Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

The ghosts of the house were restless.

Patton couldn’t stop opening and closing the cupboards, trying to find something to cook before being reminded, again, by Logan that he can’t.

Logan was watching Roman, who was pacing back and forth across the living room floor, phantom creaks echoing as he hit squeaky flooring.

Janus was pulling at his gloves, caught in a loop of straightening his clothes, fixing his bow tie, tugging at his gloves, buttoning and unbuttoning his dark jacket.

Remus was cartwheeling through the air, the poltergeist more subdued than normal, though he buzzed with a frantic energy, whatever room he entered dropping ten degrees, dread radiating off him, though not from him.

Something was wrong, something was wrong, something was wrong!

Everyone froze at the door slamming open, then shut, the only living resident of the house arriving home.

And not in a good state, either. His shoulders were hunched, his breath seizing and gasping, tears flooding down his face as he crumpled on the couch, a ball of darkness in his purple patched hoodie.

Patton let out a sound of distress, swooping over to the kid on the couch, wrapping an arm around him, not that he could feel it, murmuring reassurances, not that he could hear them.

“I’m so s-stupid. S-such a w-waste, what’s even the point?” Janus inhaled sharply, something cold and hard settling into his stomach.

“No. you’re not, you’re not a waste, you’re amazing, your art is amazing.” Roman added, glancing at him as he stopped his pacing, unable to see anything of the person except their shaking shoulders.

He meant it, though. His art was amazing. His ball point pen drawings, his calligraphy incredible, his sketches amazing, he’d pored over them for hours, loved watching their living companion create them.

Suddenly, the human lurched to his feet, startling all of them. His face was pale and drawn, dark bags under his eyes, he hadn’t been sleeping well, they all knew it, he often stayed up until odd early morning hours. Sometimes, he didn’t get up for full days at a time. Sometimes he didn’t eat, didn’t shower, barely took care of himself at all. It made all of them worried. But they’d never seen him like this.

He was shaking, but he seemed determined, a dark kind of fierceness on his face as he made his way down the hall, opening the bathroom door, throwing open the cupboard doors.

“no. No, honey, no, don’t do this, please, please, don’t do this.” Patton, desperate, trying to shove the doors shut, but with the living being holding them open, his influence was barely a nudge as the person’s gaze flitted across the contents, landing on a bottle of pills, grabbing it decisively, turning on his heel and storming to his bedroom.

It was cold in there. Remus was rocking back and forth in a corner, his presence making the room freezing cold, not that the human seemed to notice. Poltergeists fed off fear and negativity, but it was overwhelming his senses, he was afraid.

They were all afraid of what that meant.

He sat on his bed. He looked at the bottle for a long, long, moment. The room held its collective figurative breath.

“don’t. Love, it isn’t worth it. Whatever it is, whatever’s happened, this isn’t worth it.” Janus murmured voice caught in his throat, Logan resting a hand on his shoulder.

“There’s nothing we can do.”

“Something, there has to be something! Logan, we cannot just let him do this! He doesn’t know, he doesn’t understand!” Roman, who was kneeling on the floor by Remus, trying to steady him.

“please Virgil. Come on, kiddo, come on, pull through.” Patton, who choked on his sobs, one hand covering his mouth as he shook, looking away as Virgil quickly downed half the bottle, before curling up on his bed, shivering and trembling.

“Oh, darling. I’m sorry. I’m so sorry.” Janus pulled Patton into a hug, feeling his own tears falling through Patton’s sniffles.

“We couldn’t stop it. But we will be there for him, when he wakes up. He will not be alone, Patton.” Logan added, his own voice shaking, not protesting as Roman pulled him down, into a hug with him and Remus, whom latched onto him tightly. His presence always seemed to calm the poltergeist the fastest, for some reason.

It wasn’t long, barely half an hour, when the human’s breathing ceased, his shaking stopped, his heart failed. Janus was sitting on the bed beside him, when it happened, a hand resting against his head, murmuring softly, hoping to bring some comfort to the human’s dying moments.

Sometimes, in those last few minutes, the veil was lifted. Sometimes the humans could hear them, see them. He hoped Virgil could. He hoped he could feel he wasn’t alone, wouldn’t be alone. He hung his head as he felt it end, taking in a shuddering breath that he didn’t need, a habit, more than anything else, filling his phantom lungs.

“It’s done.” He said, voice like a knolling bell, somberness once again filling the room in dark heaviness.

“It will take a while for his spirit to form. It could be anywhere from five minutes to a few days, depending on-“

“look.” Remus interrupted, his own voice shaky and small as he cut off Logan, who’s attention turned to the bed, and the dark, swirling cloud of shadow that was forming over it.

“Kiddo?” Patton asked, softly, as the shadows began to coalesce into a rough form. He reached out, but before he could do anything, the shadows swirled into a dark vortex, and fled out the door, vanishing deeper into the house.

Chapter Text

It was Janus who finally found him. They’d been searching the house for nearly a week, trying to find where the spirit had gone, knowing he wouldn’t have gone far, was probably discombobulated and confused and afraid. But there were so many places to hide, so many places for shadows to coil unnoticed, and not even Remus, who had the most free range of any of them, had caught hide nor hair of him.

He’d been wandering, tugging endlessly at his gloves, when something caught his attention. A small movement, a small sound, a small flicker of something in the darkness of the basement, a small shadow of movement behind the radiator.

“virgil?” He asked quietly, approaching slowly, trying not to scare the spirit with his presence. The shadow flickered darker, consolidating into a dark ball of void. He was having trouble maintaining a more physical form, not surprising, given how new he was to the astral plain of existence. “oh, darling. It’s alright, love. I’m here to help.” He murmured, crouching down a few feet from the radiator, not encroaching on the spirit’s space, trying to keep him from fleeing.

“Who… who are you?” The voice was echoing and strange, like several speaking at once, speaking in a thousand different whispers that echoed outwards in a chorus.

“My name is Janus Perkins. I died in 1925. My spirit decided to linger here. I was a singer. A performer of the gilded age. This is where I died, well, this property. This house wasn’t here then. It was apartments, then. They got torn down not long after my death, well, murder. It was rather high profile at the time, singing starlet, murdered by jealous lover. Tried to frame it as a suicide, but he wasn’t all that smart, and left a ton of evidence. Still can’t decide who’s stupider, him for killing me, or me for loving him in the first place.” He pulled at his gloves once more, making sure they covered the deep slashes across his wrists.

“oh. I’m… sorry.” He looked up sharply, Virgil’s voice coming out less echoing and more normal. His form had solidified somewhat, as well, the dark ball of void was gone, and now he was more of a solid, wavering shadow in the shape of his human form, though his details were still vague. He huffed, smiling smally.

“it’s alright. I’ve come to terms with it, now.”

“th-then why are you still h-here?” He paused at that question, thinking hard for a moment.

“I’ve pondered that myself for years, now. I suppose I’m just not ready to go. I don’t want to leave the others.”

“others?” The echo was back in Virgil’s voice, his form rippling slightly, fear destabilizing him, and Janus winced.

“yes. I… there’s five of us, total. We were all worried about you, darling. We… I’m sorry. Whatever made you choose this, I’m so sorry.” His voice cracked, and he was surprised as suddenly Virgil was in his arms, form solid, shadows just barely dancing around his edges.

“I j-just…I c-couldn’t… I couldn’t do it anymore… it a-all h-urt too much, I… no one c-ares anyway, no one… there’s no p-point…” He gathered Virgil into his arms, stroking his hair, Virgil’s face buried against him as he sobbed, clinging to his clothing.

“Oh, lovely. Oh darling, I know. You’re not alone, though. Not now. Not ever. We were trying so hard, so hard, to get you to hear us, to feel us. We always tried to support you, get through to you. We’re here for you, darling.” He cradled Virgil close, rocking gently as his sobs started calming.

“I’m n-not sorry. I sh-ould be sorry, I should r-regret it, I’m s-such a horrible p-erson, who d-doesn’t regret k-illing themselves?”

“Someone who was badly, deeply hurt. It doesn’t make you bad, it doesn’t make you evil or wrong. You still deserve kindness, you still deserve love, you still deserve support.” He broke a little, at the soft shake of Virgil’s head. “the others have been looking for you. We all have. We want to help you.”

“I’ll ruin it. I r-ruin everything. I d-don’t w-want to get inv-olved. I sh-ould just h-hide down h-here forever, r-rot away until e-veryone forgets I exist.”

“why don’t you let them be the judge of that? Let them decide whether you’re worth knowing or not.”

“they’ll leave. Everyone always does.” He sounded exhausted, and despite them being spirits and apparitions, they did still need rest. Moving and speaking still expended energy, though they didn’t sleep, really. More of a deep, trance like state. And the newest spirit’s fear and sorrow had drained him dry.

“I won’t. May I stay?” He asked softly, teasing a hand through Virgil’s hair once more. He felt Virgil shrug weakly. That was good enough for him. “alright, love. Take a rest. You need one.” He pressed a soft kiss to the top of Virgil’s head, feeling him melt against him as he slipped into sleep.

He took a deep breath in and out, before slipping them through the astral plain, back to their living room, in the spirit plain.

It was odd, how the space worked. It shifted, based on their needs, it overlaid the physical location of the house, but sat slightly to left of it, in the realm of reality. They could still feel and sense what was going on in the physical location of the house, were still attached to it, but it was easier to manifest in this space, possible to interact with it. They could summon things to be used, hence Roman’s own sketchbooks and drawings scattered on the living room coffee table. They more physical of beings here, it didn’t expend so much energy, being here.

Immediately, he settled on the couch, wrapping a blanket around the still shaking Virgil, resting his head atop his, relaxing slightly.

“Janus? Where-“ He shushed Roman quietly but aggressively, freezing as Virgil shifted against him, before settling back down.

“I found him. He’s resting at the moment, but…” he trailed off, looking up at Roman, a frown on his lips. “he’s so damaged, Roman.”

“he must be. To do what he did… he must be.” Roman replied softly, sitting down beside Janus, just barely able to see a tuft of hair sticking up from under the blankets.

“I wish we could have done something. I wish we could have stopped him. It feels so… useless, sweeping in after the fact. Like the world’s shittiest consolation prize. Oh, you’ve died, but you get all the support you could ever want, now that it’s too late.” His voice was sarcastic and bitter, and Roman sighed.

“I know. I know, Jan. But it’s something, at least… at least he has someone here, already.” Roman said, and Janus winced. He’d forgotten, Roman was the first to haunt the property. Not the first or only to die there, but the first to haunt it.

He’d died far away, miles away, fighting for the North, against slavery and oppression, despite originally being from the south. He’d always hated it there, hated coming from a rich family, hated that their wealth was built on the abuse and imprisonment and torture of a people, a culture. He’d done what he could for them, but it wasn’t near enough. So, when the war broke out, he fled North. He joined the union army. He fought for the people who had basically raised him, the nurses, the nannies, the maids, the harvesters, that died, were killed, were sold, he fought to his last breath to try and make right any ounce of the wrongs his family had committed.

And then his spirit had found its way back home. Where the same people who had been slaves were now being exploited as ‘workers’. Gods, he’d wreaked havoc on that old house. He’d had so much rage, it had exploded outwards, slamming doors, moving shadows, nightmares that crept into everyone’s minds, that’s what had drawn Remus there and eventually forced his family to flee the property, selling it cheap to whomever would buy it, because it was cursed.

Remus had taught him so much, about being a ghost, though he wasn’t actually a ghost himself. He wasn’t a human whom had died and lingered, he was a being formed from the chaos of the universe, a trickster spirit, of a kind, enjoying and reveling in the confused misery and chaos of others.

Remus had still taught him about being a ghost. How to reign in his anger, to let some of it go, to contain himself so he stopped being the roiling, raging ball of light he’d become and remembered that he’d once been human to begin with. He helped absorb some of his negativity, some of his darkness, helped even him out to sustainable levels. They’d become close, quickly. But it had been a few long, lonely decades, before Remus. He’d been alone. And it had very nearly drove him entirely mad. He’s not sure how Remus had dragged him back from the abyss he’d been teetering at the edge of, but he had, and he’d never stopped being grateful for it.

“Roman-“

“I know, Jan. It’s fine.” Roman’s smile was tight and forced, but the sincerity in his voice wasn’t.

Logan had died in a car crash, a professor in the 1950s. He hadn’t elaborated much more than that, had never found it necessary to. The details of his life were unimportant, now that he was dead.

And Patton…

Patton felt for Virgil more than anyone.

Because Patton had been a victim of suicide, as well.

Chapter Text

He was confused, when he woke up. He’d thought… he had, hadn’t he? So how… where?

He felt a hand carding through his hair, blearily blinking his eyes open, remembering vaguely a conversation, voices, someone holding him. He opened his eyes, flinching back as he met a stranger’s gaze, pulling in on himself, though he was relieved as they pulled back and let him have his space.

“it’s alright, darling. You’re safe, love. I’m Janus. Do you remember that?” Janus asked softly, once again afraid of spooking Virgil into fleeing.

“yes.” Came the so soft response, dark eyes looking at him warily, shadows flicking again at his edges, becoming a little less solid.

“that’s good. We’re in the astral plain. It’s easier to keep form here, easier to stay solid. It’s where we can recharge. It tends to take the form of the space it’s attached to, hence the house like form. It’s where we… abide, I suppose, when we aren’t in the physical realm. The others are leaving us alone, for now, they don’t want to scare you. I don’t want to scare you. You… remember, what happened?” He asked carefully.

“yeah. Took a bunch of pills, passed out, died.” He said it so casually, so emptily, it made Janus flinch. “kinda fuckin stupid, I did all that so I wouldn’t have to feel anymore, and here I am, still aware and having to deal with all of the stupid shit I tried to kill myself to stop.” There’s the bitterness, the self loathing, the self hatred that Janus was all too familiar with.

“oh lovely. I’m sorry. I’m sorry you hurt enough to do that. I’m sorry it didn’t fix anything, doing what you did. I’m sorry, love. I’m so… sorry.” He forced back his own tears at the swelling of sadness rising in his chest, Virgil refusing to look at him.

“yeah, well, not like it’s your fault. Should’ve known. Can’t do anything right, why would offing myself be any different?” He winced again, unable to fight against Virgil’s deep, ingrained, lack of worth.

“Virgil. You remember me saying there are others? Would… would you mind meeting them? Not all at once, not even all of them, just… just one. Just Patton.” He hurried, seeing Virgil’s form flickering more at the thought of meeting anyone else. After a long moment, he managed to pull himself together, shadows flickering less.

“okay.” Janus let himself relax just a tad as he nodded, calling to Patton.

“Janus? Is he…” Patton trailed off as he caught sight of Virgil, curled knees to chest, in the corner of the room, shadows radiating off of him like dark wisps of smoke. “oh. Hello, there. I’m Patton Cartwright. I… died in 2000. I took my own life.” Virgil solidified at that, looking hard at him.

“why?” He sighed softly, looking down at the floor, fiddling with his cardigan.

“I didn’t think there was anything left for me. I’d been married. I’d had a daughter. A wife. They were my world, my everything. We were so… happy. And then… they were killed. Drunk driver. She was on their way home from picking Daisy up from school. She was only ten.” He choked on his words, it still hurt, gods, it hurt. “I couldn’t recover. I couldn’t function. I just… I couldn’t go on without them. Everything was gray, the world was numb and cold and there was nothing that could pull me up out of my depression.”

“do you regret it?” Virgil asked, and he frowned, looking up, meeting his dark eyes.

“yes. I know now there were other people who cared about me. I know now I could have recovered, given time, I know I could have someday moved on, someday, maybe started another family, maybe found love again. But at the time it just seemed… impossible.”

“I don’t. Regret it. I don’t. There really is no one. I didn’t have a family, I didn’t have friends, I didn’t have anyone. Then the only person who ever loved me said I was toxic and useless even though I’d given everything I was to them, over and over, I gave everything I was to them. I didn’t matter. I don’t. I was just so… tired.” Virgil whispered, burying his head against his knees. “he said he was sick of me, disgusted by me. He said if I was going to be such a sniveling mess, then there was no point in me sticking around anymore. He was done loving me, because he was done pitying me, and if I couldn’t pull my shit together for one single second, I may as well kill myself. so I did.”

“oh, baby. That sounds like abuse.” Virgil shook his head, shoulders shaking.

“it wasn’t. he never hit me. Never touched me, like that. And he w-was right. I sh-shouldn’t have been such a b-urden, I should have been able to p-pull myself together for just once, and I couldn’t even do that. He was right. I’m not worth the trouble.” He was losing form, swirling into shadows once more, they were losing him.

“virgil. It doesn’t have to be physical, to be abuse. Making you feel worthless, making you believe he was the only one who could support you, making you completely dependent on him, speaking to you that way, that is abuse.” Patton, who was trying to close the distance, trying to reach out to calm him.

“N-n-no. He w-was so g-good. I w-was the pr-oblem. I rui-ned it. I-“ His form broke, dissolving into a blurry ball of shadow, dark sparks flying off of it, as his emotion swelled.

“Virgil, please-“ He was so close. So close, to reaching him, getting through to him, he could feel it.

“NO!” The voice echoed, a chorus of no’s, a deep shaking sound that mirrored a thunderclap, and then Virgil twisted in on himself and vanished, somewhere back onto the physical plain. Patton’s hands closed on empty air, falling forward to his knees with a soft sob.

Instantly, Janus was there, catching him in his arms.

“I’m sorry. I failed, i… he ran. You had him safe, and I made him run.”

“Nonsense, Pat. It’s not your fault. He was overwhelmed. But you did a good job. You let him know he wasn’t alone. You gave him the information he needs right now. He just needs time.” Janus replied, hugging Patton tight. “He knows this is a safe space. He’ll be able to find his way back, when he’s ready. In the meantime, we just have to be there for him, when we can.” Patton let out another soft sob, holding tighter to him.

It was times like this, Janus remembered that Patton had previously been the newest member of their ghostly brigade. The events were still fresh in his mind, still stung like it was yesterday, still filled him with sorrow and regret and still, somehow, Patton was the kindest soul any of them had ever met. It baffled Janus, really, just how good Patton was. If anyone could get through to Virgil, it would be him.

“thank you, jan.” Patton whispered, and Janus let out a crooked smile.

“my pleasure, love.”

Chapter Text

It was Roman, who had the next encounter with the newest ghost. He was drawing in the living room, when he heard a soft noise, a soft whoosh, the sound that usually accompanied one of them entering the space. He didn’t think anything of it, assuming it was just Logan, who tended to be quiet, or Remus, trying to sneak up on and startle him.

After a moment of no other noise, he turned around, brow creasing as he saw no one there. He shrugged and went back to his drawing, only stopping when he heard another small sound, and he froze, catching a flicker of shadow out of the corner of his eye, from behind the couch.

“Virgil?” He asked softly, careful not to turn his head, not to look directly at his hiding place, the shadows sparking slightly faster at his words. “Hey, hey, it’s ok. I’ll stop talking to you, I didn’t mean to scare you.” The shadows started to calm, and he could see his outline slowly stabilizing. He went back to drawing, letting the silence linger, letting them both settle, before he grabbed a pen and piece of paper, and slid it backwards, under the couch to the edge of the wall. “I know you like to draw. I always loved watching you. You made amazing things, Virgil.” He said gently, kindly, trying to convey all the warmth and empathy he felt for him in those simple words, wishing he could reach out to him. But that would only make him run.

Instead he turned his attention back to his own drawing, those his ears were attuned to behind the couch, smiling slightly as he heard the tell tale scratch of pen against paper.

It was hours later, when he felt something hit his leg. He looked down, seeing the pen and paper, hearing whoosh of Virgil vanishing as he picked up the ink drawing, if he had any breath, it would have been taken away. It was a portrait, of himself, his face drawn and serious, his cavalry sabre drawn and pointed skyward, eyes reflected in its sheen. He pressed it to his chest, smile tugging at his lips. Quickly, he scribbled a small thank you, and tucked it back behind the couch. Hopefully, Virgil would find it there, the next time he popped in. The drawing now hung front and center above the desk in his room.

