Sudden Clarity
Prompts: can you do a story with human patton and giant monster boyfriends sides drlamp pls I would ❤ that - gengar467
Hi! I was wondering while I was rereading ‘Embrace of Darkness’ (it’s a masterpiece btw-) if you could make a continuation maybe where Patton asks exactly what Roman is and then with how awkward Roman is with explaining things to a human, trying his best to maybe show examples - anon
Read on Ao3 Masterlist (the other parts are on there, I swear)
Warnings: none??? allusions to past trauma but just in that you gotta be fragile with the patton
Pairings: roceit, platonic creativitwins, possibly also dlampr, who knows not me
Word Count: 5399
Humans are such…fascinating. And so emotional, aren’t they? Unfortunately for Patton, some creatures that don’t understand emotions want to…experiment.
Humans can be so fragile.
…and capable of a kind of strength those creatures could only dream of.
“Roman?”
Roman sits up from the grass, leaning on his elbows. “What is it, brave one?”
Patton reaches out and runs his hand through the sea of flowers that surrounds them. He chews on his lip. “Can I…ask a personal question?”
“Of course, you may.” Roman sits up more, brushing their shoulders together. “What can I do?”
“N-not for me.”
“You…want to ask a question about me?”
“Yes.”
Roman blinks, a slow smile spreading across his face. “Very well, brave one. I’ll do my best to answer it.”
“Right.” Patton takes a deep breath. “And, um, if you don’t want to answer it—like, if it’s offensive or too personal or—“
“Patton,” Roman interrupts, gently knocking their shoulders again, “if I don’t want to answer it, I will tell you.”
“You promise?”
“I promise, brave one.”
Patton toys with the flower stem next to his left shoe. “Okay.”
They sit in silence for a moment as the breeze ruffles through the field. Then Roman chuckles.
“I do not believe humans are capable of telepathic speech, brave one. You will have to ask your question out loud.”
He startles. “Right. Sorry.”
“No need for apologies, you’ve done nothing wrong.” A small nudge. “Even asking a question.”
“Roman!”
“Alright, alright,” he laughs, “I won’t tease.”
Patton sighs, still fussing with the flower stem. After another moment, a warm hand comes up to cup his cheek, turning his face to Roman’s.
“What is it, brave one?”
“What are you?”
Roman blinks, pulling back a little. “What?”
Patton swallows, his cheeks growing warm. “I—I mean—I know you’re not human, probably not of an earthly descent at all, b-but I don’t—I, um—“
Roman waits patiently as he twists his hands together in his lap.
“I used to study Eldritch,” he blurts out, “b-before I, um, before I first—” His hands run over the silvery lines still etched into his fingers— “left.”
Roman’s hands come up to gently untangle his fingers, taking them in his own and rubbing softly. “I’m not offended, brave one, it’s a fine question to ask.”
“R-really?”
“Yes, sweet one.” Roman smiles. “Quite frankly, I’m surprised it took you this long to ask anything.”
Patton draws back, somewhat alarmed, only for Roman to tsk and squeeze his hands.
“Don’t be like that, little one, I didn’t mean anything by it.” He reaches up to brush a lock of his hair back. “Only that humans have a reputation for being incredibly curious and while you’ve made no secret of being fascinated with the realm…”
Patton nods.
“…I suppose I confess I’ve been a little disappointed that curiosity never extended toward me.”
“But I was curious! I just—I didn’t want—“
“I know that now, brave one,” Roman murmurs, ruffling his hair gently, “the only issue is now that you’ve asked, I’m…not sure how to answer.”
“Take your time. It’s okay. I can wait.”
“Thank you, sweet one.”
As Roman thinks, Patton finds himself running his fingers over Roman’s hands almost absentmindedly. They really do feel like human hands, with patches of rougher skin and softer skin, lines across his palms, everything as it should look. But Roman has said multiple times that this isn’t him. This is a body he’s made and maintained for Patton. To make it easier for the two of them to interact with each other, to make Patton feel safe.
