Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Welcome! This book is 100% fictional so fear not! Nothing bad had actually come of any of Thomas' wonderful sides that we all have come to love. These stories will range from angst that leaves your chest aching to fluff that makes your teeth rot out of your skull. Do not take anything that happens in these stories personally. They are for your enjoyment and I do not wish to harm you wonderful people in any way! Please be sure to leave feedback in the comments section of my stories. I always wish to know how I can improve my writing. There will be warnings at the beginning of each story (If necessary for said story) so don't be alarmed by any of the content. Read the warnings and you'll be fine. As always, I love each and every one of you. Stay safe and stay alive.

Chapter Text

Patton was kneeling in the middle of a dark room. He looked around, his eyes straining to make out where he was. Suddenly he spotted someone coming toward him.

“Hello? Virgil is that you?” Patton asked.

Virgil stepped closer.

“Sorry, Patton,” he said sadly as he disappeared into the shadows.

“Wait!” Patton tried to yell but it came out in a feeble whisper.

Roman passed him, not even bothering to look at him. “We don’t need you anymore,” He said bluntly.

“What?” Patton asked. What had Roman meant?

“Sorry but feelings just aren’t logical,” Logan said, startling Patton from his thoughts.

“I don’t understand! Where are you guys going? Logan? Virge? Roman what’s going on?” Patton cried.

Logan ignored him and followed the other two sides into the shadows.

“Please,” Patton whimpered.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Patton’s eyes shot open, his breathing coming in rapid, short bursts. He stood up after a minute, his blanket falling to the floor at his bedside. He grabbed a sweatshirt and slipped it on, shivering slightly from the cold. He stumbled down the hallway to Logan’s room, stopping outside the door. Patton quickly wiped his eyes and took a deep breath before knocking gently on Logan’s bedroom door. He could make out some shuffling from inside and a faint, “come in.” The light flipped on as Patton pushed open the door and stepped inside hesitantly.

“Close the door,” Logan whispered.

Patton nodded, his eyes wide as he trembled at the memory of his nightmare. He closed the door behind him with a gentle click.

Patton stared at Logan, waiting for him to speak. His hair was poking up in all directions, his glasses were slightly askew on his face. The top few buttons on his shirt were open and his tie was absent from its usual spot around his neck. Patton stood by the door nervously. Logan had walked back over to his bed and sat down at the edge of it, his head hanging slightly.

“Come here,” Logan murmured after a minute.

Patton shuffled over to Logan’s bed and sat down next to him.

After a minute Logan spoke, his voice slurred slightly from sleep. “Patton, it’s three in the morning. You should be asleep,” He said surprisingly gently.

Patton nodded. “I had a nightmare,” He replied softly.

“I see. Well my advice is go back to bed and try and get some more sleep,” Logan said, studying Patton.

Patton’s face fell. “Oh...okay,” Patton said as he made a move to leave. In all honesty he was a bit scared to go back to his room, to the crushing feeling of being alone...

Logan quickly grabbed his wrist before he could get more than a few inches. “I’m sorry. You can stay here tonight,” He said as he tried to fix his mistake.

Patton sat back down. “Thank you,” he said giving Logan a quick side-hug.

Logan nodded slightly.

Patton sat there awkwardly. Finally Logan broke the silence.

“I’m going to try and get a little more sleep. I suggest you do the same,” Logan said as he pulled the covers over himself.

“Wait!” Patton said, much to loudly.

Logan looked up at him. “Yes, Patton?” He asked.

“I was wondering…” Patton began, searching for the right words.

“What is it?” Logan prompted.

“It’s just that...I was just wondering if...could you sing me a song?” He asked nervously.

A small smile appeared on Logan’s lips. “I suppose I can. But i’m not nearly as good as Roman …” He trailed off.

“It’s okay,” Patton said encouragingly.

Logan nodded. “Lay down,” He said.

Patton curled up against Logan’s chest, and Logan conjured another blanket so Patton wouldn’t freeze. Patton made a soft noise of approval. After a minute Logan cleared his throat and began singing softly.