Their astral space had shifted to accommodate a new ghost, of course. They did all still like a little privacy, a quiet space to call their own, to decorate with items summoned from memory, or copies of things that resided in the actual physical space of the house that they’d interacted with or seen, and their abode reflected that, creating rooms for each of them. A sixth now lined the hallway.

The change was slow, at first, but by the next week, it was plain to see. The door was darkening, changing, a deep violet color creeping up the previously plain paint. It could only mean one thing, and that was that Virgil was actually using it, spending time in there, the space being influenced by his presence.

But he still hadn’t come out. He refused to respond to them, no matter who it was at the door. Janus’s gentle words, Patton’s soft kindness, Roman’s stubborn talkativeness, Logan’s calm tone, did nothing to coax him out of the room. Sometimes, they heard him moving inside, heard him sniffling or crying, and it broke Patton’s heart.

Virgil had been so young, just twenty, he’d had his whole life ahead of him, and one person had made him so sure he was an utter waste that he was convinced he’d done the best thing by dying. All he wanted was to hold Virgil in his arms, comfort the poor boy, his paternal instincts were kicked into overdrive and it was driving everyone, including himself, mad. It certainly didn’t help the tense worry that had settled over their odd little household.
…

Virgil was curled in the corner of what he supposed was ‘his room’, now. It was dark, deep shadows cloaking every corner of the space, walls a deep violet that was nearly black, ceiling unviewable through the cloudy smog that hovered up there constantly. A bed had formed against one wall, and he was wrapped in the thick purple black plaid comforter.

Janus was right. It was easier to hold his form in this space, the astral plain, he’d called it. Whenever he did slip back to the physical plain, he turned into a pulsing orb of darkness, which was weird, and definitely would take some getting used to. It didn’t feel… bad. Just different. It was like his mind and thoughts and consciousness were all that he was, like he could see 360 degrees, everything around him all at once, but it wasn’t disorienting or overwhelming, like he would’ve thought. It was like his mind was in overdrive, processing everything, and he couldn’t focus on forming his limbs, making himself any kind of presentable. Not that he cared. Was easier to hide, keep out of the way, as a blob of shadow, anyways.

It was quiet outside his door right now. They must have given up, for the moment. Hopefully for good. He wished they’d just stop trying. He didn’t deserve their care and attention, he wished they’d stop wasting their time and effort on him.

His body was gone. He didn’t know by who or how it had been found. He’d probably been missing long enough He had called the police, or come looking, he hadn’t cared to check. He’d heard the disturbance, felt it, but he ignored it. It didn’t matter. They could throw his body in the dump for all he cared, it wasn’t like it meant anything, anymore.

Not like anyone would come to his funeral, anyway. His family was all dead. He didn’t have a job. When he was in school he’d worked a few part time ones, but his anxiety kept getting him let go. And when he was with Him, he wouldn’t let him get one. Didn’t want him screwing up and having it all come back on Him. Of course, He’d also always complained about how little he contributed to their relationship, then got angry when he brought up the job thing, so he’d just stopped mentioning it, after a while.

Just another proof of his cowardess.

“Watcha doin?” He hissed, jumping five inches in the air, form wavering for a moment at the spike in fear, nearly slipping back to the physical plain from the startle. After a moment, he stabilized, glaring up at the ghost hovering upside down in the air, walking along the foggy clouds of the ceiling, green eyes aglow.

“Which one are you?” He asked, and the ghost tsked.

“Nuh uh, I asked you a question first, my miasmic musketeer.” He ran a hand through his hair in frustration, tugging on the ends.

“Question for a question? Fine. But I reserve the right to pass on anything.”

“Fine, but if you pass, I get a free pass on whatever question I want. Now spill it! Watcha doin? Cause it looks a loooot like moping.” He spluttered at that, scowling.

“I’m not moping. I’m just… thinking. Now, who are you? I haven’t heard your voice through the door.”

“Remus is what I go by. Don’t remember why I chose it. Probably just liked the sound.” Remus shrugged, slowly cartwheeling through the air. “Why haven’t you opened the door?”

“Pass.” Virgil choked out, shadows sparking off his edges.

“Boo, already? You’re no fun.” Remus pouted.

“How’d you get in here? I thought no one could get in.” Remus shrugged.

“They can’t. I can go wherever I want. And I wanted to see what you’d done with the place, so I came in.”

“Wait, why can you-”

“Uh, uh, uh, not your turn!” Remus sing songed, and Virgil groaned, sinking further into his blanket. “Now, why won’t you go meet the rest of them?” Virgil’s eyes flickered, voice echoing as he answered.

“Pass. Why can you get in here and they can’t?”

“They’re ghosts. I’m a poltergeist.” Virgil’s brow furrowed, and he opened his mouth to ask a question, surprised as with a flick of Remus’s wrist, his jaw clicked shut, stuck that way.

“You are terrible at following the rules. Logan would like you, all those curious questions rattling around. He knows all about ghosts and poltergeists, if you’d talk to him, he could answer all your questions. Wouldn’t even make it a game. So. Why won’t you talk to him?” Virgil glowered for a moment, before Remus grinned, teeth sharp and eyes swirling, as he flicked his wrist once more, unclenching Virgil’s jaw.

“Don’t do that again.” He growled, Remus’s smile growing. “and what do you care, whether I speak to them or not?” He asked, barely containing the whispering chorus behind his words.

“I don’t, really. But it’s no fun playing by myself, and they’re all too torn up about you to pay any attention to me. I’ve made the walls bleed, ooze sticky black ichor, tentacles come out of the toilet bowl, flies hatch out of the floors, and nothing! Not a single scream, or scolding, or lecture, or anything! Do you know how frustrating that is? These things take time, people, is too much to ask for a little acknowledgement?!” Remus bemoaned, landing on the floor, angry scowl on his face. “And it’s all because you won’t stop sulking.”

“Well I’m sorry I don’t feel up to socializing at their pity party for me, I don’t want their attention, and the sooner they get that and give up, the sooner everything can go back to normal for you!” They both paused as they heard a noise outside the door, likely Logan, based on the quiet hum of thought and sound of page turning. Virgil yelped as Remus’s eyes glowed, and he found his body moving without his permission.

“What are you doing?” he hissed, feeling like a clumsy marionette.

“If you won’t open the door, then I’m opening it for you.” He sucked in a breath as he took a stumbling step forwards, fighting the control.

“Remus. Stop.” He gritted out, feeling dizzy.

“Ummmm, let me think about it. No. Unless…”

“Unless what?”

“Unless you give me a good reason why.” He growled, trying to spin back around to face Remus, only succeeding in forcing himself to a standstill, his anger countering Remus’s power, his shadows finally exploding outward in rage after a long moment of silent battle as he rounded on Remus, sparks flying off him, his form growing and shifting, becoming a void of light as he glared, bared his teeth, growls and hisses and distant distorted screams echoing from deep in the growing shadows.

“I don’t need a good reason. I don’t need to justify myself to you. I don’t need to justify myself to them. I don’t need their pity. I don’t need their care. I don’t want it. I don’t deserve it. So if you could tell them all to shut up and leave me alone, that would be great!” Virgil screamed, a thousand voices bouncing off the walls, the noise overwhelming, deafening, the growls turning to roars.

Not much could overwhelm Remus. Not much had the power to. But the darkness that swept him up, consumed him in twisting, fracturing nothingness, the endless noise so loud it was silent, the empty, swirling void of dread that filled his stomach, clouded his mind, sunk into his soul, scared him, and with the force of a hurricane, he let the dark tide carry him, spit him out, hearing a yelp from Logan as the door slammed open, the tide smashing Remus against the wall before retreating, retracting, vanishing back underneath Virgil’s skin, his form solid despite the fear and anguish rolling off him, strong enough it made Remus shudder and Logan recoil.

“what’s wrong, Remus? Am I scaring you?” Virgil asked, voice a duet of deep bass and high keening, darkness swirling just below his paper pale skin, his eyes dark voids of emptiness, head tilted to the side, a dark smile on his lips as he stepped forwards, tilting Remus’s chin up from where he had slumped against the wall. “Can’t take what you dish out?” Remus shuddered again at the wash of desperate fear that clouded his mind, transferred from Virgil to him.

It set his mind aflame. It burned him up from the inside out, images and thoughts flashing through his mind so fast he could barely keep up with them. Fears, he realized. His fears. Roman, bayonet through his stomach, gurgling on his own blood as he slowly drowned on dry land. Janus, hands wrapped around his throat, crushing it, breaking it, until his airway collapsed and his eyes closed, lips turned blue. Logan, neck bent at an unnatural angle, eyes open and glassy, a trickle of blood escaping the corner of his mouth, body twisted and bruised and bleeding. Patton, his spirit slowly breaking, his heart cracked in two as his life faded into grays, colors draining out of his life, phantom laughter of a little girl echoing in the emptiness, cold emptiness beside him in a too large bed, until it devoured him completely and he took the pills, gave in to the darkness, clutching a family photo to his chest.

“please. Virgil, stop. Please.” His voice was hoarse. He wasn’t sure if he’d been screaming or not, but it certainly felt like he had, gasping as Virgil’s hand drew back as if burned, tears tracking down Virgil’s face, mouth opening and closing several times, before he staggered backwards, clutching at his own head, shaking it vehemently.

“you wanted to know why I wouldn’t open the door.” Virgil choked out, shaking as his eyes returned to their normal dark violet, arms wrapping around himself as the roaring, raging shadows vanished back to the corners of his room. He felt about two seconds away from collapsing, dizzy and weak, trembling from the tips of his toes to the top of his head. “well, now you know. I’m just… just a monster. Just… just stay away. It’s safer for everyone. Just leave me alone.” He near begged, feeling sick, at what he’d just done, what he’d made Remus see, what he’d seen from Remus, it was stuck on repeat in his mind, stuck on a loop, and his not necessary breathing hitched in response to the panic creeping up his spine. “I’m sorry.” He whispered, slamming the door closed, collapsing onto his bed, weakly managing to summon the comforter to him from where it had been discarded on the floor, curling into a tight ball underneath it, too numb and drained and dizzy to do anything else.

Silent tears slipped down his face as he closed his eyes, dread haunting his every moment as the shadows of the room descended upon him, wrapping him in their cold embrace, purposefully drawing them to him so they wouldn’t slip under the door and go torment the others. He wouldn’t let them do that. They didn’t deserve to deal with his bullshit, if he was going to be the monster, the villain, the bad guy, he was going to be his own worst enemy. He was not going to hurt the others, not even Remus, not ever again.

Chapter Text

“Well, that coulda gone better.” Remus gasped out, trying to hide his shaking hands behind his back.

“What in the name of the universe did you do, Remus?” Logan asked, clearly shaken. Remus shrugged, smile trembling, eyes tired.

“I pushed him. Wanted to see what would happen. What was going on behind those deep, dark balls of gelatin in his eyeholes. Didn’t expect… that.” He muttered, flushing slightly as Logan hesitantly reached out, resting a hand on his.

“are you ok?” Remus hesitated, taking a moment to catalogue himself. The fear was already fading out, it was more the images that still flickered behind his eyes.

“Think so. Just gave me quite a good… scare.” He said, lingering on the last word. It felt odd, on his tongue. He couldn’t remember the last time someone had really truly scared him. Only Virgil, it seemed, could shake him to his core, and it was maddening that he couldn’t predict it.

“It hurt. He’s hurting. I… there was so much buildup. That kind of power doesn’t come out of nowhere, Lo. His negativity is spiraling. Growing. Someone needs to get through to him, or he’s going to be completely consumed by his own darkness. He’ll turn into a shade or a shadow person, he’ll be completely lost.” Logan’s eyes widened and his face paled.

“We need to speak to Patton and Roman immediately. We need to make a plan, we need to figure something out, we need-“

“Easy, teach. If you start panicking, everyone’ll start panicking, and that’ll make me lose what little self control I have, and no wants to be a part of that shit show.” A small smile slipped across Logan’s face as he rolled his eyes, getting to his feet before reaching a hand out to help pull Remus up. Instead, Remus took his hand, and pulled Logan back down, vanishing in a swirl of neon green and midnight blue, reappearing moments later in the living room.

“remus.” Logan said, scoldingly.

“What? It was faster, wasn’t it?” The poltergeist replied, idly bending his fingers so they laid flat against the back of his hands, before popping them back into their sockets. “Soldier boy, Daddio, JayJay, get your asses up here!” Remus yelled, and Logan rolled his eyes, sitting down in a chair, hands steepled as he thought.

“Remus, we’ve talked about the swearing.” Patton scolded, appearing on the couch, a slight frown on his face.

“Oh yes, because he always follows instructions so well.” Janus drawled, appearing a moment later, tugging at his gloves.

“It’s so much more fun to be surprising!” Remus exclaimed, bouncing on the balls of his feet, face flickering for a moment to reveal bone and muscle, dark blood and viscera. Patton shuddered, saved by Roman appearing between them, raising an eyebrow. Remus backed off quickly, scowling.

“Is it? The last surprise you got was less than pleasant.” Logan chimed in, Remus’s scowl deepening as he stalked across the room, climbing up the wall like a spider, extra tentacles emerging from his back and latching onto the ceiling, forming a swinging seat beneath him as he kicked his legs.

“Please don’t stain anything with your ectoplasm, it’s an absolute nightmare to get rid of.” Janus said, watching him idly swing, noting the strange green aura starting to swirl around him.

“What surprise? What’s wrong?” Patton asked, easily picking up on the tension radiating off of Remus, the soft fear from Logan, who hesitated.

“It’s Virgil.” Logan said quietly.

“Did he come out? Did he talk to you?” Roman asked, gaze flicking between Logan and Remus.

“Yes… and no… “
…

It was dark. It was so, so dark. And cold. So cold it burned. He was curled in on himself, swirling and sparking, folding and crashing like waves against the shore, thunder through his soul, he was falling apart, shattering into pieces, the dark eroding him piece by piece.

“Worthless.

Stupid.

Idiot.

Why do you care? Why should you? Just give in. Just let us take control. Just let us help.” The shadows whispered, circling him like panthers, fangs bared and claws sharp, ready to tear him to shreds.

“N-no. Y-you’ll hurt th-em.” He whispered, voice shaking.

“you already have. We can’t possibly do worse than you. Think about it. You pushed them all out. You hurt Remus. You scared Logan. Patton and Janus think you’re pathetic, and Roman just wants you gone. You don’t want this either. Just let us take control. You never have to feel. Never again. Don’t you want that, sweetheart?” He flinched at the soft caress of his cheek, so possessive, that term of endearment, the one He always used.

“don’t-“ He hissed at the sharp slap of his cheek, the shadows coalescing into His form, His face, leering down at him with disgust and disappointment.

“You don’t tell me what to do, Sweetheart. You’re mine. If you weren’t so stupid, maybe we wouldn’t need to have this conversation again.”

“Not him. You’re not… not real…” He gasped, frozen in place with fear as He leaned in, gripping his chin.

“I’m as real as you make me, Virgil. I have as much power as you feed me. And right now? I’m realer than you.” He whispered in Virgil’s ear, who shuddered at the cold grip on his chin, forcing him to look up into those voids of eyes. “let. Me. In.” Well. He’d never been able to refuse, had he?

He was weak, always had been. He’d never been able to say no. He never had. Because He was right. Always, always, right, and if Virgil had just been better, been good, maybe He wouldn’t have needed to remind him so often of his shortcomings. Of how much a failure he really was. The fingers gripped his chin tighter.

“Say. Yes. This will all be over.” He could feel the tears rolling down his face, even as he knew he couldn’t fight this. Wouldn’t fight this. So he opened his mouth to say yes.

“Get away from him, you fiend!” Instantly, the shadow was ripped away from him, numb surprise sparking through him for just at moment at Roman, sword drawn, stance determined, facing down the now swirling, rippling, monster of darkness.

“You’re nothing, compared to me. You think you can stand against me?” The shadows growled, their voice a screaming, howling wind storm.

“You aren’t real. You’re his fears come to life. You’re the reason he died. You’re the one who’s worthless.” Logan, stepping beside him, voice scathing, and the shadows howled louder, though they shrank just a tad.

“Kiddo.” He blinked, Patton stepping in front of him, obscuring his view of the room. “Kiddo, can you hear me?” He nodded, eyes trying to look past Patton, trying to see further into the maelstrom that was becoming his room. He could hear them whispering in his ear, still, the chorus of useless, worthless, waste, echoing in his ears.

“No. Listen to me darling. Not that thing, over there, to me. You need to come with us. You need to get out of here.” Janus, running a hand down his arm, just barely touching him enough he could feel it. “You can’t let the dark win, Virgil. Not again. It already stole your life. Don’t let it take you entirely.”

“I c-can’t. I-“ His fear spiked, and he heard Roman’s sword spark, go flying, Logan yelp, be thrown backwards, then the monstrous shadows were hovering over him, clawed hands biting into his shoulders, too many toothed mouth gaping open in a twisted grin.

“Miiiine.” It hissed, and Virgil gasped, ice flooding through him, vision blurring and fuzzing, mind going hazy, freezing over. “He’s mine. He made me. He built me. He is mine.”

“-il. Ki… ease…” the words barely slipped through the cotton filling his ears, the numbness filling his head. He knew more words were being spoken, but he couldn’t hear them.

He looked up sharply at the short gasps of pain. The monster held Patton and Janus in writhing tentacles of shadow, their ethereal forms flickering and fading. Logan was slumped against one of the bedposts, looking dazed, another tentacle around his ankle, another was wrapped around Roman’s wrists, pinning him against the wall, though he still snarled, fighting the grip.

“Virgil! Stop this!” Roman called, catching his eye, and he shook his head.

“I can’t… I c-can’t! I-I-I-“ He stuttered, voice cracking, terror making the beast grow bigger.

“kiddo. You can. You’re so… brave, sweetheart. So brave.”

That’s what broke him.

Patton. Calling him sweetheart. So different, from His cold, cruel voice. So warm, and loving and kind, even now, even in pain and with him being the one causing it, Patton was calling him brave, calling him…

Calling him…

Sweetheart.

It was like all the air was sucked out of the room. Like the calm before the storm. Like the eye of the hurricane. Then Virgil screamed.

Loud, piercing, glass breaking, light bending, earth shattering, gut wrenching, scream.

And the shadows recoiled, the sound breaking it apart, hissing and wailing and fighting, but the scream pierced it to its core and with a final hissing scream to rival Virgil’s own, it dissipated into thin air.

And Virgil crashed to the ground.

Chapter Text

He slipped into awareness slowly. He was warm, comfortable, he felt… safe. The ever present haze of dread and fear and exhaustion was gone. He could hear voices, speaking, but he couldn’t make out the words. He realized he was hearing them through a door, and managed to crack open his eyes.

A room. Not his. A bed. Also not his. The blanket was a soft baby blue color, fluffy and warm. The walls were a light cream, the ceiling painted with clouds that seemed to move slowly across it, and the whole space gave off an aura of soothing calm. He sat up, pulling the blanket tight around his shoulders, wondering if he should get up, when the door opened.

He flinched at the noise, curling in on himself, tense as he heard footsteps across the floor, recoiling slightly at a touch of his shoulders.

“I’m sorry.” He whispered, feeling himself shaking. “I t-told you to stay a-away. I’m sorry I-“

“Shhh. It’s okay, baby.”

“It’s not! It’s not. I j-just want it to end, why can’t it just end? Why…” he trailed off, feeling Patton shift closer, wrapping an arm around his shoulder, which he let stay, leaning slightly into it.

“Because some part of you wants to keep going. Some part of you wants to believe in yourself. I’m so proud of you, kiddo. I know it was hard, to stop that darkness. But you did, and I’m so proud.”

“What was that? Th-that th-thing? It w-was me, w-wasn’t it? I’m J-just a m-monster.”

“No. Honey, no, you aren’t a monster. The people who made that darkness, who fed it, who nurtured it until you believed every word it said, they are the monsters. Not you. Everyone’s ok. Everyone’s alright. We just… we need to work on some things, so that doesn’t happen again.”

“what would have happened? If I h-had let it, what would it have done?” Patton hesitated, and Virgil looked up at him, dark eyes burning with something almost akin to pain. “please. I need to know. I… need to understand, I don’t know anything about this, b-being this, and I c-can’t...”

