Chapter Text
Life went on and gradually, even improved.
Patton sat before the hearth in the one room hut they were now able to rent and gave the stew a stir. After Roman’s leg was made whole, they were able to scrape up a consistent enough number of coins completing odd jobs in town to make ends meet. It was a small amount, just enough for the four to get by.
Until the gold started appearing.
Virgil leaned against Patton’s shoulder to watch him stir.
“Is it almost done?”
Patton reached back with his other hand and gave Virgil’s cheek a pat. “Just a few more minutes, hun.”
Virgil snuck a kiss to the palm of his hand and got up to fetch bowls when the door creaked open.
Roman took two steps into the room before Virgil noticed something was off. He was holding his head with one hand and clutching something in the other.
“Roman? What happened?” Virgil asked.
Heads immediately turned; Patton gasped while Logan got up to go collect Roman and shut the still open door.
“Have a seat. Virgil, please get some clean rags and the water bucket.”
“What happened?? Are you ok??” Patton echoed.
Abandoning the bowls, Virgil heaved the bucket onto the table.
“Did you get into a fight?”
Wincing, Roman let Logan move him to the stool and pulled his hand away with a huff.
“Of course not!” He pursed his lips and averted his eyes before mumbling something.
Patton had left the hearth and took hold of Roman’s hand. “What did you say? What’s this?”
He turned over his fist and in the middle of his hand sat a dented, dirtied, but still valuable, gold coin.
“A bird… dropped it on me.”
Patton cringed in sympathy and began to coo over Roman, but Virgil snorted.
“If we’re ever short on rent it’s nice to know we can count on our resident magical princess.”
Logan tsked and started wrapping a bandage around Roman’s head. “I do not believe birds dropping coins will be a reliable source of income.”
“You should try singing next and see if any squirrels bring you lunch.” Virgil teased.
“Ha ha. Very funny.” Though Roman sounded anything but amused. Virgil still had more to go.
“Since you’re rising in royal status, would you prefer we bow or curtsey to you?”
“I’d prefer you on your knees actually.” Roman quipped with a fast wink and watched in delight as Virgil flushed a bright red. “In fact-”
“I would prefer-” Logan cut in, “that you hold still.”
It was an odd blessing. They spent it, bought many household staples and a few chickens and that was that. So they thought.
Initially Logan had called it a “random and one time occurrence.” But the very next evening, Virgil, swearing up and down that he did not take it from someone’s purse, returned with a gold coin of his own.
Maybe it was a coincidence? At least no one was hurt this time.
And suddenly, day after day the same, in a nearly predictable rotation, one of them returned home with a gold coin.
“I discovered it in the fields while picking lamb’s quarters.” Logan sighed.
“Guys, I swear,” Virgil began, “I was drawing water and it just fell out of the bucket.”
Roman, rubbing the other side of his head, didn’t even bother explaining as he threw the coin down and stormed off.
Then things got weird.
“While I was doing laundry at the river, it washed up on the bank!” Patton explained looking distraught. “I tried asking if anyone lost it and they wouldn’t even look at me! It was like I wasn’t even there.”
The few times the four tried to ask if anyone had lost a coin, they were met with cold blank stares that didn’t go away until the coin was tucked out of sight.
It was as though they had been given a friendly curse of sorts.
A collection grew, but it was wealth none of them could touch. How would any of them even begin to explain their newfound wealth? Whispers of thievery may start, and it was hard enough to quell the rumors of witchcraft when Roman’s leg was healed.
For as long as they could, they tried to simply hide the coins in a jar, but the problem only grew.
That evening, the sun was already low. Light from the fireplace filled the room. Logan, Virgil, and Patton were gathered around, empty handed as far as gold was concerned, half expecting Roman to show up with the latest coin and story.
Taking the spoon from Patton, Virgil gave the stew a stir.
“Do you think a cat will hack up another one for him?” He asked.
Patton cringed. “Please don’t talk about cats being sick right before we eat.”
Relenting, Virgi shrugged. “Alright. I’m just speclating. Maybe a horse will knock him into a manure pile and it’ll be at the stream where he washes up.”
