Author: MT_Reade
Word count: 3326
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TW: Mild cursing/swearing

Janus pulls the corner of the bedsheet over the edge of the mattress for what feels like the seven-hundredth time. He tugs on it, and strains to try to tuck it underneath the mattress, between it and the bedframe. It fights him the whole way, taught and pulling back just as forcefully, clinging to the fabric of the mattress cover below. But, Janus refuses to be triumphed by a sheet that is supposed to fit. He wrestles the elastic over the side, using a lot more of his strength than should be necessary to shove it down to hold alongside the edge of the mattress. He lets go, watching it with bated breath, hoping that this time—Yes, he's got it this time. The corner stays curved into position, and Janus breathes out a sigh of relief. That was way harder than it should have been. Those pesky final corners are just going to be the death of him. Janus stands up straight, pressing his hands to his hips, just in time to see...

The opposite corner snap up.

Janus bites the inside of his cheek to keep from swearing. "Patton, could you assist me with this?" Janus asks. "I need you to hold this corner." He figures that maybe securing this side will help from undoing his completed work, while he tackles the other side.

"Sure, just a sec!" His husband's voice comes from inside the bedroom's closet. Patton is entirely invisible from where Janus is standing, having disappeared into the walk-in closet, literally engulfed by his task of clearing it out. However, he emerges a few moments, later, staring at something small and blue that he has grasped in his hands. Patton turns it over and lifts it up for Janus to see. It's a blue ribbon, small and cheap, dollar-store quality. The words "First Place" are stitched into the fabric with fraying silver thread.

"Do you remember this?" Patton asks, smiling at the ribbon reminiscently. "Virgil won it at his first art contest. In second grade."

Janus shakes his head, floored. "I have no idea how you manage to remember such things." He says. He still has one hand atop the corner of the mattress that they'd just bought. It's bigger than the mattress that had been in here before. The previous bed had been small, for a teenager, well outgrown by its former occupant. "It's all so long ago now."

Patton's eyes wrinkle at the corners when he smiles, upturned "happiness lines", he calls them. Patton wears his age with more grace and optimism than Janus does. Janus always scowls when he notices a new silver-turning hair peeking out from under his hat, and he doesn't want to admit to it. However, Patton just faces his reflection with a smile, and reminds Janus that "wise suits you, Jay."

Patton looks at the ribbon for a little longer, running a thumb over the fabric tenderly. It's funny how something so inexpensive could have meant so much to a little boy, who'd worked up the courage to submit his drawing in his school art contest. That boy went on to submit his artwork to many more competitions and auctions. Patton tears his eyes away from it eventually, and sets it aside on the bookshelf, whose shelves are, for the most part, empty. They used to be filled with adventure novels and sheet music, but now, they sit waiting to be filled by the belongings of visitors. This bedroom, with its washed-out walls and soft grey carpet, used to belong to their son, Virgil. But now, Janus and Patton are in the midst of turning it into a guest bedroom. A bit last minute, considering that the guests that they're doing it for are due here in a little over an hour.

"You needed my help with something?" Patton asks, as he thinks better of leaving the ribbon on the shelf, and instead tucking it into the back pocket of his trousers.

"Oh, yes." Janus nods, turning back to his failed attempt at getting the sheet over the mattress of the bed in the centre of the back wall. "Could you hold this corner in place while I remedy that one?" He asks, pointing to the opposite corner of the sheet, the one that has come out of position.

"You bet!" Patton says, grinning in that corny way that he does. The grin that rivals the sun itself in brightness and warmth. The smile that always makes Janus fall for Patton all over again every time he sees it. He crosses over to where his husband is, and Janus allows his hand to be replaced with Patton's own. He holds it steady, as Janus crosses around to the opposite side of the bed, and wrestles the sheet, finally, into place. They don't pause long to admire their handiwork, though, because they're on the clock. The two begin fixing up the rest of the bed, with Patton fluffing up and placing the pillows, and Janus laying out the comforter, and few words passing between them.

