Requested by wolf_lover13-13

Coraline AU!

I hope it's ok!

Deceit and Virgil had just finished unpacking everything, they were roommates and best friends.

They collapsed on the quilt covered couch tiredly, they had moved from California to Florida in the car and was exhausted.

"Let's just order a take away Virge." Deceit sighed.

Of course Deceit wasn't his real name it was Dee Copperhead, but when they were younger they didn't get along and hated each other and the nickname stuck.

"Sure thing Dee." Virgil watched as he got up to the phone and swooned, he may have a slight crush on the male, his best friend. However, on numerous occasions he was given the impression they were nothing but friends and it did upset him. Not to mention Dee dated girls not guys.

Dee came back and sat down, a package in hand, "I found this on the front door. We just moved in..."

Virgil smirked and opened it, "uh... a little me? That's weird." He muttered, noting the doll and his resemblance, even right down to the faded purple hair and hidden freckles beside his foundation.

He threw the doll down as Dee chuckled, "Chinese'll be here in twenty." He smiled, walking off again.

He did a lot of that, Virgil had noticed this when they first met and he frowned, "I wish he was mine..."

They had lived there for a week now and Virgil was loosing his mind. He was madly in love with Deceit and they were all alone in this place, with no neighbours or friends.

He sighed, he had kept that creepy doll for company and now he couldn't find the thing.

"All right, little me, where are you
hiding?"  He scanned the spare room and spotted the doll behind a cupboard, leaned against the corner wall.

Perplexed, he walked over and knelt down to grab the doll when he noticed something on the wall, shoving the empty cupboard away, he discovered the outline of a small door that was wallpapered over.

"Dee!"

He roommate came running in and skidded to a stop, "Uh what's that?"

"A door..." Virgil looked up after trying and failing to unlock it, "it's locked..."

Dee ran off to the kitchen and pulled open a drawer, pushing a bunch of loose brass and nickel keys aside to find a small, sharp black key with a button on it.

He went back to see Virgil staring at the door in wonder and smiled fondly as he cut the wallpaper around the door and stuck the key in the lock.

Virgil watched, high on anticipation, the doll at his side. Dee smiled more in adoration as he turned the key, unlocking the door, as he pulled it open to reveal... an unbroken brick wall.

Virgil's shoulders sagged, he thought something exciting would happen and Deceit frowned seeing his friend so sad.

"Bricks? I don't get it." Virgil frowned accident strangling his doll.

"They must have closed this off when they
divided up the house." Dee frowned, patting his shoulder.

"You're kidding?" Virgil rolled his eyes.

"I wish I had answers Virgie."

Virgil lay in his room, with the doll by his side, "goodnight... doll me."

His breathing slowed and, with the doll watching him, he started to fall asleep.

Round about midnight, there was a squeaking sound that woke Virgil up, sitting up now awake, he saw something scurry under his bed.

He leaned over his bedside, head first, peering underneath when a small white mouse.

He froze before giving chase, down the upper hall, down the stairs, snapped on the lower hall light and saw it running in the living room.

Virgil glared and entered. The mouse edged out from beneath the sofa, then flew frantically toward the door behind the wallpaper. Smirking, he dove for the mouse that entered the door.

Virgil grabbed the door's edge and pulled it open and instead of a brick wall, there was a bright, green tunnel with the bird flying out the other end to the light.

"Whoa..." He caught his breath, pulling the door wider and went through.

He stepped out through the same little door, into what looks like his living room, only something was different, more dimensional.

From across the hall, warm light came from the kitchen and the smell of delicious food wafts towards her nose.

Virgil hummed in content, "something smells good." He wandered over and looked in seeing his brother cooking at the stove, wearing an apron.

"Dee?! What are you doing here in the
middle of the night?"

Dee turned from the stove to greet him, making Virgil freeze: Deceit had buttons over his eyes.

Dee beamed with happiness at Virgil's arrival.

"You're just in time for supper, dear!"

"You're not my friend. My roommate doesn't have b-b-buh-" he stuttered, painting to his eyes.

