December 15th - 10:23am

                                                                                     "You are my sunshine, my only sunshine, you make me happy when skies are gray, you'll never know dear, how much I love you, please don't take my sunshine away" Roman sung gently into Virgil's ear, the two laying on their shared double bed, Roman doing his best to calm Virgil down from his teary episode prior to this. Knowing Virgil for so long, he knew singing and holding him was one of the best ways to help him relax, so that's what he did until the tears dried up, and Virgil was groggily laying atop his body.

Virgil hummed, which indicated to Roman he was feeling better, and he didn't need to sing anymore. Roman smiled and brushed a hand through his soft hair. "I do want you to feel better" Roman began, "but I'm also dying to know what upset you earlier" Virgil sighed and slumped further against Roman, arms and legs spread widely. "It's uh..." he drifted, clearing his throat. "My grandmother" he eventually managed, "she's one of the main reasons why I...left..." Virgil shook his head and closed his eyes, trying to will away the memories. "She was so relentless" Virgil whispered, suddenly clutching onto Roman who sat up and held him close, humming in his ear.

"I-I-I" Virgil's voice cracked, the more he thought about her, the more he panicked. "Virgil, dearest, calm down" Roman whispered delicately, "you're okay. I'm here, she's not. I won't let her hurt you, not even see you if you prefer" Virgil sighed and pressed his face against Roman's neck for comfort. "Thanks, puppy..." and the two laid back down, Roman picking up his singing again, trailing his hand up and down Virgil's back in a soothing manner.

Later in the day, a knock on the door interrupted them both.

After Roman gained permission from Virgil, he called; "Come in!" to whoever was outside. The door opened and Camila stepped in. "Oh, Virgil" she drifted sadly, closing the door and crossing the room. "We all heard the news. I'm so sorry, V, we'll all do everything we can to protect you from her, alright?" She reassured, with a determined yet reassuring mixture in her gaze. Virgil slowly sat up from Roman and nodded, sitting awkwardly on the edge of the bed. "Yeah, thanks..." he drifted, wondering why they never agreed to protecting him before he left ten years ago.

Shoving that grudge to the side, he stood up and left the room, hands deep in his pockets. He traveled down the stairs, passed the kitchen and into the storage room with the mattress in the corner, ready to just be alone for awhile as he sifted through his thoughts. Back upstairs, Roman smiled weakly at Camila who looked lost. "Don't worry" Roman reassured, standing up. "He'll be quite alright. Needs some time alone, is all!" Roman cleared his throat awkwardly, "I'll help clear the table" with that, he was out of the room and into the dining room.

"Harper! Gabriel!" Roman greeted loudly once he spotted them stacking the plates on top of the other in silence. The two teens looked up and smiled. "Hey, gay man" Gabriel called back, flinching when Harper slapped his forearm, but Roman laughed, showing he didn't really mind about the nickname. "Trying to improve his manners is like trying to get a newborn baby to speak" Harper grumbled, eyeing her brother who winked and left the room to the kitchen with plates in his arms.

"I think it's rather endearing. I do adore your dynamic" Roman commented, helping her with a few plates, Harper smiled gratefully. "Yeah, at least we don't hate each other...most of the time" she added as an afterthought, chuckling. "How's Virgil?" She decided to change the topic, because they had all heard about their grandmother coming down, and she also recollects some memories from the way she treated Virgil, and she wishes she couldn't remember. She knows Gabriel doesn't, which was a relief, but he still knows what happened. Everyone does.

"Oh, he's beautifully perfect, as always" Roman mused, walking down the hallway with Harper. "A tad upset from earlier conversations, but we cannot blame him - shall I put the plates here?" Roman gestured to the basin in the sink. Harper nodded and did the same afterwards. "Strange..." Roman murmured, tapping the basin with his finger. "Britain is strange" he whispered to himself, standing up straight and beaming once more. "I think I might have a shower" he yawned, stretching his body a little. "Will you be alright?"

"Me? Yeah. Have fun"

Roman laughed as he left the room, "I'll try!"

Harper shook her head and turned to the sink, ready to start washing up when someone cleared their throat behind her. She glanced over her shoulder, finding her older brother had walked and stood by the counter. "What's up, Will?" She asked, pouring warm water over the plates along with soap. "Any idea where Virgil is? I would like to talk to him"

Harper tensed at the idea. "You sure?"