The only time he’s left since arriving is, well…
Roman sighs, startling Patton—thankfully—out of that spiral of thinking and making him look up again.
“I must admit, now that you’ve actually asked,” he starts, rubbing his thumb along the curve of Patton’s hand, “I don’t actually know how to answer. Not because I think you unintelligent, but…”
He sighs, shoulders drooping and suddenly Patton is struck by how old Roman looks.
“You said you studied the Eldritch?”
“Yes. N-not extensively, it wasn’t my Focus or anything, but…yes.”
“Are you familiar, then, with Eldritch madness?”
Patton stiffens. Roman lets him go as soon as he twitches, not moving closer, not pushing, just waiting. He swallows. “Yes.”
“Have you—forgive me for prying, but have you…seen Eldritch madness before?”
He shakes his head. “There have been cases reported, but…we had safeguards. And there were always people on hand who knew how to treat it, at least…a bit.”
Roman nods. “And what do you know about it?”
Patton frowns. “Isn’t it just overexposure to the Eldritch? And its magic? You see it and you…go crazy?”
A small and crooked half-smile. “Not quite. If that were the case…I’m sorry, brave one, but you would be suffering from it right now.”
Patton shifts on the grass. “I’m…not, right?”
“No, no, brave one,” Roman says quickly, pleadingly holding out his hands until Patton takes them, “you’re untouched by it. You still possess your mind in all its faculties, you are entirely yourself.”
He breathes a sigh of relief and lets Roman squeeze his hands. “But then what is it?”
Roman shakes his head. “Eldritch madness does not come from witnessing an Eldritch phenomenon, it comes from understanding it.”
He tilts his head. “It what?”
“Your mind is not built to comprehend the enormities of what Eldritch are, nor the full extent of what we can do. If you tried—no, that’s not true. If you did, even for a moment, that is what causes the madness.”
“I…I don’t understand.”
“Forgive me,” Roman murmurs, “I am trying to describe this in a way that will answer your question without risking the madness overtaking you.”
“Because the more I understand, the greater the risk?”
“Quite.”
They sit in silence for another moment, before a look of realization crosses Roman’s face.
“Name a creature from your home that does not think.”
“What?”
“An animal, a creature, it doesn’t matter,” Roman repeats, “but that doesn’t think. Not like you, not like a human, just—one that doesn’t think.”
“Uh—“ Patton scrambles for something— “an ant.”
“An ant?”
“Yeah. They’re—well, they’re still pretty smart, but they’re not humans. They’re these little insects about this long—“ he holds his fingers almost touching— “and they have six legs and little antennae.”
Roman nods. “An ant, alright. If an ant were to see, let’s say, a…oh, dear, do you remember when your oven broke and we took it apart?”
“Yeah?”
“The—the part that made it work, the shiny pieces with the lines and circles.”
“The circuit board?”
“Yes, that’s it. If an ant saw a circuit board, it would be puzzled, perhaps, or intrigued, because it hadn’t seen something like it before, yes?”
Patton nods. Roman looks at him with a strange intensity.
“For a moment, now, imagine that it saw the circuit board like a human.”
“…what?”
“Yes,” Roman repeats, still staring, “it understood the function of a circuit board. It understood how it worked. It understood how it fit into the massive oven, into the world, into the universe. It understood everything.”
“But ants don’t have electricity. They don’t—they don’t have any of that.”
“Exactly.” Roman snaps his fingers. “And just like that, it’s over, and the ant is just an ant again.”
Patton frowns. “But does it…remember?”
“Bits and pieces, yes. Echoes of things it can’t possibly comprehend. What use can it make of this knowledge? What can it possibly do except try and seek it out again? To see the things it once did just one more time?”
Roman’s stare holds him in place. Something cold ruffles across the back of Patton’s neck.
“It will do anything,” Roman says softly, “to prove to itself, to others, to anyone that what it saw was real, was true. It can’t forget, it doesn’t want to forget. It wants to understand again. Nothing else in the tiny world matters. That is madness.”
