#I debated about keeping Logan's blunder in or not

[callboxkat]

Infinitesimal (part 41)

Author’s note: Hope you guys enjoy!

Warnings: panic attack, blood, injuries (bruises, broken bones, head injury), fear, arguing, death mentions

Word count: 3403

Look for the masterpost in the notes!

...

Virgil dared not so much as breathe, listening with trepidation as Logan’s footsteps drew near. They were very slow and soft, almost as if he were attempting to sneak up on them.

Roman, standing in the middle of the room, was able to actually see the other human before either of the littles could; and he turned towards his roommate as he approached. “Logan, how is he?” he asked quietly.

“I’ll explain in a moment,” whispered Logan, stepping into the room. Virgil’s gaze immediately zeroed in on the box in his arms: six inches long, practically the perfect size for a little.

Logan approached the table; but just as he reached it, he seemed to hesitate.

“Put him down!” Virgil snapped, losing patience. Emile was right there, and the human was hesitating to give him back?

“I would appreciate if you kept your voice down,” Logan said. “He is already rather distressed.”

Virgil snapped his jaw shut, his face reddening.

“Could—could we see him, p-please?” Patton asked. He was sitting on the table at Virgil’s side, holding his hand.

Again, Logan hesitated. Realization dawned on Roman’s face. He knew exactly why Logan was hesitating. Virgil frowned, glaring between the two of them.

“Of course you may,” Logan was saying, “but so that there are no misunderstandings, I need to explain the situation.”

Virgil’s rage dimmed somewhat, only to be replaced by fear. His suspicion remained untouched. “Wh-what situation?”

“How much has Roman told you?” Logan inquired.

“Why?”

“Please, humor me?”

Virgil glared, but this human literally held his brother’s life in his hands. He couldn’t refuse. “He said that… he hit his head, and that his arm’s hurt because that—that old bat threw something at him.”

“But he didn’t tell you more about your brother’s condition?”

“No, he said you were going to do that.”

Logan nodded, mostly to himself. “Okay.” He glanced down at the box again. “In that case, I would like to explain a bit more now, so that you do not become alarmed when you see him.”

“Oh, I’m already pretty f*cking alarmed,” Virgil hissed.

To Logan’s credit, he didn’t seem all that fazed. Instead, he began to speak in an almost painfully level voice. “As you know, your brother is injured, and it is very important that you do not aggravate these injuries. I have evaluated him; and he has a head injury, a broken arm, a dislocated shoulder, a sprained ankle, and a minor break in his tail, as well as plenty of bruises. I have your brother restrained for his own safety, as I am unsure if he has an injury to his spine or not. Until we can be sure he doesn’t, he needs to remain on the backboard and to continue wearing the collar. Please, do not remove them.”

Roman shifted where he stood, a few feet to Logan’s right.

The injuries that Logan had rattled off seemed to echo in Virgil’s mind, mostly simply because of how many there were; but one thing stuck out above all else. “You have him restrained?” Virgil repeated, his volume rising again despite himself. He felt dizzy. Patton’s grip on his hand tightened. He shouldn’t have been surprised; what had he expected? These were the people who put Patton in a cage.

“Only for his own safety,” Logan reiterated, his quiet voice firm. “As soon as we know it is safe, we can remove them, but not before. If he does have a spinal injury, and we remove the restraints prematurely, his condition could worsen; and he could lose his ability to walk, or possibly even worse.”

Logan’s words sank into Virgil like poison in his veins, only adding onto the already substantial amount of stress coursing through him. He felt the color leave his face, and everything suddenly felt far too hot and far too close.

“Oh my god, Logan, you can’t just say it like that,” Roman said, rounding on his roommate. “What the hell is wrong with you?”

“I… my apologies, I only wanted to convey the importance of not removing the restraints.”

Virgil barely listened, sitting down hard on the table as his legs refused to bear his weight. He only felt an echo of the pain that should have stabbed through his foot at the careless movement, the sound of his crutches clattering to the tabletop oddly distant.

Emile might never walk again? He was a little! He needed his legs, he needed to be able to run and climb and gather supplies! Virgil had enough trouble being unable to walk without crutches—for a little, being unable to walk at all may as well have been a death sentence. Emile and Virgil had gone through so much, far too much for Virgil to lose him to something like this. He couldn’t help but picture Emile, laying on the ground and staring up at the ceiling, unable to move, to speak, to do anything as he slowly withered away….

The world seemed to narrow around Virgil as his thoughts spiraled further and further, the voices around him growing muffled and indistinct.

Patton’s face hovered in front of him.

“…need to breathe for me, okay, kiddo?” he was saying. “Logan didn’t mean what he said. Just breathe in and out with me, okay?”

Virgil couldn’t focus.

“Virgil?” Patton prompted. It sounded like he was speaking from another room. “Come on, kiddo. It’s alright. Emile’s alright. Want to try breathing with me?”

Virgil responded with a single, jerky nod, the best he could do at the time. Spots were clouding his vision, which had taken on a slightly unfocused, grayish quality.

Patton breathed in slowly, nodding in approval when Virgil caught on and started breathing along with him. He held his breath for a moment, then slowly let it out. This pattern repeated a few times, until Virgil could follow it without too much trouble.

“Just take a minute,” Patton said when Virgil had stopped hyperventilating—something he hadn’t quite realized he was doing. “Put your head between your knees, it’ll help.”

As the feeling began to return to his extremities and his vision cleared, the knowledge of what had just happened to him sank in. Virgil felt his face burn hot in mortification. That had actually happened, right in front of the humans. Just as he had the chance to see Emile again.

Virgil lifted his head, his breathing still slightly ragged. He ignored the way the room spun, instead looking past Patton’s concerned expression towards the humans. Logan looked downright ashamed, still holding the box in both hands. Roman was glancing between Logan and Virgil, his arms folded. Now that Virgil had calmed down slightly—slightly—Logan took the opportunity to attempt to explain himself.

“I—I only meant to warn—that is, I wished to stress the importance of not removing the restraints. They will help keep him from further injury,” Logan stammered. “I have not found any indication that he does have a spinal injury. I only wanted to make you understand that it is still a possibility. My sincerest apologies. It was not my intention to frighten you so deeply.”

“Put him down,” Virgil said with as much authority as he could manage, grabbing for his crutches and desperately attempting to hold onto whatever shred of dignity he might have had left. Patton sat back as he got to his feet, letting him go.

“Of course,” Logan murmured, looking away. He very slowly lowered down the box in his hands, setting it on the table before the littles. Both of them rushed towards it before Logan had even retracted his hands.

Virgil dropped down at the side of the box, leaving his crutches at his back. The sight that greeted him put a pit in his stomach. Emile, his older brother, his only remaining family, lay on his back inside the box, very still. He was tied to a ruler in a manner that reminded Virgil of an insect caught in a spider’s web, a long strand of string woven over him almost like a shoe lace. Some kind of foam thing had been put around his neck, preventing Emile from moving it at all. A thick bandage wrapped around his head, a few dark spots visible above his right eyebrow; and a large part of his face was mottled with dark bruises. Other than his face and one of his arms, which had obviously been cleaned, he was filthy, covered in dust, grime, blood, and who knew what else. There were even a couple of cat hairs stuck to his trousers. One of Emile’s eyes was open, but only just, and he seemed to be barely holding on to consciousness.

Virgil’s throat felt like it might close up, and his eyes burned. He hesitated only for the briefest of moments before grabbing onto Emile’s hand, holding it in a way that he hoped was comforting. His free hand reached up to brush back some hair that had gotten in his brother’s face. “Hey, Em, it’s me,” he murmured, his voice practically a sob. “It’s Virgil. I’m here.”

Emile’s unfocused gaze slid over in his direction. He seemed to search Virgil’s face for a moment, before a modicum of the tension left his body.

Patton had settled himself down on the other side of the box, to Emile’s right. “Oh,” he breathed. “Virge, his arm.”

Logan sighed. “Yes…” he murmured. “I wished to ask for your aid with that injury. His forearm is broken, and his shoulder is dislocated. I would have repaired them myself, but I fear that I would be just as likely to do more harm as to help. Someone of his own size would be more suited to the task. Would one of you be willing to assist?”

“You feeling up to it, Patton?” Roman asked. “I think your friend over there should probably stay where he is.”

Virgil, who had been staring at Emile’s very wrong-looking arm, turned back towards Roman. “I can help,” he insisted, defensive. Sure, maybe he had freaked out slightly at the other human’s words, but he wasn’t squeamish. He could help.

“You are helping,” Roman assured. “Setting broken bones… well, it hurts. Emile’s gonna want you to hold his hand.”

Oh... right. Virgil subconsciously pulled his bad foot closer to himself.

Patton bit his lip, then nodded. “I’ll help,” he said. “How do I do it?”

“Just one moment,” said Logan, taking his bag off of his shoulder. He began removing supplies. “You should untie the straps nearest his arm while we do this, but please make sure he remains still.”

For the next ten or so minutes, while Logan talked Patton through setting Emile’s forearm and wrapping it up, Virgil focused on comforting his brother. He talked to him, murmuring comforting nonsense and holding his hand, trying to ignore the fact that he was trusting humans, of all things, to help treat his brother. It helped a bit that Patton was the one actually treating his arm, though. He knew the moment that the arm was set because Emile flinched, groaning in pain. Patton started apologizing profusely in a tearful voice. Virgil didn’t react verbally. Instead, he reached one hand towards Patton and squeezed his shoulder, not looking away from Emile’s face, just wanting his friend to know that he wasn’t upset with him.

Once his forearm was taken care of, they moved on to Emile’s shoulder. Emile whimpered slightly as Patton moved his arm, gradually guiding it with Logan’s instruction. Eventually, it popped back into place. As soon as that happened, though, Emile gave an audible sigh of relief. His eyelid fluttered shut; but he fought to reopen it, focusing stubbornly on Virgil.

“It’s okay,” Virgil murmured. “Em, it’s okay. You can go to sleep now. You’re safe. I’m not going anywhere, I promise.”

Emile stared at him for a few seconds longer before he allowed his eye to close. This time, it did not reopen.

Virgil released a shaky breath, sitting back slightly and wiping tears from his eyes with his free hand.

For a long moment after, no one spoke, until finally, Roman broke the silence.

“It’s getting really late,” he said quietly. “We should all try to get some rest.”

Virgil shook his head. “I’m not leaving him.”

“No, I wouldn’t dream of it. You and Patton can stay here. I’ll grab you two some more blankets.” Roman left the room to do just that. After a few seconds, Logan followed, claiming that he would return.

