Work Text:
I may not have gone where I intended to go, but I think I ended up where I needed to be.
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This was a great time, Deceit always enjoyed getting sick. The way his stomach was doing flips inside him was his favorite feeling, by far. Maybe comparable, was the burgeoning nausea. There was nothing inside him to expel—the idea of eating was sickening on its own—but he felt right on the verge. Shivers wracked his body, until he couldn’t bear to stay in the cool dimness of his own room. The common room was much toastier, it must be because Virgil himself always got cold. Not that Deceit remembered that or cared.
Groaning into the couch cushion he had his face buried against, Deceit tightened his arms around his middle, trying to squeeze away the pain. It was like someone was clenching his stomach inside him, he couldn’t even sit still, though no matter what position he tried he couldn’t seem to get comfortable. This was just perfect. It was almost pitch black in the room, probably past midnight, but the hours started to blur together some time ago. Deceit only came out when the others were in their own rooms or off elsewhere.
Suddenly, the living room light switched on, startling Dee and making him hiss. A surprised sound came from the doorway, and the light quickly turned off again, dousing the room in comfortable dimness. Deceit’s heart pounded in his chest, nerves lighting up and making his head swim.
“Deceit? What are you doing out here so late?” a familiar voice asked. Relief relaxed Dee’s muscles, but he only groaned in response. Patton was the lesser of evils, but he still wasn’t in the mood to bother with the light sides. They always asked too many questions. A few moments passed in silence before a cool hand rested against the top of Deceit’s head, making him flinch a bit. “Oh, do you not feel good, kiddo? Is it your stomach?”
Deceit grumbled something, not feeling too up to concocting any stories. His arms still hugged around his stomach, maybe that was what tipped Patton off. “Don’t you have another side to go baby?” Deceit muttered. Patton hummed and ran his fingers through Deceit’s hair, scooping it back from the lying side’s face. That didn’t feel…awful. Patton’s fingers were cool and gentle, even if Deceit was shivering, his skin felt warm.
“Never too busy for you, kiddo! Give me a second,” Patton smiled, leaving Dee on the couch and vanishing into the kitchen. Deceit hadn’t exactly planned on going anywhere; the trek back to his room was daunting with cramps wracking through his belly. Faintly, he wondered if Thomas’ habit of lying to himself currently was what was causing this. The mess of lies and trying to defy them was causing chaos; no, Thomas, you were not fine, you absolutely needed more rest and less work.
A hand on his arm made Dee jump, eyes popping open to look up at Patton, who was standing in front of the couch. He was holding a mug that he held out for Deceit. “Here, honey and ginger help with tummy aches. If you want to sleep on the couch, I’ll get you a blanket. I can even stay with you!”
Surprised (and slightly skeptical) Deceit took the mug, glancing down at the milky looking tea. He took a tentative sip, the warm flavor coating his tongue and almost immediately helping clear his head. With an appreciative “mmh” he continued sipping at the drink. “I’m not thanking you,” Dee said, keeping his eyes on the mug.
Above him, Patton only smiled. “Sure thing, kiddo.” Leaning down, Patton pressed a kiss to Dee’s forehead and headed off to find him a blanket, as if it were the most normal thing in the world. Dee’s face flamed, eyes owlish as he looked down at the steam curling from his drink. He…did not like that. That was reserved for the other light sides, for Patton’s “kiddos”.
Curling up on the couch, Deceit felt drowsiness taking over his earlier pain. Patton really was magic, wasn’t he? No wonder Virgil slipped so fast.
Deceit absolutely didn’t want Patton to stay with him.