When next he awoke it was to the feeling of someone moving him off of them, jostling him a little. He grumbled and blearily opened his eyelids a crack, being met by the whispered yet apologetic voice of Madison as she gently ran a hand through his hair.

"Sorry Virgil," she started, "but I need to get up now. I don't want to wake the others but I need to go and use the bathroom."

He grumbled quietly a little more but nodded nonetheless, settling himself back into the warm spot on the armchair where Madison had been sat as though he were a cat lounging in a sunbeam. He opened his eyes just a touch more and then felt a sudden spike of panic. He'd overslept! Was Cygnus still here? Were the others already going about their days? Had Cygnus decided to let him rest then head out into the city by himself? Oh, it was going to be hell trying to find where his boyfriend had got to whilst Virgil had been asleep!

Or not, so it would seem. Looking around the room a little more he found his boyfriend exactly where he'd been left, out cold on the sofa. Virgil glanced over at the clock on the wall. Eleven thirty-two in the morning. Cygnus was almost always up by half-seven, and never after eight, so this was very rare occasion indeed. Not that Virgil could particularly blame his boyfriend for such a long rest, not even if he'd have wanted to, for not only was Cygnus probably the one that they'd all agree would be most in need of a longer rest, but right now he was practically intertwined with a very much sleeping Wesley. Virgil could personally attest to the comfort such a human furnace brought to one whilst sleeping, and it seemed even his boyfriend was no exception to the great and terrible power that Wesley did wield.

Wesley himself was practically led flat on top of Cygnus, which did make Virgil smile. Yeah, there was absolutely no way anyone was waking him up until Wesley was up as well. We'll have to get Wesley to do that more often and forcefully make Cygnus take more breaks. It'll be interesting to see how Cyg is when he wakes up at least.

Stretching his arms and legs a little, trying not to make too much noise, he walked out into the kitchen to get himself some coffee. Normally he'd try and just go back to sleep after being woken up, but in all fairness it was already nearly the afternoon. Also, he'd finally be able to hold the fact that he'd woken up before Cygnus over his boyfriend's head.

When he got into the kitchen he was still so lost in thought and half-asleep that he hardly even registered Sterling sat at the table, eyebrow raised incredulously as he shook his head then returned to reading his book. Through the Looking Glass. That was a good choice. Virgil's favourite book as well, not only for the story it told but also for the sentimental value he'd attached to the book. It'd been a gift from his grandmother, back before she'd passed away, and it was the first time he'd been given something by a family member dedicated to him and not to the person he'd been born as. It was important to him, and he still had the copy with the note from his grandmother in it somewhere in his room.

"Tired this afternoon?"

"It's not afternoon yet, Ster."

Sterling huffed.

"It's close enough. You look like the walking dead at the moment."

"Yeah, I feel like it as well. Christ, my back is killing."

"Tell me about it. I'm just glad no-one was up to watch me try and untangle myself from Cygnus and the Alistair twins without waking them up; I fell asleep sat up and ended up underneath Lyla, somehow. It took me half an hour to get myself out to make a cup of tea."

This time it was Virgil who huffed out a laugh.

"Hey man, these things happen to the best of us. It's not our fault that the twins are like limpets when it comes to cuddling someone. Still, it has its uses."

Sterling raised a bushy eyebrow.

"Oh? What do you mean by that."

Virgil nodded over his shoulder, back towards the living room.

"Wesley's still crashed out over the top of Cyg. The two of them are both still sound on."

Sterling nodded, not quite smiling but certainly with a measure of happiness in his eyes.

"Good. He needs more rest. Wesley can always do with a better quality of sleep as well, so it's good all round. Still, I can't imagine Sea will be quite as enthused as Wesley when he wakes up."

Virgil waved his friend's comment away.

"Nah, he'll panic a little and kick up a fuss about needing to head out to gather supplies again when he wakes up, but he'll take one look at the rest of us having a pleasant time and another look at Wesley sleeping on top of him, and he'll know that his fate is sealed for the day. There's always tomorrow for me and him to head out, after all."

Sterling nodded again, putting a bookmark where he'd reached in the book and closing it shut, showing Virgil he was prepared for to give him his attention so that they could continue their conversation. Virgil nodded by way of understanding as the kettle came to the boil, pouring the steaming water into his cup with the coffee granules and sugar. He stirred it a little, added some milk, stirred it a little more, and then took a sip. It damn near scalded his tongue, but damn if he wasn't happy to have some of the revitalising life-elixir in him once more.

"Your body must be completely reliant on caffeine at this point."

"If I could safely inject coffee directly into my bloodstream then I would. Besides, at least this is healthier than the caffeine I went for when I was younger."

"That's because you lived on energy drinks and pot noodles. I'm fairly certain I've watched you actually pour a monster energy mega into a sweet and sour pot noodle instead of water before."

