Archive of Our Own ^beta

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Deceit has a lot of pockets in his cape, so many of them are sewn to the insides of it both for aesthetic purposes but also for a few very useful ones as well. Some days they are lined to the brim with tissues, the others don’t know this and if they did they would probably assume that he was just out to make trouble with them in some fashion or form, they would never see Deceit as a big evil villain if he knew what he really used them for and honestly, he couldn’t have that now could he?

There, of course, is a reason for the tissues of course, just as there are reasons for everything that he carries around with him, on days like this. But making his way up the stairs it becomes obvious what they are meant for as soon as he gets on his hands and knees and starts crawling forward in order to minimize the sounds that he makes. The door he crawls to is open but just barely, he can hear angry mutters and mumbles on the other side of it and a smirk lights up his scaly face as he eases it open.

Peering his head in he sees his target, bend over his desk and in tears of frustration as he tries to do something..anything out on paper, but it just isn’t happening for him. Roman is in the mists of a creative block, that should be easy as day and night for the other sides to figure out, but as the only side who can really just see what lays below the surface of anything really, it falls on him of all people to do something about it.

Of course, he could just tell people about what he sees, and what might be coming, but that is something that never works, or at least it probably wouldn’t. He’s never really gotten the guts to tell anyone about what might be happening to the others, he’s Deceit for crying out loud so why would they trust him? Why would they believe him? Why would they care?

So it falls to him to solve this, as Roman sags down in his chair with his hands pressed to his face as his bottom lip starts to tremble Deceit can see that it’s about to start. The shaking of Roman’s shoulders give it away, and within a second Deceit is scrounging around in one of those many pockets for a bunch of tissues. Summoning a sharpie he starts to write on one of them.

‘Don’t do this to yourself, you’re allowed to be burnt out and tired. Take a break, please.’ Crumpling it up, Deceit takes aim and fires at Roman’s head, it connects and before Roman can even look up let alone unravel the tissue Deceit is gone.

He doesn’t see Roman looking around for the villain who would have thrown the wad of tissues at him, and he doesn’t see Roman reading the note as he uses one of the tissues to wipe his tears away.

He doesn’t see it, because he doesn’t have to. As Roman barrels down the stairs just an hour later thanking Patton for caring so much about him, Patton, of course, is confused by it and but doesn’t comment, and Deceit’s hurt doesn’t go noticed. How could it? They don’t see him.

Just a week later his many pockets are filled with something else and he slinks around the mindscape again his eyes trained on the person who is his target of interest this time. He tells himself that he will not fail this time, as every time he had gone to approach the logical side there has been one of the other sides with him leaving him unable to do what he needed to do. This time though, Patton is cooking in the kitchen, Virgil is listening to his music at the breakfast bar, and Roman is singing away in the shower. It is the perfect time for him to strike.

Logan is sitting on the couch with a book in hand which isn’t too unusual for him to be doing at this time of day, it is his usually scheduled relaxing time. Which in itself isn’t too odd for him to do, after all the book is one of Logan’s favorites, Patton had given it to him on the birthday of his name reveal and he always read it and re-read it. That isn’t the problem that Deceit notices today, today he notices just like most of Logan’s scheduled relaxing times. Is that he isn’t actually reading his book.

Logan’s eyes as he notices, are just staring blankly at the words not actually processing the same page he had been looking at for nearly twenty minutes.

Deceit ducks behind the far end of the couch arm peering over the edge, today Logan’s eyes look sad, but below even that Deceit can see it. It isn’t just sadness he sees in there and it isn’t that Logan has zoned out of reality, it’s something else that can’t be fixed within a day, but over time. Although he can certainly help to start it off.

Logan jerks back into reality as a spoon hits him on the side of his leg, he nearly drops his book from how off guard it caught him and before he can scold himself he notes to himself there is a message tied around the spoon. So he looks around, there’s no one in sight and Virgil’s back is still turned to him and judging by just where the spoon came from there is no way that it could have been Virgil.

Out of curiosity more than anything he picks it up and unravels the paper attached to it, and reading it make something in his chest and his eyes sting for some reason.

