TW: forcing someone to throw up, lying, yelling, manipulation, 

1st day of vacation

"C'mon Virgil, hurry up!" Damien says anxiously, hurriedly pulling the fourteen-year-old behind him as he tried to run through the woods.

"Where are we going?" Virgil says worriedly, looking down at Sela, who kept pace at his side, occasionally snapping at the flowing fabric of the white sundress he was wearing. "Dad said the berry bushes we on the other fork in the trail."

"We're not going berry picking Virgil, now come on!" Damien rolls his eyes, beginning to sprint when he saw the unattended beach on the other side of the island. "Here, help me get some sticks!"

"What are you doing?" Virgil asks, tilting his head and stopping at the treeline as Damien began to rush around picking up sticks. Sela sat down next to him, licking his palm and letting out a small yap.

"We're gonna spell Roman's last name out with sticks. He's famous." Damien explains tiredly, grabbing another stick.

"Why are you gonna do that?"

"So that someone in a plane might see it and think 'hey, that missing author's last name is spelled on that beach down there'!"

"So?"

"So then they'd rescue us, Virgil!" The nineteen year old snaps, "Now help me!"

"Why would they want to rescue us? Nothing's wrong. And since when is Uncle Roman famous?"

"God damn it, Virgil!" Damien groans, hiding his head in his hands.

Virgil pouts, moving to the sea and pulling off his shoes.

"What are you doing?" Damien asks tiredly.

"I'm going swimming!" Virgil says excitedly, seemingly forgetting the argument as he wades into the water. Sela follows him happily.

"I'm supposed to be watching you, get back over here!" Damien orders.

"You're not that good of a babysitter. I wanna swim, not make some dumb sign." Virgil whines, crossing his arms and staring back at his brother.

Damien throws up his arms, looking at the sky. "God? Anybody, for crying out loud!"

"Come swim with me!" Virgil whines. Damien sighs.

"First Patton takes my yarmulke, and now he takes everyone else's sanity. Fine!" Yanking off his shoes, Damien angrily throws them down on the sand and runs into the water.

Virgil smiles at him, diving under the water and swimming a few feet away before surfacing. "There's shells!"

"Just don't get bit by a shark." Damien sighs, before his eyes light up with an idea. "Do you want to do something fun?"

"What?" Virgil asks, giggling when Sela began to swim out towards him, her head bobbing in the water.

"Let's make a raft!" Damien suggests. "We could paddle it around."

Virgil pauses, looking unsure. "I don't know. We're supposed to be picking berries."

Damien bites back a snarky reply and smiles as brightly as he can. "Dad and Papa are spending time together. They won't even notice we're gone. And with the way you eat, they won't question any missing berries either."

Virgil laughs, diving underwater again and disappearing.

Damien waits until Virgil resurfaces, beginning to play fetch in the water with Sela before he goes back to shore.

Without Virgil's help, it takes Damien a lot longer to make the sign, but he eventually makes a sizeable Sanders in the sand with sticks and rocks.

"Come on Virgil, it's getting late!" Damien calls. The younger boy looks over at him, then begins to swim for shore.

Virgil shivers once he catches up to Damien, obediently following him on the trail back to the summer house.

"Look at you two, you're soaked to the bone and freezing!" Patton comes out when he sees the two approaching, holding two fluffy towels.

Virgil giggles as Patton aggressively begins to dry his hair off. "Dad, my purple is fading out again, can we dye my hair soon?"

"Ohh, but honey, you look so pretty with your dark hair." Patton pouts, ruffling the still-wet hair. "Plus, we're on an island right now. We can't go to the store until vacation is over. Can we leave your hair black for a bit kiddo?"

Virgil's bright smile falters slightly, before turning into an all out pout. "Okay..."

Patton smiles, kissing his son on the nose before looking down at the empty basket. "Did you eat all the berries already jelly bean?"

"We went swimming instead." Damien cuts in truthfully, not giving Virgil any time to speak about the sign.

"That sounds fun!" Patton smiles, grabbing Virgil's hand and straightening. "Let's get you out of that dress and into a nice, dry nightgown. It's getting late."

2nd day of vacation

"Damien!"

A hard shove.

Damien grunts, rolling over and trying to pull the covers back over his head, only to be stopped by some force.

"Damien wake up!" That voice again!