Virgil didn’t plan on getting any sleep that night; and he doubted he could if he tried; but his gaze turned to Patton, who definitely needed the rest. His friend, his sweet, selfless friend who had pushed himself literally to the point of passing out in the search for Virgil’s brother, swayed slightly where he sat. Now that the stress of everything was starting to subside, his eyes had glazed over, and he looked just about ready to simply flop backwards onto the table and call it a night.

Roman returned before that happened, thankfully, and Patton instead curled up in a small bundle of fabric, right next to the box that Emile lay in. He seemed to fall asleep the very second he lay down.

Roman bid them good night and turned to leave; but Virgil, who had been staring at the dust on his brother’s clothes, spoke up.

“Wait!” His heart rate skyrocketed at addressing the human like this, alone, when his desperation and determination no longer drowned out his instinctual feelings, but he couldn’t back down.

Roman stopped and turned around, looking at him questioningly; but with an unmistakable softness in his eyes that gave Virgil the courage to continue.

“C-could—could I have something? For this?” Virgil gestured at Emile’s clothes.

“To clean him up?” Roman clarified.

Virgil nodded. He knew the humans had more than enough supplies. He could probably have gotten them himself, but nothing could have forced him to leave Emile’s side at that moment.

“Um… yeah, I suppose. Of course. Just a sec.” Roman left the room, returning a couple of minutes later with a packet of wipes. “Just… be gentle, okay? I know he kinda looks like he’s been used as a broom, but his wounds are all clean. I know you want him to be comfortable, but it might be better to just let him sleep for a while. You can clean him up properly once he’s feeling a bit better.”

“Mm-hm,” Virgil muttered. Roman opened the package of wipes and set them down on the table, pushing them nearer with his fingertips. Virgil shrank away as he came close, but he appreciated that the packet was within his reach.

“So…” Roman scuffed one foot on the floor. “I admit Logan didn’t say this the most tactful way he could have earlier, but… seriously, don’t take the restraints off of him. Please. I know it sucks, and I would hate it too if it were my brother, but it’s important. We can find out tomorrow if they’re necessary.” Virgil hunched his shoulders, embarrassment and fear washing over him anew. He offered a reluctant nod. Roman seemed satisfied, and he cast one more glance at Emile, then at the sleeping Patton, before he left the room. He paused to turn back to Virgil, his hand on the light switch, and turned them off at his nod.

As soon as he was gone, Virgil released a breath that he hadn’t known he was holding. He reached forwards and plucked the two gray-white cat hairs from his brother’s clothes, casting them aside with a revolted look. Then he reached for the packet of wipes and tugged at one, only to realize that he wouldn’t be able to tear a piece off with one hand.

He hesitated, but he told himself that at least he wouldn’t have to actually leave his brother’s side. And Emile truly did look a mess. Reluctantly, he released his brother’s hand, just long enough to tear off a few pieces of the topmost wipe in the packet. Then, taking Emile’s hand again, he began to gently dab at the filth and blood and grime on his brother’s clothes, reaching between the straps holding him still and taking great care to avoid waking him or hurting him even more.

Once, he thought he heard Emile stir; and he froze, looking sharply towards his face; but that turned out to just be Patton shifting in his sleep. It was with a conflicting mixture of disappointment and relief that Virgil returned to his task.

After ten minutes or so, Virgil heard footsteps returning from the direction of the kitchen. Human footsteps. He looked towards the other room suspiciously.

It was Logan. The human paused at the doorway, as if waiting for Virgil’s permission to enter. Virgil thought that was strange, since this was his own apartment.

“May I come in?” he asked.

…

Logan still felt incredibly guilty about what he had said earlier. His attempt to convey the importance of not removing Emile’s restraints had quite literally caused Virgil to have a panic attack. That was… not his intention. As important as it had been to make Virgil understand that he couldn’t release his brother, Logan knew that he had gone about it the wrong way. He couldn’t help but think back to a few months prior, when his attempt to make Patton more comfortable in their home had resulted in practically the same reaction in that “mouse-man”. Logan wished he was better at interacting with others. Sometimes he felt that he was doomed to just keep messing things up when he tried.

Medicine, however, helping people physically, was something he did understand.

While Roman retreated to his bedroom, Logan decided to spend the night in the living room just in case there were any changes with Emile’s condition, assuming he was permitted after his earlier blunder.

Surprisingly, Virgil, the only “mouse-man” still awake at that point, didn’t fight him on it, either too tired or too relieved to have his brother back to care. Perhaps he simply recognized that Logan’s proximity would be advantageous given his medical knowledge, even if he was still upset with him and clearly didn’t trust humans. An understandable stance, Logan supposed, given what a human had so recently done to his brother, regardless of the fact that she had believed him to be a rodent at the time.

Once Virgil gave him permission to enter (with an eye roll and a jerk of the head) Logan set up some pillows and blankets on the sofa. Once that was ready, he lay down there, facing the table that held the “mouse-men”.

Virgil, now ignoring Logan completely, was gently wiping at the filth on Emile’s clothes. There was a packet of wipes at his side that he must have procured from Roman while Logan was preparing himself for bed. Logan was a little concerned that Virgil might accidentally exacerbate some of his brother’s injuries, but the “mouse-man’s” movements were almost ridiculously gentle, and Logan was relieved to see that he wasn’t trying to remove the restraints. He wasn’t sure if he could bring himself to press the point again, not after the extreme reaction he had unwittingly caused the first time.

Logan lay there for a while. Since he knew that being watched made the “mouse-men” nervous, he mostly looked away, but he occasionally found his gaze drawn to him again. He watched until Virgil set the wipes to the side, apparently having decided that he was done for the time being. Logan considered saying something, perhaps another apology for what had happened, or some reassurance about Emile’s condition; but he found himself unable to find the words. What could he even say?

He supposed it could wait until tomorrow. Virgil would undoubtedly be tired, and Logan had had a taxing day himself, what with searching half of the building, caring for Emile, and taking a rather arduous final exam. Sure enough, despite normally having difficulty sleeping anywhere other than his own bed, Logan quickly began to succumb to sleep. The last sight he saw before he closed his eyes was the silver-outlined silhouette of Virgil, bent over the box where his brother lay and holding his hand, keeping a silent vigil over him.

[lovelylogans]

PRINCESS BRIDE AU

BC I CAN also i just rewatched it and it’s one of my fav movies so

LOGICALITY/PRINXIETY BUCKLE IT UP

please. please. y’all already know roman is buttercup. upcoming royal??? yeah it’s roman, obvi

westley is virgil. 1. bc he was socially awkward to the point of throwing himself down a hill as a way to communicate to his former love that he’s actually alive, 2. westley’s snark is iconic

logan is inigo. bc he studied for years and years under the greatest swordsmen. like, canonically. boy is inigo. 

patton is fezzik. partially bc i like the idea of gentle giant patton and partially bc of the way he nursed everyone back to health (inigo from drunk stuff, westley from death) and also like he’s so soft and gentle and the end where he gets two white horses???? it’s patton y’all

deceit is humperdinck. on a related note, please let deceit’s canon name be on the level of ridiculousness of humperdinck @ thomas and co i’m begging

vizzini is uhhh. uh. hm. you know what. full absurdity here it’s the dragon witch (you know how the dragon witch was like a throwaway character except i’m basically shoehorning her into every fic i have?)

(the magician and his wife who resurrect westley are now joan and talyn, i don’t make the rules, except i do)

also tw mentions of suicide, and also torture 

ACTUAL PLOT UNDER CUT

so! roman as the slightly bratty upcoming lord of the land or whatever on the farm, and virgil as the farmboy

virgil is a Useless Gay and as such whenever roman asks him to do anything he just “as you wish” and tries hard not to be too obvious about staring at him and covers up his affection with snark

roman, who is an Equally Useless Gay, just kinda. keeps giving virgil these useless commands (”farmboy! ....um. hand me those reigns!” “...the ones... you’re holding?” “THE OTHER REIGNS” “....as you wish”)

eventually roman does a “farmboy. fetch me that pitcher.” and virgil does and whispers “as you wish” and roman grabs him by his lapels and brings him in for a kiss

virgil however fully recognizes that he has to up his social class in order to be with roman so he goes sailing before they can marry but the dread pirate anx attacks

roman is devastated, ofc, and makes the “i’ll never love again” vow

let’s do the time warp again!

five years later!

roman’s accepted a proposal from deceit, bc 1. he’s the prince and 2. if he’s gonna be miserable may as well be miserable in a high social standing, right

plus he always kinda dreamed of being a prince as a kid, didn’t he? maybe this way he can enact some change

it is hard to remember such things when he is trotted out in the public square like a prize goat, but he clings to it regardless

except!

he goes out riding (one of the only things he still loved) before the wedding and gets knocked out by the dragon witch and co.

logan and his husband fiancé boyfriend (?) patton have mostly accepted this job bc they need money, and keep accepting the job bc... well, money

logan swears they’ll get out of it and he’ll find the six-fingered man, and patton doesn’t like the unscrupulousness of it but. well. they have to eat somehow

and he debates with the dragon witch about and he goes “you were not hired for brains!” “but i was,” logan says coolly, sharpening his sword. “and if you speak to him like that again, you’ll see precisely the other reason you hired me.”

yeah they don’t like it

anyways logan starts the fast/alas harm/charm rhyme game with patton to cheer him up. and then they keep it up bc it annoys the dragon witch

roman wakes up and logan notices someone following him (spoiler it’s virgil) and the dragon witch threatens roman. everyone on the boat hates the dragon witch, basically

but roman jumps into the shrieking eel-infested waters, swimming to the boat, bc as miserable as he is he doesn’t wanna be murdered for a war

patton ends up smacking the eel on the nose and bringing roman into the boat, huddling over him protectively and asking if he’s okay

roman gives him a why would you care look, and patton gives him some extra food as sympathy

the CLIFFS of INSANITY!!

and patton climbs them all up, shortly followed by the Mysterious Masked Man

“INCONCEIVABLE!!” and the dragon witch cuts the rope, and the masked man managed to cling to the rocks

the dragon witch makes to leave logan behind and patton looks anxious and logan smiles and shakes his head and says “i’ll be fine” “just... be careful, okay? people in masks can’t be trusted” and they kiss and the dragon witch urges patton and roman on

basically as soon as the dragon witch is out of earshot logan calls down to him

“slow going?” “look, i don’t mean to be rude, but this isn’t as easy as it looks. i’d appreciate if you didn’t distract me.” “sorry.” “thank you”

five seconds later... “i don’t suppose you could speed things up?” “look, if you’re in such a hurry, you could throw down some rope or something?” “well i’m not sure if you’d accept. i mostly want you to speed up so i can fight you. potentially to the death.” “...that does put a damper on our relationship.”