“You say things with your mouth, cobwebs and flies come out. I hear a second voice behind your tongue somehow.”

Patton sighed softly and curled closer, his back pressed against Logan’s chest.

“Luckily I can read your mind. Cobwebs and flies unwind. They will not take you down, they will not cast you out. Out…”

Logan paused briefly to take a short breath before continuing.

“Dear friend, here we are again pretending
To understand how you think your world is ending
Sending signals and red flags in waves
It's hard to tell the difference between blood and water these days
I'll pray that one day you see
The only difference between life and dying
Is one is trying, that's all we're called to do
So try to love me and I'll try to save you.”

Logan took another breath as he willed his eyes to stay open just a little longer.

“Won’t you stay alive, I’ll take you on a ride.
I will make you believe you are lovely.

Won’t you stay alive, I’ll take you on a ride.
I will make you believe you are lovely.”

Logan glanced down at Patton. His eyes were closed and his chest rose and fell steadily. Logan stopped singing, shaking slightly from exhaustion and removed his glasses. He leaned over Patton and set them aside, wrapping his arms around Patton as he laid back down. Patton shifted slightly and for a minute Logan was scared he had woken him up. Once he was sure that Patton was still sleeping he closed his eyes and, despite having left the light on, was snoring softly within seconds.

(Lovely-Twenty one Pilots)

Chapter Text

“Roman! What the fuck is this?” Virgil shouted, his voice much higher than normal. His jacket sleeves hung over his hands, and his now much-too-long jeans pooled at the ankle.

“Virgil. Langu— Oh my God you’re so adorable!” Patton squealed as he walked into the room. He raced over to where Virgil was standing, his arms folded over his chest.

Virgil scowled at him. “Change. Me. Back,” He whined.

Patton shook his head. “Roman. Logan. Come see this!” He shouted.

The stairs creaked as Roman made his way done them. He rubbed his eyes sleepily and looked around. “Roman, I swear to God if you did this to me,” Virgil snarled, making his voice as low as he could.

“Do what?” Roman asked, his eyes having not yet adjusted fully. When they did he broke out in a grin. “Virgil, you look absolutely ador—”

“Don’t.” Virgil said.

“Awwww,” Patton cooed. At some point he had retrieved his camera and was now snapping pictures of Virgil.

“H…hey! Give me that!” Virgil said. He stood on his tip-toes as he tried at grab the camera from Patton. His fingers grazed the bottom of it before Patton pulled it out of reach, the shutter clicking as he took another picture.

“Would you three mind keeping it down? I’m trying to get through a book about NCG 6302,” Logan said.

“I have no idea what that is, but Roman and Patton won’t leave me alone and someone did this to me,” Virgil said angrily as he gestured at his child-sized body.

Logan glanced at him and raised an eyebrow. After a second, he turned to Patton and Roman. “Did one of you do this to Virgil?” He asked.

Patton shook his head.

“You think I would do something like this?” Roman said, touching hand to his chest in mock disbelief.

Virgil glared at him. “Change me back, Princey,” he growled.

Roman chuckled softly but quickly clapped a hand over his mouth.

Logan turned back to Virgil and sighed. He couldn’t help but smile at him. “I’m sorry. Virgil. But there’s nothing we can do until we figure out what, or who, did this to you,” Logan said apologetically.

Virgil stuck his bottom lip out, still glaring at Roman. After a second he sat down. “You guys suck,” he grumbled.

“Aw, we’re sorry, kiddo. We didn’t mean to upset you,” Patton said, kneeling next to Virgil.

“Fuck you,” Virgil pouted.

“Virgil,” Roman said slowly, a hint of warning in his voice.

“Ah fuck you too, Princey,” Virgil said as he brought his knees up to his chest, sticking his tongue out at Roman.

“Virgil, is there something on your mind?” Logan asked from his spot on the stairs.

