Title: read it it's right there.
Ship: Pick your player.
(I'm not writing this for any one ship, but it could easily be seen as basically anyone x Patton so have fun with that)
AU: mindpalace I guess? Basically Thomas's living room but in the mindpalace.
TW: sadness and meany Deceit. (so yeah angst)
Oh and puppies. (so yeah also fluff)

--

Patton POV:

"Is it not obvious to you?" Deceit said, walking around me, as if I was being interrogated by a police officer. I guess in some ways I was. "They're tired of you! Why would they want to wake up and fall asleep to your obnoxious optimism?!"

I tried my best to not let him get to me. I wouldn't let someone as inconsequential as Deceit break me. "B-because I make them smile. They like to smile."

Deceit chuckled. "Logan likes to smile? Virgil likes to smile? No, darling, they try not to smile. You're hurting them."

Then why wouldn't they say something, huh Deceit? I didn't bother saying anything out loud. He'd come up with some sort of excuse.

"Roman's fine with smiling, sure," He started, still circling me, "But after days and days on end of you smiling, he gets tired of it. They're all tired of it."

"I don't get it." I said, slightly angry, "Why do you care about my optimism? What are you gaining from this?"

Deceit chuckled again. "Oh, Patton... I don't always do everything for myself."

I cross my arms and mumbled, "Certainly seems like that."

"Your sunshine and rainbows attitude is bringing everyone DOWN, Patton!" He yelled, and I refrained myself from closing my ears. "You bring all this NONSENSE to the table, because 'oh it'll make them happy!' when really all it's doing is HURTING THEM!"

"Please stop yelling..." I mumbled. He didn't hear me.

"I'M trying to to what's best for EVERYONE!"

" ...what is best for everyone? " I already knew the answer.

Deceit took a breath in and stopped moving for a second. Calmly, "You need to tone it down, Patton. No one likes the you you are now." And with that, he left the room.

That's not true right?

Smiles aren't bad! They're adorable! Everyone likes to smile!

Right?

But he does have a point. Virgil and Logan only smile every here and there, and when they do, it's easy to see they didn't want to. Roman smiles a lot, but eventually he stops, usually when I'm in his presence.

I thought that being happy and bubbly would be contagious, but apparently all it's doing is making people wish I wasn't there. I want them to like me. I want them to be happy.

I'm going to need to switch some things up.

---

I woke up on the same floor, with the sun streaming through the windows. I never moved from the spot I was in last night.

One whiff of the air told me that there were pancakes for breakfast.

"YUM!" I yelled, jumping up from the floor. And then all of the events from last night came rushing back. My heart sank a little, but I knew I was going to have to be different today. It wasn't for me, it was for everyone.

I walked out of my room with a small smile on my face. Not an overly big one, like usual.

"Hey Pat." Roman said from the kitchen where he just finished baking his batch of pancakes. "Someone's up late. I didn't see any pancakes on the table when I woke today, what's up with that?"

"I'm sorry Roman." I said.

I guess I wasn't quiet FLOURED up!
Get it... like.. Power, but with FL.

I didn't say it.

Roman raised an eyebrow at me before handing me a plate of pancakes. "Strawberry syrup, right? Only the sugary-est!"

Sugar wasn't good for people who wanted to tone down on energy levels.

"No thanks, I'll just stick with butter today." I said before taking the plate and sitting at the dining table.

He sat down beside me. "You missed Logan this morning. You should've seen him, it was HILARIOUS!" Roman started laughing before continuing, "He forgot to change out of his onesie, so when I pointed it out, he got all flustered and, ah, it was just perfect!" He laughed again and looked at me.

Hey, at least he was TOASTY. Oh wait, these are pancakes. Whoopsie-Doodles.

I didn't say it.

Instead, I just smiled at Roman.

"You okay, Pat?" Roman finally said.

I nodded, "Just... tired."

"That's odd." Logan appeared from his room and brought his empty plate of pancakes to the sink to wash. "I don't think I've seen you tired in ages."

"Did someone say Virgil?" Virgil said, yawning from the couch in the living room, where he slept the previous night.

"N-no. I said tired."

"There it is again."

