Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

I’m having a Ribbiting Time!

Chapter 1:

Today was going to be a bad day.

Patton could already tell.

Something was off about today, and the sinking feeling he had in his gut didn’t make it better. He didn’t know what was going to happen, he just knew something was coming.

He sighed and looked over at his cat-themed alarm clock.

“4:10”

Patton sits up and snaps on his clothes. Running a hand down his face, he fixes his cardigan and heads to the kitchen with the thought of making a sweet-tasting treat to make him feel better.

With how early it is, he doubts anyone would want anything anytime soon. He should be able to relax with a nice cup of hot cocoa.

Once in the kitchen, Patton gets to work by grabbing the ingredients. After placing the chocolate bar on the counter, he opens the fridge to grab the milk and pauses.

Soy or Regular.

It should be an easy decision.

Soy or Regular

That shouldn’t be a hard choice.

Soy or Regular

God, why can’t he just choose one? Why can’t he decide? Why does he have to make the decisions? Why does he keep being wrong? Why can’t he stop messing up!-

“Patton?”

Patton quickly turns around with a start, putting a smile on his face.

“ Logan! What are you doing up?”

Logan re-adjusts his glasses and moves towards the coffee pot with a slight look of confusion.

“It’s 6 am. I always come down at 6:00.”

It becomes Patton's turn for brief confusion as he looks at the clock on the stove, but sure enough, there's the time.

“6:04”

How had he managed to miss that much time?

Patton gives him his signature smile and moves toward him.

“Sorry, morning brain. I could make your coffee.” Patton says, reaching for the coffee grounds. Logan shakes his head, grabbing the grounds out of Patton’s hands.

“You’re fine, Patton, and since I'm already here, I'll just go ahead and make it.” Logan starts making the coffee, and Patton takes a breath and nods.

“You're right, I should probably start on breakfast then!”

Useless

Turning on the stove, Patton starts his morning routine of breakfast.

The thick cut of bacon sizzles in the hot pan as the grease from it pops. The smell of the cooking meat wafts through the air as Patton flips a pancake. Humming, he sets the now crispy bacon on a plate and cracks a couple of eggs into the used pan. Watching both items, he slowly scrambles the eggs til done. With breakfast almost done, Patton lets out a sigh.

He just didn’t understand why he was so tired. Restless? He didn’t know what was going on, and it was starting to frustrate him. He just wished someone could tell him what was going on-

“PATTON!”

For the second time that day, Patton jumped, suddenly feeling a hand on his shoulder. Quickly turning his head, he sees Virgil look at him with soft concern. From the corner of his eye, he sees Logan looking at him inquisitively.

Fuck what did he miss?

“Jeez Patton, I’ve been calling your name for a while now, the Patton-cakes are burning.” Vigil says, taking his hand off of Patton's shoulder and stuffing both of them in his front hoodie pouch. Sure enough, once Patton looks down, he sees a now blackened pancake.

“Crud!”

Patton quickly turns off the stove and sighs before putting on a weak smile and looking over to the two stacks he’s already made. If anything he made too much already but it sucked that he wasted one.

“ It looks like I made enough anyway. Virgil, could you help me set the table?” He dusts off his hands before grabbing some plates. He sees Virgil give Logan a look, and Logan just shrugs.

Patton puts the milk up and looks over at the chocolate bar on the counter. Guess he won't be having hot cocoa right now. He gets out some OJ and grabs some cups before seeing Roman hopping down the steps.

“Morning!” Patton says, waving at Roman through the kitchen pass-through. Roman doesn’t even look at him as he makes his way to the dining room table. Logan and Virgil give their greetings, and Roman supplies them with an exuberant “Good Morning!” back.

Patton feels his heart crack just a bit, but it's fine! It's not like Roman ignored him on purpose; he probably just didn’t hear him. Yeah, that’s it.

Patton makes his way over to the table but falters slightly when Roman’s eyes meet his. Patton sees the light in Roman's eyes diminish slightly before he smiles at him.

“Good morning, Padre!”

“Morning kidd-Ro!”

Patton sees Roman's smile strain a little before he nods and sits down, starting a conversation with Logan. He feels his heart crack a little more, but keeps a smile on his face as he puts down the orange juice. He sits down next to Virgil, who has already filled his plate but is scrolling away on his phone. Patton feels his smile fall slightly as he becomes more alone with his thoughts.