Oh.
Oh.
“I’m sorry, brave one—“ and the spell is broken, it’s just Roman again. Sweet, soft, gentle Roman who brushes warm fingers across his cheek— “I didn’t mean to scare you. Are you alright?”
Patton nods, clumsily chasing after the warmth of Roman’s hand. Roman lets him, cupping his face.
“Good,” he murmurs, “I…I didn’t want to frighten you, I just wanted you to understand why the question troubled me.”
“No, no, I, um…I get it.” He bumps Roman’s hand with his chin. “Thanks for explaining.”
Roman nods. “Are you…satisfied with that? I can try—“
“I don’t want to understand,” Patton blurts out, “not if…not if it means that.”
Something relaxes Roman’s shoulders and he smiles, rubbing Patton’s cheek with his thumb. “That’s good, sweet one, that’s…good.”
“Can I hug you?”
Roman smiles and opens his arms, letting Patton scoot closer and rest his head in the crook of Roman’s neck. Hands come up to circle him, a soft question murmured in his ear about whether or not it’s alright for Roman to groom his wings.
“Yeah. Just…be gentle?”
“I will never do anything but,” Roman promises as his fingers start to card—gently!—through his wings.
The soft touches do wonders to soothe the remaining tremors in Patton’s mind, melting the knots of tension away as he nestles deeper into Roman’s embrace. Roman’s breath fans warm across his neck, the heartbeat strong and steady against Patton��s own chest. He drifts there, lightly dozing in the warm sun as Roman carefully tends to his wings.
After a while, he realizes Roman’s hands have left his wings, returning to his back to hold him steady.
“Brave one,” he hears Roman whisper, “are you awake?”
Speaking is hard. He’s just about to rouse the energy to reply when Roman sighs softly.
“No, I suppose not.” His nose brushes Patton’s temple. “Sweet one, I hate scaring you, I didn’t mean to.”
You didn’t, he wants to say, I know it’s just you.
“I hate denying you too,” Roman continues, “even though I can’t risk losing you to that madness. Oh, my brave one, I couldn’t bear it. I know at some point you will have to leave me, but oh, my sweet little one, please, stay with me a while longer.”
The vulnerable shudder in Roman’s voice rouses a deep part of Patton’s chest and he manages to snuggle a little closer. Roman gasps softly, tightening his grip.
“Oh, my brave one, you’re precious. You precious, precious thing…” A hand runs carefully up and down his back. “How did I get so lucky?”
I’m the lucky one, Patton thinks, that you found me.
Roman’s hand stills. “Oh…oh, that’s a possibility.”
He tangles a hand at the nape of Patton’s neck.
“Perhaps…perhaps I could show you…I could make it safe for you to see…you wouldn’t see too much…but you might find your curiosity sated…oh, brave one, I’ll have to ask you when you wake up.”
Patton summons enough will to drag himself out of the floaty warmth and blinks blearily up at Roman. “Ask me what?”
Roman startles. “Brave one, how long have you been awake?”
“A while,” he admits sheepishly as Roman sighs and shakes his head.
“Well, I suppose there go my plans to surprise you.” He ruffles his hair. “I think I may have a solution to your question that won’t risk you falling into madness.”
Patton nods.
“Do you…well, I’m not sure if you do,” Roman starts, “but when you…first fell into my realm, I…caught you.”
“Caught me?”
“Yes. I had to make somewhere for you to stay, after all, and I needed to learn about you to know what to make. So I…made a temporary place to do that.”
“Okay…?”
“It…it is less of a bubble than this place,” Roman continues, gesturing around, “it is…more transparent.”
“Transparent?” Patton’s eyes widen. “You mean I’d—it’s closer to what you actually look like?”
“Think of it as a gateway point. A meeting place between your world and mine.”
“Would I be able to see you?” Patton nudges his head with his. “The real you?”
“A…closer approximation, yes.”
“And would this—would I—“
Roman shakes his head. “This would not risk you falling into madness, no. You would simply see me in another form that might align with your studies of Eldritch a little more.”