Dee laughed and playfully continued the stutter, "b-b-b-buttons? Do you like them?" He asked, tapping one with his gloves finger, "in your other roommate, Well boyfriend, here..."

"Boyfriend...?" Virgil asked, he had to be dreaming... Dee was straight as non bendy ruler, or the horizon.

"Well of course. We love each other Virgie." He smiled, setting food out, pulling a chair out.

Hesitantly, Virgil sat down as Other Dee set down a huge, roasted chicken near Virgil on a table spread with candles, fine china  and sliver and a pineapple centrepiece. A model rain track made an eight around the dished of potatoes, sweet peas, rolls, and corn.

"Dig in babe!"

Virgil slowly took some chicken and bit into it, "mmmm, this chicken is good!"

"Hungry, aren't you." Asked Other Dee.

"I usually have take outs... do we have any gravy?"

"Well, here comes the gravy train!" Virgil smiled, watching a train come over with gravy and blowing its whistle. The train goes in one side of the centerpiece and comes out the other, slowing till the gravy boat was lined up with Virgil plate, where it poured gravy on his potatoes. Ok, so this was pretty cool. He had to murder Roman for making him like all this nonsense.

"Another roll, sweet peas? Corn on the
cob?" Other Dee looked on approvingly, not touching any food himself.

"I'm real thirsty." Admitted Virgil, frowning notcing Other Dee wasn't eating, "are you hungry?"

"No. I'm fine!" Smiled Other Dee, "any requests?"

"Uhhh, mango milk shake?"

The dispenser spun, stopping and filled his glass while Other Dee presented dessert: a purple cake with candles that popped up and lit themselves while the words "Welcome Home!" write themselves in icing.

Virgil blinked, "home?"

"I've been waiting for you, Virgie." Smiled Other Dee.

"I didn't know I had an Other Roommate, or boyfriend- or even an other boyfriend."

"Of course you do. Everyone does." He smiled, "however time works differently here, see we're already dating." He smiled at Virgil, his button eyes gleaming.

"Really?"

"Uh huh, and soon as you're through eating, I thought we could go on a date."

"But haven't we eaten?" Virgil asked.

Other Dee nodded, "I meant go to the movies."

"I would love to but ... I better get
home to my other roommate." Virgil said uneasily.

"But I'm your other roommate." Giggled the fake Dee.

"I mean my other other roommate. Dee number one?" He said unsure, yawning, "I think I should get to bed."

"Of course, my love, it's all made up." He said leading Virgil to his room.

Virgil got into his now nicely decorated bedroom as Dee tucked him in, kissing his cheek, as Virgil fell asleep, "see you soon."

He woke up and looked around, pouting, it was a dream, and Dee wasn't his boyfriend.

Virgil swung his legs out of bed and looked at his desk and froze, there on the table was a note saying, 'hope to see you soon my love'.

Virgil rushed to the door and opened it and frowned seeing it was bricked up again.

"Virgil? What are you doing?" Dee asked as he walked up behind Virgil.

The emo in purple looked to his crush, "I had a dream! And it was incredibly real! Only you weren't really you; you were the other Dee! And you had buttons for eyes!"

"Buttons for eyes, huh?" The man in yellow frowned, "Virgil, you only dreamed you ate all that chicken."

"But it tasted so good! And like I said! It felt real!" Virgil also hopped it was, he liked dating Dee. Maybe if he fell asleep again, now, he'd sleep until night and could spend it with his new Other Dee boyfriend!

Dee sighed, "ok... but we gotta go for food and clothes and then get to work."

Virgil frowned, "fine..."

All around the mall, Virgil thought of Other Dee and how he longed to see him again, he missed him.

Virgil kept glancing at this Dee who was talking about snakes, as usual, it was cute, he kinda hoped Other Dee was like this. Heck, maybe if Other Dee was exactly like this Dee but they were dating and if so, he would stay with him forever!

Late that night, Dee went to sleep and Virgil legged it to the door and opened it, revealing the tunnel. He smirked and went through, only to end up in the other kitchen.

