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It was rare to see Virgil excited and energetic. It was rare that he raised his voice in joy and glee. It was rare that Virgil ever reacted with more than a thumbs up.
However, being rare doesn’t mean it didn’t happen now and again. If asked, each side could recount a time when they saw Virgil being excited and childish and decidedly not anxious. They never commented on it, but it was… nice to see Virgil just acting a little younger, like the child he never got to be.
The first time Patton could remember was when he asked for Virgil’s help baking. The anxious side had been living as a part of their famILY for all of a week. He looked up with apprehensive and distrustful eyes.
“...what would we be making?”
“Anything you want! I just want to try spending some time with you, how we do that doesn’t really matter.”
Virgil’s eyes widened, and had he been a part of their family longer Patton was sure Virgil would have started crying.
“Can we make banana bread?” he asked, voice a low mumble.
Patton beamed. “Sure thing, kiddo. Wanna grab the bananas for me?”
Virgil relaxed and smiled wider than Patton had ever seen.
“Okay.” he confirmed, trying to duck away so patton didn’t see his growing smile or light blush. Patton smiled sadly. Had he known this would be such a big deal, he would’ve asked Virgil to bake with him sooner!
The first time Logan remembered seeing Virgil so carefree had been during Laundry Day. Everyone just assumed Virgil hated Laundry Day because he either did his at ungodly early hours of the morning or horribly late at night. It was rare that anyone ever actually saw him do his laundry. (rare, but not unheard of).
One of those rare days was when Logan saw this side of Virgil that he so often hid.
“Virgil, you laundry is done!” Logan called upstairs as he emptied the warm clothes into a laundry basket.
Thud thud thud!
Logan looked up just in time to back out of the way as Virgil threw himself into the basket of warm clothes.
“Mmmm… warm.” Virgil hummed, smiling happily with his eyes closed, sighing in contentment.
Logan chuckled. “Do you have plans of moving anytime soon, or should I get another basket for myself?”
“Get another basket, I’m gonna be here a while.” Virgil replied, hunkering down and piling his warm clothes over himself and promptly falling asleep.
For Roman, it was when he was on a 3am snack run. Virgil was in the kitchen, singing softly with his headphones in. True to form, he was listening to some of the most well-known emo bops of the early 2000’s.
Virgil sat on the counter with his eyes closed and legs swinging, gently bopping his head from side to side as he mumbled out the lyrics. He looked so carefree; it was just him and his music.
Roman smiled softly and turned to head back upstairs. He could get a snack later, right now he’d leave their resident emo to bop in peace.
It had been a long time since Deceit had interacted with Virgil. With their bridges being rebuilt, Dee felt like he was walking on eggshells around Virgil. So, when he walked in on Virgil just chilling on the couch, he was understandably ready to turn right back around and head out of the room.
But Virgil noticed and waved him over, patting the seat next to him. When Dee sat, Virgil offered him an earbud and Dee accepted, his confusion shown clearly on his face. You Are Loved by Set It Off blared into his ear, and he decidedly did not tear up.
No words were exchanged between them, but if Deceit snuggled a little closer than necessary and Virgil reciprocated with a hug, no one needed to know.
Remus was beginning to think he’d never witness one of Virgil’s rare relaxed moments. It would make sense, he represented everything that made Virgil anxious. But one day he was in the kitchen, and Virgil walked in, wearing a sleepy expression and a fluffy purple robe. He paused upon entering, taking in Remus’s presence, then yawned and continued his path to the toaster.
Remus stood there wide-eyed, ready to cry. They didn’t do much more than trade apprehensive glances, but Virgil was willingly in the same room as him and didn’t look like he was going to combust. He even offered a tired wave as he yawned and left to start his day (at 2pm, no less).
Remus grinned and giggled giddily. It wasn’t perfect, but it was a start.
Virgil’s more relaxed days were few and far between, but each side looked upon them with fond memories and hoped that for Virgil’s sake, there were more to come.