Chapter Text
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The lights suddenly flickered in the room and the weird feeling Virgil had been experiencing for a few minutes now grew stronger. Patton seems oblivious as he continued talking, putting the finishing touches on Virgils nails before expectantly looking up at Virgil. They were both in their pajamas sitting on the rug in front of the couch of the living room. Virgil smiled weakly as he realized he had zoned out for the past 5 minutes and had no idea what Pat had been talking about. Something about baking earlier today? Roman.. And hats? Or did he say cats? Probably cats? What did cats have to do with baking anyway? He cracked his neck as he discreetly scanned the room for any cat-shaped cookies.
“Hm” He tried sounding neutral for Pat to continue talking.
“Yeah?” Patton asked in a neutral tone.
SHIT!
Should he say yes? Come clean? Keep pretending? But what if he was saying yes to something bad. Did Roman say something bad about Pattons cookies and now Patton was asking if he agreed with Romans harsh comment? There was a hint of concern and guilt in Pattons eyes making it impossible for Virgil to simply say that he had zooned out of the conversation.
Would Roman really do that though? Downplay someone else’s creativity? Wait… Did Patton even talk about baking? He couldn’t remember. He was such a bad friend not paying attention. Saying yes seemed like an easy choice; agreeing with…Patton? But what if Pat caught him in the lie. Patton valued honesty. He would hate Virgil for lying to him but if he told the truth after this long silence Patton would know for sure hehadn’tbeenpayingattention. Howlonghadpassed? WouldPatgetupset! Or sad! Or mad!
Patton gave a small chuckle and smiled.
SHIT!
Virgil gasped for air realizing it had literally been no more than 2 seconds and Pat quickly interrupted his thoughts with a comforting hand on his shoulder.
“I’m sorry kiddo” he smiled kindly, “Just breathe, please! It’s ok Storm Cloud, that was mean of me. I noticed your thoughts drifting so I just kept rambling hoping to calm you down. Are you ok? Don’t want you “striking” me down.” I giggled at his own joke. “get it? Stormy” he smiled.
Ever since the puppet video Pat had been trying to give him less cute nicknames. It was still a work in progress, but Virgil appreciated the effort. And the puns helped. It meant that opening up, however scary, was still worth the effort. That his feelings mattered.
“I’m sorry Pat” he answered sheepishly.
Another barely audible rumble sounded through and chills ran like waves up over Virgils arms and connected through his shoulder blades. He quickly pulled down his sleeves over his hands. Pat retracted his hand. Usually Virge would appreciate Patton remembering to respect his personal bubble from time to time, but right now he felt like he could use some grounding.
“Did you hear that?” he asked looking around when the lights flickered again.
“Hear what?” Patton asked.
“That …rumble?” Patton looked quizzically back as a response “..the lights?” Virge urged.
“Oh, too bright? You want me to turn them down kiddo?”
Patton went to stand but Virgil grabbed the hem of his shirt. Patton halted looking down cheerful but concerned. The lights flickered a third time. However when Pat made no sign of noticing the change in the room he let his hand drop. The weird feeling spread to Virgils stomach. Thomas wasn’t anxious. In fact, reaching out he could feel Thomas resting peacefully. Sure he was sleeping on the couch, not optimal, but there were no nightmares in the dreamscape. Not that he could detect. So why was Virgil feeling this way.
“It’s no problem really.” Pat comforted “How about I turn of the lights and we put on some Netflix to distract ourselves a bit? And you can tell me what’s wrong when you’re ready... But only if you want to” he quickly added.
A crash echoed abnormally loud from upstairs. Making Virgils knees prickle uncomfortably. The feeling in his chest grew uncontrollably. This wasn’t a normal panic attack. There really wasn’t anything to panic about. Patton turned and bounced away calmly as the lights flickered again.
“Something’s wrong. I…I have to go” He managed to mumble out.
Before Virgil sank down he saw Patton turn quickly towards him, smile fading.
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“I…I have to go”
“Virge wait…”
Patton let his outstretched arm fall to his side. He was already gone. Did he hear that right? Virgils voice was low but had it not sounded a bit distorted? He could not just leave Virge like that. Something was wrong!
Virgil had started to confide in him more, said he would come to him if something was bothering him. But now he’d just.. left, maybe he needed a moment?... Oh, maybe he shouldn’t have joked like that with him. Rambling on like that and then basically asking if Virge agreed. That would give anyone an uncomfortable feeling. What if his dark son felt betrayed?