"Welcome back, darling." Other Dee smiled, setting down the carving knife and walking over to Virgil.

"Sup?" He smirked.

Other Dee kissed his cheek, "I've missed you so much, you know?"

"I've missed you too." Virgil found himself wrapping his arms around Other Dee's neck.

"You wanna watch a movie? We can eat this lamb in half an hour."

Virgil's mouth watered and nodded, dragging Other Dee to the living room, "what do you want to watch?"

"Whatever you want." Other Dee said, a snake slithering up his leg.

"Nightmare before Christmas it is!" He smiled and put it on.

Virgil couldn't helps but sing and Other Dee joined in, Virgil looked at Dee through half lidded eyes and slowly leaned in.

Other Dee smiled and kissed him passionately.

Virgil closed his eyes, it felt right yet... so wrong, as if this wasn't Dee Copperhead, but still, he knew this was as close as he would get.

Virgil groaned when he woke up in his plain and boring life. He walked down stairs and tried to open the door but it was locked, not blocked, locked.

He glared and walked out and saw Dee asleep, head in his cereal, of course if this was Other Dee he'd have been kissed and a whole, warm meal would be made.

"Dee, get up." Virgil said, showing his shoulder.

"Let me sleep." See whined, getting up and pouring a glass of milk.

Virgil sighed and sat down, "can we have eggs."

"Well... yeah but we don't have any..."

Virgil sighed louder, "my other best friend would have eggs and would have made them for me..."

Dee frowned, that frown turning into an angry glare, "well... maybe he should buy all your food and cook it for you!"

"So, what do you thinks in the other apartment then?!" Virgil yelled, if he didn't believe him then he shouldn't be worried.

"I don't know. Not an imposters of me!"

"Then why'd you lock the door?" Snarled Virgil.

Dee paused, he didn't want to admit he had a bad feeling about said door, "oh, I found some rat crap and... I thought you'd feel ... safer."

"That mouse led me to that door! And the dreams aren't dangerous; they're the most fun I've had since we've moved here!"

Dee frowned, looking at his bowl, "fine... glad to know..." He got up and left the house, tearing up.

Virgil looked down then smiled, grabbing the button key and unlocking the door, he ran in and looked around the kitchen, breakfast was made for him and he saw a gift, he opened it and it was a new jacket, with patches of yellow and purple all over it, much better then the one he wore now. The one Dee got, the black and purple one.

He saw a note and smiled, 'I'll be back soon my love'.

So, Virgil ate and waited and luckily it wasn't long until Other Dee walked in.

He bent down and kissed his nose, "hello beautiful."

Virgil whined and kissed him, "hey..."

Other Dee chuckled, "cute. So I have a questing..." He said, Virgil noted he was hiding something behind his back.

"You do like it here, don't you, Virgie?"

"Uh-huh!" Virgil smiled, happily and nodded.

"You could stay here forever... if you
want to." Other Dee offered, sitting down.

"Really?" Virgil smiled, thinking about how he and his Dee argued.

"There's one tiny little thing we need to do..." Other Dee said softly.

"What's that?"

"Well, it's a surprise."

The Other Dee placed a small box with a bow in front of him. Virgil smiled and excitedly removed the lid.

"For you ... my little doll."

Inside the box was a spool of black thread, a silver needle, and a pair of shiny black buttons, Virgil's eyes widened and realised that's where they'd be sewn, his eyes.

Virgil looked up, hoping he was joking.

"Black is traditional, but if you'd prefer purple or yellow or chartreuse..." Other Dee said, changing his button colour, "though you might make me jealous."

"No way!" He yelled, batting the box away, and his hands flew to his face, covering his eyes.

"You're not sewing buttons into my eyes!"

"Oh, but I need a yes, if you want to stay here."

"There now; it's your decision, darling. I only want what's best for you." Other Dee said softly, walking over and putting his now icy cold hand on Virgil's shoulder.

Virgil shoves his hand off hastily, "I'm... I'm going to bed! Right now!"