“Ok. Logan might be better at explaining this, but I’ll try. So, there are different types of spirits. We’re ghosts. We’re human souls that, for some reason or another, haven’t moved on. We’re sentient and, with effort, can influence the physical world. Remus is a poltergeist. He’s not human, never has been. He’s a result of wild energies all swirling together, a manifestation of the universe’s chaos come to life. He can influence things in the physical world more easily, and isn’t bound to this location. He can go wherever he likes. There are also ghosts that appear on a schedule, same routine every time they appear. A woman walking down the stairs, vanishing around a corner at the stroke of ten, that kind of thing. Those are memories, impressions made on a space by some kind of high impact event. They aren’t sentient or aware, it’s just like watching a home video, a snapshot of a different time. Then… then there are corrupted souls.” Virgil was uncurling slightly, looking at him curiously now, listening intently.

“Corrupted souls?”

“Darkness takes over. They lose who they are. All they know is that they’re hurt and angry and someone needs to pay for it. It doesn’t matter who. They can drain the energy of other ghosts, effectively erasing their existences, they grow uncontrollably, destroying everything in their paths, until they burn themselves out. Usually, it takes years, decades, even, for a spirit to become so lost, to give themselves over to that darkness completely. And usually only then when they don’t have any other spirits around to keep them company. It’s when they start going mad from being alone for so long. But you… we were seconds away from losing you to it, kiddo. That’s what has us scared. That you already had so much of that darkness instilled in you.” Virgil shuddered, pulling away, wrapping the blanket tighter around himself

“I was doing that, to you. T-to all of you. Wasn’t I? Draining you all. I almost… I could’ve…” panic climbed his throat, choking him once more, and he could barely hold himself together.

“But you didn’t. That’s what matters, kiddo. You didn’t let it. Coming back from that, stopping that, is incredibly hard, but you did. You did, and that’s all that matters.” Virgil shook his head, shoving back his hair.

“what if it happens again? What… what if I can’t stop it?” He whispered.

“that’s not gonna happen. But you have to let us in, Virgil. You have to let us help, and be there for you, ok? That’s all I want. Is to be able to be there for you.” Patton held his nonexistent breath, pleading, praying, begging for Virgil to say yes, to let him help, because otherwise…
Otherwise they would lose him. Sooner or later, they would lose him.

“please?” he asked again, quietly, watching as Virgil slowly nodded.

“ok.” Then Virgil folded against him with a soft wail, and Patton embraced him, rocking him softly until he cried himself out, falling back asleep.

…
He felt more… himself, when he woke up next. The panic and fear were gone, his chest loose and not tangled up in knots. He felt… almost relaxed. He couldn’t remember the last time he felt any kind of unstressed or untensed.

He realized part of that might be because he could feel someone massaging his scalp, a kind of gentle touch he hadn’t felt in years, the kind he could barely remember feeling at all. It made him want to fall back asleep, to stay here in this warm, soft, bliss.

“mmm… Patton?” He murmured sleepily, blinking his eyes open. Usually, this much touch would make him afraid, set him on edge, but it felt… safe, coming from Patton, who was curled around him like a mother cat with her kitten.

“Hey, kiddo. Feeling better?” Patton asked, not stopping his gentle scritching.

“yeah. I… I think so.” He mumbled, moving to sit up, pulling away from Patton a bit, pulling his knees to his chest, biting his lip.

“That’s good. I want to talk to you, about something. But I don’t want you to get upset, and run away again.” Virgil tensed, but didn’t move, shaking as he pushed back his hair. “Virgil. It’s nothing bad, nothing to do with you. It’s… you remember, what I said that made you run, when Janus found you?” He asked softly, Virgil wincing, curling a bit tighter.

“yeah.” He mumbled, not offering more, refusing to look up at Patton.

“Did you ever tell Him no?” That was not the question he was expecting, and he chewed on his lip. He didn’t know where Patton was taking this, just thinking about Him made him shake, but he somehow knew this was important.

“no. I never… I never could. He did so much for me. I had to, I… I owed him!” Patton hummed, nodding, not disagreeing.

“Okay. Did he ever tell you no?” He furrowed his brows, thinking.

“Well… yeah. I always asked for too much. I didn’t contribute, so I didn’t get a say, and that was… was fine, I guess.”

“Did he ever tell you yes?” Patton continued, forcing him to answer without any room for obfuscation.

“no.” He whispered.

“Okay. Did he let you go out with friends? Did he let you go out alone?”

“N-no. But that was to protect me. I’m always afraid, of getting jumped or something. He always wanted to know where I was, that I was safe.”

“Would he get mad, if he didn’t know?”

“yeah.”

“Did you know where he was, all of the time? Were you allowed to ask what he was doing, who he was with, who he was seeing, where he was spending time, anything at all?” Virgil hesitated again, clearly thinking, and Patton was hoping, praying this nonconfrontational approach would help Virgil start to understand.

“no.”

“Would he get mad, if you asked?” Virgil looked up at him, for the first time since the start of this, eyes confused and dark, as he nodded.

“so. Can I summarize? You were not allowed to refuse him anything. You were not allowed to anywhere without him. You were not allowed to see anyone without him. you were not allowed to have friends. You were not allowed to do things for yourself.” Virgil nodded again, foccused on Patton. “He was allowed to say no, said no to anything you asked for, for yourself. He was allowed to go out, and tell you nothing of where he’d been, or who he’d been with. He was allowed all the freedoms you were denied, and would get angry if you questioned him. Because that was asking why. And if you started asking why, you would see how unbalanced the scales were tipped. He would start to lose control. So he cut you off from friends, took away your hobbies, forced you to be completely dependent on him, until you believed his reasoning as to why, so you would stop asking that of yourself. That was manipulation. That was abuse.
Virgil, someone who loved you would never, not even jokingly, tell you to kill yourself. Not when they knew you were in a fragile enough mental state that you might actually do it. Someone who loved you wouldn’t have stopped you from doing the things you love. They would have enjoyed watching you do them, been happy because you were happy. Someone who loved you would have never said no without a reason. Would have some give and take, wouldn’t get furious to the point it scared you, for simply asking where they’d been that day. A person who loved you wouldn’t make you a prisoner of your own home, wouldn’t prey on your fears, wouldn’t take your freedom and self esteem away to make his own ego larger.
I know you might not believe me, at first. I know you might not believe me, ever, but just… just think about it, ok? Think about everything he demanded of you, then think of everything he ever denied you, and weigh them against each other. You’ll find the scales completely unbalanced. That is abuse. Manipulating you into hurting yourself? That is abuse. Okay?” He asked softly, surprised as Virgil barreled into him, easily accepting his hug, swaying him back and forth gently.

“ok.” Was the oh so quiet reply, too quiet, but Virgil hadn’t run, hadn’t left, was still there in his arms, shaking silently, and he rested his head atop Virgil’s, gently shushing him, rubbing his back, relief coursing through him. Virgil was thinking it over, at least, was willing to do that much, willing to listen, and hopefully, soon, he’d be willing to talk, as well. But it was a start. A very, very good start.

Chapter Text

“Patton?” They both looked up at the sound of the door opening, Janus slipping inside, surveying the scene. Virgil was still curled against Patton, eyes red and hands a bit shaky, though he seemed alright otherwise.

“H-hi." Virgil managed, voice hoarse, though his sobs had died out hours ago.

“Virgil. How are you feeling, love?” Janus asked, voice warm with relief and concern.

“better. I think.” He mumbled, fidgeting with his hoodie strings, dark eyes barely visible from the depths of his hood. “which isn’t really saying much, considering anything is probably better than where I was.”

“Any progress is progress, darling. It doesn’t have to be a huge revelation, to be important. Sometimes, you hear something so often it becomes a fact of life in your head, regardless of the truth of the matter. Sometimes you just need to hear the opposite enough times from enough people to start believing in your own worth again.” Janus said, leaning in the doorway. Virgil huffed, looking away.

“you’re all so much… smarter, than me. No wonder I stayed with Him. I’m so… just… stupid.”

“You’re not, love. You’re not the only one, who died because of an unhealthy, abusive, relationship. You’re not the only one who loved someone who wasn’t good for you. If I seem smarter, it’s only because I’ve had longer to comes to terms with it. I’ve had the others, to help break down all of what was taught to me. There’s nothing stupid about it, Virgil. People like that… they know what they’re doing, when they manipulate you, and they’re damn good at it. It isn’t your fault, darling, and you aren’t stupid for it. You’re just… human.” Janus smiled wryly, and something about his words struck so close to home that Virgil almost burst into tears again, barely containing them with a deep breath and hard swallow.

“Do you wanna go properly meet Roman and Logan?” Patton asked softly, and Virgil seemed to shrink in on himself more.

“He’d add Remus to the group of people you need to ‘properly meet’, but you’ve met him at about his best.” Janus added dryly, half smirking in victory as Virgil let out a small, shaky laugh.

“ok. If… if you’re sure they don’t h-hate me. For h-hurting them. Hurting you.”

“They don’t, honey.” Patton reassured, kissing the top of his head, before helping him to his feet, Virgil a little wobbly, though he waved away Patton’s concern.
…
Roman was pacing the living room once more, unable to cease his motion or risk flying apart at the seams. He knew, it wasn’t Virgil’s fault, but that darkness, that power… it scared him.

And now Patton was alone with him, alone with the being that had very nearly sapped him dry. He was so conflicted. On the one hand, he felt sorry for Virgil, he had watched him, after all, they had, seen how he struggled with depression and anxiety, and on top of that an abusive relationship. He knew Virgil didn’t mean any harm, was extremely strong to have pulled back from the brink.

But the protective side of him was screaming that Patton was in danger, they were all in danger, as long as Virgil stuck around. At least Janus had left, a few minutes ago, to check on them.

“Roman. Would you please cease?” Logan asked, looking up from his book, frowning slightly at the noise of his pacing.

“How can you be so calm about this?” He asked, rounding on Logan, who merely raised a brow.

“Virgil has agreed to let Patton, at least, help him manage his issues, and Janus has personal experience recovering from the kind of trauma Virgil has endured. I am confident that we will not have another issue. Why are you still panicking?” Logan’s tone made him want to scream, so frustratingly even, and he threw up his hands.

“Why wouldn’t I be? He nearly destroyed us, Logan, and he wasn’t even trying! We both know he’s prone to fits of panic! What if during one of them he snaps, and hurts all of us? What if he loses control? It wasn’t even fully formed, and it nearly-“

“Roman-“

“And he wasn’t even trying, Logan! What happens if he decides to use it? He has almost as much power as Remus, what if he decides he wants the place to himself, what if he decides he’s tired of us, what if he decides to hurt you, or Patton, or Janus? He could end us, Logan, and I refuse to let that happen. I won’t sit idly by and let him tear all of this apart. We have to… to do something! Something to make sure he can’t!”

“Roman.” Janus’s voice, sharp and cold as ice, and it cut him to his very core. His eyes widened and he had a sinking feeling he knew exactly what he would find when he turned around. He desperately met Logan’s eyes, who shook his head, disapproval written across his face. Slowly, he turned, taking it in one at a time.

Janus, face cold and eerily impassive, eyes burning a hole through him, with how hard and sharp his gaze was. Patton, mouth open in a silent O, turning to Virgil, who was squeezing his hand as if his afterlife depended on it.

And Virgil. Virgil was shaking like a leaf, face pale and eyes wide, starting to fizzle into darkness at the edges of his being.

“Virgil I-“ He took a step forwards, eyes wide and pleading, trying to meet Virgil’s. “I didn’t mean- I’m sorry- That’s not-“ Virgil shook his head, stumbling back a step for his one forwards, arms wrapping around his middle.

“it’s fine. It’s… I g-get it, I…”

“Virgil. Please. It is alright. He was just worried.” Virgil laughed at Logan’s words, a harsh, gasping thing, that shook his thin frame harder.

“Right. Worried. Ab-out me. H-hurting you. All of y-you. And you know what? He’s right! I c-can’t control myself, I p-anic, I-“

“Darling.” He looked up at Janus, who was reaching out a beseeching hand, asking him, begging him, with his eyes to take it.

The moment seemed suspended in time.

Logan was watching him carefully, calculating odds in his head, he could see it. Roman was struggling for words, trying to find something to say, stance defensive. Patton was looking closely at him, eyes echoing Janus’s sentiment, warm and soft and kind. Janus was almost desperate, almost… afraid.

He could see it. He could see it in each of their eyes. No matter what they said, no matter how much they wanted to help him, wanted to trust him, each of them were afraid of him. Afraid of what he could do. Afraid of what he would do. That’s the only reason Patton and Janus were reaching out, the only reason Roman had stepped between him and the wraith, the only reason Logan had gathered the others to come help, the only reason Remus had let them all in.

Fear.

He was all too acquainted with fear. And for the first time, he wondered, what exactly that fear would lead them to do to him, if he lost control once more. He had the suddenly sinking feeling that he knew, that Roman, at least, wouldn’t hesitate, and Logan wouldn’t be far behind. They would do what they had to, to keep their family safe, and if it destroyed him, then that was the cost. He found he couldn’t blame them. Not when Patton and Janus were so… good.

“I’m sorry.” He whispered. Then he was gone.
…
“No!” Janus cried out, lunging forwards, but he wasn’t fast enough, his hand closed on empty air, and he spun, punching the wall with a curse, head hanging low as he tried to fight back the upwelling of emotions, the desperate crushing defeat filling his chest. “dammit.” He whispered, spinning at a hand on his shoulder.

“Dammit, Roman! He was listening, he was understanding, he was letting us in, and who are you, who are you to make him more afraid of himself than he already was? You think he doesn’t know, what he’s capable of? You think he doesn’t know what’s at stake? And you… You!” He growled, stalking forwards, not sure what he was moving towards, perhaps punching Roman in the face, but Remus caught his arm before he got there, and he hissed at him, trying to pull out of his grip.

“Janny. Don’t. It won’t fix anything. It’s not what you want.” He nearly pulls away, snarling, surprised as he finds himself folding against Remus instead, angry tears slipping down his face.

“we had him. we were so close, we had him.” He whispered, voice hoarse and drawn, as he felt Remus hug him tight.

“I’m sorry… I didn’t mean… God, I’m sorry.” Roman, voice cracking, looking helplessly between Patton and Logan, shame and self loathing welling in his chest.

“I know. I know, kiddo. I know you’re just worried about us, and I understand. But… but you have to give him a chance. We almost had a chance.” Patton whispers the last sentence, his own tears slipping down his face. He had a feeling Virgil wouldn’t be so easy to find this time, that he’d hide away well and truly.

But at least they’d gotten through to him. At least he was thinking on it, on his relationship being unhealthy, at least he’d gotten that far. He hoped it was enough.

Chapter Text

“No, Joan… Listen, I’ll call you back, no, it’s fine, I’ve just started unpacking, you can come by later…” Logan watched warily as the new human shuffled boxes around, speaking ceaselessly to someone on his phone, occasionally laughing, reassuring the person that he was fine, the drive had gone well, making idle chatter.

It hadn’t been all that long. Merely three months, but he wasn’t all that surprised the house went so fast, to a first-time owner, as well, judging by the looks of the young man. No doubt at an insanely low price, thanks to the laws dictating they disclose any deaths on the property, Virgil’s having been so recent, as well. He was sure Virgil was lurking somewhere, watching all of this, or perhaps he was hiding somewhere.

They’d caught glimpses of him, here and there. Nothing much, just a flicker of shadows, a tinge of darkness, always out of the corner of the eye, always gone before they could say a single word, and it was driving all of them a bit mad.

Patton and Janus had tried everything, to get him to come out, to get him to come back, but to no avail. They still often spoke out loud, when doing things, now, holding conversations with the air, just in case Virgil was nearby, listening, reassuring him that they were there, if he needed anything, wanted anything, they were there for him. To his frustration, Logan had also started doing it, not noticing until someone called him out on it.

And Roman. Roman was worse off than the rest of them. He was miserable, he was apologizing endlessly, trying at every turn to seek him out, but if anything, that seemed to drive Virgil farther away, the sense of his presence dwindling, the paint on his door fading and chipping off, a sign that he hadn’t been in it at all, maybe since the last time they’d all seen him, which meant he wasn’t getting the rest he needed, either.

With a sigh, Logan shook himself out of his thoughts, swapping back over to the spirit plane.

“Well?” Roman asked, laying upside down on the couch.

“Young adult, thirty, brown hair, brown eyes, named Thomas. Seems nice enough.” He reported. “Didn’t seem to notice me at all, no mentions of cold spots, hearing my voice when I spoke, seems just as oblivious as the rest of them.” He commented, noticing the tenseness fading out of Patton and Janus’s shoulders, Remus’s grin growing feral.

“Good. I like a challenge.” He sighed, ignoring Remus’s commentary.

“And… any sign?” Patton asked hesitantly. He shook his head, eyes clouding with worry for a moment.

“No. I would have expected… something, but there was no hint of his presence. I don’t know… I hate not knowing things.” He muttered, falling onto the far end of the couch.

“I know, Lo, but we’ll figure this out.” Patton answered, though his own voice was tinged with disappointment.

There were some cases, rare cases, where humans could see ghosts, speak to them, as if they were just normal, still alive people. None of them had ever met someone like that, the most they got were amateur ghost hunters, in years the house sat empty, when it had still been an old plantation house, and even they weren’t very perceptive. Some humans were more sensitive, catching glimpses of things, picking up on words here or there, cold spots, hot spots, that was more common. They’d have to wait and see, if this one could pick up on any of that.
…
In hindsight, they maybe should have been more worried, when the human, Thomas’s, friend showed up, with a bottle of wine, a cactus as a housewarming gift, and a Ouija board.

But most of that stuff was just hocus pocus, as Logan said, which set Roman off, quoting what was apparently a Disney movie.

“Roman, I am begging you to shut up.” Janus moaned. “I am trying to watch these idiots.” Roman scowled, but ceased, watching the two humans laugh as they lit candles around the board, turning off the lights, to add to the atmosphere.

“What do they think candles are gonna do?” Remus asked, continuously blowing out the small flame as they tried to light the final one.

“Probably supposed to symbolize a portal to the afterlife, or something similarly ridiculous.” Logan scoffed, still watching their actions with interest.

“Ok, who should we try and talk to?” Thomas asked.

“Uhhh, Abraham Lincoln!” Joan responded, earning a startled laugh from Thomas.

“What? Why was that your go to?”

“I don’t know, it was the first famous dead person that came to mind! What was your plan, then?” Joan asked indignantly, though they were smirking too. Thomas shrugged.

“Um. Hey. Anyone here who’s friendly and not, like, gonna go all Amityville horror on us, feel free to communicate with us, using this board.”

“Dude, they’re ghosts. How are they gonna know what Amityville horror is? Since when do ghosts watch movies?”

“I don’t know! You were trying to talk to good ‘ol Abe, I feel like you don’t have room to lecture here.” They both froze as the planchet moved. Not much, not far, but it had definitely moved.

“Did that just…”

“Hoooolly shiiit.” Joan whispered, wide eyes meeting Thomas’s. Neither of them had even had their hands near the board, much less touching the planchet.

In the ghostly realm, everyone’s eyes locked on Roman, who stood frozen, mouth agape, staring at the planchet he’d bumped against while leaning in to examine the board, as easily moved as anything he summoned himself.

“Oops?” He said, shushing Logan as the two humans started speaking again.

“Ok, um, ok, that’s normal! We probably just bumped the table! Um, is… is anyone here, with us?” Thomas asked. Immediately the planchet started moving again, landing on ‘yes’.

“ROMAN! What do you think you’re doing?!” Janus hissed, and he wrung his hands.

“I-I don’t know! They asked! It seemed rude not to answer? I haven’t exactly been in this situation before, Jan!” He fired back, their own panicking mirroring the panic going on between Thomas and Joan.

“What do we have to lose?” Patton asked softly, getting everyone’s attention.

“I am unclear what you mean, Patton.” Logan said, gaze turning to him, where he sat, biting his lip, fiddling with his cardigan.

“I mean… by answering them. What do we have to lose? We’re all stuck here, anyway. It’s not like they can hurt us. And… we live here too! Shouldn’t we get to know our new roommates?” He asked, voice getting higher in pitch with each word, until he squeaked out his question.