ten seconds later... “look, okay, i’ll throw down the rope, and step back from it.” “why do you want to help me so bad?” “well, that sword you’re carrying.” and then he goes on a tirade of how that exact blade and how beat up it is etc. is evidence of a good swordsman and it’s been  a g e s  since logan’s had a good duel

“...all right, fine. anyone told you, you talk too much?” “i could rescind that rope offer--” “on seCOND THOUGHT”

so virgil reaches the top and logan offers him a breather until they duel, and logan lays out his backstory in all kinds of matter-of-fact language

he tells the story of the six-fingered man after virgil catches him looking closely at his hands, and explains that he went from studying sword-making to sword-fighting after the death of his father, along with the twin scars on his face

he also explains the whole “we’re working with the witch to pay the bills” kind of thing and also patton

“you seem a decent fellow. i hate to kill you.” “you seem a decent fellow. i hate to die.”

do yourself a favor watch the swordfight again it’s glorious (that link also includes the inigo/westley convo)

logan, a nerd, lists off the routines. virgil, also a nerd, offers counterpoints

it’s the debate, basically. it’s their debate but with swords

“who are you?” “no one of consequence.” “i must know.” “get used to disappointment.”

logan gets his sword knocked out of his hand, and very matter-of-factly says “kill me quickly. and tell patton--tell patton--”

“i’m not going to kill you, for goodness sake’s. i’ve never had an equal like this. however, i can’t have you following me, either.” and whacks logan over the head

meanwhile, they see virgil coming up over the hill, and the dragon witch takes roman and leaves patton (who is worrying VERY MUCH as if he got past logan then--)

virgil comes up over the hill to a rock thrown at him and smashed very near his head. he whirls around, bringing up the sword, and patton emerges from behind the rock, another rock uplifted.

“what did you do with logan?!”

“he’s alive, just unconscious.”

“oh thank god,” and he lowers the rock, beaming. “this business is so dangerous the only reason we stick with it is because we’re broke” “well, understandable. i did the same for five years.”

“...so, uh, what now?” “i just kinda figured. well. i don’t want that nice prince to die. if you’re trying to save him, you can knock me out. i’ll kneel to make it easier for you, if you like.” “well that’s very kind of you”

ft. battle of iocaine powder, with a blindfolded roman, and virgil smirking as the dragon witch rattles off the varieties of reasoning (”you fell victim to one of the classic blunders!”) and eventually swaps glasses and dies anyways

virgil crosses over and unties the blindfold

“who are you?” “no one to trifle with. and that’s all you need to know.” “to think--yours was poisoned!” “no. i’ve spent the past five years building up an immunity to iocaine powder.”

eventually virgil lets roman stop to catch his breath and roman promises ransom, adding that deceit is a fantastic tracker

“you admit to me you do not love your fiancé” “he knows i do not love him” “are not capable of it, you mean” and roman draws himself up to his full height

“i have loved more deeply than a killer like yourself could ever dream--”

virgil snarls and pulls roman along, keeping going before they get caught by deceit

eventually roman snaps that he knows he’s the dread pirate anx, admit it! and virgil does, and roman snarls that he can die slowly, cut into a thousand pieces, etc etc etc

virgil, kind of testing him, asks about the love that he apparently killed. who is “poor and perfect, with the most beautiful eyes” and they bicker more and more, virgil saying “i remember this farm boy, i think.” and talking a game about how he died well and said “please. please, i need to live.” because he had true love

they bicker more and more and roman screams “i DIED that day!” and they see deceit’s horses, and roman snarls “you can die too for all i care before shoving him down the hill

“AAAAAS..... YOUUUUUUU... WIIIIIIIIISH”

and roman immediately throws himself down the hill after him

deceit realizes they’re heading to the fire swamp

roman and virgil have their sappy reunion “you’re alive! if you want, i can fly!” and the “death cannot stop true love. only delay it for a while” 

and then... fire swamp

roman gets a bit singed by the fire, and virgil explains how he took the dread pirate anx is actually multiple people; ryan, cummerbund, etc etc, while carrying roman through the forest. and then he sets him down and basically immediately roman gets sucked into lightning sand, and then the rous’

they make it out of the fire swamp and straight into deceit’s calvalcade, ft. six-fingered man

“you mean you wish to surrender to me? very well, i accept”

but also roman sees them trying to kill virgil and basically surrenders so they promise not to hurt him

“i thought you were dead once. it almost destroyed me. i can’t do it again.” and deceit whisks him onto his horse before he can say a proper goodbye to virgil

virgil gets knockt out and taken to the pit of despair

(fun fact: the henchperson in the pit of despair in the movie terrified me so much as a kid, oh my god)

anyways they clean his wounds and basically prep him for the Death Machine

roman, meanwhile, is moping quietly around the castle, as deceit basically covers for it with his father’s failing health. roman has stress dreams and nightmares about the wedding, before he marches to deceit’s office and declares that he will be dead by the morning after their wedding

deceit simpers that he could never cause roman grief, and they’ll alert virgil’s ship, etc., all that, and casts some shade, but roman stays strong. eventually they make a deal that if virgil wants roman, sure, but if not, please consider deceit as an alternative to death.

deceit reveals that he hired the dragon witch, as they walk to the pit of despair, and the six-fingered man starts virgil up on the Torture

after that, logan and patton (since reunited) are having a merry old time knocking people out in the thieves’ forest and avoiding arrest, when patton at last reveals the discovery of the six-fingered man

CHANGE OF PLANS, logan declares, and basically drags patton into this plan. he also needs, well, another swordsman, so he may as well go looking for...

virgil! who is Suffering, highkey, when deceit struts into the room. roman has since figured out his letters to virgil haven’t been sent, and he is. Angry About It, which makes deceit Angry at him and roman has basically been locked away until the wedding

back to virgil! as deceit is ranting about the true love, which is a once in a century ordeal, and so deceit snarls “then no man in a century will suffer as greatly as you will” and cranks the machine up to fifty

and uh. he ded y’all

not before screaming loud enough for basically the whole country to hear, including logan and patton!

who move towards the screaming, and are basically like “well, we’re in the middle of a forest, now what” until they stumble along the henchperson, who gets Knocked soundly along the head until he reveals the pit

they cart out virgil’s body to joan and talyn, and logan basically tells them that it would greatly displease deceit and so they have their whole thing (and TO BLAAAVE, which means to bluff! and rewatch the whole situation because it’s so funny and also like. oh my god. joan and talyn as miracle max and valerie)

so they get him the little chocolate covered miracle pill and haul virgil out

“bye bye, boys! have fun storming the castle!”

they feed him the miracle pill, but, uh, virgil’s physicality is....... incredibly limited

“let me explain! no, there’s too much. roman’s marrying deceit’s in less than half an hour. so we gotta break into the castle. and i have to kill count rogen.”

“great. the only trouble is i can’t move and there are sixty guards on that door”

basically they come up with the whole, like, demon entrance plan, which is hilarious, and come upon the head guard

“give us the gate key.” “i have no gate key.” “i see. patton, tear his arms off.” “oh you mean this gate key!”

wedding is happening, which.

“mawwaige..... mawwage is what bwings us togezzer... today.”

oh my god. oh my god it’s the precursor to the hewwo meme

anyways they keep talking “wuvvvvv.... TWU wuv!” and deceit snaps they speed up for it and they get the shortest vows ever

deceit gets roman taken to the honeymoon suite by his parents and he goes racing out to face virgil, logan, and patton, who is carrying virgil

in comes the six-fingered man, and six guards, who logan slays with ease

“hello. my name is logan sanders. you killed my father. prepare to die.”

dude fuckin sprints outta there, and logan follows

meanwhile, patton continues calmly carrying virgil until logan starts shouting for him to break down a door

patton gently installs virgil into the arms of a knight thing and stops logan from basically knocking his head against the door, before punching it down for him, and going back to get virgil

roman’s being escorted by the queen, who he gently kisses on the cheek

“what was that for?”

“you’ve always been so kind to me. and i’ll be killing myself once we reach the honeymoon suite.”

“....won’t that be nice. HE KISSED ME!”

logan has his Badass Fight and gets jabbed pretty bad in the stomach, but not before enacting his awesome revenge

roman dully enters the suite, and preps to stab himself in the chest, until he hears a voice from the bed

“there are very few perfect chests in the world. it’d be a pity to damage yours.”

“VIRGIL! OH, VIRGIL!”

and he rushes to kiss and hug him, and basically virgil reveals he can’t move all that much right now and is in a fair bit of pain

“won’t you forgive me?” “what did you do?” “i got married” “well, did you say i do?” “well... no.” “then you didn’t get married. don’t you agree, highness?”

and roman whirls around to see deceit

and virgil gives the badass to the pain speech

god it’s so. yes.

and virgil manages to stumble to his feet and hold out his sword, snarling “drop. your. sword.”

it’s scary enough that deceit basically immediately forfeits, and roman ties him up, beaming

logan stumbles into the room, holding his stomach “where’s patton?!” “i thought he was with you!” 

and they hear patton calling from the window, beaming and holding the reigns to four white horses

and they uh... happily ever after, running away together, to Be Gay and Do Crime

[runaway-horses]

He’s so devoid of color (he don’t know what it means)

A/N: Good morning guys, gals, and non-binary pals! I am SICK and wrote 3500 words as a way to distract myself.

This fic was heavily inspired by this piece of art by the amazing @rilli-luci and the song Colors by Halsey.

Warnings: Roman angst, angst with a happy ending, this was written and edited while I had a 100 degree fever so 🤷🏼‍♀️

Pairing/s: Romantic LAMP

Word Count: 3.5k

Read on AO3

It wasn’t uncommon for the sides to lock themselves in their rooms for days at a time.

Logan, refusing to leave until he had a schedule worked out, until he had a plan, until it was correct. The other sides to unpredictable, too temperamental, never fitting in his schedules, coloring outside the lines, obliterating the boxes.

Patton, getting lost in nostalgia and wandering memories for so long they wondered if he’d ever find his way back to the present. Staying in his room to work out the waves of his feelings, hoping they weren’t so strong that he drowned in them.

Virgil, overwhelmed by fear and so stuck in the what ifs he couldn’t focus on the right now. Before he was a part of the family, back when he spent his days working overtime to keep Thomas safe, alone and scared and rejected, he lived in his room, emerging as rarely as possible and avoiding contact with the others.

Roman, who relished in the creative energy his room provided, would spend hours, days, weeks, wandering his worlds and creating ideas. But as much as he enjoyed having his head in the clouds, the fall back to reality left his body and ego purpled with bruises.

Their rooms were sanctuaries, but they could be self imposed prisons.