‘I have to apologize!’ Patton thought as he rushed towards the stairs, but on the second step a grip snaked around his wrist, forcing him to stumble to a stop.
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Virgil eyed the vastness of his room carefully as he appeared (trying to place the look of concern and disappointment Patton had given him out of his mind.)
He had appeared directly into the deepest place in his mindspace on purpose. Nothing could come in here without his or Thomas consent. If Thomas had unknowingly opened up his inner room to nightmares, then that could lead to some serious trauma; phobias or worse.
Virgil wasn’t Thomas fear but rather his caution of fearful things. It was Virgils responsibility to protect this room so Thomas would not end up emotionally scarred.
Suddenly there was another rumble and some weak distorted moaning from outside. Virgil signed heavily. It seemed another nightmare had seeped into his room. It did not happen too often anymore. Thomas was a hopeful creative person to the core, much thanks to Patton and Roman. And where they failed; Logan would make reasonings to a point that could dissolve any nightmare who dare intrude. But every once in a while a nightmare that had hid out in the dreamspace for too long would grow powerful enough to creep into one the sides rooms… But Virgil could usually sense them.
You’d think being the embodiment of anxiety would make engaging such a thing impossible, however Virgil had grown stronger since he bonded with the other sides. He had also found that the three best ways to deal with these nightmares were to:
A – Ignore it long enough and it would go away. (nightmares lived to scare after all)
That option did not seem to work here. So…
B - Go out and stare at it until it felt uncomfortably numb and would go away.
It usually worked since Virgil was stronger than most nightmares. Virgil hated option B since it made him feel awful and weakened afterwards.
This time however he assumed the nightmare on the other side to be more physical and less of a shadow since it made so much noise.
As to prove his point Virgil heard another splintering crash, a sharp short yell, a bump and then the sound of sliding before another weak bump. .. Did the nightmare just slide down to sit down? That was new. Nightmares did not tire or feel pain. Virgil felt the sharp unease grow again. Whatever was in there was affecting him a lot. Hopefully his room was affecting it back.
Which left Virge with option C! Or option Roman as he secretly liked to think of it since it was drastic and dumb. Virgil grabbed the door handle with one hand and summoned a crude crossbow in his other. The nightmare was definitely downstairs. He just.. had to open the door, get down there and scare it to oblivion while it was still calm.
Virgils heart was pounding uncomfortably making breathing a chore. Dark feelings of unease kept creeping into him. They were very real and yet they seemed… weird. They were not “new feelings” per say but they FELT new, different. Like he was experiencing then for the first time. They did not belong to him.
He opened the door quickly shutting it behind him.
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Patton just managed to catch himself before he face planted on the stairs.
“Oh… I… Let me help you. I’m terribly sorry about that Patton” Logan clumsily moved around the stairs in order to try and help Patton up.
“Logan?” Patton blinked and looked himself over. That hand on his wrist had startled him enough to trip on the stairs and fall over but nothing seemed broken. “Where did you come from? I need to find Virgil and tell him I’m sorry.”
“Well I.. I was here ..reading… before you and Virgil got here.”
When Patton did not answer or accept his outreached hand Logan unconsciously held it close to his chest absentmindedly nursing it with his other hand for a second before neutralizing his body language again. Logan casually gestured over towards his large rotating armchair by the side of the kitchen. He wore a very rare awkward look. As if he had done something wrong.
“Wha… You’ve been here for hours and you didn’t say anything?” Patton gasped putting his hands in front of his mouth.
“I didn’t mean to intrude. The two of you seemed….” Logan trailed of, searching for the right words “content.. and occupied. Anyhow I was engulfed in reading... As to why I stopped you just now I… I’m not sure but I was observing or, well not that I was eavesdropping I just… ” Logan cleared his throat and started over “I just caught my name in your rambling.” Patton who had been staring, seemingly paying attention to every word Logan spoke now looked around blushing.
“Something about Roman making tiny hats for the 12 cats who, apparently without my knowledge, have been summoned into MY room.”
Patton sniggered. Logan looked so distraught and Patton felt kind of bad. The logical side had trouble picking up sarcasm and probably didn’t know if there were actually 12 cats in tiny hats waiting for him in his room or not.
“It’s okay Teach! There are no actual kittens. Promise. Nor any tiny hats.”
Logan relaxed his shoulders and looked more at ease.
“That is not my name. ..But I must say I am still sorry for prying Patton. My apologies!”
“It’s really no problem, I can’t believe I didn’t notice you were here all along. You should have joined us Lo! …LO’gan!” Patton corrected himself as he noticed Logan raising an eyebrow at the new nickname. “We would never mind the extra company.”