‘You are not alone, you are not a robot, and you do have feelings. If those feelings are hurt by someone do not let it go unknown and untold, let them know they hurt you. You are loved, Logan.’

Once again Deceit is gone as soon as Logan got the message, and well before Logan peers over the edge of the couch.

He is there, however, when Logan comes into the dining room that evening and thanks Patton just as Roman did to him. Patton is once again confused, but he ignores that in favor of hugging Logan when the logical side confesses many things to him. Just like before Deceit feels hurt, but he too ignores that feeling in favor of reveling in something else.

Pride.

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Of course getting to Virgil in his time of need was really going to be something that would be impossible for Deceit, he, of course, knew that. But it certainly didn’t make things easier for him, quite frankly the number of times he’d seen Virgil moving away in a huff to go to his bedroom and lock himself away was one too many for Deceit. He knew that Virgil’s bad days came and went sometimes, and other times stuck around but it infuriated him that the anxious side wouldn’t get the help that he honestly needed from the family that he had now.

Patton would obviously love to help Virgil as he himself had seen the soft and cuddly side doting on Virgil too many times for him to honestly count, and Logan knew a lot about mental health that would help Virgil and he knew anxiety attacks, Roman..in his own way would be able to help Virgil. So he just didn’t get it, why wouldn’t he go to them?

Was he scared of coming off as needy? Did he just not want to bother the others? Was he ashamed of what he was going through?

Looking at Virgil and looking at him hard, what Deceit saw really saddened him in the end, but it also made him that much more determined to do what must be done for the anxious side. If Virgil wasn’t going to talk to them, then Deceit would give him the push that he needed in order to make it happen, even if it killed him in the process.

It was with that in mind that he stuffed his inner pockets full and waited on the couch, the others rarely paid attention to him anymore since he had been showing his face more and more in their area of the mindscape. He’d just kind of become a part of the background to them, and while at first that had really stung and hurt his feelings to the point he had gone to his room for a good couple of days to just cry it out and curl up by himself to watch his favorite movies. He had been tired of being in the background and hidden in the shadows with all of the other dark sides, and now it was practically just the same with the ones who he had thought might not accept him right away, but eventually would welcome him. He had been wrong.

However, right now it worked perfectly in his favor as he sat amongst the others, he kept his entire body relaxed as he pretended to be watching the tv show that Roman seemed completely enamored with. He personally didn’t understand the reasoning behind rocks from outer space taking care of a prepubescent boy, but he wasn’t one to judge especially as he had rather grown attached to the green one in the show. It was a little hard to drag his attention from the show and occasionally look over to Virgil, who too had been watching the show.

At least at one point.

Now his legs were scrunched up to his chest and his cheek was resting against them. Following the anxious side’s line of sight, he noticed that it was fixed onto a particular book that Logan was reading, and just like that he began to notice the signs. Alleviated breathing, how his fingers started to dig into the fabric of his pants, the biting of his lower lip, and how he seemed to be trying to say something but just couldn’t get it out. He was about to have a panic attack, and Deceit wasn’t about to let Virgil sink or run away from him this time, at least not before he could give him his message before the deceitful side ducked out and ran like a coward.

When Virgil got up to his feet, Deceit knew that it was time as he gripped the item inside of his cloak, he kept still as to not attract any attention to himself as Virgil turned his back to them on the couch moving to make his way upstairs. When…

Thwack! A hard yet soft object pelted the anxious side in the back of the head, and Virgil spun on his heel his anxious fit nearly forgotten in his rage as he was prepared to rail on whoever had thrown something at him. He had an entire speil ready and everything for the dirtbag who had thrown something at him.

However, upon turning around he froze, sitting on the ground and apparently what had hit him in the back of the head. Was a soft tiny beanie baby, it was a black kitten around the size of his palm with a yellow piece of paper wrapped around its middle and sealed with a piece of tape. His mouth snapped shut as he leaned down to pick it up as he rubbed the back of his head the sensation of being hit with the beanie baby already fading away.

Pulling the note off Virgil was forced to bite his lower lip as tears welled within his eyes, ‘We all love you Virgil, and I can tell that something is wrong. Please talk to us, you are apart of a family and all of us will hear what you have to say. Please don’t run away.’

