Hi guys!

So this was thought out by my wonderous best friend @HypnoArt for a school project when we had to do a dialogue. I just put my own twists on it.

I thought it would be perfect for a fluffy one-shot, so here we are.

The characters are the Sides, Thomas, Remy (Sleep), Dr Picani and Bad!Deceit (Damian).

Deceit will use one or two offensive terms, so be warned.

I don't go to therapy, so I hope my research is mostly accurate.

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Virgil slammed his bedroom door closed behind him. Dropping his school bag on the ground, he tugged off his comfortable hoodie, throwing it over his desk chair, and sunk into his bed. Burrowing his face in a plush, black pillow, Virgil did the breathing technique his therapist taught him.

Breathe in for four seconds.
Hold your breath for seven seconds.
Breathe out for eight seconds

It couldn't go on like this.

Breathe in for four.
Hold for seven.
Breathe out for eight.

Why was it always him? What had he done to deserve this? He did another cycle to avoid thinking about the answer.

In for four.
Hold for seven.
Out for eight.

Things would be better if he just-

Four.
Seven.
Eight.

Ran away.

Virgil slowly sat up and rubbed his face. He shuffled over to his desk chair, threw his black and purple hoodie over the bedpost, and wheeled it over to his closet. The wheels of the chair glided over the tiles of the bedroom, requiring a bit more effort to move over his black rug.

Moving it to the edge of his rug, right against the closet, he climbed onto the chair and opened the cupboard doors at the top. Virgil looked past the cardboard box on his left and saw what he was searching for in the far right.

He stretched forward to grab the striped purple suitcase, realizing too late that the chair could move sideways. It veered to the left and he gripped the cardboard box to steady himself, but only managed to take it down with him. He crashed onto the ground, hitting his right shoulder against the purple painted wall. The surprisingly heavy cardboard box plummeted onto his leg, spilling pages everywhere.

Virgil groaned and rubbed his shoulder, pulling himself into a ball. His right elbow would have a big bruise tomorrow from where he tried to break his fall. He sat up and flipped the cardboard box back over, chucking its contents that littered the floor back in.

Old rapport cards, unfinished sketches, embarrassing middle school photos, random scribbles. Virgil picked up one of the pages. It was a letter addressed to him.

Oh yeah. That summer Virgil's phone broke and he didn't have the money to repair it. His friends still wanted to keep in touch, so they wrote him letters.

Virgil tried to flatten the creases and looked down at the extravagant, curly writing.

~~~
My darling emo,

Virgil rolled his eyes. That was so like Roman. He and his family went on a luxurious vacation in Miami that summer.

My flight was dreadfully boring. I'm afraid that the aeroplane has terribly unflattering lighting for selfies. How would people know I'm going on vacation if I don't post about it? Not to mention that aeroplane food is not close to fitting for a prince.

Virgil scoffed. With Princey's wealthy family they could easily afford first class. The Prince's were a picture-perfect family- a famous model mother, a world known actor father, and a theatre star son with the voice of an angel.

The hotel we checked into was marvellous. I had a king size bed to myself and the breakfast buffet was to die for. I soaked up a ton of sunshine at the beach and built a magnificent sandcastle with Dad.

Virgil looked at the attached photo Princey sent with the letter. Roman (shirtless) posed dramatically behind a well-built castle, his father crouching beside it.

Some things never changed.

They had a live band playing at the beach one day. I think even you would have liked their music. They asked a person from the audience to come and sing with them and obviously, I got chosen. I was like a siren upon that stage, seducing the crowd with my voice. The vid will be on my insta.

I hope you like the souvenir I got you. Stay safe and healthy, my chemically imbalanced romance.

Till we meet again
Roman
~~~

Virgil smiled. He remembered when Princey came back from his vacation and gifted his friends a souvenir along with a seashell. He loved the phone cover of Jack Skellington from The Nightmare Before Christmas he received.

Patton had gotten a stuffed kitten teddy with a flower crown on its head. His shell had a slight pink tint to it.

Logan had received a colourful necktie with fishes on it. He had pretended to hate it, but they all knew he wore it when he was at home. His shell had a slight blue hue.

When Virgil had put his porcelain shell to his ear to listen to the ocean, Logan had informed them that they were actually listening to the blood rushing through their ears. It kind of killed the magic.

Virgil snatched another letter from the ground.