Patton eventually returns to the closet, which is now void of the hoodies and ripped jeans that used to hang from its hangers. He retrieves any last objects that have been stowed away in the closet over the years, and drops them into a small laundry basket that's being repurposed to hold the knick-knacks left from when Virgil Sanders had occupied this room.

"Did you put new towels in the bathroom for them?" Patton asks, calling out over his shoulder.

"I did. I picked the new set with the checkers on the bottom." Janus' voice says, assuring him.

Patton nods, more to himself than anything, as his husband can't see him when he's in here. He finishes collecting the rest of the throwaway objects left behind by his son. He sorts through which ones are worth keeping, and which are going to join the garbage. He's almost finished now. After this, he'll take the laundry bin to the attic, and relocate the contents to cardboard boxes to sort through more closely at a later date. For today, considering how last minute they left this, Patton doesn't have much time to scrutinize.

"Oh, Patton, look at this." Janus' voice calls Patton back out of the adjoining closet once more. Patton pokes his head around the door and sees Janus, who's moved on to moving Virgil's old desk to a new, empty corner of the bedroom. It no longer could stay where it had been before, because the new bed is bigger, a queen size, and left the area along the back wall too cramped for the desk. The desk is relatively lightweight, so Janus has begun moving it on his own. That's apparent by the way that the desk is now standing crooked, about three feet from the wall. Janus himself is stooping down, to lift something up from behind it. He dusts it off with one hand, and turns to hold out whatever he's found towards Patton.

Patton recognizes it immediately. A soft, plush rabbit. A little squished from where it had been dropped behind the desk. The fur is worn in with love, and one of the floppy ears hangs off of the stuffed head by threads that are few and far between. Patton's eyes light up. "Mrs. Fluffy-Bottom?" He exclaims, and he's rushing out to take the bunny tenderly from Janus' arms. He taps his fingers over her pearly bead eyes, smiling at her fondly, before hugging the stuffed animal to his chest tightly. "Oh my gosh, I remember you!"

"Virgil used to take her everywhere." Janus says, smiling himself.

"Even to soccer practice." Patton affirms, nodding as he sways back and forth, still hugging the rabbit.

Janus laughs, fingers pinching the bridge of his nose. "Holy fuck, soccer practice."

"Janus!" Patton scolds, but he too is laughing, in spite of himself.

"Oh shush. You weren't the one who had to convince Virgil to get out of bed for the Sunday morning games." Janus points out. "I swear, ten-year-old's are so unnecessarily difficult. If I can be honest, I'm glad that..." Janus stops, when he realizes that he's the only one still laughing.

He turns to check in with Patton, and his words wither away on his tongue when he sees that Patton is now looking at Mrs. Fluffy-Bottom with tears in his eyes. Patton gently boops the bunny on the nose with his pinky finger. He looks at her like she's a book of fond, long gone memories. His eyes are welled up behind his glasses, which slip down his downturned nose. He glances up at Janus, irises worrying back and forth. "Did we... Do you think we did a good job?"

Janus frowns a little. "What do you mean?"

Patton looks away, back down at the rabbit, that is so tiny and frail in his arms. "Of raising him?"

Janus' eyebrows furrow inwards, pronouncing the creases of age that have formed along his brow bone. Light pencil marks sketched in as stories of all frowns past. "Well, I know that you're an excellent father. You did everything within your power to make him happy. And he is happy." He says, moving to take one of Patton's hands in his own. "We did alright, I'm sure." He reaches out, and gently lifts Patton's chin, searching his face with concern. "Patton? What's brought this on?"

Patton shrugs, averting his eyes. "I guess... It's just out of our hands now. He's all grown up, and moved on with his life, and we just have to hope that what we did was enough." He explains. "And maybe... I don't know. Sometimes I miss being able to take care of him, like I used to when he was little."

Janus outbreaths, and pulls Patton into his chest, enveloping him in his arms. He rests his head atop Patton's. "As much as I hate to admit it, I miss those early years too. I never thought I would. But it's... nice to feel—" He falters, searching for the right word.

"...Needed?" Patton's voice is muffled into Janus' shirt.

Janus sighs. "Yes." He squeezes Patton tighter. "But also, he just made everything seem so... happy. They're like the golden years."