Logan hummed from his corner where he sat darning a shirt. “The word is spec-u-lating, but Roman often does find coins in messy or painful situations.”
With a bark of laughter Virgil nodded. “Think Janus does that on purpose?”
Patton prepared to take the spoon away. It was a standing argument from just where or how the coins came to be, sometimes it was…spirited.
Shaking his head, Logan said. “We have no reason to be sure that Janus has anything to do with this.”
Virgil groaned but before a debate sparked, the door flew open.
In the doorway stood Roman, sprinkled head to toe in strands of hay. He quickly shut and fastened the door behind him before flinging something shiny onto the floor.
“This jackass tripped me into a pile of hay and that fell into my mouth!” Roman fumed. “He didn’t even apologize! He just fucking laughed! And when I finally got up, he was gone! If I ever see his smug slimy little face again, I’ll-” he clenched his fists.
Patton, not caring about what Roman had tossed, stood to help brush off the stray strands still stuck to Roman.
“Sweetheart, I know you’re upset, but let’s rein it in.”
Roman bit his lip and breathed hard though his nose. “Now’s not the time for puns Patton. We have to do something about this gold issue.”
“I know! We’ve been saddled with a huge responsibility!” Patton’s face started to crack.
“Pat!”
“Ro!” Patton plucked a hay straw and tickled it under his nose
While Patton calmed Roman, Logan set the shirt aside and got up to look at what Roman had thrown. This time it was not a coin.
On the ground gleamed a bracelet.
Logan held it up to the light. At first glance, it appeared as if the jeweler had taken two coils of gold and twisted them together. On closer inspection, he saw each coil had been etched with rows of miniscule highly detailed scales. Embedded along the scales were scatters of emeralds. Two black stones filled the eye slots of a viper head whose teeth clasped it shut.
From the floor Virgil’s jaw dropped.
“Holy shit!”
“Vee!” Patton chided but turned and stared in equal measure.
It was beautiful. It was expensive.
It would for sure get them all in a heap of trouble.
“What are we going to do with that?” Virgil asked.
“Throw it out.” Snapped Roman. “I don’t trust that thing. I only brought it so you guys could see that Janus is definitely up to something. That demon wants us all to swing from the trees!”
Pushing up to his feet, Virgil scoffed. “Calm down. If he wanted us dead, he could have killed us while we were asleep. He fixed your leg Princey, didn’t he?”
“You say that every time.” Roman dragged a hand down his face. “But he’s toying with us! When will you get that through your thick head?”
“My head?? What about yours!” Virgil stepped closer. “He’s literally throwing gold at us. How is that toying with us?”
Roman planted his hands on his hips and stayed where he was. “My head is just fine. It’s you who we should worry about. You’ll trust anyone who dangles something shiny in front of your nose!”
A flash of hurt crossed Virgil’s face.
“I don’t trust Janus. But I’m not an idiot who thinks they can take out a god who goes out of their way to literally manipulates time and nature to give us money!”
Pushing past Roman, Virgil went out the door and slammed it shut behind him. Roman winced and held his head.
“That was uncalled for Roman.” Logan said sharply.
“I, I know.” Without hesitating another second, he went for the door. “I’ll be back later.”
“Should we come with you?” Patton asked just steps behind, but Logan caught him by the sleeve.
“No, no, I just need a minute Pat. I’m sorry I’ve upset you though.” His eyes briefly met both Logan’s and Patton’s in silent apology before he slipped out.
The hut was quiet. The only noise for the longest time came from the softly crackling fire. Outside, the sky faded into a patchy quilt of stray clouds and stars. Patton eventually dished out dinner for them both saving the other half for later. Only when it was truly dark did he take their empty bowls away to wash.
“Patton,” Logan started, the first words said in several hours, “I’m sure they will be back soon.”
Patton’s shoulders slouched.
“I hope so.”
Unsure of what else to say, Logan plucked the bracelet up from the ground. There was still the matter of what to do with it. He privately wondered if this was a sign of more to come.
“We need to discuss what to do with the gold, the bracelet, and anything else we may find. May I have your opinion on what you think we should do?”