Patton nods. “Can we go now?”
“N-now?”
He frowns. “Is there…something wrong with going now?”
“N-no, I just,” Roman stutters, “you have, well, up until now, you’ve preferred to give yourself time before doing something new, especially something daunting and new.”
Patton sits up, pulling away enough to reach out and cup Roman’s face in his hands. “You’ve been good to me since catching me. If you think this will be safe, I want to go now.”
Roman looks at him a moment longer before something bittersweet crosses his expression and he reaches up to cover Patton’s hands with his own. “Never let it be said you didn’t make me powerless.”
Before Patton can ask what that means, Roman stands, drawing him up too.
“I need you to close your eyes and hold onto me, brave one.”
Patton does as bid, closing his eyes and letting Roman’s arms wrap around him.
“This might feel a bit weird,” Roman warns, “but don’t let go and don’t open your eyes until I tell you to.”
Patton nods and suddenly the world is folding. The air presses tightly around him and reality slides over them like water. Iron stings the air around him, the tips of his fingers going numb as everything becomes too much and not enough all at once. Roman stays close, still holding him, and he clutches him for all he’s worth.
“Alright, brave one,” Roman murmurs after another moment, “we’re through now.”
Patton opens his eyes and gasps.
They’re standing atop a circular plinth with glowing lines etched into its surface. Little streams and pulses run around the edges, almost as if they’re alive. The plinth isn’t…stone, per se, but something more solid. Immovable, irrevocable, almost as if it’s been made out of a Fact itself.
He looks up past Roman’s shoulder and stares into a purple-blue aether. It stretches as far as he can see, glittering golden threads woven together along invisible highways of what must be Eldritch power. Even if he squints, they stretch on and on into the abyss.
“Brave one,” Roman murmurs, his arms still around him, “are you alright?”
“…Roman, it’s beautiful,” Patton breathes, reaching out to feel the air, “it’s…oh my goodness.”
Roman blushes. “Is it?”
“Yes!” He turns around to tell him that directly, only to freeze. “Oh…”
In front of him is a massive being. It hovers near the plinth, but that’s not quite the right way to describe it. The plinth, while about as big as the main island Patton’s used to, is barely the size of one of the being’s eyes. It hangs there, suspended in the midst of the threads, pulsing gently. The diagrams of Eldritch he remembers pale in comparison to the real thing. Arms that must be millions of miles long, more of them than he could ever count…
And yet it looks peaceful as it hangs there, slowly pulsing. A few of its arms support the plinth, a few more wrapped around the golden threads, every so often tugging one or two. After a few seconds, little spots of light begin to glow from its massive head.
Patton steps forward, spellbound. “Is that…you?”
A stronger flicker of lights as the Roman next to him answers. “Yes, that’s me.”
“You’re incredible.”
Several lights glow at once, a few pink in color. “You…think so?”
“Oh, Roman, you’re—you’re—“
Patton tries to take a step forward but the lights flicker out as Roman grabs his elbow.
“Don’t get too close,” he warns, “I don’t—I am fairly certain I won’t hurt you, but I do not know for sure that I can’t.”
Patton nods, letting Roman pull him back to safety. He still can’t stop staring.
“Patton?” Roman tugs him again with a new urgency. “Patton, look away.”
Confused, Patton does, turning his head to see fear written plainly across Roman’s features. “What?”
“Oh, thank goodness,” Roman breathes, reaching to cup Patton’s face, “I worried you were stuck. That I’d…miscalculated.”
“No, no, I’m—I’m fine, you’re just—“ Patton can’t help looking back— “you’re stunning.”
The pink lights are back, flaring brighter.
“No…no way…” Patton grins. “Is that how Eldritch blush?”
More lights as Roman coughs awkwardly next to him.
“It is!” Patton squeals and turns to cup Roman’s face in his hands. “That’s adorable!”
“I don’t recall teasing you this much about blushing,” Roman mumbles, a bit petulant.