Should he get some eggs? They seem good in theory, but the yellow and the thought of their texture doesn’t give him a good feeling about them. Maybe the bacon? The smell alone is making him quite sick. God, what is happening to him? It would be a waste to throw out so much food, though. Who could I give it to? Ah!

Patton stands suddenly and grabs two plates, piling food on them. He’s filling up two cups of OJ when Logan speaks.

“Patton, what, if I may ask, are you doing?”

Patton looks up from the cups to see 3 pairs of eyes on him. He feels himself flush before he grabs the cups and plates.

“I’m going to see if they want some breakfast.”

“You can’t mean-”

“Yes, them, as in Remus and Deceit. They still are sides, and I feel as though we should treat them as such. ”

“Dark sides, Patton, I understand that we should tolerate them, but you shouldn’t go out of your way for one of them.”

The air feels colder as the sounds from the table cease. Any array of emotions appeared among the group. Logan's face is the only positive one while keeping its stoic nature. Virgil almost immediately looks at Roman, then shifts uncomfortably in his seat, and Roman…Roman looks hurt.

“Roman, they…still are one of us, ok?” Patton's hands grip the plates a little harder as he looks at him. Roman gives him a small nod and a strained smile.

“Okay, padre.” And with that, Patton left towards the Dark Sides.

…

“Knock Knock!” Patton sings as he knocks on Deceit's door. He rocks back and forth on his heels a bit before the door opens.

“Hello, Patton? To what do I owe the displeasure?” Deceit leans against the door frame as he folds his arms. His eyes were stony as he looked into Patton’s.

“I made you guys some breakfast, i-if you guys want it.” Patton tentatively holds up the breakfast plates and cups of OJ. Deceit glances at the food, then back at him. Patton can see Deceit’s eyes soften as he grabs the plates from him.

“Thank you, Patton. Truly, this isn’t very thoughtful and looks disgusting.” Deceit lets a small smile grace his face, and Patton beams. He finally did something right.

“Remus is out in the imagination right now, but I won’t make sure he gets this.” Deceit walks towards the dark side's dining table and sets the plates down. Patton does the same and stands across from him as a comfortable silence fills the air.

“Patton, I have a question to ask?”

Patton looks over at Deceit with a smile and nods. Whatever question he has, Patton will probably have the answer.

He has to have it.

“Are you okay?”

Oh.

“Um, I don’t really…uh” Patton blinks as he’s caught off guard by the question. Has Deceit seen something that Patton hasn’t? Everything has seemed so good lately-

“Sorry, I totally meant for that to come out that way. I wasn’t just asking a general question about your well-being and how the Light Sides are doing.” Deciet lets out a huff as the tips of his ears turn red.

Oh!

“Yeah, Deceit, for the most part, we’re doing well! Thanks for asking!” Patton feels his shoulders release with some hidden tension, but why was he tense right there?

“Janus.”

“Hm?”

“You do remember my name, don’t you?”

“Of course I do!” Patton feels his ears heat up.

“Then please make sure you say it. Okay?” Decei-Janus mouth turns into a sly smirk as he looks at Patton.

“I-I will! I’m going to go back now, so see you later, J-Janus .” He says, flusteredly walking out of the Dark Side Commons with Janus giving a small finger wave as he leaves.

Walking through the Dark hallway back to the Light side, he lets his smile slip as he thinks about going back, already missing Janus. Patton sighs but then opens his eyes quickly. He slows to a stop when he feels something watching him, goosebumps rising on his neck as he looks around.

“Boo.”

Patton lets out a shriek as a voice talks right into his ear. He puts a hand to his heart as he tries to get his heart rate under control.

“Geez, Remus, a little warning would be nice.” Patton chuckles as his breathing becomes stable. Remus just stood there watching him with his signature eerie smile. Patton rubs the back of his neck and shifts a bit uncomfortably.

“Did you need some-”

“No container will hold it.”

“What?”

“They will leak.”

“Remus, what-”

“If you listen, they'll tell you more, but if you don’t, they'll be gone.” Remus’s eyes slowly trace over Patton. Circling him, Patton feels like he’s being gazed upon by a predator.

“Kiddo…I really don’t understand what you're saying right now.” Patton chuckles nervously as Remus invades his space. Remus stops right in front of him, and the smile he had previously is gone.

“Keeping a lid on an overfilled jar is exciting, especially once you put more in there. It's so much fun when it explodes everywhere into a bloodied mess.” Remus cackles, then looks at Patton again, assessing him.