This one was from Logan.

~~~
Virgil,

Straight to the point then.

Since your cellular device has been temporarily non-functional, I have decided to converse with you through written format.

I visited the Butterfly Rain Forest at the Florida Museum of Natural History two days prior. It was fascinating and Mother really enjoyed it.

My mother and I paid a visit to an observatory today. Even though I was knowledgeable about most facts about the planets, I never knew about the folklore behind the numerous constellations. It was an out-of-this-world experience.

Virgil felt his lips twitch when he imagined the face his friend would have made when he realized he made a pun. Knowing Pocket Protector, he probably went to buy a book on constellations for research purposes.

I'll be with my father for the weekend, I hope that we can find topics in common to converse about...

Logan's parents were divorced and he didn't get to see his dad often. They didn't have a very close relationship.

I hope your therapy sessions have been beneficial to your mental state. Make sure to get enough sleep, eat healthily and stay hydrated.

Logan.
~~~

Virgil scrambled to find another letter. He chucked a few more meaningless papers into the cardboard box- his old passwords, doodles on scraps, school newsletters.

One particular piece of wrinkled parchment caught his eyes. He set that one to the side where the other's letters were. Only two more papers remained in the original heap.

Virgil scooted closer and studied the first one.

It was from Patton.

~~~
Hey Kiddo,

Virgil rolled his eyes. Patton was truly the mom-friend of the group.

We got a puppy! Can you believe it?! She's a cute little Labrador with these tiny ears and tiny, wagging tail! We named her Trixie, because she's a real trickster. We're gonna have our hands full with this one.

Of course Patton's letter would be about a puppy.

It's great being here on the family farm. Joan, Talyn, and I swam in the lake yesterday.

Talyn was Patton's sibling and Joan was Talyn's significant other.

It was freezing! Poor Trixie wouldn't come near the water and I had to beg Talyn to join me and Joan. They eventually gave in.

We're going to ride on the quads tomorrow. Hopefully, no-one gets hurt this time.

Virgil cringed as he remembered the "Wheelie Incident" as they dubbed it.

Stay safe, Virge! I can't wait to see you guys again.

Lots of love
Patton <3
~~~

Virgil chuckled at the added heart. He put the letter with the others and read the last one.

~~~
Dear fag,

Virgil clenched his jaw. He could see that smirking snake looming over him, clad in his usual ironic, yellow shirt.

I hope your vacation is great, considering you're a miserable miscreant who only has friends out of pity.

Virgil knew he should ignore him, but he always knew how to hit home. Virgil was insecure about his friendship with Roman, Logan and Patton. They were just so great, and he... wasn't.

Do us all a favour and just disappear, would you? I mean, what are you even here for? Your own parents abandoned you!

So what if he's adopted? Thomas and his husband were kind people.

It's not like you can compete with your brother anyway. You're just an unimportant ant in the shadow of his greatness.

Remy was Thomas's nephew, but after his parents died, the Sanders adopted him. Remy was an exceptional dancer, he had a whole trophy case to prove it, and he was very popular. Virgil paled in comparison.

Save everyone the trouble and skip off to La La Land with another pansy.

Was being gay such a big deal?

If you do have the gall to come crawling back... Let's say I can't wait for making new memories...

Virgil swallowed. He definitely kept the promise.

Your forever enemy
~~~

He ripped the paper, squashed it into a ball and threw it into the little dustbin next to his desk.

How did he even find his address? Damian always could find out anything if he wished, except maybe his own happiness.

Everyone knew of the rumours about Damian's abusive household. He wasn't always this bad, he could actually be quite funny, in a sardonic kind of way.

Virgil just made the mistake of crushing on him, once upon a time. Turns out Damian was extremely homophobic, or just needed a reason to let out his pent up anger. He immediately rebuked Virgil and turned very bullying towards him.

Damien wasn't too violent towards Virgil, he wouldn't risk leaving evidence.

Virgil heard the thump of footsteps coming down the hall. He hastily stuck the three letters and wrinkled paper in his desk's drawer and went to hide the cardboard box, when his older brother strolled onto his room.

Remy rested his sunglasses on top of his brown locks, slowly sipping his Starbucks coffee. Virgil was awkwardly bent down to grip the box and tried to stand straight with dignity. He half-glared at his big brother.

"Don't you knock?"

"Hey, Lil' bro," he grinned. "I'm your sibling. Those rules never apply to me."

Virgil sighed.

"Whatcha got there?"

"It's just a box with old report cards and stuff. "

"Ooooohhhh, anything embarrassing?" Remy winked.

Virgil scoffed, picked the box up and realized that he couldn't reach the top cupboards without standing on a chair.

