In which Virgil has taken lessons on how to demand affection
“Affection.” Virgil said, holding his arms out and biting down on his lip, his vision going a bit blurry as the many ways he could be rejected swarmed through his mind one after the other. Especially with such a dumb way of asking, he could have at least made it an actual request, but he’d just barely managed to force it out at all and—
“Aww, kiddo, of course!” Patton said gently, hugging Virgil tightly and rocking the two of them back and forth.
Virgil sagged into the hug, hiding his face in Patton’s shoulder. “Was that ok?”
Patton squeezed him for a moment. “It was great, kiddo. I’m always open to give you hugs.”
Virgil squeezed Patton back. “Thanks.”
“Um…” it was harder this time. Logan wasn’t even looking at him, buttering and spreading jelly on his toast. If Virgil wasn’t fast Logan would finish and walk away. “Affection?”
“I’m sorry, were you addressing me?” Logan asked, turning to give Virgil his attention.
“What was it you said? I wasn’t paying enough attention to hear it.”
Darn, he had to do it again. Virgil held out his arms slightly, trying to push past the freezing-up feeling overwhelming him. “Affection,” he managed to squeak out.
Logan blinked. “I see.” He reached out and set a hand on Virgil’s head, ruffling his hair slowly. “I do indeed think of you affectionately, though it is often difficult for me to express.”
A smile tugged at Virgil’s mouth, surprising warmth blooming in his chest. “Thanks, L.”
He had to catch Roman’s attention, Roman was flitting from activity to activity, his attention scattered and whirling.
He was going to have to yell. Or not yell, that sounded harsh. But speak loudly.
Roman spun around, looking startled. Ugh, why did Virgil have such a knack for screwing things up even before they started? His “ah, affection, please,” was much quieter and more hesitant.
But Roman grinned, his face lighting up, and he grabbed both of Virgil’s hands, spinning them both in a circle. “Do you want to see what I’ve been working on?” He asked excitedly.
Virgil grinned back, swept up in Roman’s exuberance. “Absolutely.”
Now Remus was a lot easier. He was very open, and would just as cheerfully reject Virgil’s request as he would accept it. Even if his answer was no, Virgil didn’t really have anything to fear.
Virgil opened his arms. “Remus, affection!”
Remus practically tackled him, wrapping him with both his arms and his tentacles in a bear hug. “Haven’t seen you in ages, Stormy!”
A happy laugh bubbled up in Virgil’s chest. “I missed this.”
Virgil felt very small and hesitant. After all the hurt between them, did he really dare ask?
But after how nice it was with Remus… he’d been missing Janus a lot more intensely.
Virgil knocked on the door softly.
When Janus opened the door, he didn’t say anything. His expression was completely neutral, other than a little surprise.
Virgil shifted back and forth. “A-affection?” He said, his voice coming out in a stuttering half-whisper. He couldn’t meet Janus’s eyes.
Two hands took hold of his, and two more cupped his face, gently tipping it up to look at Janus. His eyes had gone all soft, though his face was still mostly neutral. He leaned in and pressed a short kiss to Virgil’s forehead.
Virgil’s chin wobbled, and he pushed forward, grabbing Janus in a hug. After a moment, six arms wrapped around him, holding him tight.
Virgil felt most awkward this time. Janus had been harder, but this felt more awkward and strange. His previous successes though helped him feel more confident that he at least wouldn’t be rejected harshly.
He rose up in Thomas’s living room.
“Oh hey, Virge! What’s up?” Thomas was watching something, but paused it to give Virgil his attention.
“I… I wanted… affection.”
Thomas looked like he was restraining himself from cooing, which Virgil appreciated. “Sure thing! Come sit here.” He patted the couch next to him.
Virgil still felt awkward, but came and sat down next to him. Thomas slung an arm around his shoulders, pulling him flush with his side. “Wanna watch with me? We can keep watching this or you can pick something.”
Virgil grinned crookedly, relaxing somewhat against Thomas. “Yeah, that sounds nice.”