“Oh, I dunno. Maybe I just want some fucking respect from you guys. Just because I’m little doesn’t…doesn’t,” Virgil sniffed and rubbed his eyes furiously.

“Virgil? Hey, we didn’t mean to make you upset, kiddo,” Patton said as he wrapped Virgil in a tight hug.

Virgil sniffed again.

After a minute he spoke. “Why don’t…don’t you guys treat me like…an adult?” He asked, his voice trembling.

Now it was Logan’s turn to speak. “Virgil, I think, and this pertains to all of the present company,” Logan paused, glancing at Roman and Patton. “That we see you as the youngest of Thomas’ sides, and, in doing so we treat you as such. It’s most commonly seen between two or more siblings of varying ages. The older sibling takes to picking on the younger as a form of bonding. While it may not be the healthiest technique, it is oftentimes not harmful to the younger mind,” Logan finished, shoving his glasses back up on his nose.

“But if you…you knew this then…wh…why?” Virgil asked, wiping his dampened cheeks with his sleeve.

“Well it’s like Logan said. You’re like… like our younger brother I suppose,” Roman offered.

“Yeah! We’re just playing with you. You know that, right?” Patton added.

Virgil looked up at him. “R…really?” he asked.

“Of course, kiddo!” Patton said, a tinge of sorrow behind his words.

Virgil’s lip trembled.

“Hey, it’s alright,” Roman said, reaching out toward Virgil.

Virgil smiled weakly.

“Virgil, you seem to have something else on your mind,” Logan said after a few seconds.

“I…It’s nothing,” he replied quickly.

Logan narrowed his eyes.

“I just wanted to know why…why you guys make fun of me for…for being…” Virgil clamped a hand over his mouth.

“We don’t make fun of you, kiddo,” Patton said. He hugged Virgil closer. “We just…,” Patton looked toward Logan for help.

Logan fixed his glasses again. “I think what Patton is trying to convey, is that we are, as you would put it, playing with you,” he said.

Virgil nodded, taking his hand from his mouth. He sat up and Patton’s arms fell away.

“But if it would make you happier we could always stop,” Logan added after a minute, glancing at Roman specifically.

“I mean…”Virgil started slowly.

“Would it really make you happier?” Roman asked. He stared down at his hands.

“I…I think so, maybe, I don’t know,” Virgil stuttered.

Roman put a hand on Virgil’s shoulder. “Fear not my darling.”

Virgil giggled at the nickname.

“We will ensure that you are happy, my dark prince,” Roman continued.

Virgil smiled so wide that his cheeks hurt. “You…you’re funny, Ro,” he mumbled.

“What can I say except, you’re welcome,” Roman said with a grin. He clicked his tongue a few times and pointed finger guns at Virgil.

Virgil lost it at the Disney reference. He doubled up, clutching his sides as he laughed.

Patton pulled out his camera again and snapped a few pictures. Even Logan was chuckling softly to himself.

“Alright Virgil. I think you need to breathe,” Roman said after a minute.

Virgil shook his head, tears leaking from the corners of his eyes. “I can…can’t,” he gasped, still laughing.

Logan walked over and crouched down next to Virgil. He put a hand on his shoulder. “Take a deep breath in for four seconds, Virgil,” he said calmly, using the strategy that Virgil typically used to calm down from his panic attacks.

Virgil took a large gulp of air.

“Hold it for seven seconds,” Logan instructed. He held up his fingers as he counted down from seven. “And now breathe out for eight,” he said after he had put all his fingers down.
Logan and Virgil repeated the exercise until Virgil had fully calmed down.

“S…sorry,” Virgil said, much calmer than before.

Logan nodded.

“Um, Logan? Can I talk to you for a minute? In the kitchen?” Patton asked after a minute.

Logan nodded, pushing himself to his feet. He followed Patton into the kitchen, leaving Roman and Virgil alone in the sitting room.

By the time they got back Virgil was curled up on Roman’s lap, his eyes closed. His thumb lingered near his lips. Roman looked up at the other two sides helplessly.