“Oh. Sorry.”
“It’s fine,” Roman says, taking Patton’s hands from his cheeks, “but I will tease you about blushing in the future.”
“That’s fair.” He looks back at the being. “Can you—why does it—you, sorry—“
“It’s alright, brave one.”
“Why do you look like you’re sleeping?”
“Most of my consciousness that I’m focusing on is here.” Roman gently squeezes Patton’s sides. “Focused on this form, this body. So I can interact with you.”
“Oh. So if you let this form go, would the rest of you wake up?”
“…yes, that’s correct.” Roman sighs when Patton turns to him with pleading eyes. “You want to see, don’t you?”
“Please?”
“A few things, then,” he murmurs, “I will not be able to speak to you while I am not inhabiting this form. I will not risk touching your mind.”
“Okay.”
“I will not open my eyes all the way. It will be enough to see you and enough for you to see me, but opening my eyes all the way could risk madness and I won’t do that.”
“Okay.”
“And if at any point, you want to return to your islands, strike the ground three times.” Roman crouches and pats the center of the plinth three times. “Like that. I’ll bring you back, just close your eyes and you’ll be safe.”
“Okay.”
Roman reaches out and pats his cheek one more time. “I’ll only be a moment.”
Patton’s eyes widen as Roman’s form begins to dissolve into threads. One moment he’s there, the next motes of glowing light emanate from where he stood, echoing around and around the plinth.
Behind him, there’s a low rumble.
He turns around and the being stirs, arms rippling and rippling as it begins to wake. Slowly, so slowly, its head raises until the eyes are level with the plinth, the sheer size of the being enough to make Patton’s breath catch in his throat.
Its eyes crack open and stare at him.
“Oh,” he breathes out, “oh, Roman, you’re—oh my god.”
Another rumble that sounds suspiciously like Roman’s chuckle as lights glimmer in the being’s head. The arms ripple lazily alongside the plinth as they look at each other.
Patton could happily stay here, just looking at this incredible being, seeing it move and thrum and listen to the soft tingle of the threads as it tugged them back and forth, but there’s another low rumble as Patton sinks to the ground.
“I’m okay,” he mumbles, eyes still fixed on Roman’s, “I just…I needed to sit.”
Lights run along the plinth.
“No, look—“ he averts his gaze— “see? I can look away and everything, I’m fine, I just…you’re really cool.”
The plinth under him thrums with another chuckle. He runs his hand along one of the grooves.
“Is this…also part of you? Or did you just make this?” He pauses. “Is that…is that different?”
Roman’s arms reach out and carefully fun along the edge of the plinth.
“Oh…I see. So it’s something you made separate from that body?”
Another rumble.
“This is so cool,” he mumbles, mostly to himself, “this is so…so cool.”
He looks up in time to see the lights glimmer again.
“Can you—can I hug you?”
The being pauses, before a few blue lights flicker near its eyes.
“Not while you’re like this,” he mumbles, “okay.”
The lights on the plinth flicker again and threads begin to weave themselves together. Before long, the Roman he’s used to stands in front of him again, reaching out to pull him into his arms.
“Sorry, brave one,” he murmurs into his hair, “but I…”
“You can’t make sure I’m safe, I know.”
“Not even from an Eldritch place. Humans can be so fragile, I don’t want to hurt you.”
Patton giggles, looking back up at the now-sleeping being. “I think I get what you mean a bit more now. Your eye is like…fifty of me.”
“At least,” Roman agrees. “Does this answer your question a little, brave one?”
Before Patton can respond, however, Roman’s head jerks up and he stares off into the distance.
“What is it?”
Roman doesn’t respond. Even the lights freeze. Then he’s cupping Patton’s hands.
“Remember what I told you,” he murmurs before he’s gone and the being is stirring again, its eyes fixed on the same spot.
Patton turns, heart in his throat, only to gasp when something stirs in the darkness.
Instinctively, he backs up, trying to get closer to Roman, inhaling so sharply it almost sounds like a scream as another huge thing looms in front of the plinth.