“I don’t know. I just know I don’t like the fights.” Patton shrugged and wiped his hands dry. “You probably have your own ideas.”
“I do.” Logan didn’t try denying, “But I value your opinions as well.”
Patton turned his head just enough to look at Logan out the corner of his eye, then glanced at the door.
“Well,” He paused to mull over whether it was even worth discussing right now, “if you really want to know what I think,” he came back to sit at Logan’s side. “I think it’s from Janus. It might be important.”
Logan hummed. “I won’t argue that perhaps this bracelet is from Janus. But what about the gold?”
“We should keep saving and use it to leave the city.”
Immediately, Logan’s brain flared and began picking out all the details that would be hard to work out. They would need supplies, a means of traveling, not to mention harvest was right around the corner. A property, tools,
“Lo?” Patton poked his cheek.
Logan pulled out his analyzation and returned his attention to Patton.
“I just think a fresh start would be good for everyone, but it was just an idea. Don’t overwork that hamster up there by overthinking it, ok?”
“My brain is fully capable of thinking though all possibilities without working itself to the point of exhaustion.”
Patton smiled and squeezed his hand. Logan reciprocated.
“I know.”
His eyes drifted towards the door again. “It’s late.”
Slipping the bracelet on to remember to continue talking about it later, Logan fought back a yawn and stood. “They have had enough time to talk. I will go look around for them for a bit. By now they would at least be heading back home.”
“I’ll go with you.” Patton immediately said only for Logan to shake his head,
“If they get back before I return, they may need aid. We do not have enough candles to spare for us each to go.” And he didn’t want to have to start looking for Patton midway through or bring him back if he was spooked. He grabbed what he needed and stepped out.
The city had a glow of its own. A few homes still held a dim light in their windows, but there were plenty of dark spaces that tucked away trouble.
Holding his candle aloft, Logan walked around the block hoping to run into the pair on the way. A lap completed, he checked around the alleys between nearby structures.
Finding no one, he started back towards the house to think of a new place to check. An angry clucking had him picking up the pace. Near the stick fence of the house, he found one of the hens (Roman had named this one Hennifer) loose. Logan detoured from his search to herd the chicken back to its pen.
“How did you escape? I thoroughly checked the structural integrity myself before,” and that was where he found them.
The door to the coop swung open with the wind. On the floor, squeezed into the tight floor space lay Virgil and Roman completely entwined with each other.
Logan shut the door, tucked the chicken under his arm, and went back inside the hut.
Inside, Patton had spread their bedmats out in anticipation.
“Uh Lo?” His head tipped to the side curiously.
Logan let the chicken loose and fastened the door. They would deal with all of this in the morning.
“They are asleep in the chicken coop. I think they want some privacy.”
Patton smothered his giggles with the back of his hand while Logan hurried to get to bed. He was exhausted and nothing right now sounded better.
“At least they made up.” Patton smoothed down their blankets over them.
Logan laid down and pulled Patton close. He was fairly certain they had made up with more than words. “That is one consolation.” He let his yawn fly free and closed his eyes. “Goodnight.”
After mere moments though, he felt Patton shifting.
“Hun?”
Logan kept his eyes closed. “Yes Patton?”
Hair brushed against his neck and in his arms, Patton scooted closer.
“Thank you for finding for Roman and Virgil.”
“Perhaps you should thank Hennifer. She was quite offended at being put out.” For his attempt at a joke, he received a giggle and Pat’s felt shoulder shakes. Dipping, his chin, he kissed Patton. “Goodnight.”
“Night Lo. Love you.”
Logan brushed his thumb across Patton’s neck and felt the cool band slide down his arm.
They never did come to a resolute decision.
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A shiver ran through his body. It was cold for late summer. He had hoped they would be able to get by on threadbare bedding until September. His arms began to dimple with goosebumps. Did Patton roll away with the blankets?
Logan reached out to feel for the blanket, for Patton, but his hands only met bare floor, smooth and cold.
His eyes opened and it was only due to the overwhelming shock that he was able to keep from screaming.
“Welcome back my little Scholar.” Janus hummed.