On - A Sanders Sides Story

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After it's all over, Virgil will wake up in a hospital bed. He won't know how he got there, or how long he's been out for. But he will know that Janus is sitting at his bedside, watching over him with a worry that only a parent can feel.

Before Virgil can even ask why he's there, Janus will apologize. He will explain that he's still listed as Virgil's emergency contact, and that the doctors had phoned him.

"I know that you don't want to see me," Janus will say. "But I couldn't just leave you–"

And Virgil will cut him off by throwing his arms around him, even though it hurts every muscle in his recovering body to do so. He won't say anything, because sometimes it's simply better to say nothing at all. Janus, after being caught off guard, will eventually return the embrace, wrapping his arms around his son and squeezing him tight. Holding him close, promising never to let him go again.

In time, Virgil will forgive him. In even more time, Virgil will forgive himself.

That year, for Christmas, Virgil and Janus will cook dinner together. They'll open up the kitchen cupboards and pull out countless spices. More than are probably necessary. Nutmeg, cinnamon, cloves, paprika, thyme, rosemary, and some that Virgil won't be able to pronounce. They'll make a complete and utter mess, and they'll laugh at themselves.

After a while, when Virgil's ready to open up his heart to love again, he'll meet Logan.

It'll happen down at the library, where Virgil will be looking for a new book to read, and he'll accidentally bump into someone. That someone will turn out to be a cute nerdy college student who loves books just as much as he does, and will have extensive knowledge of the best fantasy series'. Logan will recommend some of his favourites, and Virgil will leave the library with a bag full of books and a folded up piece of paper with a phone number in his pocket.

They'll honeymoon in Barcelona, and the picture they take of them holding each other in front of a glorious beach sunset will end up in a picture frame on their mantle. Beside other framed photographs of Janus and Patton, of Roman and his brother Remus, of Logan and his family, and of Virgil holding their beautiful daughter.

Some nights, when it's dark outside and Logan is asleep beside him, Virgil will cry. Because it will still hurt, and he will never stop missing the people who he's lost. But morning will always come, and he will keep going forward.

Virgil will be okay.

He'll kiss his husband's forehead, being careful not to wake him up. He'll slip out of bed and cross over to their bedroom window. He'll pull back the curtains just an inch, just enough to peek outside.

And the sky won't be yellow.