Remy looked at the tipped chair, open cupboards and Virgil's messy appearance.

He laughed, "You fell off the chair, didn't you?"

Virgil turned red, but said nothing. Remy, who was much taller, set down his coffee on the desk and took the box from Virgil, returning it to its prior place in the cupboard. He closed the cupboard doors and ruffled the younger boy's hair.

"It isn't that hard to ask for help, Virge," he teased.

"Well, whatever. Thanks, Rem," he mumbled.

"You're welcome, bro. Dad'll be here in about two hours. Think you'll be fine till then?" Remy asked, popping the collar of his leather jacket he wore over his plain, white shirt.

"Where are you going?" Virgil asked, wheeling his chair back to his desk.

"Gonna go to a quick study group with my peeps," Remy replied, sticking his one hand into his black jeans' pocket," I'm failing History."

He took his coffee and strutted out of the room.

"It's Wednesday afternoon," Virgil called, "and at least close the door!"

"I told you, those rules never apply to siblings!" Remy called from down the hall. "Bye, b*tch!"

Virgil grumbled, closed his bedroom door and glanced guiltily at where his suitcase was in his closet. Was he really going to run away, leave his family and friends behind? What would they think of him?

How would he even survive? Where would he live? For how long? Whose money would he use?

Virgil sighed. His flight reflex had kicked in and he didn't think it through at all. Virgil slid into his desk chair and pulled out his homework. He has a therapy session tomorrow and had to get as much done as possible.

As an afterthought, he took the letters and wrinkled parchment from the desk drawer and stuffed them in his bag. Dr Picani might want to see them.

* - * - * - *

Virgil stalked down the corridor. He was going to be late for Geography. Again.

A shoulder collided with his, causing him to drop his bag. He sneered at the laughing Damian over his shoulder. Virgil slung his bag over his shoulder and rushed to class.

* _ * _ * _ *

Virgil's other few classes went by without a hitch, excluding him being called on and accidentally calling the teacher "mom". Ironic since he had two fathers.

The others hadn't arrived yet, so Virgil had bought his lunch and sat alone at their usual cafeteria table.

He lifted the forkful of mash to his mouth and felt someone bump his arm, causing him to spill his food into his lap.

He growled, "Seriously," not looking back, because he'd know that damned laugh anywhere.

Virgil cleaned up with his napkin and saw his friends come through the cafeteria doors.

* _ * _ * _ *

Virgil rested his head on his hand, trying to focus on his math equation. It was the last period, he could almost go to therapy then home.

13. 2p(y - p) + 15y(3p + 4y)

14. If X=5, A=12 and C=42, how much is [5(2x +5a) - 13x(5c + a)]

Virgil exhaled. His brain was exhausted by the end of the day and he couldn't keep his mind on his work.

The ringing bell signalled the end of his torture. He quickly stuffed his books in his bag and drifted out of the classroom. A voice called out to him as he was rushing down the hall.

"Virge, wait up!"

Virgil looked back at Patton jogging up to him, not yet in his cheerleading uniform.

"Hey, Pat. Don't you have cheer practice today? Where are the others?"

"I can spare a few seconds for my friend," Patton smiled. "Roman is at drama practice and Logan went to chemistry club."

Patton dug around in his bag and pulled out an envelope. "We know you've been having a hard time lately, so we made you this."

He handed Virgil the envelope, zipped his bag closed and flashed a grin. "Gotta go, see you tomorrow!" Patton hurried back from where he came.

Virgil put the envelope in his bag where he kept the letters and wrinkled parchment. He dashed to his dad's car and climbed in front.

"Hey, Dad," Virgil greeted, kissing him on the cheek.

"Hey, Kiddo," Thomas smiled at him. "Ready for therapy?"

"Yup," Virgil buckled his seat belt. "How was work?"

They shared some small talk until they reached the therapists' offices.

"Okay, I'll come to pick you up when you're done," Thomas gave him a squashed hug.

"Bye, Dad."

Virgil jumped out of the car, heaved his bag over his shoulder and trudged to Dr Picani's office. The door was open and the therapist was sitting behind his desk, studying a patient's file.

"Hey, Dr Picani," Virgil greeted, plopping down on the couch, his schoolbag at his feet.

"Hi, Virgil! Good to see you," the therapist beamed.

He set down the file he had been reading. "This is your second therapy session, right?"

"Yeah."

"I thought that you should tell me about your week before we start your CBT," Dr Picani said.