Roman rumbles behind him, loud enough to make Patton wince, only for green lights to glow from the other Eldritch’s head. Roman seems to settle behind him, leaving him dazed and confused. What’s happening? Is this bad? Does he need to leave?
The other being reaches an arm toward the plinth and threads begin to connect it. Lights flicker up and down its arms until another shape begins to form.
Patton squints. “…Remus?”
“Hello, little one,” Remus says, raising a tentacle and waving, “sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you.”
“No, it’s okay, I, um…just wasn’t expecting…another.”
Remus chuckles, glancing over his shoulder. “Roman is currently yelling at me about that, yes, I’m aware. I’m sorry for scaring your human, Roro.”
“Wait, you can hear him?”
Remus taps his temple. “We’re both Eldritch, little one, he doesn’t have to worry about going into my mind.”
“Oh.” He shuffles a bit. “Um, why are you here?”
“Oh, I felt Roro moving around for the first time in a while, so I figured I’d come and see what’s up.”
“You can…feel that?”
“Roro described us as brothers, right?”
“Yeah.”
“Yeah. We can…feel each other.”
“Is that how he knew you were coming?”
“Nah. We’re able to feel others getting close to us.” Remus pauses, his head turning slightly. “Yeah, yeah, I get that you’re trying to minimize the madness risk, I’m not explaining anything dangerous!”
“Is he still talking to you?”
A slightly sharper smile crosses Remus’s face as he looks at Roman floating by the plinth. “Yeah, and he’s really upset he can’t talk to you too.”
“Wait, what?”
“Oh, relax, Roro, I’m not gonna.”
“Gonna what?”
“Hey, hey,” Remus says, softer now, reaching out slow enough for Patton to pull away, “I’m just teasing Roman. I won’t hurt you and I won’t risk madness, okay?”
“Okay.”
Remus pauses, then chuckles. “He’s asking me to give you a hug for him.”
Patton steps forward and lets Remus wrap his arms around him. Roman rumbles and the plinth glows under their feet, thrumming slightly.
“This is really cool,” Patton mumbles into Remus’s shoulder, “like…really cool.”
Remus laughs. “I’m glad you think so, little one. Your wings look great.”
“Thanks.”
“I’m not flirting with your human, Roro, calm down.”
Patton giggles as the next rumble sounds a bit indignant.
“I’m not, I promise, I just—“
All sound stops.
Patton looks around, trying to figure out what’s going on, only for Roman to let out a low growl as Remus pushes Patton behind him.
“What’s going on?”
“The others are coming,” Remus mutters, “they want to know what we’re so interested in over here.”
Others. More of them. A slimy echo makes Patton’s heart clench. Remus squeezes his hand tightly.
“Should I go?”
“They’ll notice if we fold you out,” Remus mutters back, “Roman would keep you safe, but…they’d probably stick around to find out what’s going on.”
“So I should stay.”
Remus hesitates but Roman rumbles behind him. “Yeah…probably.”
Okay.
Okay.
Patton swallows and steels himself, lifting his chin and waiting behind Remus. Roman rumbles, lights flickering around his feet for a moment. He doesn’t need Remus to translate what that means.
I’ve got you.
“Roman said you two could move through each other’s realms because you’re brothers,” he mutters to Remus, “does that mean the others can’t?”
“No, but they can send bits of themselves.”
“Bits…like you?”
“Yeah.” Remus tenses as several tendrils of darkness reach for the plinth. “Like me.”
The tendrils reach the plinth. Patton’s heart is in his throat as the threads slowly begin to knit together.
The first one to materialize is…well, honestly, it kind of looks like one of his professors. The figure has on a dark suit with a blue tie and a pair of glasses. He steps forward and considers Patton, tilting his head.
“A human,” he murmurs and wow that’s a deep voice, “how interesting. A sacrifice?”
The second one has less of a defined shape, loosely contained in what looks like an approximation of a hoodie. He chuckles, shaking his head. “Come on, you know that’s not Princey’s style.”
