Chapter Text
Virgil was exhausted. Sometimes he forgets how annoying and tiring school is. He had to introduce himself to the class, was asked many questions by very nosy people, and he had to find a place to eat. Thankfully, Patton had seen Virgil and offered a place to sit at his table.
Day one and it felt like whiplash. Logan was at the lunch table but he was changed. He didn't have the emotion he used to have. He was emotionless, or well, tried to be. He was just…so different. He kept asking him questions and even mentioned how unethical things are being worked on throughout the school. Like, he was talking and glaring at Virgil. It made him uncomfortable.
Roman was nowhere to be found. The three always stuck together, so it's not like he could outright ask. They’d ask how he knew Roman. Or they'd get suspicious. Or worst of all, he would be told Roman was dead.
Virgil frowned, he felt like he didn’t know Roman at all. Just barely scraping the tip of the friendship-iceberg with him. He never really liked Roman, but he had begun to notice the small quirks about him. The way his nails were always painted, how his hair smelled like rose vanilla, and it always looked so soft. Virgil softly smiled to himself. He’s always admired the other man. A theater geek and so open about himself. It's beautiful.
Virgil sat down on the edge of the water fountain. At least people weren't watching his every move now that he's sat down. His eyes shifted to the ground as his mind wandered about the nostalgia of what once was.
“Virgil?” Virgil startled as he turned to Patton who had seemingly appeared out of nowhere. “You okay?”
“Hm? Sorry, I spaced out,” Virgil awkwardly smiled as he avoided eye contact.
“Don’t worry about it,” Patton smiled as he sat down beside Virgil. “How was your first day?”
Virgil barked out a laugh at the question. His day was just as bad as he expected it to be. Random kids talking to him, stares from other people, and feeling like he was only an observer to the world.
“It was fine,” Virgil lied with a shrug.
Patton hummed a reply as he stared off distantly. They sat in silence for a few minutes. The water behind Virgil cooled him off under the sun. The bird chirped and the wind softly blew. Despite the shitty day he had, this particular moment wasn’t terrible.
He sighed in content. It was nice to not be crowded with kids. Most of the students disappeared from the school grounds and were already home by now. Some lingered, like Patton and Virgil. It was nice. The usual ruckus had faded and it was much calmer.
The silence was interrupted by Patton. It seems like he couldn’t keep quiet for too long. A pity.
“One of my friends, Roman,” he began. Virgil perked up at the name. “He’s not here today but I'm sure you'll be able to see him soon!”
Virgil picked at his hoodie strings and kept his gaze low. Hopefully Roman was still Roman. It would be nice to have consistency. Or well, what he assumed would be consistent. He felt like he hardly knew Roman let alone the group he mingled in. How should he know?
Virgil turned to Patton who had his eyes locked on a bird in the distance.
“So, why are you still here? Like–do you have a ride home?” Virgil immediately regretted saying that, mentally berated himself. Who just asks that? That sounds so rude.
Patton chuckled. “My parents aren't home right now so I can hangout for a bit.”
Virgil tilted his head. He tapped his fingers on the cement of the fountain. From what he’s heard, Patton didn't have the best family. It was common talk between the neighborhood.
“That poor child…his family treats him like trash!”
“I heard a rumor the kid was seen driving his mother to the hospital…”
“He's always smiling. It's a little creepy. Well, the whole Hart family is weird.”
Stupid shit like that was just rumors. But, rumors are more reliable than the source who refuses to talk about it.
“Sorry,” Virgil muttered.
“What? Why are you sorry?” Patton’s brows furrowed in confusion.
“Nevermind,” Virgil shrugged before deciding switching topics would be best for now. “Anyway, what’re your friends like?”
The switch up from confusion to pure joy was incredibly sudden. Virgil’s eyes slightly widened as Patton practically beamed up at him. Patton averted his eyes away and stared into the sky as he began to ramble. Virgil followed Patton's eyes to the blue sky.
“Well, Logan is a huge astronomy geek; he's just really smart in general,” Patton smiled as the clouds slowly moved past them. “I mean, he used to be really enthusiastic! But then…something changed.”
Patton paused. His gaze felt distant. Virgil turned his head to face him. His eyes looked glazed and expression was blank. There was nothing. Just as quickly, Patton returned to normal.