Patton lifted his hands to his mouth. “Awww,” he whispered, his eyes widening as he smiled. He bounced up and down on the balls of his feet.

Logan rolled his eyes, but a grin ghosted his lips.

Roman shifted his legs slightly. Virgil yawned, his thumb now resting in-between his teeth.

“What do we do?” Roman mouthed, gesturing toward the sleeping child in his lap.

“Leave him,” Patton whispered.

Roman looked at him in shock. “But I can’t just sit here all night!” he protested.

“Lower your voice!” Patton whisper-yelled.

Roman glanced down at Virgil briefly. “Sorry,” he murmured. He pushed Virgil’s hair out of his eyes.

“I believe Patton is right in saying we shouldn’t disturb him. His sleep cycles are already thrown off balance. He could definitely do with a few extra hours of undisturbed sleep,” Logan said after a minute.

Roman sighed loudly. He looked back down at his lap, a smile played across his lips as Virgil reached for his hand. Roman had to stifle a laugh as Virgil wrapped his hand around two of Roman’s fingers, letting out a soft sigh.

“Well I guess I’ll leave you to alone,” Logan said as he disappeared back to his room.

“Anything I can get you kiddo?” Patton asked as he walked over to the stairs, a hand resting on the railing.

Roman looked up and shook his head.

“Alright, call if you need anything,” Patton replied as he followed Logan upstairs.

Roman nodded. “Goodnight, my dark prince,” Roman whispered, despite it only being around ten o'clock in the morning.

Chapter Text

Roman strode, cotton candy in one hand, Patton’s hand in the other, up to the roller coaster. Patton’s feet dragged slightly as he protested, trying to remove himself from Roman’s grip.

“Patton you will go on this roller coaster with me. You promised,” Roman said as they stood in line.

“I’m scared, Ro. You know I don’t like this kind of stuff,” Patton whined.

Roman stared at his friend, taking in the look of fear that crossed his face, how his lower lip trembled slightly, his chest rising and falling rapidly. Roman’s shoulders sagged. “If you insist. You can stay down here. But I’m going on so just wait for me here,” Roman said, smiling sympathetically at Patton.

Patton’s eyes lit up. “Thanks, Ro,” He said, hugging the taller man quickly. The line moved forward again and Roman found himself alone, Patton standing off to the side. He turned around and stared at the ride in front of him. It loomed over him. His stomach churned at the sight but he swallowed down any nerves he was feeling and kept walking. He reached the front of the line.

“I’m sorry sir but there’s no food allowed on the ride,” Someone said.

Roman found himself face to face with a man around his age. A pair of glasses were perched on his nose and his hair stuck up in several different directions. Roman shrugged and tossed his cotton candy in a trash can nearby. He could always buy more later.

The man, whose name tag read ‘Logan’, nodded his approval and let Roman in. Roman shuffled over to one of the cars and sat down in an empty seat. Next to him sat a teenager, his hood pulled up over his eyes. His fingers toyed with the edge of his sleeve, his head tilted down toward his feet. Roman ignored him and waited for the ride to start, pulling harness over his head. After a minute, and after several more people got on, the ride started moving. They were nearing the top of the first arch when Roman happened to glance over at the boy next to him. His hands were balled into tight fists, his chest heaving. Roman reached over and put a hand on his shoulder. The other jumped and looked up at him, his eyes wide and fearful.

“Hey, are you alright, dude?” Roman asked.

The other man shook his head.

“What’s wrong?” Roman questioned, hoping he wasn’t crossing a line. The ride dropped and the other squeezed his eyes shut, his mouth open in a silent scream.

Once everyone had stopped screaming Roman spoke again, repeating his question.

“H… h… heights,” The man stuttered, tugging at his sleeves.

Roman nodded. “Listen, I know that we don’t know each other, but my name is Roman and you look like you’re about to cry. Do you want to hold my hand?” Roman offered gently, holding out his hand.