Patton leans to whisper to Remus. “Princey?”
“Nickname for Roman,” he whispers back, “that’s Logan and Virgil, respectively.”
The third figure materializes and Patton’s eyes widen at the black suit, gold cane, and six arms.
“Oh, come now,” and oh, no, really not now gay panic, really not now, “surely he’s warmed up to the idea after all this eternity, no? This is a pretty one, too.”
Nope. No, thank you, gay panic, I would like my heart to stay in its assigned bodily cavity, no need for any of this.
The third one grins, light glinting off his teeth, as his eyes glow yellow.
“Come, little—“
Something reaches into the pit of Patton’s stomach, makes him step forward, no—
A blast of red energy makes the third figure flinch as Remus growls. Roman growls warningly behind him as the third figure stands up again.
“Ooh, protective, aren’t we?”
“Can you blame him,” Logan says softly, eyes still on Patton, “the human is fascinating.”
“Does it have a name? Do humans have names?” Virgil shudders a little on the plinth. “Roman, have you named it?”
“Patton,” Patton says, “my name is Patton.”
“It speaks,” the third figure says softly, raising a hand an extending it, “come, Patton.”
“Keep your paws off him, Janus,” Remus says lowly, “he’s not your property.”
Janus rolls his eyes. “He’s not yours either, Remus, and yet you’re the one acting like a guard dog. Why doesn’t Roman make one of these and come down himself?”
“Roman is ensuring he can kick us out at any time, Janus,” Virgil says.
“I know that.”
“Then why ask?”
“I was being sarcastic!”
Logan steps forward, his movements careful and controlled, a soft smile on his face. He stops as Roman thrums and Remus growls.
“My apologies for them,” he murmurs as Virgil and Janus continue to bicker, “they can be…a lot.”
“I’ll say,” Patton mumbles.
“It’s nice to meet you,” Logan continues, “I have not met a human in a long time.”
He holds out his hand.
Okay. Okay. He can do this. Patton takes a deep breath and steps around Remus, taking Logan’s hand.
It’s warm, solid.
“Remarkable,” Logan says quietly, cupping Patton’s hand in his, “you are remarkable.”
Gay panic, I’m going to need you to stop.
“And your wings,” Logan murmurs, “were you born with them?”
“Uh, no. I, um...” I would like my ability to speak back, thank you. “E-extra energy?”
“Ah, I see.” Logan smiles and tilts his head, a hand coming up to rest on his cheek. “Why are you blushing?”
Oh, dear. “I—um—well—I—“ Patton swallows. “This is the first time I’ve seen Roman like this and I didn’t know Remus was going to be here and now there’s…more of you.”
“Additional unexpected stimulus,” Logan says, “I understand.”
He glances at Virgil and Janus, still bickering.
“I apologize. This must be a lot for you.”
“…a little bit, yes.”
“I understand that you are very precious to Roman,” Logan says softly, “and to Remus, as well.”
“You’re damn right.”
“I can assure you that I will not harm you,” he says firmly, squeezing Patton’s hand again, “nor will I see it that any harm befall you here.”
“O-oh. Th-thank you.”
Logan bows his head in a deep nod. “I cannot promise, however, that the others will stop bickering.”
“Oi!”
“We heard that!”
Logan lifts an eyebrow as if to say ‘see?’ Patton giggles. Logan turns and gestures at the space between them.
“You both have shapes, use them.”
Virgil’s the first to shrug and make his way across the plinth. “Hey. Patton, right? I’m Virgil. Princey’s my…neighbor.”
“O-okay.”
“Haven’t seen a human in a while.” Virgil looks him up and down. “Cool. Wings yours too?”
“They are now, I think.”
“Cool.” Virgil glances over his shoulder. “Stop sulking and get over here.”
“I do not sulk,” Janus declares, walking over nonetheless, “and I do not appreciate the attempted character assassination.”
Patton waits, tensing a little as Roman pulses against the plinth. Janus stops in front of him, a smirk on his face.