Logan shook his head and the two of them sat at the table with us. Virgil was still in his fluffy pink- and purple-patched pajamas, while Logan was already dressed for the day.

I sat up a little straighter and ate my pancakes one slice at a time.

Roman whispered something to Virgil, who took a concerned glance at me.

"So Patton..." Virgil started, putting his elbow on the table and turning in my direction. "You know what day it is?"

Wednesday?

The day after the second day?

Aunt Patty's birthday?

HUMPDAY!

I didn't say it.

"April 3rd, I think." I said.

"W- yeah." Virgil said admittedly, "But it's also Wednesday so that means....!"

"It's Logan's least favorite day of the week?" I proposed.

"Yes, why does it exist? Can't we have an even amount of days-" Logan went on, but Virgil cut him off.

"It's Humpday, Patton!" He smiled at me, but I could see the concern behind the smile. "Come on, I thought you were a little... Further than me on that one."

Further, father.

He tried to make a pun.

"Oh so Patton's not doing it so you decide to assume the role? Great." Logan said, and my heart sank a little more in my chest. He really didn't like my puns, did he?

Roman turned to me with two puppies in his hands. "You wanna hold one, Patton? They're good for the soul!"

They're also considered obnoxious, aren't they? What are you guys trying to do, trick me? I shook my head.

That was the breaking point. "GUYS!" Virgil said irritated, "Something's obviously up with Patton. You don't need to test it! Are you blind?"

"If by guys you mean Logan, then yes, obviously." Roman said.

"Really? Patton, are you not well?" Logan asked.

I smiled a little at his concern, but he was obviously just doing it to be nice.

Virgil took a deep breath. "Patton, you and I are going to talk, okay?" And with that he sunk out to my room.

"Guess I don't have a choice, huh?" I said quietly before sinking out along with him.

"What's up?" Virgil said softly as I entered. "And don't bother with that 'I'm tired' nonsense."

I remained silent, starting at the floor.

Virgil sighed, "You declined puppies, Pat."

"Yeah..."

"You can tell me."

I wouldn't tell him.

"I won't judge you."

That's exactly what Deceit said you would do. But who do I trust more?

I told Virgil everything.

Virgil was visibly holding back the urge to hiss.

"We're gonna switch spots, okay?" He said calmly. "You by the stairs, me by the window." He didn't seem to want to give me an option.

I liked my spot.

"But-"

"Look, don't read into it, but my spot by the stairs is..." he sighed, trying to pick out the right words, "Shielded? I guess? Deceit and his... friends, have a harder time getting there. You'll be safer."

That didn't make much sense to me, but then again, I trusted Virgil.

"Oh and," he continued, sitting beside me on the floor, and wrapping his arms around me. "Don't change, Pat. We all may get tired of you from time to time, but we get tired of Roman and Logan too, right? They're gonna get tired of us. Don't worry. We still love you."

And with that we sunk back out.

Logan and Roman were in their respective locations, firing back and forth at each other, probably about me. When I appeared, they stopped.

"Ohmigod, Patton!" Roman said emphatically, looking at my face.

"Wha-" I was crying. I didn't even realize.

"What happened?" Logan inquired.

"You can tell us." Roman said, "We won't judge."

"I'll explain. He's too... emotional." Virgil said.

"Of course."

Virgil explained everything, as I stared at the floor.

"Ohmigod I'm so sorry Pat!" Roman cried, "I'm sorry if we ever made you feel like that! You are so perfect! We love your jokes and your happiness! We never meant to hurt you-!"

"Listen to me." Logan said, lifting my chin so I could look him in the eye. It's kinda weird that he could do that now. "You are the only Patton any of us would ever want. Don't change yourself just because someone says so. You are... adequate, just by being you."

I smiled and looked back down at the floor.

"PUPPY TIME!" Roman yelled, handing a small Pomeranian at me. Both Logan and Virgil conjured their own puppies, too, just to make this a group experience.

I held the puppy close as more tears started to spill. Somehow, now I felt more sad than I did this morning, when I thought they all hated me.

Because they all love me.

And gave me puppies.

-

OMG I loved writing this but it's hecca long.

This was based off a dream i had last night.

Published 3/28/20
Word Count 1633