“I’m…” The other’s sentence was cut off as the roller coaster dipped again, sending them plummeting toward the earth. He stuck his hand out, latching onto Roman’s. He squeezed Roman’s hand tightly, his knuckles turning white.

“Virgil! My name is Virgil!” He shouted over the sound of the rushing air mixed with about twenty other voices all screaming as the ride evened out again.

“Alright, Virgil,” Roman replied.

Virgil’s grip tightened and Roman was sure he felt a bone break but one look at the b- Virgil, and Roman felt a pang in his gut. Virgil’s eyes were shut again and his chest rose and fell heavily. His bottom lip trembled slightly as he bit back tears.

“Hey, Virgil. Just focus on me okay?” Roman said.

Virgil opened his eyes and looked at Roman.

“Why are you on here if you don’t like it?” Roman asked after a second.

“My… My friends dared me. They’re a few cars up,” Virgil replied.

“What are your friends' names?” Roman asked in hopes of distracting Virgil enough for him to calm down.

“Remy and… and Devon,” Virgil said.

Roman nodded. Slowly, the cars began to slow down and Virgil’s grip loosened slightly.

“S… Sorry,” he muttered as the ride came to a stop.

Roman shook his head. “Nonsense! There's nothing to be sorry for, my dark prince,” Roman laughed.

Virgil quirked an eyebrow at the nickname.

“And besides, I quite enjoyed this ride. And your presence only made it more fun!” Roman continued, clapping Virgil on the back with his free hand.

Virgil lowered his gaze, his fingers slipping from Roman’s.

“Is everything alright, my dear?” Roman asked hesitantly.

“It's just that…” Virgil looked back up at Roman. “You'rereallyfunnyandcuteandIknowwejustmetbutIthinkIlikeyou.” Virgil clamped a hand over his mouth.

“I'm sorry I couldn't understand you there. Mind saying it again?” Roman’s stomach fluttered.

Virgil took a deep breath. “It's just that you're really funny and cute and… And I know we haven't known each other for very long…like, at all...” Virgil paused for a second. “I think… I think I like you.”

A grin spread across Roman's lips. “ I think you're cute too,” he chuckled. After a second he pulled a pen out of his pocket. He uncapped it, holding the lid between his teeth, and grabbed Virgil's hand. He pulled it toward himself and scribbled something down on the back of it. Virgil stared at the loopy handwriting as Roman recapped the pen, shoving it back in his pocket.

“There! Now we can talk to each other!” Roman exclaimed.
The corners of Virgil's mouth lifted and Roman laughed as he clambered out of the ride. “See ya later, Prince,” he called over his shoulder as he reunited with Patton who was waiting on the other side of the gate, chatting enthusiastically with Logan. Logan was grinning slightly as Patton waved his arms about.

“Hey, Pat,” Roman called as he walked up to them. Logan blushed.

“Hey, Ro!” Patton replied. His eyes sparkled. “This is Logan! He’s really cool and he likes space and he's like, really good at science and stuff. He's like a big nerd!”

Logan blushed harder. “I… I need to get back to work, Patton,” he said quickly.

Patton’s face fell slightly. “Alright, kiddo. Call me sometime,” Patton giggled, a smile once again finding its place on his lips.

Logan dipped his head. “I will. See you around.”

“C’mon, Patton. Let’s go find some food.” Roman linked his arm through Patton’s, dragging him away from Logan. Patton shot one more lopsided grin at Logan who waved softly in return before following Roman through the carnival grounds.

Chapter Text

Logan pinched the bridge of his nose and let out a puff of air. His head pounded, vision blurring slightly as he scribbled down notes into the margins of his book. Every few minutes he would stop to reach behind his glasses and rub his eyes, blinking a few times to clear his vision before continuing his work. After a few minutes, he heard a knock.

“What?” He grumbled, finally looking up from his book. The room tilted dangerously, his vision going dark for a few seconds. After a minute it cleared and he sighed again as the door opened. Footsteps padded across the carpeted floor, the only indication that someone else was in the room. He felt a hand on his shoulder.