A hand clasped over Virgil’s mouth and a little sniffle left him, he knew that the writer of this note was right, but he had felt…stupid thinking about going to them. He had felt stupid about going to them about the things that set him off and made his own anxiety crank up to eleven, he had felt stupid about having to explain it to them. He had thought that he could deal with it, but the message on the note was right.

They were his family, they would care, and they would listen to them.

This time Deceit didn’t stick around as Virgil went to Patton, he sank out and nobody saw him go to the bathroom, nobody saw him gripping his chest as the tears trailed down his face. They didn’t see him and they didn’t hear him as he let out a muffled sob at just how much it hurt, it hurt to never show how much he cared for all of them, and it hurt to have them all treat him so coldly.

It hurt so much, because, in the end, he knew that they would never treat him any differently than they did now. They just didn’t see him, not enough to care.

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When Deceit no longer had the tears to give and every movement was complete with his body shaking like a newborn lamb, he managed to sink out and make it to his room. Tossing his cape to the side that still had pockets full of beanie babies that he could have given to Virgil, Deceit collapsed on his bed not even bothering to get under the covers as he scrunched himself up so tight that he resembled a ball.

His hands reached out pressing the soft and fuzzy stuffed snake close to his chest, he could feel the patches that were worn out on his stuffed animal and he couldn’t help but to fiddle with them. His wet cheek rubbed against the fuzzy head of the snake and he took a deep shuddering breath, he wanted to stay here, he wanted to stay here and safe in his room where he wouldn’t be subjected to the pain of pretty much all of his own personal failures.

For a second he thought about it, he thought about hating Patton for taking all of the credit for everything that he had done to help the others. Deceit thought about it, he could scorn Patton he could make him upset like Deceit was right now and he could make him run off and cry like Deceit had done when Virgil went to thank Patton just like everyone else in the mindscape practically had.

He could have, it would be so very easy for him to make the venom of his words drip from his lips, and it would be easy to sound so hateful towards the happy and bubbly side.

It would be easy for him to do...but it wouldn’t be the right thing.

Helping the others hadn’t been easy, in fact hunkering down and writing those messages had been pretty hard for him to do by himself with no one else to help him feel things out. But he had done it, he had paid attention to what had hurt the others and he had written something which he couldn’t say for fear of lies coming out of him.

Here in his room, he was able to speak the truth.

“Patton deserves the best…” Deceit whispered to himself knowing that the best wasn’t him, but the others who could actually the other. And so rubbing the palm of his hand under his wet eyes he nodded firmly to himself as he sat back up, patting his stuffed snake that he had aptly named Sir Slithers, on the head, he got up and went to his desk.

Tons of scraps of papers laid out, some with discarded messages written on them and some that he was planning on using for later if the other sides started to go back into their old ways.

Tissues for Roman, the one who refuses to let anyone see him cry. Spoons for Logan, who finds the most comfort in his food and work, but not the people around. Stuffed animals for Virgil who needed a soft yet firm reminder that he had people there that would be willing to help him through his darkest moments.

Now it was Patton’s turn, he had seen it building and building up inside of happy side for some time now, Patton to his credit had been trying to let out. Watching sad movies, listening to music that wasn’t the happiest, and leaning on his friends. But with how much Patton had been stress baking and keeping to himself, Deceit knew that it was time for an intervention that only he was capable of giving the other, even if Patton didn’t know it yet.

He waited a couple of hours, as Patton was cooking dinner in the kitchen. He wasn’t whistling or singing as he cooked and that alone seemed to be something that told Deceit that something was wrong. He was on his hands and knees again slinking forward, even though all of the others were busy doing their own thing around this time, Logan was only bound to come down within thirty minutes to get a cup of coffee. Roman would only come down when Patton said it was time for dinner, and Virgil...Virgil came down when it pleased him, but Deceit knew that he had things under control.

For once at least.

This time his pockets wouldn’t hold the thing that he was carrying, and as such, it was pretty difficult to hold onto to it and still be stealthy. Even so, he still somehow managed it as he rested his shoulder against the corner of the breakfast bar peering around the corner like someone in a stealth game trying to sneak up on their target.