"Janus..." Patton pulls away, grin coy and bright despite the tears he's wiping from his eyes. "Are you implying that you like little kids?"

Janus' face twists into one of disgust. "No, of course not."

--

Patton is bustling from the kitchen about an hour later, wiping off his hands on his apron. He's hurrying towards the door, where someone had just rung the doorbell.

"Janus!" Patton calls out into the house. "Jay, they're here!"

"On my way!" Janus' reply echoes from upstairs, where he's been making the final adjustments to the bedroom and adjoining bathroom, the one they've been cleaning to accommodate for their guests. Patton hears his feet on the staircase above him. Janus likely won't admit to how much he's been looking forward to this, counting down the days alongside his husband, but the way his footsteps bound down the stairs betrays his anticipation.

Soon, Janus is at Patton's side, and he's notably changed into his best hat. It's the same hat the Janus has worn at their wedding, and at Virgil's graduation. The effort is sweet, and Patton thinks it's adorable. But he says nothing of it, as to not fluster Janus. Instead, he just smiles at his husband, small and gentle like spring rain. Then, he's pulling open the front door, swinging it back into the small entranceway.

On the other side, are two young men, each in their mid-twenties. One is dressed to a T, with a crisp collar and smart glasses. His shoulders are squared a bit stiff, and he has hands clasped politely in front of him. The other, well...

"Virgil!" Patton exclaims, not even hesitating before throwing his arms around his son. He does it with the same enthusiasm he'd had when he'd picked Virgil up from his first day of kindergarten, way back when he was just starting school.

"Hey, dad." Virgil says, with a sideways smile. His arms wrap around Patton in kind, giving his father a gentle squeeze. His jacket is soft, a hoodie. It's embroidered with the emblem of the university that Virgil had graduated from three summers ago. "Long time, no see."

"I've missed you!" Patton squeezes back harder, pouring all of his might into hugging his not-so-little boy closer to his chest, taking in the feeling of holding his warm, real body.

Virgil makes a strained noise. "Okay, Dad, okay." He says, as he squirms out of Patton's bone-crushing grip of a bear hug. He pulls back, and once at a safe arm distance from suffocation, he adds: "I've missed you too."

Virgil looks different now, older. The hair he'd so diligently, almost religiously dyed purple in his teenage years has grown out. Now it's the same cappuccino brown as the hair that Patton used to kiss goodnight, back when goodnight kisses were still cool. He's taller, with a lankier frame and smaller build. He dresses well, with nice pants and respectable shoes, which Patton credits in part to the man who stands beside him on the doorstep. Virgil's husband, Logan. That's perhaps the part of Virgil that is most different. That he now has a family of his own, a home in his partner. The two have been married for the better part of a year and a half.

But yet, even with all of these changes, Virgil is still Virgil. Patton can still see in him the boy he once was. He still wears his bangs long, he's always refused to let anyone come close to them with a pair of scissors. Janus used to have to pinky promise, and swear that he wouldn't take off any more than a small trim every time they wrestled Virgil into a chair for a haircut. Virgil also still bites his nails, as evident by the way they're roughened to the quick even now. And Virgil's eyes, the big brown ones that look like they're filled with chocolate, the ones that Patton has ingrained into memory, the ones that Janus associates with the purest of joys, they still curl upwards at the outer corners when Virgil smiles.

Patton steps aside, to make room for Janus as he moves forwards to embrace Virgil, who's as much his son as Patton's. The latter then turns to Logan, who stands, feeling rather out of place, just inside the door. The four are currently crowded into the small entrance way, and Logan looks as stiff as a board, and also like he's trying to take up as little space as possible at the same time.

"Logan! How are you?" Patton greets, turning his seemingly eternal smile on Virgil's husband.

"Very well, thank you." Logan says, nodding curtly. He shifts on his feet for a moment, unsure of what to do, before slowly beginning to extend his hand to Patton for a handshake.

Patton quickly pushes his hand aside, and pulls Logan into a tight and loving embrace, just as he had his son. Any family of Virgil's, is family of Patton's. Logan goes rigid in surprise, before eventually remembering to hug Patton back. He slowly begins to ease into the embrace when Patton says, "I'm glad you made it here safe and sound." softly.