“Hey, Lo. What’s shakin’ my dude, my bro, my friendo?”

Logan instantly recognized the voice as Remy’s. Or maybe it was Roman’s? No, it was definitely Remy. Logan shook his head slightly. “What is it you need?” he asked harshly. He looked up at who, if his assumptions were correct, was Remy. They were. Remy hovered behind Logan’s chair, sunglasses perched upon his nose, his hands shoved in the pockets of his jeans.

“Gurl, you need to get some sleep. You look awful,” Remy said. He removed his hand from his pocket, lifting it to his face and tilting his sunglasses down, peering over them at Logan.

Logan shook his head harder this time, rubbing the bridge of his nose in a feeble attempt to ward off his headache. “I’m fine. I will get some sleep when I’ve finished this,” He said, gesturing to the pile of books and papers littered across his desk.

Remy shook his head. “I will not hesitate to--”

The rest of the sentence was lost to Logan. He shook his head again, this time to try and clear the ringing that had formed in his ears. “I’m fine,” He insisted.

“That’s it. If you won’t listen to me then I’ll just have to go and get Patton,” Remy suggested. He smiled at the look of shock on Logan’s face.

Logan’s eyes widened. “N...no, please. Patton would be furious,” He whined.

Remy quirked an eyebrow, a hand resting on top of his hip. “Well then do us all a favor and get some sleep. You’re gonna hurt Thomas if you don’t. And Tommy don’t need that shit right now, gurl.”

Logan nodded slightly, not even bothering to correct Remy’s grammar. He stood up shakily, holding on to the desk chair for a few seconds. The room spun from the sudden rush of blood and the next thing he knew he was stumbling forward into Remy, the latter catching him before he could hit the ground. “Oh hun,” Remy murmured. “You need some serious shut-eye. Please, Lo.”

“I’m fine,” Logan mumbled. He felt a hand under his legs, another wrapping around his waist, his feet leaving the ground a few moments later. Remy carried him over to his bed, setting him down gently. Logan sighed. He leaned back so his head was resting on the wall, fighting the urge to fall asleep right there.

“I’ll be right back, Remy said as he shuffled out of the room.

Logan ignored him, too tired to move. After a minute he heard someone re-enter the room.

“Logan?”

Logan looked up at the sound of Patton’s voice. He felt a wave of shame wash over him. Why couldn’t he just take care of himself? Now Patton would be angry, no, disappointed and Logan didn’t think he could… Logan rubbed his eyes. Remy stood behind Patton, concern crossing his face. Logan’s shoulders dropped. “Patton, I…”

“Are you okay, kiddo?” Patton interrupted.

Logan shook his head. “I’m sorry,” he mumbled.

The bed dipped as Patton sat down. “Tell me what’s wrong,” He said gently, reaching out to grab one of Logan’s hands in his own. He started rubbing small circles on the back of Logan’s hand, feeling the other relax somewhat.

Logan stared at him for a minute. His eyes watered slightly. “I…” Logan started. His breath caught in his throat.

Patton frowned. “Logan? Are you okay?”

Logan shook his head, his glasses slipping slightly. Patton reached over and gently slid them off of Logan’s face, folding them up and placing them on the nightstand. Logan sighed and rubbed his eyes. “I’m sorry, Pat. What I’ve been doing… It’s… It’s illogical,” he murmured, hanging his head. Patton placed a hand on Logan’s shoulder, glancing over at Remy. The latter stood in the middle of the room, arms folded across his chest and sunglasses slid low on the bridge of his nose.

“You are absolutely right, gurl. You need some beauty sleep or you’re gonna be a big lump of grump for the rest of the week, and we can’t have that now can we? We need our little nerd to keep everything running smoothly,” Remy chided.

“I...I guess you’re right,” Logan admitted.

“Wait. Really?” Remy asked, his glasses drifting further down his nose to the point where a small movement from Remy would send them flying across the room.