“Ah! Where was I?” Patton asked.
“Uhm,” Virgil quickly looked away, “You were talking about your friends.”
Patton's eyes still looked hazy. “Sorry, Virgil. I've been having these weird memory ‘blank outs’—that's what I call them. Mhm, they’re nothing to worry about though!”
Virgil sat there awkwardly. Somehow he didn't believe Patton at all. The way his eyes had glazed over was so weird. The silence when he ‘blanked out.’ He’ll have to tell Janus and Remus about this, but he doubts that they’ll pay any attention to it.
Virgil remembered when Janus didn't really get along with Patton, let alone the rest of his friends. If he met them now, he highly doubts he’d be all buddy buddy. Especially not with Roman. Remus had a weird relationship with them all too. Both of them were able to tolerate Logan but not the others. It was definitely a weird shift once Virgil crossed to the middle ground and had to deal with the side eyes from everyone.
Well, at least Logan was understanding. As understanding as he could be. Being in Patton's friends group, he was still quite biased. All that is in the past now though. It's been more than 2 years and obviously everyones changed. Logan is this weird emotionless shell, Patton is so much dimmer and Virgil hasn't even met Roman yet. In fact, speaking of Patton's friends, who else have they befriended?
“Today at the lunch table,” Virgil began,“he seemed pretty nice.” He successfully got Patton's attention.
Patton smiled, “Yeah! You two will be getting along soon.”
Virgil weakly smiled. Maybe they’ll be pretty good friends. Not like he doesn't want to be. Of course he does. It's just…he can't get too attached to anyone. Just being friends with Janus and Remus is dangerous. Not to mention the fact that they’re called traitors for defying the weirdo government.
“Roman is also pretty nice,” Patton acknowledged. “It might take him some time to get used to changes, but he’ll warm up pretty quickly.”
“Yeah, I hope I can actually be friends with them both,” Virgil said, “It would suck if they hated me or something.”
“Why would they hate you?” Patton asked as he looked at Virgil.
“Huh? I don't know,” Virgil muttered defensively.
Why wouldn't they hate him? He's some random new kid intruding on their already built friendships. Okay, maybe that's a bit harsh, but how would he know? Logan’s smart, Roman’s creative, and Patton’s so nice. Virgils just…an anxious mess. He would just be bothering them.
Patton doesn't say much after that. He just sits there quietly for a moment or two and sighs. He stands up in front of Virgil.
“Well, I can promise you that my friends would never hate someone for no good reason,” Patton assured with a confident smile.
“Thanks Patton,” Virgil weakly smiled back at him.
Patton exhaled and brushed his hair out of his face. He had begun to say something until his phone rang. He pulled his phone out and stared at the contact ID. His smile faltered in the slightest before he turned to Virgil.
“I'm sorry, Virgil, I need to answer this! My mothers calling me,” Patton explained as he walked away a few steps.
Virgil shrugged and waved his hand, silently telling Patton its fine. He watched as Patton hesitated to hit the answer button but relented and placed his phone to his ear. He just barely could hear what was happening but he caught a bit of the conversation. Something about the house being a mess? Laundry? Dinner? Something like that.
Those rumors Virgil hears are sounding a little too real right now. Patton nods and tries to explain–or even make an excuse– but he's cut off immediately. Virgil watches as Patton flinches and nods.
“Okay, thank you,” Patton whispered.
Virgil's eyes were glued to Patton. He watched as Patton's shoulders tensed and a melancholy tone was glued to him.
“I love you, mom.”
Virgil heard the call end without a response.
Patton held the phone to his ear for a little longer as if his mom would call back to return the phrase. She didn't. Patton sighed sadly and put his phone into his pocket. His arm then just fell to his side. Patton stood there with tense shoulders.
And suddenly, Patton turned around with a bright smile.
Virgil averted his gaze quickly. Patton walked back over with tense shoulders. His smile didn't really reach his eyes anymore. Patton’s smile then softened as Virgil made eye contact with him.
“I'm sorry again, I've got to go,” Patton chuckled sadly, “My mom needs me to come home.”
“Dont worry about it,” Virgil shrugged, “I gotta leave soon anyway.”