So upon seeing that Patton’s back was turned to him and he had no idea whatsoever about what was going to be heading his way.

With that in mind, Deceit let the thing drop before the paws started to skitter in Patton’s direction.

A slobbering tongue hung out of the side of the mouth of the dog as it bounded up bouncing against Patton’s leg and so very eager to be pet by other, its floppy ears moved all around with the movement and looking down at it Patton couldn’t help but to coo at the splotches of color that was all over the dog’s fur. It was just so cute!

It even helped with the faint bits of sadness that had started to creep back up on him in the passing days, it had upset him honestly, that he had been doing so well and then suddenly he had just started to feel so bad again without any warning. He had been doing everything perfectly too! There had been no reason for him to feel this bad, and yet...it had just suddenly hit him one morning when he had gotten up to make breakfast. It wasn’t at all fair.

Although the beagle that had blobs of white, brown, and black all over it certainly did help, even if he couldn’t help but to notice that the dog had two different shades of brown for its eyes and one of the patches of white was right over one of the dog’s eyes. It made him suspicious all of for two seconds before the dog leaped up again determined to both knock his glasses from his face and to cover said face in doggy slobber.

A giddy laugh bubbled up out of him, as he wrapped his arms around the neck of the dog who was bouncing up and down. When his hand touched the scrap of paper that was neatly tied around the dog’s collar, a curiosity-filled Patton as he quickly untied it.

By now the beagle was patiently sitting by his side, occasionally pawing at his hand wanting more ear scratches. But Patton was only focused on what the note said.

‘It’s alright to be sad, and it’s alright to have bad days. They don’t always make sense, and they don’t have to. Take the time you need to make yourself feel loved, no matter how long that happens to be.’

Patton’s breath caught in his throat and he found himself having to blink away a few tears as he read the message again and again, over and over, as it finally seemed to sink in.

Getting up, and looking around Deceit was gone, but even so, the dog remained.

Chapter Text

Honestly, he felt pretty stupid for not noticing right away, above all else, Patton prided himself in knowing just what was going on within his family and knowing exactly how he could help them. He was a little skeptical when Deceit first started coming around, he watched the snake-faced man with hawk-like perception. He watched as Deceit seemed to be watching them, and he watched as Deceit didn’t really interact with any of them outside of shooting back biting retorts.

However, that was only when he had been talked to, or in Roman and Virgil’s case. Relentlessly questioned like he was on trial for a murder that had all evidence pointing to him.

Outside of that, Deceit hadn’t interacted with them much, besides just showing up after everyone had eaten dinner and he was about to put the leftovers away.

By all accounts, Deceit acted like a recluse, and perhaps that is what should have tipped him off first when the deceitful trait’s snake eye seemed to follow Roman a lot more than usual. Or when he started to scrutinize Logan a little bit more each time he walked past the logical side, when Deceit had fidgeted a little more than usual when Virgil came into the room, and even when the other started to look at him a lot longer when he had started cooking.

Patton should have noticed it, he should have seen that Deceit was up to something when Roman and Logan first came to him thanking him for caring so much. He sure had been confused about it all, but he hadn’t understood completely until he saw the colors of the dog’s mismatched eyes staring happily up at him.

That was when it all sank in for him.

“Oh...Oh, Dee no…” Patton whispered to himself, an ache throbbed in his chest as he saw the empty space where he could have sworn he’d seen movement at just a few minutes before.

Thinking back on everything Patton couldn’t help the sniffles that started up, looping his arms around the dog he felt the animal’s warm tongue lapping at his cheek as if trying to make him feel better. On this occasion though, it didn’t work. He felt… Well, he just felt so...bad.

“I should have told them...I should have told them that it wasn’t me.” Patton’s voice cracked, and he couldn’t help but to mentally kick himself for being so stupid about the entire thing. Logan would have figured it out, Logan would have pieced it together in no time, but..but he wasn’t Logan, and he had never been Logan.

Rubbing his hand under his eyes Patton scrunched up his bottom lip as he put a serious look on his face, he wasn’t Logan, no. But he was Patton and he could do just what he did best when it came to situations like this. So giving the dog one last loving pat on the head, Patton stood before suddenly seizing his apron and getting to work.

