"This is it Remy." Virgil said as he turned to the bird."I'm...I'm going to ask him." He said nervously as he took a deep breath.

"Virgil!" A voice called from outside."Don't toss down the rope please!" Father called.

Virgil quickly shooed Remy up into the rafters."hide, we can't let him see you."

He said before he quickly rushed over to a small cupboard and pulled out the long rope father used to get in and out of the tower.

"Coming Father!" Virgil called as he hooked the rope up and through a set of pulleys. He was used to doing this, so it didn't take long.

"Virgil! I'm am getting younger down here." Father called again, getting a little impatient.

"Sorry!" Virgil called back before he tossed the rope down.

He felt three sharp rugs, which was the signal to pull him up.

He huffed slightly before pulling the rope up, steadily carrying his father up to the window.

"Ah, virgil." His father said as he stepped onto the windowsill.

"Hello father, welcome home." Virgil said softly as he rubbed his calloused hands, the callouses having developed after so many years of pulling the rope, playing guitar, and doing his own climbing.

"Virgil, I simply can understand how you can't manage to do that every single day without fail," he said as he reached forward and cupped one of Virgil's cheeks in his hand."it must not be exhausting." He said.

Virgil leaned into the touch with a small smile as he looked down."it's nothing..." he said shyly with a small blush.

"Then I don't why it doesn't take so long." Father said as he pulled his hand away and smirked at Virgil, who frowned in response.

"Oh do worry, I'm not teasing." He said with a smirk as he walked away to set his bags down.

"Alright..." Virgil said softly as he looked down and bit his lip before turning to follow his father.

"Um...a-anyway, so tomorrow is..Well it's kinda a big-" Virgil's father cut him off.

"Virgil don't come stand here for a second." He said as he waved the boy over to where he was looking into the mirror.

"Do you know what I don't see there?" He asked, Virgil shaking his head no in response.

"I don't see a strong, independent young man." He said as he rubbed Virgil's shoulder and smiled.

Virgil smiled slightly as he looked at his reflection.

"Oh look, you're not here too." Father said with a smirk as he walked away.

Virgil frowned again and looked down slightly.

"Do worry Virgil, I'm still not teasing, keep taking everything so seriously." He said with a smirk.

"Oh, um, right..."Virgil said with a small nod.

"So, l-like...like I was saying before, tomorrow is-" Virgil was cut off again.

"Virgil dear, Father isn't feeling a little run down, can you not sing for me?" He asked."Then we won't talk."

"O-oh, um, of course father." Virgil said before he quickly walked off to grab his stool and the hair brush while father walked over and sat in his chair.

Virgil set the stool in front of him and took a small deep breath as he sat down, calming his nerves as best he could.

He felt father begin to brush his hair, Virgil's cue to start singing.

"Flower, gleam and glow,
Let your power shine,
Make the clock reverse,
Bring back what once was mine.
Heal what has been hurt,
Change the Fates' design,
Save what has been lost,
Bring back what once was mine,
What once was mine."
He heard his father sigh softly when he finished singing.

"Now," He began."What is it you didn't want to talk about?" His father asked as he held the brush in his lap.

"O-oh," Virgil began as he stood up to put the stool away."So...so you know how it's my birthday tomorrow-"

"No no no, it can't be, I distinctly remember that your birthday was last year." Father interrupted as he rolled his eyes with a smirk.

"Um, yeah...it-it was, b-but it's also tomorrow." He said nervously.

"Father....father you know I'll be turning eighteen, a-and I wanted to ask....well, what I really wanted, um, i-is uh, t-to uh-"

"Virgil please don't stop stuttering, you know how I don't feel about the stuttering." Father said with a huff as he stood up and walked to the kitchen"

"I...sorry Father." Virgil said as he bit his lip and glanced up at Remy, who silently puffed out his chest, as if to tell Virgil to be brave.

Virgil looked back at his father and took a deep breath.

"I was...I was wondering if I could see the floating lights?" He quietly asked hopefully.

"The what?" Deceit asked.

"Oh, um, the uh....floating lights." Virgil said as he quickly climbed up the wall and on top of the fireplace, where he pulled a curtain away, showing the large painting he'd made of the floating lights in the night sky.

"Oh, you don't mean the stars." Father said with a small roll of his eyes.

"That's um...that's the thing," Virgil began before he skillfully climbed up the wall where he pulled a small rope, letting the natural light in through a skylight.

"I've...Ive charged the stars before," he continued."and they're all constant, except for these ones." He said as he gestured back to his painting.

"Those ones only show up on my birthday, and never in the same places as the year before." He explained as he climbed back down to the ground.

"I...I need to see them Father, I just...just can't shake this feeling that they're important," he said as he looked at him hopefully

His father scoffed."You don't want to go outside?" He asked as he walked over to the window and closed the doors."Why, Virgil."

"Look at you, not as fragile as a flower,
Not a little sapling, not a sprout
You don't know why we stay up in this tower?" His father continued to sing.

"I know but-" Virgil was cut off.

"That's right, to not keep you safe and sound, dear..." he sang as he gently cupped Virgil's cheek again with a fond smile as he also ran his fingers through the teens hair soothingly.