"Ah, the breakfast of champions."

Sterling gave him a look that managed to combine amusement, respect, and disgust.

"How the hell did you survive this long?"

"Spite, mostly."

"Yeah, that tracks. I think we've all embraced that particular brand of pettiness at one point or another to keep ourselves going."

Virgil did his best to keep himself from laughing at Sterling's matter-of-factness, sitting down at the table opposite the younger boy.

"So, what's up today then? Anything going on around here?"

"What's it to you?"

Virgil made sure to keep smiling despite the sudden belligerence of Sterling's tone. He didn't mean to be antagonistic, it just happened sometimes and Virgil knew it. He needed to be patient.

"I'm just interested since I'll probably- well, no, I'll definitely be staying here all day. I'll be here all day, so I was just wondering if there was anything I could help out with around the apartment. Or just play a game of kickabout I guess, I'm up for whatever to be honest."

"Well I'm going to spend most of the afternoon reading, but you can do whatever you want, probably. I can't think of anything that needs to be done around the apartment the rest of us don't already have in hand. I think today's rota is for me and Lyla to make sure the apartment is clean and tidy whilst Madison and Wesley go and tend to the garden on the balcony. You can probably give them a hand if you want. Madison will probably want to start in quarter of an hour or so, and if Wesley doesn't look like he's going to wake up I guess there's no harm in letting him stay asleep so long as you're willing to help out Madison."

Virgil nodded. Yeah, that sounded fine enough by him. Spending some time with Madison and maybe also Wesley would be nice, and he didn't often get to go onto the garden with how often he and Cygnus were out in the city. It would be good to talk with Madison for a bit, and to ask about how the garden was coming along as well as see it with his own eyes. He knew it must have been going well enough, for he'd noticed the cucumbers in Cygnus' sandwiches the other day, but he wasn't sure if there was anything else he'd missed. Hell, he probably hadn't even set foot out here in the last month, let alone actually help with the gardening itself. It couldn't hurt to lend a hand.

"In that case I'll make my way out to the balcony. Thank you, Sterling."

The boy nodded at him in response, not quite meeting his eyes.

"Right, no problem. Hey, uh, sorry. About the whole... you know, rudeness thing. I didn't mean it."

Virgil nodded and tried for a kind smile.

"I know, Ster. You're doing great, I promise. Now where do we keep the gardening gloves?"

----------------------------------------

"So, you've been a little busy out here recently Mads."

Madison turned around to face him, hat on her head and gloves on her hands.

"Oh, Virgil! Are you helping me out here today?"

He nodded at her, smiling.

"Wesley and Cygnus are still asleep in there, so I figured I'd take Wesley's place until he woke up. If you're alright with that, that is."

"Of course! I'm always happy to have you out here! Now come here, take a look at these!"

Virgil smiled and allowed himself to be shown around the small garden. It wasn't large, far from it, but it was certainly bigger than it had been the last time he came out here.

"You've certainly been busy," he eventually settled on saying again, "I saw the cucumbers in Cyg's sandwich the other day. What do you think you might want to start growing next?"

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Madison stood up a little taller, seemingly proud that he had noticed her efforts, and then started rattling off her next idea.

"Oh, well I've been thinking recently. I know this apartment isn't exactly vegetarian, but you've surely noticed that we've been trending towards more vegetable-dominated meals than meat-dominated ones as the months have rolled by."

Virgil nodded. He still liked eating meat, and there was plenty of it in freezers around the city, but he understood what she was getting at. This was healthier and more sustainable for them.

"Well, there are a few gaps in our diets that aren't covered by the garden yet. At some point I'd like to put up some more trellises, like the ones we use for the broad beans, to start growing pea pods. Peas are a good source of protein, and though I know we're fine with meat at the moment for our protein it'll be good to make sure we have something more sustainable to fall back on if we need to for whatever reason. Also it'll just be nice to diversify the fresh vegetables available to us."

Virgil smiled at her. She knew her stuff when it came to gardening, and she knew it well at that. They were all lucky to have kept her with them when everything else had vanished.

"That sounds like it makes sense to me. I think the balcony might be getting a little crowded though."

She nodded back at him, smiling as well.

"I was speaking with Sterling about that the other day, actually. We think it might be good for us to start setting up some almost allotment-style planters, boxes, and cold-frame greenhouses on the roof. Trellises as well, of course. There's a lot more room up there and it's close enough to our apartment for it to be safe. I mean, Sterling and Lyla go up there to play football semi-regularly, so it must be safe."

Virgil rubbed his chin a little, thinking.