This was going to require a lot of second cookies.

It was only several hours later when Deceit felt the unfamiliar tugging, but as unfamiliar as it was he knew just what it was just as it happened. He was being summoned, and just as he felt the sharp almost painful tug pulling him out of his room, despite having never summoned him before the others managed to do it at the worst possible moment too.

Seeing as he was fitted in his comfortable snake-themed pajamas with his hair pinned back out of his face, this was supposed to be a night for him. Where he’d watch Phantom of the Opera while tending to his scales.

His grumpy expression stayed as he appeared his arms crossed as he glared angrily at the one who had summoned him here in the first place, Logan had the heart to look at least slightly sorry for his transgressions as he straightened himself up.

“What do you guys want? I wasn’t busy right now, you know.” He snapped, the lie rolling off of his tongue with ease just as it always did when he was outside of his room, he looked to Logan to answer his question. However, when Patton stepped forward his hand raised in an almost...gentle manner.

Deceit couldn’t help but to shy away, something wasn’t right. They wouldn’t normally treat him like this, in fact, ever since he had been coming around they had elected to ignore him after Roman and Virgil had gotten their questioning over with.

“Deceit, kiddo...is there something that you want to tell us?” Patton’s soft and kind tone made him want to bristle up, he felt like he was being treated as a child who had been keeping a secret from his parent. Or as if Patton was giving him a chance to come clean about something, but there was no way he could have known about everything that he had done. No way.

“Ye- No!” Try as he may, Deceit wasn’t able to consciously lie outside of his room, he knew the truth and even so, he couldn’t outright tell it to them by attempting to lie. His damned curse didn’t exactly work like that.

Grinding his teeth together, Deceit did the only thing he could really do at that moment as Patton reached forward again, his instincts blaring at him to not let himself be touched and to not let the others find out the truth. With a quick movement he swatted Patton’s hand away, and instantly he knew that it had the desired effect given how Virgil’s nostrils flared in anger as he went to step forward. The eyeshadow was darkening under the anxious side’s eyes, and Deceit could well and truly tell that Virgil was pissed.

“That’s enough!” Patton blurted out, stopping Virgil dead as well as Roman who’s hand had been itching to reach for his sword, and before Deceit could swat him away again like some troublesome fly Patton reached forward gingerly but firmly grasping the deceitful trait’s shoulders before giving him a stern shaking.

“I know Dee, I know what you did for them and..and for me. I know that you tried to help us, and it all backfired on you. I know that you care enough to help us, and I know...I know that it must have hurt when they came to me.” Patton stared right into Deceit’s mismatched eyes as his grip softened a little bit.

The snake-like side himself looked like a deer caught in the headlights of an oncoming truck, needless to say, to everyone there he looked downright terrified.

“Deceit…” Logan was the first to speak, thankfully breaking the silence but it didn’t seem to help as the logical side decided to get closer as well to him.

“You don’t have to be ashamed of helping us, the fact that you just let Patton here take all the credit..well it is admirable of you to even lie in that fashion, but… I would have thanked you had I know it was you who sent me that message.” Logan pressed his hand to his own chest before he reached forward, and seeing that Deceit wasn’t going to flee and skitter away like a startled animal. He placed his hand on top of Patton’s where it rested on the other’s shoulder.

“Aye, the nerd is correct in this one instance. Had I known that you cared I too would have thanked you..you came in and saved the prince when I needed saving.” Roman was the next to step forward, a chivalrous grin on his face as if that could somehow mask the guilt he felt gnawing at his insides.

Somehow just like with Virgil he had mistakenly misjudged someone else too, he had insulted Deceit and even mocked his looks. So much so that the other hadn’t even the courage to step forward and tell him that he had been the one to help him in his time of need.

So unlike Logan and Patton, Roman stepped forward ignoring how Deceit seemingly completely froze in terror as Roman wrapped his arms around Deceit giving him a firm hug. He held him for a good minute, at least until he felt Deceit’s muscles go lax and until he felt the other returning the hug somewhat.