•••

In the slow process of acknowledging their feelings and agreeing to a relationship, their routines changed. Logan set aside an extra cup of coffee in the morning for Virgil. Patton cooked the eggs a little longer for Roman. Virgil made an effort to join the three for breakfast, even with his exhaustion practically dripping off him.

They also made an effort to not spend so much time in their rooms.

Logan tried to write his schedules in the Commons, (which worked better, somehow. Patton would bring him snacks and a cup of coffee in the afternoon, and Virgil was there to remind him of important dates and to leave room for existential crises, creative block, and Parks and Rec marathons.)

Virgil was learning to come to the others when he was feeling anxious or upset about something. (And even when he didn’t, the other Sides were learning his tells so they could help the anxious Side without him needing to ask.)

Even Patton was learning to speak up when he was feeling sad. (If they noticed that his smile seemed fake or his eyes seemed hollow, they would send Roman into his room to see if they could coax him out into the commons, where Logan and Virgil would be waiting with a warm mug of tea and open expressions.)

But old habits die hard.

Sometimes Virgil’s door was locked, Patton would turn them away, or Logan would snap. Sometimes the Sides just needed time to work things out on their own, and their boyfriends understood.

So when Virgil came down for breakfast one morning and Roman wasn’t at the table, he didn’t do anything more than raise an eyebrow at Patton before accepting the coffee from Logan gratefully. Patton smiled at him and ruffled his hair as he sat down.

“Pat,” Virgil grumbled, patting his hair back down. “Have you guys checked on Roman?”

Logan shook his head. “We thought it was likely that he had had a late night and was simply sleeping in. Patton was planning on checking in on him after breakfast.”

Patton’s nodded in affirmation even as he fixed Roman’s spot with a wistful gaze. Virgil frowned and glanced up the stairs, wondering what was keeping Roman.

•••

The rest of the day passed smoothly, although Roman didn’t answer the door when Patton went upstairs after breakfast.

“It is likely that he is off exploring,” Logan had said, adjusting his glasses. “I wouldn’t be too alarmed, Patton.”

And Virgil had been able to believe him. After all, it really wasn’t that uncommon for Roman to spend hours, days even, exploring his realms and gathering ideas. It wasn’t uncommon at all for one of them to spend a day in their room.

Thomas had had an evening out with his friends, and Virgil had been busy trying to warn Thomas about all the potential social blunders and dangers of going out, which had resulted in Thomas summoning him and Logan to try and work things out.

Virgil collapsed into bed that night, exhausted from worrying and his (civilized, if difficult) debate with Logan. Patton had knocked on his door with an invitation to watch TV with him, and Logan had been sitting on the couch with a book in his hand and a smile for Virgil when they came down, assuring him that they were ok.

•••

When Roman still hadn’t left his room the next day, Patton got concerned. He stood outside Roman’s door with a plate of breakfast and knocked softly.

“Kiddo? You ok in there?”

Silence.

“Alright, well if you’re ready to come out later, I have some food right here at your door.” He called out, wondering if Roman could hear him.

More silence.

Patton sighed and put the plate of food down before turning and trudging back down the stairs. His other two boyfriends were sitting quietly at the kitchen table, Logan holding Virgil’s hands and tapping methodically on them.

It was going to be a long day.

•••

The Mindscape was quiet without their resident Prince, and Logan could see that it was wearing on Virgil. He attempted to keep the anxious Side distracted as the day went on, (and he wouldn’t admit that it was as much a distraction for him as for Virgil.)

It was weighing on Patton too, Logan could tell. The two right brained Sides had a special connection that was an integral part of what made their relationship work.

Dinner passed in silence, and even though it was family movie night, they all made excuses and retired to their rooms early.

•••

On the third day, they decided it was too long. Just as they were heading up the stairs to Creativity’s room, Thomas summoned them.

The first thing Logan noticed when he rose up in his spot next to the stairs was how tired Thomas look. His hair was dirty and unkempt, and his clothes were rumpled as if he had slept in them.

Thomas sighed and ran a hand through his hair. “Ok guys, what’s up? I’m not sleeping well and I feel...burned out.” He was also wearing a hoodie and standing slightly hunched, in a fashion similar to Virgil. Self conscious.

Logan then noticed that the spot next to the TV was empty.

“Thomas, I assume you also summoned Roman for this conversation?”

“Yes. Well, I tried to. He’s not responding.” He said with a frown.

Logan exchanges glances with Patton (who looked distressed,) and Virgil (who looked solemn.) They all appeared to have reached the same conclusion.

“Thomas, none of us have seen Roman for the past three days. We were on our way to his room to investigate when you summoned us.”

“Do you think he ducked out?” Thomas’s eyes were large with concern, and Logan caught the quick glance he threw at Virgil.

“No.” Logan said firmly, determined to not let this conversation spiral into something drastically emotional. “I do not know why he hasn’t left his room, but I am confident that he hasn’t ducked out. You would have no ego and no will to create, which would’ve impacted all of us.”

Thomas nodded and relaxed slightly. “Ok, if you say so, Logan. I believe you.”

“Excellent. If you do not require anything else, I think it would be best for us to go now.”

“Can I come with you?” Thomas asked quickly. “If something’s wrong with Princey, I’d like to know. I’d like to help.”

Logan glanced at the other two and nodded. “Of course, Thomas.”

And with that, all four sunk down in search of Roman.

•••

Roman’s room was quite large. The walls were painted white with a red accent wall, where he had a large bed pressed up against it. There were fairy lights strung up around the room, and an ornate door next to the bed that led into the Imagination.

It was loud room, one with high ceilings and an energy in the air that had possibility crackling across your skin like lightning.

But when the Sides and Thomas rose up in Roman’s room, it was silent.

The fairy lights hung dead from the ceiling, no joyful twinkling to draw your eyes to the sky. The walls were grey, all color gone and muted. There was no creative energy buzzing in the room, only a dampening sense of disappointment.

And there, curled in the corner of his bed, was Prince Roman.

A wave of emotions crashed over Logan, filling him with unease and panic.

He looked dead.

He wasn’t, of course. Logically, Logan knew this. This But every ounce of color had bled off of him, his red sash, his brown hair, his tan skin. He was gray from head to toe, blending in with his surroundings easily.

“Roman!” Came a choked voice from his left, and he saw Virgil looking paler than ever, a hand clasped tightly over his mouth. Thomas appeared to have stopped functioning, his mouth hanging slack and a blank look on his face.

At the sound of his name, Roman had opened his eyes, revealing that even his irises were gray.

Logan vision blurred with tears and his throat tightened painfully. Seeing one of his beloved in such a state was...more than distressing. But he was logic. And he knew that Patton was likely taking this harder than any of them. So he straightened up and turned to Thomas and Patton.

“Patton, dear.” Watery brown eyes looked at him, and the emotion in them was so deep Logan suspected he could drown in them. “Dearest, I think it would be best if you helped Thomas out of here. Could you do that?” He spoke softly, hoping to sooth the moral Side.

It took him a moment, but eventually Patton nodded and wiped at his eyes. “Come on Thomas, I got you. Let’s go outside for a minute huh?”

Confident that Patton had that situation under control, Logan approached the bed where Roman lay in the same position he had been in when they arrive.

“Roman?” His voice was as soft and gentle as he could make it as he kneeled next to the bed. He looked worse up close, none of his usual spark in his unnaturally gray eyes. He gently brushed Roman’s hair back off his forehead.

The Prince’s lips twitched into a smile. “Hey Specs.”

Logan had missed his voice.

“Hello love.” He stayed silent for a minute, simply running his fingers through Roman’s hair and gently detangling the knots he encountered. He heard Virgil approach from behind him and sit down next to Roman on the bed.

“Roman…what happened?” Virgil’s voice was quiet but still laced with concern and anxiety.

It was silent as Roman didn’t respond, but then his eyes welled with tears as he started to shake with sobs.

“Nothing-no ideas are coming to me! I-it’s not e-even that what I’m creating isn’t good, I’ve run out of ideas. I try to w-write and nothing flows, I can’t even sk-sketch without ruining it! It’s like I’ve never created before, nothing is working!”

He punctuated his statement by weakly hitting his pillow as he continued to shake. Logan and Virgil were both shocked into silence. They had never heard Roman, loud, bold Roman, chastise himself like this.

“What if I never create again? What if this is it? I’m letting down Thomas, I’m letting down the fans, I’m letting down all of you…” He trailed off in sniffles before whispering, “I’m such a disappointment.” That was enough to jerk Logan out of his shock.

“Roman, Roman. Love, you’re not letting anyone down. You’ve just hit a creative block is all.” Logan pressed a kiss to his forehead. “You are not, and will never be a disappointment.” Logan’s own heart was squeezing painfully, but he pushed it aside.

Later, he promised himself. They could talk about it later. There were more important things at hand.

•••

Roman was too weak to even stand up on his own, so Virgil helped Logan support him as they moved towards the bathroom. After gently sitting Roman down on the closed toilet, Logan put a hand on his knee and kissed his forehead.

“I’m going to go talk to Patton and Thomas. I’ll be back once you finish showering.”

As the door clicked shut after Logan, Roman dropped his gaze to the floor. Virgil sat in front of him and gently lifted his head with a finger under his chin. His gray eyes were unsettling, holding none of the warmth that Roman’s eyes usually did. None of the life.

Virgil smiled gently at him. “Are you ok with me undressing you so we can shower?”

Roman nodded and was still as Virgil undid the clasps at the back of his shirt, folding his shash and shirt on the sink. After he was in just his boxers, Virgil pulled off his own clothes and lifted him off the toilet.

“I got you Ro, don’t worry.”

•••

Roman’s entire body was sore. Every limb felt like it was made of lead, and it was just so hard to move.

He hadn’t even realized what was happening until it was too late, and even then he didn’t go to his boyfriends. Scared of how they’d react. Roman didn’t want his view of the perfect prince to be tarnished, so he’d locked himself in his room.

But when all three of them, plus Thomas, rose up in his room, there was no disgust. No anger or pity. Just love and concern.

And standing under the warm water, Virgil’s arms steady bands of warmth keeping him upright, he wished he had told them sooner. Wished he had gone to them when he started feeling his motivation drip off of him like sap, glue clogging his joints and movements as his creativity melted away.

Colors bleeding away, off his skin, off his walls, off his ideas. He wondered if he’d see color again. And then they arrived, tumbling into his room even though they didn’t need to, Logan with his deep blue filling the room with calm, Virgil’s electric purple lighting up his senses and permeating the air with the concern of a loved one. Patton’s light blue lighting up the room with love, filling the corners with light. And even Thomas, exuding warmth in a way that Roman’s room was severely lacking.

