat and stretches as Patton sits down next to him.

For a long while, neither of them says anything.

“Virgil?” Patton says suddenly.

“Hm?”

“Thanks for… well, for coming over when you did.”

Virgil arches an eyebrow. “Yeah,” he says dismissively. “Don’t mention it.”

Patton leans forward and presses his hands together before sighing. He tries to cover the sigh with a forced laugh. “I don’t think Roman understood why I didn’t really want to take his number.”

Virgil glances at his friend out of the corner of his eye as a car drives by them. He can’t remember the time Patton had acted so nervous or hesitant, and Virgil isn’t quite sure he knows where it’s coming from. “That was your decision. You don’t owe anyone anything. Especially not some stranger in a bar that made you uncomfortable.”

“Did you think he was… hot?”

The question is so unexpected that Virgil almost laughs. “Uh…” he scratches the back of his neck. “Maybe at first, I guess.”

Patton nods and falls silent again. Virgil knows something is on his mind, and though his stomach twists uncomfortably with the potential options for what it might be, he remains silent as well. He doesn’t want to force Patton to tell him if he isn’t ready, whatever it might be. Virgil glances around the street, at the tall buildings, neon signs, the cars as they roll by. He can hear the tires as they roll on pavement still wet from the rain earlier today, the click of a young woman’s heels as she makes her way down the sidewalk, doors opening and closing as people come and go from the restaurants and bars that line the sides of the street.

He isn’t sure how much time has passed—fifteen minutes, maybe?—when Patton’s soft, quiet voice catches his attention again. “Virgil?”

“Yeah, Pat?” He looks up. Patton won’t meet his eyes.

“I… I’m…” He blows out a breath. “I think I might be demisexual.” His shoulders visibly tense like he’s bracing himself for the reaction.

Virgil just smiles softly. “Okay.”

Patton’s head whips up suddenly, surprise written plainly across his face. “Okay?”

He gives him a small, reassuring nod. “Okay,” he repeats.

A small, tentative smile graces his friend’s lips. It falters for a moment. “You don’t… you don’t think that’s weird?”

“Weird? Of course not,” Virgil says, surprised at the worry. Had he ever done anything to make Patton think he wouldn’t accept him?

The smile falls a little more naturally now. Patton rubs the back of his head. “I just… a lot of people think it’s… made-up, I guess.”

“Patton, it’s who you are. It’s awesome. And it’s valid as hell.” The corner of Virgil’s mouth quirks when Patton gives him a sincere, bright grin. “Anyone who makes you feel otherwise… their ignorance doesn’t change who you are.”

Virgil watches something relax in Patton. “So you’re… you’re okay with it and everything?”

He teasingly rolls his eyes. “Patton, you’re one of the best and most accepting people I know. Of course I’m okay with it. That should never have been a doubt in your mind.”

Patton’s eyes, suddenly bright and happy, outshine the streetlamp above them. Virgil huffs a laugh when his friend launches himself at him, wrapping strong arms around his torso and squeezing. “Thank you, Virgil.”

“Any time, Patton.”

…

#sanders sides fanfiction #demisexual!patton #platonic moxiety #patton sanders #sanders sides #this is not my strongest writing everyone #sorry #but happy pride month!

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