Cognitive Behavioural Therapy was a common treatment to help with types of anxiety and fears. Dr Picani would also help Virgil with his negative thinking.

"Well, there's this one kid, Damien, that keeps screwing with me." Virgil fiddled with a thread hanging on his ripped black jeans.

"I see. What does he do?"

"Nothing too serious. He rams into me in the halls, whispers names as he goes by. Little things that inconvenience me. "

The therapist scribbled down in a notebook. "Have you told anyone about this?"

"No, there's no need to make them worry about stupid things like this," Virgil huffed, stuffing his hands in his hoodie's pockets. "My friends know that we don't get along and that Damien bothers me sometimes."

"And do they stand up for you when this Damien bullies you?"

"They're never there. I'm in a different class than them, so we don't see each other much in between school."

Dr Picani nodded and scribbled more down. "Does this affect you quite a bit?"

Virgil hid behind his fringe. "I miss not seeing them as much as before. I kinda felt excluded from the friend group for a long time. Roman, Patton and Logan were friends long before I came along. They're all so talented and such wonderful people."

"Would it be accurate to compare you to Amethyst from Steven Universe in this situation?" Dr Picani asked. "In the episode, On The Run, she and Steven ran off to the Kindergarten and we learned how Amethyst feels like she can't compare to the other Crystal Gems. That she's not worthy. "

"Sometimes... I know my family and friends love me, but I wasn't in my right mind this week. I was even ready to run away from home after a particularly bad day," Virgil said, digging the letters, envelope and wrinkled paper out of his bag.

He handed the older man the three letters. "I accidentally came across these letters that made me think. One summer my phone broke and my friends wrote me letters to stay in touch. It made me feel nostalgic."

Dr Picani scanned the letters. "These made you feel a little more valued, knowing they took time to write to you, that they cared. Like Rin Matsuoka from Free! felt when he swam the relay with his old team after years of not seeing each other."

Virgil nodded and picked up the wrinkled paper. "I planned to write them a thank-you letter for always caring for me, but I ducked out at the last second."

Dr Picani encouraged him to read it. Virgil cleared his throat and started.

"Dear friends,

Thank you for accepting me.

Roman, always ready to defend my honour and protect me from harm.
Patton, always saying the right thing and giving the comfort I need.
Logan, helping me stay focused on what's important and setting my mind at ease.

You're the people I love the most, my best friends.

Forever grateful,
Virgil. "

Dr Picani smiled, "You're like the new marauders."

Virgil chuckled and turned the envelope Patton gave him in his hands.

"Is that another letter?"

"I'm not sure, I haven't opened it yet."

Virgil carefully slid the flap open and took the paper out. It was a letter addressed to him. His three friends must have switched between writing, because the script changed from extravagant and curly to neat and orderly to slightly messy scribbles.

Virgil read it out loud.

"Dear Virgil,

We love you.

You're our best friend and when you stand behind us, we will protect you. When you stand before us, we will have your back and when you stand next to us, we will respect you.

We love your quirks and your remarks and your laugh and the ways you dress and your solidness and your jokes and everything else.

We can't imagine a world where you weren't our best friend. We know you've been having a tough time lately and we hope you will trust us to help you in any way we can.

Your best friends,
Roman, Logan and Patton. "

Virgil wiped a teardrop from his eye and carefully slid the letter back into the envelope, hugging it to his chest.

He accepted the tissue his therapist offered him."And just like Pearl, you will learn to value and love who you are."

Dr Picani beamed at him. "Now that we've gotten that off your chest, let's move on."

* - * - * - *

Virgil scooted into the car and almost jumped into his father's lap when moving to hug him.

"I love you, Dad."

"Miss me that much," Thomas chuckled and kissed the top of his son's head. "I love you too, Virge."

"Dad, when we get home, I've got some things to tell you," Virgil mentioned, clicking in his seat belt.

"Of course, Kiddo."

* - * - * - *

Virgil ran over to where his friends were crowded together and somehow squashed them all into a hug.

"Hey, Virge," Patton laughed.

"I know it's been a whole day since you last saw me, but I didn't know you would miss my charm this much," Roman teased.

"Shut up, Princey," Virgil mumbled into Logan's shoulder.

"Um, Virgil," Logan said, "Not that I particularly mind the affection, but why?"

"No reason." Virgil uncurled himself from his friends. "I just love you guys."

The trio would continue to tease the fourth member, but it was fine.

Virgil was loved and all was well.

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I hoped you enjoyed all the fluff XD

Total length: 3 437 words (excluding Author's Notes).