Other Dee frowned, wounded and hurt in his eyes, "bed? Before dinner?" He asked.

The boy in purple fought to control his quaking voice, "I'm really, really tired. Yeah..." He said, fake yawning and stretching his arms, "I just need to sleep on things." He lied.

Other Dee stood, masking his disappointment, "well of course you do, my love ... I'll be happy to tuck you in-" Virgil backed away, urging him to stay where he was.

"Oh, no thanks, uh, you-you've done so much already-" He said, forcing a smile, turning to leave but found Other Dee blocking's the door way, how on earth did he move so quickly?

"You're welcome. And I'm not worried at all, darling. Soon you'll see things our way." He smirked, gently tapping Virgil nose.

Virgil ran upstairs to his room and sat on the bed, pulling off his new jacket then hid under the covers, pulling them over his head and holding tight. He hugged himself to stop shaking imagining it was his Dee's comforting arms, knowing he had to fall asleep in this bed to wake up in his real bed at home.

He closed his eyes and told himself, "go to sleep, go to sleep, go to sleep, go
to sleep!" He tossed one way, then another, until he eventually fell asleep.

He woke up and grinned, "Dee I'm back!" He yelled throwing off the covers and frowned, seeing the same decorated room, "oh god I'm still here!"

Virgil stared at nothing before deciding the beat course of action was to get out himself.

He ran down stairs and to the door and smirked, but a huge armoire buG suddenly crab-stepped in his path, blocking the door, and all around him things started to glow. The room was full of huge bugs, that flowed and resembled furniture.

The Other Mother speaks out, startling Virgil.

"They say even the proudest spirit can be broken ... with love." Other Dee smiled as the sofa, now a large bug, turned in place to reveal him sitting on it.

He smiled, his button eyes shining, one hand holding out in a 'behold my handiwork' gesture.

A bug chair scooped up Virgil and brought him to the Other Dee, who took a candy dish from the servant bug.

"Of course, chocolate never hurts. Like
one?" He asked extending a candy dish filled with living chocolate beetles, "they're Cocoa Beetles from Zanzibar."

Virgil grimaced in disgust, as the Other Dee took the dish back and but the head off of one, which Virgil noted was the first thing he'd eaten since meeting him.

"I want to be with my real beat friend! I
want you to let me go!"

"Is that any way to talk to your boyfriend?"

Virgil growled, mad, "you aren't my boyfriend." He said, he'd rather be friends with his Dee then not at all.

The Other Dee straightened, his button eyes, now dead, staring into Virgil's gorgeous brown eyes.

"Apologise at once, Virgil!"

Virgil stared back, "no."

"I'll give you to the count of three. One..." Other Dee glared, standing up and growling taller, "two..." He got thinner and bonier, making Virgil shrunk down, "three!"

Virgil got up to run but Other Dee grabbed his down, pulling him down the hallway.

"Ow, what are you doing!" Virgil whimpered as Other Dee pulled Virgil down the hallway to the mirror at the end.

Tall Other Dee shoved Virgil right through the mirror as if it was water.

Virgil hit the ground hard. The Other Dee, l thrusted his head through the mirror, staring down at him, angrily, "you may come out when you've learned to
be a loving boyfriend!" He pulled his head out, leaving Virgil in darkness.

Virgil pounded on the mirror-door, kicking it with his black converse. A sob welled up in his throat, the mixed with the sob there was a main.

He turned, just making out a sagging iron bed. When a voice speaks, there is a faint glow from beneath its stained cover.

"Who's there?" Virgil asked worriedly.

"Hush! And shush! For he might be listening!"

Virgil stepped towards the bed, the faint glow from under the covers in sync with the words he heard, and so whispered, "you... you mean the Other Dee?"

He gently pulled back the sheets, there sat three dimly glowing ghost, three of them, with button eyes sitting up. Three males, one who was clearly an actor due to his prince outfit, one who must have been a father or was a father figure, the other looking like a teacher.

"Who are you?" The one with round glasses asked sadly.

"Virgil... and you...?"

