5:26pm

Part three bitches

Trigger warning: attempted suicide

Au
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"As much as I love the way you go on, and on, and on about men" Deceit drawled, hands in his pockets, lazily strolling next to his twin. "Would it be possible if you shut up?"

Remy sipped from their straw noisily, taking their glasses from the top of their head and putting it back on their face to shield their eyes from the sun. Finally, they responded; "nope" with a popped 'p' and carried on blabbering about the boys from the football team. Deceit sighed out loudly, brushing his hair away from his face. He was about to get into his car when he noticed his younger brother, Virgil, across the parking lot. Virgil's allowed to leave school five minutes before anyone else due to his social anxiety, and inability to talk to anyone that wasn't his family, so it was confusing to see him still here, as usually Patton picks him up.

Deceit leaned on the roof of his car, leaning through the open doorway to stare at his twin. "Rem?"

"Yeah?" Remy responded, applying a layer of lip gloss to their lips. "Did Dad tell you to pick Virgil up?" Remy paused momentarily, then nodded. "Yeah, where is he?"

Deceit sighed and looked over at Virgil again to see him trying to get out of a woman's grip, but she was tugging him over to her car. Deceit let out a low growl subconsciously which made Remy lean back slightly and stare at their brother with a risen eyebrow. "I'll be back now" he muttered lowly, dropping his backpack and marching in a storm straight across the parking lot.

Before Virgil was forced into the car, Deceit ripped her arm from his and scooped him up close, glaring dangerously at the woman who flinched back. "Get the fuck away from my brother" he snarled darkly, "brother?" She scoffed as if she didn't believe him.

"He's stood out here for the past fifteen minutes! Some brother you are"

"Oh, bitch" Remy suddenly spoke up beside Deceit, leaning against him. "You wanna run that by us again?" They glanced at Virgil and winked, smirking when he smiled back and glared at the woman. "Go 'way" Virgil murmured loud enough for her to hear, and both Remy and Deceit 'ohh'd' in response, laughing as the lady got into her car and drove off in a flurry.

"We gotta talk to Patton about the codes, huh?" Remy questioned while pinching his cheeks, Virgil nodded shyly and clung to Deceit as they walked back to the car. Sitting him down in the middle, they drove home, listening to random music from the radio. Once inside, they called Patton down from whatever he was doing, and he came with a smile, picking Virgil up when the boy motioned to him with grabby hands.

"These code words need to turn into code gestures!" Remy hollered as they waltzed into the living room. Patton cocked his head in confusion, following Deceit who rolled his eyes at his siblings antics. They all sat down on the couches, Virgil comfortable on his dads lap, he had gotten out of the habit of sucking his thumb, now he chewed his tongue instead while pushing his long sleeves over his hands.

"What do you mean?" Patton asked, loosely wrapping his arms around Virgil's waist. "He still has a hard time talking to strangers, can't ask them for code words" Deceit explained, kicking his legs up onto the coffee table. "Oh.." Patton smiled, "Awh, okay, let me think of some, alright?" Virgil nodded and stood up, hurrying to his room where he laid on his bed and played on his phone.

Deceit and Remy both followed suit to their own bedrooms, each doing their own thing. Later that evening, after dinner, the twins sat on the couch and watched Patton and Virgil sit opposite each other.

"If I send someone else to pick you up, hold up three fingers, like this" Patton held up his hand to reveal his thumb holding down his pinkie, and the remaining fingers standing up. Virgil repeated this, making Patton smile and nod.

"That's it. If they hold up four fingers in response" Patton motioned the symbol, his thumb pressed over the palm of his hand. "Then I sent them, but if they don't, get away from them, alright?" Virgil nodded and held up three fingers, Patton giggled and held up four in response, which made Virgil crawl over and hug his dad tightly. That night, they all watched a movie on the couch together.

A few days after the code-gestures, Virgil was standing outside of school, waiting for his dad to come pick him up. Patton was late again, so he assumed either Deceit or Remy would come over, but when a stranger started walking in his direction, he tensed and fumbled with his sleeves, eyes not daring to look up at his.

"Hey, are you Virgil?" They questioned in a soft tone, bending down to look up at his face that was ducked down, hair falling across his eyes. He didn't do anything in response. "Your dad sent me to pick you up" he smiled warmly, watching as he shakily held up three fingers. In response, the man held up four, and Virgil seemed to relax a little, allowing the man to take him over to his car.

