Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

When Patton arrived in the common room at his usual time of 8 a.m. he was quite surprised and honestly a little startled to find Virgil curled up on the couch, seemingly half asleep under a fuzzy purple blanket.
He must have brought it from his room, Patton mused.

And Patton couldn’t help but notice that his kiddo looked absolutely adorable. He was all snuggled up in his blankie and he was hugging his cat plushie and his cheeks were adorably flushed and his breath was all soft and puffy and-

Wait.

Flushed? It was pretty cool in the room and even with the blanket and his hoodie, Virgil shouldn’t be warm enough to be so red right?

But even so Patton could see how exhausted Virgil looked. The bags under his eyes seemed even heavier and darker than usual so Patton pushed his worry aside and began making breakfast. The little extra rest and resulting food would surely do him good, Patton reasoned.

Logan wouldn’t come out of his room until 8:30 and Roman would be down at 9 at the earliest so Patton could make breakfast in peace and then thoroughly check on Virgil. He was usually the last side down in the mornings except for bad nights and from what Patton could see it did seem like a bad night.

With a heavy heart Patton began making breakfast, just some premade waffles and toast as well as scrambled eggs and bacon. Nutritious and balanced. He chopped up a small spread of fruit for a fruit salad as well and then went back to check on Virgil.

The anxious side was still curled up in his blanket and there was no sign that he had moved at all in the near half hour that Patton had been in the kitchen.

“Virgil? Verge, kiddo?” he began softly, lightly tugging at the blanket to avoid startling Virgil by just touching him. His attempts didn’t get him a reaction at all though and he gently placed his hand on his kiddo’s shoulder, rubbing circles into the fabric covering it.

“Verge. I really need you to wake up for me, sweetie.”

Distantly he was aware of Logan coming down the stairs and stopping a little way off the couch, probably watching them curiously.

Virgil barely stirred under Patton’s hand, blinking up at him with glassy eyes.

“Pat?” he asked and his voice sounded rough, even rougher than usual after just waking up.

“Hey, kiddo. Breakfast is ready. Do you wanna come join Lo and me in the kitchen?”

Virgil scrunched up his nose as Logan wandered into the kitchen to grab his first cup of coffee.

“Don’t feel good.” Virgil whined, curling up on himself tighter until he was just a miserable little ball underneath his blanket and Patton couldn’t hold back the sympathetic coo that slipped past his lips.

“What’s wrong buddy? What hurts?”

“My throat’s all scratchy and my tummy and head are hurting real bad. And I’m really cold.” he explained.

Patton frowned a little, running his hand through the sick side’s hair.

“I’m so sorry to hear that Verge. How long have you been out here?”

When he only received a shrug as answer he leaned forward, pressing a kiss to Virgil’s clammy forehead.

“No wonder you’re cold, you’re burning up. Let me see if I can find you some medicine alright?”

Virgil whined and feebly tried to hold on to Patton’s shirt to stop him from leaving but his attempts were swept away with a soft smile and a squeeze to his reaching hand.

“I’ll be right back, sweetheart. I’ll tell Lolo to sit with you until I get back alright?”

Patton hurried into the kitchen, wishing Logan a hasty good morning as he filled a glass with cold water.

“Logan would you mind bringing this to Virgil and sitting with him for a bit? He’s really sick and doesn’t want to be alone but I have to go and get him some medicine.”

“Very well. I shall sit with him while I finish my coffee. Do you require any information on what medication would help Virgil most, according to his symptoms?” Logan offered, already going through his memory to pull up a list of possible medications that could help.

“Thanks, Lo, but I think I know what’ll help, I just have to see if we still have any or if I need to get Roman to conjure some up for me. I’d like to try it but I’d love to have your help if it doesn’t work too well.”

Patton gave Logan a pat on the shoulder as he passed him, hurrying up the stairs to hunt for the medicine. Logan watched him leave and then picked up his coffee and Virgil’s water, making his way back to the living room.

Virgil was barely awake by that time but still kept flexing his fingers as if still trying to hold on to Patton and make him stay.