“My actions over the last few days have been foolish and have only succeeded in hurting me more than helping. I’m sorry, guys,” Logan said. His head bobbed slightly and his eyelids closed gently.

“Woah there, kiddo. Take it easy,” Patton said gently as Logan fell against him.

Remy pushed his sunglasses back up, still baffled that Logan actually agreed with him.

After a minute Logan mumbled something. His breathing hitched, his eyes opening for a few seconds before closing again.

“Do you want us to stay tonight?” Patton asked.

“Mmh,” Logan hummed.

Patton lifted his arm and Logan slid down so his head was resting in Patton’s lap. The bed dipped as Remy joined them, leaning over so his head was resting on Patton’s shoulder.

“You’re comfy, like a pillow, Padre,” he yawned.

Patton chuckled softly.

“Sorry, Patton,” Logan murmured. He didn’t know why he kept apologizing. It didn’t matter how many times he said it.

Patton carded his fingers through Logan’s hair. “It’s alright, Lo. Try and get some sleep.” He leaned back so his head was resting against the wall, his own eyelids beginning to droop.

“G’night, Padre,” Remy whispered. He glanced down at Logan who had already begun to snore softly, his hands balled into fists around the hem of Patton’s shirt before letting his eyes drift shut.

“Sleep tight, kiddo,” Patton replied. His breathing slowed as he slipped into a dreamless sleep.

Chapter Text

“Well I don’t see why not, kiddo,” Patton said.

“Exactly, Virgil,” Logan began, shooting a somewhat annoyed look at Virgil. “If we set the dye out now then it saves time, leaving more time for them to dry and therefore allowing us more time to finish the other preparations.” Logan adjusted his tie.

Virgil shrugged. “Fine. Whatever.”

“Excellent!” Roman shouted.

Patton turned to him, a grin spreading from ear to ear. “You mean Egg-celent.”

Roman shook his head and chuckled softly. Virgil and Logan groaned simultaneously but Patton’s pun had managed to draw faint smiles from both of them.

“Alright. So I guess we should just, ya know, do this?” Virgil suggested.

Patton nodded, bouncing up and down with excitement.

“Then it’s decided! Let the easter-egg dying commence!” Roman shouted dramatically, causing Logan to flinch at the sudden volume.

Virgil rolled his eyes, making his way over to the counter where around three dozen eggs sat in open cartons, all hard-boiled the previous night. Hopefully. He handed a carton to Logan, and then another to Roman before grabbing the last one and setting it down on the table.

“Thanks, kiddo!” Patton said, ruffling Virgil’s hair lightly.

Virgil narrowed his eyes and tugged his hood up, trying to maintain his edgy persona. His efforts were futile, however, and he soon broke out in a lopsided grin.

“Hey, Ro. Can you grab some dye for us?” Patton asked.

Roman nodded, and with a quick sweep of his hand small cups holding dye tablets appeared on the table, lined up in a rainbow across the tabletop.

Another sweep of his hand and they were filled with a vinegar-water mix, the tablets already fizzing away.

Virgil scrunched his nose as the smell of vinegar filled the kitchen.

“Alrighty, kiddos! Let's dye these eggs!” Patton said.

Logan smiled at the moral side’s enthusiasm.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Wow, Princey. Those actually don’t look… bad,” Virgil found himself saying around twenty minutes later when he happened to glance over at Roman’s eggs. They were decorated in vibrant colors, and small swirls had been drawn on a few of them.

Roman perked up, staring at the anxious side in shock. “R..really? You think so?” He asked nervously.

Virgil nodded. “Yeah, I mean, they’re like, really colorful and stuff so…” he trailed off, looking down at the egg in his hand. It was dyed a deep purple with small black swirls he had drawn on.

“Virgil, did you make those?” Roman asked after a minute, gesturing to the array of purple and blue easter eggs.

Virgil nodded slowly. “Yeah… I mean, yeah. They aren’t g… good though…” he muttered.

“What are you talking about? Those are incredible!” Roman said, his voice growing louder, catching the attention of the other two sides.

