The Aberrations of S.I.D.E.

No. 2: Welcome Back!

"So, what exactly is the first day of the year like?" Virgil asked as he and Roman made their way through the Toronto airport. "Any weird stuff?"

Roman shook his head. "Aside from the beginning-of-the-year Combat Training-slash-Ability Usage training exercise, not really."

Virgil stopped. "What?"

"You'll find out. It's actually pretty fun."

"I need details."

Roman frowned slightly. "Well... have you ever seen Community?"

"Nope."

"Then never mind, I can't give you context."

"Okay, fine, I'll just wait and be nervous until it happens," Virgil decided.

"GUYS!"

Roman and Virgil barely had time to react before they got tackle-hugged by Patton.

"Okay, buddy, cool down," Virgil said, patting him on the back. "We just FaceTimed a week ago."

"But I missed seeing y'all in person!"

He laughed. "Wow, Janus's accent isn't the only one that's gotten stronger over the break."

Roman let out a gasp. "Patton, is it just my imagination, or have you gotten taller?"

Patton nodded, beaming. "Mm-hmm! A quarter of an inch!"

"I'm so proud of you!"

Two mostly-identical girls ran up to them, catching their breath.

"Don't leave us behind like that, Patton," the one in the black jacket huffed. "We're supposed to stay together."

"Oh, sorry." Patton cleared his throat. "Um, guys, you remember my sisters, right? Pam and Pearl?"

"Yeah, I remember them," Virgil said, giving them both a high-five. "You've gotten taller, too."

"We're freshmen now!" Pearl cheered, pumping her fists. "Officially high schoolers!"

"And ready to take on the world!" Pam said.

"Wow, congrats. Just enjoy the happiness while it lasts, because---"

"Okay, okay, cool down," Patton cut in.

Roman looked around. "Where's the nerd and my brother? I wanna give them hello noogies."

"Yeah, I want to give J Howard a proper welcome, too," Virgil said, grinning.

"Um, I think Logan's plane arrived a couple minutes ago," Patton answered, checking his phone. "Marji's waiting by the terminal so she can give Sophia a welcome-back kiss."

"I'm honestly surprised that Pearl isn't gonna do the same thing for Quinn," Pam chimed in, grinning at her sister.

"Pam!" Pearl hissed, face burning. "We're not dating! We're friends!"

"Uh-huh, keep on telling yourself that."

Roman looked around. "How long before we actually see Logan, though?"

"Could you maybe try to be patient?" Virgil said. "It'll probably take a while before---"

Patton let out a squeal and ran over to a familiar, thin figure heading towards them, practically bowling him over with a bear hug. Logan let out a little laugh, hugging him back.

"Calculator Watch!" Roman cheered, running over to him. "I missed you!"

"I certainly didn't miss that nickname," Logan said. "I see that staying with Virgil has boosted your enthusiasm."