“Salutations, Virgil. I have brought you some water. Seeing as you are ill I advise to drink it now and keep drinking plenty of water over the day to stay hydrated.” he stated, placing his coffee mug on the low table and holding out the glass for Virgil to take. He didn’t seem to notice, barely even acknowledging Logan’s presence with a slurred Lo?

“Yes, Virgil. It is me. Now, can you sit up and drink your water? Or do you require assistance?”

When he didn’t get a response Logan placed the glass next to his mug and helped (read: gently manhandled) him to sit up, holding the water to his lips for him to drink. The cold liquid against his lips seemed to startle Virgil. He flinched, making an upset noise akin to a whine as he began to shiver.

“It is alright, Virgil. It is merely some water. There is no need to be alarmed.” he consoled, pulling up the fuzzy blanket to rest around the sick side’s shoulders from where it had fallen into his lap when sitting up.

After some coaxing and reassurances and rubbing Virgil’s back he had finally managed to empty the glass and Logan was able to return to sipping his own, now cold, beverage. Just when he was wondering when Patton would return he heard the moral side come down the stairs, a bottle of liquid flu medicine clutched in his hands. His speech was rushed and a little breathless when he came to a stop by the couch, as if he had been running.

“Hey kiddos, so sorry to keep you both waiting but I had to wake up Roman to conjure this. You go on and finish your breakfast Lo, i can handle Verge. Thank you so much for sitting with him and getting him to drink that water.”

“It was no problem, Patton. He seems to be delirious though.” Logan answered easily, placing his hand on Virgil’s forehead to take his temperature. He was way too warm, that was easily established. But Logan complied and got up again, going to the kitchen to let Patton tend to the sick side.

“Hi, kiddo. I told you I’d be back, see? I got you some medicine. I know it’s gonna be yucky but I still need you to take it okay? It’ll help you feel better and bring down your fever” Patton told Virgil, taking Logan’s seat at his kiddo’s side. He measured out the right dosage and ran his hands through Virgil’s sweaty hair, trying to get him to open his mouth.

Ignoring Virgil’s whining Patton forced the spoonful of medicine into his mouth, shushing him with pets to the hair and mumbled sweet nothings.

As he calmed down some more Patton maneuvered him until they ended up with Patton sitting on the couch, Virgil’s head and most of his upper body laying in his lap so Patton could pet his hair more easily. Somehow, Virgil had managed to pull one of the sleeves of Patton’s cat hoodie low enough for him to hold and nuzzle with his face which, honestly, in Patton’s opinion, was just too darn adorable for a simple Dad to handle.

They stayed like that for quite some time and by the time Roman came down, grumpy and sleepy from being woken up, Virgil was almost asleep again, still snuggling Patton’s sleeve.

“I hope there’s still enough coffee left, especially since you woke me up in the middle of the night.” he groused, making Virgil whine at his upset tone. Had he been more aware and less feverish he probably would have noticed the undercurrent of humor in Roman’s voice. As it was, Patton pointed Roman over to the kitchen before petting Virgil’s hair again to soothe him.

“It’s okay, sweetheart. There’s enough coffee and Roman isn’t that upset about being woken up. You can go to sleep. Rest so you can get healthy again, Verge.”

Virgil sluggishly let go of the sleeve as he rolled over onto his side, burrowing his face into Patton’s tummy and curling his fingers into the soft blue polo the other side was wearing.

Patton stayed with him as Virgil finally fell asleep, allowing his body to rest. “It’s okay, honey. I got you. You’re gonna be just fine.”

Chapter Text

When Virgil entered the commons that day it was empty and still. This, normally, would not be too surprising except that it was noon.
Noon in Thomas’ mindscape usually meant lunch time, a meal consumed communally because Patton cared about Quality Family TimeTM and everyone else - yes, even Logan, no matter how much he liked to deny it - felt guilty for not showing up because Patton always got sad whenever their family wasn’t all together for lunch.

But Patton not even being in the kitchen at noon? Chances of that happening were pretty much infinitesimal, even with Thomas’ chaotic and stressful schedule.

So where was he? The most likely place was probably his room, right?