“Who are you?” Came the question from the humans, from the board, and Roman hesitated, looking back at everybody, asking what he should do, the question evident in his eyes.

“Fine. Go ahead. Patton’s right, I suppose, there’s not much they can do, besides leave. But I will not be involved in this.” Janus sighed from the couch, retreating to his room, to avoid whatever action was coming next. Logan nodded.

“I second Janus’s sentiments. Pardon me.” With that, it was Roman, Patton and Remus, who tried to swipe the planchet, but failed, swiping right through it, letting out an annoyed squawk.

“What?! Why!?” He screeched, Roman grinning like an idiot.

“Their opening. They said…” He broke off laughing, “They said anyone who wasn’t gonna Amityville them, Ree you’re literally a poltergeist, that stupid line is keeping you from doing shit!” He laughed harder at Remus’s indignant expression, eyes flashing with ire.

“OH, they’re gonna regret that bullshit. Imma haunt them so hard it’s gonna feel like a-“

“Thank you, Remus, that’s enough!” Patton interrupted, not wanting to know the end of that sentence, and Remus vanished with a scowl and puff of black smoke. Roman rolled his eyes, turning his attention back to the board, spelling out his name.

“R-o-m-a-n. Roman. Like, a Roman soldier? What would they be doing here?” Thomas asked.

“What would they be doing speaking English?” Joan piped in.

“Good lord, these two are slow.” Roman muttered, moving the planchet once more, Patton giggling at his remark.

“My name is Roman, you idiots.” He spelled out, “And I am not a roman.” The two humans stared at each other for a moment, before bursting into only slightly hysterical laughter.

“We just got called idiots… by a ghost! What even… how is this happening?” Thomas wheezed, trying to pull himself together, devolving into giggles every time he and Joan looked at each other.

“I mean, they’re not wrong!” Joan shot back, once they got their breathing back under control.

“How did you die?” Blurted Thomas, and Roman rolled his eyes.

“Oh my god, you can’t just ask people how they died!” Roman replied, enjoying the befuddlement on the two human’s faces.

“I’m… I might be wrong, but did it just make a mean girls reference?” Joan asked.

“Yes. And I use He/Him, thank you. If you must know, I was a civil war soldier. Fighting for the North, y’know, the right team? But my family were assholes and lived here so… here I am!” He answered.

“Oh, good. He’s anti-slavery and not a homophobe. Cool, cool, cool.”

“Is there anyone else, with you?” Joan asked, and Roman bit his lip, turning to Patton, who eagerly grabbed the planchet.

“Hey kiddos! I’m Patton!” His answer was met with instant bursts of laughter.

“Wow. Straight from civil war action to dad mode. Um. Hello, Patton. It’s… nice to meet the both of you? We’ve never really spoken to ghosts before. Uh, you guys…live here?” Thomas asked a bit nervously.

“Yuppers! But we’re all pretty friendly. Mostly. None of us are violent, or anything, though some can be a bit… startling at times.”

“That’s only a bit worrying. Oh god, now I’m gonna hear every noise and think it’s a ghost. Because it could be a literal ghost.” Thomas mumbles, shoving back his hair, Joan chuckling nervously.

“Yeah, good luck with that one, Thomas.” Joan answers, getting to their feet. “It’s late. I should probably be going.”

“What? No, uh uh, after this, you do not get to ditch me on my first night in a new house in a new town that you made me learn is actually haunted, though the ghosts do seem polite, no offense, guys, just a liiittle freaky.” Thomas said, gaze shifting to the board for a moment, and Patton laughed.

“He’s worried about us! That’s sweet!”

“He’s worried we’ll haunt his nightmares.” Roman muttered back, watching the humans argue back and forth, before finally agreeing.

“Alright. Uh, we’re gonna go to bed and try and sleep. So… talk to you later, I guess?”

“Yes please! This is fun!” Thomas chuckled a bit at that.

“I’m guessing that was Patton. Good night, Pat. Good night, Roman, who is not an actual Roman. Uhhh, you’re dismissed?”

“Are you a school teacher? ‘you’re dismissed. Get some style. Farewell, my fellow brother in arms, may your gay heart guide you true!” Roman replied, making them both break down into a giggling fit yet again, as they blew out the candles, setting aside the board as they got up to get ready to sleep, Patton and Roman returning to their own living room in the spirit world.

“Well, that was… interesting.” Roman said slowly.

“It was… a bit nice. Talking. To other live people.” Patton said softly, and Roman stopped, pulling Patton into a hug, which he easily melted into.

“yeah. It was. But it did still take quite a bit of energy. We should get some rest, as well.”

“I’m gonna stay out here for a little bit. Just… just in case.” Roman sighed softly, but nodded, stepping away.

“Alright. Rest well, Pat.”
…
He had been asleep for a few hours, when he blinked open his eyes at a small movement. All he caught was a deep shadow, tucking a blanket tight around him.

“Virg?” He asked softly, the shadow freezing, the room dropping in temperature with his fear, and he moved to hide away. “s okay, bud. I love you kiddo, okay? Jus want you to know.” He mumbled, smiling as his eyes drifted closed, pulling the blanket tighter with a soft sigh. “you can come talk to me, anytime. I won tell. Promise.” He felt a soft pat against his hand, then the shadow slipped away, though Patton was sure he felt a little better than before.

Chapter Text

He was trying.

He really, really was, trying.

But he couldn’t get Roman’s words out of his head.

And he’d heard the others, talking to the air, talking to him, they probably thought he didn’t, but he’d always been good at lurking in shadows, in pretending to not exist, he wasn’t surprised, he was able to mask his presence well enough no one could sense him near.

He’d heard Patton and Janus’s pleas. He’d heard Logan’s well reasoned arguments. He’d heard Roman’s apologies. He knew Roman was blaming himself, that it was tearing all of them up inside, but the thing was, Roman was right.

There were too many things, that could go wrong. Too many ways he could hurt them, too many ways he could destroy them, and he refused, he refused to drag them into his self-destructive spiral.

So, he stuck to the shadows, where no one could find him. He hid in the corners and under the couches and under the beds. He didn’t use his room, not since then they’d know where he was, and he stayed away as much as he could. He was exhausted and unfocused and half even deader than he already was, but he couldn’t let himself rest or he’d fizzle into view.

The closest he’d gotten was that night, with Patton. Everyone else had already been in their own rooms, and he felt guilty, Patton was staying out there for him, after all, and the least he could do is make sure he was comfortable. And now Patton’s words were rattling around in his skull, too, fighting against Roman’s, and he felt torn in two entirely different directions.

Maybe that’s why he found himself here, lurking in the shadows of Patton’s room, melted into the ones in the corner of the room. He heard the door open, and he took a deep breath as Patton came in, flopping face first onto the bed, slightly alarmed to hear sniffling emerging from the pillow his face was shoved into.

Slowly, he emerged from the wall, his inky, tarlike form slowly forming into something more solid, something that almost felt right, though it had been so long since he’d been anything other than a blob of darkness or a splotch of shadow. But as his form settles, it feels more and more… right.

“Pa… Patton?” He asked, voice rusty and hoarse, barely above a whisper, but it’s enough. Patton gasped, shooting upwards, and all at once Patton’s eyes were on him.

“Virgil!” he flinched back at the volume, form already destabilizing, it was harder to hold now, that he hadn’t in months. “sorry, sorry. I’m just… I’m glad to see you, kiddo. We've been worried.” He said softer, wanting to lunge, pull Virgil into a hug, but knowing he'd run if he did.

“so-rry. I-" he flinched, a strange feeling coming over him, an almost nausea, almost vertigo, and he found himself on the ground, gasping as cold washed over him.

“Virgil!” he could tell Patton had yelled his name several times, but he couldn’t seem to hear right, the world was blurring and going fuzzy. Not just the world, he was blurring, his form bleeding away like a water color painting. He felt Patton's hand on his arm, trying to say something, then the world shifted out from under him, Patton's hand swiping through empty air as he vanished.
…
He stumbled hard, shoulder ramming into the wall, as he heaved in several deep breaths, trying to keep from full out panicking.

He felt weird. Solid. His body had weight, his form wasn’t flickering, he was leaning against the wall, but it wasn’t their wall. The house, he was in the house.

His breath sped again, remembering, shaking, crying, pulling at his hair as he screamed into a pillow, His words echoing in his head, he hasn’t been back here, not in the living room, since then, since he'd done it. He could feel the shadows darkening, starting to move of their own accord, starting to whisper.

“What the fwuh?” His eyes snapped open at the question, frantically taking in the scene.

Staring at him were two guys, both wearing twin expressions of shock and fear. Around his feet was a star in a circle outlined in chalk, a candle at each nexus.

“Summoning circle? What amateur fucking shit is this? Watched full metal alchemist a few too many times?” He choked out, biting sarcasm masking his fear and panic, trying to get the shifting tendrils of shadow slowly climbing the wall under control, succeeding in at least halting their growth.

“We… we were trying to summon Patton.” The shorter one said. He huffed, vision spinning.

“Well good job, dipshit, you summoned the literal opposite of that ray of sunshine. Now get me out of here!” He demanded, teeth grit against the strange cold seeping into his bones, the dark tiredness starting to fill him.

“Um. We don’t actually know how.” The taller one admitted sheepishly.

“Who are you, anyway? We only knew Patton and Roman.”

“Uh, no. You don’t get to interrogate me after practically kidnapping me.”

“Kidnapping… you showed up!” the short one, who seemed to have an attitude.

“oh yes, because I looove getting dragged to the physical plane of existence and talking to two idiots who think the funnest thing to do is harass people who probably don’t want to have memories of their recent demise brought back to the surface!” He shouted, breathing picking up again, hands clenched into fists, shadows wavering and breaking over the room, though he kept it in enough it didn’t attack, claws and glowing eyes and teeth ready to bite.

“You’re… Virgil, aren’t you?” He flinched back at that, shaking harder. “Oh shit, dude, I’m-"

“What? Sorry? Yeah, me too, now let me out!” he snarled, eyes flashing dark voids of shadow, his shadows writhing, and he found he had the anger to control them, and he hissed as one swiped through the chalk, releasing him from its hold as he struggled to stay standing, the circle giving him a truly physical form, draining his own energy to do so.

“We aren’t fucking toys. We’re people. We all died horrifically, at our hand or at others'. So next time, leave me the hell alone.” He snapped, his shadows encasing him as the solidness faded from his limbs, as his form fell to shreds, as the last of his energy was sucked from him, realizing the circle draining him dry, the crackling electric backlash of breaking the spell hit him full force, sending him reeling.
…
He fell, unceremoniously, crashing down from the ceiling and landing hard on the floor, crying out at the pain that shot through him, his vision flickering. He felt cold, icily cold, exhausted, drained, empty, barely, barely there.

“-il…-ear me? Virgil!” Roman’s panicked voice cut through his haze, though he found he couldn't answer, couldn't even nod. He was so purely exhausted, he was barely staying together at all. “Oh, love… it’s ok, I’ve got you.” He felt Janus lifting him up, and realized he must have landed in the living room. He thought he should be worried about that, for some reason, but his mind was already hazing over with fog. “Logan! Patton!” He called, the spirits appearing after a moment, any reprimand at being disturbed vanishing as Logan took in the state of Virgil, unconscious and form flickering, not the usual black, but a soft, faded gray. The same kind of gray that he’d seen on the others, on himself, when the wraith was draining them of their soul’s essence. Something had very badly damaged Virgil.

“What happened?” he demanded, trying to be steady, to keep Patton beside him from panicking.

“I don’t know. He… he showed up, in my room, then vanished, like he got pulled away, I tried to hold on, but I fell right through him!”

“Then he fell from the ceiling and crashed to the ground.” Roman finished, lacking his usual bravado.

“Lo, is he-“

“No, he’s not fading. Whatever started the drain has stopped, he’s stable, if very weak. An attempt at summoning, if I had to guess. Likely, they didn’t use anything to power the spell itself, so it used Virgil himself. He’s lucky he was able to break out, as he must have, for it to hit him this hard. Otherwise…” Logan trailed off, unwilling to finish that sentence, knowing from the silence the others knew his meaning.

“He was going to talk to me.” Patton said softly, tucking back a strand of Virgil’s hair, who didn’t seem to register the motion at all, lying still and pale as stone.

“He still may. He just needs to rest and recuperate, Patton. He will be all right.” Logan reassured, resting a hand on Patton’s shoulder for a moment, before turning away, trying to hide his fondness behind a frown. “Though we should figure out what exactly they did, and stop them from doing it again.”

No one noticed the green eyes glowing in the corner, alight with anger, at the state of his friend, because Virgil was a friend, whether he liked it or not. It was long past time the humans take notice of him, after all, and this would be a much needed… learning opportunity.
…
“well that could have gone better.” Thomas muttered, shivering slightly. The darkly moving shadows had vanished along with the ghost, the circle now smudged beyond recognition, the icy cold temperature of the room slowly returning to normal.

“No kidding. How’d you know that one’s name?” Joan asked, still staring at the spot he'd vanished.

“He… the real estate agent. He had to tell me, the previous tenant, Virgil… died, here. To suicide.” Joan let out a low breath, collapsing back onto the couch, grabbing a pillow to hug to their chest.

“shit. No wonder he wasn’t happy to be here.”

“It looked like it was hurting him.” Thomas murmured, remembering how Virgil was clinging to the wall, barely staying upright.

“That's what happens when you do your research through google search, you silly billies.” They both stared at the glowing green eyes floating above them, the slow Cheshire grin forming out of nothingness to accompany it. “Someone gets hurt.” The voice growled, and suddenly it wasn’t a single pair of eyes, it was thousands, a towering mass of writhing tentacles and blindingly black light, a cavernous maw and a million gnashing, reeking tooth beaked mouths screaming.

They both gasped for air as the vision vanished just as quick as it came, a few mere seconds, a glance at the clock revealed, though it had felt like they had been trapped with that Lovecraftian creation for hours. Thomas could still feel the vibrations of the clacking beaks, hear the echoes of distant screams, and he could tell from Joan’s horrified expression, they had seen it too.

“I’m not exactly a fan, of people hurting my friends. Especially when they can’t do much in way of defense or… retaliation-“

“We didn’t mean to!” Thomas blurted, before the sinister presence could throw them into another nightmare. “We didn’t… we didn’t mean to hurt anyone. We just… Patton seemed lonely. So we were trying to find a way to actually see him, and… and we obviously didn’t do it right. And I’m sorry, for hurting him… Virgil.” He finished, a frown on his lips, thinking of the pain on the ghost’s face. “Is he… is he ok?” He asked, heart pounding a thousand beats a second, terror racing through him.

“Well, well, well, isn’t that interesting. The human has a conscience.” The voice echoed from every direction, bouncing around the room in the most disorienting pattern, one moment directly in his ear, the next all the way in the kitchen, the next above them near the ceiling, those green eyes and grin always in the corner of their eyes, always vanishing as soon as they turned to look.

“And what about you, short stack? Got anything to say for yourself, before I decide what to do with the two of you?” Joan gulped, holding the pillow tighter, knuckles white.

“Uh. He was right. Virgil. It’s not… we shouldn’t treat this like a game. You’re people. Not entertainment. But we do really want to get to know you all… to help, if we can. Even though we’re generally pretty shitty at showing it, that’s what we were trying to do. Help.” They managed, wincing as a dark chuckle rang through the room.

“Help, huh?” They yelped as they felt something cold wrap around their ankles, suddenly yanking them off the couch, dragging them across the floor, across the kitchen, to the basement door. Blinking their vision clear, adrenaline racing, they both practically held their breath as they watched a shimmering outline form, cringing as it was filled in with bones, then veins and arteries, pulsating flesh and decaying organs, finally a layer of skin growing over it all, putting a face to that Cheshire grin, the electric green eyes, as the being towered over them, smile wild and manic, eyes ablaze, a morningstar resting over his shoulder, his outfit some weird mix of sparkling satin and menacing velvet. They both flinched back as he leaned down, examining them, before extending a hand.

“Seems like you two can use all the help you can get. Now, if you’re gonna go full in on this, you gotta learn the basics, and if you abuse what I teach you…”

They shivered, seeing crimson blood splash across their hands, teeth ripping into their jugulars, shadowy creatures clawing them to shreds, screaming though no one else could hear, unable to move their bodies as inch by inch, their skin was stripped from their flesh, ants eating them from the inside out.

“And it’ll be twice as bad if you harm any of them ever again. There won’t be anywhere you can hide, that I won’t find you, and believe me, it’ll be a pleasure.” Their vision cleared, the images wiped away like fog on a bathroom mirror, forgotten nearly instantly, though the feeling of dread and terror lingered. “So. You in, or are you pussies?” Joan snorted despite themselves, earning an eye roll from Thomas, and a slight upturn of the lips from the being, though he still glared daggers at them. Thomas took a deep breath, accepting the outstretched hand, surprised as he made contact, and it helped pull him to his feet, solid, though it didn’t feel quite… real. Joan followed suit a moment later.

“Ok. I want to learn.” He answered solemnly, Joan nodding in agreement, gaze serious in a way it rarely was.

“Me too. If we’re gonna be the crazy ghost house people, we might as well really go for it.”

“It’s been a while, since I had such willing students. Oh, this’ll be fun!” He clapped, eyes swirling, teeth slightly too sharp.

“So… when do we start?” Joan asked, and Remus tsked.

“Patience. I have to get back before they wonder where I’ve went, and you have to start living like a normal person and not staying up until two scrolling tumblr!”

“What does that have to do with ghost summoning?”

“Nothing, just good life advice. Take from me, who’s never actually been alive!” Thomas and Joan exchanged a puzzled look.

“Aren’t you a ghost?” He cackled, a wild, howling sound, that sent shivers down their spines, as he wiped away tears from his eyes, floating on his back in midair.

“Oh, sweet summer children, you naive innocent fools, you’re lucky I’m in a good mood, otherwise it would be so very easy to break you. No, no, no, I’m not a ghost at all. I am a poltergeist!” He declared, suddenly close to Thomas’s face, gently booping his nose, those swirling eyes far too close for comfort as they stared into his. “And you may call me Remus.”

Chapter Text

“Howdy doodie, ghostly gaggle, how goes it?” Remus asked, reappearing in their commons, keeping his voice a low almost whisper, despite his buzzing energy, careful of disturbing Virgil.

He’d been laid across the couch, his head in Roman’s lap, who was absently playing with his hair, a slight frown on his face as he gazed at Virgil’s too pale, too still form. He was a bit surprised, to see Patton and Janus were gone from the room, he figured they’d be hovering like a pair of mother hens, though he wasn’t as surprised to find Logan missing, no doubt he was trying to figure out what exactly the living occupants of the house had done to their little shadow.

“Hey, Rems.” Roman murmured noncomitally in response, not breaking his focus on Virgil for a single moment, and he frowned, slipping onto the armrest behind Roman, perching atop it, wrapping his arms around Roman, resting his head on his shoulder.

“It isn’t your fault, Ro.” Roman huffed, shaking his head.

“But it is! I drove him away, I’m the one who said those hurtful things, I was scared, and so I scared him, and Janus was right, who am I, to make him more afraid of himself than he already is?” Roman’s voice cracked, and Remus could feel the remorse and guilt practically radiating off of Roman.

“But you didn’t mean it, Ro. I know you didn’t. I say shit all the time I don’t really mean, and you still forgive me for it. This isn’t any different.”

“It is so. I’ve known you for over a century. Nothing you could say would drive me away, but I keep thinking…”

“A dangerous pastime, I know.” Remus quoted, making Roman huff again, a tinge of laughter to it, that he counted as a win, along with the small flicker of a smile.

“What if you had said that, about me, when you first were drawn here? How different, would it have been? I was so far gone, already. If you’d treated me as I treated him, I don’t think I would have come back from it.” Remus hummed, thinking.

It was true, that by the time he’d wandered to the property, drawn like a moth to a flame by the unstable energy, the swirling miasma of hate and negativity and power, Roman had been barely recognizable as a human soul. He’d burned so bright and angry, instead of becoming a wraith, he was more likely to become a banshee, to howl to the winds, to rampage and scream and tear until the sound sent the place crumbling down around him. The edges of corruption were there, sinking into his spirit, and Roman was right that the wrong move would have sent him over. It was one of the very few times Remus had been patient in his life, weathering the worst of Roman’s rage, the worst of the power directed his way, at his invasion of the space, until Roman had worn himself out enough he was nearly lucid, enough to understand that Remus didn’t mean any harm, anyways.