And Virgil was here, and Virgil was warm. And Logan had been nothing but comforting words and steady hands. Every pass of the washcloth over his skin washed off the motivation-sap and the joint-glue and the guilt of hiding himself.

He wanted to thank Virgil for this, for his quiet help and reassurance, but he was too tired to talk. It was ok though. The press of lips right behind his ear conveyed their meaning. It was an understood thing.

•••

When Virgil came down the stairs, his skin pink and hair wet, Patton sagged with relief, reaching out for his boyfriend. Virgil crawled into his lap and sighed, folding into him.

“He’s so weak, Pat.” Virgil croaked with tears pricking at his eyes. Patton put a hand on top of Virgil’s head and sighed. After barely a minute, Virgil sat back up. “I just came down so you guys would know we were done with the shower. I don’t want to leave him alone.” Patton nodded and stood up, wincing at the way his back popped.

Thomas stood up as well, wiping roughly at his face. Logan reached for Virgil’s hand, and they trudged up the stairs together.

•••

Re-entering Roman’s all gray room had the same effect that it did before, and everyone but Virgil shifted in unease. Roman was propped up against the headboard and his eyes were shut until he heard them enter.

Virgil wasted no time in crawling up the bed until he was resting against Roman’s side. Patton joined him, making sure to not lean too heavily on the Prince. Logan sat at the foot of the bed, reaching to place a hand on Roman’s leg. Thomas hovered awkwardly for a moment before mirroring Logan.

“How are you feeling sweetheart?” Patton asked, pulling one of Roman’s hands into his lap and clasping it between two of his.

“Tired,” Roman replied honestly. “But warm.” He smiled weakly at Patton and Patton squeezed his hand just a little bit tighter.

“Are you hungry? You haven’t eaten anything in days…”

Roman shook his head and Patton pursed his lips but acquiesced. The Sides didn’t really need to eat, they couldn’t die after all. But still, it was a comfort and eating did have an impact on them, emotionally.

“I jus’ wanna nap,” Roman said with a deep sigh.

“Ok Ro. You can nap, and we’ll stay right here. We’re not going anywhere.” Logan said with a reassuring squeeze of Roman’s leg. Roman nodded and slid down the bed, Patton and Virgil moving with him. Logan stayed where he was, keeping a watchful eye on Princey’s breathing.

Thomas cleared his throat and shot a glance at Logan.

“It looks like you guys got this under control. I’ll come check in in the morning?” Thomas’s expression was open and kind, and Logan was filled with love for him.

“That would be very good, Thomas.”

He nodded and stood slowly, trying not to rock the bed. He gave one last glance at Roman and smiled, before sinking out.

Logan slid up until he was next to Virgil and wrapped an arm around him.

And for the first time in days, Roman felt safe, warm, and was surrounded by his family.

•••

It took weeks to Roman back up to snuff, and the other sides had all worked together to create a neutral bedroom so they could all sleep together. When Virgil woke up one day and Roman’s eyes had returned to their usual brown, he almost started crying. When Patton saw them, he did cry.

Roman had been unwilling to attempt to create anything, even though Logan hypothesized that his color returning meant that his creative block was clearing up.

It...wasn’t actually that bad, shaking up their routine. All three of them loved to dote on Roman, dishing out as much affection as he gave them.

Thomas took a short break from videos, calling Joan to ask their help in editing footage they already had so as to keep any strain off Roman.

•••

Virgil came downstairs three weeks after they had found Roman to the sound of Patton’s humming and cooking. Logan handed him his coffee with a small smile, and Virgil gave him a sleepy one in return. He was about to ask Patton if he knew why Roman wasn’t down yet, when he heard the footsteps of the Creative Side coming down the stairs.

Roman appeared in his usual attire, bright red sash and clean white shirt, his hair styled in a way the others hadn’t seen in weeks. He also had a notebook in his hand.

“Good morning my loves,” He greeted, a beautiful smile on his lips, more genuine than it has been in a long time. Patton squealed and jumped on him before Virgil could protest, but Roman caught him easily and held him up by his legs as he peppered his face with kisses.

Patton giggled and gripped him tighter, wrapping his legs around his waist and pressing his face into his shoulder.

Logan and Virgil watched the display with amusement before Roman gently set Patton down and approached them, greeting them with a kiss.

“It’s wonderful to see you up and about, Roman.” Logan said as Roman slid into his seat.

“It’s wonderful to be up.” Roman set down his notebook and propped his head up on his hand. “Thank you all for what you did. I must admit, it wasn’t the response I was expecting.”

“Roman, there isn’t anything we wouldn’t do for you. We love you, and part of loving someone is taking care of them when they need it. I’m just sorry we didn’t get you sooner.” Patton said, taking Roman’s hand in his and squeezing.

Roman nodded back, his eyes looking misty, and dropped his gaze.

Patton kissed the top of his head before turning back to the stove. Roman took a deep breath and opened his notebook, starting to slowly sketch, his movements small and shy.

As the warmth from the mug seeped into his hands and the caffeine kick-started Virgil’s wake up process, he gazed around the kitchen at the people he loved, Patton humming to himself as he whisked eggs, Logan stirring his coffee as he read a book, and Roman lost in his headspace of creativity as he sketched, Virgil smiled.

It was going to be a wonderful day.

[xephinatheeleven]

The Imposter

Word Count: 8,697

Summary: When a new video is being filmed, Virgil is mysteriously late, and when he does arrive, there’s something off about him, as if he were lying...

Warnings: Panic-attacks

Pairings: Platonic Only!

———-

This was it, after weeks of research and watching the other sides, Deceit was finally ready to get his revenge on them. Thomas may be a moral person, but it was clear that he had chosen the wrong trait before; Patton didn’t hold enough sway over the others to be used as the puppet to take control of their host’s entire personality, but there was one who did have such prestige. When Logan left, he became the voice of reason, when Roman was shouting for Thomas to go through with an idea, he could stop the YouTuber without even raising his voice, Patton wouldn’t dare calling him out, for fear of losing his friendship, and he just so happened to be the one who the snake-like aspect hated the most. Virgil. That’s whose place he should have taken to begin with, but he had never expected a dark-side to have such a hold on Thomas’s emotions.

Anger welled up inside the duplicitous facet; Anxiety should be by his side now, the two of them working together to take the power away from the other three main personifications, but his old friend had betrayed him. The apprehensive persona had allowed himself to become brainwashed into thinking that their host and the other archetypes considered him family. They had tricked him into thinking he was accepted as one of the mains, and yet they still called Deceit the liar.

Once and for all, he was going to take control as the most powerful and dominant embodiment, then Virgil would have no choice but to see what the others had done to him, and how they really felt. When he came to his senses, the anxious emotion would turn his back on his so-called family, and when he did, he would be a valuable asset. With his abilities of inflicting fear and adrenaline, partnered with the power the devious character would have over the others, they would be an unstoppable team.

Now would finally be his chance to make Virgil pay for abandoning him, and take all the power away from the mains, and the untrustworthy side knew just how he was going to pull it off. The others were more susceptible to his lies when they were physically manifested, so it would be easy enough to trick them, after all, had it not been for the one he intended to stand in as, they may never have figured out he wasn’t really their moral counterpart. The first part of his plan however, was going to be the most difficult; he had to get the real fight-or-flight reflex out of the way until the deceptive trait was certain he had switched allegiances.

Even with Thomas knowing of his existence, and without having the others in his grasp, the dishonest figure still had enough influence to shut them up, and in this case, he was going to do so physically. With just the right amount of energy, he would still be able to hold up his façade as his gloomier companion, while keeping the real him trapped safely in his room, where he couldn’t interfere with Deceit’s plot to seize authority. Now all he had to do was wait for the right moment to strike, Anxiety was usually the last to show up for most any filming, so as to minimize his screen time. That meant, all the liar had to do was lay low until the other three synced into the real world, then keep the youngest of the mains in his room and take his place. He knew the darkest of the four far better than he did Morality; therefore, acting like him would be easy, and if he forgot something, he had jotted down a few notes on his hand. It was so simple, so flawless, that there was no way they would be able to figure him out this time, he would have them cornered.

Virgil was aware that the other aspects had already gone to the real world for the video, but as per usual, he was hanging back until he was needed. It wouldn’t be long now before he was summoned, so the negative facet reached for his jacket, which hung from the back of his desk chair, but before he could take it, it vanished. The only way that could happen was if one of his colleagues had called it to them at will, probably to lure him to the filming, although it was certainly a new tactic, probably one of Princey’s ideas. Shaking his head and ready to scold whoever had taken his coat, Anxiety attempted to sync into the real world himself, but quickly found that he had been cut off for some reason.

Trying to lure, and then trapping him as some sort of joke was a new low for the others, and something he hadn’t expected them to do. Virgil was sure they had no mal-intent in doing so, but that didn’t make it any less annoying to him. Sighing, he walked for the door. If he went to the control room, he would be able to manually convince Thomas to summon him. A wave of anger crashed over him as he tried the handle, only to find that it had been locked, whatever kind of antic this was, it was going too far.

The fury he felt however, slowly began to ebb as fear took hold of him at the realization of two things, even if this was a prank, the others were putting their host, and by extension, themselves at risk by distancing him from his fight-or-flight reflex. The other part wasn’t nearly as rational, but scared him all the same, overpowering the more important concern. Being trapped in the enclosed space; he could almost feel the walls pressing in on him as his claustrophobia took hold.

Patton was beginning to become concerned, the video filming had started some time ago, and while Virgil was usually the last to show up, this time was different. Multiple points had already gone by in which his darker son would have ordinarily jumped in to offer his argument, or at least make some sort of sarcastic comment on the matter at hand. Morality knew however, that he hadn’t ducked-out again, seeing as he had no known reason too, and Thomas wasn’t acting disinterested and careless. Actually, that was part of what had him so worried, their host seemed even more worked up than usual.

It was understandable though, because this time around, the debate was focused on what the next step in the life of the online personality should be. Logan was arguing that he should go back to school; meanwhile, Roman was insistent that he try out for the role of Captain Von Trapp from The Sound of Music. The father figure was yet to choose who he would side with, and wanted to hear Anxiety’s opinion before he did, but in the end the eldest trait would support Thomas in whatever he decided to do.

Patton let his mind drift from his thoughts as he did his best to focus on the altercation once more, and apparently it was Logic’s turn to have the floor. “As we all know Thomas has been considering starting some new courses to expand his knowledge, and with the fall semester beginning soon, now would be the ideal time for him to go through with that plan and start on a few new classes.”

Princey scoffed, waving off the idea, “A new performance will be hosting auditions in Orlando soon, and Thomas would surely get the part of the Captain if he tried out. That’s not to mention that it would do him good to get back into musical theatre after his last blunder when he forgot the song!” Their host cast a glare at his fanciful side, clearly not pleased by the reminder of his last attempt of being cast in a play.