"Remy stop it." Damien mumbles.

"Dami stop it!" The voice whines. "Who's Remy?"

Damien's eyes shoot open.

Virgil.

Groaning he rolls over and stares at the god awful ocean-themed room.

"Damien dad's yelling..." Virgil whimpers. "Please get up, I don't want him to be more mad..."

Damien sits up, looking at Virgil wearily. "Why's he mad? What did you do?"

"Nothing! He was mad at Uncle Remus, and then he and Uncle Roman started arguing..." Virgil crawls into the bed next to Damien, wrapping his arms around Damien's waist and hiding his face in their chest. "I don't like when they yell..."

Damien rolls his eyes, reluctantly wrapping his arms around Virgil and picking the smaller boy up, carrying him downstairs.

"-to have made it, it's his name!"

"Look at him Patton, he can't do anything because of you!"

"So you did it then?"

"No! I was here all day!"

Damien's eyes widen, setting Virgil down as the two adults look over at them.

"Morning kiddos!" Patton greets peppily, forcing a smile onto his face. "Uncle Roman and I are just having a little disagreement, why don't you go play outside?"

"Why are you fighting?" Damien asks, grabbing Virgil's hand and squeezing it.

"Patton think I made a sign on the beach." Roman glares. "Which I didn't. I'm not an idiot."

"Or Remus did it." Patton retorts.

"He just sits around all day! How the hell could he make a sign?" Roman yells.

"How do you know it wasn't Logan?" Damien asks, a wash of anger and guilt settling in his stomach.

"Because he was here with me. Are you saying that you did it?" Patton asks, grabbing Damien's chin and forcing the teen to look him in the eyes.

"No." Damien says, his voice steady. "I was with Virgil all day."

"So it's settled then?" Patton smiles sickly sweet. "It was either Roman or Remus, and if Remus can't walk without someone telling him to..."

Patton cuts off, turning and moving to storm back over to Roman.

"I did it!"

Patton stops and turns, Roman looking at Virgil in shock.

"What?" Damien looks down at Virgil, trying to hide his panic.

"I..." Virgil sniffles, his eyes watering as Patton kneels down next to him. "I jus-just made it be-because I thought it would cheer Uncle Remus up...I didn't know you'd be mad..."

"Really honey?" Patton asks, his voice scarily calm.

"Mhm..." Virgil nods, staring at the ground and shrinking into himself, trying to look meek.

"There!" Damien announces. "It was an accident."

"Dami, my little baker, if a chef accidentally puts peanuts into an order of someone that was allergic to peanuts, would they still get sued for physical endangerment?"

"Uhm..." Damien shifts. "Yeah, but what does that have to do with-?"

"If the chef has to suffer the consequences of their mistake, and learn to be more careful when preparing food, then Virgil should too." Patton harshly grabs Virgil's arm and starts to pull them into the room he shared with Logan.

"Pl-Please, I'm sorry dad!" Virgil wailed as Patton's nails dug into his skin.

"Patton stop!" Roman tries futilely.

"I did it!"

Patton stops just outside the door to the bedroom, looks back at Damien and then grins. "Nice try, Spartacus."

"Patton-!" Damien rushes forward, pounding his fists on the closed door. "Patton please, it really was me, don't hurt him!"

There's silence from inside the room, then a loud cry from Virgil. Damien hardly noticed his knuckles getting bloody until Roman grabbed him by the waist and pulled him away from the door.

Virgil sobbed as Patton leaned him forward again and he emptied his stomach into the toilet in front of him.

"There we go baby..." Patton gently cards his fingers through Virgil's hair and dabs at the sweat on his face as he heaved. "You won't be making that mistake again, will you?"

"N-No!" Virgil manages to get out before puking again, the gross taste embedding itself in his throat, and even his nose.

"It'll only last a few more seconds Virgey." Patton gently kisses the side of Virgil's head. "Then I'll make you a nice big breakfast. You're staying inside with me and Papa all day today, m'kay? Maybe I'll trust you on the beach in the morning."

Virgil sniffled, his eyes watering, as his stomach finally settled. Sitting still, he allows Patton to clean off his face and help him rinse out his mouth, before collapsing into his arms with one last sob.

"It's okay sweetie, I've got you." Patton murmurs, gently rocking the boy.

Virgil let's his eyes drift shut.

Words: 1,515