“I don’t think so.” He said, ponderingly, Roman stiffening in surprise. He slid off the arm of the couch, idly standing and tapping his chin as he thought. “I don’t think that would have broken you. I think it would have made you mad. Angry. Angry at me, which would have been just as effective, as the more… gentle approach I took.”

“Remus, me being angry was the whole problem!” Remus shook his head fervently.

“No no no, you being angry at your family was the problem. You resenting being stuck in a place you hated was the problem. You were directing all your emotion at something intangible, at a memory of a thing that didn’t exist anymore. I think if I’d given you something to hate in the now, given you me, to really, truly rage at, it would have brought you to the present. It would have made you realize what was past is past, and there’s nothing to be done about it. I think we would have gotten to the same place, just down a different road.” He looked up, nearly laughing at the slightly awestruck expression on Roman’s face, before shrugging and smirking. “Or you would have lost your marbles entirely, who’s to say?” Roman snorted, freezing as Virgil shifted, though he didn’t wake, merely rolled over onto his side. “He’s a lot like you. There’s so much emotion, bottled up in there. Loathing and sadness and fear, of course, but under it… under it all is rage, Roman. I don’t think he even realizes it’s there, but he’s burning with it. I think that’s what he’s really afraid of, all of that anger, that he’s directing at himself, until it implodes.”

“He needs to acknowledge it’s there at all. That he has a right, to his anger. He’s been forced to hide everything for so long, Rems, it’s no wonder it’s all trying to escape, that he doesn’t know how to handle it, doesn’t even recognize it.”

“He’ll get there. It’s all still so new to him, Ro, he needs time. You’ve had a century to deal with your baggage. He’s had a few months, most of which he spent hiding. The best you can do is apologize, and make sure you’re here for him. Now, stop worrying so much, and try and relax. The kid is empathic as hell, your stress is making him stress.” With that, Remus vanished, leaving Roman alone with his thoughts, and Virgil, who did have a slight crease to his forehead, a slight downturn to his lips.

“he’s right, you know. You’ll get there. And I can’t wait to see it.”
…
“Remus! What-“ Logan cut himself off, eyes wide as he looked upon the scene. He’d been a bit worried about Remus’s silence, since the summoning, that always meant he was up to something, but this… this is not what he expected.

Thomas was on the floor of the basement, tongue sticking out of the corner of his mouth as he drew in chalk, having marked out the rough outline of a circle, a few sigils already in place, Remus hovering over his shoulder.

“Alright, now, copy this one.” Remus drew a shape in the air with practiced ease, the glowing thing pulsing for a moment, before slowly fading away. Thomas leaned back over, copying the pattern. “So this one is basically another protection one. Not that the ghosts here are intending to hurt you, but it’s better to be safe than sorry. It’ll keep any power from the circle from rebounding back on you, if it snaps.”

“It can do that?”

“Yuppers, and it isn’t always pretty. These things are powerful, kid, and so are the spirits you summon. If the circle is too weak, it won’t be able to contain them, too strong, and it’ll sap everything from them. You got lucky, the first time, in that the power rebounded onto Virgil, instead of you.”

“Remus! What are you doing?” He hissed finally, Remus turning his head one hundred eighty degrees to face him. grinning.

“Oh heya, teach! Just tutoring my newest student!”

“You shouldn’t be telling him any of this! This is dangerous! He could hurt himself, he could summon someone he doesn’t mean to, you should be discouraging this!” Remus snorted.

“You know I’m always one to entertain a bad idea.”

“What!? You think this is a bad idea?!” Thomas asked, looking between Remus and the space he seems to be staring at, where he’s sure another ghost is. If he squinted, he could almost see the outline of something, like a heat haze over asphalt, the wavy distortion of… something. He heard Remus continuing to bicker, but slowly, another voice started to trickle in, though it was distant, like an old radio broadcast, crackling and popping with static.

“-puts all of us at risk!” He hissed sharply, pressing a hand to his temple at the rebounding voice, echoing through his mind, and for a moment, the form was crystal clear, a sharp featured man, dressed a bit old fashioned, like something out of his grandparent’s photographs, eyes flashing and fists clenched in anger. For a moment, the being’s eyes glanced to his, widening minutely as he met them, looked right at him, then he blinked, and it was gone.

Logan reeled backwards, hand clutching at his chest, words knocked out of him. He’d seen the recognition, the startled, amazed look, on Thomas’s face, reflected on his own.

“he saw me.” He whispered, shocked into stillness, eyes darting to Remus. “how… it’s not finished, he didn’t… how did he see me?”

“He’s got raw talent, Logan, that’s what I was trying to tell you. Not just anyone can use a Ouija board and actually have it connect with the spirit realm, and that ramshackle shitty ass summoning circle? That shouldn’t have done a thing, it was so poorly constructed. At most, it should have attracted me to its energy, but instead it summoned Virgil, the one with the most power and the least desire to be seen. That’s power, innate power. I’m not surprised, that with more exposure to us, he’s starting to see you guys, hear you. I wouldn’t be surprised if those abilities kept growing. You’re in for the ride, kid, whether you like it or not.” Remus added, winking at Thomas, who was still slightly stricken, staring at where he’d seen the ghost.

“Which one was that? Or, were you? Not… not one of the ones, who used the board, and definitely not Virgil.” Remus looked at Logan, brow raised.

“Up to you, if you wanna share.” Logan inhaled deeply, just to center himself, before focusing on projecting outward just slightly. If Remus was right, that slight increase in power should be enough for Thomas to hear him, though not see him.

“I am Logan. It is… a surprise, to be meeting you in this manner. I can’t imagine having Remus as a teacher has been too enlightening.” He watched with interest as the man winced again, staring right at him, though there was no recognition this time. Fascinating, so Thomas could sense where his words were coming from, even without manifestation of a physical form.

“I mean, it was either learn or get tormented until I died, soooo…” He glared at Remus, who shrugged, kicking up his feet and floating reclined in the air.

“What? If he’s got the knack for it, it’s better he knows what he’s doing with it, otherwise he’s just a danger to everyone. If they kept fooling around how they were, they were gonna summon something a lot more powerful and a lot less friendly than they, or we, could handle.”

“I… suppose I cannot argue with that logic. But, from now on, I will be helping with and observing these lessons. I don’t trust you not to intentionally mislead him into something dangerous.” Logan countered, eyes narrowed.

“Ugh, fiiiine. I wasn’t gonna do anything too bad, anyway. Just a minor imp! Just for fun!”

“What!?” Thomas screeched again, Remus enjoying the slightly horrified look on his face far too much to care about the face palm occurring on Logan’s end.

“He is a poltergeist. He literally feeds on chaos. Any opportunity to cause it will not be passed up. And as much as he wants to protect us, he also wants to have some fun, often at the expense of the living members of the household. There’s a reason this property was so cheap. It goes on the market every few years.”

“The shortest stay was six months! A lot flies died for that victory. RIP squadron alpha. RIP.”

“I… ok. Not even gonna ask. Thanks, Logan. I’m… imma go process this. Somewhere. Anywhere.” Remus shrugged, following Thomas up the basement steps.

“Suit yourself! You know where to find me!” With a twirl, Remus vanished, leaving behind the faint scent of sulpher, just for fun. Logan rolled his eyes and wordlessly followed, his own mind still spinning.

Thomas could hear him. He could see him.

He wasn’t sure, exactly, what that made him feel.

Chapter Text

He was cold.

He tried to move, but everything felt so heavy, his eyelids included, and he ended up letting out a small moan, trying to shove himself up, failing miserably, and only succeeding at rolling onto his side.

“Virgil? Can you hear me, kiddo?” Patton. He nodded weakly, hand fisting into the fabric against his cheek, forcing his eyes open. He realized his head was resting in Roman’s lap, Patton sitting on the floor in front of him, holding his hand, and Roman was gently carding a hand through his hair, nearly sending him back into unconsciousness, at how good it felt.

“M cold.” He mumbled, blinking slowly, trying to clear his vision. Everything seemed a bit blurry.

“Here you go, darling.” He looked up at Janus’s soft voice, sighing as another blanket was draped over him, snuggling deeper into it.

“I’m sorry, Virgil. I’m so sorry. I had no right to say what I did, I should never have hurt you like that, I was scared, so I made you scared, and that’s not fair, and it’s not an excuse, but I was just wound up and I said so much I didn’t mean.” Roman interjected.

“S fine, Ro. I heard. I heard all of you. Was around. Wasn’t scared, of you.”

“No. You were just scared of yourself.”

“That’s not your fault.” He objected, finally managing to push himself upright, wrapping the blankets around his shoulders, leaning his head on Roman’s chest, who stilled in surprise, before wrapping an arm around his shoulders and drawing him close. “Was already scared of myself.”

“It doesn’t matter, who did what. It just matters what happens now. Will you stay this time, Virgil? Please?” Janus near begged, sitting down on his other side, face drawn. “Please, stop running.” He looked down at his lap, bangs falling across his eyes.

“I don’t know how to do anything else. But I… I’ll try.” Patton let out a soft breath, squeezing his hand gently.

“That’s all we’re asking kiddo. I know it’s hard. But it’ll get easier, I promise.”

“Do you know what Remus is doing with Thomas?” Logan asked, popping up unexpectedly and startling everyone, though he didn’t seem to notice, immediately starting to pace, not waiting for a reply. “He’s teaching him how to be a spiritualist, an occultist, he’s started a full fledged summoning circle in the basement, and the imbecile was going to let Remus teach him how to summon! Knowing that Remus is a poltergeist, I mean honestly, does he have any common sense whatsoever?”

“Nope, that’s why I like him. I almost got away with it, too, if it weren’t for you meddling Logan. Now Mr. Boring is going to supervise and Thomathy isn’t ever going to listen to my advice again. There goes my dream of summoning a demon. Hopefully one with goat legs and antlers and too many eyes! I’d name him Greg.” Remus threw in, nodding sagely, as Logan sputtered, attention finally settling on the couch.

“Oh, hey, V-dawg, nice to see you up and at ‘em.” Logan whirled at that, meeting Virgil’s eyes for a brief moment, before his shoulders relaxed and his face softened.

“The good thing about teaching Thomas is that there won’t be any more accidents, like him summoning you while also using you to power the circle. However…”

“Oh, tell ‘em, tell ‘em, tell ‘em!” Remus babbled excitedly, bouncing up and down.

“what is it, Logan?” Janus asked, eyeing Remus warily. Anything he was this happy about was not usually good for the rest of them.

“There was a… development. Thomas saw me. Without aid from a summoning circle or other occult force. It was brief, but he saw me. He was able to hear me with minimal outward projection, still pinpointing my general location from it as well. It seems likely these powers will only continue to grow stronger with more exposure to both us and Remus. Reasonably, soon he will be able to see us all naturally, with little to no effort.” He kept his voice clinical, even, but from the way Patton looked at him, it was clear he failed, at least somewhat, to hide the tremble in his voice.

“Are you ok, Lo?” Patton asked softly, and he hesitated.

“I am… unsure, at the moment. It was jarring, startling. I haven’t been seen or heard by a human in decades, and I don’t know how to feel about being seen on a regular basis. He seems like a… pleasant enough person, I suppose. Certainly not one who seems prone to abusing his abilities, so I don’t feel we’re in any danger.” He answered, adjusting his tie.

“He asked after Virgil. The first thing he did was apologize and ask if Virgil was alright, said he wanted to help you guys, however he could.” Remus added, noting how Virgil flinched slightly at Thomas’s mention of him.

“I may have been pretty scathing. I’m not sorry about it.” He muttered, making Janus chuckle.

“I wouldn’t expect you to be, love. Far as I’m concerned, he deserved it, and it sounds like he’d agree with you.” Janus answered, from where he’d sat down beside him, resting a hand on his knee, moving his thumb in slow, soothing circles.

“Roman?” Remus asked, and Roman startled, looking up.

“Hmm? Oh, yes, I don’t mind. Rather exciting, interacting with someone living. At the very least he certainly seems interesting. And if we can communicate with him easily, we can maybe get him to get us some new stuff. I can’t imagine the amount of theater I’ve been missing out on.” He bemoaned, and Logan turned contemplative again.

“I hadn’t thought of that. Open communication would certainly help in that avenue, perhaps I could request some documentaries… I should make a list. I’ll be in my room, if anyone needs anything further, or Remus starts harassing the human again. And Virgil? It was good to see you.” Virgil flushed, muttered something that might have been a ‘thanks’, before he vanished.

“I have some stuff going on too, that I should probably check on. Don’t want the snakes swarming the living room again, that would be a disaster!” Remus popped away before anyone could question him, leaving Janus grumbling, rolling his eyes.

“How are you feeling, darling?” Janus asked, attention turning back to Virgil, who shrugged, biting his lip.

“you’re still exhausted, aren’t you?” Patton asked, and he nodded, pressing his head further against Roman’s chest, melting as his hand started once again carding through his hair.

“yeah. Wasn’t using ‘m room. Didn’t want you finding me.”

“Oh, Virgil. I’m sorry. You should always feel safe in there. That is your space. We won’t ever invade it, unless it’s an emergency. How about this, as long as you let us know once a day you’re ok in there, we won’t bother you at all, or try to get in. You don’t have to come out, just slip a note under the door, say hello if one of us knocks, anything, no matter how small, ok? You need proper rest and that’s where you can get it.” Virgil nodded, eyes peeking up at him.

“Ok. I don’t like it in there, anyway. It’s cold. And the shadows get bigger. I can’t… I can’t control them in there.” He answered, Roman frowning.

“That makes sense. The rooms are a reflection of ourselves. It’s where we’re at our strongest. And right now, you don’t have a sense of your own strength, you don’t realize how much power you hold, right now you’re afraid of it, and that fear gives it power. That’s what makes it spiral out of control, your fear and self loathing, and anger.” Janus murmured, and Virgil shrunk tighter.

“I don’t know how to stop it. I don’t…”

“That’s ok, honey. We’re going to help, ok? It won’t be fast, or easy, but it’ll get better. We won’t give up on you, ever, and I know you can do this. It’ll get better.” Patton answered, once again taking Virgil’s hand, holding it gently but firmly, a steadying presence, as Virgil slipped asleep.

“We will have to do something about that room.” Roman said.

“A few fairy lights, something to light up the corners. That power fed on the darkness as much as it did his own being, if we take that away it won’t be able to overpower him if he’s alone in there anymore. Not to say it won’t still do damage.” Janus replied, leaning back against the couch, staring up at the ceiling.

“It’s progress. Any progress is progress, right Jan?” Janus smiled at Patton’s soft words, letting out a soft huff at his own words being echoed back to him.

“Yes. Yes, I suppose so.”

Chapter Text

It was… odd.

It was like now that Thomas was aware of his ability to see and hear them, it had unlocked something within him. He picked up on almost any small noise they made, often looking up if one of them passed him, sensing if they were in the room with him, even if they hadn’t said or done anything.

He couldn’t see them with any regularity yet, only getting quick glimpses, that vanished as soon as he blinked.

There were a couple encounters, though.

Roman had sat down on the couch, drawn in by the cartoon Thomas had on, The Owl House, and he was grinning like an idiot as Luz and Amity dance fought the monster. It was adorable, and he loved them. He noticed Thomas stiffen out of the corner of his eye, and looked at the man, surprised as he met his eyes.

“Hi. Roman, right?” Dumbstruck he nodded. In the next moment, he could tell Thomas had lost him again, looking through him in space, though he was clearly still aware of him. “I thought so. You’re usually around, when I watch this kind of stuff, aren’t you?” He asked, and Roman was again surprised, Thomas was already starting to pick up on differences in their individual energies.

“Yes. I’m quite fond of them, though I’m not caught up on most of my favorites. A few owners ago there was a family, and I got into a lot of cartoons with them, but no one since has really watched any. Drives me a bit crazy, not knowing the endings.” He muttered the last sentence.

“I’d imagine. Um, if you want, we can make a list of stuff you haven’t seen, and I can leave it on for you. Oh, I could set you up with a profile on my Netflix and stuff, that way you guys can watch whatever. Do you have enough… I dunno know, spirit energy, or whatever, to use the remote?” Roman frowned, thinking.

“Probably. It’s not picking anything up, it’s just pressing buttons, which doesn’t take much, as long as the remote is sitting on the table, pointed at the tv, we should be able to manage. You… you’d really do that?” Thomas smiled, shrugging.

“Sure, why not? It’s not like it’s any trouble. Here, we can get it set up right now. I can help add stuff to your watch list, that usually takes a bit more scrolling and typing, if you’re searching for specific shows, and I don’t want you to tire out, or anything.” Roman grinned, letting out a snort.

“Someone learned a lesson about ghosts and energy, did they? How the dickens did that happen, I wonder?” He faux coughed, muttering ‘summoning circle’. Thomas blushed, rubbing the back of his neck.

“God, you’re the worst. I should have anticipated the attitude, from your answers on the Ouija board.” Thomas replied, laughter in his voice as he picked a dragon icon, labeling the profile ‘Ghost Roomies’.

They ended up adding plenty of cartoons, but Roman also helped him pick out some nature documentaries that he was sure Logan would like, some true crime/conspiracy documentaries for Virgil, some cute baby animal shows for Patton, some dramas for Janus, and some horror movies for Remus.

Roman found it was… surprisingly nice, hanging out with Thomas. He wasn’t at all afraid, of him. From the way he talked, any of them, really, not even Remus, though he was a bit warier of him now, thanks to Logan’s warning and help in teaching. No, Thomas was talking and joking with him, as if he were just another person.

“Y’know, most humans don’t get it.” He said, fiddling with his sash.

“Get what?” Thomas asked, looking towards him again, though not quite at him.

“That we’re just… people, y’know? Everyone’s afraid, or think we’re out to get them, or think we’re trying to scare them away, and we’re not. Well, Remus might be, but he’s never been a human, so he doesn’t count. They don’t get that the environment just… reacts to us, sometimes. Or when we’re nervous, we get stuck in patterns, loops, opening and closing doors or cupboards over and over, because we feel certain we’re missing something, but can’t find it. And sometimes we’re just trying, just desperately trying, to be heard, to be felt, we scream so loud, sometimes, and no one can hear us. It’s… infuriating.” Thomas frowned, focusing a bit harder, able to make out Roman, now, frowning and fiddling with his outfit.

“You’re talking about Virgil, aren’t you?” Roman nodded slowly.

“Partly. We tried so hard, to show him we were there. But he just couldn’t feel us. He had no sensitivity to us at all. We all tried, to support him, to get him to notice, to at least feel safer, feel protected, here, but… well, it didn’t work.”

“At least he’s got you all, now. At least he isn’t here all alone. And I know you guys are taking good care of him. And if there’s ever anything he needs, anything any of you need, just let me know, and I’ll do the best I can to help. Ok?” He could see Roman let out a soft huff, eyes crinkled with a soft smile, as he looked up at him.

“Of course. I’m glad, it’s you, here. You’re… one of the best humans I’ve seen in a long while. Thank you.” Roman said quietly, vanishing with a soft whoosh, back to the spirit plane.
…
Virgil was curled up on the couch, asleep.

It had only been two days, since he’d woken up in the living room, since he’d promised not to run again, and it was hard, so hard, but it was already starting to help.

Being around the others was starting to help.

They were all so… nice. They all cared so much, and he didn’t understand why, didn’t understand their answers when he asked them why, because they were more words of love and support and concern, and he didn’t understand why anyone would want him around, but he understood that they did.

He was still tired, almost continually tired, partly because he still hadn’t gone back in his room.

He knew the others had worked to make it more cozy, hung up lights and put in small lamps, so that the dark wouldn’t have anywhere to hide, but he was still afraid, of what it could do. What it had almost done. He didn’t want to risk that happening again, he couldn’t risk hurting them again, so he stayed away.

“hey Virg.” Roman said softly, waking him up from his half sleep, as he blinked his eyes open blearily. “Whatcha doing out here?” Virgil yawned, pulling the blanket tighter.

“sleepin.” He mumbled, and Roman huffed.