Sitting in the back, he strapped himself in, bringing out his phone and texting the first message box he could find. It was Roman.

Storm cloud - could you ask dad if he sent some1 to pick me up

The annoying one - Why? Are you in their car?

Storm cloud - yeah they did the code

The annoying one - I'll check!

Virgil only had to wait a minute before his phone vibrated in his hand.

The annoying one - Yep! His name's Nico!

Storm cloud - thx

Relaxing in relief, he climbed out the car when it parked in front of his house, murmuring a quiet thank you before he rushed up to the front door. Using the key he was trusted with, he opened and closed the door, hurrying up the staircase and past Patton who watched him in confusion. "Virgil? Where's Nico?" Patton called, opening the front door to find him standing on the porch, looking awkward but amused.

"I see what you mean by shy" he chuckled, and Patton joined in, smiling at him gently. "Yeah, but he's lovely! My precious little diamond" he giggled, "thanks for picking him up, again, I owe you"

Nico shrugged, "it was nothing, see you around!" The sent each other waves before parting, Patton closing the door and heading up the staircase to peak into his sons room. Virgil was laying on his bed, glancing over at him sheepishly.

Patton only grinned, making a heart with his fingers before leaving him to his devices.

Two years later...

Virgil sniffled, hands shakily holding his phone, tears dripping onto the screen that was the brightest source of light around. It was dark, the moon hidden behind the layers of clouds. His thumbs moved on their own accord, phoning his dad who picked up almost instantly.

"Hey, little diamond!" He called cheerily, "What's up?"

"Uhm..." Virgil replied, voice shaking with hitched breaths. "I told myself to come here...I told myself t-to do something..." he breathed in through a partially blocked nose, "can-can I do it? Please, father?"

Patton hesitated, "Virgil, honey, where are you?"

"Can I do it, please, father?" Virgil repeated, eyes clenched shut, more tears welling in his eyes to spill down his cheeks, hair whipped back and forth by the wind that couldn't decide which direction it wanted to go. "No, no you can't, Kiddo, where are you?"

"On the cliff.." Virgil trailed off.

"Oh, kiddo, okay, I'll be right there, stay there, don't move, alright? Promise me?"

Virgil sobbed, "y-yeah.."

Virgil closed his eyes and didn't move, legs dangling over the edge of the cliff. He didn't know how much time had passed by, all he did was listen to Patton's comforting voice until two arms curled around his waist and pulled him back. He blinked rapidly, meeting his dads gaze. Phone dropping from his hand, he tucked his body up against Patton, finally crumpling into fits of sobs. Patton shuffled as much as he could away from the edge, leaning against a tree and holding Virgil tightly, so tight in case the wind would pull him away.

"Vir-gil" Patton whispered brokenly, his own tears accumulating. "I've got you" he stayed strong, hiding his face into Virgil's hair. "I've got you"

Remy couldn't help them self, when they found out what their brother did, they told Patton they wouldn't freak out at him for it, and they didn't, but that couldn't stop them - nothing could stop them - from ripping Virgil up from his bed and hugging him so tightly he almost couldn't breathe. Deceit came up behind them, hugging Virgil from behind, arms curling around Remy to hold them all securely, forcing himself not to cry while Remy full on broke down, the idea of losing their brother tearing them down to nothing.

Roman and Logan found out next, and came down as soon as they could, putting their lives on hold to cradle Virgil like Remy and Deceit had done in the exact same way, Roman cried and Logan held himself together. Each didn't leave the house for the entire week, even if Roman missed his performance, even if Logan missed his presentation he had worked on for months, even if Remy and Deceit missed all that work in college, they stayed home, never allowing Virgil to be on his own for too long, and definitely not allowing him to leave the house by himself.

Although, when it passed, and Virgil periodically went to therapy, they finally returned to their normal lives, calling or texting at least once everyday to see how their younger brother was doing. Virgil will never understand why he sat upon that cliff and nearly took his own life - maybe he had felt so alone, with it just being him and Patton in the house, and the fact he had no friends in school, he didn't feel like he was worth anything, but his siblings changed that, and never again did he ever feel so alone, especially when he found himself in college, smiling at a boy across the room who smiled back.

And, when they all had kids, each and every single one of them knew about the code words and code gestures.

When Patton found out, he would be lying if he said he didn't tear up.

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O O P THIS ONE WASN'T AS GOOD OH W E L L

6:42pm