But before Virgil could go hunting for Patton he felt obligated to prepare a couple of sandwiches, putting a plate full of them in front of Logan’s, then Roman’s door. Previous experience told him those two wouldn’t eat at all if they weren’t reminded of it. To avoid interaction he just knocked, waiting for the telltale shuffle behind the door that meant its occupant was coming for the door. Then he booked it.

With feeding time over he grabbed some sandwiches for him and Patton to share, then he headed back up to the bedrooms, knocking at the moral side’s door.

He knocked again after a few moments when he didn’t hear anything. “Patton? It’s Virgil. Can I come in?”

There was a tiny little noise after that but he couldn’t for the life of him say what it was.

“I’m gonna come in okay?” he announced, waiting a bit to give Patton time to tell him to stay out but that warning didn’t come.

So Virgil went in and found out why Patton hadn’t been in the kitchen. He was in bed, blanket pulled up to his neck. Seeing this he dismissed lunch for the time being, leaving the plate on Patton’s desk.

“Hey Patton? You good there, Buddy?” He asked, placing a hand on the other’s shoulder and giving it a tiny, gentle shake. This got a response. Not a big one but still a response.

Patton let out a little groan, grabbing the edge of his blanket and pulling it closer to his face.

“Patton, c’mon, man. Wake up please.” He gave Patton’s shoulder another little shake.

“Leave me ‘lone. ‘M sick.” Patton insisted as if that would actually make Virgil worry less.

“What’s wrong? What’s hurting, Pat? Tell me please?”

“Urgh, not sure. Just - headache, nausea. Threw up earlier.”

“A migraine perhaps?”

“Dunno.”

“Okay. I guess it doesn’t really matter now.” Virgil admitted, brushing his hand through Patton’s hair, smoothing it back and off the sweaty forehead.

Did Patton have a fever? It could be, right? He was sweating quite a bit there but it was hard to tell for Virgil since he ran cold naturally.

A dim, hazy memory surfaced and he acted upon it, leaning down to press his lips to Patton’s forehead. He didn’t seem very warm. A little cool. Clammy, actually. An actual thermometer would probably give clearer answers but Virgil didn’t know where it was and he didn’t think it was necessary to go searching for it if he could spend that time comforting Patton instead.

He still had to leave the other side alone for a bit while he went to get him some things to help ease the pain though.

With a heavy heart Virgil left Patton behind, getting some pain medication, lavender essential oil, a bottle of water and a washcloth. He tried to get back as soon as he could but by the time he did, Patton was already asleep again so he had to annoy him into wakefulness again which almost broke his damn heart. Patton made such an upset noise it actually hurt.

“I know you’re not feeling well but I got you some stuff to help with the headache. Do you want me to close the curtains? Is the light hurting you?” He asked, carefully helping Patton sit up before handing him the water bottle with a soft order to drink some while he closed the curtains just in case. In the time it took him to do so Patton had managed to take a sip of his water.

“Here, I brought you some pain killers. And do you wanna try this lavender stuff? I could massage it into your temples, it might help with your headache.” He offered, holding out both items for Patton to see.

“Hmm. ‘Kay. Don’t like lavender though.” Patton mumbled, pawing at Virgil’s left hand to push away the little bottle of lavender oil.

“Okay. Okay, that’s fine! Here, take two of these pills. Do you wanna try a cold cloth? I brought one along just in case. I also brought some food if you’re up to it and not… y’know. Nauseous anymore.”

“No food. But the cloth sounds nice, kiddo.”

Virgil gave him a smile and waited until Patton had taken his pills before he went to the en-suite bathroom to dampen the cloth. Once he returned he helped Patton lay back down and placed the cloth over his friend’s eyes and forehead after tucking him in.

“You should try to sleep some more. Want me to stay? If not I’ll check on you in a couple hours. Sorry I woke you in the first place, I know you’re not feeling well.”

“Stay please? ‘Least til I fall asleep?”

“Okay, sure, don’t worry. I can stay. Sleep now, I got you.”

“Thanks for taking care of me, Verge.”

“Of course, Patton. Always.”