Virgil stayed in his room for about twenty minutes before pulling on his mask and opening the door. He was about to step out but froze on the spot when he saw Patton's older brother, Emile, standing there with his fist raised, ready to knock on the door. "Hey, Em. Did you need something?" He stepped around the older man, pulling his door shut behind him.
"No. Not really. Patton said you were up here, and I was just checking to see if everything was okay." Emile gave the younger man a gentle smile while adjusting his glasses. Much to his younger brother's dismay, he had insisted on not wearing a costume tonight. So, he was there in his usual khakis and button-up. Virgil noted that he wasn't wearing his cardigan, dismissing it, though, since the house was a little warmer than usual thanks to all of the people in attendance for Patton's party.
"I'm good. Just needed to step away from everyone for a bit."
"Okay. If you need to talk, my door is always open. You know that, right?"
Virgil chuckled and nodded his head. "Don't worry about me so much, Emile. Just because I'm not your patient anymore doesn't mean I'm gonna fall apart. You were there when I needed you most. Both you and Patton. And I'm much better now, thanks to the two of you." His words brought a smile to the older man's face, and he couldn't help pulling the masked man into a strong embrace, causing him to chuckle again. "I better head back down before Patton sends Olav or Logan up here next to get me."
"Yeah. And let him know that you're okay. He does worry about you." Emile patted Virgil's shoulder and made his way down the hall to his own bedroom.
Virgil watched his retreating back and couldn't help but wonder, probably for the thousandth time since moving in with the two brothers, how he would ever be able to thank them enough for taking him in when he needed a place. His father, a career military man, had gotten a new assignment, and his family had to move to Guam. Virgil was still in university but had been living at home. He didn't want to drop out to move to another country with his family, but he knew that even with his music career just starting, he wouldn't' be able to afford his own place. Patton had noticed his stress and had suggested that he move in with him and Emile, the older Picani had agreed and told the university student that they wouldn't accept no as an answer. That was nearly a decade ago. And he was still living with the other two, all of them having just gotten so used to the living arrangements that it made no sense to any of them to change them.
With a soft, content sigh, Virgil pulled himself out of his thoughts and made his way down the stairs and into the living room. He walked over to Olav, grabbing a folding chair on his way, and sat beside the Phantom of the Opera, resting his head on his hip since he was standing.
"'Sup, V man?" Olav looked down at his friend, giving him a small smile. Virgil just shook his head and remained seated. "Going stir crazy?"
"Nah. I'm good. Just don't feel like mingling."
"Well, you're more than welcome to hand out with me for the rest of the night. Just as long as you don't touch the booth."
Virgil chuckled and nodded his head in thanks.
***
Virgil and Olav quietly cleaned up the mess from the party the night before, the former sporting a pair of sunglasses and a sour mood. "Don't ever let me drink that much again. Or I swear I will kill you."
"I told you to stop after the third shot, Virge. You cannot blame me. Be happy that at least you're not a rowdy drunk."
"Morning, kiddos!" Patton came bouncing into the living room, covering his mouth and whispering an apology when Virgil groaned and grabbed his head.
"Please, Pat. Not so loud." He groaned, wincing in pain.
"I'm sorry, kiddo. I'll get you a cup of water and some aspirin before I start breakfast."
"Thanks," Virgil plopped down on the couch and placed a throw pillow over his face while waiting for Patton to return.
"Think you'll be up to patrol tonight?" Patton asked, placing a glass of water on the table and an aspirin in Virgil's hand. "Maybe you should just let the others patrol, and you take it easy, now that I think about it."
"Nope. I'm good." Virgil pulled the pillow off his face, sat up straight, grabbed the glass of water, and took the pill. "The only one that's competent enough to patrol without a babysitter is Logic. The Prince and The Duke would probably burn the city down."
"They aren't that bad, V." Olav sat beside his friend on the couch, taking off his mask from the night before.
"That's easy for you to say, Olav. You don't have to work with them as much as I do. They're both so fucking extra. And-"
"Language," Patton interrupted.
"Greek," came Olav's reply.
"Sorry, Pat. But seriously. Those two make my powers go off like crazy when they start with each other. Last time I nearly got my head taken off because I couldn't sense any danger because of them."
"I'll talk to them about it tonight. Okay, kiddo?"
"Thanks."
Patton patted his shoulder and stood up. "I'll go get started on breakfast. You two relax."
"Don't need to tell me twice." Olav got up, walked over to the armchair, lied upside down in it, and let out a heavy sigh. Virgil let out a groan in response and fell over sideways on the couch, putting the pillow back on his head.
أنت تقرأ
A Call to Darkness (Book 1 of Calling All Heroes)
قصص الهواة[Completed]Being a superhero isn't an easy task. You're living a double life all of the time. It's even harder when you're living two double lives. Virgil Winslow is the lead singer, Pryder, of the band Emo Nightmare. He is also the masked superhero...