"Yes" William confirmed. Harper shrugged, "I have no idea, your guess is as good as mine"

William sighed but nodded curtly. "Thank you, anyway" with that, he left the room in search of his younger brother. He checked the family rooms downstairs first, then his bedroom, but he couldn't find him anywhere, and whoever he asked wasn't much help, either. Not even Roman, who didn't seem to worry about Virgil's whereabouts. He was more involved with the children who all demanded that he painted with them. William left them to it and walked back to the kitchen to see if Harper knew where their mother was when a closed door caught his eye. The storage room. He remembered the last time he entered that room and shuddered at the memory.

But, he was sure Virgil would be inside. Stepping over, he knocked gently before sliding inside. Low and behold, there he was, face lit up by his phone screen. "Virgil" William acknowledged. The boy looked up at his brother, blinked, then returned to his phone. "Sup" He murmured, not expecting William to be the first to find him, but he didn't really care. William took that as a sign he could stay, so he crossed the room and sat on the edge of the mattress. The room's bulb didn't work, so usually it was left to darkness, filled with boxes of memories stacked high into the air.

"I have a dilemma" William began, posture straight and perfect, as per usual. Virgil rolled his eyes, silently waiting for him to carry on, because he knew he would. "With my work" there it is. "I have a feeling you will be best suited to help"

"Would I?" Virgil sighed and locked his phone, sliding it back into his pocket. "Are you free?"

"What else am I doing?" William could only see Virgil from the light pouring in from the hallway. His expression looked less than impressed. Either way, William didn't respond and stood up, waiting for Virgil to follow before they travelled through the house together to the room William has adopted as his office. They sat at his desk, Virgil leaning on it and staring at the screen, bored. "My coworkers know our family is rather large" William began, opening up a long-drafted email Virgil couldn't be bothered to read. "They also know we have children here" Virgil cocked his eyebrow - is this the set of a horror movie or something?

"Which is why they gave me the job of working on our logo. Because they think with the input from the children, it will turn out better. Although you are not a child, I know you are creative, and I was wondering if you wanted to help? Because, as good as I am with nearly everything-" cue the eye roll "-creativity is not my forte. If you would rather not, I could ask someone else, but if you are up for it-"

"Move your ass, I'm on it" Virgil sighed, shifting William out of the chair so he could sit, wheel up to the desk, and read the end of the email which held the basic information of what the company wants for the logo. William silenced himself, perplexed that Virgil would agree to it without hesitation, but he wasn't complaining. He wheeled up another chair and sat down beside him awkwardly. "Thank you" William finally spoke, finding his words again.

Virgil hummed; "no problem"

They both sat in silence for awhile, William watching as Virgil tapped away on the keyboard, working on photoshop in such a way that led William to believe he practiced on it a lot of the time. He couldn't even do a quarter of what Virgil was currently mastering. The logo already looked amazing! But, enough of fawning over his work, William also wanted to use this time to talk to his brother.

"I hope you've noticed I have matured" William brought up, swallowing thickly. Virgil hummed nonchalantly.

"And have changed my ways since I was younger" Virgil's tapping came to an abrupt stop, eyes lingering on the screen, hands unmoving. William thought he pushed some sort of line, especially when Virgil turned to stare at him, leaning back in the chair and crossing his arms. "Bold of you to assume that means you're off the hook" he retorted with undertones of malice dripping from his words.

"I know, Virgil. What I did-I wasn't thinking. I was an incompetent teenager, and an even worse adult. Elizabeth should never have stayed with me, but she helped, more than I deserved. And with Mia, I feel like I really...have changed"

"You have, Will" Virgil sighed, rubbing his eyes. "I just..." he drifted, glancing at the computer screen, unable to meet his gaze. "Whenever I look at you I see...him, the man who hurt me. I'm actually...honoured, I guess, that'd you choose me to work on this for such a high-end company, something the old you never would've done, you've changed, I know, I just need time..." Virgil trailed off, tapping his fingers against the wooden desk.

"I understand" William nodded slightly. "I shall leave you to finish-"

"No" Virgil cut him off, closing his eyes. "Stay here. I need to get used to being in your company"

William nodded and sat, rigid on the chair. Virgil didn't say anything more, either, and instead carried on with his design. For a few hours, the two slowly, slowly, became comfortable in the others presence. So much so, they weren't nearly as tense as they were in the start. "It'll probably be finished tomorrow" Virgil spoke up abruptly, closing down photoshop after he saved the work. "I'm done for the day" he added on as a little explanation.

"Of course, um-thank you, again, Virgil"

The boy quirked an eyebrow, a smirk playing on his lips. "William stuttering? And I thought pigs would fly before the day" he teased lightly and stood up, lazily drifting out of the room. William watched him go with his own smile eating away at his lips.