Virgil hugged the stuffed bear to his chest.

Tears of gratitude slid down his pale cheeks. Patton, his party hat sitting crookedly on his head, grinned. Purple icing from the slice of birthday cake he ate was smudged on the corner of his mouth. His glasses rested on the tip of his freckled nose.

He locked his best friend in a tight embrace, not knowing that the teddy would be Virgil's most precious possession.

The teddy was clutched in Virgil's arms as he peeped through the crack in the door. The light from the living room illuminated the fear on his dark eyes. He saw his father getting to his feet, the beer bottle rolling across the wooden panels.

It covered his sight as the slaps and punches echoed through the creaky old house and he shut the door with pitiful, big eyes, fading into the shadows. It never did any good when Virgil got involved.

The teddy wiped away his tears as he cowered between his pairs of shoes in the dusty closet, his knobby knees pulled to his tiny chest. The thin walls offered little privacy to what happened in the other room.

It rested in his ragged bag as he stumbled through the freshly painted school gates for the first time, the bag straps clutched tightly in his fists. This was a new start and Virgil wouldn't let himself mess it up.

The teddy offered its silent support as Virgil rambled through introducing himself to the class, their big eyes staring, and as he stood to the side at recess, watching the other kids play with each other.

It patted him on the head as he was dragged by the arm towards Patton's circle of friends. Virgil allowed a smile to touch his lips as he watched how hard they tried to include him. The outgoing prince, the strict nerd and his loving best friend. What a strange group they made.

The teddy listened to his emotional rambling as he flopped onto his bed with a heavy heart and uncertain affections, his eyes shut tightly. There was no possibility that he would like Virgil, but he would never know if he didn't try to find out.

It muffled his frustrated screams as he recalled his awkward declaration of romantic feelings towards his best friend. Virgil must have been the only person that would blurt out, "Patton, I really, really like you," before running away as fast as his legs would carry him.

The teddy counted the happy beats of Virgil's heart as he laced his pale fingers with Patton's warm ones. Virgil couldn't be happier than when he was with his boyfriend.

It wished him well as Virgil nervously left, dressed in his best attire for his first date at the movies, praying that it went well. Patton was his light in the darkness. He had to be the best person he could be. For Patton.

The teddy overheard the stifled giggles and late night phone conversations between the two doty lovers. They never seemed to handle being separated from each other these days.

It watched as Virgil nursed bruises on his body, wishing to be in the safe arms of his lover. Only a few more years until he could spread his wings and soar away from his broken household.

The teddy saw how Virgil collected a myriad of scars as he grew, as he came closer to escaping the bonds that tied him down. He was becoming more and more confident and self-loving, but his past tragedies and mistakes would not abandon his consciousness as he wished.

It followed as he marched out the door with a ratted suitcase being dragged behind, ready to start a new life. He was free and he was going to make the most of it.

The teddy sat on the armchair as the two high school sweethearts entered their apartment, with towers of boxes filling every room, and began the painful process of unpacking. Furniture would be shuffled around and many compromises would be made, but they were happy.

It covered its ears to block the night sounds coming from the room next to him as he wished for the first rays of morning light to come. Later on, the two would feel quite sheepish as their neighbours greeted them by name, even though they never introduced themselves. They were just that loud.

The teddy nibbled on a strip of bacon as Patton cooked breakfast for them, wrapped up in a fluffy blue robe. Virgil set the table with messy hair and bleary eyes, euphoria evident in his face.

It snuggled between them as they curled up underneath a thick blanket on the couch, enjoying a light movie. The two had contrasting tastes and repeatedly argued over what to watch, but Patton's puppy eyes always won.

The teddy waited along with Virgil for Patton to arrive home late at night. Work was hard. Tiring. Stressful. Time couldn't be spent as carelessly as before. They couldn't grow apart.

It ignored the signs that the two's spark was flickering out, that their relationship was held together by Patton's sympathy and Virgil's pain. Patton was kind, loving. Pitying. He saw someone who was broken and wanted to be the one to glue him back together. Virgil was lonely, apprehensive. Needy. He needed constant confirmation and reassuring. He needed someone to love him, because he couldn't love himself.

The teddy hid when the arguments started and the voices became louder. The peace just wasn't meant to last. Why didn't they spend more time together? Why was Patton always so tired? Why was Virgil always so jealous?

It looked away when the two treated each other with cold shoulders and chilling unfamiliarity. He was the one who had to apologize. That was what both thought, though both had forgotten why they were angry to begin with.

The teddy felt helpless when the two slept separately in different beds. They were living with each other, but they weren't living together. No longer were they close lovers. If they were honest, no longer were they even friends.

It cried when Patton, with a rigid posture and sad eyes, walked out the door. Virgil sobbed after he left and so did the teddy. Virgil didn't go back to who was before, not even months afterwards. His eyes had a lifelessness to them and he had forgotten how to smile, or how it felt to laugh. He just... existed.

The teddy overheard the serious phone call Virgil answered with reluctance. No-one ever called him. Not anymore. Virgil thought he could handle Patton physically leaving, but he refused to acknowledge that Patton's soul had left the earth as well.

It felt guilty as Virgil cried, cried, cried. Cried upon waking up, cried while forcing food down his throat, cried in the shower, cried himself to sleep. Virgil blamed himself. Blamed himself for not noticing, for not seeing how tired Patton was, how fragile he appeared. For not being less self-centred, for not working harder to keep them together.

The teddy worried as it watched over its oldest friend. He didn't move. Not to work, not to eat, not to go to the bathroom. It didn't even think he moved to breathe anymore. Patton was Virgil's light, his sunshine, his angel. Without him warding off Virgil's darkness, it engulfed him, dragged him even deeper into despair.

It died when Virgil's body ultimately gave in. There was no trace of fighting spirit left. His miserable eyes closed, his lips parted to give a final mournful breath, his heart giving a final grieving beat, but not before he did one last thing-

Virgil hugged the stuffed bear to his chest.

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Total: 1316 words

An angsty Moxiety one-shot requested by my friend, @HypnoArt. Hope it sufficed.