It had been a little while since the events of that night. They hadn't had another incident similar to that for a full two weeks, even when he and Cyg had started straying a little closer to the school again, so Virgil was pretty sure they were in the clear for now. It was weird having things be so quiet at the moment, even with their renewed expeditions out into the city; true to what they'd agreed upon a few weeks back Cygnus had agreed to take things a bit slower and spend more time at the apartment, which meant that on quite a few days Virgil found himself without too much to do.
Well, tell a lie, there was still plenty to do around the apartment: the garden always needed tending, Sterling and Lyla needed training, the apartment itself needed regular cleaning to ensure it was always a comfortable living space, and the small planter-boxes that he and Cygnus had been able to bring back from the garden centre needed to be assembled on the roof. They'd made a little progress on that last one with Madison's help, but they hadn't really touched them yet to be honest. Virgil wasn't going to complain though; time spent working was time he couldn't spend watching random films and television series after all.
The others had all been... well, he would hesitate to say they'd all been 'fine' after what had happened, but they were certainly 'alright'. Wesley had mostly seemed confused by what had gone on to be honest, probably because he'd slept through almost the entire thing, whereas his twin had been an endless stream of questions. Madison and Sterling, probably the most sensible amongst their group, had begun looking around the flat to make sure it was secure and assess any damages the living room and kitchen had taken in the night.
Virgil and Cygnus, however, had spent almost a solid twelve hours compiling absolutely everything they knew about the creature and comparing notes. Virgil had mentioned his theories of the creature using fear almost as a snare, and after some careful consideration Cygnus had agreed. His boyfriend had talked of the unnatural spike of fear that seemed to go through him when thinking of the monster, which Virgil took to mean he had been 'marked' or 'snared' or whatever you wanted to call it. The last part was a bit of a leap in assuming, but they didn't really have any other ideas or leads to go on for that sort of thing.
They'd also noted down its apparent distaste for sudden noise, or at least how skittish it appeared to be when presented with an unexpected auditory stimuli. That gave them a potential in-road when it came to driving the creature off, but would admittedly make it more difficult to put down with a gun since it seemed to be scared off by the noises.
Or would it? They had a series of suppressors they could attach to their pistols after all, and even if they didn't the creature seemed to be one that learned from its encounters. That was one thing he and Cygnus had agreed upon wholeheartedly as soon as it had been brought up; this creature learned, just as they did. Having heard a gunshot now, having been in their apartment before, having learned to expect resistance from them, perhaps it wouldn't be so skittish next time?
That wasn't exactly a pleasant thought, but then none of this was pleasant. It wasn't meant to be pleasant. They were trying to work out how to kill this fucking thing if it ever came near them again, not trying to mollify their own fears by creating some sort of best-case-scenario.
Cygnus had raised the possibility of raiding the hunting store and getting another rifle for Virgil, but he'd turned his boyfriend's offer down. He wasn't sure how comfortable he'd be with handling a weapon that large, not when his only prior experience was with handling pistols. Besides, he'd need to spend months learning how to use one of them most likely, and that was time he was loathe to spend doing anything other than making sure his family had enough supplies to stay alive and spending time with them to unwind. He had no interest in learning to fire a new type of weapon at the moment. In the future maybe, sure, but not right now.
So, that about summed up how everything was at the moment. There was definitely an air of tenseness about the flat, and it had only grown until he and Cygnus sat everyone down with their completed list of everything they knew about the creature including where they'd first encountered it and why they hadn't engaged it that night despite the fact it probably would have been better to do so. After that though the tenseness had been steadily declining, and though Virgil was hesitant to say it he was almost convinced that things had reached a state of tentative normality once more. It wasn't completely like it had been, but in fairness it was pretty close. Besides, they were all still alive and uninjured, and at the end of the day that was the most important thing to remember about everything that had happened.
As for what he was doing at that very moment, he was enjoying himself with a rather nice marathon of the 'Lord of the Rings' trilogy. The extended editions obviously, he wasn't a heathen after all. He couldn't really remember if there was anything else he was supposed to do today, but he was pretty confident that he'd done everything that was expected of him. He'd helped Sterling do the cleaning this morning, had made everyone a cup of tea in the afternoon, he'd practically frozen himself when he'd helped Cygnus give Sterling and Lyla their training for the day since it was extremely fucking cold out for some reason, and then had crashed out on the sofa. Yeah, that seemed like everything to him.
The others had come and gone as he'd watched it, often sitting down with him for somewhere under an hour before getting back up and carrying on with what they were doing, but he was pretty content to spend a little time mostly by himself. Hey, he'd had a stressful few weeks, sue him. It wasn't like he was shirking any responsibility, so he was pretty sure no-one would complain about what he was doing. Well, at some point someone might complain that he was hogging the tele for somewhere around twelve hours, but seeing as this was the single best trilogy of movies that had ever been made he couldn't really imagine anyone telling him to turn it off. Even Sterling was unashamed to get into them, so Virgil was absolutely certain he was in the clear there.