"Don't remember our names... But I 'member my true boyfriend..." He said sadly.

"Why are you all here?"

"Him." They whispered, moving about in a dance macabre, like ghostly fish in water.

"He spied on our lives, through the little doll's eyes." The Princey male said.

"And saw that we weren't happy." The fatherly one said.

"So he lured us away, with treasures and treats, unthinkable knowledge and games to play." The smart one said

"Gave all that we asked..." The naive one said.

The prince frowned, "yet we still wanted more."

"So..." The smart one paused, "we let him sew the buttons."

"He said that he loved us..." whimpered the father.

"But he locked us here..."

"And ate up our lives." They said, falling back into their bed and sink down.

Virgil was stunned, covering his eyes, thinking a little and then spoke, trying to steady his voice. "well, he can't keep me in the dark forever; not if he wants to win my life. Beating him is my only chance." He growled, suddenly yellow gloved hands, reached throw the mirror and pulled him out.

"Virgil! Thank god!"

Virgil looked up and froze it was Dee, his Dee, with eyes and everything! Virgil hugged him, "you're here!"

"Why?! Why would you go through the door?!"

"Because I'm stupid! I'm so sorry." He whispered.

"Come on, lets go." Dee dragged Virgil to the door but Virgil froze.

There was poisonous, like sleepy snakes, burning in the fireplace. The bug furniture looked grey now, their lights flickering as if short-circuited; legs and wings twitching uncontrollably.

Virgil looked around and he sensed the Other Dee behind him and shoved his Dee into a hiding spot. The Other Dee was a creature who was no sort of friend at all but a witch. He turned.

The thing was hunched on the sofa, his face hidden, "so, you're free." His voice sounded dry and tired and he turned his face towards Virgil.

The witches face looked like a white, death mask, cracked and peeling, revealing its true face.

"And you brought vermin with you." Snarled Other Dee, as Virgil pushed Dee into the hiding spot more.

"No, I ... I brought my best friend." Virgil said.

The thing grew up 12 feet tall and glare. He was withered to the bone; with plate-like shoulders and hips; his bustle now an arachnid's tail section. His true horrific form.

He reached his long, sharp fingers made of needles to Virgil's soft face, "you know I love you."

Virgil's anxiety spiked as Dee growled, "you, you have a very funny way of showing it." Virgil whimpered.

The thing smiled evilly and turned away, then outstretched its back, "You're never gonna get out. You're mine. Now you're going to stay here forever."

Virgil snarled "no ...I'm ...NOT!"

Dee glared, having had enough of the other him, and launched himself onto the back of the thing, he dug his nails into the buttons and the creature shrieked and staggered to one side of the door.

It flailed wilful at his counter part, screaming as two buttons fell to the floor with a quiet thud. He threw Dee off, who fell and groaned.

"NOOOOOOOOO!" Yelled the creature, covering his eyes in distraught and then turning to face Virgil showing his empty, flat sockets and torn threat, "you horrible cheating boy!"

Fake Dee furiously stomped on the floor which flew up in a spiral of floorboards that flung Virgil to the room's center. A huge wed lay beneath the floor. The web trap stretched down into a fifty food deep pit. There is nothing beyond but pale, white nothingness.

Dee scrambled along the remaining furniture, that was now falling straight down, he jumped to the door and began to stuggle trying to pull himself up.

Virgil fell to the very bottom of the web, looking at Dee who glanced at him worriedly. Fifty feet above, the thing laughs maniacally and leaped down like a huge, flying spider.

Virgil managed to pull himself to the outside of the trap just as Other Dee landed.

The witch was furious that his prey had escaped and spun around, grasping blindly.

"Noo!! Where are you? You selfish brat!!"

Virgil, neared the top, he looked up to see Dee, his Dee pull himself up and look out, offering his hand. He went to climb some more, but then his gets caught on a barb.

Dee's eyes widened as Virgil began to frantically pull until he broke free, which sent a sting vibration down the spiralling web to a very sensitive hand of the thing.