“That is all well and good Patton” Logan said “but this still leaves me confused. It would appear Virgil was distracted long before your question. I must conclude he did not run away because of you but rather something else. So I don’t see why you seem so upset and in need to apologize? To me it seems Virgil would have left regardless since he was not comfortable here. It might be wise to simply allow Virgil a moment to sort himself out.” Logan hesitated and added “Not that he wasn’t comfortable being around YOU. It seemed more like he had.. other obligations?… Although, this is not my area of expertise. Feelings…”
“Logan!”
“No Patton, I know. I have been cold and distant. And you have no reason to take my advice in this particular matter.”
Patton gave a huffing sigh and Logan could only describe the look he got as a parental disapproving one.
“I know …that..” The words seemed unusually hard for Logan. He avoided eye contact and seemed to use gestures to help push the words out. “…I am… not…always Right! Or easy to deal with.”
Patton softened his gaze and reached out to grab Logans hand. It seemed to startle the side but he accepted and finally got to help the moral side to his feet.
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Slowly descending his stairs Virgil caught the sound of rapid breathing. Another wave hit him and made him almost nauseous. Just what was in his room? Maybe he should go get the other sides.
The memory of Pattons sad face flashed before his eyes.
No! He could do this alone. He can protect the ones he…
A whimper cut his trail of though. He jumped the last few steps before he could change his mind and rushed to the source of the noise just behind the couch, crossbow outstretched. The deep breath he had drawn in preparation to let out as a menacing scream died before it left his lips.
Virgil deflated, and the bow vanished from his grip as he fell to his knees in front of the white clad man hunched together on the floor.
He was pale, shaking, eyes dark and wide with fear. He seemed to be clutching his chest. The fear, anxiety and pain Roman felt was once again transferred to Virgil causing him to shake and stiffen from the chills creeping up his legs. This made sense. It’s why he was feeling so affected.
“ROMAN?!! I told you it’s too risky for you to be in here. Remember last time..” The words came out fast, distorted and vicious.
Roman visibly curled in on himself. Virgil stopped talking.
Although Virgil would forever remember the time Thomas and the sides came to search for him and convince him of his worth as one of Thomas sides with fondness, he also remembered how hard the room had affected the other sides along with himself. The side in front of him was barely recognizable as the creative side. With one hand gently placed on Romans knee Virgil did a double take just to make sure it was really the creative side and not a nightmare dressed up as him before reaching for Romans face to try and get his attention. Roman flinched and Virgil instinctively retracted his hands.
“Virgil?” Romans voice was weak.
“Yeah, it’s me.”
Virgil hesitated again from how distorted his voice had become.
“Come on Prince. We need to get you out of here.”
He could not help but cringe at the involuntary menace in his own tone.
“You’ll feel better I promise” He continued trying to get the creative side on his feet.
Roman noticeably pulled back eyeing him suspiciously. Virgil quickly stood and took a step back when a glimmer caught his eye. Roman had summoned his sword. Still on the ground but clasped tightly in his hand. Romans eyes still had darkness underneath but somehow it did not surprise Virgil that the creative side would pick Fight over Flight any day. Even in the state he was in.
“Princey” He tried slowly but Romans eyes only grew darker.
Roman lashed out awkwardly from his sitting position. The blade just barely missed Virgils face.
‘Think Virge, think! How do I make this dork trust me?’
Looking down at the creative side, the answer came to Virgil easier than expected. As Roman shifted, tensing his muscles Virgil bent, against better judgement, forward into Romans reach.
“Do you trust me?”
The defensive features on Romans face fell into confusion and his second attack was left hanging.
“w…what?...wait. Virge?”
Roman relaxed and let his sword follow gravity and vanish as Virgil let out a relaxed sigh. Another nervous wave from Roman hit him, causing the anxious side to slowly reach out his hand towards Roman.
“Do you trust me?”
There was still distortion in his voice but he focused on forcing a Aladdin-worthy shy smile hoping deeply Roman would accept and not fight for once in his life. ‘By the power of Disney, please just take my hand’, he though. Roman gave a weak cheeky smile.
“…yes”
As soon as their hands touched, Virgil grabbed on tightly and speeded them up the stairs towards his inner room. It was risky, but he could not take Roman into the rest of the mindscape like this. That might actually give Thomas real nightmares or worse. They could go out to Thomas himself but there was a strong possibility Roman would not be able to follow him as he was now.
No, he could deal with Roman himself.
He could do this!
He could protect Thomas!
…He had to.
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