Tw: Yelling, idk what else, tell me in the comments if you think of anything plz

"Is this my fault?"

The whispered words hung in the air for only a moment before the ticking of the clock drowned it out.

Tick.

Tock.

Tick.

Tock.

Every second that passed by seemed to be drawn out. Each tick of the clock made the hair on his neck stand up a bit straighter... 'But that was the only straight thing about us!'

At least, that's the kind of joke Patton might have given if they weren't currently living in a nightmare. He was slouched forward, staring at some spot on the ground. He wasn't sure where exactly he was looking, his vision blurred from not focusing.

Thomas took a breath before glancing over at Patton. The grim look on that father figure's face was anything but comforting.

"What did you say, kiddo?" Patton's eyes flickered over to his, subconsciously picking up on Thomas' staring. Or, well, he assumed they did. Patton's glasses were fogged over and it was difficult to tell where he was looking.

"Is- is this-?" The words felt caught in his throat as tears swell in his eyes. "Is this all my fault? Am I the reason all of this is happening?"

"Of course not, kiddo!" His expression morphed from one of a hollowed out shell to one of care and sympathy. Thomas knew Patton meant well but his eyes betrayed him.

"Don't lie to me Patton. This is all me. You all are a part of me. You're a part of me... Virgil is. Logan is. Janus is. The twins are... this... this monster is..." Thomas slammed his hand down on the table as he pushed himself to his feet, the loud pounding echoing off the walls.

"Woah- hold on, kiddo, no need to-" Patton placed his hand on Thomas' shoulder, in hopes of calming him down.

"DON"T TELL ME TO BE CALM! Don't sit here and lie to me and say everything is going to be fine. Everything is clearly not fine!" His whole body was trembling at this point and his eyes were red and puffy from the tears that have ran down his face.

Patton winced at Thomas' increased volume and his breathing hitched. "I- I understand the pain you're feeling but please quiet down." As the exclamation 'Why should I?' left Thomas' lips, he continued, "We don't want to attract the monster to us..."

Thomas instantly clamped his mouth shut, falling back onto the couch. "Sorry, Pat... I just.. Am I a bad person?"

"Of course not, kiddo!" Patton reassured, or, he tried to reassure but Thomas cut him off.

"How can you say that confidently when things like this monster exist in my head?"

"Because I know you." The father figure's voice softened. "You are a good person. No body is perfect and everyone has flaws and weaknesses-"

"Not everyone has a monster who feeds off of the harm of others running rapid in their head." Thomas muttered, hanging his head.

"Well, no, they probably don't- but!" Patton allowed his energy to rise as he spoke, "Like you said, we're all apart of you, yeah? Sure, we all fight and we have some not-so-happy disagreements but we're all here fighting for you and for each other. Doesn't that mean something?"

Thomas considered what Patton was saying before releasing a soft but shaky breath. "Thanks, Pat."

"Anytime, kiddo." Patton wrapped his arm around Thomas, holding him close as they curled up on the couch as their eyes fluttered close.

They needed some time to rest, even if they couldn't bring themselves to fully enter the REM cycle. Patton was still drained from healing Virgil's legs as well as the emotional exhaustion from this whole ordeal and Thomas was simply exhausted from the inner turmoil that was happening around him.

Their rest time didn't last long, however, as the others barged into the room with 'Janus''s body in tow.

"WE GOT JANUS!"

~~~

Thomas and Patton were kind of just left there so I thought 'Eh, might as well write with them'. Besides, it's more tame and y'all need a break from the pain. You're welcome... and sorry it's short, I'm not that great at this whole thing-

E_Sanders you wanna give it a try?