"Yeah, I get you. I can speak with Cyg about it later when he wakes up, see about getting some of the materials together for you. I don't really know what I'm doing with all of it, and neither does he to be honest, but if we can get you a catalogue or something from the garden centre then you should be able to look through it properly and let us know what you want us to grab. Of course we probably won't be able to grab it all in one run, since a lot of that stuff is heavy and tends to be more than a little difficult to move without a car or van, but we can manage when we know what we're grabbing."

Madison frowned a little, almost freezing where she was crouched down by the strawberry plants, lost in thought.

"I didn't think about that. That would be hard to grab, wouldn't it? Especially anything for greenhouses or cold-frame boxes. I'll say yes to what you've said for now, but don't push yourselves if it's a bother."

"Madison I would die for you, I think I can manage carrying a few planks of wood and panes of glass. There's bound to be shopping trolleys at the centre anyway, so we can just load it in one of them and wheel it all back to the apartment building."

The older girl stood up and flicked him on the forehead.

"No dying. Bad Virgil, bad!"

He rolled his eyes and laughed at her, pulling her in for a quick hug before continuing on with what he was doing. Madison was always a delight to be around, and there could be no mistaking that.

"Okay, okay, I get your point. Still, I mean what I said; you don't need to worry about me and Cygnus grabbing the stuff for you to start expanding the garden a bit more. Well, you don't need to worry any more than you usually do anyway. We do some dangerous shit out there, I know, but we've come out fine so far. Me and Cyg have just started trying to map out the locations of monsters and potential supply points throughout the town, or at least the larger buildings in the town, so we can get to work on grabbing the catalogue for you on our first visit there whilst scoping the place out. If it all seems clear then we'll head back as soon as you've gotten a list together, and if it doesn't seem clear then we'll go there armed. We've gotten pretty good at making kill attempts the last few months, admittedly only against the smaller, more human-sized creatures. We're not going to be able to take down something the size of an elephant, not yet at least."

Madison nodded, the prospect of he and Cygnus heading out to fight monsters seeming to make her even more worried.

"I wish you weren't so complacent with this sort of thing. No, not complacent, that's not the right word. Accepting, that's the one. I know you and Cygnus can handle yourselves, but hearing the two of you talk so casually about fighting those monsters... it worries me. You shouldn't have to be used to it."

Virgil gave her a wry, though not unkind, smile.

"I know, Mads. I don't know if it makes you feel better or worse, but I'm not really used to this all in honesty. It still scares me all the time. But I know I can do it, and that's what's important. I know I can do it, because I've done it before. I know I can protect Cyg, and you, and all the others, if I have to. Despite my anxieties that does put my mind somewhat at ease. We shouldn't have to be used to any of this, but we are, and so long as we are we should at least try to make sure our lives are as good as they can be. You make sure we always have a supply of fresh food, Sterling helps you cook and clean and generally helps with whatever is needed, and Cyg and I head out to gather supplies and keep the group safe by putting down monsters where possible. One less monster out there-"

"Is one less thing to worry about in the future. I know, Virgil, and I'm so proud of how far you've come. You've done so well these last few months, these last few years even before the disappearance, and though I know you've been scared you're still doing so well. Never forget that."

He smiled at her and glanced back inside where Sterling and Lyla were bickering over something or other whilst Cygnus and Wesley slept on the sofa. God, but he loved these people.

"I don't think I'm liable to forget anytime soon Mads, of that you can be sure."

The two of them continued tending to the garden for some time after that, and in all honesty Virgil had almost forgotten just how calming he'd found it. There was something about keeping his hands busy whilst his mind was focused on one task without needing to worry about anything else that helped him forget about the world at large for a little while, especially since the task itself was enjoyable and not mind-numbingly boring like cleaning was.

"Hey, sorry I'm late. I think I overslept a little."

Virgil and Madison turned around to face the newcomer, a relatively-well rested Wesley. He had a sheepish smile on his face and a pair of gardening gloves on his hands, as well as an old shirt and pair of khaki shorts.

"Good afternoon to you as well. I don't blame you for oversleeping though; Cyg is rather comfy to lie on, isn't he?"

Wesley giggled at that.

"Yeah, he is. Thanks for lending him for the night!"

He waved his friend's thanks away.

"Nah, don't worry about it. I had Mads to make me comfortable last night, ain't that right Mads?"

"It is Virgil, yes. Wesley, good afternoon to you. I hope you slept well?"

There was an air of cautious optimism about her question. None of them tried to make a big deal of Wesley's sleeping disorder, instead just accommodating it as best they could, but Madison was nothing if not a constant worrier. Virgil had never known Wesley to take offence to any of them being concerned though, and certainly not where Madison was involved, so he figured it was fine for her to be a little more upfront about it if she wanted to be.

In response she got a beaming smile from Wesley, and Christ if that didn't almost blind him, as well as a hurried nod.