Then all eyes fell to Virgil, who had this entire time remained at his spot on the stairs.

Chapter Text

The sensation of angry bees pounding the insides of his stomach was a feeling that Virgil was very much used to, it often came along with the cold sweat droplets that formed on the back of his neck and the catch in his breath as if something heavy was laying on his chest. Except he wasn’t laying down in a horizontal position and nothing was even there, by all accounts he really should have been calm at that moment. Except that he just wasn’t wasn’t, how could he be?

With the eyes of everyone staring back at him, like pinpricks in the darkness or like the eyes of cats reflecting back at him like in the videos that Thomas had often watched when he was younger. The worst set of eyes had to be Deceit’s, and not because of the one snake eye looking back at him, but because of the obvious fear and look of resignment on his face. He expected Virgil to snap at him, he expected no kindness from him and just hate, he expected Virgil to do something, be it shouting at him or coldly dismissing him.

Virgil wasn’t exactly certain of just what Deceit believed him to do next, but with everyone staring at him, with everyone so obviously expecting something from him.

He just couldn’t do it, he felt his hands clamming up and his breath once again caught in his throat, Virgil watched almost detached in a way as Patton reached his hand forward. Be it to comfort him or to drag him forward and make him speak, Virgil didn’t know at that moment. What he did know, however, was that he couldn’t do this, he couldn’t talk to Deceit so openly and so honestly with everyone's eyes on him burrowing into his flesh like the wood drilling bees that Florida often had.

He couldn’t deal with the pressure on his chest or the mess of emotions in his stomach, so he didn’t deal with it.

The last thing that he saw before he sank out completely, was Deceit’s face.

Or more accurately his expression. As his shoulders slumped in a dejected manner, as his eyes had a sheen over them that could only be tears, and as his teeth bit down in his lower lip biting back something in order to not make a scene. Virgil saw the hurt, the sadness, and just the utter heaviness settling over the deceitful side. Even so, it was too late to go back and to change that, as he sank out leaving Deceit with the others who had been good enough with their own words to tell Deceit how they appreciated him. Something that Virgil had been utterly hopeless at doing.

In that moment Deceit felt like crying again, he felt like curling up into a little ball as Thomas had as a child and just weeping until his body physically hurt. He felt like doing so many things, and yet as Virgil disappeared he did nothing as he felt Patton’s arms clench around him, like a bandages wrapping up a raw and bleeding wound.

Patton’s hugs, Deceit had decided were warm and thus to be cherished as his gloved fingers gripping the fabric of the other’s shirt tight. As he released an uneven and unsteady breath he felt Patton’s hand running over his back again and again, as if he were a child that needed to be comforted. Yet another thing that he decided was alright.

“Shhh, it’s alright Dee, he’ll come around. You’ve just got to give him time. It’ll be alright. Just you wait.” Patton’s soothing voice right next to his ear was yet another comforting thing that he found that he couldn’t let go of, it was nice to be comforted, and for once it was really nice to be held in someone else’s arms and told that it was going to be alright.

Patton also smelled of chocolate chip cookies, so that too was also a plus to this situation.

When Patton finally pulled away Deceit definitely did not sniffle a little bit, but he did smile right back at Patton welcoming the cheery smile that the other had to give him. Everything about Patton was warm, and right now he was thankful for it. At least until he felt an arm slinging over his shoulder.

“Come! Let us brighten up this dreary mood with a movie! Deceit you may choose!” Roman announced, his loud voice cutting through the atmosphere left behind by Virgil’s sudden disappearance like a knife through warm butter. Roman offered a distraction from everything, and that was something that he personally could get behind.

“Definitely not Moana, I hate the movie.” Deceit said looking over to the fanciful side as he puffed his chest out like some impressive bird at the mention of the movie. Of course Roman owned every movie with musical numbers in it. That was something that he should have come to expect by now.

“Perfect! I’ll go and get us some snacks!” And just like that, Patton was off dragging Logan off with him, and leaving Deceit to help set up the movie area with Roman. The resulting hours he spent with them, were some of the best in his entire existence. Even if the nagging feeling of Virgil not being there, and of Virgil hating him continued to nag at his guts up until the moment that the movie had come to an end.