“Maybe it would be better if he just focused on his YouTube career,” They all whipped around as Virgil’s voice joined in on the conversation, it was an odd time for him to show up, but Morality was happy to see him all the same. “You wouldn’t want to let you fans down, would you Thomas?”

Patton was a bit taken aback by the crass question, the youngest aspect’s voice was reminiscent of the way he had spoken before the others had accepted him, that being said, he knew he had to step in. “Now kiddo, I think it’s been made clear to all of us, that Thomas’s fans will support him, no matter what he chooses to do.”

Before he could say anymore, the intellectual facet interjected, clearly not having picked up on Anxiety’s tone, “Patton is correct. Besides, I have already run the calculations; Thomas would still be able to maintain his posting schedule, even with some of his time being taken up by school-work. If he were to take on rehearsals however, it would take up more time than he has to spare if he wants to keep making these videos.”

“Alright Neil deGlasses Tyson, but the fans have also said that they want Thomas to be happy, and we all know how much he enjoys acting.” To emphasize his point, Roman waved his hands around at the group, “and just like with previous videos, it could give him some interesting stories to tell later on.”

The YouTuber nodded in agreement, “this is true. Sure the viewers would have to wait a little longer between uploads, but that would allow me to focus on quality over quantity.”

The rational persona straightened his glasses before addressing their host, “you do that already. Your audience is more than satisfied with the current caliber of the content you create now. Knowing that, maintaining the posting schedule you have now would be the best option, while still allowing you to take up a few classes. If you were to go through with that plan, then you would also be able to fill your videos with more facts and references, therefore increasing the overall quality as well.”

“Does Thomas really need the stress of another activity just now?” Something about the attitude and mannerisms of the gloomier side set off red flags in the mind of the usually cheerful character. Virgil wasn’t acting like himself; now-a-days he often tried not to be as harsh, he was still truthful, but attempted to make points in a less destructive way than he was now. “He already gets anxious when it comes to making videos, and he almost always has to push back the release dates as it is. Adding more to his plate would only feed into that.”

The online personality hung his head at the statement; but neither Princey nor Logic seemed to notice as they continued to bicker, only stopping when Thomas himself intervened. “Perhaps Virgil is right, I have been trying to focus more on my mental-health recently…and taking up new responsibilities could set me back.” As he paused, the trait dressed in black and purple appeared contented that the debate was now swinging in his favor. “For the time being, it might be best if I hold off on any new obligations.”

Logan and Roman both gave the online personality a startled glance before turning to Patton, as if asking him to do something. They seemed to have come to the same conclusion that the moral attribute had; inactivity, and sticking with exactly what he was doing without taking any risks, would lead him nowhere. He wouldn’t grow as a person if he wasn’t willing to accept any new challenges in life.

“Son, I’m not so sure that’s the best idea,” Deceit couldn’t help but feel smug, everything was going exactly to plan. He had managed to get Thomas on his side, and by the looks of it, the other three were grasping at straws to try and get him to change his mind. “Staying right where you are and where you feel comfortable at the moment isn’t going to make things any better. We’ve discussed this before, change can be a good thing, and in this case, whether you were to chose to take new classes or audition for the play, it would lead you down a new path, and either one would be better than doing nothing at all. You could make new friends, learn, come up with new ideas, and overall grow as a person if you just take the next step, but if you stay in place, you may never know what opportunities you missed.” The snake-like aspect wasn’t concerned by the words of the father figure, after all, he hadn’t been a strong enough pawn before, and the others didn’t listen to him them, so why should they listen to him now?

The YouTuber’s soft and almost scared voice jarred the liar from his thoughts, “I know change can be good, but missed opportunities can apply to any part of life. If I were to choose either of the other options…I could be so busy that I lose the friends I have. I could lose my fan-base and by extension my financial income, I could-”

“Thomas! Stop!” Patton couldn’t bear to listen to any more of this harmful talk, “what is going on? This isn’t like you…is there something more going on that you aren’t telling us about?”

“That is a fair question; you are coming across as a bit more pessimistic than usual.” At Logan’s concurrence, Morality noticed it, the one indication that something was very wrong, and he was astonished that the anxious personification hadn’t picked up on it, Thomas was shaking, and it had only grown worse as the debate progressed. Their host started to tremble when he was falling into a panic-attack, and the last time that had happened was when he, along with his creative and logical counterparts had become corrupted in the Accepting Anxiety videos. Patton was certain that none of them were corrupted now, so there was only one facet capable of causing such a reaction within Thomas.

“Thomas, listen to me and me alone,” the voice the moral embodiment now took on was soft and gentle. “I don’t know what is going through your head right now, or what is causing it, but you're beginning to panic, so let us help you calm down before we continue with the video.” The online personality didn’t respond, and Patton’s paternal instincts were starting to kick in, he had to find a way to stop this. He didn’t want to go through with what he knew he had to do next, for fear that it wasn’t him, and the accusation would be unjustified, but with the rest of them having no reason to be scared, there was only one side with the power to be doing all of this. Taking a deep breath, he leaned past Roman to speak directly to the one in question, his voice merely a whisper so as not to alert anyone else. “Virgil, I don’t know if this is your doing or not, but you are the only one who can stop Thomas from going into a panic-attack, so please, help him.” Morality was unnerved by the almost malicious look the other gave him, but there was nothing else he could do but let the attack run its course and offer what comfort there was to be given.

Virgil paced back and forth across his room, he had tried everything he could think of to get out, but nothing had worked. He was beginning to wonder if the others had something against him, or if he had upset them in some way, because this had gone on for far too long for it to just be a joke anymore, and the idea terrified him. He wracked his mind, searching for any reason that the others may be angry with him, or for a situation in which his words or actions could have been misinterpreted as ill-will, but nothing came to mind.

Anxiety had no idea as to what could have brought all this on; he shivered, partially from the thoughts, but also because he was cold without his jacket. That was the part that didn’t fit, if they just wanted him out of the way, then why take his coat? Thoughts rushed into his mind at the speed of light, the outfit idea had been a bit out there, he’d said that himself before revealing it, maybe they had taken the jacket to make fun of it. No. The others had accepted him, and they would never act so lowly, especially Patton, at the thought of the eldest trait, the youngest couldn’t help but feel guilty. How could he accuse his family of being so petty, but that was the worst part about fear, it was irrational, and try as he might, he couldn’t do anything to ward of the dark thoughts.

Sitting on his bed, he placed his head in his hands, trying to make sense of what was going on, and what to do about it, but the thoughts were interrupted by a single line, as if someone were talking to him. “Virgil, I don’t know if this is your doing or not, but you are the only one who can stop Thomas from going into a panic-attack, so please, help him.” The words were closely followed by a torrent of unease, it had been weak, probably for the same reason he couldn’t leave, but his name being said tugged at his as if he were being summoned, seeing as that was how they were often called to the real world, that much didn’t surprise him. What caught him off guard was the fact that it had been Morality’s voice, and it had sounded as if he had been speaking directly to the negative emotion.

Suddenly, understanding crashed over him like a tidal wave, it wasn’t Thomas, Patton, Logan or Roman that were keeping Virgil from the filming, which explained everything from the entrapment, to the theft of his jacket. The others thought he was there, just how they had thought the father figure was there in the Lying video, Deceit had taken his place, and the panic that Anxiety felt from being locked away and cut off from his family was taking its toll on their host. Now that he knew what was actually going on, the real fight-or-flight reflex just had to find a way to get the others to realize that the deceptive aspect was pretending to be him, while still being stuck in his room.

His room! That was it, when he had left before, the others had come to his room to find him, and if he did that now; Thomas would stop panicking all together and begin acting careless and out-of-it. If that didn’t reveal Deceit’s presence to the others, they would come to his corner of the mind-palace to see what was going on, and when they did, the real Anxiety would be waiting for them.

As much as it hurt him to do so, because of how close he had grown to the others, Virgil closed his eyes, and in his mind, he could see his family. Reminding himself that it was for their own good, he sighed, turning his back on them and walked into the infinite black void until the others had been lost from sight.

Patton watched on in horror as Thomas’s breath quickened with fear, and despite their best efforts, there was nothing he and the others could do to calm him down. Meanwhile, it sickened Morality to watch his youngest son sit back and do nothing, and once again he felt as if he were looking at someone entirely different from the Virgil they had come to know and love.

Why would he do something like this? The answer popped into his head, even if it didn’t explain their current situation; Anxiety wouldn’t do this, he hated panic more than any of them. Even having said it himself after he had rescued them from his room, “being anxious about the idea of growing more anxious. Yeah, that sounds like me.” He often worked to fight off panic-attacks, so there was no reason to think he would cause on now.

The eldest facet was ripped from his thoughts as Roman’s exasperated voice pierced through the air, “Virgil what are you doing? If this is some sort of joke, no one thinks it’s funny, stop this!”

The darkly-dressed persona shocked them all with the wicked smile he portrayed, “a little blood pumping is good for the circulatory system.”

“I believe that the rest of us are in agreeance, that a panic-attack is more than the amount of fear to which you are referring, and were you not just arguing that Thomas’s mental health was a concern of yours?” Logan appeared to be just as put out by the predicament as Princey was. “The others are validated in their statements, enough is enough, and the sooner it is brought to a close, the better.”

Logic hardly had time to finish his input before their host stopped shaking, and his breathing slowed back to a normal speed. Patton saw the relief that came over the other two, but he couldn’t share in the feeling as he noticed the apprehensive expression Virgil now wore. Something told the fatherly attribute that the one sitting on the stairs had nothing to do with the most recent development.

Clearly the others weren’t aware of the change that plagued the youngest side as Roman spoke up, “thank you.”

“Agreed, although, I would say that went on for much too lon-” The intellectual was cut off as Thomas wondered aimlessly from his spot in the direction of the kitchen. “Do forgive my forwardness after such a stressful ordeal, but where are you going?”

“Hungry,” the single word was the only explanation the online personality gave as he took a bag of chips from one of the cabinets.”

The traits looked at one another in confusion, and this time, Anxiety was right along with them. What added to his confusion though, was that a part of the switch in Thomas’s emotions felt vaguely familiar to Morality. “Kiddo…if you are feeling better, perhaps we should finish the video so you can get some rest.”

The YouTuber brushed off his suggestion, “I’ll get back to it in a bit…actually a nap sounds good; maybe we can finish the video later.”

Logan furrowed his brow, and didn’t even bother to straighten the glasses, which had become askew with the events of the last few minutes, “we were nearly to a conclusion. It would be much more efficient to go ahead and complete the filming.”