“Would you like to see it?”

Patton shakes, putting a small, strained smile on his face. He doesn’t understand what he's saying. He knows its probably about one of his experiments but that doesn’t make the eerie feeling any less potent.

“Then stop.”

That has Patton looking at him in confusion, but Remus just smiles at him and steps back.

“Well okay daddyo! I'm going to see what Janny has planned for me today.” Remus's quick shift in energy leaves him befuddled, but he nods and waves as Remus skips onto the Dark Side's commons.

…

When Patton makes it back, he sees that everyone has left and the table has been cleaned. He sighs and runs a hand through his hair. Thinking of what he’s going to eat, he opens the fridge and smiles.

‘Saved you a plate’ - V

Patton feels his heart warm as he grabs it and warms it up. After eating it, he decides he deserves a nap before heading into his room, turning off the lights and lying on his bed. He slowly drifts off as a small patch of green forms on his forearm.

Chapter Text

Patton woke with a start, grabbing at his chest.

His heart raced, and his breathing was choppy as he tried to gather his bearings. He blinked and shook his head a couple of times, attempting to shake off the remnants of his nightmare. He hasn’t gotten them as often anymore since the wedding fiasco, but now, when he does, he doesn't remember them. Even though he might not recall what happened, his body always seems to.

Taking deep breaths, Patton grabs his bat plushie and squeezes it until he feels relatively normal. Sniffing the air, he scrunches his nose, then smells himself and sighs. He sweated a lot during that.

Standing to wash off the sweat and smell, he grabs his soft “Stay Paw-sitive” t-shirt and some light gray sweatpants. He doesn’t feel like doing much today, so the vision right now is comfort.

Stepping into his bathroom, he scrubs a hand over his face and feels along the wall for the switch. Groaning from the light, he goes about taking his shower and doing his morning routine. After doing his skin care (which involved wetting a towel and wiping his face), he starts to brush his teeth when he notices something on his arm. It's a small patch of something smooth and… green?

It can’t be…

Patton touches it and feels his heart drop.

It was slimy. Fuck!

This was not happening! Patton covers his arm and closes his eyes, taking deep breaths.

This isn’t happening. Nothing is on your arm. You are just being paranoid.

Taking one big exhale, he lets out a soft chuckle while shaking his head.

Yeah, there’s no way-

He lets out a string of curses in panic once he removes his hand. The green shows up as a stark contrast to his pale skin.

Why? Why now? Nothing is wrong! Everyone is happy-

Are they really?

Patton looks at himself in the mirror, trying to calm his breath, when he gets a knock on his bedroom door.

“Patton?”

Fuck!

Hearing Logan at the door, Patton's eyes go wide as he scrambles around for something to cover his arm.

Um!

Uhhhh?

Ah-ha!

Opening the cabinet under the sink, he finds a roll of bandages. He quickly wraps his arm and pins it with a safety pin. Running back into his room, he stumbles over his PJs and lightly bumps into the wall.

“Oof”

“Patton? Are you okay?”

Logan tries the door again.

“I’m good, just give me a sec!” Patton yells as he gets off the wall. He huffs, looking at his PJs before snapping them away and quickly putting on his clothes. He strides towards the door and quickly opens it.

“Heya, Logan! What can I do for ya?”

Patton says with his voice a little too high-pitched and a smile that's just a bit too big. Logan puts down the hand he was using to knock and fixes his glasses.

“Hello, Patton. Are you…alright?”

Again?

“ Yeah, I’m good, why?”

Patton feels his smile become a little strained, but he doesn’t know why. He is good, doesn't he look like it?

“It sounded like you fell. Also, it seems like you got hurt. I didn't mean to startle you.”

Oh, that.

Patton quickly puts his hand over the bandage and lets out a chuckle in relief. He thought he was asking about…something else.

“It's okay. Really, I'm fine, it's just a scratch, don't worry. But um, what exactly do you need?”

Logan blinks and straightens up, suddenly remembering why he came. He starts fixing his tie, looking kinda, nervous.

“Right, it's a… private matter, may I come in?”

Patton stands up off the door frame, not realising he was slouching, and nods.

“Uh, sure, kiddo.”

Patton opens the door more, and Logan heads inside. Once inside, Logan looks around, and all Patton can think about is how dirty his room is.

God, look at everything on the ground; I forgot to make my bed, and he's definitely going to notice and comment on that. All of my plushies are out of order as well. God, Patton, why didn't we think to clean?