“You should do that in your room, bud, sleeping out here isn’t going to do you any permanent good.”

“no. I… I can’t. It’s not safe.”

“It is. I promise, it is. You’re doing so much better now, Virg, it won’t overwhelm you like that again.”

“You don’t know that. You can’t be sure.” Virgil mumbled back, and Roman sighed.

“I’ll make sure of it, doom and gloom. Come on, now.” He scooped Virgil into his arms, blanket burrito and all, getting only a small whine of protest in response.

It took him a moment to fumble the door open, with Virgil in his arms, and he flipped on the lights right away, to ease his concern.

There were soft purple fairy lights strung across the entire ceiling that sparkled softly like stars, lighting the room in a dim glow. Those were always on, unless Virgil told them to turn off. Then were four lamps, one in each corner of the room, that had several settings of brightness, and he turned them on the dimmest setting, which was still enough to chase away the last of the shadows, while not overwhelming the room in light.

He pulled back the covers, tucking Virgil under them, though he shook his head, refusing to let go of him, until he gave in with little protest, climbing in beside him, pulling the blankets up to his chin, Virgil curling into him.

“There we go. This better, Virg?” He asked, getting a soft hum in reply, Virgil nuzzling closer. He smiled, running his fingers through Virgil’s hair, starting to drift off himself. So much time spent actually interacting with Thomas had worn him out, as well, though not as much as he expected it to. It was like it took less energy, to speak around him. Like maybe Thomas acknowledging his presence was feeding him some power, as well. He’d have to ask Logan about that, later. For now, he let himself drift off.

Chapter Text

Janus didn’t like this.

He didn’t like this at all.

Sure, Thomas was a decent person. Sure, he was setting them up with entertainment, getting them books, getting to know them. He’d been cooking with Patton, because god knows Thomas was helpless in the kitchen, but Patton was teaching him all his recipes. He was doing those lessons with Remus and Logan, and every day, his ability to see and hear and interact with them was increasing.

And he made sure to stay away.

He didn’t want to be seen, he didn’t need to be acknowledged, he didn’t need the company of a living human, he wouldn’t get close to him, he wouldn’t speak to him, he wouldn’t get attached. Because the one sure, consistent thing with people is that they leave.

This was a starter house. Not a family house.

Eventually, Thomas would find someone. Eventually, he’d want to start a family, want kids. Eventually, the one bedroom, one bathroom house with a tiny little backyard would be very much too small.

Thomas would move. He would move on, leave them behind, forget about them, and everything would go back to how it was before him. Another clueless human, and the monotony of the afterlife would resume in earnest, except it would feel so, so much more hopeless than it ever had before. It didn’t matter how much Thomas cared about them, or liked them, he still had life to live, and he wouldn’t give up his future just to keep them comfortable.

So he stayed away. He stayed away, for his own good. He only wished the others had the good sense to do the same. So far only Virgil was following his lead and not outright interacting with Thomas, keeping his presence fairly well cloaked even when he did enter the mortal plane, to watch some of the shows Roman and Patton were so fond of. He always stuck to the shadows, unnoticeable, even to the other ghosts.

Patton was so attached. His father instincts were taking off, and Thomas was his newest ‘kiddo’. It was good, to see Patton so happy, he hadn’t been in a very long time. He hadn’t just lost his life, after all, he’d lost his family, and it had hit him so hard, Janus hadn’t been sure he would ever truly come to terms with it.

But between helping care for Virgil and spending time with Thomas, it seemed he was finally starting to heal. Which only made him more bitter in his knowledge that it wouldn’t last. He couldn’t bear to watch Patton break again, it had shattered him the first time, watching such a kind, caring, devoted man, crumbling to pieces.

He was always so good, and when his spirit had formed, he’d been nothing but a pitiful pile of goo. It had taken so long, to coax him into a human shape, to actually be able to hold him in his arms, to comfort him while he sobbed, to slowly build him back up into some semblance of normalcy.

The others had all been there, of course, helped, supported Patton, supported him as he tried to help piece him back together, but it had been Janus who had really spent every moment with Patton until he was stable enough to stay and not fall apart.

Thomas leaving would tear him apart until no one, not any of them, would be able to put him back together again.

That scared him more than anything else in the world.

And if Patton was going to fall apart, he couldn’t, because someone had to keep everyone else going, and that had been his job long before it was Patton’s. He couldn’t afford to get attached. So of course, this would happen.

One moment he was pacing his room, shaking his head, pulling at his gloves.

The next, he felt a tug in his chest, and before he could shake it off, the world warped around him, shifting and melding, feeling dizzy for a moment, before everything settled and he gasped, stumbling, leaning against a wall for balance.

He felt heavy. He was solid. He was… oh. Oh, hell no.

“Remus.” He hissed, glaring daggers at the poltergeist, who was hovering in the air, looking all too pleased with himself, grinning with too sharp teeth. “I swear to god, I am going to discorporate you for this.” He tried to move towards him, but was stopped by an invisible barrier. He growled, looking down at the ground, eyes narrowing.

The summoning circle, was, apparently, complete. And he was standing in it. If he weren’t so pissed, he’d appreciate how well drawn it was, the intracacies Logan had woven into the pattern, a myriad of protections and safeguards that would stop virtually anything and everything from breaking completely free of the circle, even if they breached the first or second defenses, there were a thousand more that would spring into place, preventing them from physically harming anyone in the area.

There were also crystals placed at every nexus, lit candles that glowed an eerie blue at each corner, weaving power through the circle, so that it didn’t draw on his own energy.

“What? Something got your panties in a twist?” He snarled, pounding a fist against the invisible barrier, sending off a small spray of golden sparks. “Oooh, feeling feisty today.”

“You know I want nothing to do with this… this idiotic endeavor of yours, correct? You realize I want absolutely nothing to do with this human that’s got all of you so fascinated and wound up? And where the hell is Logan?!” He shouted, rounding to glare at Thomas. “Clearly someone has a rather thick skull if they still trust this creature to do anything helpful out of the goodness of his heart.” Thomas winced, stepping backwards.

“Logan helped! He set it up, Remus just… told me how to summon one of you.” He said sheepishly.

“The nerd alert did make it so I couldn’t summon anything other than harmless ghosts. No demons, imps, goblins, oh my! Just you, my little music of the night!” He was furious. He was so absolutely furious he could feel it boiling under his skin, his eyes flashing gold.

“Why? Why me, then? Why not Patton or Roman, who I’m sure would adore being fawned over by him, would just enjoy being used as test subjects for your little parlor tricks?”

“Why not you, Jannie? You’ve been awfully quiet lately, I thought some fresh air out and about would be good for you. What’s your problem, anyway? What do you care, if Thomas sees you? So secretive. Makes me wonder what you’re hiding! Don’t you wanna get to know our little mortal?” Remus crowed, and that was enough.

“SHUT. UP.” He shouted, voice echoing with a musical sibilance, and instantly, Remus’s mouth clamped shut, his hands flying up to cover it, gold sparks exploding out from around the circle, sending a shockwave of energy through the room that blew out several lightbulbs, darkening the room, though there was still a strong glow, radiating out from Janus. “Some of us have a sense of responsibility, towards the members of this household. Some of us actually care about the other’s feelings out of empathy, not from a desire to toy with them. Some of us are doing our fucking best to brace ourselves for the crash from the attention high You are giving them all!” He screamed, turning to Thomas, shaking from emotion. “It’s so fun, isn’t it? Talking to ghosts, playing the psychic, you feel so special, don’t you?” He clasped his hands together with sickeningly sweet grin, before it dropped into a scowl. “Well so do they, thanks to you! They’ve been noticed, they’ve been heard, they think they’re your friends, do you realize that!?
They think you care out of anything more than curiousity and a sense of novelty, they think you’re their friend, they think that you’ll stay here forever, and live happily ever after, they don’t get it, they don’t get that sooner or later you’re going to move on, you’re going to move out, you’re going to leave!
So yeah, I have to keep my distance, stay focused, stay alert and aware of the truth of the matter because no one else is keeping a level head, and someone has to be here to try and put everyone back together when this nice little dream world of yours collapses and my family…” his voice broke, and he realized he’d broken out of the circle, was staring down Thomas, glowing yellow eyes imprinting themselves on the walls, judging, all seeing, all knowing, watchful eyes, “My family are going to be the ones to pay for your carelessness. And I’m the only one who can see it coming.
So both of you better leave me the fuck alone, or I swear, there will be hell to pay.” He hissed, glaring once more at Remus, who looked more shocked than anything else, and he felt his hands clench into fists, turning his attention back to Thomas.

“Now. Let. Me. Go.” He growled, stepping forwards threateningly. He felt a clumsy surge of power, the tie holding him to the circle snapping, and instantly, he spun on his heel, vanishing back into the spirit plane. Back into his room.

Where he collapsed to his knees, doubled over from the sobs pouring out of him, one arm wrapped around his stomach, the other covering his mouth, desperately trying to stifle the sound escaping his lips, locking his door before anyone could notice.

He couldn’t face them right now. He couldn’t let them see him like this. He had to keep it together, he had to be fine, he had to stay calm, so that he could protect the others from the incoming fallout.

He’d sob himself dry. He’d go to sleep. He’d crawl out of bed tomorrow feeling like death all over again, and he’d pull on his gloves, pull closed his coat, paste on his sly smile and force the brightness he didn’t feel into his eyes, and he’d smile while Roman told him about comparing drawing techniques with Thomas, while Patton gushed over how tasty dinner had smelled, while Logan explained what he’d taught Thomas that day, while Virgil asked if he was alright and he lied through his teeth and said yes, why wouldn’t he be?

He was fine. He was fine. He was fine. If he said it enough, it would become fact. If he said it enough, he would start to believe it. If he said it enough, he’d forget just how terrified he was of losing them all to darkness. That only made him sob harder, aching from the violent force of them.

In the end, he didn’t even make it to the bed. He was so emotionally exhausted, so utterly weak and useless, he simply curled up on the floor, shivering as he fell asleep, making sure one last time that his door was firmly closed and locked. And if Remus knew what was good for him, he wouldn’t come flouncing in of his own accord.

Janus would make sure he regretted it.

Chapter Text

He woke with a groan. He was cold. He was sore. His eyes were crusted with dried tears, and his chest ached from crying and he just wanted to go back to sleep and pretend that nothing in the world existed.

After letting all of that out, after finally just… screaming himself out, he felt almost empty. Almost numb. But mostly sore and cold.

He sat up, shoving back his hair, realizing a blanket had been tossed over him. He felt himself harden, though it wasn’t a sharp kind of hard. It was thin sheet of ice from the first freeze of the year, hard, it was a brittle kind of hard, a shatterable kind of hard.

He still pulled the blanket tighter around him, as he got to his feet, staring at Remus, who was sitting on top of his desk, face as unreadable as he was sure his own was cold and tired and defeated.

“I told you to leave me alone.” He said flatly, sitting down on his bed with a long sigh. “I don’t want to talk to you.”

“Jannie-“ He held up a hand. Not using his power, though the motion still caused Remus to stop.

“you’ve known me for long enough to know better. To know I had my own damn good reasons, for my actions. You know better than to force me into a situation. And you know them well enough to know that I’m right about their relationships with Thomas. You. Know. Better.” Remus winced, each word hitting him like a slap to the face.

“I’m sorry.” Remus whispered, and Janus let out a humorless laugh, burying his face in his hands.

“You aren’t. That’s why it’s so hard for me to look at you right now, because you aren’t. You’re surprised, by the outcome. You regret it, maybe, now that you’ve thought twice about your actions. But you aren’t sorry. You don’t have the capability for sorrow. It’s not in your nature. I understand that. It isn’t your fault, it’s just the way it is.
But I can’t have you here right now. I need you to leave. I need you to go. I need you to leave me alone. That, you can do. So do it.” He said, voice more brittle, more tired, than anything else, eyes revealing all his years of pain and sorrow. Between one blink and the next, Remus vanished.

And he crumbled apart at the seams once more, unable to stop shaking.
…
Remus popped back into Logan’s room, shaking his head.

“He’s not good, Lo. He’s not good at all. I… he doesn’t want to see me.” Logan frowned, turning from his desk to face Remus. “You should talk to him.” Logan frowned harder at that.

“I’m not the one good with emotions, why not get Patton instead?”

“First, I’m almost positive he wouldn’t let Patton in. Not Virgil, either, he wouldn’t want to scare him. Roman… Roman’s too much like me. He’ll push too far too fast, because he doesn’t get it. You… He’ll let you in, Logan. Please.” Logan’s attention snapped too at that, Remus saying please, so softly and genuinely. He sighed, but stood, straightening his tie.

“I’ll try. I can’t promise anything, but I’ll try.” Remus nodded, vanishing once more as Logan opened his door, walking down the hall to Janus’s. He took a deep breath, feeling oddly forboding, before knocking sharply three times.

“Janus? Are you… alright?” He heard what might have been a hard laugh, then the door clicked open, and he entered.

“no. not particularly.” Logan hesitated, before sitting down in the desk chair.

“Ah.” A pause. “Would you… like to discuss it?” Janus let out a harsh bark of laughter.

“You are clearly the best one to be handling this break down of mine, aren’t you, darling?” Logan stiffened.

“I did tell that to Remus, but he was certain that you wouldn’t let anyone else in.” Logan studied Janus’s posture. Shoulders slumped, but tense, head hanging low, resting on his hands, blanket pulled tight around him. “Was he correct?” Janus half smiled wryly, though it fell away quickly.

“Perhaps. He’s quite perceptive, when it suits his needs. Otherwise he’s so idiotic he can’t see what’s right in front of his face.” Ah, there it was. That was bitter.

“What did he do?” Logan asked.

“Him and our charming human Thomas used the summoning circle. On me. Without forewarning me or asking my consent. And then he pushed. Too far and too hard. So I snapped. At him, at Thomas, at everything. Because they are being fools, pretending like this will stay. Like any of this will stay. It’s going to break their hearts, Logan. And no one sees it coming but me.” He smiled sadly, thumping his head back against the wall. “I can’t protect them from this. They won’t understand, if I tell them to stay away, they won’t listen!” He took a deep breath. “they won’t listen. So all I can do is keep my own distance so I can desperately try and keep them together when it all ends. Limit the damage, limit the cost, limit… limit who we lose.” His breath caught, cracking on that last word, because he knew who they would lose. But he couldn’t say it. Couldn’t make it real. Logan hummed in thought.

“Have you considered… that we may not still be here, if and or when, Thomas decides to move out?” Logan asked, and his head shot up, puzzlement on his face.

“What… what are you saying?”

“Patton is healing. We all see it. Roman is starting to relax, to laugh and smile. He’s letting go of the last of the anger he holds. Virgil… is still hurt, still incredibly delicate, but with all of us helping him, he is making good progress. Becoming more confident, more himself, starting to let go of his self loathing and bitterness. I… am teaching someone, again. I hadn’t realized how much I missed it, but watching him learn, watching his eyes light up when he understands something, seeing the exact moment the neurons connect in his brain, it’s… brilliant.
What I’m saying is, by the time Thomas leaves, we may be ready to, as well. Not despite Thomas, but because of him. The outcome of this association could be catastrophic, yes.
But it could also be… wonderful.
And based on all my observations so far, I believe it will be the latter.” Janus shook his head, feeling like the world was compacting around him.

“No… it… can’t. It won’t, lead there, can’t you see?” He pleaded desperately, and Logan tilted his head, eyes soft but unreadable as he looked intently at him.

“What are you really so afraid of, Janus?” He squeezed his hands into fists against the blankets, trying to force back the emotions overwhelming him. “What is scaring you so badly?”

“What if I lose them?! What if I lose you?!” He choked out, tears welling, as he looked back at Logan, who was taken aback at the amount of sorrow and pain there. “What if I lose you all? What if you’re right, Logan? What if you’re right, and everyone heals, and everyone moves on, and I… I can’t? What if I’m still stuck here, all alone, and Thomas has left, and you’ve all left, and I’m completely, utterly, alone?” He exploded, and Logan let out a silent ‘oh’, at the silent tears dripping down Janus’s cheeks, the hopelessness there. “I won’t hold them back. I won’t hold you. If everyone is ready to go, you know I will let them go, I will tell them to go, I will tell them I’m right behind them, even… even if I’m not.
And even if I am, no one knows what comes after. No one knows what’s past this… this half life we have, I don’t know if heaven or hell or hades or, or, god, I don’t know, any other version of the afterlife actually exists, beyond this, and I don’t know if I’ll ever see any of you again, and I can’t lose you, Logan! I can’t lose you. Any of you. And no matter what happens, no matter the outcome of this, I will.” He smiled bitterly, shaking his head. “Bit of a catch 22, isn’t it? I can’t move on until I know you all are safe and happy. I won’t know if your safe and happy, because no one knows what’s after we move on. So. I’ll just stay here. Stuck. Forever. Won’t that be nice? I suppose I’ll finally get all that peace and quiet I’ve been begging for, for nearly a century.” He gasped out, devolving into sobs once more, that tore at his nonexistent lungs, that ate into his long dead heart, that shattered him to pieces.

He was surprised, as arms came around him, looking up from where his face was buried against his knees, to find Logan there, face softer than he’d ever seen, showing more emotion and empathy and life than he had ever let slip through before, as he pulled him closer. Janus folded against him easily, clinging to his shirt, Logan’s arms holding him tight.

“Y’know, I’ll still have Remus, I suppose, until he gets bored of me and moves on. Without Roman there’s no reason for him to stick around, he can go anywhere, why would he stay?” He sobbed, curling tighter against Logan, who tucked his head over Janus’s, rubbing his back. He usually wasn’t good, with physical comfort, with comforting at all, but his own emotion was close to boiling over at the absolute despair dripping from Janus.

“we won’t leave you. At the very least I can promise I won’t leave you. As long as it takes, I will stay here with you, until you’re ready. I promise. I… I promise, Janus.” He didn’t know if Janus could even hear him, right now, he was so deep in his own mind. “I’m here, Janus. I’m not going anywhere. Not for the world or anything that comes after it.”

Chapter Text

Thomas was pacing the living room.

He hadn’t known what he was doing, really. Didn’t realize Remus hadn’t told Janus they were going to summon him, he was too excited about actually doing a summoning to question him, even though Janus was right. He should have. He knew better than to take Remus at his word.

Though it was clear from how quickly Remus vanished after Janus did, that he hadn’t expected his response to be so overwhelmingly negative. Remus had looked almost… scared, when he vanished, something he’d never seen from the poltergeist.

It occurred to him, too, that he’d of Janus, but he’d never once interacted with him. Never seen him, heard him, even sensed him. It was odd, everyone else he’d at least felt the presence of, Virgil still hadn’t spoken or appeared since the unfortunate incident with him and Joan, but he could feel him hanging around. Janus was an enigma.

But his words were swirling through his head, over and over, frowning more and more with each repetition. They were an echo of Virgil’s words, in a way, they weren’t a toy, they were people, and he’d been treating them as such, but… but it was true, he hadn’t thought of the consequences of his interaction with them.

He wouldn’t just leave them, though!

Would he?

No, he wouldn’t just move out and leave them alone, he couldn’t! He’d meant it when he said he wanted to help them, and he wouldn’t stop until he found a way too, but… but life got in the way of plans. What if something happened, and he had to move? What if he got a job offer, an acting job, somewhere? Would he say no, to a starring role, a big break, just for the ghosts?

He wanted to say of course, he really did, but the truth was… he didn’t know. He didn’t know, what he’d do, in that situation. He didn’t want to hurt them, but Janus was right, he’d set them up for disappointment, for emotional pain, for loss. But he was in too deep now, to simply ignore them, go back to pretending they weren’t there, there was nothing but to keep going forwards, to see where this path led.

“Wow. You are losing it up here, huh?” He jumped, spinning to see Virgil sitting on the arm of the couch, brow raised and arms crossed. He opened and closed his mouth several times, unable to find words, before simply sighing, slumping onto the other end of the couch.

“Am I? Just making everything worse?” He asked, staring down at the ground. “Am I still just playing with all of you? I don’t mean to, I don’t want to, but… I mean, it’s not like things’ll stay this way forever, right? I don’t know how to help.”