Thomas shrugged, walking back to his place, bringing the chips with him, “if you guys want to…where were we?”

The Prince was the first to jump at the opportunity, “you were just about to decide to audition for The Sound of Music.”

“Now it hasn’t been completely taken off the table yet, that he may take a few new classes.” Patton’s eyes were trained on the online personality as the academic aspect added to the debate.

“Well a play sounds like more fun…” Thomas trailed off as he stuffed a few more chips in his mouth. Despite the fact that the scales were now tipped in Roman’s favor, he didn’t seem pleased with the chance at victory, merely concerned. Their host hadn’t used any of the previous arguments that had been made, to come to his conclusion, almost as if he had made the decision without much thought at all, as if he didn’t care.

Logic apparently caught on as well because he didn’t continue to try and defend his point, “pray tell, are you feeling all right Thomas?”

“Sure I guess.”

He reached for another handful of crisps, but the fanciful manifestation stopped him with some rather forceful words, “put them down!”

The online personality did as he was told and quickly dropped the bag, “okay.”

Morality was finally able to come up with an idea as to why he was experiencing such a strong sense of déjà vu; he wasn’t certain, but he had an idea of how to figure out if his hunch was right. “Thomas, do me a favor and answer me this question,” he paused briefly. “Did you remember to lock your car earlier?”

They gazed at the moral facet in bewilderment, but his logical and creative counterparts expressions changed to understanding at the answer their host gave. “I probably did, I’m not sure, but probably.”

Logan took in a quick breath, his words hardly audible, “weaker memory…”

Patton picked up where the other left off, “not much of a filter.”

Roman apparently was coming to the same conclusion, “and getting over a panic-attack in record time…no fear.” All three of them turned to look at Virgil, “what is up with you today, first going overboard, and now taking his worries away all together.”

Anxiety rolled his eyes, an unsettling nature to his voice as he all but growled his words, “I thought this is what you wanted.”

“Virgil, you know full well that we meant for you to stop the attack, not leave him completely without his defenses.” At the contribution of the factual character, the one in question was becoming visibly uncomfortable.

“Why do you all assume this is my doing? I thought we had come to an understanding, so why are you resorting to petty accusations?” Even though there was no reason for it, the fight-or-flight reflex had apparently chosen to react with anger, but something told Morality that it was just a façade.

Princey was quick to defend himself and the others, “we are all trying to help Thomas, just as we always do. You are the one accusing us of asking for this and being petty.”

Virgil glared at him for a moment longer before turning to the lighter personification, desperation shining behind his eyes, “Patton, you're the cheerful one. Surely you think Thomas would be happier without all the worries that I provide, don’t you dad?”

The way the youngest of the four said the last word made him certain of what was going on, and that he had been right all along. The figure that sat before him now was not Anxiety. With that in mind, Morality knew the one in place of his friend would never let him out right reveal who he was, but he had an idea as to how to get the others to see what he saw. It would hurt him endlessly to say it, it would haunt him for days, and if he was wrong; he would never forgive himself, but it had to be done. “We have already decided that Thomas is not better off without his fight-or-flight reflexes, and if you haven’t figured that out yet…then you are no son of mine.” The moral side was hardly able to choke out the words, but he knew the statement had worked, as both Logan and Roman gave each other a startled but knowing look.

Before they could say anything however, Virgil snapped back at him, “not your son?” He let his hateful gaze sweep around all three of them, and for a brief moment the paternal attribute wondered if he had just made the worst mistake possible, but the words that followed caused relief to crash over him like a tsunami. “I knew you all hadn’t really accepted me, and why should you? I’m just a dark-side after all!”

Logic was the next to speak, but his words were directed at their host, “Thomas, perhaps it would jog Virgil’s memory of his importance if we went back to his room and allowed ourselves to become corrupted. If he had to save us, then maybe he would remember how important he is by helping us.”

Anxiety’s stand-in opened his mouth to say something, but the YouTuber beat him to it, “sure, let’s go.” As soon as he said the words, all five of them began to sync out of the real world, but Morality didn’t miss the look the anxious persona gave him as they did so.

Moments later they were all stood in the darkened version of Thomas’s living-room with cobwebs hanging from the banisters, rock-band posters on the walls, the mildly-terrifying spider curtains, and other belongings of Anxiety’s littering the surfaces. Patton’s eyes however, were drawn to a frame on the bookshelf behind the dining table, in it was the card he had made for the gloomier archetype after the others had accepted him.

Virgil felt the presence of the others downstairs, and trying the handle again, he found the door was finally unlocked. Being in his room must have weakened Deceit to the point, that he could no longer keep him trapped. Quietly, so as not to alert his adversary, he stepped out into the corridor; Anxiety knew he would have to work quickly before the others became corrupted by his corner of the mindscape.

Making his way down the stairs, the youngest of the main traits placed a finger over his lips, so the others would know not to reveal his appearance. Before he could do anything though, alleviation washed over him; Thomas’s eyes were losing their distant look as Virgil regained his position in their host’s personality. His family caught on, and continued looking at one another, pretending not to notice him, so as not to make the malicious aspect aware that anything had changed.

The darker manifestation didn’t speak until he was only two steps above his former friend, “if you value your own well-being in any way, you will get out of my spot and stop trying to impersonate me.”

The liar was startled enough by his sudden appearance, that he fell off the stairs and into the area between where each of the others were standing, allowing Virgil to take back his rightful place. Deceit glanced up at him, obviously trying to maintain his hold on what little shreds of pride he had left, “ah, Virgil…how wonderful it is to see you.”

“Your lies don’t work on me, now as I said, if you want to leave my room with no broken bones, you’ll stop trying to impersonate me. Oh, and give me my jacket back while you're at it.” Anxiety held the gaze of his look-a-like, then with a snap of his fingers, his form changed back to his snake-ish appearance, continuing to glare at all of them. Virgil was losing his patience, as he growled the words again, “and the jacket.”

The untrustworthy facet threw the black and purple fabric at him with such force, that if it had been any heavier, it would have knocked him backwards when he caught it. “There you go, because I just wanted you fabulous coat so badly.”

Placing the jacket back around his shoulders, the fight-or-flight reflex ignored the hiss from the defeated side. Glancing around, he saw the dark-pigmented make-up accumulating beneath the eyes of each of the other embodiments, and surprisingly it was the darkest on Deceit. He had expected another dark-side to be able to hold out longer than the others, but if he had to guess, he would say it was the display of strong emotion that caused the eye-shadow to intensify. “We will continue this conversation in the real world, you’ve all been in here too long already, and it’s not safe anymore.” He looked over to their host, “Thomas, I trust you will help me get them back unharmed.”

He swiftly nodded in agreement, “I think you're right, we have things we need to discuss, but it’s high time we were getting back.” The online personality repeated the breathing technique Anxiety had taught him the last time they had all come to his room. As he did so, one-by-one, the other traits began to return to the sanctity of the real world. A final glance passed between the observant character and his host before they followed closely behind the others.

When they appeared, the logical, moral, and creative aspects each wore varying expressions of relief, which quickly turned to irritation as their eyes rested on the duplicitous figure standing in the middle of the group. Before they could say anything though, Thomas’s voice broke the silence, “it’s good to have you back Virgil.”

He let his eyes rest on each of them, purposely passing over Deceit, “honestly, it’s good to be back.” Now he let his gaze stop on his treacherous counterpart, “are you going to explain what the heck that was?”

There was concern behind the eyes of the liar, as if he were worried about what the others were going to do with him, but he had no way of knowing if the feeling was real. “I just know you so well Virgil, and I wanted to see if the others here would believe I was you.”

The one dressed in black and purple couldn’t help but scoff, “sure, so in translation, you wanted to take my place to try and sway Thomas’s decision-making, to take the power away from us, right?” The sarcasm was thick on the last word, as he already knew the answer, but he wanted to see how Deceit would react to being called out directly.

“No, not at all, whatever would give you an idea like that?” There was a mocking tone in the devious facet’s voice.

At the question Logan pinched the bridge of his nose, as he always did when he was reaching his limits with ridiculous situations, Patton looked like a disappointed parent, and Roman merely glared at him. Virgil’s gaze was steadily rested on him however, “there was a time when I considered you my friend, I tried to help you redeem yourself the same way they helped me.” He gestured to their host and the other sides, “but that was a long time ago, and now you’ve attempted on multiple occasions to hurt my family in one way or another, so there is something you need to know.” Anxiety made sure Deceit was looking at him before he continued, “as long as I’m around, trapped or not…I will always find my way back, and my family will always be defended. Any time you try to cross them after this…you’ll have to answer to me, and I’m telling the truth when I say, it won’t be a pleasant experience for you if it comes to that.”

The dishonest trait moved forward until he was standing at the base of the stairs, just a few steps below him, and only a few feet away, when he spoke his voice was just barely loud enough for the others to hear and guttural. “Ooo, I quiver with fear!” Virgil noticed the anger in the others as the last word was spat in his face, but he wouldn’t be intimidated that easily.

Before the rest of them could say or do anything, Anxiety sprung forward from his place with lightning-fast reflexes as Deceit was moving back to the center of the group. Grabbing him by the chain that clasped his cape, he pulled him closer until they were nose to nose, and as he did so, the darker characteristic became certain that the fear in the eyes of the other was real. “You would be wise to heed my warning.” He could feel the others’ eyes watching the two of them intently, but for the moment he didn’t care; his focus was on the singular personification. “I’ll remind you, just in case you have forgotten…I embody Thomas’s fight-or-flight reflexes, so if you try to hurt my family again…just keep in mind who you will be fighting at the end of it all.” To add emphasis to his final statement, the youngest of the main aspects released his cape in such a forceful manner, that his rival stumbled backwards a few paces, and he returned to his spot, staring down at him. “Don’t make me have to keep that promise.”

It took a few moments, but eventually the liar regained his bearings, and it was clear he wasn’t ready to give up just yet, “family? Oh, I should have known, considering how well they’ve treated you all this time.” Normally Virgil wouldn’t have dignified the jest with a response, but the accusation had brought Morality to tears, and that was enough to justify continuing the dispute.

He was about to speak, but the fatherly facet beat him to it, “V-Virgil…we are so sorry about what happened in the past…n-never forget that…please,” Thomas and the others nodded in agreement at the plea.

Anxiety looked over to his best friend, his voice much more gentle as he addressed him, “you are the last one who would ever need to apologize to me.” He faced the rest of them with the same unthreatening poise, “none of you need to…I am well aware of how you all feel about me now, and that’s all that matters.” When he saw the relief in their eyes, his returned his attention to the one he had at a time called friend, his voice reverting back to what it had been before. “They would never lie to me, and I know without a doubt that they have accepted me as I am! I tried to get you to see reason, to let me show you what they showed me, that family means far more than power…but you rebuked it, and until you can learn the lesson that I had to learn the hard way, it would be in your best interest to avoid me.”