"Hey, mind if I join you?"
Virgil smiled up at his boyfriend as Cygnus patted him on the shoulder, then shuffled himself up the sofa a little so Cygnus could get comfortable next to him.
"What part are we at?"
Virgil answered his partner with an absolutely terrible Aragorn impression.
"The beacons are lit. Gondor calls for aid."
"Ah, I missed Helm's Deep then? A pity, that was always my favourite scene."
Virgil smiled apologetically at his boyfriend.
"Sorry, but that was pretty much an entire film ago. Hey, I'm up for rewatching them tomorrow though."
Cygnus gave him a joking scoff and flicked his nose.
"Insatiable. Honestly, I don't understand how you can willingly watch these films for twelve hours at a time so frequently."
"They're the perfect films, Cyg! How could I not love them? A kickass story, kickass acting, kickass camerawork, and above all-"
"The most kickass gardener in all of storytelling history. Indeed, I believe you've said as much on more than one occasion."
"It's not my fault you can't see that Samwise is the single best character in the entire trilogy."
Cygnus pecked him on the cheek, smiling at him.
"I never said that, did I? My favourite characters were always the Rohirric characters, and later in the trilogy I'd include Meriadoc, since he gets rolled in with their cast more so than Peregrin."
"Merry and Pippin, Cyg. You're the only person I've ever known to use their actual names instead of their nicknames."
"Be that as it may, Meriadoc and the Rohirric characters like Théoden, Eomer, and Eowyn, are my favourites. I must confess to being a little disappointed to find that the films omitted Tom Bombadil from the story, but I also understand that it would somewhat break the tone of the trilogy somewhat."
He snorted at the thought of seeing Tom Bombadil appear on screen.
"They were probably unable to find anyone mad enough to get the character right. Oh, this reminds me, you know one thing I wish these films had that the older animated ones had?"
Cygnus gave him a knowing smile.
"I'm fairly certain I do, since you've told me a great many times at this point, however for your benefit I'll feign ignorance. No Virgil, what is it you wish these films had that the older animated ones had?"
Virgil rolled his eyes at his boyfriend's sarcasm, but answered excitedly nonetheless.
"The songs! There's a couple of songs in this trilogy, and they're really good, but some of the songs from the old ones are still great. 'Where There's a Whip There's a Way' is a good one, but my favourite was 'Towers of the Teeth'. There was just something about that song that made me happy as a kid. Wait, happy isn't the right term. There was something strangely foreboding and ominous about it, but in a way that made me really excited. Like a sort of anticipation that built up in me as the song went on, and culminated as it ended."
He felt more than heard Cygnus' grunt of agreement, the man burying his face in Virgil's hair.
"I know what you mean. I felt much the same the first time I watched this trilogy and heard King Théoden's speech for the first ever time."
"Man, that's a good one. I still get goosebumps listening to that, and I'm pretty sure Lyla's got the whole thing memorised."
Cygnus rumbled out a chuckling laugh.
"That would explain why she seems to revert to only talking in quotes surrounding that speech for days after watching these films. I hope you're ready for her to keep asking 'Virgil, what do your elf-eyes see?' every time we go outside onto the roof for the next couple of days."
Virgil could only laugh in response. That didn't sound too bad to him, all things considered.
"I can think of worse ways for people to ask me questions. In fact I'd be quite happy to make it a rule that you all can only talk to me in dialogue from these films."
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"I'm using my veto to quash this motion. Unlike you and Lyla I can't remember twelve hours worth of dialogue, so you've got an unfair advantage in all conversations we have."
Virgil giggled.
"Oh, what a shame that would be, to finally have the upper hand on you in conversation! Now hush, the speech is coming up soon enough and I want to watch listen to this film as well as watch it."
Cygnus gave a forceful exhale of air, the sort of motion that was not quite a laugh but certainly on the way to one. The motion disturbed Virgil's hair a little, but apart from that it seemed that Cygnus was content to otherwise remain quiet and just cuddle on the sofa whilst playing with his hair.
Not that Virgil could particularly say he minded, obviously.
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The last of the films came to its end, and Virgil wasn't entirely surprised to find that his partner had fallen asleep on him at some point. Honestly, Cygnus needed to learn to take more rest. It didn't matter though, because right now he really needed to get up and take a piss.
He gently tried to move his boyfriend off of him, the action earning him a discontented grumble and a furrowed brow, and eventually he managed to get himself free. A few minutes later he was feeling far better, mostly thanks to having an empty bladder, and moved into the kitchen. He could do with a drink right about now.
"Hey Virgil. Enjoy your movie marathon?"
He smiled over at Madison and pulled another mug down from the cupboard for her, getting ready to make a few more cups of tea.