“What makes you think you haven’t already?” He glanced up at that, brows furrowed. Virgil was looking up at the ceiling, the barest hint of a smile tugging at his lips. It struck him how different, Virgil looked, from the one time he’d seen him.

He was more relaxed. He didn’t look pale and drawn and miserable. He didn’t look scared. He looked… comfortable. Confident, almost, which was a far distance away from where he’d started, based on what he’d learned from Patton and Roman.

“what do you mean?” He asked, and Virgil glanced at him, shrugging.

“Well, I mean, everyone’s happy, right? Patton and Roman are having a blast, and even Logan’ll admit that this is more ‘mental stimulation’ or whatever, than he’s had in years.”

“what about you? I mean, I… hurt you.”

“yeah. But… you listened. It’s not like you just shrugged it off and didn’t care, you worked to learn so you wouldn’t do the same thing over again. And… you haven’t tried to find me, since. You’ve felt me around, I know you must have, but you ignored me, cause I told you to.
That… That alone helped. I wasn’t… I don’t exactly have a lot of experience, with people respecting my boundries. Allowing me to set, boundries. So. There’s that.” Virgil finished, a bit of a bittersweet smile on his lips, as he looked away.

“I’m… sorry, Virgil. I wish I’d known you, before. I wish I could have done… something. Anything, to help.” He replied softly. Virgil huffed.

“I know. That’s why I know you aren’t making anything worse. You’re… you’re helping. You are, Thomas. Even if you don’t realize it, you are.” Thomas frowned, leaning further back into the couch.

“You’re… like my friends now, y’know? It’s like having roommates, who are just… interestingly limited. But Janus was right, what about when this all… ends? What if I have to leave, for some reason, and have to just leave you guys, here? It’s not… it’s not right, to give you all this, then leave and take it away like it’s nothing.”

“Whoa, whoa, whoa, Janus? When did you talk to Janus?” Thomas flushed, embarrassingly relaying the events of earlier, summoning Janus, and his outburst. Virgil let out a low whistle, shaking his head.

“That’s not your fault. That’s on Remus. He’s the one who knows all of us, and knows what words will best work for each of us. There was no way for you to know. And he wasn’t being entirely fair, with you. I know it’s not a game. I know you aren’t just pretending, to be a friend, you actually are. And I know, no matter what happens, you’ll do right, by us. Even if something happens and you have to leave, you’ll think of something, so we aren’t left completely alone and in the dark. You’re… you’re a good person, Thomas. One of the only I’ve ever met.” Virgil smiled at him, then, an actual soft, genuine smile, that warmed his heart. “I’ve gotta go check on Jan. But… maybe I’ll stop by again later. Actually join in, for movie night.” Thomas grinned back.

“I’d like that, Virgil. It was… good, to actually talk to you.” With that, Virgil gave him a small, two finger salute, before vanishing into thin air. Thomas sighed again, rubbing his face and slumping over onto the couch.

A nap was most certainly in order, after all the excitement and drama of the day. He set the alarm on his phone for a couple hours, pulled down a blanket, and conked out.
…
He knocked softly on Janus’s door, surprised to find Logan on the other side when it opened.

“Thomas told me what happened.” Logan winced, rubbing the bridge of his nose. “Is he ok?”

“Not… not at the moment, no. But he is sleeping. And he’s had a long day. So I’d like to keep him sleeping, he needs it. He… is so scared, Virgil.” Virgil nodded, eyes dark and worried.

“ok. You’re good, though?” Logan nodded.

“I will stay with him, until he wakes. Longer, if he needs.”

“That isn’t what I asked, Lo.” Logan seemed to deflate a bit, shaking his head.

“I will be. It just… upset me, to see him so distraught. I’ve never seen him like that, Virgil. He thinks he’s going to lose us. And I don’t know how to convince him otherwise. As long as he holds onto that fear, he won’t be able to move on, and while I will wait for him as long as he needs, I just… I want him to be happy.” Virgil’s eyes widened, and he took a step back.

“Move… move on? You’re thinking of… thinking we’ll…” Logan winced again, realizing his mistake.

“Virgil…”

“All of you? Are you really that close?” He asked, a hint of desperate sadness in his voice. Logan hesitated, but there was no point in lying. It would do more harm than good.

“I believe so. I believe we all are, Virgil. Including you. Surely you can feel it. A kind of lightness, in your chest. Less… less darkness, hovering around you, less weight on your shoulders, and more room for… for love. And light. It’s a good thing, Virgil.” Virgil shook his head, backing up until he hit the wall of the hallway, hands shaking until he curled them into fists.

He could feel it, what Logan was talking about, he could feel it plain as day, and it scared him. He wasn’t ready for this, he didn’t want this, he didn’t want to move on and go and leave all of this behind. God, wasn’t that ironic, now that he was close to being able to leave, he didn’t actually want to?

“Virgil. It will be ok.” Logan said softly, and he inhaled sharply.

“I’m gonna go find Pat.” He managed, voice tight and gasping, before rushing off. Logan sighed, leaning against the doorframe.

He wondered if Virgil even realized how much progress he’d made. Even now, he wasn’t running away. Wasn’t isolating himself because he was upset, he was going to Patton, because he needed the comfort, needed to feel safe, and he knew he needed to be not alone while he fought through this panic.

That itself was all the proof Logan needed. Things… things were changing.

If only everyone could see it was for the better.

Chapter Text

“Patton!” Patton looked up from his desk where he’d been coloring, as Virgil slammed open his door, eyes wide and slightly frantic, chest heaving.

“Whoa, there, kiddo. You ok?” He asked, getting to his feet as Virgil shook his head.

“No, I… Logan…” he managed to gasp out, before sliding down the wall to the floor, pulling his knees to his chest, trying to slow the spinning of his thoughts.

“Hey, hey, hey. It’s ok, Virgil. Can you look at me, kiddo? Can you focus on me, honey?” He managed to tear his eyes away from the floor, meeting Patton’s eyes, the warmth there easing some of the pressure he felt building inside, holding out a shaky hand. Patton caught on instantly, taking it in his. Virgil squeezed his eyes shut, trying to force out words.

“I don’t wanna go. It sounds so stupid, it’s so stupid, because what else did I kill myself for, it was to get the fuck out of here, but I didn’t expect all of you, I didn’t expect to care, and I don’t wanna leave, I don’t want you to leave, I don’t… I don’t wannagoanymore!” He gasped out, shaking as he felt Patton pull him onto his lap, brushing back his hair.

“slow down, honey, what are you talking about, sweetheart?” Patton murmured, and he let out a little sob.

“L-logan… Logan said we’re close to m-moving on. We’re… we’ll be able to l-leave! I don’t… I don’t want to leave, Patton, I don’t want to go, I don’t want this to end, this is… this is the h-happiest I’ve ever been, god, how pathetic is that, I’m not even alive anymore, and this is the happiest I’ve ever been, and I c-can’t let go of it, I don’t want to lose it, I don’t want to go, I don’t w-want to go, Patton!” Patton stilled, mouth forming a silent ‘o’ as he absorbed everything Virgil had just said.

Logan was right.

He hadn’t focused on it, for a long time. Hadn’t tried to. Didn’t care. But… but something in his chest that had been hollow, empty, lost, was starting to fill again. Was warm and soft and light. It reminded him of how it felt to see his wife smile, his daughter laugh, it was that same soft tenderness he’d lost when they’d died. Lost when he’d died.

“Oh. Oh, Virgil. It’ll be ok. I promise, it’ll be ok.” He stroked through Virgil’s hair, who sniffled softly.

“It w-won’t. We’ll all be g-gone. I don’t want you to be g-gone, I don’t want to be gone, I don’t… what if there’s nothing? What if it’s just… just nothing? And I’ll be alone in the d-dark and it’ll… I won’t go somewhere good, I won’t end up where you all are, I k-now it, I… I’m not like you. I’m not… I’m not bad, but it’s not like I’m good!” Patton shushed him gently, rocking him slightly on his lap.

“You’re good, Virgil. You’re so good, hon. And I don’t care what comes next, ok, I’m not going anywhere without you. I’ll fight anyone and anything that tries to tell me otherwise. I swear, Virg, I won’t go anywhere you can’t follow. I won’t leave you alone in the dark. I promise. I couldn’t be there for you when you were alive, but I’m here with you now, and I’m not going anywhere. Not without you.”

“Why isn’t this easier? Why… that should be the whole goal, right? That’s what it always is, finish your unfinished business then gtfo! So why is it so…”

“It’s scary. It’s scary, Virgil. It’s ok to be scared. You… found it so easy, to die, because you felt you didn’t have anything to live for, anything to stay for. Now… now you have us. You have people you care about and who care about you, you feel like you have something to lose, this time. And that makes it scary.” Patton finished softly, drawing back just a bit, so he could look Virgil’s face, tucking his hair back, smiling softly. “But you won’t lose us, virgil. You won’t. We’ll all be together, somewhere, I promise. I promise, I’d move heaven and earth to make sure our little family stays together. I won’t let go. I won’t let go, Virg.” He murmured, and Virgil’s face crumpled, as he fell back against him, hugging him tightly.

“o-ok. Ok, Pat.” Virgil whispered, his voice wavering, and Patton held him closer, pressing a kiss to the top of his head, continuing to murmur gentle nonsense as Virgil shook, making sure he was grounded. “I trust you, Pat.” It was said so quietly, he almost missed it, but he didn’t, his heart soaring, as he gently lifted Virgil from the floor, not letting go of him as he sat down on the bed, leaning back against the wall so they were a bit more comfortable.

“Everything’ll be ok, Virg. We’ll be ok.”
…
“Roman.” He looked up from where he was lounging on his bed, at Remus’s softly serious voice. It was a rare tone, for him, and got his attention.

“What did you do?” He asked with a sigh. Remus smiled for a second, before it fell away, refusing to meet his eyes.

“I… I accidentally broke Jan. But Logan’s taking care of him. Then Logan broke Virg. But he went to Patton.” Roman’s brow crinkled, but it wasn’t the worst Remus had ever done.

“So you’re here to play with me, since everyone else is occupied?” He asked lightly, setting aside his book, trying to joke, but Remus didn’t even smile, just shook his head, still staring at the floor. His own worry heightened, and he got to his feet, resting his hands on Remus’s shoulders. “Ree? What is it?” Remus sighed.

“Feel… feel your center, ok? Feel the core of your soul. Tell me… tell me what you sense.”

“What is this about, Remus?” He asked softly. Remus just shook his head.

“Just do it, please?” He frowned, but took a step back, nodding, closing his eyes.

He hadn’t done this for decades. The last time he had, was probably when Remus was still working to pull him back from the brink. When he’d had to cling and fight and claw to burn the corruption out of his soul, when it was still singed and bedraggled and trying to piece himself back together.

He knew he’d come a long way since then. But he’d still avoided checking it, still illogically scared that he wouldn’t like what he found. That all the anger and hate would have stained him black forever.

But… but that’s not what he found. It was… light. It was soft, and swirling, and warm, a fuzzy, homey kind of warmth, that almost seemed to sing. It was beautiful. It was amazing. It was peaceful… oh. Ohhhhh.

He thumped down on the edge of the bed, opening his eyes, feeling tears glistening in the corners, unsure if they were from happiness or sorrow or a strange mix of the two.

“I thought so. That’s… that’s why everyone else is kinda freaking out. Because they’re all… everyone’s almost there.” Roman was silent. He was quiet so long Remus was starting to worry.

“I didn’t think… It’s been so long, Remus. It’s been so long, here, and I love them, and I love you, and I love Thomas, but I’m so… I’m so tired, Remus.” Roman smiled thinly up at him, though his eyes showed his age. “I’m tired.” He repeated softly, letting out a low exhale, and looking down at the ground. He felt Remus sit down next to him, taking his hand and squeezing it.

“I know, Ro. You deserve this. You really, really do. You’ve fought so hard for it.” Remus said. They sat there in silence, lost in thought, for a long time, before Roman breached the quiet.

“what about you, Remus?” He asked softly. “What will you do?” Remus shrugged.

“Dunno. Haven’t traveled around for ages. Would love to scare the pants off of some amatuear satinists. Trick some cults into thinking I’m their god. Pretend to be the ghost of someone famous at a séance. Your usual poltergeist shenanigans, and such.” Remus answered, though his voice cracked at the last sentence. “I’m sure I won’t miss you at all. I’ll be glad, you’re all gone. I want you all to leave, actually, so this’ll be good for me, after all. I hate you. Really.” He rambled, not noticing the tears slipping down his face, till Roman tilted up his chin, and gently wiped them away.

“Remus…” Roman trailed off, his own voice caught in his throat.

It wasn’t fair.

It wasn’t fair, that wherever they were going, Remus couldn’t follow. It wasn’t fair that the one being that was the reason he was even still here at all, and not lost to darkness and despair couldn’t come with, it wasn’t fair that Remus had given him everything, had supported him more than anyone, and in return was stuck here, because he wasn’t a ghost. He wasn’t a spirit. He wasn’t human. He had never been.
He couldn’t move on. There was nowhere for him to go.

“I’m sorry.” He whispered, and Remus huffed, resting his head on his shoulder, closing his eyes and taking in the feeling of Roman, Roman wrapping an arm around him, pulling him closer.

“don’t be. It’s… this is what’s supposed to happen. It’s always been what’s supposed to happen. It’s just how it is.” Remus replied, inhaling sharply. “I always knew you’d have to go.”

Roman squeezed him tighter, resting his head atop Remus’s with a shaky breath, overwhelmed by the sorrow and regret and sadness and love and fondness all washing through him at once, choking him up so much he couldn’t say anything, could only let the tears fall, let the gratefulness and sadness radiate out from him, knowing Remus could pick up on exactly what he was feeling, almost before he could understand it himself.

“You’ve done so much for me. I can’t just leave you, Remus. I… you’re my family. You’re my brother, I can’t… I can’t do this, without you.” He sobbed, clinging tightly as Remus shifted him onto his lap, tucking his head over Roman’s shoulder.

“Shh, I know, Ro. I… I love you too, I love you so much. But this is what’s best for you. I can’t… I won’t… hold you back, from this. Don’t let me hold you back from this.” Remus answered, and Roman let out another soft sob, pressing closer.

“I’ll find a way. I’ll find something, there has to be something.”

“Ok, Roman. I’m sure… I’m sure you’ll find a way. I’ll be… I’ll be right behind you.” Remus was proud. He almost managed to keep his voice steady, for that straight up lie.

Chapter Text

Everyone was oddly quiet.

It had been a few days. The ghosts were around, yes, but not as present as usual, not as talkative or social. Everyone was quietly muted, lost in their own thoughts, staring out into space. Even Remus, Thomas had come to expect random jump scares from the poltergeist, trying to scare him, but instead he’d been floating somewhat listlessly through the house. Overall, everyone had an aura of sad finality around them.

He called a movie night, to try and see if that would help everyone’s spirits, turning on How to Train Your Dragon. Virgil draped himself atop the top of the couch. Patton sat on the arm, resting his head against Virgil’s. Janus sat on his other side, hand resting on his knee. Logan sat next to him, tightly holding his hand, and Roman was on his other side, arm wrapped around Logan. Remus was laying atop Roman and Logan and Janus, his head resting against Roman’s chest, squeezing his other hand tight, eyes closed, like he was trying to absorb Roman’s presence.

He finally sighed, pausing the movie, turning to face everyone.

“What is going on, you guys? Is everything ok?” Everyone seemed to freeze at his words, before Janus deflated, letting out a long sigh.

“It seems… that our unfinished business has been resolved, at least to the point where it would be possible for us to… to move on.” Thomas looked between everyone, frowning as he found only stress and misery, instead of relief and happiness.

“That’s… I mean, that’s good, isn’t it? Shouldn’t you all be happy?”

“I am. Me and Lo… we’re ready. But…” Patton mumbled, gaze flicking over Roman, Janus and Virgil.

“we’re scared. Of what else comes after. Of… of being alone. Of the dark.” Virgil whispered, Patton reaching up to hold his hand.

“it’s… hard. To take that step. I’m sure it is, especially without knowing what’s there, but… I mean, come on. There’s no way whatever is, will take you away from each other. That would go against the whole point, right? Aren’t you supposed to be at peace, reunited with lost loved ones, be happy?” They all looked away in different directions, contemplating, or lost in thought. Thomas sighed, running a hand through his hair. Come at this from a different direction.

“What’s it feel like?” He asked instead, that got Logan’s attention. He couldn’t ignore a question.

“What does what feel like?” Thomas quirked his lips.

“How do you know you’re ready to move on? What’s different? What does it feel like?” Logan tapped his fingers against Janus’s leg, thinking.

“It feels… soft. Exciting. Like when one of my students who’d been struggling finally got an A on their test. The light in their eyes, when they were proud of what they’d accomplished, when I was proud of them, the moments when I know, knew, that in some small way, I had made a difference. I had gotten through to them. I had… taught them something. And they loved it.” Logan had a small smile on his lips, eyes distant as he spoke, visibly relaxed as he seemed to blink away the stupor, the smile fading, as he looked up at Thomas.

“It feels like… love. Before it went so, so bad, before the manipulation and the… the abuse, when it was warm and real and good.” Virgil said softly, dark eyes looking at the floor.

“When I was on stage. The early days, when I was doing it because I loved it, loved the music I could make, loved the performance, the theatrics of it. I loved… the stage. It feels like the spotlight is on me, the anticipation of the first note welling up in my chest. It… sings.” Janus answered, smile bittersweet.

“Sunshine. Drawing in my sketchbook, laying in the fields, the sun on my back. How it felt liberating a plantation, setting free the slaves, the exertions and rush of winning a battle, of drinking and laughing with my troop members.” Roman added.

“It feels like home. Like… like my actual home, filled with laughter and warmth and love, like morning coffee with my wife, like giving my daughter piggy back rides and tucking her in, and reading her bedtime stories.” Patton choked out, feeling tears blur his vision.

“And I don’t feel anything. I’m not one of them.” Remus said softly, pressing closer to Roman.

“That’s not true.” Thomas said, and Remus blinked, looking up at him.

“Record scratch?” Remus asked.

“You clearly feel something, or you wouldn’t be this upset. You clearly love Roman, and are fond of everyone else, that has to count for something. Besides, how do you know you can’t go with them? It’s not like you’ve tried before, right?” Remus shook his head.

“Well, no, but… It’s not one of those things you can test out, and it’s not like I have a soul, so…” Remus trailed off with a shrug.

“But… you did tell me, you can go wherever you want. It’s not like you ever listened to anyone or anything before. Who says you can’t, come with us?” Virgil asked, resting his head on his hands, glancing down at Remus.

“No one, that’s who. Even if I have to drag you there myself.” Roman muttered, squeezing Remus’s shoulders.

“It sounds like… all of you feel it as some sense of love. Some sense of home. And… and you are each others’ homes, now. Each other’s family. You’ll be together. I know it.” Thomas said softly, surprised as Patton lunged across the couch to pull him into a hug.

It didn’t feel like an actual hug, just the barest feeling of pressure against him, around him, a kind of soft chill, but he did his best to hug Patton back.

“thank you.” He mumbled, and Thomas smiled.

“Of course, Pat. Should we get back to the movie, or do you guys wanna do something else?”

“Let’s… keep going with the movie. I think we’re all feeling a bit better now.” Logan said, everyone nodding assent.

“Alright. Back to the dragons!”

For the rest of the movie, everyone was quiet, again, but it didn’t have the heavy silence of the past few days. It was a lighter, more companionable silence. The kind that meant everyone knew what everyone else was thinking and feeling, and were each there supporting each other.

And afterwards, when they said goodnight to Thomas, they ended up in their living room, building a pillow and blanket fort, Roman sputtering as Remus chucked a pillow at his head, before retaliating by tackling him onto the couch, tussling playfully. Logan rolled his eyes, and continued directing Patton and Virgil on the best way to set up the fort, so it would be sturdiest. Janus was already lounging underneath where they were putting it up, saying he was the professional blanket tester, refusing to move, until Virgil flopped face first on top of him, leading to Janus laughingly trying to shove him off, as Virgil clung to him like a koala.

Eventually Roman and Remus gave up, flopping in next to them, tangled around each other, unable to stop giggling at something stupid one of them had said, bursting into more giggles every time they tried to explain whatever it was, before Logan begged them to just stop trying, it wasn’t even worth the explanation, which made them laugh harder.