“Sorry for the mess! I haven’t had the chance to clean lately.”

Logan starts to say something, but hesitates. Patton, seeing this, starts to fidget. To be fair, who wouldn’t when the person who usually always knows and has something to say doesn’t? The one who usually is assertive is…hesitating.

Damn, is my room that bad? I know I've let go recently, but I didn't think it was that shocking or…is it something else? What does he have to talk about? Did something happen? Is there a moral dilemma he needs to fix cause he’s not the best at those right now? Did the others do something-

Is it about him?

What did he do? Did he mess something up? He couldn’t have, he’s been careful! He’s been trying to be more open. Heck, he’s even been fully, well, as accepting as you can be of Remus! He’s even taken steps back; his influence won't be overpowering. So what is he missing-

“Truthfully, I don’t quite know how to approach this topic, but… how do you feel about the 'other sides’? I know Roman still has some tension with Janus and is uncomfortable with his brother, and that Virgil has that history between them, but I want to know how you feel about them.”

Logan huffs, looking at Patton while fixing his glasses for the umpteenth time. He starts talking again, but Patton doesn’t hear him. He feels his shoulders sag.

Oh. It’s about them. I mean, of course it would be.

So self-absorbed

God Patton, why do you always think these conversations are about you? There are a million other reasons someone could be coming to talk to you, y’know. Why are you always overthinking? Why do you always think you're the problem? Everything always has to revolve around you, huh?

Patton, Patton, Patton-

“Patton!”

Hearing his name, Patton jumps a bit before looking over at Logan, who is currently looking at him with a bit of frustration.

Oops.

“Yes? Sorry, what was that again?”

Patton gives him a nervous smile as Logan pinches the bridge of his nose and mutters under his breath.

“Maybe this was a bad idea after all.”

No

“No! I mean, I’m serious, I'm here for you. I was just in my head for a sec, but I promise I'm here for you.”

Patton looks at him earnestly, then sits on his bed.

“To answer your question, I really don’t have any problems with them. I mean, granted, Remus still kinda freaks me out at times, but I’m getting better with my reactions to what he’s doing. As for Janus, we’re actually pretty cool. Like we aren’t close, close, but like I would consider him a friend. Why did you wanna know?”

Patton sits comfortably on his bed. This subject was easy, but he didn’t know why, thinking Janus made his face a little hot. Logan shuffles slightly with a look of concentration as if he’s trying to solve a very complicated problem.

“Well, speaking of Remus, he is the reason I’m here."

Patton blinks in surprise.

“Did he do something?”

Shaking his head, Logan sighs.

“Not particularly, it's just that lately things have been…weird.”

“Weird?’

Logan nods and fidgets.

“It seems that every time I'm around him, I feel like I’m getting sick.”

Patton tilts his head to the side, going to speak before Logan cuts him off.

“I know it sounds illogical, but every time he’s around me, I get sweaty and am flushed. It also gets really bad when we work on a project together. It feels like I’m going through heartburn. This has been happening for a while, so I felt like I needed another person's objective opinion on the matter. So what do you think is going on, and do you think it will affect Thomas?”

Throughout Logan’s speech, Patton can feel his mouth grow into a grin. With this new information, Patton sits up and puts his hands in his lap. He’s practically bouncing in his seat. This is the best thing that has happened to him recently. Logan looks at him, confused.

“Why are you smiling?”

“I’m just so excited that you actually have feelings for someone, and that you came to me for advice!

That causes Logan to pause and look at Patton incredulously and huffs out a disbelieving chuckle.

“Patton, we’ve talked about this. I don't have emotions and definitely not feelings. There has to be a medical reason why this is all happening.”

Patton shakes his head, then puts it into his hand. His grin grows as the conversation continues.

“Those 'symptoms' seem like a reaction of you having feelings for him.”

“No, Patton. I don’t have feelings for him or anyone. I may be interested in his mind, but that’s all that's there.”

“If it really was a medical emergency, then you would be able to look up, so why haven’t you?”

That seems to make Logan pause again and pointingly look at Patton.

“Y’know, interest can be another form of feelings.”

Logan sighs deeply, looking very frustrated, and Patton starts to feel bad for pressing.

“I see we are going nowhere. Never mind then, Patton, have a good day.”

Patton stands up and tries to reassure him.

“Logan-”

Logan leaves his room before he can say another word, and Patton sighs, sitting back down.

Well worth a shot.