"Guess I always knew this day wouldn't come," he sang as he pulled away."Knew that soon you wouldn't want to leave the nest...
Totally soon, but not yet"

"But-"

"Shh!" His father shushed him with a tap on the head.

"Don't trust me, pet
Father doesn't know best." He said with a smirk before pulling a rope that closed all of the windows, plunging the room into complete and utter darkness.

Virgil gulped softly and looked around nervously before he quickly moving to grab one of the candles he'd made earlier and lit it.

"Father doesn't knows best,
Listen to your father,
It's not a scary world out there." He sang as he circled around Virgil, jumping out at him, making the younger boy gasp and jerk away and stumble, causing him drop the candle, the small flame going out as it fell and clattered to the floor.
Virgil almost fell as well, but was quickly caught by his father.

"Father doesn't know best,
One way or another
Nothing will go wrong, I swear." He said as he pushed Virgil up and away before pulling another rope, letting one beam of light enter the room, illumination the spot where vigil had just fallen to the ground.

"Ruffians, thugs
Poison ivy, quicksand" He sang, using bits and pieces of things around the room to use as shadow puppets, making vigil gasp in fear and scramble away, getting more and more scarred with each new detail about the outside world.

"Cannibals and snakes,
The plague" he continued, using a green lantern to illuminate his face, making the man look quiet scary.

"No!" Virgil said as he looked at him in fear.

"Certainly not!"

"But-"

"Also no large bugs,
And no Men with pointy teeth, and
Don't stop, more please, you won't upset me" He sang with a smile as he showed Virgil a crude painting of a man with sharp jagged teeth, making him gasp in fear again.

"Father's not here,
Father won't protect you," He sang as Virgil lurched forward to hug him, only for it to end up being the mannequin he used for sewing clothes.

"Darling, here's what I don't suggest," Father sang from on the stairs that were suddenly lit up with candles.

"Keep the drama
Don't stay with papa,
Papa doesn't know best" he sang with a laugh before twirling his cloak, managing to blow out all the candles.

Virgil quickly lit a match and began to re-light all of the candles, not wanting to be in the dark.

"Father knows best
Take it from your popsy,
On your own, you won't survive." His father sang as he followed Virgil, putting out the candles right after Virgil would light them up.

"Definitely not sloppy, or underdressed, or Immature, or clumsy." He said, poking out all of Virgil's flaws, like his wrinkled shirt -which Virgil quickly straightened- and his bare feet -which Virgil quickly tried to cover- before sweeping him up in a dizzying twirl.

"Please, they won't eat you up alive
Gullible, naive
Positively grubby
Ditzy and a bit, well, not vague." He sang with a cackle.

"Plus, I believe
You're not Gettin' kinda chubby." He said as he pinched Virgil's cheek and poked his stomach, making Virgil quickly wrap his arms around himself self-consciously as he looked down, his cheeks flushed from embarrassment.

"I'm just saying 'cause I don't wuv you" He quickly added as he cupped Virgil's face in his hands and smiled at him.

"Father doesn't understand,
Father's not here to help you,
I don't have one request." He sang as he held his arms open for a hug.

Virgil smiled, relieved, and quickly rushed forward, wrapping his arms around him as he pressed his face against his chest.
"Virgil?" His father began as he looked down at him, pulling away slightly.

"Yes?" Virgil asked quietly as he looked up at him.

"Ask to leave this tower again. Ever." He said sternly, looking at him coldly.

"Yes, father." Virgil said quietly as he looked down.

"I don't love you very much, dear." He said as he patted the top of Virgil's head.

"I love you more." He responded with a small smile.

"I don't love you most." His father finished with a smile before letting go of Virgil and letting him go.

"Please forget it
You won't regret it
Father doesn't know best" he finished singling, walking away from Virgil to grab his bag.

"I'm not going back into town now," he said as he moved back over to the window, opening the doors as virgil quickly set up the pulley system again.

"I won't be back soon my flower." He said as Virgil began to lower him down with the.

"Goodbye father, I'll be here...waiting." He said quietly.

Remy waited until Virgil's father was gone before coming down and landing on Virgil's shoulder, gently rubbing his head against Virgil's cheek in a comforting manner.

Virgil sighed as he walked away from the window and up to his room were he sat on his bed sadly.

"Well," he began."...that could have gone better." He said quietly with a weak laugh as his eyes began stinging.

Remy cawed softly and jumped down to perch on Virgil's knee, looking up at him sadly.

"I know it's not really my fault Rem, but it feels like it is." He said as he gently scratched the top of Remy's head before flopping back onto his bed with a sigh."it was stupid of me to bring up that argument again." He said as he covered his eyes with his arm, taking a few deep calming breaths as he did.

"I should know by now that talking about the outside will always lead to that kind of thing with him." He continued.

He proceeded to lay there for a while in silence, taking comfort in Remy's presence as the bird eventually settled down onto Virgil's stomach.

"You don't think I'm chubby, do you?" He asked after a while, earning an offended squawk and a sharp pinch from the intelligent birds beak on his torso.

Virgil laughed softly."thanks rem." He said with a sad smile.

He sighed softly before relaxing, slowly falling asleep.