“Why so red, little human?”
“Additional stimuli.”
“He’s not used to it.”
“You’re a dick.”
“Oh, for the love of—“ Janus rolls his eyes again. “You’re all useless.”
“Just say hi, Janus,” Logan groans, “stop trying to be dramatic. Roman’s on edge enough as it is.”
“Wonder why that could be.”
“Well, it’s—“
“Sarcasm. It’s sarcasm.”
Virgil winks at Patton as Janus shakes himself and offers a hand.
“Hi,” Patton says, offering his too, “it’s…nice to meet you.”
“Likewise.” Janus looks him over. “I can see why Roman is so protective of you.”
“Y-you can?”
A filthy smile and Patton would like to uninstall his gay panic, please, “oh, yes, my darling, I can.”
Roman rumbles in warning and Janus chuckles which is not helping.
“Oh, alright, I’m done.”
“You’d better be,” Remus growls, “this isn’t about you three.”
“Roman hasn’t moved in a while,” Logan says, “we were curious.”
“And now your curiosity has an answer. Shoo.”
Virgil rolls his eyes and tips Patton a lazy salute. “We’ll be back.”
“Not unless Roman invites you.”
“Not unless Roman invites us,” Logan agrees, taking both Virgil and Janus by the elbow and dragging them to the edge of the plinth, “it was excellent to meet you, Patton.”
Patton just waves bemusedly as the three of them dissolve. Roman settles behind him as Remus chuckles.
“I think you’re about to get answers to more questions you didn’t ask.”
“I think,” Patton says, staring after them, “I’m fine not asking any more for a little bit.”
“Good,” Roman’s voice says from behind him, “because I’m not inclined to share you with anyone else right now.”
“Hey, what about me!”
Remus gets his answer in the way Patton whirls around and throws himself into Roman’s arms.
He’s aware enough of Remus leaving and Roman folding them back to the islands, but he doesn’t look up from Roman’s chest when Roman says it’s alright.
“Brave one? Brave one, are you okay?” Roman’s hands flutter anxiously around his head. “Are you hurt at all?”
“No, no, ‘m fine. Jus’…”
He sighs and snuggles into Roman’s hold.
“Missed you.”
“Oh, brave one,” Roman murmurs, a kiss pressed to his forehead, “I missed you too.”
“Come cuddle with me?”
“For as long as you want, sweet one, as long as you want.”
General Taglist: @frxgprince@potereregina@reddstardust@gattonero17@iamhereforthegayshit@thefingergunsgirl@awkwardandanxiousfander@creative-lampd-liberties@djpurple3@winterswrandomness@sanders-sides-uncorrect-quotes@iminyourfandom@bullet-tothefeels@full-of-roman-angst-trash @ask-elsalvador @ramdomthingsfrommymind@demoniccheese83@pattonsandershugs @el-does-photography @princeanxious@firefinch-ember@fandomssaremysoul@im-an-anxious-wreck@crazy-multifandomfangirl @punk-academian-witch@enby-ralsei@unicornssunflowersandstuff@wildhorsewolf @thetruthaboutthesun @stubbornness-and-spite @princedarkandstormv @your-local-fookin-deadmeme @angels-and-dreams@averykedavra @a-ghostlight-for-roman @treasurechestininterweb @cricketanne @queerly-fluid-fan @compactdiscdraws@cecil-but-gayer@i-am-overly-complicated@annytheseal@alias290@tranquil-space-ninja @arxticandy @mychemically-imbalanced-romance @whyiask@crows-ace @emilythezeldafan@frida0043 @ieatspinalcords @snowyfires@cyanide-violence@oonagh2@xxpanic-at-the-everywherexx@rabbitsartcorner @percy-07734@triflingassailantofmyemotions @virgil-sanders-the-gay-emo@cerulean-watermelon@puffed-up-bees@meltheromanstan@joyrose-fandomer@insanitori@mavenmush@justablah65
If you want to be added/taken off the taglist, let me know!
35 notes
·
View notes