Logan huffed, but let Patton pull him down into the fort, blushing slightly as Patton curled around him, snuggling him close to his chest. It felt… extremely nice, so he buried his face against Patton’s chest, not fighting the warmth seeping into his heart.

By the time everyone had settled in, stopped their whispered conversations and late night exhausted giggling, everyone was in a tangled pile atop and sprawled over each other, limbs intertwined, breathing in each other’s warmth and affection and love.

They were a family. They were together. They wouldn’t be split up by anything, not even the afterlife.

Chapter Text

A few days had passed.

A few days, but it felt like an eternity. Every moment they spent together, or together with Thomas, or together in pairs. The talk with Thomas had eased their minds, eased their doubts, and now that they had time to think about it, to focus on the feelings in their souls, they were becoming more… comfortable, with the idea of moving on. With the feeling of it.

Virgil let out a soft breath, hovering outside Janus’s door, finally knocking. He was surprised to see everyone else inside, already, all sitting on the bed, Remus sprawled across the floor atop everyone’s feet.

“oh.” He said eloquently, still hovering in the doorway.

“We were waiting for you, darling. Figured you’d show up, sooner or later.” Janus said gently, half smiling. “You feel it, don’t you?” He nodded slowly.

“yeah. I’m… I think I’m ready. To be ready. If that makes sense.” Patton smiled, nodding.

“It does. I… we should say goodbye. Before we go. To Thomas.”

“Oh god, do we have to? I’m gonna lose it, I can’t.” Roman mumbled.

“we have to. It… wouldn’t be right, otherwise.” Logan answered, though his own voice shook slightly.

“Ok. Let’s get this over quick, then, so my suspense can be done with. Because if yall can’t manage to drag me with, I’m fuck a doodle dooed.” Remus said, though the usual brashness of his voice was quieted by his own fear.

“It will work. It will, or I’ll physically fight whatever deity is out there to death until he lets you come with.” Roman muttered, already bracing for a fight.

“then let’s go.” Janus said softly, and they all popped into the living room together, startling Thomas, who was watching television. He instantly turned it off, looking between all of them, smiling softly and sadly.

“You’re going, aren’t you?” He asked, and Logan cleared his throat, stepping forwards.

“We are. We… just wanted to say farewell. And… and thank you. For everything.” Logan said, swallowing hard.

“I… of course, Lo. I’ll miss you. I’ll miss all of you, but I’m glad. I’m glad I could meet you. I’m glad I could help.” Thomas laughed, swiping at his eyes, trying to stifle the tears he could feel building there. “Gosh, this is… this is emotional.”

“What did you expect, a walk in the park?” Virgil snarked, though his own voice was thick.

“Keep chasing your dreams, Thomas. You’ll… you’ll get there. You’re a good kid, you’ll get there.” Roman mumbled. Patton couldn’t contain himself, capturing Thomas in another ghostly embrace, holding him as tight as he could.

“thank you. I… I love you, kiddo. You better live a long, full, happy life. Don’t make me come back down here, young man.” Patton threatened, though his voice broke, a sob wrenching its way out of his throat as he drew back.

“I will, Pat. I promise. You won’t… you won’t see me again for a long, long time. But I promise, I won’t forget you guys. I won’t stop, just cause you’re gone. I’ll… I’ll help where I can. If I can. Just like this.” Janus smiled, shaking his head up at the ceiling.

“You’re insufferably positive, love, you know that?” He asked, making Thomas laugh softly.

“yeah. Yeah, suppose I am. I’ll… I’ll see you guys later, I guess. And Remus? If… if something goes wrong, if this doesn’t work, you’re always welcome here.” He added, Remus nodding, face surprisingly serious for once.

“alright. Let’s get this show on the road, party bois!” Remus whooped, causing Roman to roll his eyes, but he took his hand, anyway, squeezing it tight. Patton wrapped an arm around Janus’s shoulders, his other around Virgil’s. Janus squeezed Logan’s hand, and Logan held Roman’s. In a moment, they were surrounded by a soft, glowing light, that started at their legs then slowly grew brighter, as it climbed up their bodies, until it grew so bright, Thomas had to look away, closing his eyes. Then there was a brilliant flash, and when he opened his eyes, they were gone.
For the very first time since he had moved into the house, he felt he was well and truly alone.
…
It was bright. It was blindingly bright. It hurt, to open his eyes, to look around, and when it finally started to dim, he yelped, a force crashing into him, nearly sending him tumbling over.

“Daddy!” His breath froze in his throat, and his eyes flew open, blinking away his blurry vision, trembling.

It was his girl. It was his little, darling, baby girl, hugging him tight around his waist, smiling up at him, bouncing lightly on the balls of her feet in excitement.

“daisy?” His voice wavered, and she nodded, taking a small step back.

“do you… do you not remember me, daddy?” A sob broke through, and he scooped her up into his arms, holding her close, half crying, half laughing hysterically.

“Of course I remember you, my little flower girl! I’ve thought about you every day you’ve been gone, I’ve missed you, every day you were gone.” He exclaimed, spinning her around in his arms, relishing her smile, her giggle, her weight, in his arms, he could feel her, like he had when they were alive, he felt solid again, and real.

“Where’s… where’s your mother?” He asked, hesitance slipping into his voice.

“Waiting for you. Like always, you silly man.” Her soft voice rang out, and he turned, pulling her into a tight hug, breathing in her scent of roses and rain, Daisy snuggled comfortably between them.

“I love you.” He choked out, and he felt her kiss his cheek, then she pulled back just slightly, and kissed his lips, long and deep.

“I love you too, dearest. Now, who are your friends?” He spun again, eyes widening at the sight behind him.

It was a clearing. A sunny, brightly lit, perfect summer day, clearing. And there they were.

Virgil was wrapped in the middle of a tight embrace, two people who must have been his parents whispering to him, as he sobbed, clinging to his mother’s shirt, his father pressing a soft kiss against his head.

Roman was clinging to Remus, laughing and crying, and Remus was laughing back, picking Roman up off his feet to spin him around in the air once, whooping with joy, losing his balance as they both tumbled over, sprawled across the ground together, grinning.

Janus was on his knees, hands over his mouth, silent tears dripping down his face. Logan was next to him, a hand on his shoulder, in support or to keep himself standing, Patton couldn’t tell, murmuring quietly. But Janus reached up, resting a hand atop Logan’s, squeezing it like his life depended on it.

It was a bit sad, that they didn’t have anyone waiting for them here. Then again, he supposed it was for the better that none of Roman’s family had been here, they were most of the reason he’d lingered, to start with. And Logan and Janus had never been close with much of anyone. Still, they had each other. They all had each other.
…
Virgil didn’t know what to do. He’d done it. He was… they were… they were all here! He was going to run to them, to pull them all into a hug, but then he heard a soft ‘ahem’ from behind him, and everything in him froze.

He knew that voice. He knew it, though he hadn’t heard it in years, though the last time he’d heard it he was small. He was afraid, oddly, terribly, afraid, to turn around, to look at him. To look at them, he realized a moment later.

“Virgil.” Because that was his mother. Gently, hands settled on his shoulder, turning him around, and he couldn’t stop the tears from slipping out, as he avoided their eyes, as he stared at the ground, he didn’t want to see the disappointment and shame there.

“I’m sorry.” He whispered, gasping as arms pulled him close, tight, and he ducked his head against his mother’s chest, gasping out sobs. “I’m s-sorry, I’m so-rry… I’m…”

“Shhh, hush, baby. It’s alright. There’s nothing to apologize for, there’s nothing you have to be sorry for, pumpkin.” His mother murmured, stroking his back.

“I k-illed myself. I g-gave up, I fai-led you.” He cried.

“You didn’t let us down. You never let us down, Virgil. It was hard, I know it was hard, and it’s ok. It’s ok, Virgil. I wish… I wish it had been longer, before we saw you here. But I could never be ashamed of you.” His dad embraced him from behind, and he felt his legs give out, shaking as he held on to them, never wanting to let go, never again.
…
Roman tried to keep his anticipation in check, as the light glowed around them, as he felt himself start to disintegrate into the ether, and he held tight, tight as he could, to Remus.

He could feel Remus slipping from his grasp. Could feel him slipping away, slipping apart, and he grit his teeth. He wouldn’t lose him.

He poured all his strength, all his hope and joy and love, everything he’d ever felt for Remus, all the agitation and annoyance and rage, all the amusement and laughter and light, into one burning, descisive thought.

‘I will not go without him.’

Then the world shifted to nothing with an all consuming flash of light and nothingness, then he opened his eyes. Gaze instantly flying to Remus.

Remus. He was holding tight to Remus’s hand, still, just as they had been when they’d left, and though he felt exhausted and drained, he’d managed it, he’d managed to take Remus with him.

“you’re here! You’re… we…” he trailed off, laughing, crying, he couldn’t tell, all he knew was he was tired and empty and elated. Remus grinned back, whooping, lifting him off the ground in a spin, making him laugh so hard they toppled over backwards, sprawled across each other on the ground, unable to stop laughing. Which turned into crying, as Roman folded against Remus, Remus embracing him just as tight, both of them losing it.

“you did it, you did it, Roman, I’m never leaving, you’re… you’re officially never getting rid of me! Ha!” Remus cried in triumph, and Roman laughed.

“Alas, such is my fate. Burdened for eternity with your charming face.” Remus laughed, shoving him lightly.

“Shut up, idiot. It’s not like you’re anything to write home about, either.” Roman spluttered indignantly, shoving Remus back, once again ending up sprawled across each other, laughing.
…
Warm.

He was warm.

There was sunshine, on his skin. Grass underneath him. Without thinking he ripped off his gloves, burying his hands in the soft, green grass, gasping as he felt it, he really, truly felt it, it was warm and soft against his hands, his bare hands, those awful slashes gone from his wrists, and he nearly doubled over from the force of the realization that they were gone.

And he was here. He was here, and he could hear everyone else around him, they’d all made it, wherever this was, together, even Remus, based on the cackling laughter coming from somewhere behind him.

Sun. He’d missed the sun. He’d missed this warmth that soaked into his bones, that made him want to simply starfish across the ground and bask, god, he wanted to sing, for the first time since he’d died he felt so… so light and happy that he could almost bring himself to sing.

Instead a sob gasped its way out of his throat, and his head fell into his hands, he couldn’t take this, he couldn’t believe this, he couldn’t stand this relief and sorrow and joy and whatever else, there was a million other things, that he couldn’t put words to.

“Janus.” Logan’s soft voice, a firm hand on his shoulder, helping to ground him, god everything felt more real, everything felt solid, in a way it never had as a ghost. It was overwhelming, the slightest sensation was overwhelming.

“Too much. It’s… it’s all too much.” He managed.

“It’s alright. Just take your time. I’m here.” Logan murmured, squeezing his shoulder, and he raised a hand, covering Logan’s, squeezing back softly as he struggled to put himself back together.
…

Chapter Text

Daisy was a like a little mini Patton. After she’d finished regaling him with everything that had happened, since he’d been gone, she was bouncing between the rest of them, asking questions, jumping from topic to topic, easing some of the heightened emotions running rampant.

And Virgil’s parents were lovely, they hadn’t let go of him once, a hand on his shoulder, an arm around him, and he leaned into all of it, smiling and laughing at their commentary, their memories of him as a child, moments that had faded away, that he’d lost, under all of the bad.

Janus was the only one, who didn’t seem to be regaining his composure yet. He was still kneeling in the grass, hands curled into it. He’d told Logan to go, meet everyone, he was alright. He closed his eyes, taking another deep breath, trying to calm himself.

“Janus, right?” He opened his eyes, blinking at the little girl standing before him, Daisy, her eyes bright, her hair to her waist, he understood why Patton had felt unable to live without her. She was like a mini sun.

“yes.” He answered, realizing she was waiting for a response. She smiled, before lunging against him, so hard she nearly knocked him over, her arms around his neck, hugging him tight.

“thanks for taking good care of my dad. I know he musta been really really sad. Thanks for helping him get happy, again.” Her voice was so serious, and the lump in his throat grew, as he found himself hugging her back.

“He loves you. More than anything.” He murmured.

“uh huh. He loves you, too, y’know. Said you were there longer than he was.” He sighed.

“Well, Roman was there longer than me, so. That doesn’t matter.” She pulled back finally, shaking her head.

“It does. Come on, you should meet my mama. She wants to say hello.” He didn’t have it in him to resist the gentle tugging of the child on his hand, allowing her to pull him over to the group, everyone circled up and talking and laughing and crying.

He’d barely made it over, before he was being swept into another tight hug, hands on his shoulders as they pulled back, looking into the dark eyes of who he would recognize as Virgil’s mother anywhere, Virgil looked just like her.

“you brought my baby home.” He cleared his throat, looking away, oddly nervous in front of this serious but soft seeming woman.

“Yes, well, it was a bit of a group effort, that one.” He replied, squeaking as she pulled him close once more.

“You don’t have anyone waiting.” The words would have stung, but she didn’t say it scornfully, or even sadly, really, just factually. “So, you’re ours now.” He spluttered slightly, pulling back.

“What?”

“You’ve just been adopted, Janus. Don’t try and fight it.” Virgil said dryly, tucked under his father’s arm, against his side, and he fought a smile at how happy he looked, even though he was tear streaked and puffy eyed, he was happy.

“Oh! Hello, honey. I’m so glad to meet you. Patton hasn’t stopped talking about you.” He turned at the new voice, Patton’s wife, Patton beside her, Daisy riding on his shoulders. He’d gotten a flower crown from somewhere, probably Daisy herself. “I’m Julie.” He shook her hand, once again getting pulled into a hug, all these people were huggers.

“Hi.” He said in reply, how wonderfully witty of him.

“Jannie! I did it!” He was nearly tackled to the ground as Remus pounced on him from behind, he hissed, throwing him off after a moment, Remus grinning up at him from his spot on the ground.

“I’d noticed. Roman, you’re responsible for him, I hope you realize that!” Roman groaned playfully, hand to his forehead.

“so dramatic.” He muttered under his breath, getting a snort from Virgil.

“Janus.” He turned, facing Julie once more, breath caught at the earnestness on her face. “Thank you.” He frowned, shaking his head.

“Everyone keeps saying that, but I really didn’t do anything more than anyone else. I don’t know what you think I’ve done, exactly, that’s so worthy of thanks.”

“That’s not true. You… you’re the one who got through to me. Who kept… kept finding me.” Virgil said softly.

“And you put me back together. I know it wasn’t easy, Jan, but you… you never gave up on me.” Patton added.

“You were the first other human spirit I’d ever seen. Not that I don’t love you, Remus but I think eventually I would’ve gone crazy without you.” Roman added, slipping a hand into Janus’s, who squeezed it tightly.

“You were and are our rock, Janus. You kept us all afloat.” Logan, taking his other hand, smiling gently up at him, wiping away tears he hadn’t even realized were falling. “So thank you. For all you’ve done, for all of us.” He fell into Logan’s arms, who was usually the most sensitive to touch, but today he just wrapped him in a hug, tucking his head over Janus’s shoulder. Soon, the others followed suit, and he felt everyone folding around him, everyone becoming one pile of arms and limbs tangled around each other.

“What… what do we do now?” He asked, feeling Patton squeeze his shoulder.

“Now we go home. Together.”
…

Thomas sighed, plopping down onto the couch.

It was Halloween. A year and some months since the ghosts had left, and while he liked having a bit more privacy around the house it had been… quiet. Oddly quiet, without them. He missed them, though he was glad, of course, that they had all moved on, and based on Remus not reappearing, he could assume he’d managed to go with as well.

He was still practicing, everything Logan and Remus had taught him. If he saw a spirit lingering, he made sure to meet their eyes, to let them know he could see them, if they wanted to talk. Some did, some didn’t.

A lot of them were content where they were, simply too attached to their homes to move on, or were watching over a loved one, content to wait for them. Some simply were.

He visited the graveyard often. He’d become friends with most of the ghosts that lingered there, many of them just were so glad someone could hear them, see them, weren’t afraid of them. They just wanted some company, and he was happy to oblige.

He didn’t run a business. He didn’t make money off his ability, it didn’t seem right, to. He didn’t broadcast it, didn’t make a big deal of it, but he’d pass things on, sometimes, if that was what a spirit needed. Simple messages, and enough people knew of him, by now, that if someone had a problem or suspected there were spirits lingering, they would reach out to him. And again, he was happy to help.

This Halloween, he didn’t have any plans. Joan was out of town, at their relative’s place, and he didn’t feel like going out or partying anywhere. He had the light on, though there weren’t many kids in the neighborhood, still, he had a bowl of candy just in case. Most of it was going in his mouth, to be honest, as he watched cheesy horror flicks. Currently a woman’s arm was getting severed with a chainsaw while obviously fake blood spurted across the screen.

“Puh lease. I could do better than that in my sleep!” He jumped, candy flying through the air as he spun, spluttering as he found Remus, floating beside him.

“What-you-how-“

“Could have been a liiiitle more subtle, don’t you think?” He spun again, finding Virgil leaning against the wall, lip quirked in amusement.

“We were hoping not to startle him.” Logan added, appearing beside Remus.

“That’s not the worst he could have done. Did you forget about the spider plague? That’s usually his idea of making an entrance.” Roman, from the doorway, rolling his eyes as Remus stuck out his tongue at him.

“Alright, kiddos, we’re going to play nice, right everyone?” Patton asked, though he looked pointedly at Remus and Roman, who both sighed, giving a drawn out “fiiiiine” at the same time.

“Ok, not that I’m not glad to see you all, but what… what the heck is going on?!” Thomas cut through the chatter, all eyes turning to him.

“What’s going on is it’s Halloween, darling, and there’s some truth to the old stories saying the veil is thinner. We’re… visiting, I suppose.” Janus answered softly, the last one to appear, and Thomas’s breath caught because he looked so… happy.

Looking around, they all did. Even when he’d seen them smiling or laughing, there was always a sense of sadness around them, always a lingering sorrow, weighing down their shoulders. Now… now it was gone. The weight was gone, and it felt like the first fresh spring breeze blowing through after a long, cold winter.

“we would have visited sooner, but there are rules.” Remus made a face at the word, miming gagging in disgust.

“to be able to safely find our way back and not get stuck here again, we had to wait a year and a day before returning to this plane. This was the first opportunity past that date when the veil is thinned enough we could return.” Logan explained. Thomas nodded, tapping his chin, before realizing something.

“Wait… first opportunity? What are the others?”

“Ah, the summer and winter solstices, and the spring and fall equinoxes, as well as the days like today, which are equidistant between each of those dates.”

“oh. So… you’ll keep visiting, right? I’ve been doing well, and all, it’s just… it’s a little quiet, around here, without you.” Thomas asked, rubbing the back of his neck, smiling as Patton flung his arms around him, surprised as he felt solid, almost real, much firmer and warmer than he had ever felt before.

“Of course we will, kiddo. Now, tell us everything that’s happened since we last saw you!”

“I bet that you’d been committed to an asylum for claiming to talk to ghosts.” Remus said, floating near the ceiling, slowly cartwheeling through the air.

“And I told him that would never happen.” Virgil replied, glaring slightly at the poltergeist, though his lips hinted at the smallest of amused smiles.

“It’s been busy. Good, lot’s of good stuff, but busy. It’s been a bit exhausting, really. Though I’m making friends, with other spirits. Keeping them company, when I can.” He answered.

“I’m proud of you, darling. For looking out, for them. For others, like… like us.” Janus said softly, and Thomas blushed, slightly, ducking his head.

“It’s nothing, really. Just… helping, where I can. But, I mean, everything… is fine? With you guys?”

“Yeah. We, um, thought about bringing our families, but figured for the first time we shouldn’t overwhelm you.” Virgil answered, hands in his pockets.

“And they thought we might want to catch up, first. You’re in for it next visit, though, mister. His parents and my wife and kid are just dying to meet you.” Patton finished.

“Dying to meet him? Really, Patton?” Roman asked dryly, making Virgil snort.

“I regret nothing.” Patton declared, eyes twinkling, pulling Thomas back down onto the couch.

It had been a long year.

But it was, undoubtedly, worth it.