When it was finally over, Deceit looked to the others, where Patton’s head was laying smooshed against Logan’s shoulder, and how Logan, in turn, was leaning against Roman. His glasses had been tucked into the collar of his shirt as soon as he had fallen asleep. Something that the creative side had obviously done, not that he would take credit for it. Just as Logan wouldn’t take credit for covering Patton up with a blanket when his sleeping form had started to shiver.

Just as Deceit wouldn’t take credit for putting a pillow under Roman’s head after the movie had finished and Roman too had fallen asleep.

“Don’t sleep well.” Was what he softly uttered to all three of them, as he managed to squeeze himself free of the sleeping pile of bodies.

Turning off the tv Deceit took the stairs up to his room, he felt completely and utterly exhausted as he pushed open his door. Ready to just flop into the messy pile of sheets and covers and just pass out completely, and he did so.

Just to be awakened almost ten minutes later by the feeling of a warm yet soft fabric pressing against his face. So cracking open an eye, so that he could barely see through the haze of sleep, Deceit saw someone standing over him.

No not someone…

It was Virgil, laying a blanket over his body and his legs that were hanging off the side of the bed. But not just any blanket, this had Virgil signature stitchwork on it, although not his purple, as that was replaced with a vibrant array of yellows and blacks.

Something in Deceit’s chest warmed immediately, and he faked being asleep for a moment longer as Virgil reached over tugging the blanket out of Deceit’s face and tucking it into his shoulder before he sank out once again.

Be it an apology present or a thank you gift, it warmed Deceit’s heart to a point he hadn’t thought capable of before.

Virgil wasn’t angry at him. Virgil didn’t hate him. Virgil wasn’t going to ignore him. That was all that mattered to him. 

Chapter Text

When Deceit sleeps it feels like nothing is wrong, he wrapped in layers upon layers of his blankets, sheets, and pillows that he’d formed around himself in order to create a makeshift cocoon. He’s warm and really he feels rather safe just staying there and remaining asleep, however, when he wakes up there’s this familiar feeling that catches hold of his chest.

It happens the very moment he opens his eyes like a monster springing down from the ceiling of his bedroom in a little ‘gotcha!’ like moment. That feeling sinks down into him, and it takes Deceit a moment to realize just what it is, it's a feeling he has come to know rather well since showing himself to the other sides.

So it is a side that he is all too willing to ignore as he snuggles even more into his blankets pulling them over his head in an attempt to block out the feeling. He grabs his long stuffed snake closer to him nestling his chin on top of the fuzzy patchwork that had to be replaced more time than he could even care to count at this point

It’s one of those days today, so he doesn’t bother even trying to get out of bed. There’s no point in even trying to muster up the motivation.

His fingers find that spot on his stuffed snake, the worn out patch right between the snake’s eyes. It’s softer than the rest of the snake and just the methodical nature of rubbing it back and forth somehow makes him feel better for a little while.

Back and forth. Back and forth

It could have been anywhere from an hour to three that Deceit spent looking at nothing, huddled in his own little bundle on the bed. His eyes stared blankly ahead, and really just about anyone could have walked and he wouldn’t have noticed it at all. Eventually though, as he heard the others downstairs clambering about doing their own morning duties, a troubled sigh left him.

With that he pressed his face just a little bit harder into his pillow letting out a pitiful whine as he did so, he had to get up and going or else they were going to come up here and assume the worst. He’d promised Patton that he could eat breakfast with them this morning, and he told Roman that he would watch one of his movies with him, and Deceit HAD promised that he was going to return one of Logan’s books that he had borrowed.

Because, he may be a liar but he didn’t make promises that he didn’t intend to keep with the others. Especially not with the chances that they were giving him now, Deceit wouldn’t let himself ruin that no matter what.

So like a slug, he slunk out of his bed snagging his clothes that were neatly, almost obsessively lined up in his dresser just a single inch apart from one another and not a centimeter more. Plopping his hat on top of his messy hair not bothering really to brush it, Deceit slid his bright yellow gloves on over the patchwork of scales that could be seen on his wrists, forearms, and elbows.