"Yeah, I did. Better than usual anyway. I think having someone with me while I'm sleeping is pretty good for improving my quality of sleep, especially when that person is one of you guys."

"Well," Virgil piped in, "luckily for you we're sort of your only options when it comes to spending the night with someone. Woe to your bad luck, I guess."

Wesley laughed again, and raised the back of his hand to his forehead in a display of dramatics.

"Oh, woe indeed! Whatever shall I do?"

The three of them laughed together a little, enjoying the moment, before Madison sighed happily and spoke up again.

"Well Wesley, I'm glad to hear you slept better than usual. Me and Virgil were about to head in for lunch in a minute, so if you want you can just wait for lunch and then come out and join us when we start back up. Just to keep yourself from getting dirty and needing to wash up before lunch I mean."

Wesley pouted a little, but relented and went to sit at the kitchen table inside. Thank God he didn't deploy his puppy eyes. True to her word, Madison led them back inside shortly afterwards anyway, so it really would have been a waste for Wesley to get himself dirty out there with them only to come back inside a few minutes later and need to clean himself up. Better to have lunch and then get dirt all over you when you wouldn't need to be clean for a few more hours in Virgil's opinion.

Much of the afternoon continued like that, to be honest. He and Madison had gotten in maybe an hour's work before lunch, not that either of them were really counting, and when Wesley joined them Virgil did admittedly experience a small decrease in his work efficiency because every time the boy stopped to yawn like a kitten Virgil had to actively stop himself from going 'aww'. He wasn't sure how someone like Wesley had utterly mastered the art of being adorable, but damn if there weren't some valuable lessons to be learned there. He could probably get anything he wanted from Cygnus if he could mimic a fraction of Wesley's power.

Actually scratch that, Virgil was pretty sure he could get anything he wanted from Cygnus by just asking politely. The man thought he was good enough as he was, the sap.

"So, I heard something about another kill attempt or something recently. What was that like?"

Virgil, without missing a beat and certainly without thinking, said the first thing that came into his mind when thinking on the kill attempt he and Cygnus had made on the creature in classroom four of his old school.

"Cygnus beat a monster to the floor with the butt of his pistol. That was pretty hot."

There was silence for a few moments, with Madison looking like she was very much trying not to laugh, and then Wesley shrugged and spoke.

"Yeah, that's fair."

"Wesley!" Came Madison's scandalised voice. "You can't just say that!"

"What? Come on Mads, have you seen Cygnus before? You know they say there's one person in every friend group who everyone else has had a crush on at some point, right?"

"Yes, I do. Where are you going with this?"

"Put two and two together Mads. You know it's true, and I know it's true."

Virgil was nearly choking on his own spit at this point, his shock just about the only thing stopping him from laughing.

"Yes, but you can't just say that to Virgil! The two of them are very happily together!"

Wesley looked over at Virgil, seeming a little abashed.

"Oh, that's a good point. Sorry Virgil. You don't mind if I call your boyfriend hot, right? I'm not trying to be weird about it or anything, and I lost that crush more than a year ago so it's not weird or anything, though I know that I just fell asleep on the sofa with him, but-"

Virgil, still very much amused, decided to put the poor boy out of his misery by cutting him off.

"Hey man, go right ahead. You're not wrong on that account; he's the hot one out of this group. Besides, I know you don't mean anything by it. As funny as it is that apparently most of this friend group has had a crush on him at some point, I know we're all very affectionate anyway so it doesn't really matter. Besides, if I got funny about you falling asleep with him then I wouldn't be able to cuddle with you either, and I'm not willing to give that up anytime soon. You're like a human furnace."

Wesley gave him a toothy smile and two thumbs up.

"That's me! Thanks Virgil, now I know that you won't be offended if I call your partner hot. See Mads, I told you Virgil was okay with it."

Madison chewed on her lip for a moment, seeming indecisive.

"He is pretty hot."

Her voice was quiet, but Virgil heard it all the same. He gave her a shit-eating grin as she turned to look at him.

"See, there's no shame in admitting that! It'll be even funnier if you all say it to his face as well, but only if I'm in the room; if I'm there and he knows I'm cool with it he'll get flustered which is adorable, but if someone does it when I'm not there and he isn't sure if I'd be cool with it or not he'll get a little bit defensive about it. For the record, I'm cool with it though."

"Well that's a relief," Wesley started, "especially since I know for a fact that I can keep using him as a human pillow from now on."

"Hey, don't get too ahead of yourself. I still need him most nights as well."

"Damn. Well, I'll take what I can get. So, what actually happened with the kill attempt. You stopped at 'boyfriend is hot', so you either short-circuited in the moment or skipped some stuff."

Virgil sighed whilst smiling.

"Okay. Here's what happened..."