“Wow, Virgil! Those are really pretty,” Patton chimed in.

Virgil could feel his face heat up, a faint blush spreading across his cheeks. “Th… thanks, I guess,” He mumbled, shrinking back into his jacket.

Logan shot him a small smile. “Those are... a quite vibrant shade. It looks good,” He said.

Virgil smiled briefly before staring down at his hands. “So um... “ He started slowly.

“Yeah, kiddo?” Patton questioned.

“Um… it’s nothing, nevermind,” Virgil said hurriedly.

Patton quirked an eyebrow but didn’t say anything.

They all went back to dying their Easter eggs, Virgil and Patton working in silence while Logan and Roman talked quietly.

Virgil was finishing his last easter egg when the nagging thought in the back of his head became overwhelming. Before he could stop himself he opened his mouth. “Hey, Patton? Um… why are we… why are we even doing all of this if… if the Eas--”

Logan suddenly found to clear his throat loudly and Roman’s whispers neared shouting now. “As I was saying, Easter is in fact, my personal favorite!” Roman shouted.

“Woah there, Roman. Why the sudden crescendo?” Patton chuckled.

Roman flushed and cleared his throat. “Oh um I… It was nothing. Just practicing for a… a play I’m putting on!” He lied, his voice closer to its normal volume.

Virgil narrowed his eyes. “Hey, Logan could I speak with you, like, out there?” Virgil gestured to the commons.

“Of course,” Logan said, setting down the half dyed Easter egg he was holding and following Virgil into the commons.

Once they were sure the other sides couldn’t hear them Virgil spoke. “What. Was. That?” He asked.

“Well um…” Logan pushed his glasses up. “I… um… Patton doesn't exactly… know the Easter bunny isn’t real,” he confessed.

Virgil’s eyes widened. “Wait. So you mean that he never like, learned about…”

Logan shook his head. “No. And we are going to keep it that way.”

Virgil nodded. “Wow… um… why haven’t you guys told him? Don’t you think that you’re being a bit mean?” Virgil asked.

“Are you kidding? He would be devastated!” Logan hissed.

Virgil shrugged. “I mean I guess but--”

“No. End of discussion,” Logan said quickly, cutting him off.

“Fine.”

“Fine.”

The two sides re-entered the kitchen to find Roman and Patton giggling quietly at something.

“I take it you two are having fun?” Virgil asked.

Patton straightened up. “Roman was just telling me about the time he and the Dragon-Witch were battling and she cried when she broke a claw,” Patton giggled.

“It was quite funny,” Roman said, pretending to wipe away a tear.

“Sure,” Virgil said flatly, shaking his head slightly.

“Is everything alright, kiddo?” Patton asked.

“Hmm? Oh yeah, I’m just a bit tired,” Virgil said, leaving out the 'of everyone lying to you’ part.

“If you say so,” Patton said hesitantly.

“Well guys, I think that these are incredible! The Easter Bunny will love them for sure!” Roman said after a minute.

Virgil cringed. “Yeah, I guess,” he muttered.

“Indeed. We’ll put them out later once they’ve dried,” Logan added.

“Fun,” Virgil grumbled.

“Virgil, are you sure you’re alright?” Patton asked worriedly.

“Yeah um, is Easter always like this?” Virgil asked.

“Well duh. It has to be perfect for the Easter Bunny,” Roman chimed in before Patton could answer.

“Heh. Okay then,” Virgil replied.

“Well, kiddos, I guess we can say this year’s egg-dying has been egg-stravagant!” Patton chuckled, his eyes sparkling with laughter.

“Agreed,” Logan said.

“And it’s better now that we have our storm-cloud spending it with us!” Roman added.

Virgil blushed. “I… I guess I mean, thanks?” He said unsurely.

Patton grinned, walking around the table to where Virgil stood and wrapping him in a bone-crushing hug. “Happy Easter, kiddo,” Patton said gently, ruffling Virgil’s hair slightly.