It was a small lie. He was just avoiding the awkwardness and the truth. Kill a bird with two stones, you know? Virgil really didn't wanna admit that he was essentially homeless. Sure he has a house, but technically it was abandoned and has yet to be destroyed. Even with a house, most appliances are out of use anyway.
Virgil got up from the fountain after saying goodbye to Patton and made his way “home”. Where he was really going, he didn’t know. He planned on walking around aimlessly.
After trudging around the streets for a while, it was getting dark. Virgil turned to walk down an alleyway, when he suddenly heard a familiar tune playing in his left ear.
That goddamn fucking song.
Fucking Jingle Bells was playing directly in his ear, which was the ringtone for his communication device. Remus had picked it for him, thinking it was hilarious in the moment. This could only mean one of his friends was calling him. He double tapped on the device to answer the incoming call.
“Hello?”
“Hey Virge, how was your first day of school?” Janus answered slyly, almost as if he knew how shitty of a day he had. “Did it go as well as we had promised?”
“Great. It went great. Why are you calling me?”
“It’s a surprise,” chimed in another shrill voice. Virgil could tell it was Remus. He sounded like he was plotting something.
Suddenly, he paused. A surprise? It couldn't be good if Remus–or actually, if either one of them—made surprises. Last time they decided to “surprise” Virgil, they nearly got shot by him.
Virgil groaned. He looked around and rubbed his eyes. He’s gonna kill them both.
“I don't like surprises,” he muttered.
“We know,” Remus giggled, practically evil laughing.
Virgil stopped in his tracks. Was he hearing shit now? Virgil could swear he’s hearing Remus cackle from not only the communication piece, but also nearby.
“Oh don't be mean Rem,” Janus snickered.
Even Janus’ voice was weirdly heard from both outside and in the com. Virgil tsked. Maybe he had somehow screwed up the shitty thing. They needed upgrades anyway.
“Ok well, fuck off–” Virgil barely finished his thought as he turned the corner and saw a figure sprinting jumping at him.
He swung his fist without thinking as the figure got close. It collided with their gut with a loud thump. He heard the figure groan in pain and fall to the ground in front of him. He watched with tunnel vision as they began to giggle and laugh.
Virgil’s eyes widened as he looked down. That laugh?
“Oh my god, Remus, I am so sorry, I didn’t know it was you-”
“Relax, Virgey! I get hit all the time!” Remus cackled. “One time, some guy swung a bat at me! I was fine.”
Virgil cringed. That hit must have been what screwed up his mind so much. At least the dumbass wasn't bleeding. He looked relatively fine. His curly hair was unstyled, his clothing purposely ripped. Yeah. He’s fine. The darkness of the alleyway didn’t provide good enough lighting to make sure he was totally fine, though.
Virgil heard the distant sounds of steps. He turned around and noticed another person stroll into the alleyway. Virgil's shoulders tensed until he saw a familiar looking face. A relatively short
“Remus, what did I tell you would happen?” Janus asked once he finally got within earshot. He had the tone of a disappointed parent.
“That he’d swing at me,” Remus snickered almost too cheerfully.
Janus rolled his eyes.
“What the hell are you guys doing here?” Virgil whisper-yelled.
What if they were caught? He’s been seeing more missing posters for him and Remus lately. Surely someone would have spotted them and reported it?
“Don't worry, Virgin!” Remus smiled up at Virgil, “Janny made sure we weren’t seen.”
That didn’t really relieve Virgil's growing anxiety. In fact, it agitated it more. Remus finally pulled himself off the dirty ground and dusted himself off. Janus turned his head towards the entrance of the alleyway, examining the streets.
“I have to say, trying to keep Remus away from the public is a lot easier than I expected,” Janus noted, “Easier than the other times we’ve tried at least.”
Virgil gawked at the comment, “You’ve done this before?!”
Janus shrugged as Remus laughed at Virgil’s reaction. At this point he might punch both of them.
“Our whole mission is to fuck up those TV’s!” Remus exasperated.
“They're not TV’s, Remus,” Janus corrected as Virgil groaned with annoyance.
“It doesn't matter what they are! Right now we should get away from here,” Virgil hissed.
Remus and Janus glanced at each other. With an exhale, Janus turned to the exit of the alleyway.
“Alright, let's go home.”