He looked like a proper villain once he snapped his cape in place, and nodding to himself once he made his way to the door. Everything was in order, and nothing looked out of place on him.

It was only when he reached the door did he stop, as he went to give his room one last look in order to ensure that much like himself everything was in place. His bed was a mess, but really that was to be expected since he could hardly ever keep it neat when he always ended up flopping onto it like a whale doing a belly flop in the ocean. His dresser was free of clutter, unlike how everyone else’s seemed to be when he had taken the privilege to check up on them many times before.

Everything seemed to be alright as even his desk was neat, each of his fountain pens lined up just as they should be and…

“Wait…” The single word was hissed from between his clenched teeth as he stopped dead his hand no longer turning his golden doorknob, his back was straight and his snake eye narrowed until it was just a small slit staring back at his desk.

Releasing his grasp on the doorknob he marched over to it, before kneeling down before it as he scooted his wheely chair out of the way.

There was something atop his desk that most certainly had not been there before.

There resting innocently on a purple napkin that had spooky looking white spiderwebs decorating the corners, was a cupcake.

By all means, the decorations on the cupcake itself weren’t that good. It looked messy, like something had been shaking the entire time they had been icing it. But the handwriting, on the dark purple iced cupcake, was in a handwriting that he knew all too well. Especially since he had seen the card that was hanging from Patton’s wall framed and all.

‘I am sorry’

Was written in bright white icing, and despite himself, Deceit was almost immediately suspicious of it. Despite Virgil’s earlier gift, a blanket was something that he could trust, but food, where just about anything could be lingering inside waiting to poison him. Was something that he trusted far less than any blanket that could be given to him.

Even so, he leaned into it and sniffed it. It smelled just like any other sweet pastry that Thomas had ever eaten in his life, it seemed alright and certainly not dangerous. Tugging on the corner of the napkin Deceit drew it closer and closer, before he tugged his glove off swiping a bit of the icing with his pinky before sticking it in his mouth.

Flavour, needless to say, exploded on his taste buds and not poison like he had previously expected.

That alone keyed him into the fact that the delectable treat would be safe to eat, and without a seconds worth of hesitation, Deceit picked the cupcake up and bit into it with a surprising amount of gusto.

A pleased shudder rolled through his body as the decadent taste of chocolate cake greeted him, decorated as poorly as it may be the food still tasted absolutely perfect. So much so that it was actually a struggle for him to pull himself away from the cupcake.

Deceit stood tall now as he opened one of the drawers in his desk and quickly getting a few things together he made his way downstairs, he was on a mission now and a mission that he certainly could not, and would not fail.

Downstairs Virgil was there, sitting atop the counter of the breakfast bar like usual as he sipped at his sweetened coffee, his dark eyeshadow laden eyes stared into the murky abyss of his coffee. A pit of worry was worming its way inside of his stomach no matter how many sips of his bean juice that he took.

Would Deceit see his gift? Would he even accept it? What if he just threw it in the trash without even caring? Would he even forgive him for just sinking out on him?

All of these questions gnawed away at him as all the others were busily doing their own things, as the tv from the living room could be heard along with Roman’s and Logan’s combined voices arguing over yet another Disney movie, and the smell from the kitchen that let Virgil know Patton was cooking up some waffles.

So he was by himself with these worries, and he was distracted as he chewed on his bottom lip. Surely Deceit wasn’t up yet, so maybe he could sneak up and take the cupcake back and replace it with something that was better.

However, upon hearing the thumping footsteps that seemed to echo Virgil’s heart with each thump, he knew that it was too late as he hastily set his cup down. Ready to ramble off whatever apology was needed.

When he felt the words die in his throat as a familiar something, solid yet soft and squishy pelted him on the head. It landed in his lap staring back up at him with two marble eyes and a piece of paper tied around its middle.

Looking over to Deceit, Virgil was greeted with a cocked eyebrow that prompted him to look back down, making him scoop the black kitten beanie baby that had a short stubby tail up into his hands.

His hands that were just slightly shaking as soon as he pulled the bright yellow string unfurling the message in his hands that made his tears leak from his eyes and his eyeshadow run down his cheeks.

‘I forgive you.’