"Of course! Who doesn't like the Lord of the Rings trilogy? It's impossible to hate those films. But yeah I did, thanks for asking. What about you, how have you been today?"
She shrugged and smiled at him.
"Not too bad in all honesty. The garden needs endless tending, but then I'm pretty used to that. I've been a little on edge ever since... well, you know, that happened, but I think we're all starting to calm down a bit now so it's all good on that front. I think Sea is starting to get it through his head that he doesn't need to work himself to death to keep us all fed and can take a step back from ensuring we're well-stocked, since we've got enough food stored to last us nearly a month at this point. If we needed to we could probably stretch it just over two months if we supplement it with what we grow in the garden. I know it isn't all that much, but it's a start. Hopefully that's helping to convince him to take his foot off the accelerator, even just a little bit."
Virgil nodded.
"Yeah, that would be nice. I think it's working as well, all things considered. We're certainly spending more time at the apartment recently, which is nice. I like going out into the town, even with the creatures out there, but I'd be lying if I said I didn't also enjoy spending time helping you and Wesley out with the garden. There's just something... I don't know, I can't think of the right word. Cosy? Homely?"
"Pleasantly domestic?" Madison put forwards, a smile that suggested she felt much the same way on her face.
Virgil nodded, matching her energy and smiling back at her.
"Yeah, I think that's right. There's something pleasantly domestic about it. Again, I do still enjoy heading out into the town and gathering supplies, but I like this as well. I think me and Cyg have had a good mixture recently, in terms of how we're spending our time I mean. There are one or two things I need to talk with him about soon, things I need us to get I mean, but-"
"What's this about lacking something? Have I forgotten something?"
Virgil jumped a mile at his boyfriend's voice, and Cygnus just rubbed at his eyes in a half-asleep state. He looked like he hadn't even registered the fact that he'd scared Virgil.
"Well I, uh... well, It's just the one thing, actually. It's... it's something that only I need. It isn't something for the group."
Cygnus, bless him, looked far too tired to be trying to understand what Virgil was getting at. Virgil knew he'd either need to get his boyfriend to wake up for this conversation, or get him to go back to sleep so that he could rest properly and then talk it out with him after.
"Cyg, try waking yourself up a bit first love. I need you to be awake for this conversation."
His boyfriend nodded at him and walked over to the sink, then turned on the tap and splashed his face with cold water. He turned back around, rubbed his face with a tea-towel, and smiled.
"Okay, I'm awake. What's the issue?"
Virgil squirmed on the spot, already feeling as though his nerve was going.
"You mind maybe talking to Sterling for a minute, love? I just- I need to get the words in the right order first."
Cygnus gave him an understanding smile and nodded, kissing him lightly on the cheek as he walked out of the kitchen.
"It's no bother. Come find me when you're ready to talk, and I promise I'll listen."
Virgil nodded, then sighed. He turned back to Madison, who was still smiling.
"You two are really lucky, you know that, right?"
"Oh yeah. I'm well aware, don't worry. I'll only need a minute or two to get myself ready, then I'll go to him and talk about it. Your teas ready by the way."
"Oh, lovely. Thank you, Virgil. Good luck with whatever it is you were needing!"
He smiled at her and drank deeply from his own mug. Yeah, that was better already.
"Thanks Mads. I'll have this conversation done with before you know it!"
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He felt a little guilty, making his boyfriend put off this conversation and then interrupting the next conversation he took part in, but in his defence he needed to. There was no way he was going to be able to talk about this if he didn't do it now.
He walked back into the living room and listened in to the conversation his boyfriend was having with Sterling. He wasn't sure what they were talking about, but both of them were being a little more animated and seemed more excited than normal. That by itself made him feel more guilty, but he couldn't really do anything about that at the moment. He needed to speak.
"Oh, I see! So if I was to take position looking over the square at this point, I would get more area coverage than with how we're thinking of having me positioned at the present!"
"Precisely! You're a natural at this, Sterling. Now, there was one more thing I wanted to mention, but it's comparatively small and relatively minor in all honesty, so it can wait. Anyway, I wanted to-"
Virgil, rather sheepishly and feeling a little bad for interrupting, spoke up and cut in. He didn't like interrupting people, but if he didn't speak right now then he was going to lose his nerve and back down. Normally he wouldn't have particularly cared about backing down, but this was something he couldn't go without. He needed to make sure he was well stocked on this particular thing.
"Hey uh, sorry for interrupting and I know this probably isn't the best time given what happened two weeks ago and everything, but I kind of need to head back to the secondary school."
Cygnus raised an eyebrow at him, confused, and Virgil sighed as he spoke. He spoke clearly but quickly certain that if he spent too long on this he was going to end up stumbling over his words. He didn't know why, these were some of the best people he'd met in his life and he knew they'd never try and mock or deride him, but there was still some deep-set part of himself that didn't like speaking some things out loud. This was one subject he wasn't keen on talking about.