"Hahahaha..." It, chucked.

Dee reaches his hand out further and gasped, the thing now hot on Virgil's trail.

Virgil grabs his hand and Dee pulls him through as the other him, screamed out, "YOU ... DARE ...!"

The friends scrambled through the door, and they tried to shut the door behind then, but before they could, the thing thrusted it's face into the tunnel making them yell and fly back.

"DISOBEY YOUR BOYFRIEND!!!" It yelled, as Dee kicked in in the face knocking it back.

They nearly shut the door, when needle fingers grab hold through the crack. The door began to pull open.

"Please shut!" Cried Virgil and with a final pull from Dee it slammed shut, the thing had been snatching desperately at Virgil, reaching through the closing gap with one thin claw. Then in that final moment of resistance, it's wire-thin wrist caught in the door, snapping it's hand off, dropping to the ground.

It screeched like a metal rake on pavement, as Virgil locked the door as it pounded from the other side, green light coming through cracks. They ran off down the tunnel, as fast as they could. The pounding grew more insistent, green light flashing.

"DON'T LEAVE ME! DON'T LEAVE ME!!! I'LL DIE WITHOUT YOU!!!!" It screamed in horror, the tunnel behind the friends started to grow shorter, like a collapsing accordion and the pounding far door with the blind, one-handed creature on the other side began to catch up to him.

They sped up, seeing their living room, they flung themselves through the doorway, shutting and locking the door and braces themselves against the door.

A split- second later, the other world door slammed against it, throwing the friends back. But luckily the real-world door and was locked.

"It's over..." Virgil mumbled, his shoulders sagging.

Deceit lay on his back, beat up and exhausted, Virgil gulping in breaths of air till his heart slows down.

Dee looked up and picked up a small bag, "Virgil..."

Virgil snatched the bag, looking in, the eyes of the three boys, he sighed sadly.

The room was brightly lit by sunlight, the first since they had moved there, and the sky out the windows was blue with white clouds.

"We need to finish this... for good..." Dee said, making Virgil nod, "tonight. There's an old well down the road, we'll dump the key down there."

Night fell and the two friends left the house, walking down the dirt road, the key held tightly in Virgil's hand.

The baseboard in the living room was pushed aside and through the narrow gap at the door's bottom, the dismembered hand of the creature crawled out. It scrambled out the house, filling Virgil.

Virgil has now tied the key round his neck, as not to loose it. It was dark, with ropey clouds reach like fingers across the gibbous moon.

The arrived and Dee jammed a dead tree branch under the well's cover.

Circling around behind a big stump, the hand scampered behind one rock to a bush to a tree, coming closer.

Dee managed to lever the well's cover off to one side, leaving the well open. Huffing and sweating, he wiped his brow, Virgil then took the key string that's around his neck.

The hand saw what was about to happen and ran at them.

Virgil lifted the string and key, not quite over his head.

The hand jumped onto the big stump and spring through the air to grab the key and pulled Virgil to the ground, making a choked scream, his fingers caught between the key string and her neck.

"Virgil!" Dee yelled, getting up.

The hand tried to drag him back to the house and the door now breathing with anticipation.

Dee glared and picked up a rock, throwing it at the hand knocking it to the side and smashing it to pieces, as Virgil coughed, rubbing the red line on his neck.

Dee saw Virgil's jacket and ripped it off, shoving the pieces of needles in and then smashed the key in it, putting rocks in and tying it up, dumping it in the well.

Virgil looked up, "all that's left is the-" he was cut off, lips pressed into him.

Dee was kissing him, "if you asked me out I would have said yes."

"I-if I do now...?"

"Maybe." Dee smirked, "those eyes need burying."

"R-right."

Virgil woke up that night, eyes buried and door locked and boarded up, hand and key gone, yet he was worried.

He snuck out and went to Dee's room, "Dee?"

The male looked up, "Virgie?"

"C-can I sleep here... with you?" He stuttered.

Dee smirked tiredly, "so long as I can call you my boyfriend..."

Virgil smiled lightly, "deal."