Written for golden-honeyhoney on tumblr and based on her prompt: "Cheer up tickles for Virgil, with one or more ler!" I feel like I could have written this better. Once again, its a longer drabble. I get too carried away with story elements, but I hope you all still enjoy it.

I apologize for lateness. I had some set backs, but I still feel like it came out ok.

Please enjoy:

Deserving of a Smile

(Ships): Can be taken as Moxiety, doesn't have to be.

Words ~ 1,273 ~

It was about 2:00 pm and the mind palace was strangely quiet. With Logan and Roman working in the real world on one of Thomas's personal projects, it left the whole place to the remaining two aspects. This was one of the only instances where Virgil could listen to music in the living room without being disrupted or humiliated by the other two traits. Patton never bothered Virgil while he was in his 'zone' unless he had a good reason too, which the darker aspect was extremely thankful for. However, it was at this particular moment that he kind of wanted to be bothered.

Virgil had been depressed lately and he really didn't know why. Granted his dark and brooding music wasn't really helping, but at least it drowned out his negative thoughts. Patton must have noticed his dreary mood, because whenever the happy aspect would pass by him, he would linger in the same room as him for a considerable amount of time.

Virgil caught on pretty quick to Patton's antics. He had tolerated it for a couple hours before hand until he had had enough and wanted to know what was on his 'dad's' mind. At the moment, Patton was in the living room with him very slowly organizing some misplaced objects that the other sides had left scattered about earlier. While still looking like he was listening to music, Virgil kept a watchful eye out waiting for him to leave the room. Once Patton did, the darker aspect took it as an opportunity to confront him.

He rose from his spot, stopped his music, and rounded the corner into the hallway he saw the parental trait walk into. He suddenly stood still when he noticed that Patton was nowhere in sight. Virgil scratched his head thoughtfully. He couldn't have just disappeared...could he?

He was about to venture further down the hallway when his question was answered by two arms swiftly hugging him from behind, and wrapping themselves around his midriff. Anxiety gasped in surprise. "What the-" But he was cut off as the pair of arms hoisted him into the air and carried Virgil back to the couch he was just sitting at. Now he was sitting again, but not on the couch. He looked down. Patton had just literally pulled Anxiety onto his lap.

"Patton! Wha-" Virgil was silenced by a single finger being pressed to his lips, his free arm still holding firm around Virgil's tummy.

"Hey kiddo. I know you don't want to be bothered right now, but a dad's gotta do what a dad's gotta do. And what this dad's gotta do is making sure that your alright! And what better way to cheer you up than with a nice hug!" Patton removed his finger from his lips and pulled the darker trait into a big snuggly hug.

It was at this moment Virgil's demeanor broke. He couldn't say anything. He felt tears, but held them back, because he wanted to enjoy Patton's hug. Slowly but surely, Virgil returned Patton's gesture. He could feel the parental trait's eyes sparkling with pride as the two finally let go and looked each other.

"Thanks...dad." Virgil tried to avoid eye contact and the tiny grin on creeping on his face.

"Your welcome Virge! But we aren't done yet! Do you know what goes well with hugs?" The mischievous smile on Patton's face gave the answer away.

Virgil's face turned to one of terror. "Oh god please no." He scrambled to get away, but to no avail was pulled back onto Patton's lap.

Morality giggled. "Tickles!" He gingerly slid his hands into Virgil's armpits and began tickling the sensitive skin that resided there.

Virgil did all he could to keep the giggles threatening to surface inside of him. "Patton!! No! I don't want it!"

"Sorry kiddo! But, I'm not letting up until I've tickled all the depression out of you! After all, I hate seeing you so sad all the time. You deserve to smile every once and awhile too!"

Patton's hands tickled their way down to Virgil's sides, squeezing the bits of loose skin the parental trait could find.

"No no no nohohohohoho!!! Patton Stahhhhahahahp!!" The darker trait's chuckles progressively bubbled out of his mouth as Patton's hands neared his most sensitive spots.

"Awww...you have such cute laughter Virge! Why don't you let it out more? Tickle tickle tickle!!" Patton cooed as he scratched at the bottom of Virgil's ribs. Anxiety was weakening fast, but continued trying to pry Patton's hands away from his sides. Still it seemed that the parental side had the upper hand of the situation.

The two were too busy caught up in their situation that they didn't notice Roman and Logan had materialized into the mind palace right in front of them. They did a double take on the situation before Logan coughed into his hand, announcing their arrival.

Virgil's eyes shifted to the two aspects and his face flushed red. Patton slowed the tickling slightly so that Virgil could still talk if he wanted to.

"Hey guys! Wanna help? Virgil's been sad lately, so I'm cheering him up." Patton was now scribbling his fingers over the darker traits belly.

"Hehehehehehehehelp Meheheheheh!!!!" Anxiety called out to the two other sides in vain.

Roman had a hand over his mouth the entire time trying to stop squealing from cuteness. "Oh my goodness!! Yes I shall help you Virgil! Let's cheer up this emo together!" He walked over and knelt beside Virgil's flailing legs. With one swift move he grabbed both of them and trapped them in a headlock maneuver. Princey then began to strip Virgil of his socks and shoes.

"Princey nohohoho!!! That's not what Ihihihilhih meant by hehehehehehlp!!!" Anxiety began to laugh considerably louder as Patton's hands slipped under his shirt and tickled the bare skin there.

Logan pushed up his glasses and walked away from the interesting sight. "I see no reason to take part in your endeavors."

"Awww come on Logan! Don't be a debby downer." But Logan had already walked to his room and shut the door, turning a deaf ear to the three 'lunatics' in the living room, or so he called them.

Roman was now tickling Virgil's bare feet, wiggling his fingers along the bottoms of Virgil's toes. Their victim was cackling his head off, red in the face, and unable to fight back against the two stronger sides.

Patton noticed Virgil's growing exhaustion and motioned to Roman to give him a break. The fanciful trait did as he was told, stood back up, and sat next to Virgil on the couch. Most of Morality's fingers stilled as well, except a pointer which was now circling his navel leaving a trail of giggles stringing from Anxiety's mouth.

"So...has the emo been officially cheered up?" Roman teased him, flashing his iconic, pearly-white smile.

"Yeeehehehehehs!!! Just stahahahap already pleahahahahaseee!!!"

Patton did as Anxiety asked by taking his hand out of his shirt and wrapping him once again in a nice hug. "Good to hear, Virge!"

Roman took this opportunity to hug Virgil too. "Virgil sandwich!!"

"Virgil sandwich!" Patton echoed out as the darker aspect was now smushed between his fellow sides.

"I hate you both so much..." Anxiety grumbled as he regained the breath he had lost from the others' tickle attack.

Patton booped his nose. "Awww... you don't mean that."

Virgil let a last, tiny chuckle escape his lips. "Hehe...you're right...I don't." For five more minutes, the three aspects cuddled on the couch. Though Virgil would never admit it, he enjoyed every second of time spent with those two buffoons.