When Patton pulls away, he finds that Janus is at his hip once more. Janus reaches around Patton, hand offered to Logan, who takes it in a firm handshake. "Good to see you, Logan." Janus says.

"Likewise." Logan returns, earnestly.

"I trust your commute went well?" Janus says, this time addressing the both of them, Logan and Virgil.

"Yeah." Virgil says, shoving his hands into the pockets of his hoodie. "It was pretty quiet for the most part, right?" He says, affirming it with his husband. Logan nods.

"Oh, that's good to hear, then!" Patton says, cheerfully. He looks between the two. "Would you guys like help unpacking?"

"Yeah, that'd be great, actually." Virgil says, before leading them outside, to where his and Logan's car is parked on the driveway.

--

"Look who we found while cleaning up your room today." Patton says, over dinner that evening. He's then handing Virgil a small, stuffed rabbit toy.

"Mrs. Fluffy-Bottom?" Virgil asks, astounded and laughing to himself as he takes the bunny from his father. "Oh my god, I thought for sure... where was she?" He asks, glancing up at his parents.

"Behind your old desk." Janus tells him.

Virgil shakes his head, staring at the stuffed animal. "You little rascal." He says. "I'm surprised she didn't fall apart in the wash or something. I mean, look, you can see where Dad had to re-sew her leg on after I tore it when I took her to gymnastics on 'Teddy Bear Day.'" Virgil says, leaning over to the side, and holding up one of the feet to show the surgery scars to Logan. "I was so mean to her." He says, with a chuckle.

"You loved her very much." Janus corrects him, as he sets his fork down, in favour of reaching for his glass of wine.

"It's just crazy, to see how much you've grown up, Virge." Patton says. "Your dad and I are so, so proud of you, you know." He doesn't miss the way Virgil rolls his eyes at that. "But we were talking earlier about how nice it was, back when you were little."

"As much as I hate to admit it." Janus adds. "I enjoyed having a little fiend around." He puts a hand on Patton's shoulder. "But Patton's right, we're very proud of the man you've become, Virgil." Then, he frowns. "...What is it? Is something wrong?"

Logan and Virgil are now exchanging sideways glances, and are sitting a little straighter in their chairs.

"Well, uh, funny you should say that, guys." Virgil says, rubbing the back of his neck with a fidgety hand. "But, um... Logan and me... Logan and I..." He turns to his husband, who nods at him encouragingly, but whose lips are drawn into a tight, thin line of nervousness.

Patton and Janus share a worried look.

Virgil takes a deep breath, before continuing. "Well, we were thinking that maybe..." He shrugs his shoulders a little, hand coming off the back of his neck. "We're ready for there to be three of us."

Janus's head snaps towards them. "You mean..."

Virgil nods, smiling, and a little bashful. "Yeah."

Patton frowns, turning between the other three people at the table frantically. "Wait, wait, I don't get it."

"Yes you do." Janus says, not taking his widened eyes off of Virgil. "Just think about it for a moment."

Patton's eyes dart between Logan and Virgil repeatedly, searching both of their faces for the answer. Logan is worrying his lip between his teeth a bit, as he tries to hide his growing smile. Virgil is much the same, a little giddy with the admission. Patton's jaw slowly comes loose as it dawns on him. "Wait, you mean..."

Virgil laughs a little. He thinks that it's a seriously good thing that his dads are married, because they really are so incredibly alike in so many ways. "How would you feel about being grandparents?" He asks, as much to Janus as Patton, and affirms Patton's suspicion.

There's a moment of stunned silence.

Then, Patton almost knocks over his glass of wine with how quickly he all but launches himself around the table to throw his arms around Virgil and Logan. "I love it! Oh my goodness, I'm so happy for you two!"

Virgil's smile is radiant. "What about you, Dad?" He asks Janus. "How do you feel?"

"I feel..." Janus takes a moment to find words. "I feel fucking old." Janus says, but there's an irrefutable smile on his face. 

~~~~~~~~~~~
Lemme just say, this is a work of art and I absolutely adore the ending