“You’ve always been so strong Virgil, so it would never make sense for you to be on the weaker team with me and the other dark-sides. Stay with the strong ones,” he had to consciously keep himself from shuddering at the reminder of his previous allegiances as Deceit for an unknown reason, gestured to Patton, “even the one who had the strength to convince you to do what was right in talking to Joan. The one you all listened to during that video.”

It took all of his will-power not to lunge at his newfound enemy, but one thought actually made the darkest of the mains laugh. Roman however, didn’t see the humor in the situation that he did as he had his arm around the persona, who was sobbing softly, “what’s so funny? He just out right insulted Patton!”

Virgil smiled at his adversary-turned-friend, “no he didn’t. He may not even realize it, but for once, Deceit actually told the truth,” they all stared at him in bewilderment and waited for him to explain. “He’s right, I am on the stronger side, and Patton did convince Thomas to do what was right when it came to talking to Joan. If I recall correctly he said, ‘simply put, Deceit is and inner coach with the one intension of self-preservation.’ To which Thomas responded with, ‘well, this time around, I’m going to tune out that inner coach and set things right.’” Anxiety put a strong emphasis on the last word, looking around at all of them before placing his attention back on the dishonest trait. “You may have looked like him at first, but it was Patton who actually did convince all of us to do what was right in that situation…and if memory serves, the one we didn’t listen to was you, and all for a few simple reasons. We know Patton is moral, he’d told us before that lying is wrong, and he would never go back on his word and tell Thomas to lie to one of his best friends…in fact had he been there all along, that debate never would have gone down. We would have agreed not to lie to Joan in the beginning, and once you take all that into consideration, it really boils down to only one reason…we respect Patton, because he has proven time and again that he is worthy of it…you on the other hand, have yet to earn that right.”

Deceit acted as if he wanted to say more, but obviously realized that he was out-matched. Whipping his head around like a cornered animal, trying to look at each of them individually, he struggled to speak, “well…I…I won’t be back…and I-”

“Like I said, you’d be wise not to come back, at least not until you understand that family and friends are more important than power.” Virgil held his gaze until the liar finally admitted defeat through his actions, and left without another word.

A few seconds of silence ticked by, and the fight-or-flight reflex realized he was still standing in a defensive position; he sat back down on the stairs so as not to seem threatening to those who didn’t deserve it. Logan was the first to find his tongue, and even he still sounded awed, “Virgil…that was impressive.”

The comment seemed to snap Princey out of his trance to some extent, but his voice was still a distant whisper, “I can’t believe I had to be defended like a damsel-in-distress.” He appeared more amazed than disgruntled as he turned to face the youngest aspect, his tone growing a bit stronger. “Even I have to admit…that was almost worthy of a knight-hood.” The idea was one that left him at a loss for words, Roman considered himself a knight, so to say something like that was putting Virgil on a higher pedestal than he ever expected.

Thomas was clearly still shaken from the whole situation, but did manage to speak, “You did the right thing Virgil…I know Deceit was at one time a friend of yours, but I’m happy to see that you know how much we all truly care about you.” The online personality looked to the floor, “we were so destructive in how we treated you in the past, and I apologize for that…you’ve proven again that you are a good guy.”

The words still hung in the air, but before he could respond, a forced slammed into Anxiety in a blur of grey and blue, causing him to fall back against the stairs. Arms wrapped around his shoulders as he managed to right himself, and he could just barely hear the soft sobs coming from the eldest facet. His heart broke; the malicious figure had gone after Patton twice now, and for what reason? Mortality was the kindest and most caring of them, so why pick him as a target? After all, if it weren’t for the one embracing him now, the gloomier persona more than likely wouldn’t have been here to guard the others, he hated to think about it, but he probably would have been working in tandem with the liar.

Lightly returning the hug, he could just make out the few words his friend managed to choke out through his tears. “I-I’m so p-proud of you kiddo…I-I knew you c-could never b-betray us.”

The darker character didn’t know how to take the praise that was being handed to him, and questions raced through his mind from the most recent comment. Clearing away the thoughts with a deep breath, he knew he had a more important issue to address, “hey Pat…it’s all okay.” Anxiety had never been the best with sympathy; still he had to try something to calm down the lighter side. “Listen, we’ve all made mistakes in the past…and I can’t believe I’m the one saying this, but all that matters is here and now.” He paused briefly as Patton pulled back to look at him, “I know you all feel bad about what happened, and that you do care about me…you're my family, and trust me, I’m not going anywhere. As long as you guys are around, I’m going to be right here with you.” The moral attribute smiled at him through his tears before returning to his place in front of the backdoor.

“It’s good to have you back Virgil…and thank you for everything you do for us.” Thomas was obviously still too astounded from the recent events to say much else.

Logic must have picked up on his discomfort with the compliments, because he swiftly changed the subject. “What I wish to know is, where were you for the bulk of the filming, and why did you…in terms, duck-out again?”

The comparatively-negative trait sighed, he hadn’t been ecstatic about leaving as he did, but the others deserved an answer. “Deceit locked me in my room to keep me away from the video, to try and take my place, much like he did with Patton awhile back.” He picked at the carpet from the stairs nervously, “before I go any further…I owe all of you an apology, well technically three.” The four of them looked at him in confusion, waiting for him to continue, “I misjudged you. When I found out that I had been trapped in my room…I-I immediately jumped to the conclusion that you were pulling some sort of prank on me, or worse that…that you had turned your backs on me, so I’m sorry I even considered that any of you would act so lowly, and that also leads me into my second apology. In thinking that I had been abandoned, and being locked away, I began to panic…which I now know took its toll on you Thomas, so yeah…I’m sorry for those things. As for the leaving, I did have a reason for that as well, but I apologize for that too, because I know that couldn’t have been an easy situation to deal with…again.”

Logan was the first to voice the question Virgil guessed they all were wondering, “was it the panicking that caused you to leave, because if so, that was a bit of an extreme solution.”

Anxiety smiled, “no that’s not the reason, I could have calmed Thomas down without having to go that far. I actually left so I could reveal Deceit’s presence.”

Roman spoke with no sense of sarcasm or distaste in his tone, “I’m not sure I follow. You went from thinking it was us to knowing it was Deceit who had trapped you, how did you jump from one conclusion to the other?”

“While I was trying to effectively stop Thomas from going into a panic-attack, a weak link made it through Deceit’s barrier. It was a single line using my name, making it feel as if you guys were trying to summon me, but it was like you were talking to me as if I were already there.” He turned to face Morality, “you were the one that out-right addressed me and clued me in on what was really going on. What you said was, ‘Virgil, I don’t know if this is your doing or not, but you're the only one who can stop Thomas from going into a panic-attack, so please, help him.’ That was what made me realize that there was someone with you who had taken my place, and I don’t care who it is, if they’re trying to impersonate me, that’s not a good thing. To keep me locked up is to distance Thomas from his fight-or-flight responses which would be putting all of you at risk.” He looked to the others, “and since I couldn’t get to you, I found a way to bring you all to me. I knew that if my presence were gone, you would all turn to me to figure out what was going on, and in doing so, you would realize that it wasn’t actually me.”

“Clearly it was an effective tactic, seeing as it most certainly caught our attention.” Logic glanced over to his paternal counterpart, “although, I believe Patton was suspicious that it wasn’t you long before that, am I correct?”

The fatherly aspect looked like a deer-in-headlights for a moment before replying, “I-I wasn’t certain what it was at first, but I knew something was off from the beginning. Deceit would have fooled me too had he tried to do this a year ago…his impersonation of you Virgil, was more defensive and harsh…”

As he slowly stopped, the darker facet picked up where he left off, making sure that his tone was gentle so as not to upset Patton further, “so basically how I acted when I was his friend, back before you all accepted me?”

Morality nodded sheepishly, “what really gave him away were a few things. One, he didn’t notice that Thomas was shaking and starting to panic, something you would have noticed and tried to stop. Then when you left, Deceit attempted to play it off as if we had wanted your presence to be gone…then he asked me as the ‘cheerful one’ if Thomas would be happier…without his worries…” The way the eldest trailed off his sentence made Virgil wary.

Roman was quick to interject however, clearly picking up on the same change that he had, “What Patton did next was noble, and had it not been for that, as much as I regret to say it, we may not have seen what he saw.”

The moral side gave Princey a grateful yet saddened look, “I…I wasn’t certain…that’s what pained me the most, but I took a similar risk to the one you did in the Lying video, by telling the others that I wasn’t your friend, to show the others that Deceit was there.” He sniffled before continuing, “I made an accusation against you…I mean fake you…”

Anxiety could see the fear in his eyes and did his best to diffuse it, “Patton, you know you can tell me anything, and we all know you wouldn’t make an accusation against one of us without good reason. That’s not to mention that you were right, and if you tell me what you said, I know you aren’t saying it to the real me.”

The kind emotion didn’t meet his gaze, as if he were afraid that if he did, Virgil would feel as if the words were actually angled at him. “I said…I said, ‘we have already decided that Thomas is not better off without his fight-or-flight reflexes.’” He paused, wiping the tears from his eyes with the sleeves of his cat-hoodie, “‘and if you haven’t figured that out yet…then you are no son of mine.’” A sob racked the frame of the lighter trait as soon as he said the words, but spoke again before the anxious persona had a chance to react. “I-I’m so sorry Virgil…if I had said that to the real you…I would have never forgiven myself. I-”

Patton was beginning to tremble, just like their host did when he became panicked, so the youngest cut him off. “There’s nothing for you to apologize for, you didn’t say it to me, and there’s no use in getting worked up over what could have happened, for two reasons. One, like I said, you didn’t say it to me, and two, I wouldn’t believe you if you did.” Morality dared to look up at him, “First of all, I’ve given you no reason to say that to me, and next, you saw me as your son from the beginning, even when I acted the way Deceit did earlier. That being said, I wouldn’t believe you if you said I wasn’t your son, because I know that you love us all unconditionally, and nothing would ever change that.” Patton actually managed a genuine smile as Anxiety continued, “I know you are all my family, and no amount of lies, light-hearted insults, or fears is ever going to change that.” A playful grin made its way onto the face of the normally-gloomy side as he heightened the pitch of his voice and spoke more through his nose, using one of Thomas’s famous impressions, “because Ohana means family.” He let his tone return to normal as the others gazed at him with shocked smiles, “and family means nobody gets left behind or forgotten…or in this case nobody gets pushed away.”