"Look, the long and short is that I'm running low on testosterone pills, and I know that the school kept a small box of the tablets for me since we weren't allowed to bring medicine into class with us so I had to keep it in the reception building. It's right at the front of the school, so it'll only be an in and out."
Cygnus bit his lip and Sterling shook his head.
"Virgil," Sterling began, "I get you need those tablets, but wouldn't it be safer to try and find some in the pharmacy? They must stock something like that, right?"
Virgil just shrugged, curling in on himself a little.
"I don't know. The pharmacy me and you went to before was a mess last time, wasn't it Cyg? We probably could find some there, but it's just an endless number of random medicines and ointments strewn across the floor. I don't really want to spend hours trying to find a particular type of pill in a building that stocks hundreds of types of pill. We would barely be going into the school; I just need to get into the office attached to the reception area, which as you both know is right by the front entrance, and then we'd be able to leave. That's literally all I need to do."
Cygnus made to open his mouth, but Wesley cut them all off with a sheepish and yet still quite serious smile.
"Sorry to interrupt, but did you say you're heading into the reception at the school? Do you think you could pick up my meds as well? You know the ones Sea, the ones that help me stay awake. We ran out a few days before the creature entered the flat, which is why I've been asleep so much more than usual these last few weeks. I didn't want to bring it up before since you're all busy and I definitely don't want you going near the school, but if you're going there anyway do you think you could pick them up for me?"
Cygnus looked at Virgil, then at Wesley. Virgil stared back at him, resolute and determined.
"We'd be hitting two birds with one stone, Cyg. I need to grab my testosterone, and we need to grab Wesley his modafinil. A quick dart in, just in and out before you know it. Please, Cyg?"
Cygnus turned away and covered his hand with his mouth. Just as Virgil thought the silence had stretched on too long and was about to prompt his boyfriend for an answer, he received the response he'd wanted.
"I can't lie and say I'm happy with this, nor that I particularly agree with it, but if you and Wesley wish it to be so then I'll go with you. If we feel like we're being watched we leave though, you understand? We can't risk spending too much time there and bringing the creature back to our apartment again."
Virgil nodded, relief flooding through him. Thank fuck he wouldn't run out of his pills anytime soon.
"Thanks Cyg. I knew I could count on you."
"Well, count me in as well I guess!"
The rest of them turned to look at Lyla, who had a lopsided grin on her face. Cygnus shook his head.
"No. No, you're not heading into one of the most dangerous places we've been to as your first outing with us. It's not safe, Lyla."
She scoffed and waved away his partner's concern.
"Safe? Of course it isn't safe. Nowhere is safe! I realised that when the last monster broke into our flat. It might not be safe, but you're heading out to pick up my brother's pills as well, right? If that's the case then I'm going with you. I'm not going to see him without those pills one more day than I need to, and if I can help in any way then I'm going to do it."
Cygnus shook his head in disbelief, but Virgil could see he'd already begun to lose this battle.
"I don't want you to get hurt, Lye. I can't watch your back and Virgil's at the same time out there."
"You won't have to," Sterling interjected, "because I will. If the three of you are heading out there then I'm not going to be the only one trained to head out who chooses to remain inside as well. There's work to be done here, and we need to make sure we're ready to go out into the town with you. What better way to do that than to jump into the proverbial deep end? Myself and Lyla will accompany you and Virgil to the school, learning from the two of you as we go. More to the point, we'll be an extra two sets of eyes to help you keep watch for anything nefarious or sinister on the horizon."
Lyla nodded her agreement, and Virgil smiled. It was three on one, and there was no way Cygnus would ever find it in him to deny any of them something they dearly wanted.
"Okay," he eventually relented, "but I- okay. Look, again, I'm not supportive of this idea. I don't particularly like this idea. But I'll lead the three of you out there nonetheless. We'll be out there for as short a time as possible, we'll make sure not to get distracted by any other potential supply-rich areas, and most importantly-" he turned to Lyla and Sterling, "-when myself or Virgil duck down into an alleyway, or behind cover, or start running for that matter... don't hesitate. Don't ask questions. If we do something like that, just follow our lead. Alright?"
Sterling and Lyla voiced their assent in chorus, sounding almost like cadets. Virgil couldn't help but smile at his boyfriend in that moment. Was the man being perhaps a little terse by rattling off instructions in such a manner? Probably, yes. But he was doing it because he just didn't want anyone to get hurt. He didn't like the idea of the mission, but he was doing it anyway at their request and was thinking about how to make it go as smoothly as possible. At the end of the day, what more could Virgil ask for than that?
"Thanks, Cyg." Virgil moved to put his arms around his boyfriend's waist. "It means a lot to me."
"I know, love. I know."