Logan sighed and laid back in his chair, twenty three minutes until he had to get up but he'd already been awake for hours. No one had heard him because his laptop keys were almost silent and he typed relatively softly anyway. He stood up and decided to go downstairs, Virgil's sleep schedule was sporadic but it had evened out lately and he normally woke up to Logan's alarm. He deactivated the alarm before it could wake up the neighbouring side and went downstairs to get a cup of coffee. He had gotten used to the horrid, bitter taste at that point and decided that it was worth it, even if it made him wish he couldn't taste at all. Logan sat at the breakfast table, ignoring the dull headache he had, probably from being up so early. He looked at his reflection in the tv nearby and saw that he had bags under his eyes, he should cover those later. He stood and wandered off to his room, trying to find a bag of make up that Roman had gotten him as a joke at some point.

Virgil woke up at exactly 5:45 AM and got up and got dressed immediately. He looked over at his mirror, was it just him or were the bags under his eyes nearly gone? He looked at the black alarm clock on his bedside table and put in the batteries. He planned on setting it tomorrow. He went downstairs and looked at a coffee mug on the table. It was empty. Logan was the only other person who drank coffee but he never left his mugs lying around. Virgil picked up the mug and put it in the sink. He took a bowl from the cupboard and poured some of Logan's cereal into the bowl. It was the healthier option. Virgil ate breakfast and went up to his room to watch Film Theory.

Roman was the third to wake up. He spent twenty minutes making sure he looked perfect and then went downstairs, at that point Patton had also woken up and was frying eggs. Roman strutted into the kitchen in his usual princely manner and tried thinking of a Disney song to hum while he got out cutlery and began to set the table. Logan slouched downstairs, still in his pyjamas. He sat on the sofa and pulled out a pair of earbuds before clicking play on a playlist. Roman looked over his shoulder. He was listening to My Chemical Romance? But Logan didn't like MCR, or music for that matter. Virgil walked in, straight backed, with his nose in a science book and not wearing his hoodie.

"good morning kid- oh... Logan? Virge? What's going on with you two?"

"Just call me Lo, dad" Logan responded from the sofa

"I do believe my name is Virgil, not 'Virge', thank you Patton" Virgil said, taking a look up from his book as he turned the page. He seated himself in Logan's chair, something that Logan normally would have told him off for, but now he just looked at the normally dark side, a foreign nervousness in his eyes. He looked down again and chuckled. Roman recognised the blue background and white textboxes

"Logan, are you on Tumblr?"

"What's it to you, princey?" Logan responded, a bitter undertone to his voice. He looked at the prince for the first time and Roman could see heavy bags under his eyes that didn't belong. He stepped back, alarmed.

"L-Logan, what the- why do you have bags under your eyes? And why are you talking like that?" The alarmed trait said backing up and causing the moral trait in the kitchen to look around and spot all the bizarre additions to the normally monotone trait's behaviour. He looked over at Virgil who looked up momentarily

"I assume you are going to ask a question, Patton. How may I assist you?"

"Kiddo-"

"Please, do not call me that"

"Why are you acting like this?"

"What do you mean by that, Patton? Haven't I always acted this way?"

"No, you haven't ki- Virgil... you used to act the way Logan is acting"

"Like that defeatist? Are you sure?" Virgil gave a sideways glance to Logan who curled up even further and hissed loudly in the offending trait's direction. (IDK about anyone else but this is the best mental image for me... ever)

"Now that I think about it, haven't they slowly started acting like each other?"

"Roman? What do you mean?"

"I mean, look Patton. Logan has become steadily more reclusive and Virgil steadily more tactless over the past month or so. We've just not paid attention because it's been so gradual. Logan isn't really... logic anymore, he's more like- anxiety and vice versa with Virgil."

"I guess you're right"

"I'm pretty sure the bacon's gonna burn in a minute, dad. You should probably check on that" Logan muttered, just loud enough to hear.

"Oh my! You're right!" Patton rushed into the kitchen, serving up the bacon onto four plates where there were already eggs. Patton placed the four plates on the table, careful to wait until Virgil and Logan sat down to place their plates, seeing as Logan was normally given less as he regularly ate about three hours ago but now Virgil did that. Roman was not used to sitting next to Logic so he got a little annoyed that Virgil now ate quickly and had his plate cleared off and was back to reading in under ten minutes. Logan was listening to the conversation and eating slowly, which unsettled Patton as he was used to Virgil's current behaviour and not Logan's.

The two unaffected traits looked at each other, concern glazing their eyes. Neither of them really wanted or needed to say it, but this felt like the beginning of something big...